NHM

Have you thought about taking on a private tutor for one-to-one lessons instead? Might cost more in the long run, but having been a teacher (not of the bass!) all my life I know how much 'value' you can give. You are an individual, with specific needs, and a good teacher will get to the heart of this right away and give you a programme tailored to you. Good luck!

just finished my fourth gig this week at the Broadstairs Folk Festival. Seemed more rock than folk, but perhaps I was looking in the wrong places. Good to know that dog wee doesn't seem to damage a Rumble.

I've got a Rumble 500 and it's a great sound, lightweight, lots of poke and fits in my boot (BMW320 - small boot).

We (The Quiet Americans) played at the 'Dukes of Hazzard' event at the Black Griffin in Canterbury last Saturday. The event was themed imaginatively with two A5 colour pictures of an American car, two bales of hay and a couple of US flags. Having said that it is a great venue, lovely (wild) crowd, and all went as it should.

I though his explanation of layering chords, making chords that utilise natural harmonics, and how you can move harmony towards cadences whilst creating melody was really well explained. I haven't been to a music conservatoire where I expect this is all second nature, but to someone brought up on figuring out for myself, I learned more from him than I've done for a ling time. Trouble is, I now know I'm a worse bass player that I thought I was yesterday.

some basses just seem to be duff, so trade it in. I've had various with 'dead spots'- two 'P' basses have been the worst so I don't know if this design is particularly susceptible. What it has taught me is not to try a bass without properly trying it out. Most other problems are fixable, but deadspots aren't. You can'yt play a bass with deadspots musically - it will drive you mad in time. I've gone down the graphite neck route and don't wake at night any more suffering from 'deadspot angst'.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the GHS, they are great strings. Possibly a little more tension than the Fenders?

I've got Precision Flats on my Musicmaster and they sound great (Curtis Novak pup fitted). My band plays country/Motown.. But not sure if they are any better than Fender flats and I like the green winding colour so perhaps I prefer the fenders? .

I thought they were as good if not better than the Warwick Blacks. Having bought some blacks to 'improve' the sound ('cos they cost more), the reds went back on!

The Rockbass exam series is good as it has a play=along CD and you can pitch your reading ability against a standard. Also the Hal Leonard 'Big Band Play-along' series is fun, again sheet music with a play-along CD.

Just brought a v3 500 combo this week - and it is fab! But did some recording this afternoon with the DI, and the Master Level changes the DI out. This seems a bit weird = what's the logic to this? I tried coming out for the effects loop, but the Master Level controls this too...

I've got a Spector EuroLX4 (a carbon-reinforced neck), and the sound reminds me of King Wenceslas - deep and crisp and even. What's not to like?

... will pack vest next time.

Unique double - got sunburn and froze to death at the same time playing at a BBQ in Canterbury yesterday.

Thanks everyone for your comments. So, following my original question, to summarize: It is better to have your input gain as high as possible and keep your output gain as low as possible (rather than the other way round). This is particularly true for a valve pre-amp where you might be looking to spank the valve for some breakup. To monitor headroom it would be ideal if all amps had a clipping light post input gain and also a clipping light post eq / contour controls. 2 or 3 light meters would be better than single clipping lights to help monitor levels while playing. Your ears are a good final checking device, but not everyone has great hearing and normally you're monitoring in a very noisy environment - so some technical support would help. Any amp manufacturers / techies out there to comment?

that's really clear, thanks very much Douglas (now my friend!).

Thanks for the replies. So it looks as though setting a correct input level is down to listening / trial and error if there isn't a meter or clipping light (so, most amps I've come across). I don't understand why a fairly critical electronic interface between guitar and amp is so arbitrary. If you inadvertently over-load the signal I assume you could damage the amp (as well as spoil your guitar's natural sound); if you under-load, then you're wasting the potential power of the amp (although this probably isn't critical). Do the electronics of an amp perform differently if you under-load the input signal?

Does anyone have a 'top tip' for setting the right input gain on their amp to maximise efficiency without under- or over-loading the signal? Amps don't seem to come with 'clipping lights' any more, so how can you tell that you're not overloading other than by listening for distortion (i.e. trial and error)?

Had our first outdoor gig of the year last night in balmy Canterbury! The landlord insisted as he had set up an outdoor bbq. We froze our nuts off and I'm not referring to string slots! Fortunately, it was 'rain stopped play' three-quarters of the way through the second set and an early escape.

Played at the Little Albion, Broadstairs yesterday early evening. My first time there. Lovely pub, v welcoming, great audience, good beer, and a repeat booking to boot. What's not to like! Also, still light (just) driving home on the A299. The summer's acomin' in.

it has no dead spots

Thanks for all these comments, this is a brilliant website for advice. So it looks like not such a good idea to try any mods and stick with the status quo (oh, err, those lc Va cadences!).

I own a GK MB150E-lll combo, and it is a fantastic amp with a perfect balance between practicality and sound. I have been considering purchasing the extension cab to get a little more volume and headroom. However, I'm reluctant to have to carry more gear around as I can manage the amp, my bass and a cable bag in 'one trip' - OK, may be a bit lazy, but gigging has to be as practical as possible - these are nimble times. So as an alternative I'm considering upgrading the speaker in the MB to a 4 Ohm 200W to maximise the amp's power output? Has anyone any experience of this? Will adding a new speaker with extra wattage capacity make any meaningful difference to loudness / clarity in a sealed cabinet?

Played at The Dolphin in Canterbury last night, we play Americana covers plus 25% original material. V enthusiastic audience, one lady in particular loudly requesting a Beatles song in between each number. Fortunately we didn't cave in, which oddly seemed to be what she wanted. ;;; the rich tapestry of life on a Saturday night.