NancyJohnson

I'll do my darnedest to try to watch everyone, even though fifteen minutes after coming off stage, sweaty, knackered and after breaking down your gear, it's actually the last thing you want to do. Insofar as etiquette goes, the younger bands we play with tend to be the ones who disappear right after their set and are happy to start carrying out their gear while a band is still playing.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1494064747' post='3292926'] Great stuff Paul. We did one of these kind of gigs. Turned up and played and got a free promo out of it. You don't have much luck with your hands do you? My left elbow is now in a support brace and my left hand is still giving me a hard time. Nowhere near as bad as when we spoke though. Keep up the great work mate. [/quote] Four operations in...the (unoperated on) right thumb has settled down a bit, but the left one is giving me major issues now (it's overtaken the rightie), but it's up and down. Today I'm 100% pain free. I wore a splint all the day of the recording, but the lack of movement kind of exasperated the lack of mobility and the pain was excruciating (to the point of wanting to chuck up at one point - you can see me grimacing at one point on one of the videos). It just felt knotted up and needing a good crack to free up the joint! Incidentally, whether it helps or not, I've been taking turmeric three times a day for about the last week or so. It's a proven anti-inflammatory, worth a punt ahead of basal joint surgery and it does help a bit to stabilise the joint.

Midweek we did a three song session for students at Farnborough College of Technology. Studio production forms part of the student's course work; they set everything up and produce and there's a bunch of cameras up so another department can turn out a video. Elsewhere, FCOT have an FM license and broadcast to a thirty/forty mile radius. We were interviewed after. Video below. (Bass playing is a bit subdued as my left thumb was giving me considerable gyp and had been in a splint all day. Ack.) If you're local to Farnborough, hit them up for a session, they're desperate for local bands to experiment on!! http://youtu.be/06GOu9JjHDM

You could melt them in acetone and stain some wooden furniture with the solution. Sorted.

My advice? Save up and get it done properly. End of. It's too special to warrant a trip down to Halfords.

I run a two-channel floorboard and one channel has a Sansamp VTBASSDI at the end of a the signal chain. I never switch it on and honestly don't really get on with it... it's only there as it has an XLR output should any soundguy need to use it.

[quote name='inthedoghouse' timestamp='1493572209' post='3289184'] What a really cool story - I hope it works well for both bands in the future I see they posted a pic of you all together on their page [url="https://www.facebook.com/hawaiizombiesband/photos/a.569702849897269.1073741828.568228216711399/699253626942190/?type=3&theater"]https://www.facebook...?type=3[/url] [/quote] Sans our drummer sadly, who was busy at the bar chatting up one of the punters.

[quote name='Yank' timestamp='1493544090' post='3288978'] To quote Bob Seegar "Is that a woman or a man" on bass? Not that I'm judging. [/quote] The bass player is Crem, the Jim Carrey lookalike. Giulia (boyish looks, but most definitely a girl), is the lead guitarist.

All done. I'd say these two gigs were quite probably the happiest ones I've ever done; it was like the joy was tangible. Roll on October!

Quite a few years back I struck up a conversation online with an Italian bloke (let's call him Clemente, because that's his name); we had a shared love of Gibson Thunderbirds, punk rock and pasta. That last one wasn't true, but hey ho. Anyhow, we kept in touch; mutual band love etc. A few months ago, he PMs me and says his band (Hawaii Zombies) want to come to London, play a couple of gigs and asks whether my band (Who Killed Nancy Johnson?) could facilitate this. Last night we played The Fighting Cocks in Kingston with them, tonight Readipop in Reading. Yesterday, I was like a kid leading up to Christmas. A weird excitement feeling all day, something I'd not felt in an awful long time. We loaded in about 5.30pm, they turned up shortly after. It was hugs all round and a very happy time was had by all. The Bully-bonus is that we've now signed on to do some gigs in Milan mid-October and possibly this might extend into Switzerland. I suppose if we can keep our sh*t together we might make this a regular thing. Anyhow, if you want a bit of decent Italiano Po-Punk in your life, knock yourself out: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYenh_EiOpc[/media]

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1493365483' post='3287734'] We shall see! [/quote] If it's any good, I might make you an offer...

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1493288000' post='3287134'] So I'll ask the OP this question - massive speaker cabs - why put your back / muscles / knees / shoulders through it? [/quote] For the love of it, I suppose. I've dramatically reduced the weight of my gear in recent years; the HyDrives (4x10 and 2x10) are fairly lightweight compared to my old Ashdowns and the Barefaced is lighter again than the HyDrives. [i][Edit: The Hydrive 4x10 also has castors and we have a band trolley for wheeling in other stuff.][/i] Rack weight has halved I reckon, since I moved to a Matrix power stage. Lower back pain has been with me since my teens...it's the hand issues that are the big problem (see other threads).

