Greg Edwards69

On one hand, you can buy perfectly decent "giggable" basses for a lot less. On the other hand, the price of these basses has drastically risen over the last couple of years.

For example, my G&L Tribute JB2 has become my primary bass since getting it in the black Friday sales in 2021 for a mere £299 (down from £399). Excellent instrument and ready to gig out of the box.  That price held for a few months after black Friday.  But I've noticed recently that it's not just shy of £500.

Similarly, Squier prices used to be fairly stable for a number of years, but I've notice the prices creeping up in recent months. 

Edit: Looking at a number of Squier model on PriceSpy, many of them jumped up by around £50 in the summer.

23 minutes ago, mcnach said:

I'm going to get an XR18 mixer for our monitoring purposes.

 

I have a question with regards to what tabled to use for this.

I have no clue what specs I would need. I gather that to run the app controlling the XR18 we don't need much, but I don't know what is enough.

 

This would be purely to be used with the XR18, nothing else.

 

I'd prefer Android, but not set in stone.

I guess at the very least I need it to be dual band wifi... and I would like to be able to connect the tablet to the XR18 with a cable (using a USB-ethernet adapter) as a 'just in case' option, so it has to be able to do that.

 

Any hints/recommendations? 

One of my band's guitarists has just bought an Allen & Heath CQ18t. Not had the chance to play with it yet but I've been exploring the tablet and phone apps, as well as reading up on the specs and it looks darn useful and easy to use. 

It's similar in design to the X-Air and X18 in that it's a combined wifi-enabled stagebox with a touch screen, with 6 aux send for personal monitor mixes, not to mention built in effects.

One of the issues many X-Air owners have is the wifi is a bit unreliable and resort to using third-party routers. Allegedly the A&H router is more reliable.

There's also apps for both iOS and Android, for mixing and personal monitoring, as well as windows and mac.

I know it costs more than the Behringer, but it might be worth a look anyway.

I've mentioned it before elsewhere, but my nemesis is "Get what you give" by the New Radicals.

It's not difficult to play, but I have a devil's job remembering it. For a song with only a few chords, it's a busy bassline that rarely sticks to the root - lot of passing notes, inversions, slash chord tone. And never the same through the song. It's constantly shifting.

It's the only song in our repertoire I have to read whilst playing.

2 hours ago, SumOne said:

The thing that always let's multi-fx down for me is when you need that decent envelope filter, or synth, or whatever else the unit doesn't do well you need the individual pedal - which then needs a power supply, and a pedalboard, and before long individual pedals start to take over again!

I really wish multi effects units included 9v outputs for the odd external pedal, or wireless receiver.

My wish would be for Line 6 to update the Pocket Pod concept with Helix algorithms that they currently use in the Pod Go, Bluetooth streaming, tuner, headphone out, rechargeable via USB-C, and a main output that can be configured to instrument and line level (as they did with the HX One). A mobile app for editing would be a plus, but I'd settle for HX Edit on a laptop.

One can only hope.

13 hours ago, tayste_2000 said:

Currently I have (far too much) an Audient Audio Interface, NUX Mighty Plug, NUX Mighty Plug Pro, Zoom MS60b, Zoom MS70CDR, Sonicake Boom Ave.

 

The NUX Mighty Plug was great and the Mighty Plug Pro should have been an upgrade and for the most part it is, the USB C means I can charge it with the same cable I charge everything else, it works as an audio interface with my iPad and I can bluetooth music too it from my phone, it’s also got IR loading so you can get a really nice sound out of it.

 

All of this is great except, no octaver, no weird fx, interface doesn’t lend itself to heavily messing with fx (I tend to use it as an amp, ir and maybe compression) can only ever be used as a practice device and finally has a weird digital rattle in the high end which is audible when playing on your own. I’ll probably just suck it up and wait until a Pro 2 or 3 comes out.

