dave_bass5

I dont agree that its the drummers fault, although i do understand the comments. In my case i play loud enough so that the people that need to hear me can. If that means at the back of the room, and i dont have PA support (99% of my gigs) then my volume is pretty much dictated by this. Even if the drummer played quieter that wont help those at the back of the room hear the band better.

My thoughts exactly. I also thought the handle covers to be a bit pointless, although I'm sure some find a use for them.

As I said above I had one for my Retro two 10. As the cab was only going to be in the back of a car I didn't think it worth going for the full set, so I went for the basic finish, with just the logo and under strap added. I was more than happy with it. It's not quite as padded as the Schroeder cover I have, but I'm always carful with my gear. I just ordered the same as the above, minus the logo for my yet to be delivered BF BB2.

Ive tried using compressors a few times over the years. Never really found i needed one, but i can see how they can help. The last one i had was the MXR one. It worked well and didnt really change my tone much, just tighten up things. At the moment i have a Seymor Duncan Studio bass compressor pedal, and this is a bit different to a lot of the others. You can blend back in certain frequencies from the unaffected signal, and this helps to stop louder low notes (for example) triggering the compression and cutting the higher ones. You can also set it to allow some of the low end signal through unaffected, and so the higher peaks get tamed without loss of low note definition. Ive never had ne that has this feature, and im finding really useful and a bit help during my transition from pick only to finger playing. Im sure i wont have it for too long but its the most useful one ive used. Not cheap at £180+ but for me it was worth it.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1445030834' post='2888387'] I enjoy playing every single song we play. I also love The fact that I get paid for doing something I love doing. Blue [/quote] +1 In fact I'd go as far as to say as I enjoy playing, the song itself can sometimes be irrelevant. Then again i do like all the songs we play at the moment, even though quite a few are complete new to me. Saying that, doing the same songs week in week out can start to become a chore if the set isn't rotated every now and then. This was the issue with my last band. Two of the members just wanted to get through the same songs every week, never progressing and never learning new songs. After a couple of years like this even my easy going attitude got to boiling point.

[quote name='davehux' timestamp='1444987211' post='2887829'] I've had....... An LM II A TTE500 2 F1's ...think I quite like Markbass Currently running a Geddy Jazz through a BDI-21 VT pedal, through an F1 and into a Barefaced S12T and I'm in tone heaven [/quote] Must admit i couldn't use a MB head without some form of pre amp in front. Got a VTBass Di at the moment but ive had BDDi's/Paradrivers/ Darkglass VTMD and still got a BDI-21. These things seem to breath a bit of life in to my F1 head.

When i got back in ot playing bass 12 years ago i started with a Ashdown EB-115 combo, but quickly moved up to a MAG 300 C-115 combo. It felt it did the job for many gigs but lacked volume for some. I got a ABM 300 head when the MAG started distorting at low volume. I used this head with the speaker for a while but didnt relaly like the ABM tone. I then got a Schroeder 1210R. This was ok but i still didnt really get on with the ABM. I then discovered MarkBass and got a SA450 (after loaning a LMII while i waited for it to be delivered). Over the years ive tried getting away from MB but keep going back to them. At one point i had the SA450 and LMII. These days its just a F1 head. I have never had any issues with any of the MB stuff, although i hated the one MB cab i had. I still have the MAG combo but it doesn't get used these days. Good as a back up though.

I must admit ive had a hard time dialling the Schroeder sound out of my 1212L. I sort of agree with John, it seems easier to dial in a mid hump than to get rid of one like the 1212L has. Not that it always needs it, its just after using one for so many years i want a more traditional tone, and the 1212L just cant seem to get it. Ive been using a Gramma pad for years, at every gig, and i dont really have issues with boom, but i dont hear true low end like i did with the Retro Two 10, and hopefully the BB2.

To be fair to my Markbass heads it was probably more down to the rubbish cabs I was using at the time. And by rubbish I'm talking about a MB traveler 15 cab on one occasion, and a Epifini UL212 the other times. Each needed pushing very hard to do the same job as the 1212L had done at the same venues with less effort. This is one reason I've stuck with the 1212L for so long. I might not totally love it, but it's never let me down as far as gigs go. And we all know that if something works it's not a good idea to mess with it. I know, Ive tried over the years and keep going back.

Agreed John. As my old band is now dead and a distant memory, i must confess i did cream a bit off the top every now and then, as i was doing most of the bookings. It shouldn't have been like that, i wasn't running the band as such, but two of the band were so bloody lazy i felt 0% guilt. I would often split the money with the drummer who did give me lifts etc. It was all contract stuff, and i would always email the contracts around, but sometimes they would go through Acrobat first ;-) Yes, im a bad person, but with a full time job and a family i often wondered why the two that had neither wouldn't make a phone call every now and then.

