Stylon Pilson

This is very strange - you're getting it on two different recording devices (Garageband and the BR80) and on two different basses (Wal and Jazz). Are you using the same lead? I'm very curious to hear these samples. S.P.

Justifying my gear is tricky, because I'm not inclined to sell stuff. As a result, I still have a bunch of basses and amps that I rarely use. The only times that I've ever sold equipment was my old Peavey rig (amp + a pair of 1x15" cabinets) and an Ashdown combo. In both cases, the rationale was the same - keeping them would be impractical because of the amount of space they take up. That said, in the spirit of the topic, let's have a crack at this. ** Key equipment ** Fret-King Perception 4 - main bass TC RH450 - main amp Barefaced Compact - main cab Tuner, pedals, etc - all used regularly ** Amps ** Hartke LH500 - backup amp, I also usually use this for practice at home Stagg 20w combo - my first amp, tonally comparable to rancid bumhole, kept for sentimental reasons ** Basses ** Squier VM Jazz fretless - main fretless bass, strung with rounds Aria Sinsonido fretless - strung with flats, very different sound to the Squier, it's a strange animal Yamaha BBG4S2 - backup bass, also used for practice at home Jim Harley P-bass copy - my first bass, sentimental reasons S.P.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1455720069' post='2981796'] Criticism of someone with such a fragile ego is unlikely to yield results. I think gary mac suggestion of recording a rehearsal, then all listening to it and discussing where improvements can be made is a good one. If said rhythmist still can`t hear the issues then at that point, gone. [/quote] It's the right solution in principle. In practice, I fear that it will go one of two ways: 1. If you suggest everyone listens to the recording separately, then he won't bother. 2. If you suggest everyone listens to the recording as a group, then he'll feel like you're just using it as an opportunity to gang up on him. That said, if the alternative is to fire him, then it's worth a go. S.P.

'Tis just a scratch. S.P.

[quote name='AustinArto' timestamp='1455575531' post='2980459'] Main thing: Try not to run power cables alongside audio cables. It can cause noise problems even with well-shielded cables and unless you've thought about it you might not realise. [/quote] I'm conscious of this, and since all the signal lines are on the top and the power lines below, it shouldn't be an issue. That said, effects pedals draw a very low current, so it's not going to be as big a problem as if you were wiring up, say, a home recording studio. S.P.

For many years, I was a tuner-only kind of guy. Then one day there was an overdrive. And a few years after that, a chorus. Last summer it got to the point where at every gig and rehearsal I was having to set up four pedals, and I thought "well, time for a board." I've now finally managed to get to the point where I consider version 1 of my pedalboard to be complete. Using EBS PCF-10 cables for connecting, which is why those three pedals on the left (chorus, overdrive, fuzz) can get so snug together. Here's a snap of its bum: That's a Warwick Rockboard Power LT XL in the bottom left. No longer do I need to find a place to plug in, nor worry about hum. My only disappointment is that it doesn't actually have a power button, so you need to unplug it when you're not using it, which is a fiddle. It's also slightly thicker than I'd like - it doesn't quite fit snugly into the cavity underneath, but thanks to the additional height of the pedalboard's feet, it still doesn't touch the ground. What's next? Find a way to secure that power supply more securely. Maybe replace all that velcro on the underside with self-adhesive cable tie anchors. And of course, try out new pedals. S.P.

I really like the look of the little self-adhesive squares for mounting cable ties. I might consider that for some point in the future. For now, this is what I've come up with: ...and a close up of each affixment: There's a fairly large piece of self-adhesive fluffiness stuck to the board itself. I then use a loop of double-sided velcro (hook side outwards) to wrap the cluster of cables along with a large piece of double-sided velcro (also hook side outwards). This then means I've got a decent-sized contact area between the two large pieces. Everything's holding up quite nicely. The only gripe I have now is that the power supply isn't as securely supported as I'd like. I'm worried that I might be packing away at the end of a gig, and the power supply will just fall off and I'll forget about it. I'll figure something out. S.P.

7/10 from guesses and hunches. Apparently that means I'm a faster pussycat but I lack dragon force and my paradise remains lost. Which is nice. S.P.

