Adrenochrome

Yes, I disagree with that statement. It won't work for [i]every[/i] vibe.

I use a 2x10 and/or 1x15. It's a very flexible set-up as I play everything from tiny pubs to quite large clubs and festivals. My 2x10 is small and light (I can carry it with 1 hand) so why use more in a small pub when I'm going through a reasonable PA?

[quote name='jakesbass' post='203590' date='May 21 2008, 10:59 AM']I have heard that advice too, I have also people say "noooooo don't moisturise!!" so mixed reports there. As I said I don't get callouses so it's not from experience, only hearsay.[/quote] I'd definitely advocate [i]some[/i] moisturising between playing to stop the toughened skin drying and flaking, not just before playing though!

Yes, superglue in the short term (as discussed above). Blisters are generally best when they're lanced but won't likely make much difference. In the long term moisturise the callouses/hard skin to keep it flexible and less likely to drop off. BTW this isn't upright bass specific advice, it's just general advice. Vinegar, spirit etc should be filed under 'snake oil'.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='202347' date='May 19 2008, 06:13 PM']I'll relent and say... If it [i]does[/i] make a difference, it's [i]minute[/i] compared to other factors.[/quote] ...there's the correct answer.

We cheated when we ran the cheap Nady system - we just put all the vocals through the IEMs and had the volume low enough so we could still hear the backline and drums as well as the vocal feed.

Our singer has a cheap Nady set-up that she got from the US with 3 receiver belt-packs. It [i]can[/i] work really well but hasn't proved to be that reliable and we've ended up going back to the tarditional way of monitoring. The main problems seemed to be lack of signal strength when there is a lot of metalwork on stage in a confined area, and also the headphones didn't last long with my sweating and leaping about; the connections didn't seem to work well for long. I think generally you get what you pay for. Regarding the 'bugs' myself and our guitarist have had loads of problems with wireless kits and we're both now using the Samson Airline kit which has been 100% reliable so far.

[quote name='crez5150' post='200131' date='May 16 2008, 08:14 AM']From listening to lots of live bands...... I think too may players are too loud on stage....[/quote] ...it's true and often the vocals suffer because of it. I don't need more then my 300watts, and as I often use just 1 cab (1x15 or 2x10) I'm usually running at 180 watts (with about double that in reserve). Tonight we're going through a smallish house PA so I'll take both cabs just in case there isn't much oomph from the PA.

I'd recommend borrowing another cab to go under your combo if possible. I think anything would help ie 1x15, 2x12, 2x10, 4x10 - any would help I reckon as most bass cabs are tuned to be fairly deep. I also don't understand why your guitard is being precious about his desk - an outdoor summer gig is a great event and should be treated as such (IMHO).

I bought a load of gear from them over a year ago, XLR leads, guitar leads, speakon to jack leads etc. Price was brilliant, the 'own brand' stuff has been very reliable and the service was exceptional. The weak Euro at the time meant that it cost about half what it would all have cost in the UK.

Count me in (as long as I'm not already booked up). This ex-Yeadoner would be happy to drive over, though I don't have any fancy gear or chops to show you all. Jodiebass, Baildon's not in Leeds, you'd probably be better coming up through Bradford from your end.

I've done the artistic integrity bit - now I'm getting paid to play. I get to play some of my favourite songs and I seriously enjoy playing them live.

...other than those already mentioned: Kim Deal, and Kim Gordon.

I have a transparent purple 5K and the controls are indeed as described above. Mine wears LaBella flats (tapered 'B') so I have my tone on full all the time and the sound is quite decent. It's not seen any gigging action for a couple of years though since I went down the all-covers route...

The Laney RB-4 is probably the best value for what you want to do. It's not flash but they do what they're supposed to do. Might be loud enough for small/medium pub gigs without PA support.

I wouldn't generally disagree with any of the advice above. The guitars are slightly too high in the mix. IME when I DI my bass for recordings I always get a much more defined sound even if it's not any louder. I've used a Marshall 2x15 before and it was muddy (far more so than my Peavey bw 1x15). Any sort of multitrack recording should get your bass more present in the mix.

[quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='190342' date='May 2 2008, 10:23 AM']How about the fact that I would like an SX or a Squier but don't want to show up to a gig or session and be faced with the snobbery of other musicians. My Darkstar Precision is a parts bass, and I took the work 'Fender' off the decal and left 'Precision' as I don't really want to claim it is what it isn't but some of my fellow bassplayers and some of my students have said things like "I'd never play a Squier/parts bass ... but yours is excellent." So am I the snob too because I don't want to be face with other's snobbery? Should I bite the proverbial bullet and smack 'em in the face if they slag off my bit of wood? Dan[/quote] As you are playing bass for a living then I think you should do what you have to do to get paid. Worrying about anything else should be a distant second place.

There's very little covers music that I struggle with once I work out the best position(s) to play it in. The only stuff I've ever REALLY struggled with was doubling some guitar riffs in one of my old metal bands; the riffs were really fast and though I could play them but I had trouble with the fast hammer-ons causing the strings to bounce all over the place, especially when played against pedalled open strings.

I can't afford to be a bass snob and possibly never will be able to afford to be. The sound of my all Ashdown/Peavey set-up is more than adequate for reasonably well paid gigs. There are quite a few semi-pro and pro players earning good money playing Squiers, Peaveys, Arias and the like. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating the craftsmanship and sheer quality of the better basses as long as you're not down on the likes of us who can't afford the expensive gear.

You need some mids brother! Run you bass flat, both pups on full, then just tweak the EQ on your amp a little, or slightly move the balance/pan (whatever it is on the ibby) to slightly favour whichever pup you prefer.

Yep, very interesting, I spent the first 2 minutes looking for the bass player! Then I spotted what looked like 3 different bass strings with a different pup underneath.

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='187791' date='Apr 29 2008, 08:41 AM']cheers guys, keep them coming - i noticed i put two "5s" in the original survey. oh well. I think it may be worth talking to a local pa company about a discount for regular stuff.[/quote] 1. Yes 2. 3KW FOH, tops, subs, 3xmonitors, active crossover, separate amp for front monitors (drummer's monitor is active) + lights 3. Shift it all ourselves (we have 3 MPVs and a large car between us) 4. Not a reliable one 5a. - 5b. - 6. - no, we don't get paid enough anyway!

Friday was a usual pub gig in Saltaire. The pub was only half full but those there were rock fans so we did alright. There was singing along and a bit of dancing. Sunday was one of our favourite venues, a biker pub in Huddersfield. Despite a poor start time (3pm on a Sunday) the pub was more than half full. Also I was very happy with the band at both gigs as we seem to have married the performance and playing aspects well. In the past we'd either play well, or perform well but rarely both. Now it seems to be there at all our gigs, even if the audience is not into what we're playing.

[quote name='Bassmonkey' post='184354' date='Apr 24 2008, 10:41 AM']What about the creative singer who without prior warning or agreement sings alternative melodys, phrasing and even words when I am trying to sing backing vocals? Not good, OR the noisy guitarist who makes a racket over the bass/vocals soundcheck? just put it down you noisy f@ck*r !!![/quote] I thought they were requirements for lead singers and lead guitarists..?

[quote name='dabootsy' post='184350' date='Apr 24 2008, 10:35 AM']In the band i am in the guitarist always tries to tell me how to play a basssline (i have only been playing for 25 years) which tends to do my head in as i do not tell him how to play things on his guitar. Is it because they follow the myth that a bass player is someone who wants to play a guitar but is not good enough which of course is a load of bo####s any views or am i being over sensitive[/quote] It's never happened to me in a band; generally I'd say that it's not aceptable but it does depend on circumstances. However, if we ever played a song that needed slapping and popping then I'd take tips from our guitarist because he's really good at that sort of playing. (edited for bad spelling)