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1493230503' post='3286792'] 1. Teach the drummer and guitarrists to play in a civilized and respectfull volume; 2. HPF the bass (onstage) at around 70Hz; 3. Have all the band go through F.O.H.; There! Can we close the thread now? [/quote] Wouldn't this be just dreamy?

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1493119438' post='3285722'] My final point is that the OP could gig with a Super Compact with a 500W amp powering it - it would be as loud as his current rig. He just doesn't know that because he hasn't tried it. But he's scared of it, he needs the safety blanket of a bigger rig. That's fine, lots of people are like that. But it's a shame when one's need for a visual safety blanket causes an apparent attack on those who are happily using smaller but equally loud rigs. [/quote] Alex Over the last 25/30 years, I've used numerous combinations of cabinetry and yes, to a degree, I'd concur with your safety blanket comment and like several responders to this thread, I'm possibly long enough in the tooth to come from a time where [i]big is best[/i] was the norm and it wasn't uncommon to have rigs that contained 6x10, 8x10, 4x12, 2x15 enclosures (and the answer to your question is 'Yes, I have. All of them, plus combinations thereof.') In my time I've also run a tri-amp set up of 15s,10s and bright box (blame Doug Wimbush). That said, the need for a visual safety blanket is of an irrelevance; most of all I want to be able to hear myself in rehearsal/live and I want my gear to survive the rigours of journey/load in and out/four bands using it in one evening. The only thing I'm scared of is having to go to the trouble and expense of repair/replacement in the event things go awry by curfew. Also from the front end, I'm not prepared to throw good money at gear just to prove a point (which takes us back to my [i]big is best[/i] comment above) and then sell on at a loss because I'm unhappy. Last count, my band have a dozen gigs in the next three months, small rooms, big rooms. We're doing radio. We're doing Musicians Against Homelessness/Crisis gigs. We're recording. We're gigging in Italy. We'll also be rehearsing twice a week for this period. Many bass players will be using my gear. Guys come up to me after gigs and say they love my sound and I go, 'My signal path is simple, RBI, Poweramp and that Barefaced.' so your business is getting some exposure and hopefully I've generated some sales. If you want to prove me wrong and steer me away from my safety blanket attitude, loan me something small to cover all these and we'll see how things go. I'll put everything else in my lockup. I'll probably be back to get a Super Twin at some stage, irrespective.

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1493042069' post='3285100'] Encore: A Change of Seasons: I The Crimson Sunrise A Change of Seasons: II Innocence A Change of Seasons: III Carpe Diem A Change of Seasons: IV The Darkest of Winters A Change of Seasons: V Another World . A Change of Seasons: VI The Inevitable Summer A Change of Seasons: VII The Crimson Sunset [/quote] I saw them at Hammersmith quite a few years back and when James LaBrie strolled back on after two hours plus and announced they were doing ACOS as an encore (with the panache of Greg Lake saying, 'We're going to give you [i]Pictures at an Exhibition[/i]'), a part of me died. I mean, I don't really mind Dream Theater at all, they're very entertaining, but it was almost like I just couldn't take another 45 minutes of shredding!

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1493106660' post='3285565'] NJ, not cool. Your replies haven't really been in the spirit of the BC community. P_B did only ask what your point was after all. How about expanding on your OP rather than derogatory comments? It could be a really interesting discussion if it were articulate and balanced. [/quote] I posed a simple question about how bass players manage with small enclosures. This was largely prompted by the plethora of photos littering my Facebook timeline and recent incidents with bands playing under us ignoring the [i]belt and braces[/i] emails despatched by promoters, turning up with inadequate gear for purpose and then meekly asking whether they can use my gear. I'm not an imbecile and I know all about the potential pitfalls of using the wrong gear. I simply asked how people manage. After some science from Phil, this pops up from Mr Prime-BASS: [quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1493063275' post='3285356'] You've answered your own question. So I'm not sure what your point is. [/quote] To which I answered: [quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1493065260' post='3285383'] Are you on your period? [/quote] Then this: [quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1493074735' post='3285471'] No. Are you? Your opening post was deliberately provocative which I like to think wasn't actually trying to elicit some kind of angered response but it did nerk me somewhat. Respect goes two ways. Constructive language designed to grow a healthy discussion would have been more like. " I always wonder how or why people use small cabs, 1x12/1x10 for example. Playing in a loud band I feel I need a big rig behind me, sometimes just to keep up with a loud drummer. Anyone who regularly gigs a small cab care to chime in? " Where as yours is very condescending and echos the label snobbery of having have a fender since that's a real bass. Plenty of folks don't have the luxury of a car or van or have health implications let a lone maybe heavens forbid they don't ever need a fridge cause they'll always play on a cramped stage with full PA support so their amp is basically their stage monitor. I think then what really ruffled my feathers was that you use what I would consider a "tiny" cab which you admittedly use for most situations. [/quote] Now then, I'm being told my original post is 'deliberately provocative' and that I was trying to 'elicit some kind of angered response'. Also, I should have delivered the original post in a different format and that it was condescending with echos of snobbery (sorry, don't own a Fender). Incidentally, if someone is going to pick me up grammatically, they need to proof what they're posting to make sure it reads correctly. The next paragraph covers car ownership (which isn't my problem to be honest, but hey, if you don't drive, I'm not going to be your taxi service), health implications (fair enough/valid point), cramped stages and using backline as monitors (doesn't everyone, to a degree?). In closing, there's a little dig that my aforementioned Barefaced is what the the responder considers to be a tiny cab (which let's face it, carries a degree of snobbery that he alluded to earlier in the post). Sometimes, people just misinterpret and overanalyse things a little too much. What do you want from me? To fawn over someone's replies and go, 'Oh yes, please forgive me, I was totally in the wrong from the outset!'? Come on.

