Adrenochrome

TNT 115 used to be the standard supplied backline - loud and reliable. I used a Laney RB something 4x10 combo at a rehearsal room once that I was impressed with.

I have done it in the past but only where everyone else in the band is a good musician. It's also pretty much what you do for a normal dep gig, so not much different. To be honest out current drummer, excellent band member/gig booker/PA fixer etc that he is, ain't quite up to it. Plus we do a lot of covers in various drop and open tunings, so there's usually a bit of sorting out to do before we have a go at a song for the first time.

Plenty of custom builders use 'laminate' bodies which are similar to ply - I'd suggest it's possible to make a good bass this way.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1383774520' post='2269080'] But it isn't pointless. There are some important (to us musicians, but not relatively) philosophical questions we can ask about the rise of the cover band and tribute bands. [/quote] In my experience, covers bands have always been big [in the ~35 years I've been actively listening to music]. Most bands used to cut their teeth playing covers and gradually introduced more and more originals. I've always done both and for a while played gigs on the covers circuit playing 50/50 original and covers. It's the tribute bands that are on the increase in my opinion, and that's largely down to economic realities for the audience [who can't afford to see their fave band but can see an accurate tribute], and the players who need their expenses covered. I think the 'art' behind it may be less of an influence than many people imagine.

Or you could buy the right bass in the first place

When I owned a flat I found that even my small practice combo, on low volumes, sent bass frequencies through the entire building. Even mounting it on foam on a board on top of more foam and layers of carpet made little difference. I bought my acoustic and a Marshall MS4 microamp to practice with after that. If I use my electric bass it's with headphones thru the MS4or my Zoom multi jobby.

Slow start but the ball is rolling. Here's my rarely seen, bald face: [URL=http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/Jon_D_Rhodes/media/IMG_20131101_093643_zpse3250b26.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd504/Jon_D_Rhodes/IMG_20131101_093643_zpse3250b26.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Hello! Don't worry about starting late, I was 27 when I first tried a bass - I've been playing for 14 years non-stop since that time.

I missed this guys, I already signed up to a mate's page. Tomorrow morning I'll be clean shaven for the first time in eleventy-odd years.

Yes I did this a number of years ago. I've used a Zoom B2 for a number of years after using a BF 707. I don't actually use it for any distortion though, I mainly use it for muted tuning, and for an 'autowah' patch - I use my amp's valve pre for my driven sound at all gigs. I do have a chorus and phaser patch set up for occasional use.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1382620842' post='2254511'] As long as the return to passive basses isn't accompanied with the side order of "active basses are the devil's work" then you go and do whatever pleases you in this regard [/quote] Yup, we all know that active basses sound harsh and digital, whereas passive basses sound warm, organic and farmhousey [joke].

Surgical Spirit usually has water in which is bad, as is heating the strings. Methylated Spirits is mainly ethanol and methanol, so a lot better. Composition can vary depending who makes them.

I had a couple of sets of Ernie Balls, and they didn't suit me or the tunings I was using - I also found they were fairly 'rough'. I used to enjoy playing with flats to cut down finger noise but had the same problem at gigs when sweat would cause the strings to suddenly grip my fingertips after being compliant up to that point. This was with different brands, so no bias for or against any maker.

My 'do everything' rig is a HA3500 head with Warwick 411pro 4ohm cab. The cab is fairly heavy but is on a decent set of wheels so no bother for me. The rig overall is loud enough for full outdoor festivals and big stages. I use the valve pre-amp as my standard overdriven rock/metal sound. My HA3500 head is a real workhorse and I can see why you'd want to keep using, just explore different cab options.

I'm also an occasional plonker. I'll find time to squeeze in more time if I've got a few songs to learn.

No, my missus never stops me getting what I need. However, what I [i]want[/i] would be a different matter.

The bass guitar is an instrument that can 'hold it together' or do so much more. Neither is wrong. I personally love the fact that I get a few decent intros and runs etc as well as my main backing role.

We're now using Mackie active tops (not the DLM ones) and they sound the mutts nuts. We've also got active bottoms as well, but I honestly can't remember which brand, sorry.

I agree that your band is too loud. We're a loud band, and our lead guitarist has downsized to one of the new Peavey 50 watt 5150 heads so he can get his sound at lower volumes. Also, those blue drivers that Ashdown used to use can be very focussed towards low frequencies - you might need to drop the bass a bit and boost somewhere higher up to hear yourself perhaps?

Plenty of energy, I enjoyed the performance. Nothing new at all musically but it was fun.

[quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1380884079' post='2231857'] Where was that Jon? assume Pudsey/Rodley/Farsley? PM if you like - just interested thats all Andy [/quote] Eyup, it was the Thornhill Arms, even funnier as Steve the gaffer was supposed to be a sparky. We had all our gigs taken away at one point because we also played the Golden Lion in Pudsey. This was in Angel Of Sin days, Delirium never went down as well at the Golden Lion. ...and yeah we played the Little 'Un with some interesting locals...

Played regularly at a small venue between Leeds and Bradford where the electrickery varied between <200 and 260 volts (we checked it once). As long as all the amps survived (they often didn't without a fuse change) you had a good gig. We then had all our gigs there pulled because we played a venue in the next town 2 miles away...

[quote name='winterfire666' timestamp='1380627220' post='2227988'] how do they continue to be so massive? i just dont get it. [/quote] Because they WERE absolutely fantastic. I'm still loving playing FWTBTolls and Creeping Death in my band, even the occasional blast through 'Sandman goes down well even though it's played out now.

Oh well, he'd best give back the money he took from the Big 4 thrash tours and similar, as it was taken under false pretences.