Dan Dare

I disagree. I'm not being "unkind" and I am entitled to defend my position. If someone chooses to take offence at what I say, that is not, unless I have been deliberately mean or contrary (which I haven't), of my doing. I have said far, far less than the person I have been involved in the above exchange with. I have been careful to keep my tone moderate and choose my words with some thought. You will note that several people added likes to my contributions to this thread. I doubt they would have done so had I said anything cruel, outrageous or controversial. Please don't tell me what to do.

In view of your subsequent post (see below), I rather think I'm not "running away with it". You say that many of your issues appeared to be related to something more profound or serious. That was exactly the point I was making. It's of little use to try to put a sticking plaster on the outward manifestation of some deeper malaise.

It has everything to do with it. Whatever we do, we take it all with us. All the emotional baggage, all the trauma, everything that we carry around. People may try to tell themselves that they can compartmentalise their existence, but it simply isn't possible. There's always what psychologists refer to as "leakage". We may be able to put things on the back burner when we go shopping or do something that demands little of us, but when we play music or create art or do something that matters to us, we tend to feel vulnerable and not in control because we are putting ourselves on the line. And that's precisely the time when it happens. If we are looking to music (or anything else) to be "one of the few things that makes everything else bearable", we are asking too much of it. It will never make up for what is wrong in our lives. Nothing can. This thread may be getting a bit too heavy or being derailed, but the short answer is (imho obviously) that there is no quick, easy fix for what we call "performance anxiety", because it's a manifestation of what lies within us.

I don't recall speaking/exchanging views with you previously, but that could be due to my Alzheimer's. I do tend to type what I think, forget it and move on to the next exciting episode of my life - not taking it too heavy and all that. If everyone else is happy and only you think something is "a shambles", perhaps they have a point and you're blowing things out of proportion. Nothing wrong with trying to make something better, but acting as if something is an unmitigated disaster when it isn't is just being dramatic. As for "If that’s the case, how does the band get better?", the answer is that everyone else has pride in what they do and will work to make it so. It is arrogant to presume that only you can see what is wrong with something or what needs to be improved. If this isn't the first time I've suggested you appear arrogant, maybe have a think about it? Often, those who know and like us won't say what they feel for fear of causing upset/spoiling a friendship or working relationship. A stranger's perspective can be valuable. I frequently - in fact almost always - drive home from a job or rehearsal thinking, "Not bad - x wasn't quite right, y needs improvement, I need to work on z. However, overall, it was a positive and enjoyable experience. Mustn't grumble. Onwards and upwards". You never know when it's going to be your last. I'm 70 next year and a number of people I've known are no longer around. I'm going to damned well enjoy however much I have left. If you're determined not to, you're only cheating yourself.

You couldn't afford me 😉. I did not imply that you may be unpleasant. If you took it that way, that's on you. Look, I get it. We care about what we do, but nobody has the right to demand/expect perfection (to quote you, "If it’s not perfect, it’s not good enough"). Dress it up any way you like and that's still arrogant. We are all flawed and working on it. It's the journey that counts, not the destination. Remember, unpleasant does not necessarily mean nasty. Suppose your band plays a gig. It goes well. Not perfect, but well. The band is happy and then you appear with a long face because it wasn't "perfect" and spoil everyone's mood. You may not have a go at anyone, but do you consider that "pleasant"? It doesn't matter whether you're "utterly down" or having a go. The effect on others is pretty much the same. Put yourself in their shoes. They do their best and old misery guts just pulls a face because it wasn't "good enough" for him. A lovely old Jewish guy I worked with many years ago once told me, "Don't take it so heavy". He meant life itself and he was right.

Shouldn't the slogan on the side of the car read "Correct and Serve"?

Your "soul" is more robust (or should be) than to be destroyed by making a few mistakes in a performance. It's pop music, it's ephemeral and it doesn't matter. A glance at what's happening in the world at the moment should make anyone aware of that. People who are "incredibly hard" on themselves are usually the same towards others. I wish I had a pound for every time I've heard people say "I'm hard on others, but I'm harder on myself" as if it was some sort of justification for being unpleasant to and making excessive demands of their fellows. It isn't. None of us has the right to demand perfection when we fall short in so many ways ourselves. "Perfection" is something we strive for and, if we're fortunate and work at it, we may get close to it very occasionally. By it's nature, nobody EVER achieves it. Rather than throw a strop when it doesn't happen, we should be grateful for and celebrate those rare occasions when we get close. Count your blessings and all that. Perhaps a change of therapy/therapist might be in order if it's not changed in years. 🙂