[quote name='Jack' timestamp='1492699412' post='3282488'] Thanks! I know the unit is already done and I know it was done for Geddy not me, but I realyl can't help thinking that one (or two, if you wanted trs and xlr) more outputs on the back for a 'blend' output would have been such a useful feature. Or even a switch the does what the jumper will on the back of the unit. [/quote] I was kind of thinking this when I read T21's earlier post about taking the top off. If it's as good as most of their kit, I'm sure once you dial in your ideal tone (top off first or otherwise), it'll need minimal tweaking thereafter. Still really looking forward to this. Hurry up!

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1493074735' post='3285471'] I didn't see any discussion being made just some belligerent comments. However OP did ask "how the hell do you manage?" but I feel this was some what rhetorical. No. Are you? Your opening post was deliberately provocative which I like to think wasn't actually trying to elicit some kind of angered response but it did nerk me somewhat. Respect goes two ways. Constructive language designed to grow a healthy discussion would have been more like. " I always wonder how or why people use small cabs, 1x12/1x10 for example. Playing in a loud band I feel I need a big rig behind me, sometimes just to keep up with a loud drummer. Anyone who regularly gigs a small cab care to chime in? " Where as yours is very condescending and echos the label snobbery of having have a fender since that's a real bass. Plenty of folks don't have the luxury of a car or van or have health implications let a lone maybe heavens forbid they don't ever need a fridge cause they'll always play on a cramped stage with full PA support so their amp is basically their stage monitor. I think then what really ruffled my feathers was that you use what I would consider a "tiny" cab which you admittedly use for most situations. [/quote] You need to seek help.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1493063275' post='3285356'] You've answered your own question. So I'm not sure what your point is. [/quote] Are you on your period?

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1493035368' post='3284982'] That's a surprise Alex, since the cab he mentioned as 'how the hell do you cope' was one of yours! [/quote] It was a metaphor Mr Starr. If you'd like to purchase a Get Out Of Jail Free card, hit me up.

If I can add something else here (which has been touched up on a couple of responses), I have my sound, as does my band as a whole. There you go. I like to think of my tone as being a dirtyish cross between Jean Jacques Burnel and Geddy Lee. Realistically, in the simplest of terms, I want to be able to turn up, set up, plug in and go. I do not want to be having to tweak, roll off (or on) settings that alter this tone (any more than our guitarist would).

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1493031843' post='3284917'] I completely disagree with this. It's like saying that 80% of cars are fine with a 1 litre engine. It totally depends on the specifics of that engine. Give it direct injection, sequential turbocharging and hybrid assistance and properly optimise it and yes, you can get hundreds of horsepower and a good working torque curve. Get it straight out of an old Austin Metro and watch most of the 80% drive it to the scrap yard instead of their gig. Paul/Nancy - aren't you just using a single 15"? [/quote] Hey Alex The Big One one I won at the Bash is a 15/6. It's been fine in most circumstances and the only time I've reverted back to the Hartkes is when I'm playing bigger rooms. The plan is to go with an additional Super Twin at some stage (wife is still giving me grief because the house is filling up with cabinets). P

I'm sure we're all familiar with this type of chart: Lovely, isn't it? Thing is while I'm sure Phil's post is of some interest, I did start to blur over. (Sorry!) Thing is, these sort of numbers are not unlike the motor vehicle manufacturers claims of peak performance for their vehicles; unrealistic in the real world. Ever had 50mpg from your Honda CR-V? No me neither. When I turn up for a gig (like last weekend), where we have no monitors, little more than a vocal PA running the gig, I despair. Room was about 45'x30'. The sound guy, bless him, is saying we need to turn down, the drummer can't hear me (and he's sitting less than a metre from my gear), I can't hear me or anything else apart from the drums. I'm sorry, but a 1x12 isn't going to work now, is it? If, however, I was playing in a jazz trio, acoustic piano, drummer on brushes, I'm sure a 1x12 would be fine.