EliasMooseblaster

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1481294778' post='3191309'] ...I've played basses rated at way over the value of my CV that haven't been half as good. In fact, I owned a US Precision at the same time as my first CV, and there really wasn't much in it! The US P was lighter in weight, and just had the edge (slightly) re the output from the pickup - only just. It certainly wasn't 3 or 4 times as good as the Classic Vibe... [/quote] You make a very good point, actually - granted it's £100-150 more than it was a few years ago, but that's still a fair bit cheaper than even your average Mexican Fender, and in my (admittedly limited) experience the Squier CVs were at least as good as those if not better.

If it's another run of the CV '60s P with all the same specs, that'd be great news - part of me still regrets not pulling the trigger on one of the original line (though admittedly I was partly put off by the colour). Though is it just me or has the price been cranked up a fair bit?

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1481206284' post='3190533'] [Pedantry alert] Well [i][b]tech-[/b][/i]nically of course, if you can be heard then you're acoustic. [Pedantry alert off] [/quote] This is very true, and I hope to be able to extend this pedantry to groups who mime their songs onstage - if we're not actually hearing One Direction singing live, does this reduce them to being a visual band (at least in a live context)?

It's certainly not a term that's defined with scientific precision...technically any drum other than an electric kit or pads is "acoustic," so by that metric you could define Black Sabbath as "semi-acoustic"! Still, based on the empirical evidence I've seen, I think "acoustic" has been commandeered as a term to describe a band that's driven by acoustic guitars rather than electric guitars. I used to play at several "acoustic" nights years ago with an exceptionally good acoustic guitarist - for some reason me bringing an electric bass and amp didn't matter, as long as she was playing an acoustic. But then as bass players, we're used to being ignored!

I still own a didgeridoo, though I haven't played it for a while. Never did the hang of the circular breathing, mind...

[quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1481100806' post='3189628'] It could be worse - you could be a keys player talking about how bass guitar gets all the glory. [/quote] Meanwhile, on PianoChat: "Honestly, if my left hand were detachable, I wouldn't bother bringing it along, the way he hogs the limelight in the lower register..."

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1481014525' post='3188891'] Like Oasis, Williams was on top of the pile for a few years in the UK but was unable to sustain the same level of critical or commercial success over the longer term. Now he's half forgotten. Outside the UK and especially in the US he aroused little interest. He has an unremarkable voice while Guy Chambers actually wrote the music to his big hits. [/quote] Funnily enough I do lump him into the same box as Oasis - and not just because I can't stand either of them. Absolutely massive for a few years in the '90s before losing the plot and spending a long time in the wilderness with a few slightly sad-looking attempts to return to fame. As chard suggests above, it does seem to coincide a [i]bit [/i]too conveniently with the release of a comeback single.

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1480953843' post='3188366'] ...even better shout down a microphone and let everyyknow that Dave is a knob or such like ! [/quote] I have known one Dave for whom that would qualify as an important public service announcement...

I used Laney bass amps consistently for the first 11 or 12 years of my bass-playing life. First proper bass amp was a Session 40 Bassman, superseded by an HCM120b when I needed something loud enough for a rock band. That one soldiered on for about eight years or so before giving up the ghost about a week before a gig, and an ex-display RB8 was bought off fleabay to replace it. I guess the main attraction was that they were in my price range, but I always found them pretty reliable and I quite liked the sound. I moved over to Ashdown valve amps after the RB8, and I have more recently had a few evenings in a practice room which has amps from both the HCM and RB series. It's reassuring to go back to them and find they're still quite nice to play through, though I do find the HCM a bit brittle-sounding - perhaps I've just been spoiling myself with those warm valvey tones!

I already knew that our own chris_b sometimes played with the house band at my local jam night (in fact it might even have been Chris that recommended it to me in the first place!), but I've met another chap there too. I asked him about the rather tasty Jazz bass he was playing, and he said he'd bought it via BC...I never did find out his screen name, though!

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1480439663' post='3184425'] Then again, when I remember that slab neck it was very heavy, like a baseball bat. It could affect tone somewhat, but I don't think to a great degree. [/quote] Purely anecdotal, but I have heard of some guitarists moving to deeper neck profiles because (they reckon) it affords better sustain. Could that baseball-bat neck have provided some similar sustain or other qualities to the tone, or do the jury reckon these guitarists are just talking cobblers?

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1480696581' post='3186553'] I think I've read somewhere a bolt on has more natural compression ? More punch or something? Whatever it is ....there is more of it than a through neck and thats why players like me (bolt on neck ) prefer them. [/quote] I've always found that my Gibson/Epiphone basses ('bird & SG respectively) are much more articulate in the upper register* than bolt-ons. I originally thought that this might have something to do with the neck-through and set-neck constructions offering better sustain/coupling/something, but I have begun to wonder whether this has more to do with them simply having bigger, hotter pickups than my Precisions. Still...if somebody would like to pop a Thunderbird pickup into a P-bass (the placements are as near-as-bugger-it), perhaps we could test this out! [size=3]*Yes, I'm another dusty-end botherer; I'll take my place in the stocks next to UK_lefty![/size]

Just a quick bump for tomorrow's gig

[quote name='Dan Dare' timestamp='1480415332' post='3184123'] If you can carry it, of course. Would have thought you wouldn't gain much over two 2x15s. [/quote] There is a story our guitarist often wheels out which, despite a lifelong obsession with The Who, I've never been able to verify, but here we go anyway: Supposedly, back in the (relatively) early days when The Who were in regular correspondence with Jim Marshall, Pete Townshend apparently approached him to have him build him an 8x12. "Eight speakers? But you'll never be able to lift it!" Cried Marshall. "That's what roadies are for," Townshend is said to have replied, deadpan. Marshall duly built the cabinet and had it shipped to Shepherd's Bush. A week later, Townshend and a couple of roadies came back with the 8x12 in the back of a van. "Yeah, can you chop it in half for us?" asked the young guitarist, somewhat sheepishly.

