Marc S

Looks really fantastic Neat!

Hello Mark, all the way from South Wales. Good to hear you started up bass again, and that you're playing despite the financial constraints of raising a family, and that you're managing to find time to practice and gig - very impressive I never managed to do that. In fact, I had a "gap" in my playing....... of almost 25 years! But I'm so glad I came back Sounds like you don't need an amp just yet - unless you end up playing somewhere they won't let you play through the PA, for some reason When I first played (many years back) it was almost unthinkable to allow a bass player to play through the PA! Cheers matey Marc

Had some bad ones, and looks like a festival I'm playing at next weekend is going to fall into that category. The "organisers" seem to have little or no idea of what bands need - and they've booked quite a lot of bands to play from lunchtime through to 8:30 or 9 at night. Lots of pink torpedo-ups so far, and it seems a couple of the bands have already pulled out - because the organisers didn't think to arrange any parking for loading / unloading of equipment They seem to be expecting bands not only to play for free, but for every band to turn up before mid-day, and then stay until after the last band has finished and the crowds have dispersed! We'll see though.... lets not pre-judge too much, in case they see sense I have to mention a funny tale though. Sometime back, a drummer pal who I was in a band with, had decided to look for some open mic nights - so our band could do a few, before we felt we were "gig ready". Anyhow, we went along to one bar who were advertising open mic nights. Got there, and the place was empty, with no sign of so much as a 10 watt practice amp - let alone a PA or any mics. Bear in mind, this bar is on a pedestrian only road, with no parking and no road access whatsoever.... On chatting to the staff, they said bands were to bring their own drum kit and any amplification and mics they might need. "What about some sort of PA?" we asked.... "What's a PA?" was the reply. "It's what you're going to need, to be able to hear anyone singing, in a room of this size" was our reply "Oh, we can't be expected to provide everything" was the reply.... "Why can't you bring your own amps, mics, guitars and drums on the bus?" lol

My go-to gigging bass is a Squier Classic Vibe P bass - one of the early ones The neck is superb. Of course, matters such as dimensions; depth, width, radius are all subject to personal preference But I like the C shape of the neck - the fact that it's not overly chunky, or too slim (somewhere in between) As others have said, it's a lovely finish to the edges and frets too. The stock pickup sounds superb. I had a CV Precision in Fiesta Red, and foolishly sold that. Which is a move I am now regretting.... even though I already have too many Keep an eye out for one of the earlier ones, second-hand on here But also try the new CV range, and the VM series too - especially as you liked the one you tried

Thanks for your thoughts folks really appreciate you sharing them with me. i went ahead & ordered one a couple of days back. Guy I know in PMT Cardiff, price matched Andertons. i had a doubling-up gig on Wednesday. Again I took both heads. The EA is so small, it's great to carry as a spare. I was hoping to get the sound I wanted from DB and BG. Again though, the sound from my P bass was ok.... But not quite what I was after. So I played upright through my TC head and put my p bass through the house PA, via my MXR preamp, and it sounded ok. But it really hit me that I'd much prefer be more in control of both. Sound guy did a good job - though I had to ask him to tweak the EQ. Lots of compliments on the sound of the DB, and I have to say, my TC head has been great. I'll be listing it soon though - I'm looking forward to trying out the EVO1 next week. And thanks for warning me that I'll need to spend time with it, getting used to the controls. These gigs where I'm doubling-up are getting more common-place, and I'm really pleased about that Cheers all

Hi there @uAdi, It doesn't say in your profile where you are based? As you say, you're nowhere near a shop - You could try another approach - most BC members are friendly sorts, and always willing to help out a fellow low end player Perhaps you could ask members whether they have any of the models you list, and whether they'd be willing to let you have a quick "try" of their bass(es)? Are you anywhere near other BC members? There must be other forum members somewhere in the vicinity.... Also, I've bought a lot of my gear second-hand, from fellow forum members. It has allowed me to try many different basses (and amps of course), trying before buying, whilst chatting to the seller about their experiences and thoughts on the bass in question, and on comparable models etc. The other plus for buying used on BC, is that if after a few months playing, you decide you want something else - there's less of a financial loss than buying from new. You can't really judge "tone" or build quality or comfort of playing, by buying online However, there are plenty of YouTube videos of people trialing different models - so do a bit of research there too Good luck with your search