 

Then I have the Zoom’s (I have 2 so I don’t have to always carry one, one is with me and one is in the UK currently), I can transfer settings and swap fx between them. I can hack fx from the CDR on to the B and vice versa and if I need another I can pick them up for £50 ish and load the same fx and presets on quickly. It sounds pretty good,  (far better than the 506 of my youth), I can get some really obscure sounds that stop me from buying really expensive pedals, it runs on usb, 9v standard and AA’s so I can leave it in the case when checking, also means I get to a jam I can just throw it down on the floor and be away.

 

Issues with it are no usb c,, no simple master volume control to knock down a patch you’ve set too loud in your bedroom, no headphone so I have to use the NUX with it, which means I’m rarely playing with the amps in the Zoom because the NUX sounds lacklustre without one on and switching between multiple devices and interfaces isn’t conducive to creativity or simply playing.

 

These 2 basically do everything I need (but not want).

 

Whatever I have above I also need a DI box, maybe that’s all I’ll take on a gig but it’s not all I’m carrying with me.

 

So the device now that has me most tempted currently is the Kemper Player, it’s bigger than everything mentioned but smaller than everything I’m carrying. The only issue for me is power and usb.

 

This has lead me almost full circle to the Line 6 HX Stomp (which for some reason I’ve resisted massively even though an M13 replaced a huge pedalboard for me), again bigger than the Zoom and NUX, similar power issues to the Kemper but people have powered these from usb battery packs and 9v converters. I can live with the USB B adaptor that would be required on the Kemper. The cons are then a lack of bluetooth streaming (I can get round this with a 12 south airfly I use to connect my airpods to plane entertainment systems) and using this in the fx loop return is also how I can use the HX as an IEM mixer live, but finally no xlr.

 

Other things I’ve tried, audio interface and apps. This was my main gig rig for ages, I had a tiny line 6 sonic port, moved away from rigs and fx completely. Until a disastrous iOS update stopped the interface working. Since then much has changed, there are some really great usb c interfaces that work with my ipad (not my phone yet sadly, or not without more adaptors) and apps like Tonex are far beyond what once replaced my rig. But taking a £1500 iPad Pro that is your main work device and you make all your income on to a jam night?

 

Or taking your phone and having it on that same stage (when it’s the thing that holds copies of your passport, all your banking info, all your flight tickets) what do you do if that gets smashed up because you wanted to play mustang sally one night in Buenos Aires.

 

So I could get an iRig HD or similar and replace the NUX (but even that minimal equipment isn’t as quick and easy as the NUX) and there is this issue of with the NUX you can turn the device up and bluetooth down (or volume on your phone down) when using an audio interface there is one volume, so you find yourself turning up volumes and gain on amp sims to match the music volume.

13 hours ago, tayste_2000 said:

FYI, whilst I’ve just rebought it, I sold the Capo because I felt the Boom Ave was 95% there on the sound/magic the Capo had. With an Octaver, Comp/Boost/Mute Switch and Big Muff Fuzz it’s everything I likely need on a gig, but with the above post, bigger than the zoom, no headphone, no battery or phantom power to power it, no bluetooth, yadda yadda.

 

But as a grab and go rig, I think it’s better than the Sansamp Flyrig (either version)

I have Mighty Plug (the original non-pro version) and used to have a couple of MS60B units. I largely agree with all your sentiments there.

The Mighty plug is okay, but lacks crucial features for me such as octaver and pitch-shift, and the Bluetooth audio is too bass heavy. It's also not appropriate for live use, even as just a backup device.

The MS60b is still quite a good unit and I sometimes wish I had kept one. But to use it in a live situation without backline, it would need a separate DI box. Not a huge dealbreaker, but it's extra faff. The lack of Bluetooth and headphone output for home practice is a problem as well, and IIRC, the pitch-shifting is diabolical.

I've done the iRig HD with iPad/iPhone. I never really took to it and I wouldn't want to rely on that as a foolproof backup.