Cheers. It will be a novelty actually using the EQ on my MB F1 head. Normally its just set flat or close to that. I do find the EQ on my VTBass DI to have a lot more impact but the lows are so powerful id be worried about turning that knob up with the BB2. This will be the first 8ohm cab ive had for a very long time. I might look at getting a new amp, something more powerful, just to give me a bit more clean headroom from the amp. Going from a very loud 4ohm 1212L to to the BF at 8 ohms might involve me having to turn up a bit more on the head. Normally its run at around 11 on the master. I have run had it at just past 1 o'clock a few times and its wasnt a pleasant tone. Ill have to see how the first gig goes though, i might not need it. The Ashdown RM800 looks like a good move if i do go for something louder.

It's been a while since I played a 5 string Lakland, but my first reaction to my V7 was that it reminded me of my old Laklands. Although the necks are different, to my fingers it was the closest I've come to a Lakland since my last Lakland. Could be more down to the fact that both makes use smaller frets. I love the smaller frets on my basses so this might be the only thing they have in common, other than they both have very playable necks.

Yea, take all our monies lol. Can't wait. Maybe this will get me back to playing a 5 string again.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1443638833' post='2876553'] November then - give me a shout if you want to borrow one even if just for shits and giggles [/quote] just wanted to say thanks but ill have my BB2 by then :-)

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1444825850' post='2886409'] +1 Playing in a function band improved my playing astronomically. Not least because I knew over 100 tunes and was continually learning new material every few weeks. Material that I wouldn't normally listen to or play. [/quote] Same here. its forced me to listen and learn music i probably wouldn't have bothered or known about if it wasn't for first dance requests etc. The 3 function bands ive been playing with over the years have always just split the money equally. Ive never been in a band with a band leader who calls the shots and pays a wage out, other than if ive been depping. I wouldn't say i enjoy every gig, but then i dont enjoy every day at work either. You take the rough with the smooth if you want to do this sort of thing. Knowing what you are getting in to is half the battle won IME. Its definitely not for everyone, but there are so many threads on here about this that i think any one who spends a bit of time reading them will know exactly whats the norm and whats expected. Then you can make your own mind up. For me its a case of playing (which i enjoy) and making money from it. I dont have the inclination to write any more, so learning a few new songs in a new style or songs i like listening to is satisfying to me, i then get paid to play it to others. Perfect :-)

No free bags outside the USA, unless you can blag one off them as I did :-). Really nice bags and it's a shame they dont come with them.

Resurrecting this thread to add that I'm about to order a BB2. Let's see how I get on with this. As much as I didn't get to love the Retro Two 10 as much as I hoped it's given me a taste of what can be achieved these days from lighter, smaller cabs, and I'd love to stay with BF if I can. Alex has given me a lot of help and info, so here goes. Watch this space.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1444283119' post='2881785'] Totally agree Blue, gigging is why I`m in a band. Yes I love rehearsing and recording, but gigging is the main thing for me. The whole buzz of it, driving to a new venue, seeing new audiences get into our music. Playing venues regularly and seeing the same faces at many gigs and chatting to them about the music plus making friends with them. I also love the solitude of a quiet drive home in the early hours. [/quote] Too many bedroom warriors that talk the talk, spend the dosh, but never go out and actually use the gear or talent they have. Saying that, id love someone to persuade me that packing gear up at 2am, with a 2 1/2 hour drive to get home (after unloading the gear) is "fun" ;-)

Meh, Metal players only need 2 [url="https://flic.kr/p/tsC7oU"][/url] [url="https://flic.kr/p/tsC7oU"]2 string bass[/url] by [url="https://www.flickr.com/photos/davebass5/"]Dave Pearce[/url], on Flickr

This second issue might be normal. I did read a while ago that some people were turning blend all the way to 0 but could still hear some drive. When i read these comments it was just after it came out, and i would have assumed it was fixed by now, but maybe not. Maybe you have an earlier version, or they just didnt do anything about it. Ill check mine later, just to see if it also does it. Cant say ive ever had the blend on anything other than 100% though.

[quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1443546775' post='2875728'] The Compact is a great cab. Does what it's told Stick poke in, you'll get poke out. I EQ quite flat with a little accent on low mids. I roll off the treble completely on my P. No problem being heard with a 600W poweramp on relatively low. The Big One is a brilliant cab and I miss it, but it was too big for my boot with my amp in too so leaving my car anywhere with gear in was an issue. [/quote] Cheers, I think I can get away with something smaller, but I also need to work on my technique. What I've noticed over the last few months is that how I play is making a big difference. After years of playing pick onny I'm now getting the hang of playing with fingers, but it's a different tone to the one I'm so used to and I still need to get my head around this.

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1443544749' post='2875708'] Dave do you have any gigs between now and Oct 24th? All my gigs before then don't warrant using both Super Compacts, if you want to borrow one to see how it fares you're very welcome [/quote] Wow. Thanks for the very generous offer but my next gig isn't until Nov. I brought a new phone yesterday, so that's the budget gone for now. I'm stuck with the 1212L for a bit longer.