Actually, this is a good point. I realise some among us will hang our saws, hammers, spanners etc up on the garage or workshop wall But re basses and guitars - although they are essentially "tools" they are also "things of beauty" and artistic design (or at least, they can be) Those who only think of their bass or guitar as a "tool" - do they hang them up on the wall? My basses are tools, but they can also be displayed for their aesthetic appearance Actually, my wife hates it when my double bass isn't in it's usual corner - to her (as a non-musician) my DB is part of the furniture, and is her favourite item as such

Strictly speaking, they are just tools to play music But I have to like the sound they make, and I have to be comfortable playing them. Helps if I like the look of them too, of course

Hi, just thinking about getting one of these heads, and wondering what your thoughts on them are. Basically, I'm after a head with 2 separately controlled channels. I need one for Bass guitar, and a very different set of EQ settings when switching to upright. I have a Euphonic Audio Micro amp with just this - but it sounds good with upright (DB or EUB) but even with my Pre-amp / EQ pedal, I'm less happy with my sound on Bass Guitar Just wondering what bass guitar players think about the amp? I'm sure I can get the EQ I want for upright, using the settings on this amp - as long as I start off with the BG sounds I need PS. I'm sometimes cramped for space, so want to avoid using too many pedals - hence my attraction to this amp I've asked a similar question in the Upright players section, and no one on there seems to be using this head. So wondering what Bass Guitar players are out there, who use this head? Cheers all

I've always found they get in the way. Years back, I used to play more punk-style bass, with a pick, and closer to the bridge - so the ashtray on a P bass got in the way. Same thing with a Jazz for me now - I do like to play pizz in a few different places, depending on the individual song / vibe / feel - so sometimes the pickup cover over the neck pickup is in the way, and sometimes the ashtray over the bridge is in the way. I got used to seeing basses without ashtrays on, so they looked "wrong" to me for years. However, lately, I've grown to like them again.... well, a little bit, and perhaps on a nice old Fender. I've got a few P's and a P/J and generally don't have ashtrays. However, the one bass I've kept them on is my pale blue CV Squier Precision - I think that one in particular looks better with... Another memory came flooding back to me - back in the early 80's and my punk youth - I did used to break strings far more regularly than I now do. And leaving the ashtray off a P bass also saved time when changing strings. I know there are others who say they've never broken a string, but I did break quite a few, particularly the G and D strings (D more often, I seem to recall). I either must have had a stronger downstroke back then, or perhaps it was my poverty-driven need to re-use strings till they gave up the ghost?

I know I've previously replied to this thread, in support of gigging... but here goes again.... Saturday I had two of the best gigs I've ever played. The 2nd of which confirmed why I do this bass playing malarky 1st gig was great, it was al-fresco in a social club beer garden, and all went well with a happy audience and landlord, and we were asked back and complimented by most of the crowd there. Second gig was a completely different al-fresco gig, with a different band, different set (very) and different audience. We were at a restaurant / bar, overlooking the sea, on a beautiful warm evening, with a very appreciative crowd. Much of it was a last minute set list, which altered as we went along - we added some songs we may have jammed only once or twice, and a few songs I'd never even played with these guys - luckily, I could see the singer-guitarists left hand and could hear him well. That 2nd gig was probably my favourite gig ever, and we played a much longer 2nd set than I could have previously imagined We played all sorts of stuff, and the landlord fed & watered us, paid us more than he'd originally agreed, and asked us to play there on a more regular basis I've never had so many compliments on my sound, playing, and style and broad choice of songs before... I left there on a real high, I have to say There's a lesson here too, I think. Now that 2nd gig wasn't originally booked (I wasn't strictly "available") but as a late booking, I'd said I would get there to play maybe just the 2nd set - if traffic allowed and I could get there on time, without too much stress. In fact, I rocked up mid first set, and plugged into my practice amp (cos I leave it at the guitarists' studio - so he set it up for me) Heck, my bass had even stayed in tune during transit - and I just jumped in, straight after unpacking my bass We didn't strictly have a set prepared (as the booking had been taken late - in any case, with this band, I don't usually do this set, we are a 5 piece, and suddenly, we were a 3 piece doing more acoustic type songs) I was concerned my praccy amp wouldn't handle playing out doors, but it coped admirably, and sounded superb. It's a 250W TC Electronic BG-250 208 which I didn't think would cope, amid guitar, vocals and some loud keys. Anyhow, someone in the audience complimented us on playing a couple of Nick Drake songs - she had been in school with the great man himself, and said she'd never heard anyone cover him before.... Right now, I feel I could never give up gigging. I'm still on a high, from two great gigs, especially as both venues want us (each band) back again