I considered the HX Stomp and the Hotone Ampero Stomp and Mini. They would work great as backup devices, but again, no Bluetooth streaming or battery power for quick home practice. By the time I've plugged in teh necessary power, USB, guitar and headphone cables I may as well use my Helix LT. That new Kemper looks cool too, but it's a lot of money for a backup device.

I thought the P1 would do it all, practice tool, backup device for gigs and interface. But I was sorely disappointed with the sound quality. I did not like it at all. The P2 doesn't offer anything that would make me want to dip my toes back in the P series waters either.

So, like you, there's not a do it all device that fits my requirements and budget at the moment. And also like you, I've split it between two devices. The Boss Pocket GT has everything I need from a practice device, and the Sonicake Boom Ave is a fool proof emergency backup at a price I don't care spending for something I hope I won't need. It's also analogue which makes it quick to dial in without any faffing around. It only missed a pitch-shifter, but if I really needed to use it for a gig, we'd simply skip those songs that need it. I'm still keen on the Sansamp FlyRig V2 - it has more features that I'd find useful and I think for some gigs where I need to travel light, I could happily use it instead of the Helix, but I'd struggle to do that with just the Sonicake.

I've had a couple of natural oil finished Warwicks in the past. I wouldn't say I babied them, but I definitely looked after them, kept them clean, and maintained the finish and hardware.

I seem to recall Warwick (possibly) mentioning that you should only need to regularly wax them for the first couple of years. After that, the finish should have built up sufficiently that it only needs a touch up once or twice a year. As for the neck, with regular playing, natural oils from your hands should keep them smooth and playable. IIRC, I waxed the back of the Thumb's neck once and hated it. I left it alone to let nature take it's course and it became one of the fastest necks I've ever played.

PS, I used to use Kaisers Lem-Oil (not actually lemon oil, pretty much just lemon-scented naptha) to clean finger poo off the frets, then fed the fingerboard with proper lemon oil. Worked a treat.

FWIW, the Warwick bass manual has cleaning and care tips

2 hours ago, SumOne said:

Sort of reluctantly, I'm going to return the P2 to Thomann while I can still get a full refund.

 

It is a good bit of kit, but is quite expensive at £209 and isn't really better than the Nux Mighty Plug (that I already have) for home practise, and although I only have a simple pedal setup for live use it can't replace pedals like the LS-2 for switching between two basses, or a stompable tuner/mute (unless getting the bluetooth footswich - in which case cost and size starts to creep up and then it seems why not get a cheap multi fx with footswitches), so it would be an addition to my pedalboard rather than replacing it.

 

It would be good as a pocket sized all-in-one pedalboard to take to band practise, but something like the Zoom B1 Four can do similar and save about £130  (allbeit a bit bigger, needing batteries/power supply, and no bluetooth to stream music). 

 

If I had a lot of spare ££ I'd keep it, but for me it just isn't adding enough to what I already have to justify keeping it.

 

Hopefully updates give it some Bass Amp/Cabs (although I find Amp sims are basically EQ points and a tone/gain levels of drive - so can be done with EQ and Drive effects blocks, and Cabs can be added as IRs), better tuner reading of a open E, some access to the drum loops/metronome directly on the device, and a low battery warning.

FWIW I ended up forgoing the all-in-one backup and performance tool. The device I want doesn't exist - at least not in my budget.

So I now have the Boss Pocket GT as a practice tool and recently bought the Sonicake "Boom Avenue" flyrig as a hope-I-don't-need-to-use-it backup for gigs. It's okay, but I'm still considering getting the Sansamp Bass Flyrig V2 instead if I can find one for a good price - I could easily gig with one of them instead of the Helix (as long as I don't have to pitch shift.

