Norris

I always, always have spare strings and a toolkit. I gave up on active basses, so don't even need to carry spare batteries. I don't think I've ever taken a spare bass, and decided it wasn't even worth taking a fretless for the one or two numbers i could use it on.

Lowest common denominators rule!

Somebody been in a half-eaten wine gum fight? "Compatible with all playing styles" ... um right.

Fakers need to keep the prices high to pay off the legal fees

Fearless? Off the Meddle album? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCgQuj8v2gg&feature=related"]YouTube link[/url] Or maybe Pigs off the Animals album? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNa551dR6Rc"]YouTube link[/url]

Genre: Rock covers G/B/D trio EQ settings: Set all sliders to minimum Twiddle each slider in turn to see if it's a nice or nasty sound If it's a nasty sound, drop it out completely If it's a nice sound, mix it in with the other nice sounds It might be an unusual way to set up the EQ, but generally sounds good, avoiding nasty 'honks' and 'farts', but obviously doesn't make a nice bell-curve shape as it's done purely by ear. Having jotted the settings down, I can then use it as my baseline for a speedy soundcheck. In general my EQ settings are fairly flat with a bit of mid cut, but then the signal is also coming through my GT pedal (Ampegish emulation). Having said that, I do vary the balance between neck & bridge pickups, the bass tone controls, and also where I pluck the string (to modify the overtones). That all alters the tone quite a bit too.

The singer says you sound cr*p but doesn't make the effort to actually turn up on time to the soundcheck? By now you've read all the other replies, so don't need me to tell you what an ar*e he is... ... and you already know what to do - you don't need us to tell you

No, you don't need that Ampeg stack any more and should sell it to me for next to nothing By all means sell some stuff ... but keep enough back that you can pop out of retirement at a moment's notice... ... because you can guarantee you'll get the call as soon as you've exchanged the cash and settled down to a lifetime in your slippers

[b]First Bass Owned:[/b] Kay 3/4 scale SG-style, in translucent red finish [b]'Go To' Bass:[/b] Fender Jazz US Standard [b]'My' Bass:[/b] Gibson Thunderbird The option you missed... [b]Bass I Most Regret Selling:[/b] Rickenbacker 4001 (late 70's/early 80's)

There is a picture [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-guitars/pid20108/cid560/gibson-thunderbird-short-scale-in-satin-ebony.asp"]here[/url]

I tried quite a few brands back in the 80's. As I remember, Rotosound sounded great for about 2 weeks, before losing a lot of the tone. After about 6 weeks, I got my first breakage. After trying several different types, I have used Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys for about the last 20 years. They keep their tone and last for ages.

It's probably been linked here a bazillion times already, but still ... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItZyaOlrb7E"]this drummer is at the wrong gig[/url]

Last night my amp packed up about an hour and a half into the gig. (Waves good bye to gig money!) We'd got through the drum solo on Radar Love, then I came back in with the riff - whisper quiet drums & bass. Then, in with the vocals & guitar to do a very slow crescendo throughout the last verse - building & building the volume until finally hitting the climax on the chorus ... and suddenly the trio turned into a duo! The good vibe I'd been riding came crashing down around my ankles, to be replaced by lots of words beginning with F and B. Luckily, a kind friend in the audience happened to have a decent monitor in his van, so we had a quick break while we shifted kit around. At least the audience got to hear what it sounds like without the chap in the corner. They rarely notice until it's gone I wouldn't mind, but my amp had just come back from a 'repair & service' after packing up at a gig at an RAF base a week or two ago. That time I had to plug direct into the PA. (It was a really crap gig well before the amp packed in - that was just the icing on the cake) Anyway, please share your anecdotes of when good kit turns bad...

We normally play a semitone down - purely to reduce the strain on the singer. All well and good until we got a saxophonist up with us last night to play Us and Them. The guitarist decided he needed an open D string, so brought that one string back into concert pitch ... then eventually tuned the whole guitar back up to concert. Then we played that song with me in dropped tuning, until I eventually tuned up too because it was quicker than retuning the guitar.

Careful use of marker pen...

Try out something like the Boss ME-50B, which is fairly cheap. It has various effects to play with, has a built in tuner, and a pedal that can be used for volume - handy as a 'mute switch' between spots. The Boss GT-6B is a little more sophisticated (and more expensive), but is a bit easier to tweak settings, doesn't need separate bank switches and also has built in amp/cab emulation. Separate pedals may offer slightly better quality effects, but a multi-effect box is an inexpensive way to start 'dabbling' with effects - and all of them come with built in tuners. [color="#808080"]I'm still debating whether I want to sell the ME-50B that I no longer use, but might offer it up for trade for some entry-level home recording stuff in the near future...[/color]

Try twiddling the knobs a bit and plucking nearer the neck - it's not quite so "one trick pony" as you might think. It still sounds best with all the knobs at 11 though! If you're thinking of fitting Schaller strap locks, you'll need to do something about the hole at the bridge end. Gibson use a much thicker screw at the bottom of the bass than the one behind the neck. The screws that come with the Schaller set don't grip in the hole very well, and the original screw won't fit through the straplock. I sorted mine the other day, plugging the old hole with a large matchstick & decent wood glue.

Being in a trio, I either play the riff, or you don't get to hear it during the guitar solo