Thanks for your thoughts @NickA Yes, I had a couple of Piranha cabs in the past - they were the older, heavier versions though, and it was at a time when I was trying to "lighten my load" as it were... They were pretty good I must say, and I was tempted to go for the newer, lighter weight version of the 4 x 5 cabs. Having sold my last one to someone who owned a lighter weight version - he informed me that the sound from the older version of the cab was better than the lighter weight model - so my search continued.... I had also had a PJB head with 2 separate channels and yes, it was pretty good though still a tad "hi-fi like", its' main drawback being it weighed more than most speaker cabs! I must admit, I do like the sound from my MB and Epifani 10" cabs - bit with BG and Upright. It's just a question of finding the right amp head / minimal pedal combination... I'm drawn to the MB EVO1 head, because I'm confident that a Markbass head, particularly one which has separate EQ's for each channel will be the simplest solution - I was hoping there would be another brand or model of dual channel head out there, which I hadn't been aware of, but it seems we are back to the usual problems of heads considered good for upright just not quite cutting it for BG too - even with a decent pedal or pre-amp... As an example of this, I had two gigs last Saturday - a foolish agreement on my part, as the 2nd was miles away from the first, and was a real dash to get to (mid first set I might add) But for the first gig, I had plenty of set-up time. I took both my heads, the EA mini dual channel and my TC550 head. So I set up my BG and EUB with the EA head. I managed to get a decent sound with my NS EUB, but I wasn't happy with the sound from my BG, even with my MXR pre-amp pedal.... So I swapped the head for the TC550, using my ABY switch and the Pre-amp pedal on top of my amp - so I could tweak the EQ quickly, between swapping instruments Instantly, my Bass Guitar sounded much more lively and warm with the TC head. I got a sound I was happy with, when playing my EUB too - mainly through the controls on my NS upright, and some quick tweaking of the Pre-amp (mainly turning down the mid & treble controls a bit) For the second gig, I had to rock up mid first set, plug in and play! (as they had to start without me! lol) But there's a lesson here - I hadn't had time to set up my amp gear, so our singer guitarist had set up my practice amp - my TCBG-208 combo, which I had left in his studio.... So I played the remainder of the first set on BG, and quickly set up the EUB in the break, swapping over by changing leads between songs.... Anyhow, we were playing outdoors (no drums on this occasion) and the TC coped really well! In fact, it coped admirably, and with some quick EQ'ing between swap-overs, it sounded great with both BG and EUB! If only it was loud enough to cope when I'm playing with a drummer ha ha! Also, I had two of the best gigs ever - particularly the 2nd gig. It was al-fresco at a seaside restaurant and bar, on a lovely warm evening, playing looking out over the sea It was a last minute booking (as I wasn't officially available) - but we played a real mix of stuff, without really having had a plan or proper set list.... We played a couple of Nick Drake songs we sometimes jam, and afterwards were approached by a couple of lovely ladies who had only been in the area by pure chance, and one of them said she had tears of joy in here eyes, as she had been in school with Nick The owner of the bar was extremely happy, fed and watered us, and asked us back - in fact he wants us to play there on a more regular basis Perhaps the TC BG-208 is my lucky amp? EDIT: Phew! Sorry for the uber-long reply folks

Thanks for that @Gareth Hughes. I never tried an MB LMK head either. I did own a CMD 102P, and still own the traveller 210 cab. The 102 was a great combo, I must say. I'll keep my eye out for a used LMK, but I'm leaning towards maybe getting myself an EVO1 - they're still making them. I don't know how long they've produced them for? But they look great, and I'm confident of the quality of their equipment. I know a lot of DB players like Acoustic Image gear, but again I've not tried any AI amps myself. They're also quite expensive. It would also be nice to hear from anyone who plays DB and BG, through an Acoustic Image amp too.... now I'm not asking too many questions am I?