Even though the Boss Pocket GT doesn't have bass amp models per se, I think it sounds much, much better than the P1. And the built in bass presets are usable without any tweaking. The only downside is the transport controls are all but useless since Youtube changed their restriction algorithms. It can be controlled with a wireless footswitch like the P1/P2, which could make it a viable live tool, but like yourself, the price then creeps up and you may as well use a more appropriate multifx device. Not to mention, I'm not convinced the headphone output going direct to FOH would be as good as a dedicated line out or XLR DI out on other "gig ready" devices.

22 hours ago, SumOne said:

Thanks @warwickhunt and @Greg Edwards69. 

 

One slight issue is that the current PA is a bit weedy/overworked to also have the Bass going through it (it's dealing with 3x horns, guitar, vocals, and doesn't have a great Bass response) so that would need some sort of upgrade if I ran the Bass through it and just used IEMs/monitor wedge. 

 

I hadn't considered the feedback issue, and I think it would be an issue as we have a lot of mics for vocals and horns so already need to be careful where people are in relation to the PA (partly why they all use IEMs instead of monitor wedges).

 

I think perhaps the simplest and cheapest solution for the time being will be to stick with my Amp/Cab and get some IEMs running from the mixer like most of the rest of the band do. ( I have kind of been looking for an excuse to get a FRFR though!). 

Before we got a sub for our PA last year, I was still using my FRFR speaker to support the low end as well as going direct to the PA and using IEMs. I'd highly recommend using an FRFR speaker as your backline instead of a bass amp/cab if you're going to use an IEM feed with bass from the mixer. This way you'll have more consistency with your tone.

21 minutes ago, SumOne said:

Are any of you using a FRFR as your Bass Cab and a mix of the rest of the band's output as a monitor? 

 

I'm in a band that mostly uses in-ears and a mixer to PA, apart from me (and the drummer), I use a Amp/Cab and no IEM or monitor speaker. Often I'm stood behind the PA speakers, next to the drummer and in front of my cab - so I can hear Drums and Bass but not everyone else. I'm looking at getting IEMs, or a monitor wedge, but would changing my Amp/Cab for a FRFR work - can they easily be fed a mix of mostly Bass but also some of the rest of the band for a bit of monitoring? 

I guess it's feasible, but if you keep your FRFR speaker in the traditional backline position - at the back of the stage facing forward - I would be concerned that putting a full mix of everything else could cause feedback issues - particularly with vocal mics.

IMHO, you would be better off putting your bass through the PA and using your speaker as a monitor wedge. Or better yet, get those IEMs you've been considering.

On 11/01/2024 at 09:59, acidbass said:

Mr Brightside is a bona fide classic now but when a band plays Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga or Shut Up and Dance I find these artists/tracks have not aged as well and you can see it in the crowd's reaction.  A bit dated.

That's the challenge. It's difficult to say when a new song comes out if it will be a classic. We've dropped a number of songs over the years that we thought were worth learning at the time.

But sometimes, just sometimes, a "Mr Brightside" or "Sex On Fire" comes along as you just know it's going to be around for years to come.

Just seen these via a google search for something else. Looks lovely and different to typical fender shaped designs (even though it's based on a particular fender as the OP mentioned.

I'm not a fan of pickup switches on basses TBH, I tend to find myself wanting more control of pickup blends. But the additional switching options look interesting, even though I can't determine exactly what they do - even Anderton's aren't quite sure.

Classics are great and safe, but absolutely you should add a few modern numbers. As others have said, Lizzo, Bruno, Dua Lipa, Sheeran, Harry Styles are all safe bets. (FWIW, "Shut Up and Dance" and "Mr Brightside" never, ever fail to get people up singing and dancing)

Whilst weddings parties have a huge demographic, remember that half of them - generally extended family - will be chatting all night to people they haven't seen for years.

The ones that tend to get up and dance are the bride and groom's friends. Focus on that demographic moreso than the grannies and aunties, and you'll be in the right area.

I had one of these when they first came out. It was my first "proper" amp. I remember the cab design being very efficient, and the volume belied it's power rating - it easily kept up with a drummer in rehearsals and small gigs.  The preamp was pretty good and had "that" classic trace tone.

