chris_b

. . . and don't forget the lube!

You have gear that is good enough for playing at home. You don't need anything else, except maybe some better headphones. Then get out of the house and start playing in a band. That will decide what upgrade path you need.

Over the years I've sold stuff but it was always replaced by something better so, no looking back. With my current rig I think I'm almost there and sounding better than at any time in the past. My go-to gear is a Sadowsky Metro Jazz RV5, through an Aguilar AG700, through 2 Barefaced Two10's. Depending on the band I can switch in a Mike Lull PJ5, an Aguilar TH500 or 2 Barefaced Super Compacts.

+1000 So true!!

I wish I'd bought a Sadowsky 20 years ago.

Wow. This is sad news. I first heard her songs as a teenager standing in clubs waiting for the bands like John Mayall and Geno to come on. Sad news.

I'm currently playing with 2 bands who are playing approx 80% originals and 20% covers. It varies on the night and the gig. The other 2 only play covers. They are all good bands with great players and playing very good songs. IMO there is no difference to originals or covers, playing both is the best approach to being a good bass player. It's always disappointing to see the originals guys dissing the covers players. Blinkers are never a good accessory for any musician.

The first time I was told I was too old was when I answered an ad in Melody Maker. I was 22!!

I use a lap top bag for all my accessories. Ideal for all those small bits.

This is always the down side, ending up using unfamiliar gear, but as the house band bass player on a jam night I can hear when people are struggling with their sound through my gear. The thing is, most of them never actually sound bad. In reality you can have the worst sound in the world but everyone will still be impressed if you play a blinder.

Really. . . you don't need to "fill" any spaces. Strategically spaced gaps are essential for making the notes sound even better. As long as your rig isn't underpowered, ie just 1 x 112, you should be fine. You only need to sound full and fat, with good low mids and enough definition to clearly hear every note. Don't overplay or fill in all the spaces. Less is always more effective.

You should be good if the keys doesn't use his left hand and the guitarist stays away from the low mids. Which Hartke amp do you use? I'd clock up a few hours with this band using your current rig before I'd start trying to second guess which new rig would be better. Try all tone controls at 12 o'clock , then start dialling back some of the highs and pushing up the low mids. Only a click or two should do it.

You might be over thinking this. Bass has a support role in Blues (old and new) so just get a good sound and play well. Listen to Pino, Carmine Rojas and Sean Hurley, and you'll hear totally different sounds and styles. I'd just use my go-to 5 string active jazz bass with rounds and my regular Aguilar/Barefaced rig. What you play will be twice as important as what you sound like. More importantly, find a drummer who knows the difference between a 4 on the floor Texas shuffle and a Purdy shuffle and can play an interesting pattern on a slow blues.Then youonly need a guitarist with a brain and a singer without an ego. . . good luck with that search!!

Looking at my gear, currently residing in the front room, I bought my basses from Ebay and Basschat, amps from Basschat, cabs from Barefaced and Basschat, all accessories came from Basschat, strings from the Bass Gallery and Basschat, my tuner from Guitar Guitar in Epsom (the old one broke and I needed a tuner for that evening) and I have my basses serviced at the Bass Gallery. The price is important but I find that local shops just don't sell what I want to buy these days.

It was their starter for 10?

If you are selling a cab that gives you a special sound then you'll be lucky to find another style of cab that'll sound exactly the same. Expecting cab x to sound like cab y usually won't work, so expect good cabs but sounding different. Back problems never get better, so if you are looking for something lighter then it doesn't seem worth replacing your old cab with something smaller but still very heavy. I think there are lightweight 12's out there which can get a big sound. There are some good ones made by Barefaced, Bergantino, Mesa, Genzler, Aguilar etc etc. The same companies make some great 10's. Most cabs these days are ported. That will change the sound. The Barefaced Six10 is different, it's a neo cab emulating the sound of a sealed cab. PS Just re read this. . . of course the BF 10's are not Neo.

Of course. Why wouldn't we? I haven't been up close and personal to a badgers derrière for a long time but. . . "that feeling". . . get it all the time. I get it every time a band clicks, or the gig "works", or when the audience is up for it and their energy feeds back to the band. It doesn't matter where you are, rough and ready or slick bands, originals or covers, wet, soggy fields or the Albert Hall, gigs are where "that feeling" lives.

If you rehearse in a small room, in a circle, with amps pointing at each other and at gig volumes, then I'm afraid you don't understand the purpose of a rehearsal and you''ll always cause/have problems. However you set up in a rehearsal room turn the volume down (because this isn't a gig) and you'll a be able to work on the detail of the songs. This is where the selfish and incompetent hide behind the 2 great excuses. . . . the drummer has to play that loud and I need to play this loud to get my sound. Anyone who is so inadequate that they resort to using these 2 cop outs should be fired forthwith.

Same as Blue: never quit until you have something else (hopefully better) to go to and don't do "personality clashes". They are a pointless waste of time. I have just one bottom line, I'm in bands so I can gig. It's always a bonus if the band is made up of good players but as long as the gigs are good then I have no problem playing with anyone. I mostly play with great guys anyway, but over the years there have been a few very unpleasant people. I make sure I''m friendly with everyone. I treat everyone in every band and every gig with a "professional" attitude. It helps that most of the guys I play with are professionals, either making a living from gigging or teaching their instruments, so I see very few personality problems. Most ex-bands have folded and just broken up, so how to leave wasn't an issue. I've been fired a few times, usually so the band leader can get in one of his mates. C'est la vie. I've left a few to join a better band. Twice I left because I just didn't have enough time to juggle the number of bands I was in with a young family and a job. I've only quit one band, that I can recall, about 10 years ago, because the band leader started messing me about, ie cancelling gigs and not telling me. I emailed him after the second time and told him where he shove his band.

IMO if you let something like that put you off you shouldn't be looking at 5 string basses in the first place. Just changing the strings can make a bad bass sound and feel good. There is a lot you can do, but if you discover in the end the bass you just bought doesn't feel or sound how you want, don't blame the bass. If you can't return it or fix it, just sell it and buy one that does the right job for you. We all sell basses when we think we have found something better. I've never owned a bass with a bad B. I've had a couple which needed a good set up before they were to my satisfaction, but that's personal and what the previous owner though was a good set up certainly wasn't mine. Then again, the bigger your budget the wider your market place will be and the more chance you'll have of finding a suitable bass.

I have 2 great sounding basses and I'd swap either if I found a better sounding bass.

Where are you?

I'd suggest you also take a look at Sire, Lakland Skylines and Fender Squire basses. If you can't get to a shop can you see what other bass players are using in bands playing locally. Ask them about their choices.

That's a "What have the Romans ever done for us!" moment. The beauty of 2 210's is they are smaller and easier to transport. So you can chose how many cabs are appropriate for the gig. They are lighter to carry and you don't have to sit there in front of a 410 on a small quiet gig. If you have another cab, ie a 115 or 112 you can mix and match with one of your 210's (yes, you can do this).

The BBOT is fine, except when it isn't. More mass in the bridge can improve the resonance and sustain of the note.