Pocket - when two bassists perform with excellent timing, but one of them does it while also bobbing his head funkily, he is said to be "in the pocket". Conversely, you would describe the other as being "in a tatty handbag" and it is customary to throw medium-sized rodents at him until he wets himself. S.P.

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1455025965' post='2975136'] Yeah - can be difficult when not much contact area available. Any possibilty you'd be okay to drill through some small holes to mechanically fix cable management fixings - P clips etc ? [/quote] Possible, but for now I'm applying my mind to alternate methods of deploying velcro. I have a cunning plan, and I'm actually quite impatient to get home so I can try it out. S.P.

[quote name='rmorris' timestamp='1455019212' post='2975011'] What is your board made of - metal ? wood ? etc [/quote] Aluminium, black coated. S.P.

Thanks for all the advice. I did a first pass at trying to get everything neatly arranged this morning using velcro (I've got double-sided and also sticky-backed), but was struggling to get enough contact area for it to hold securely. I think I just need to be a bit more imaginative in how I put it together. S.P.

About 6 months ago my collection of pedals grew to the extent that it was no longer practical to be connecting them up at the start of each gig, and disconnecting them at the end. I needed a board! It's coming along nicely, and my latest acquisition is a rechargeable power supply which just about fits into the underside, however there's a wodge of surplus cable that I want to tidily and securely tuck into the negative space beneath the board. Any suggestions on how to go about doing this? Thanks, S.P.

I've got a black plastic toolbox that I've been using for a while for the various miscellaneous items. There's a shallow top section which is useful for earplugs and other small items. I could probably get away with downsizing to something smaller, actually - I recently got a pedalboard, so there's a bit more space in the toolbox than there used to be (and I now have one more thing to carry). S.P.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1454692107' post='2972185'] It's never bothered me, as long as you have enough headroom on your amp what's the problem? [/quote] That's the problem. I used to have an Ashdown Electric Blue - 180W into a 12" speaker. Did a few gigs with master volume at about halfway, and thought I had plenty of headroom. Then, at one particularly loud gig, I needed some more oomph, only to be disappointed to discover that turning up louder wasn't giving me any significant increase in volume. That was a bit of a rude awakening, I can tell you. S.P.

I'm a strong advocate of my Korg Pitchblack. Pedal tuner, nice clear display, fast response, tunes to any note. S.P.

Bear in mind that the difference between 500w and 800w is only going to be about 2 dB, and that's even assuming that your speaker cabinets can make use of it. So you might not want to let it influence your decision too much. S.P.

I had a Peavey Nitrobass amp that went down to 2 ohm. Doesn't look like any of the current range of Peavey amps do though. S.P.

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1453907678' post='2964074'] Smirking [/quote] Ah, but smirking has been banned in pirbs. S.P.

I'm using [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/ebs_pcf_10_flat_patch_cable.htm"]EBS PCF-10[/url] cables and they're the business. If my pedals were any closer together then I'm not sure that I would be able to reliably activate/deactivate them without also accidentally triggering the adjacent ones. S.P.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1453888634' post='2963734'] i'm trying to imagine what the latter sounds like. [/quote] You know that "music" that "the kids" are listening to these days? That. S.P.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1453889074' post='2963747'] The worst thing about being a non-dancer is that even though everyone knows you are a non-dancer and have never danced in the 20 years they have known you, they still think that you are going to dance if they ask you... No... I haven't danced for the previous 100 times you've asked me so why on earth do you think I'm going to this time? [/quote] Because they've watched too many films, and they think that when they get you up on the dancefloor, and take off your glasses and let your hair down, you'll transform into some kind of stud. Turns out that you could dance all along, you just needed to believe in yourself. Reality, of course, is far more gruesome, and involves spilled drinks, sprained ankles, and a fight with a biker gang, and oh dear it looks like I've been watching too many films. S.P.

A looper might be fun, if you're playing solo a lot of the time. S.P.

I've got a Digitech XBC. It was a bit of an impulse purchase - a sort of "I wonder if I could get any use out of a chorus pedal" moment - and I imagine that at some point I'll look into alternatives, but for now it does what I need it to do. S.P.

My choice here would be Life On Mars. Not just my favourite Bowie song, but one of my favourite songs, full stop. It gives me shivers just to type out the title. S.P.