Dan Dare

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1498156133' post='3322882'] Indeed - just get a cheap squier, set it up properly and throw some other pickups in, jobs good! [/quote] Yep.

A bass player I used to work with (in a band I played fiddle for) turned up with just 2 strings on his bass and was surprised when we expressed displeasure

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1498221737' post='3323232'] I think I've just done a sex wee :-) [/quote] Corrrr. Defo worth going for larger wheels. Smaller ones catch on every rut and bump.

Must add my new toy (Aguilar AG700) to the list. It combines warmth, wallop and clean tone extremely well. Would be interesting to compare with my old TE AH350, which was my favourite. Think I may prefer the Agg, but obviously I'm relying on memory of how the TE sounded. It's certainly easier to carry about than the old flight-cased beast.

I bet your Bassman with the BF 4x10 has the classic old school sound. Glad the Ashdown worked for you. Their backup is great, isn't it? Fair play to them.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1498114476' post='3322543'] Interesting! I tried the AG700 at the LBGS and hated it, but to be fair I was playing an unfamiliar bass and it wasn't exactly quiet there [/quote] I wonder if it could have something to do with the cabs I use. The C4s are quite hi-fi, so an amp with a little warmth compliments them nicely. The trick is to get the warmth, but not overdo it to avoid its becoming too thick or muddy sounding. Cabs with fatter bottom end may not suit the head so well.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1498077238' post='3322431'] Heft? [/quote] At the levels I've played it at so far, yes. Enough to rattle the windows and the frame of the gas fire in my large (20'x15'x9') living room. First gig will be the true test.

Just back from Bass Direct. Decided to bite the bullet and treat myself to one of the latest generation class D heads, so went to audition a few. Took my bass (P/J, strung with D'Addario Chromes) and checked on the phone first that BD had a couple of the cabs I use (PJB C4s) so I could hear how it would work in context. Was interested in the Magellan 800 in particular. It has been well reviewed and I need an amp that will work into 2.7 ohms. I sometimes run 3x8 ohm cabs, so that meant something with the newer ICEpower module, which will cope with impedances that low. The Mesa 800D, which is 2 ohms capable, was out. A pal has one and it's a fine sounding amp with his setup, but I've tried it with my cabs and the combination is just too aggressive. I like a clean but old school sound (as you can probably guess from the instrument I use). I started by comparing the Magellan with the Glockenlang Steamhammer (awful name, I know) and was surprised how much I preferred the Glock. Either flat or with moderate eq on both heads, the Glock was warmer and fatter sounding and was a better foil to the clarity of the C4s, whilst giving subtle additional weight to the sound. I was a bit dismayed that the difference was so marked, as the Glock is £300 dearer than the Genzler. I tried to convince myself that the difference wasn't that great, but it was. Damn. Then the chaps suggested I tried an Aguilar AG700. I wasn't too keen. I'm not a Tonehammer fan, but they said they thought I'd like the AG700, so I agreed to give it a go. They were right. Surprisingly, it was VERY similar to the Glock, with possibly just a hint of extra clarity. My experience of Tonehammers in the past has been that they sound a little thick and coloured - a bit too old school for my tastes - but this was not the case at all. The two really were very close and it was almost a case of toss a coin to decide. Pleased that I had found a cheaper alternative (I imagined the cost would be somewhere in Tonehammer territory), I asked the price. Oh. Same as the Glock (which was actually a very good price - BD is significantly cheaper than Thomann and others for the AG700). So after a bit of humming and hawwing, I went for the Aguilar. An additional bonus is that it's a lot easier to set up, with minimal eq and controls compared to the Glock. Just 4 band eq, gain and master and a couple of boost switches (which I prefer to do without). Have just been annoying the neighbours and early impressions are very favourable. Clarity and weight in spades, massively loud and a very effortless quality to the sound. I'll report again when it's done a gig or two, but it's looking good. So a big thanks to Mark and the chaps at BD for their help.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1497736655' post='3320345'] Really good vocalists are always hard to come by. [/quote] +1. The best singer I know and work with is 70, has almost 3 octaves range and an enormous repertoire and is a real trouper. Always does the business. It can be quite amusing to see peoples' reaction when this balding, grey haired guy lets rip. They can't believe the voice that comes out of him. He's been talking about retiring in the not to distant and I'm hoping he doesn't decide to hang up his mic.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497992022' post='3321901'] What if one gets stolen ? Surely then you would need a spare [/quote] See Burrito's answer below your post. I someone pinched my bass on a one-off gig, I'd be down the nick giving details to the rozzers, not playing. As my instrument never leaves my side, it's reasonably unlikely (I won't tempt fate by saying impossible) to happen.

