SuperSeagull

Thanks - I've paid attention to the description of the batteries on the box for the first time. They are Procell Constant Power for low drain devices - perhaps the wrong choice?

Thanks. Procells with a best before of 3/27. Going to try some duracells and see how they compare I think. If still not right then it's to a tech.

You might recall I had a nightmare with the batteries on my Status giving up halfway through a gig recently. Consequently I'm a bit obsessed with checking them pre gig. Today I've put both on a meter - one reads 8.7v, the other 8.5v versus 9.6v on a brand new one. These were replaced at the end of Jan, since then I estimate the bass has been used / plugged in for between 24 and 28 hours. Does that sound like a reasonable drain - appreciate it's variable but I was surprised at those readings. And at what level does a battery become unusable? I've played active for years and never worried about this, just had a regular regime of replacing batteries. I'm curious!

A big investment in the FOH system, an excellent tech team and a lot of self discipline by those with amps mean it is manageable - once they move into their new building suspect the whole learning process will start again.

Terl said hi. Lovely to play with him this morning.

I'll ask him tomorrow! And yes, he is a lovely chap and every time I work with him I learn a little more about how to play with a really good drummer.

Looking forward to tomorrow morning. I’m back at a church we moved from a couple of years ago to play at one of their last services before they merge with another local church and finally get a building to call their own - no more building everything from scratch every Sunday. I get to play with their worship pastor and great friend Stu Barbour and Terl Bryant who is just back from touring with Kendrick, Martin Barre and Barbara Dickson (not all at once!) I’ll try to hang onto their musical coattails….

Helpful, many thanks. That’s not quite the right schematic, I think that is the guitar version inc reverb. Couldn’t see any obvious bulges on first look but will try all else you suggest. I’m content it’s not a cable issue having been caught out on that before 😬. To be honest, if it can’t be sorted it will function perfectly well with a preamp pedal in front of it in that environment. Thanks again, appreciate your expertise.

If you could stretch to Brighton I'd thoroughly recommend Badlands Guitars but appreciate a bit out of your area.

Sorry, that would have helped! Hum.

I recently recovered an old Laney Hardcore Max 65watt combo that I had bought s/h some years ago and that was no longer needed by the church I'd bought it for. I was hoping I could leave it at the church I now play at to save lugging gear when I play. But its noisy when the master vol is turned up. Doesn't matter if anything is plugged in or not. Tried different mains leads etc but makes no difference. However if I plug into the fx return there is no noise and it sounds not at all bad although with none of the controls then work. Does that sound fixable or am I best just using the fx return as an input and sticking my sansamp in front of it for eq etc? A quick, uneducated look at the components and PCBs doesn't seem to show anything obviously wrong.

I empathise with the issue. Once we’ve finished playing I just want to get home asap. I can get my gear into the car in a max of three trips (two cabs, two basses, one gig bag and guitar stand). I’ll then help dismantle the PA but generally I have the longest drive home so by then I’m ready to go and often do with the blessing of the rest.

I've emailed Dawn at Status to enquire about retro fitting an active / passive switch - don't know why I didn't do that when I ordered it.

Sunday afternoon, an absolute shitshow. We were asked to play a 30 min set at a cancer charity fundraiser - loads of local acts taking part, well organised with two stages in a big pub - backline (markbass), PA, kit, lights all provided. Should have been a doddle. As it’s only 30 mins I decided to take just my Status, strap, a lead, Sansamp and clip on tuner - what possible need is there for all the usual extras of a spare bass, gig bag etc etc because it’s ONLY 30 MINUTES, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG…….As soon as we started I knew something wasn’t right, the bass didn’t sound right, something sensed rather than heard and then two songs in everything died (Mollys Chambers so not like the bass is integral to the song or anything). Assumed amp had overheated after running for hours but with help from the sound guy realised it was the bass and the batteries had gone. I can’t pick up a spare bass and all my replacement batteries are at home. Pulled one out of the LEDs and sound man found another somewhere and off we went again but how unprofessional and in front of other musos as well. Usually change batteries every six months, must have missed a change as these had been in 10 months (I label them with the date when I change them). And of course it threw me for a couple of songs and the rest of the band - our poorest set since I joined over two years ago. I’m just so pissed off at the coincidence of the timing - they needed to last 20 mins more. I’ve played every gig for years and years with a spare bass and batteries by my side but not Sunday, I’m mortified.

We have a plan. There are some other enforced changes happening in the line up later this year so we think we can wrap everything up as a bit of a whole band reset rather than a problem with one particular individual.

I’m sure they do and I assume she can do so when singing folk music, but it’s more challenging for her in front of a five piece rock band. I reckon I’m a very competent rock bass player but think I’d be crap if asked to play in an avant grade jazz ensemble 😀

Thanks, good feedback. I think we have done a fair bit of tailoring the set inc dropping songs that just aren’t working but….you do need to be able to a) hold a note in tune b) consistently sing in the right key and c) be reliable about when to come in.

Thanks all. Really helpful comments of which the one that stuck me as most important is "be kind" and, whatever the outcome, we will be. It's a covers band, nobody's well being is worth being compromised by that!

Gonna need a new bass player!

When I joined my covers band a couple of years ago the line up was drums, 2 x guitar, bass, male vox/front man, female vox who has about 6 songs she fronts and a number of other she does bvs. The logic for a second singer was that the male vox plays in a couple of other bands so apart from broadening the set, a female vox meant we could gig if male vox was otherwise engaged. It took me about 10 mins to realise she couldn’t sing lead vox in a rock covers band - indeed her background is folk music and she wanted to branch out. The one time we played with her as lead vox was not up to standard. Consensus is she needs to go but…..is friends with drummer who is relatively new but we’d like to keep and she is quite needy - life hasn’t always treated her well and we don’t want to add to that. We gig without her at times. Her BF videoed her numbers at a recent gig and she shared this on the band WhatsApp group - it just reinforced she isn’t up to it, we kind of hoped she would realise and gracefully step aside but that was a vain hope! So, how to proceed? Be honest and say it’s not working, thanks and goodbye (my preference), hope she sees sense herself, carry on as is because we don’t want to do anything which compromises her?

I always take a spare but the only time I needed it was the one time I chose to leave it in the car!

My best was purchasing the time and expertise of Badlands Guitars in Brighton to take out the original and failed pre amp on my 1991 Fender P Lyte and rewire as a passive instrument. It turned a bass gathering dust in a corner into an immensely playable instrument.

That's my birth year too, and I can't afford it! Closest I'll get is my (lovely) MIJ 62 RI.

Turns out cabling up a genuine Speakon is a doddle even for a ham fisted fool like me. I’ve now a couple of cables, all of which work faultlessly - genuine Neutrix is the way to go.