I just wished it was lighter. Or at least had side handles rather than the rubber strap on the top.

I do wonder how well a modern version of this design would work, with a lighter cab material, neo speaker and lighter amp. Maybe Trace (or rather Peavy) should investigate.

On 29/12/2023 at 08:08, DocTrucker said:

Well I'm very much a rookie and not seen any of the ones I have struggled with here and so will stay quiet about most of them!

 

That said a largely simple song - all right now - has an instrumental section that has a bar of standard fingering in the money zone followed by a jump to right up near the bridge with the open A played with the thumb, repeated over and over. Getting the notes in the right order and close to on time, just needs tidying up now!

I found the key to jumping up and down the neck on this one is pointing your head in the right direction in anticipation of the next bar i.e., looking at the 17th fret whilst you're playing the low notes, and looking at the 5th fret whilst you're playing the high notes.

8 hours ago, Marvin said:

I had a Warwick Rockbass Corvette, one the early ones with the one piece bridge.

 

I didn't have it long enough to figure out why but the way it hung on the strap the first fret felt a million miles away. That and a neck that was as thick as 2 baseball bats tied together made it the most awful and uncomfortable bass I've ever owned.

3 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

The 12th fret phenomenon... and nobody has mentioned the Warwick Thumb; now that is a position thrower! 

Exactly why I stopped playing my old Warwick Thumb!

Back when I was younger, fitter and ergonomically naive, I saved up my pennies for my first "really nice" bass and chose a 5 string, bolt-on Thumb after getting into Jack Bruce and trying out several Warwicks at the UK Music Show.  I loved the ginormous neck and didn't mind that the headstock was in the next postcode. But after a number of years, it started to cause problems - back and shoulder pain that would last several days after a gig and my fretting hand would cramp up during repetitive basslines down by the nut. As my experience and skills grew, I realised the bass' inherent design was the problem. I stopped playing it and got a new bass that balanced properly and I don't get those physical problems anymore.

Since then, I make sure any bass I feels right ergonomically.

50 minutes ago, Jack said:

You know, that's a valid point. I wanted my pair of speakers to be able to be a spare pa when needed, but if it was just for monitoring on a stage I would have gone for the 10.2. Hell, to be honest if I'd know how infrequently they'd have been either pa or room-filling backline I might have something from Thomann own brand or similar. Covering the tiny stages I play with enough bass to be heard is surprisingly undemanding.

Indeed. I don't even use my frfr speaker for gigs anymore since we added a sub to our PA system. And I only kept using it when the guitarists ditched their backline to fill out the missing lowend from our previously sub-less PA.

Now I have this big lump of a 12" frfr (well, it's big to me!) that I only cart to rehearsals so I'm looking to downsize. I did have the smaller Headrush 108 speaker too, but regardless of the specs, it just didn't have the low-end heft of my bigger 112 and had a different-sounding profile. I also realise that my Headrush 112 isn't the most accurate thing in the world, even though it does sound pretty good with bass - I just don't get the same great sound out front.

A 10" seems to be the sweet spot. I just need to decide whether to go for the superior and more accurate QSC K10.2, or a Yamaha DXR10 that will more closely match our DXR12-powered PA speakers. If I could dial my patches in on a DXR10, I stand more chance of them sounding the same in the PA. Although the same could probably be said for the QSC as well.

16 hours ago, nazzer said:

I was going to start a new thread, but this seems like the best place for my FRFR question.

So, I just purchased a QSC K10.2 to use with my Quad Cortex with the intention of going fully ampless. 

I played at a small session with the QSC and found that it was really boomy despite setting a HPF on the QC. In hindsight I think that the problem was I accidentally left the the speaker in 'Bass Amp' mode from when I was trying it out at home and did not turn off the cab on the QC. But it raised the question: what setting do other QSC players use out there when they are using it as an FRFR set up?

Thanks!

