lozkerr

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Only seven weeks to go, so I think I'm in with a chance. OTOH, said mate sent me some pics of his latest bass - a five-string Jazz. This after endless ribbing about Jaco only needing four strings, so I'm counting that as a solid win!

I'm still technically in, in that I've not bought any contraband items between bass and amp and I've not bought any more basses. But I nearly let my mate persuade me to get a five-string Precision a couple of weeks ago!

When I'm doing transcriptions, I find it often helps to play up one or even two octaves, especially if the bass is buried in the mix. That can often let you hear discordant notes more easily than if you're down near the nut. A looper is a godsend - you can record short phrases and try out notes that sound right until you hit gold. I use a Boss eBand JS10 both for that and normal practice - the ability to loop short phrases and slow things down without altering the pitch is a godsend. Makes it much easier to find the key and work out fills. It's not a cheap piece of gear though, but software packages like Transcribe, Reaper and Audacity can do the same thing. The same might work for jams. If you're up near the dusty end, you'll hear discordant notes easier than you would if you were down near the nut. And at the end of the day, you're only one semitone away from a note that's in the right key!

Late to this party - apologies - but there's me at least 🙂

Well done! It took me a bit longer to realise that I don't need to buy the latest shiny toys - it's a mug's game. My kids are aye on at me to get the latest iPhone, but my elderly Samsung's trundling along just fine. I'll be keeping it for a while yet. Car is thirteen years old, and as I live in a tiny flat, I just don't have the space for unnecessary tat. Writing, a bit of model-making and music are what makes me happy. When I retire in a few years, I'll be glad to leave the rat race behind - let's face it, even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat 😉 I came across this wee animated film a while back and it really struck a chord with me. So much truth in such a short time:

It's a definite step-up, although the main reason for getting it was to get rid of the cable. The Behringer wasn't bad, but there's deffo more clarity with the Shure. The ZS10 earphones seem to have the edge over the Shure ones, oddly enough, and they're much more secure. All in all, I'm very pleased with it.

Aye. Just Say No, kids 🙂

In that case, I'm still in. Twelve weeks to go...

Sheesh, and I thought my Eden Metro was heavy. Have to give you that, though. One of the studios we rehearse in has a 210 Trace Elliot combo for a backline. After one attempt at moving it, I'll call in a fork-lift before I try again!

Had something similar at my last gig. Weird jangling sound coming through the PA at soundcheck that just had to be coming from my rig. Even when I unplugged my DI and it didn't stop 🙄 It turned out to be caused by some wi-fi widget that was plugged into someone's laptop.

I've tried a lot of instruments over the years - bugle, trumpet, violin, piano, voice - but I think the one that's helped above all else is the marching snare drum. Especially when not playing an accompaniment and just having to mark the beat by playing solo. Marking the beat has the bass and tenor drums playing ||: left - left - left right left :|| and the leading snare has to improv over that. Lose your place and you very publically go from hero to zero in an instant. The reason it's helped with playing bass is that I instinctively listen out for the one. If I screw up or get lost, I can land on it without too much effort and that's me back in the pocket.

That's interesting. I'm a tad shorter than you - 5' 5" - and I don't have that problem. The bag rests against my bum when I'm walking, but it's never hit the back of my legs. I've also managed to adjust the shoulder straps so the strap that locks them together doesn't squash my boobs. I've done the two-mile trudge home up Leith Walk several times with it on my back, too. Takes about 40 - 45 minutes. As you say, it looks like build has a lot to do with it.

Another +1 for the Mono M80. Not cheap, but an expensive instrument deserves some protection. Had a wee incident on Saturday night where a PA cab slid up against my bass in its bag. Bass was OK, but it might not have been if it was in a thinner bag.

I too need an adjudication. Following the fun and games I had with potential tinnitus and building a personal IEM system earlier this year, I've snapped up a Shure PSM200 wireless setup to replace the wired Behringer belt pack I was using. Strictly speaking, I don't need it. It doesn't go in the signal chain, buuuuuuuut...

It's been a while, due to band members going on holiday followed by me getting covid, but I finally got a chance to use it in anger tonight. It works brilliantly. I could hear myself singing perfectly and could crank up the bass to a level where I never felt the slightest need to dig in. Nary a hint of fret buzz or string clatter all evening, and my playing was far better. I used one mic to capture the ambient sound, but next time I think I'll use two - a condenser mic aimed at the PA and an ambient mic to capture stage sound. The only downside, as @mcnach pointed out, is the amount of electric string involved. I think the next enhancement will be a dedicated cable bundle, but that just needs off-the-shelf cables and some lacing cord. I put a patch panel on the back of the flight case, so with colour-coded connections, setting up should only take a couple of minutes at most. I'll need to do a wee bit more experimenting, but at this stage it's looking like I can dispense with an IEM feed from the desk entirely. Feeling dead chuffed right now!

A video of someone's reaction An unboxing of the latest widget A load of ads for crap you don't need And gobshites pushing political opinions That's entertainment That's entertainment

5' 5" and playing a five-string Fender Jazz. Can get a little awkward down near the nut for extended periods of time, but I've never had any real problems. Apologies for the bass face.

As a relative newbie, I'm still playing catch-up, but I seem to be making headway: Pre-Basschat Ibanez GSR200 Eden EC8 Boss ME-50B multi-effects unit Post-Basschat MIA Fender Jazz Deluxe V Stagg EUB Steinberger Spirit V Cheap no-name five-string Artisan Eden Metro Eden WTX-264 Eden WTP600 Eden E300T 2 x 210 cabs, a 118 cab and a 112 cab Eden Glowplug Eden WTXI pre-amp pedal Plus a couple of keyboards, a PA, a lighting rig and a couple of guitars. And I still have everything apart from the Ibanez, which I gave to Girls Rock School a couple of weeks ago. There's no hope for me, is there?

Indeed. Whenever I change my strings, I boil the old set (in a dedicated pan @Rich - follow me for more domestic harmony tips 😉) and pop them in my gig bag to serve as emergency replacements. They only have to last until the end of the gig / jam / rehearsal if they're needed to replace a broken string.

Still no. They could have my cheap backup but not my main bass.

If it was someone I knew and trusted, I might lend my no-name Artisan. My main bass - no chance.

Oh yes. That one gets to me too. I've had this one on repeat for most of the day, to try to lighten the mood; it's nice and uplifting. Always make me think of driving on the open road as the sun comes up:

First one I bought was See You Later. Initially I wondered why I'd wasted my saved school dinner money, but when Side One finished with Memories of Green, I was absolutely blown away. I played that track over and over again, lying on my bedroom floor in the dark. His music has stayed with me ever since. RIP Vangelis.