Stylon Pilson

That looks good enough to eat. S.P.

Yeah, Mark has continued updating it on his website, but he hasn't been on basschat because a bad ad was creating popups that were triggering his anti-virus, and he thought it best to stay away. S.P.

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1484116261' post='3212752'] The LEDs in my MXR pedals attract landing airplanes. [/quote] Haha, funny you should mention that, because I was thinking that too. My pedalboard is like red red red [size=6]BLUE [/size]red. S.P.

I like my TC RH450 but it's got two XLR outs on the back - one for DI and one for digital recording. Sound guys always try to plug the DI into the wrong one. S.P.

I'm the kind of guy who doesn't chop and change much, so here's what I've owned over the last 20 years: Combos: Stagg BA-20 Ashdown Electric Blue 12-180 Amps: Peavey Nitrobass Hartke LH500 TC Electronic RH-450 Cabs: Peavey 115 BXBW (x2) Barefaced Compact S.P.

Tasty! S.P.

Indirectly, yes. Some of the things on my Amazon wishlist are actually semi-important (but not so urgent that I can't wait a month or two for them), so I may have a little "mop-up" next week. S.P.

[url=http://www.stereogum.com/928281/20-songs-named-after-the-bands-that-played-them/franchises/list/]Some results from Google[/url] S.P.

Dude, I crank my amp so hard that angels weep and my guitarist, like, totally bleeds out of his dick. It's so totally rad. S.P.

My very general theory is that an acoustic band is one which, when faced with a sudden power failure, sound the same, only quieter. Bass players get an exception from this, as long as they are using a clean tone. S.P.

I've been using a Korg Pitchblack for many years and feel no strong urge to replace it. One of those multi-string ones might be cool, but I've never tried one out to see whether they cut the mustard. S.P.

I was at a gig the other weekend where a band were using backing tracks to beef up the sound, and I found it totally unthrilling. Yes, they were in time, and yes it all sounded very rich and well-produced, but there was no feeling of immediacy, no connection. When I'm at a gig I want there to be a one-to-one correlation between what I'm seeing, and the noises that I'm hearing. Anything less than that and I just end up spending the entire gig fixating on which parts are live and which parts are recorded, trying to mentally calculate some sort of authenticity quotient. S.P.

[quote name='JonesTheCat' timestamp='1477217734' post='3160568'] I'm awful at getting rid of stuff though so give it a few years and I'll have spent thousands of pounds on a room full of cheap and knackered basses. [/quote] Haha, that's another thing that we've got in common! I've still got every guitar and bass that I've ever owned! I'm a bit better at getting rid of amps, though only a little bit. S.P.

I like to seize every available opportunity between songs to discreetly check my tuning, using a muting pedal. As to your original question, I don't notice my guitarist checking his tuning during gigs, and nor is he noticeably out of tune. So he's either doing it once at the start of the gig, and the guitar is staying in tune, or he's doing it discreetly between songs. Either way, that's fine by me. S.P.

I'm terrible at spending money. If I can identify a concrete need, then that's one thing, but I'm not at all inclined to "upgrade". As a result, I'm playing a bass that I've had for 6 years, through an amp that I've had for two years, into a cab that I've had for 7 years. Recently I've been spending money on pedals, but again, it's because I've identified a requirement for them. S.P.

Interesting to learn the origin of your profile picture! S.P.

[quote name='markmcclelland' timestamp='1475675951' post='3147859'] And does it come across as my theory? Actually that's what James told me. [/quote] Ah right, yes. Your use of the word "seems" in there is, it seems (see what I did there), open to misinterpretation. S.P.

Dang, that jam at Troy... that's harsh. I'm not sure that I would have have passed my bass to David under those circumstances, but then I guess it's easy to say that when I wasn't the one who was actually experiencing that first hand. Your theory about someone higher up having some sway: well, if they want a professional band, they should pay for a professional band. Wanting to get a slick, seamless show, but without having to pay the musicians? That's a cheap trick. S.P.

[quote name='Ashweb' timestamp='1475003152' post='3142254'] [url="http://www.juno.co.uk/products/lexicon-alpha-2x2x2-desktop-recording-studio-audio-interface-steinberg-cubase-le-5-audio-production-software/396702-01/"]http://www.juno.co.u...ware/396702-01/[/url] [/quote] Looks like it'll work, you'll need a mic with an XLR connection, obviously. Interesting layout decision, putting the instrument input on the front but the mic XLR on the back. Wonder what prompted that. S.P.

One thing that you should be aware of, if you're not already, is that the latency of a Skype conversation means that it is unsuitable for simultaneous playing. Stickman's suggestion is pretty much spot on. I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, but really any USB audio interface with at least two inputs will suffice. S.P.

I like your new plan. One band for satisfying your creative urges, one for paying the bills. You've got the pro-level equipment, you've got the skills, you've got the motivation. The only question is: will not having your own transport become a problem again? Tune in next week etc etc. S.P.

You could manufacture your own bass strings by buying a bunch of light-gauge high E guitar strings, tying them together end-to-end to get the necessary length, and then plaiting them together to get more thickness. S.P.

[quote name='markmcclelland' timestamp='1474540491' post='3138641'] A happier ending would have been him deciding to be reasonable and us then conquering Bluesland London but I know what you mean and yes. [/quote] Actually, I was just talking about the burger. S.P.

I was getting a bit worried towards the end there, but thankfully it had a happy ending. Phew! S.P.