Half rounds don't fell right under the fingers to me. D'Addario Chromes, which are flats, are bright enough, unless you're a slap pervert, of course.

I take spare strings and a mini head, but not a spare instrument. Cannot envisage a situation when an instrument would become unplayable. I keep the set of strings I took off most recently as spares, so they don't need stretching in. Apart from my P bass with the 8 year old La Bellas on it, that is.

Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester are good. Google will find them.

My suggestion would be to invest in a decent passive DI box and use it post amp (from the effects send or preamp out - a good DI will have pad switches to match the input sensitivity to the signal strength). Using the DI out on your amp carries a risk of the sound person stuffing 48v into it if he/she forgets to disable the phantom power. I've seen it happen. Not good for most onboard DI outs. The transformer in a passive DI will not be affected should that be the case.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1497885899' post='3321114'] There are sought after versions of Strats and Les Pauls that have been up around this level for years. About 10 years ago we did a gig for a corporate lawyer at his house (we set up in his ballroom) and he showed us his "collection". A room with about 40 collectable and vintage guitars set up on stands and many more still in their cases. He reckoned it was all worth about £10 million. "Collectors" work to a completely different set of rules. [/quote] Sadly true. Anyone remember that silicon valley billionaire who advertised for vintage instruments a few years back. He was photographed sitting on the bonnet of the Batmobile (which he owns), holding the first ever Gibson Citation and something else equally droolworthy. He invited people to tell/send him what they had and he would make offers. It was obvious, from the fact that he was holding the guitars like shovels, that he didn't have a clue what to do with them. Was tempted to post a dog turd to him with a note that he would probably find it of more use. Collectors are usually (I know there are exceptions) people with far too much money who envy musicians their ability and mistakenly think that if they have a '59 Les Paul or whatever, they will automatically sound like their heroes. Fortunately for those of us who can actually play, it ain't so.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1497863546' post='3320882'] The cajon is the modern equivalent of the bongos that the hipsters of the day used to bang. And before that there was the bloody tambourine. Should all have been consigned to the waste bin. The people who abused them couldn't hit them in any semblance of time. They made the drummer sound like a musical genius, and that takes a lot to achieve. I feel better now. [/quote] You've been reading my mail. I play Irish traditional music (my original instrument was/is the fiddle). People who can't be arsed to put the time in and learn a proper instrument turn up to music sessions with bloody bodhrans (a handheld, single skinned drum that's played with a carved wooden beater). They bash away far too loudly and murder the rhythms and subtleties of the music and drown out more delicate instruments. Of course, there are a few who play a bodhran musically, but they're in a small minority. Hanging's too good for most of 'em. I feel better now, too.

Don't see many Satellite guitars or basses for sale. Wonder why

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1497789684' post='3320560'] [b][size=6]?[/size][/b] [/quote] 'Fraid so. You must have experienced someone attempting to bang along with the music on one of those bloody wooden boxes. Or were you that person?

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1497799801' post='3320601'] I'm the cheerleader for my band. Always upbeat and funny, telling jokes and keeping everyone in good spirit If a band member is really down I will do the invisible bear hump and that will fix everything. Hard to have a bad time when your humping an invisible bear �� Blue [/quote] You sound infuriating

I don't think there's a one size fits all answer. Some of us are fortunate to have tougher nails and skin than others. My nails are very hard (they can cut me if I grasp something too tightly and they dig into the skin) and although I don't play for hours every day, I rarely suffer soreness of the fingers. Just my good fortune. However, the only time I do get sore fingers on my plucking hand is when I play too hard (usually because I can't hear myself on a noisy stage). So I'm afraid the answer has to be play more softly and turn up (or get a more powerful rig if ours isn't giving you the sound/volume you need). All the putting superglue on your fingers, boiling them, etc is of little use, I'm afraid. Sorry, but that's the practical solution.

I have a Carvin B1000, which is also 2 ohms capable. Many of their heads are. Genzler Magellan will go down to 2.7 ohms (i.e. 3 x 8 ohm cabs). Worth knowing that they way amp designers make something 2 ohm capable is to reduce the amount of power through the output stage, so you won't get much more, if any power than you get running into 4 ohms. If you like the D800 sound (which I do, too. A pal uses one and it's excellent), the sound is down to the preamp - it uses the usual Bang & Olufsen ICEpower module found in many of he better Class D heads. So all you need is an add on power amplifier which you can drive from the D800 preamp or effects out. I picked up a used Bugera class D head, which I use as a power amp driven by my Carvin and it sounds the same. Hope this is of some use.

Notice JJ is using a Bassman rig (same as he used on the Marvin Gaye live clip that's been on here). Love the way the band members are obviously enjoying themselves. Martha can certainly sing, can't she? Magic.