[quote name='markdavid' timestamp='1480294361' post='3183203'] I have Rotobass nickel plated strings on at the moment, they seem one of the better nickels i have tried so far [/quote] Are these the Rotobass RS35s? Maybe the Swing Bass series might be more suitable; they are designed to give a lot of brightness and sustain, more so than some of the slightly cheaper series. Can't comment on how they typically compare to Pro Steels, unfortunately!

Aha, that could also be a fairly decisive factor - thanks for the heads-up! And yes, maybe I just need to spend a bit more time knob-twiddling; I guess if I take the LB30 then I've got the extra option if I need it.

It's a long time since I've been in the habit of taking a backup. That said, I normally take two basses to a gig as alongside a 4-string, we'll often play at least one of the songs that requires an 8-string. I haven't broken a bass string in something like ten years (touches wood, throws salt over shoulder), but I guess if it came it I could always use the 8 as a backup for the 4 - playing only the bass strings isn't easy, but it's not impossible...

I know the Flip Top is a "classic" amp, and many notable artists have achieved great results. Indeed, it is one that I'll have the option to record through this weekend. Trouble is, when I've had the chance to use it myself, I've never been enamoured with the tone. I assume it's the baked in scoop in the preamp, but I thought I'd seek some more knowledgeable opinion before I waste too many hours twiddling knobs on expensive studio time. My question is: how much is the tone coloured by the cab? If I were to plug in my Ashdown Little Bastard, in place of the Ampeg head, am I likely to hear a marked difference*? *And, ideally, not blow the speaker...

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1480199179' post='3182527'] It is possible that only the bass amp in his bi-amp rig was committed to tape for whatever reason. [/quote] This has been mentioned a couple of times now, and has got me wondering...was he actually bi-amping this early? I am fully prepared to stand corrected, but I thought he only started splitting the signal when he moved over to Sunn amps and more exotic basses.

From the fact you've mentioned 'squealing' very specifically, I wonder if it might be dirt in one of the pots on the front. Very different beast, but I have a knackered old solid-state amp that crackles and squeals when I play with the parametric EQ control - could be something similar in this case, that you could very easily test. Though as Sean says, best get it to a tech!

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1479724330' post='3178671'] I'd say this is pretty normal..... I'm booking theatre gigs for next year where I have to pay a % up front for the hire of the theatre/staff/tech crew. We'll sell tickets and make good money on merch..... same thing. [/quote] I guess the big difference in your case is that once you've hired the theatre and associated crew, the night, and its success, are very much in your control. You know how much effort you have to put into publicising each show to be confident of selling enough tickets to break even, and you can probably predict approximate merch sales based on previous shows in that area. In the OP's case, they're always going to be the support band on this tour, so they'd effectively be investing a hefty sum of money only to relinquish total control of the operation. If the headline act can't turn a profit on the shows then I wouldn't expect the fallout to be any better for the supporting band(s). Maybe this is just my inner control freak coming out...obviously if the headline act have got fans champing at the bit to buy tickets everywhere then things could work out just fine, but I'd want to be confident of that before committing six grand to it!

[quote name='christhammer666' timestamp='1479725766' post='3178694'] @lozz they did a headline tour abroad last year and lost a fortune [/quote] So their plan is to go and do a support tour abroad this year, and lose a fortune upfront? I take all the points made above that this seemed to be normal practice in days gone by, but I can't see any way round the simple logic that if you're stumping out six grand to get on the tour then you have to be reasonably certain that you can make six grand back. The fact that they lost a fortune on their last tour doesn't fill me with confidence - I would be asking very serious questions about what they plan to do differently this time. Make sure they've got a credible idea of what their expected return is, and don't take "great exposure" for an answer!

I usually just tune them all a semitone sharp when they first go on, then put them back to concert pitch after an hour or two. Usually does the trick for bass strings - thin, slinky guitar strings are another matter, but they usually go out over the course of a gig anyway, regardless of when they went on.

One last outing for the year: [b]Cherry White[/b] are returning to a familiar old stomping ground, The Spice of Life on the first Friday in December. For those that don't know the venue, it's a decent boozer just off Charing Cross Road (behind the theatre that's kind-of-opposite Macari's) Also featuring: The Alibi: A rock n roll band from Dartford. With heavy riffs and piercing vocals yet melodic and a great live performance Dirt Royal: A three piece Rock and Roll band from Brighton. Performing together since 2013, finding them selves in 2014 releasing their debut Album 'This is Now' with Time For Action Records. Embarking on several Tours around the U.K and Germany, receiving great results Elen C Sh#rp: Born in a small town, in Northern Greece, near Turkey and Bulgaria, called Didimoticho. Her songs are inspired by the themes of life and love, and the polarity between light and darkness within the human psyche. More info at [url="http://substancegigs.com/showdetails.php?sid=620&vid&pa=1"]http://substancegigs...id=620&vid&pa=1[/url] Doors open at 6pm, and it's £6 entry. We sound a bit like this: [url="http://soundcloud.com/cherrywhitemusic"]http://soundcloud.com/cherrywhitemusic[/url]

Depends what you mean by "aggressive" - if that means plenty of "clank" then Rotosound RS66 nickels will give you plenty of that - but slightly less than the SS ones. Better still, I think they're available in short-scale as well. I thought the Dunlops did a fair job, though I've only used them once.