chris_b

I didn't like my sound tonight. I was using the TH500 which is usually the backup amp. Tried both basses but just couldn't get it right. Then 10 mins into the first set the drummer leaned over and said; "F**ing great bass sound from over here!" I didn't touch the amp after that.

In it for the money? Absolutely! I'm playing in an environment where someone is making money, ie promoter/landlord, from my efforts. It's cost me money to do the gig, so, yes, I want paying.

My 10 Desert Island Albums would be: Rock Of Ages ~ The Band Waiting For Columbus ~ Little Feat That Hot Pink Blues Album ~ Keb Mo Live In Bergen ~ Delbert McClinton Roadwork ~ Edgar Winter's White Trash One More Car, One More Rider ~ Eric Clapton Sex Machine ~ James Brown John Mayall Plays John Mayall ~ John Mayall Absolute Monster Gentlemen ~ Jon Cleary Road Tested ~ Bonnie Raitt

ps I wouldn't worry about empty holes in the bass until you've decided which set up you're going for. You can fill empty holes with plugs or an unconnected pots.

Change the pickups and see what you've got. If that doesn't please I'd go passive and take it from there.

Just as effective, much easier to implement and much cheaper.

+1 Always listen with a positive ear. If you were doing your best then there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Getting better results is about practice and confidence. The early stuff is all about you learning.

+1 The reason to rack mount D class amps is the same as for any other type of amp, ie protection. As soon as someone else is loading your gear you have to protect it if you want it to survive.

So in a fight to the death, which one would win? What did the new update do to make the B|amp so good?

The first bass album I heard, as opposed to bass on an album, that knocked me out was Francoise Rabath's 1963 album The Sound Of A Bass. Only a double bass (sometimes double tracked) and drums. I discovered it in 1969, bought the album and wore it out. It didn't change my bass style much but it significantly moved my listening goal posts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3UOOCUkqDw

Point 1, why do you only have one bass? Point 2, if you take your bass to someone who is good at their job they'll ask you how you want it set up. Then they'll do that. If you decide you don't like it I'd expect the good guys to change it. If you take it to repair guy who thinks it's smart to make fun of your decision to use him, then you've gone to the wrong guy. In this case the answer isn't always to do it yourself, it's to find a better guy. If you find a good workman you can trust him. Point 3, a DIY set up is doable, but how far can you go? If any other, more complicated stuff arises you can find yourself getting out of your depth in no time. If you feel confident you can handle truss rods, fret levelling etc carry on, but finding a good repair guy is as important as finding a good electrician or plumber.

Currently the drummer in one of the bands records all the gigs. It's very interesting to listen to the set in the cold light of day. I'll usually have a few comments about the band and the set and a list as long as your arm for me to work on. IMO you can improve so much as a player by listening to your efforts.

Fixed that for you.

Depends how selective you are. The Motown show at Wembley Arena a few years ago had probably 1 original per band but it was not an issue and didn't affect the show at all. They billed the band as Jr Walker and the Allstars, which wasn't strictly true but a minor detail to a great evening.

Should bands with one original member carry on? Are they any good, still making good music? I've heard plenty of bands with their full original line-up who probably shouldn't be carrying on!!

I had a 5 string Fender Jazz and the B string wasn't "floppy" at all. It did sound slightly different to the other 4 strings but that difference disappeared when playing with the band. I seem to be playing with a lighter touch as the years go by and typically don't see the differences others write about in my strings, so I'm wondering if the real cause is the way people play their instruments.

IMO forget Thomann and the other companies out there. Many of us here use cables made by OBBM. My reasons; he's a great guy (so supporting our own) and he makes exceptionally good cables at good prices. The link again. . . . http://www.rock-wire.co.uk/

My Whirlwind instrument cable is coming up to 30 years old and my OBBM cable is about 8 years old. Never put any stress on any part of the lead (cable or plugs), keep neatly rolled up, roll them up correctly, don't twist the wire inside the casing and never ever stand on or put any weight (cabs or cases) on your cables. I play with a guitarist who has cable failures almost every other gig. They are strewn all over the stage and he stands on all of them, all the time!!!

Andy Bown was a sideman until 1981-2 when he joined the band.

I've played in concrete boxes, glass boxes and the opposite, a room that had thick floor to ceiling curtains and a thick pile carpet. The US Air Force club in Mannheim that Elvis designed was bigger than any hangar I've been in. I know some rooms will never sound good, but I think many difficult rooms are made worse by bands who don't know how to compensate and change their sound on stage so they can get a better sound off stage. The boom and mud of one particularly bad gig went away when I started using Bergantino cabs. I assumed I had way too much bass in my sound before.

I think that was because he didn't (still doesn't) want anything to do with Roger Waters.

IMO one member is fine but I'd draw the line at no members! I did some gigs a few years ago with a Thunderclap Newman and the closest they came to an original member was the guitarist who replaced Jimmy McCulloch. To be fair they were billed as Thunderclap but the posters could be misconstrued, and often were!! In the Early 70's Fleetwood Mac's management tried to send Stretch out as Fleetwood Mac on a US tour. In the end the tour didn't happen because Stretch refused to do it.

The Early Years, interesting read on the website. I'm playing with Tony Pow tonight and guitarist Nico Ramsden, joined our band when he left Stray in 1972.

If promoters want to book the band and audiences come then why would anyone stop gigging? You've got your records of the bands you like, but like a photo, that is only a point in time. Bands are not fixed entities, they change and evolve and even after "golden periods" they can create good music and performances. Little Feat, Genesis, Pink Floyd and many other bands evolved and made great music after the original line up and style of music changed.

If someone said they had a floppy B string I'd ask how hard they hit/plucked/pulled the strings. I've played basses were the B string didn't sound quite right, but I've not seen a floppy B string yet. Has anyone with a light right hand touch experienced the floppy B string thing?