Whilst I don't have a QSC speaker (yet) so I can't advise on the best dsp settings, you could try stacking a couple of hpfs in series. The hpfs employed in these devices are usually fairly gentle with a -12dB/oct slope, so stacking them will result in a more aggressive low cut.

I have a fixed hpf in each preset on my helix (around 50hz) that gets sent to FOH and my headrush frfr speaker, and another variable one in the Helix's global eq that only affects the frfr speaker, letting me adjust it for the room. You could do the same with your set up and have hpfs in your QC and another variable one in the QSC speaker.

FWIW, I would probably go with the K10.2 as well. QSC themselves recommend it for bass with FOH support and from Bob Lee at QSC himself in response to my question.

On 23/12/2023 at 08:38, mep said:

GYOW is in our set an is a great gun to play. The chorus is a fantastic bassline.

It’s been in our regular set for years. Great fun to play, and sing with those big harmonies. It never fails to get the crowd joining in.

We do a little bit at the end to give our drummer a little spotlight too.

Nearly forgot to write a report 

We were back at the Cow & Telescope in Southend on Saturday night. We played out debut there a couple of months ago but we must have left a good impression as we were invited back for this prime Saturday before Xmas when another band had to pull out. Apparently a number of other bands requested the slot but the venue wanted us.

I did wonder what sort of turn out it would be, given it was the Saturday before Xmas but also the first day of a long break at home for many people. My fears were unwarranted as we had a great turnout. And everyone was up for a proper party. Singing, dancing and joining in from the start. The usual Christmas songs went down well and our super-sub, Sophie, I reckon did her best yet with us. Fab night and back slaps all round.

I've just checked the manuals for these two pedals. The BC-1X manual states that the effect is always engaged when powered on:

The CEB-3 manual has no such statement, however, and neither manual suggests a way to change it - there's no hidden dip switches, for example.

Based upon the BC-1X behaviour and my previous experience with my old V-Wah, I suspect this the default behaviour of many Boss pedals, annoying as it is.

It's a bit dated, but sounds like the old Boss ME-50b might suit you more than the current generation of digital multi-fx.

I really don't understand why Boss designs their pedals like this. I had a V-Wah pedal that did the same thing - every time I powered it up the wah was engaged. I stopped using it when I had power problems on one gig.

They ought to include a dip switch inside so you can decide whether the effect is engaged or not when power is applied, or at least remember its last used state.

Decent one at the Crumpled Horn in Upminster for us on Saturday. It’s a little cramped for bands, but dropping he backline this year gave us a little more space compared to when we played there last Christmas. Due to the space restrictions, we set up sensibly, in sections rather than bringing everything in all at once, which helped us set up in record time. So we had the luixry of 45mins spare to relax before we started playing.

We played well and our super sub Sophie once again dial a great job standing in for Jenny on co-lead vocals. Good crowd from the start who were up for a party and dancing (although there was one bloke who was calling out for mustang sally even before we started.  Got the usual “one more song” requests, but we had to stop eventually as we had to pack up and get home before it got to silly o’clock.

Next stop, back at the Cow and Telescope in Southend on the 23rd for our last gig of the year.

Other more informed experts will be able to explain it better than I can. But my understanding is that ground reinforcement/coupling is only effective within a certain radius of the speaker. i.e. if you're relying on a couple of small cabs to fill the room, the excited low end you hear by having the cab on the floor probably won't be heard out in the audience.

Also, treble frequencies are directional (meaning the speaker has to be pointing directly at your head to hear them clearly) and bass frequencies are omni-directional (meaning they can be heard from anywhere). Hence why you can always heard muffled, bass from outside a nightclub.

Raising the cab off the floor and tilting the cab to point at your head will give you a much better idea of what the audience is hearing.

Likewise, guitarists would also do well to do the same thing. For one, it stops the stage being swamped with low end, and two, they'll hear their treble better. Too many guitarists don't realise how piercing their treble is - and painful for the audience - because it's firing at their own knees.