Dan Dare

I really don't think that a group of (admittedly highly accomplished) bass players taking turns to show off their astonishing techniques (yes, I did watch the video you linked above) could be described as "exploring new territory", "pushing progress forward" or "out of the norm". Yes, the playing by each individual is remarkable, but pushing progress forward? Musically, they are working over pretty conventional forms, which are intended more as vehicles for them to showcase their abilities than to explore new musical territory. I'm happy to see great musicians making a good living and people enjoying it. Nowt wrong with that. If you enjoy it, great. But why not just state that you like it, rather than justifying your preference by claiming that your liking it demonstrates your superior taste and/or how original you are? My initial comment that you highlight above was intended to be light hearted. Life is generally more enjoyable when you don't take it, or yourself, too seriously.

You know, I don't think they actually play in a band together. A one-show get together, featuring a few prominent players isn't really what one would call a band. More a bassists' wankfest. Any further examples for us?

I suppose multiple bass players in one band keeps some of the terrible bassists out of other bands. Silver linings and all that.

I feel your pain, although tbf, you wouldn't have been hearing what the person mixing was. All you would have got from your position behind the main FOH speakers would have been low bass. I know that many "engineers" do emphasise the "wump" because, as Bill points out, they think that's what bass should sound like (probably because the heavily compressed and artificial bass on the records they listen to does), but it may not have been as bad out front with the higher frequencies (which are more directional and wouldn't have made it back to you) included. Then again, I may be being too charitable to the person mixing...

That's my point. There is no "best" or "most accomplished" musician. To make that claim with any credibility, one would have to have listened to everyone. That's an impossibility. By all means say "X is my favourite musician of our times", but "most accomplished"? Nah. If we stick with western music, there are plenty of jazz and classical musicians who could be claimed to be at least as accomplished as Prince. I doubt even he, with his reputedly enormous ego, would have made the claim for himself. If it isn't about "he's better than", why ask me to nominate someone better? Music (ort any art) is not an Olympic sport. Sadly, many try to make it so (best, fastest, most accomplished, etc) and demean it in so doing.

I assume you're asking me as I questioned the assertion that he was "the greatest most accomplished musician of our time". Short answer to your question. There isn't one and nor will there ever be. Evading the issue? Not at all. If one defines music as western, American-influenced pop, it could be argued that Prince has been one of its better exponents. However, the world and its art, music and culture is simply vast. Claiming that anyone is the best, most accomplished musician or artist of any time demonstrates the narrowness of knowledge of the person making the claim.

Hmmm. He was extremely good, but better than everyone everywhere "in our times"? From all countries/cultures, all types of music, etc? That's too bold a claim.

Rosewood may be more difficult to find on a Tele/51 style bass neck. They are usually maple. You can make a gloss neck satin by rubbing down the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool, but do unbolt it from the instrument first to avoid covering the bass with fine steel fragments. You'll never get rid of them, especially from the pickup pole pieces, if you don't.

Carvin appears to have re-launched. There is a current website. I don't know whether someone may have bought the rights to use the name/brand or whether the original firm is back in operation. I have a B1000 bass head which I like very much.

Noodling between numbers is showing off, pure and simple. Call it out for what it is, but be prepared for a hissy fit from the culprit.

Seems from your final comment it may not be for you. Some would find it an interesting prospect, but if you are someone who likes everything nailed down beforehand and has strict ideas of what is and isn't for you, probably not.

Take up fishing. I find it a great way to while away my twilight years.

Lovely job. Looks really pro'.

I think we're onto something. Diversification is the name of the game if you want world dominance. How about Scott's Car Repairs, or Scott's Open Heart Surgery?

Good advice. When you mic' drums in small venues, you can roll off a lot of the low frequencies so you get dispersion and clarity, but little to no "wump" from them in the PA. The same applies to all other instruments. It really makes a difference out front, even at modest volume levels.

Some great deals to be had on analogue desks now everyone is going digital. Can't go far wrong with A&H.

One other thing I forgot to mention. If your Soundcraft has a low cut option, use it. On everything. A lot of bass in the mix uses up amplifier power and muddies things horribly.

I like Chromes, too. As flats are generally higher tension than rounds, I just use a lighter set. I tried a set of Roto jazz flats many years ago and hated them, mainly because they felt like anchor cables.

The gear you have will certainly be good to start with. In answer to the above: 1 Yes. A sub mixer for drums is sensible. I'd suggest mixing the drums down to mono, which will save you a channel on your main mixer as you can route the output from the drum mixer into just one. Stereo drums might matter in a concert hall, but not in a pub/club setting. Ditto the rest of the band. Panning anything right or left In a noisy pub/club will just mean people on one side of the room won't hear properly what's going on at the other side. 2 Definitely use separate channels for snare and kick if you are not sub-mixing the drums. Eq, etc will be very different. 3 Yes, but when using larger cabs as monitors, you will need to roll off a lot of the low end. Too much bass in monitors is mud city and will often cause problems with feedback. 4 Up to you. Powered monitors are more convenient, but used power amps can be had cheaply, so depends on your budget. 5 I use 10s for monitors. They're of reasonable quality (HK Premium Pro), but It isn't just about size. The important quality in monitors is clarity and articulation, not a wide frequency range (see above comment about avoiding running low bass through them). 6 Depends on onstage levels from backline, drums, etc, how efficient/clean sounding your monitors are. I use a 500w a side power amp for four monitor cabs and it's more than ample. Get solid stands for those large heavy FOH cabs. You want something with a wide footprint that can't be knocked over easily.

And the anti-depressant capital of the country. More prescribed per head there than anywhere else.

From Webster's - scat: noun (1) : animal fecal droppings. For many animals, particularly predatory ones, a scat is a calling card that marks territory and leaves information.

I had one for a few years. Didn't use him for hunting. He was a pet (purists can look away now). Great character. Used to take him for walks with a cat harness and long lead. It was amusing in the local park when dogs used to run up to him. He'd arch his back with his fur standing on on end, bare his teeth and hiss at them. He never backed away (I was always ready to grab him and pick him up if things got ugly). Must have been something about the smell or sound of him, but dogs, even large ones, never pushed their luck with him. Owners would come up and say, "Did my dog frighten your... what's that, mate?" "A polecat", I'd reply (he was dark marked like a polecat). They'd drag Fido away, complaining that I shouldn't be in the park with a "dangerous animal".

There's something much worse than a music stand and that's a singer peering at a mobile whilst singing. Never experienced it in a band, but have seen it on several occasions. A discreetly placed stand with printed sheets or an iPad on it is one thing, but hiding behind it and making no eye contact with an audience is quite another. I suspect most of young women in those dad rock bands are the daughter of one of the players. I turned up for an audition with one such band some time ago. The singer was easy on the eye and had a decent voice, but most of the material was bland pop. That and the fact that dad was insanely proud of her led me to decline. I could tell that any suggestion regarding the vocals, however diplomatically put, would not go down well. Working with people who are partners carries a similar risk. Regarding the more general point, female rock singers are relatively rare beasts in my experience. Plenty of female soul, pop, jazz, etc singers about, but not rock.

This. in my experience, BD has the better selection of stock. As you're contemplating a major purchase, it would be worth (if it's possible) taking a day off work and paying them a visit .They're in Warwick, so not that close to you, but easily reachable by road. I did that a few years back when I went lightweight. If you visit during the daytime in the week, the shop will be fairly quiet and you can try stuff to your heart's content and make an informed decision.

As far as I'm aware, BE use stock Celestion drivers. I've seen a couple of their cabs. Traditional boxes. Solidly made and offered in a range of finishes, but little different from any other conventional cab.