chris_b

So, I guess my "aware" is your "reading the mood"? Communication is key but watching each other shouldn't part of what we are do. I know not many of us are going to gig at the Pyramid stage or a stadium any time soon, but those guys are focussed on the audience. They are rehearsed to the eye-balls and tooled up for it. They are hearing every nuance and are "aware" but their focus goes only one way.

Everyone in the band should be aware of everyone else on stage and eye contact is important throughout a gig but the guys in the band shouldn't be looking at each other in order to aid their playing!

I started to show some interest in music when the Beatles, Kinks, Stones Johnny Kidd and the Pirates etc arrived but the earthquake didn't hit until I saw my first John Mayall gig. No way back after that.

I liked that. 1cwt of King Edwards over the kit. In time in the right place. Double bass drum pedal. Sounded good to me.

The F1 was the only amp I've owned in the last 10 years that I didn't like. I thought it sounded sterile and lifeless. IMO my LM2 was far better. Neither amp is made anymore but there are plenty of Markbass amps to try that will sound pretty good.

Hurt his feelings. Tell him to stop or he's fired.

Your brain knows how to climb a mountain, even when you're walking on the flat.

Neither am I and I'm currently having lessons. My first ever, and after more than 50 years of playing! We're not talking about a comprehensive musical education. I asked my teacher for help to dig me out of the rut I was in. It was a good rut. Everything I have been asked to play has fitted right in. Even so, I have always been aware of my limits and limitations and finally decided that I needed to make the effort to move beyond them. A 5 min talk opened the door to a new way of thinking. Now we're working on my repertoire and the brain and fingers are starting to catch up.

I'm sure there are. Take no notice of me. As I said in my post, I just don't have the mind-set to be a collector.

A back up amp and dirt in your sound are 2 different things. Get a good second amp and a pedal that works with any amp you buy.

I look at all those basses and think, "You could have bought a really great bass with what you spent on that lot!"

I own 3 basses.The only piece of gear I own that doesn't pay its way is the P bass, that bought new in 1969. Everything else is here to work. The other 2 (PJ5 and J5) are my go-to basses. If I find a better bass than the one I'm using I'll buy it and the old one either gets sold or becomes the backup. If the new go-to bass doesn't work out I'll sell it and go back to the old one. I'm not a collector.

Love this. . . . . . . and this

Don't rub it in!!

You don't need to reproduce 30hz in order to get a great sound out of a 5 string bass. SVT810's cut off at 40hz and so do many other cabs. 5ers can get a good solid tone , at high volume, out of most cabs. You want low end without mush? All the top quality cabs should do that, if you EQ them right. BF cabs will always be capable of performing towards the top of that list.

Hey Higgie, nice playing. I was slow off the mark for that bass. Sounding good.

Don't count, learn how to feel a triplet and all it's variatiuons.

In the last 10 years I've only played Bergantino and Barefaced. The Berg tone was particularly impressive and I felt I'd reached a whole other level in bass sound when I got them. IMO my Barefaced cabs are another level again, they are monsters for sound and get even more positive comments than my Bergs did, and they generated a lot of praise. IME people do notice the bass player, if you sound good enough! The BF cabs are lighter and I need fewer of them to cover all levels of volume that I require. If my rig was stolen I'd happily replace it with either, but a BF rig would be at the top of the list. I'd expect all of these cabs to sound totally different to your Markbass rig. You might find that a little off putting, maybe not, but the difference will be very noticeable. IMO the difference was a revelation to me and the extra tone and clarity gave my bass playing a boost. I've not heard an amp that didin't sound good through either Bergs or BF cabs. You can go down to Brighton and try Barefaced cabs in the factory. If they have a demo unit on the shelf you can borrow it. You can send the Barefaced cabs back if you don't like them. You can't audition the other cabs and you'll be stuck with them if you change your mind. I'm sure that if I heard one I'd love the VDK. At this level there are no bad cabs, just preferences. PS Sorry, but Barefaced cabs are not flimsy. Don't confuse light for "flimsy". They are as solid as any standard designed cab. If you are careless enough to damage a BF cab you'll have done more damage to a regular cab. I carry all my gear and don't have access to roadies. In 10 years my cabs have never even been scratched. Good covers and care are all that is needed. my 2p

Gigs I love? I love playing in big fields. Open air festivals, that is. Big stages, big sound systems, big stage sound, captive and appreciative audiences and you also get to see some great bands on the bill. We were booked to play one early this year that was washed out and had to be rescheduled but I haven't been rained on at an open air gig in a few years.

Call me boring, but black with silver cloth would still be my finish of choice and, after several years, the tolex is still fine on all my cabs. I'm using two One10's for practice at home. One sounds good but even at front room volume levels two still sound so much better!

There are 3 solutions: play sitting down, fix the bass to a stand so that you don't have to hold it at all, or (the best) buy a lighter bass. It doesn't matter how good this bass sounds, if you can't carry it for a whole gig then you have to sell it. The biggest/best strap in the world will just move the weight around, so that's not a solution. One thing is certain, there are plenty of great sounding basses out there that weigh 4kg or less. You've just got to find the one that sounds right to you.

What did your gear sound like then?

I don't sweat much and wash my hands before every gig. I can't remember ever cleaning strings. I change my strings every 12 months, whether they need it or not. That's enough maintenance for me. I don't particularly like the "zing" of new rounds. My DR Lo-Riders have been on since last Christmas and are just coming into their prime.

The pattern is the thing to grasp. 7/4 can be 4, 3 or 3, 4 or 2, 3, 2 or 2, 2, 3 etc etc. The drummer can also be playing a different pattern over the rest of the band. I know a drummer who likes to mess with bass players and could come out of a clatter around the kit into a snare on 1 and 3 pattern. It always surprised me how many bass players fell apart when he did that. The dangers of following the drummer rather than relying on their internal clock.