Always remember (unless you are a solo artist, which is unlikely given that we play bass) that people are not there to see YOU. You are not the centre of anyone's universe (save perhaps your own) and an audience will focus its attention on the frontman/woman. Unless you are the main or only singer in addition to being the bass player, you will be largely ignored. Concentrate your attention on your colleagues and ensure you work well with them. Mistakes happen. Once they have, they're in the past and there's nothing you can do about them, so forget them. Don't obsess about them and screw up the next thing because of it. The only times I am nervous when performing are occasions when I know I'm not familiar enough with the material and I'm winging it. The solution to that - more/better practice - is obvious. Use charts/music if necessary or if you are doing a last minute job where you have not had a chance to learn the stuff. It doesn't have to be on a visible music stand. Charts written large can go on the floor at your feet or on a monitor wedge in front of you. An aide memoire placed on top of your rig, which you can glance at between numbers to remind you what's coming next, is helpful, too. It's music. It ain't brain surgery and nobody will die if you get it wrong.

I agree with you. On a power amp, the gain controls do not have any amplifying function. That's the job of the preamp, which a power amp doesn't have. They merely attenuate, reducing the signal level received from the preamp, mixing desk or whatever is feeding it. So it appears to make little difference whether you attenuate the signal on the way out of the pre or on the way into the power amp. The gains on a power amp are most useful where you are using a mixer and need to drive it hard enough to get the best signal to noise ratio with low output mic's.

What on earth are you doing up around the 15th fret? Madness.

Given that strings are made to be flexible, "straightening" them isn't really an option. If it's an actual kink and you attempt to bend it in the opposite direction, you may fatigue it and cause it to fail when it's taken up to tension. Probably safest to replace it. It sounds as if it could have been faulty - is there any chance you could return it and get a replacement?

Get a wider strap?

Exactly. A lot of them are quite passive aggressive and like you, I take no prisoners if that's the case. If you get any real gems and you have a minute to spare, it's worth posting them on Reddit Choosing Beggars. Always good for a laugh.

Any decent MPV or estate.

You can buy a standalone PP supply. Most provide 48v. If your Sansamp needs that, you'll have plenty of choice.

The reason a lot of tab is not great is explained in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. When a bike manufacturer wants to issue a workshop manual, they ask the works manager to suggest someone to write it. The manager, realising that this will rob the production line of a worker for some while, suggests the worst, least productive member of staff, because their absence will not affect production too much and it's easier to do without them.

👍 You won't go far wrong with one of those. You can run it at 4 ohms to get the most out of your amp, too.

Not necessarily. Cable made from many finer strands will be more flexible and less likely to fatigue from constant flexing than that made from fewer strands of a thicker gauge. That's why solid core cable is intended for fixed/static use.

By efficiency, I (and I assume most others) mean amount of output for a given input power - the figure you see quoted by cab manufacturers (reputable ones, at any rate) that says, for example, 95db for 1W @ 1 metre at 1khz. It's self-explanatory. There may be a lot of 50 and 100w heads in use, but many are practice/starter amps. 200w is about the minimum one would need to compete with, say, a couple of guitars, keys and drums in a reasonably sized space. Wine bar jazz and acoustic ensemble gigs will likely be an exception, although a lot of jazzers use small powerful combos from the likes of PJB, Acoustic Image, AER and similar. Not the definition of what?

True. A C4 has an equivalent cone area to 1x10. A very pokey 1x10, it has to be said. I reckon one is equal to many 1x12s.

They are actually quite decent in terms of efficiency. Lesser cabs may make more noise with 100w, but they won't go as loud or as low, the quality of sound will be lacking in comparison and they will blow up when something like a Super Compact is just hitting its stride. And who uses 100w bass amps these days for serious playing?

Silver is a marginally better conductor than copper, although I can't hear the difference. It may be noticeable in a quiet studio environment, but not in a live situation. Silver isn't nearly as good at coping with flexing/bending and general abuse, however. That makes it a bit fragile for use as a stage cable, being trodden on, coiled and uncoiled constantly, etc.

There are flats and there are flats. I do keep a P bass strung with old La Bellas, but I put Cobalts on my 5 and Chromes on my J bass. Chromes seem to suit a J particularly well. They have plenty of brightness and the warmth is there when you need it. The higher tension enables me to use a lighter gauge and the longevity, smoothness under the fingers and reduced wear on frets is a bonus. I find flats age more gradually. Rounds tend to be bright until suddenly, they're not.

If everyone bar one can do a date, it has to be greatest good for the greatest number. The one who can't make it isn't really in a position to expect the others to miss out.

I don't know if one PJB C4 will be sufficient for your purposes, even if your bandmates are subtle players. I know because I use a couple in soul/blues/R&B bands. Tonally, I love 'em, but they are quite inefficient (around 92db) and do soak up some amplifier power (I use an AG700 with mine). They are also not that light for their size. The MB would be my choice of the ones you list and the Super Compact suggested above is a good shout.