chris_b

I still bought all the Beatles albums. IMO they were required listening, but I had been going to John Mayall gigs for since the end of 1965 and I had very little interest in anything else after the Beano album came out.

Why are you expecting an amp and cab or combo not to sound as good as your Line 6? If you choose well they could actually sound better. Adding anything into your signal chain has the potential to sound better or worse. Most of us don't use Line 6 and can sound pretty good. IMO better is always better. If your gear is making a good sound then adding speakers will always make it sound better. If you buy something that doesn't sound how you want then more of it is probably going to sound worse.

Anyone who walks into a gig can tell the bass player is using Markbass from the back of the room. That's good marketing. As good as the colour of Orange amps, the blue bits on Acoustic cabs, the stripes of Peavey and Trace Elliot's UV light. Every mark bass rig I've heard, mostly combo's, but some stacks, has sounded good. My LM2 was a great sounding amp. I'm surprised they are going into the instrument market, but Peavey made it work, so I guess, if they have done their homework, they could be a success. They're probably not at the boutique end of the scale, but if they are challenging at the SIre end they might carve out a chunk of the market. If MB came out with a range of "Fender" basses they'd be slagged off. They didn't and they get slagged off anyway! I'll wait to comment until I see real reviews of what they sound and play like.

Unfortunately the possibility to beat my "biggest gig to date" has long gone. I'm only at the Red Lion in Isleworth.

Some uniquely good Shufflling from Tower Of Power. . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAVC0CUP5TQ

I bought a Super Midget from andyneeds (great guy). I'm using it with one of my SC's. I've already got the thumbs up from last week-end's gig. My Two10' cabs might be at risk!!

OK, that was you was it. Sorry I didn't clock the name. There are guys throwing out songs they don't like. Not liking them is fine but, my point is, that doesn't make it a bad song or bad bass line. I don't particularity like Classical music, so does that make any of it bad? There are a lot of songs out there that I don't like much, but I'd never think that made them bad songs. I'm not a fan of a lot of songs I've played in cover bands, but when the bass and drummer get it right they are very effective lines for those songs. As I said, that's my definition of a good bass line.

I was actually addressing every one with an "If the cap fits. . . " approach.

Why are you assuming I was talking to you?

Are you guys actually bass players? Call Me The Breeze and every thing else by JJ Cale, has great, simple and effective bass lines that push the song along perfectly. Never Met A Girl Like You, anything by U2, Status Quo or ZZ Top and many others. . . all simple bass lines that are nothing by themselves but are exactly right in their place. If the bass line is good for the song then it's a good bass line.

If you already have moulded earplugs, in-ears, are playing at lower volumes and are still having problems, I'd ask what kind of volume you are playing at now? If you really do have Menieres then it might be game up. Don't you have to surrender your driving licence? If not, I'd find the best headphones out there (make sure they work for you) and start using them. The drummer with the Jon Cleary band, used to sport big headphones. It's never uncool to protect your hearing.

I was going to quietly abstain this year. . . . and then 2 weeks in a cab that I've been waiting for for over a year came up! That is me done now for probably the next 3 or 4 years, but I've blown it for 2019.

I haven't played a Metro Express (yet), but if you are in the market for a new Jazz bass then they are now a direct competitor to Fender and many others at that price point. Other "boutique" manufacturers are making the same move. Fodera and Ken Smith tried it and didn't like the result, Lakland and MTD tried and made a success of it. Now I see Xotic are making that move. If these guys can maintain their quality at a lower price point then people will buy their basses who would never have considered or been able to afford them. Anything that keeps these great bass businesses healthy is a good move in my book. My experience is that my Metro has caused me to sell all my other Jazz style basses. I have tried out about half a dozen Metro's of all types, Modern, Vintage, Will Lee and a chambered NYC. My Metro RV5 still sounds better to me. When a Metro Express comes around I will be first in the queue to try it out.

I've been using D'Addario NYXL's on my Jazz. They have been on for about 9 months and they still sound full and lively.

One thing I do know. . . you know nothing about Foderas business model, running costs and expenses.

Yes I do.

Two points: certainly in the early days, some of the guys on TOTP would not even have been playing on their own records and there have always been differences between the gear that players use in the studio and on gigs. Having known someone in the hire business, when they're on national TV, quite a few bands will hire "something special" for the show. I don't understand why the simple fact that P basses were and still are the instrument of preference in many studios has generated so much comment, most of which has nothing to do with the video in the OP. The P bass "thing", as mentioned in the OP may not be relevant down the Dog and Duck or in niche genres, but it's a fact. Get over it. Use your bass and do your "thing". Don't take any advice from anyone, what do they know anyway. If your band is successful then guys like you will want to know what gear was used so they can buy it sound the same. The cruel part is that they will spend a lot of money and they won't sound anything like you! The players at the top of the industry, as in the OP, will have a flexible and positive attitude because they understand the business they are in. 16 pages of this thread only illustrates that many here don't understand that business at all.

Mass manufacturers may give gear away to generate sales, but if you are a boutique manufacturer and have a full order book stretching ahead for several years, you do not give away your products. Everyone, including Paul McCartney paid for their Wal basses and, from what I've read, the same goes for other boutique makes.

Slightly different situation here. . . . BE was the producer so he was able to give the bass player a good talking to and the bass player was able to answer back!

Jamerson's career went down the tubes because mentally he couldn't move from being "king" to just "one of the lads". He decided that as his sound had been so special for the last 15 years he didn't have to change it or do what the producers wanted. His strings were so old the intonation was out and an out of tune bass was never going to last long in the LA studios. The guys who called the shots stopped calling him because there were equally great players who would take care of their sound and do as they were requested. Most of those guys who replaced him were also playing P basses with (not quite as old and manky) flats. It wasn't a problem or fashion with the instrument, it was Jamerson shooting himself in the foot with his intransigent attitude.

Leo Fender and the guys must have heard an improvement to the sound of his basses to decide that it was worth adding the extra time and expense to the build process. I didn't noticed a difference when I tried through body stringing on my Lakland, but I don't discount it having an effect on the sound of some instruments.

If you want to get a different sound there are dozens of great cabs out there, but if you don't want to be out of pocket. . . keep what you've got. The danger of tailoring your rig to a specific band is that most bands don't last for ever. A 112 might not work in the next band and you might be grateful for the ST. Any solution which reduces the size of your cab will cost money and you run the risk of getting a cab that doesn't sound as good as your current rig. The ST is about an inch wider and deeper and only 7 inches taller than an SC. The ST has castors and a 112 will have to be carried. IMO Going to a 112 brings very little size benefit and some 112's will weigh as much as your ST. If you really have to downsize, I'd get a good SC when one comes up in the classifieds. Then you can test it on a gig, before you sell your ST.

For an impressive power to weight ratio the Barefaced Big Twin 2 would be hard to beat. 42lbs/21kg and 1600 watts.

If I read your post correctly you're able to cover the high notes on your 4 string bass, but you can't cover the low notes. To start with I'd go for the standard B-G tuned 5er. There are more benefits in a 5 string bass than just 5 extra notes. You'll find walking bass lines become easier with more notes falling under your fingers before you have to move your hand. You'll also cover lower keys more easily and effectively. Put the 4 string away and just play the 5 until you have reorganised your muscle memory and the 5 comes naturally.