Thanks for your thoughts @jrixn1 I should have mentioned, I'm trying to cut down on pedals & cables. Aside from being more stuff to forget when packing the van, or trip over myself while on stage - I played a gig recently where we were really cramped, and the lead guitarist stepped on my A,B,Y pedal, switching me from EUB to bass, mid song! And on another occasion either he or I had accidentally unplugged me, between songs! lol I know you're probably going to say "shoot the guitarist then!" - but he's a decent sort, really Aside from that, I sometimes already use the A,B,Y switch, my MXR DI pedal and my TC Body Res (when playing EUB). And that's enough for me. It's a twin input head I'm really after - with 2 separate channels. Thanks for your suggestions though - and I'm intrigued at what you think of the SpectraDrive pedals? Of course, my ABY switch and two separate EQ pedals might be another solution? But I really do fancy a dual channel head, with just 2 leads going into it and no pedals - awkward so-and-so, In know

Just wondering what fellow BC'ers experiences and thoughts are, for those who play both DB or EUB and bass guitar for some gigs? I went through a phase of doing this in a couple of bands, a few years back. And this now seems to have been resurrected by one of the bands, and a duo I'm in. On hearing of me doing this, another band has asked me to double up, where I only played bass guitar before. So I can see me doing this more often. I must say, I've really enjoyed doubling up at the last couple of gigs. I bought myself a tiny Euphonic Audio 500W micro bass head from someone on here, a few years back. Now the EA really is tiny - I mean it's incredibly tiny and lightweight. So much so, that I could fit it in the glove compartment of my car, to carry about as a spare! lol BUT, I've never been quite 100% happy with the sound. It's pretty good, but a little "flat" or "hifi-like" to my ears. There have been times when it sounds great when I'm just playing Upright - but these have been times when it's just an acoustic duo or trio. Played a gig the other week, out-doors on the back of a big lorry. Sounded OK with EUB, but a bit "nasal" with bass guitar, and didn't quite hit the lows I can usually achieve - even with my Dunlop MXR DI pedal.... Since then, I'm finding that even though both EQ's are separately controlled - I'm less satisfied with the sound. I think this may be partly due to me having changed my EUB, and the strings on my acoustic DB, but I've also gradually changed my speaker cabs over the past year or so as well. Now, I know I'm perfectly happy with my upright strings, and with my speaker cabs (I've got 3 different cabs which I change around to suit the band / venue etc) - I also use a TC Electronic BG550 head, which only has a single input. I can get a sound I'm really pleased with, using the TC head, whether I'm playing DB or BG, and whichever cab(s) - but swapping between upright and Bass Guitar, the EQ's I need are so different.... Has anyone got any suggestions for an amp head with 2 separately controlled channels? I like the look of the Markbass EVO1. I like Markbass gear (I've got a traveller 210 - it's great, and it's light) I've not tried an EVO1 personally, and am wondering if any of my fellow DB'ers use one, or have any other suggestions? Cheers all

Really enjoyed seeing those air bass sofa and chair photos @nige1968 and @Maude - made me laugh aloud But nige 1968....... isn't your sofa a bit close to the wall? Do you not risk chipping the paint on the headstock of your air bass? PS. Guys - what are your preferences for style of air bass strap?

Yes, I occasionally play air bass Turns out, I'm much better at playing slap air bass.....

Looks really good. Thanks for sharing @Chrisbassboy5

Yes, Teebs and Reggaebass are quite likely to be correct During the past few weeks, I've had the same thing happen to two of my basses The 2nd one, whilst it was at my local guitar shop, just having been set up They confirmed they'd had several guitars in the shop which this had happened to as well.... It also happened to me last year, but I think that was when the temperature had lowered suddenly. If you're not sure how to do it - perhaps ask a friendly local BC member? And remember not to do too much adjustment each time. I've heard people talk about doing just a quarter turn every hour (or is it half hour?) to let things "settle". Also, don't be tempted to force the trussrod, if it feels really stiff.