chris_b

IMO the coolest bass gadget ever is. . . the chromatic tuner. I started out at a time when you either had a tuning fork, pitch pipes or you had to tune up to a trumpet, if you had a brass section, or an organ. Trying to stop the others making a noise when you needed to tune up was a nightmare. And forget it in a noisy night club. I just don't know how we managed to get a whole band in tune back then! Silent tuning is a wonderful evolution.

I couldn't gig without my ACS plugs and I want to gig so there is no discussion for me. I've been using ACS ER15's and now PRO17's for the last 12 years. Of course they change the sound but I find they're easy to deal with. This is what I get for taking insufficient care of my hearing since the age of 16. With these plugs I can hear everything comfortably from a manic screaming guitar solo to an ultra loud "animal" drummer to an acoustic guitar to a stage whisper.

I'd rehearse if something can be accomplished, otherwise I'd reschedule.

When the banner came up it seemed to stop BC sending messages telling me I'd submitted a post. I didn't know what was going on and hit sub several times. It submitted the post every time and didn't tell me it had done so. The reply message box wasn't cleared down either after the first post. !!!

I'm on this side of the fence. IMO foam works in the studio. I love the sound of a P bass with flats and a ton of foam right next to the bridge but on a gig I prefer as much dynamic range as I can get.

I have GAS for gigs but not so much for gear. My idea of "aural heaven" is playing with a great drummer. In the last 10 years I've used Thunderfunk and Aguilar amps and Berg cabs, followed by Aguilar amps and Barefaced cabs. I don't touch the EQ after the first couple of gigs and I don't recall any of those rigs having a bad night. My aim is to get to the point where the default sound is good and then the gear takes care of itself. I'll adjust the level with the band, but that's it, forget the back line and just play.

The baffle slanted back on the top cab. I had a Marshall bottom cab and it was this shape. . . but then a lot of others were too.

I have used a Korg Pitchblack for about five years and I'm only on my second battery. Works well and you don't have to use harmonics to get down to a low B. I was thinking about moving to a clip on tuner but my first experience of one wasn't good. It couldn't spot my bass note in a very noisy stage environment. I'll stick with the Pichblack.

I've done all of those in the last 10 days.

Looks like the bottom cab of a stack.

You realise how musically illiterate some people are when they come up and ask for a song. You tell them you don't know it and they reply, it's easy, you can just play it.

I used to play with a singer/songwriter, all original songs. He usually did a solo spot before the band came on and one of the favourites (requested once by a drunk and forever included) was the Britney Spears song Hit Me Baby One More Time.

This wasn't a tribute band either but I believe Wilf started in Ken Dodd's Dad's Dog's Dead. One of my favourite band names.

I always liked Howlin' Wilf, although he wasn't really a tribute act.

So you're going to spend even more money getting someone else to upgrade your bass? You'll only know what the bass sounds like after the upgrade. What if you don't like it? You don't get your money back! Bitter experience here!! That's why, now, I'll always play a bass before I buy it.

The danger is you can turn a bass that someone else might like into a bass that no one else likes. Try selling one of those! Depending on what you do you can spend a lot and end up only getting a little back for your troubles. Bitter experience here! Buy another, better bass. One that does everything you want it to do. . . right out of the box.

Class D amps will usually go into protect mode which is designed to prevent and damage to the amp. Current SS amps, I'm not sure if they have protection circuits. Older amps?? Not sure, but probably don't have protection built in. If that's the case you'll be running them beyond their spec so I'd guess you're almost guaranteed to damage something. Just be safe and never go below the stated minimum load for the amp.

That's a choice people make.

4 ohms on the amp means 1 4ohm cab or 2 8 ohm cabs. 2 ohms will probably damage the amp. Either speaker output socket is fine as is daisy chaining the cabs.

I'd always bring my "big rig" if I play with guys like this. You need to balance the sound of the band. If he is this loud then you have to be as well. I played with a similar guitarist yesterday and I brought both cabs, started with the volume controls at noon, expecting to creep up a little from there when needed. My Aguilar TH500 used to clip with this guy (clipping with this amp doesn't cause a problem) now my AG700 doesn't. I wouldn't touch the EQ if you are regularly clipping, I'd turn your bass down and let the amp deal with the volume. If you are still clipping or you can't hear your rig over the rest of the band, your rig is telling you that you need to upgrade to something bigger. When you are playing as loud as you say, it's time to get some effective ear protection.

Give Guitar Guitar in Camden a call. Their website is showing some Rumble gear in stock but they don't say which shop. They offered to ship some basses between their shops so I could try them, so maybe they would do the same with their Fender Rumble gear.

No on should be "following" anyone. Everyone in a band is responsible for playing in time and keeping to the correct tempo. I don't understand why there are so many posts about bad and incompetent musicianship referring to "our" drummer. These posts should be saying "our old" drummer. If someone can't or won't keep to the tempo they should go. Sooner rather than later.

So I guess you rehearsed the set at a tempo which was accepted as OK by everyone? If the drummer has been unilaterally pushing the tempos up a notch or two he has an "issue" which should be fixed. He's in the wrong and if someone (you) reminds him that every thing's too fast he can't complain. Is your drummer saying that problems can't be discussed on a gig? The drummer on my gig last night had a go at the band after about 3 numbers for being too loud. We were and there was no argument, we all turned down. If this guy can't handle a simple change on the fly like playing a number slower he should be ashamed. I don't agree with the "rehearse songs slower, because the drummer always plays them faster on the gig", idea. Rehearse the songs the way you want to gig them. Then play them exactly the same on the gig. That's what you rehearsed. . . that's what you intended, so don't play something different on the gig, just because one of the band doesn't/can't follow the script.

Is anyone gigging a BB800 in the South East in the next few weeks? I'd like to hear one.

For instance, if a bolt cost 1 cent you only have to make 100 3 bolt instruments and you've saved a dollar. Fender were making tens of thousands of instruments. That's a fat profit if you can pull it off. Unfortunately they didn't take enough care to make the design a success. If your QC is good enough you can make 2 or even 1 bolt work. By the law of averages, there must be some good 3 bolt Fender basses out there but you might have a long search to find them.