chris_b

There you go. Good call. We learn something new every day.

I like what I've heard from Markbass amps but for your budget I'd be looking at used Aguilar amps. I've played the TH500 for several years (it saw off the GB STL 9.2 and Mesa D800 I bought) and haven't found anything to replace it. That is until now, but we're talking about the new AG700 which is well over budget. I didn't need to upgrade and the TH500 could easily have been the last amp I bought in terms of tone and volume. I've kept one as my second amp.

Several years ago we flew to a gig. I was lent a 5 string bass, Yamaha or something, and the strings were so close together I couldn't play it. We did 3 gigs in 2 days and I was only just getting the hang of the very narrow string spacings by the end of the second set on the 3rd gig. That was the last time I've played a bass with non Fender string spacings. I was on another gig, with an all original band, and every song included some or all notes on a B string. They got a 4 string Jazz for me on that gig! Replanning 5 string bass lines on the fly was easy compared to that bloody Yamaha!

Your amp's good but ditch the cab. You can do much better than that. IMO the best solution would be to get a Barefaced Four10 or a Six10. You'll be able to run up the stairs carrying one, you'll crush those guitarists (if you so wish) and you'll sound much better whilst doing it. I don't get the, "Don't play at high volume levels" advice. The OP joined them so he'll be playing at their level. However silly I or we think that is. Just get some [i]good[/i] ear plugs.

[quote name='goblin' timestamp='1508255473' post='3390911']Very happy with this! [/quote] I've done one gig with my AG700 and got lots of positive feed back on the sound. Another great amp from Aguilar.

So this is a long shot, is it? Anyone selling a cloth fronted One10? Even 2 of them?

I haven't heard that one but this is a close as I cab get: [i]In 1946, Everette Hull, an acomplished pianist and bass player, organized a partnership with Stanley Michaels under the name "Michaels-Hull Electronic Labs." Their mission was to produce a new microphone pickup that Hull designed. The pickup was fitted on the end of an upright bass and was dubbed the Amplified Peg or "Ampeg" for short. [/i] [i]In 1949, Hull became the sole proprietor and changed the name of the company to the Ampeg Bassamp Company. [/i] From the Ampeg website.

I've always been a P bass person and I own one of the best passive Precisions I've heard but after being [i]the[/i] bass for 5 years it doesn't often get of the subs bench these days. My go-to bass right now is an active Jazz. I'm just preferring the extra dynamics of this bass over everything else.

[quote name='bootleg' timestamp='1508080084' post='3389605'] Anyways, drummer has brought in What About Me? by Snarky Puppy, all parts written up. So I'm struggling for some reason. Not particularly in love with the song, but I just struggle to break it down as I usually do. It's having an effect on my practise schedule (I am not doing much cause of that bloody song hanging over me) and on rehearsals as my confidence is taking a shot, to the extent I skipped last weeks rehearsal cause I didn't fancy it. Now I'm thinking perhaps they should get another bass player. It's that song or me! It feels a bit like constructive dismissal; despite making clear my thought on the matter they want to crack on with it. [/quote] Is this a rehearsal band? I can't see this going down well at any of the gig I've done in the last 30 years. anyway. . . . Snarky Puppy is a sh*t hot band and I can play most stuff but I know I'd struggle with this or anything else they write. If you want to give it a go, break the number into 4 bar sections, then start putting it all together into larger, logical pieces. What's the point of leaving a band because of a song? I don't understand this "run into a difficulty and walk" mentality. Stick at it, give it your best shot and maybe you'll succeed. How good will that feel? If you really can't get it into your head, tell them. Everyone has limits of their ability, but that limit is usually a lot further away than most people realise. The rest of the band should appreciate your efforts and honesty. I've been in bands where one member has put their hands up and told us they just haven't the talent for a song. . . . and that doesn't make them a bad player. If the other guys have any sense they'll understand and ditch this song.

[quote name='XoSo' timestamp='1507925656' post='3388913']Ok, I've returned to bass after many years. [/quote] The bass world has changed in the last 10 years beyond belief (and it has stayed the same, if that's what you want). I play, sound and look(!) vintage but I'm firmly at the modern gear end of the spectrum, so IMO all you need to know is D class amps and Neodymium cabs. When I play at home I use a Barefaced One10 cab and an Aguilar Tone Hammer amp. I'd choose an amp and cab because you can easily play with others and that's where the fun starts.

The treat it like a "holiday" approach is a valid one and OK if you're a hobbyist, but If I'm playing somewhere and somebody else is making money out of it, then so am I.

Everyone changes from how they started out, from Elvis to the Beatles, Stones to Bowie and even my cover band. Good bands and musicians make the changes work. No matter who you are you've got to be playing what the audience wants. Never try to play your favourite songs, you'll always be disappointed. Sometimes you have to, but leaving "due to musical differences" is always the worst reason for quitting a band.

Competency issues (bad timing, tuning or ability) should be sorted out one way or another after the first number where they become apparent. Personality issues can take longer to resolve, especially if the guy is a good player, writes the songs, owns the van or gets the gigs. I've known guys be fired for no reason to big reasons. Usually great players stay no matter what they do. Make sure you're worth it to the band to keep on.

You guys look at the ads?

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1507905664' post='3388743'] Thanks for the tips, gents. Barefaced are certainly on the list...but they are painfully pricey! [/quote] Are they? BF Two10 £519, Vanderkley MNT210 £725, Eich 210M £799 BF Super Compact, £569 Aguilar DB112 £709, Mesa Boogie Subway 112 £799 BF might cost more than cheap cabs but they are very reasonably priced in comparison to the quality cab league.

No you're not necessarily in the wrong band, but if the audiences are asking for different numbers then your band is in the wrong gig. That's a different issue. Unless you're working for a band leader every band is a compromise and this is a conversation many bands have when they discover the reality that their initial direction might need some tweaking. You can do one of three things: Leave. You in a different band will be lucky if you're not faced with exactly the same problems. The band can decide to play only what they want to play. That means you have to attract your own audience out of the woodwork, or you can play what audiences at the gigs you're aiming at want to hear. I'm shallow and just crave success, but if the band has good players and goes down well I'd stay.

It is. No. We do.

That was a pre first cup of tea post. Sorry.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1507874810' post='3388427'] I'm questioning whether this instance is appropriate in an r'n'b classic :-D [/quote] Being pedantic. . . . at the time we called it Soul Music. R&B was a totally different thing.

[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1507835059' post='3388323'] Yep, insured to drive once the stitches are out, [/quote] OK. Have a good gig.

Is 10 days the time allotted for this operation by your insurance company? They will have a sliding scale for operations and periods they won't cover you whilst recuperating.

No, that was Martin Blunt. Pay attention.

6345789. . . . It's the same line as on the original. They tried to keep the same bass pattern running through the Middle 8 chord sequence. While it sounds OK to me, a different line could have sounded more "natural".

Duck Dunn just about rescues crashing into the first chorus on Sam and Dave's Soul Man. If the groove was good then the mistakes stayed. Time and tape was expensive back then and most bass lines "disappeared" when you played the record on your Dansette or listened to it on the car radio.

[quote name='squire5' timestamp='1507803522' post='3388021'] Or is it just me?.....[/quote] Just you I'm afraid. There are a lot of bass lines that don't follow the root and they aren't "out of tune" or wrong. Squeeze pushed the envelope on "discordant" bass lines a great deal further with Tempted. And that worked well. This guy could be reading the lines that the arranger wrote or he could be playing his own lines. If the latter he's wouldn't have made the final cut if the producer and BD hadn't wanted it that way. And what's wrong with the song? It's a good pop song.