chris_b

I played with a drummer once who enjoyed winding people up. From salesmen to band members, the longer he could keep it going and the angrier people got the more he revelled in it. I reckon we have discovered his twin!

If you really hit the strings hard and dig in, the cheapest solution might be playing with less force and using a softer right hand technique. Then again you might not actually have a problem. How loud is this buzz? I don't have a particularly low action but my strings buzz a little. I can hear it at home but it doesn't come through the amp on a gig so I don't worry about it. If your bass really has an issue and you are strapped for cash then sorting out your problems will be cheaper than buying a new bass or modding this one. If you can't get rid of fret buzz by the means suggested above you probably need to get the frets levelled. Find a good repair guy and ask his opinion.

These days most of my deps are for bands I know but when a new gig crops up I'll usually have a couple of weeks notice. Long enough for me to listen to and play through the songs. If I don't know a song I'll write up a chord chart so I can get the geography right. I'll also write out a set list with keys and intros and endings. My aim is to play the songs as well (or better) than the bass player I'm standing in for. The usual response from the bands is that they appreciate that I've put in the time and done the homework. That gets you to the top of their list. Some bands are not comfortable with deps. I've been told that deps can never be as good as the band member. That's a pretty naive view and I have fun proving them wrong.

Sorry, but it sounds to me like you're planning to spend so much on this bass that maybe you should have bought something different in the first place.

You don't need the dots. Chord charts and a good listen to every song on the list is all you need.

I found the the best option for me was 1 or 2 amps with 1, 2 or 3 cabs depending on the gig. I have a choice of several interchangeable and independently upgradeable rigs.

I have been on Talkbass since 2007 and have never been abused, slagged off or insulted. Every now and then I've had disagreements and people have disagreed with me. That's life! I've always found TB and the vast majority of its members to be a great source of information, opinion, experience and ideas. There are always things to learn, stuff to agree with and stuff to ignore. Isn't that the point? You take what's good and disregard the rest.

What brought this on? Gratuitously slagging off fellow bass players?

No. The only reason I'd do a gig like this is if the band is full of top players and there is a chance of other gigs leading from it. Other than that I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

I think your problem is in the "I take that to mean. . . . . " bit. Don't to read into these posts stuff that isn't there.

I haven't removed them but mine look like a cloth stretched across a wooden frame. From Ampeg to Fender to Bergs I've never seen a front cloth with anything behind it.

There probably is sound transferred through the bone (probably lower frequencies rather than higher frequencies) but take an ear plug out mid set and hear the difference. IMO they are definitely reducing the volume getting to the ear drum.

I've heard this comment in relation to Precision basses, but so far, not about Sadowsky Jazz basses. The tone of my Metro does change gear when the volume comes up. Maybe that's what we're talking about. Go louder and the sound, the clarity, the low end just keeps getting better. What ever Sadowsky did with that pre-amp they got it just right.

+1. And always idiot check the idiot check.

Very nice. Do you have OBBM cables? That's something like the all English rig I was posting about a month or so ago.

This is the thing. Too much bass kills the sound of the bass. Makes no sense? But it's true. We're not making noise, we're making music with other instruments and the bass always sounds better if we're pushing the low mids. That's where we get definition, punch, full sound, warmth and are able to hear every note clearly. Then we are supporting the band, other instruments and the song instead of making a low noise that no one can hear properly. This is why all the guys who think they need speaker systems to handle the fundamentals of their low strings have completely misunderstood where their instrument sits best in the frequency range of the piece of music.

Just get one. The Metro's are as good as the NYC's, just a bit heavier, because they aren't chambered. You won't play a better sounding bass.

Define "gone"! What drivers does your 210 use? Call these guys and find out if you can get the driver reconed. http://www.wembleyloudspeaker.com/ If the whole driver needs replacing then Eminence, B&C and Faital Pro would be on my list.

Not for years. If you are confident in your ability and those around you you shouldn't feel nervous. Stress and nerves happen when we don't feel in control. I've done my homework so I just focus on the positive stuff, like the anticipation of a great gig, being up for the challenge of playing well and feeling excited that we're going to entertain an audience.

I understand, but that's old Gibson thinking, which is why they had to file for Chapter 11 and why the new management is now having to make some difficult and maybe unfathomable decisions.

You got through it in one piece. Put it down to experience. Learn the lessons and move on.

. . . . or maybe the new management is doing this publicly in order to send out the message that it getting serious about QC and won't tolerate the working practises that the old management thought were appropriate.

It's perfectly understandable that a company will destroy unfit merchandise. The old management had a reputation for less than perfect QC, so the new management has to do a lot of tidy up to do before they can restart the company. No company would put known "bad" products out into the market place, so it's unrealistic to expect that Gibson would. There's a lot of knee-jerking going on here!!

I think they need to tell you exactly what is available and if they are supplying a crew to operate it. Are they insured or do you need your own PLI? Take a mains tester for your own safety.

Why isn't the promoter/organiser providing an appropriate PA system?