chris_b

+1 Do it all. . . . light bass, good strap, Pilates, reduce the size and weight of your rig and get a trolley.

Nice version. Nice playing. Disco doesn't suck. . . . it never did. It was/is very good at doing what it was intended to do; making people happy and keeping them dancing all night.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1493429738' post='3288296'] In someways I think the new players are smarter and more advanced technically than my generation. [/quote] I see a conveyor belt of players coming out of the music colleges who are at a technical level, a level of ability that couldn't have been dreamed of when I started, but the one thing that many of them can't manage is to sit on a groove. Do they teach simplicity at these colleges? If you want a dozen great notes in the blink of an eye, they are the players for you but if you want solid, soul wrenching and effective playing don't ask any of those guys.

The other issue arising from shed burglaries is that once in your shed the a-holes have access to enough tools to get into your house. A good spade and fork could make short work of your UPC or wooden back doors, including the locks.

Good news.

I don't care what genre we're playing, I'd rather play with a good player winging it than a not-so-good player getting it right!

[quote name='Rocker' timestamp='1493234764' post='3286844'] [color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]. . . . I was crippled and sick with a sore back. Lower back area. My bass is heavy, as are all basses, . . . . [/font][/color][color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif] What solutions are out there to solve this problem? [/font][/color] [/quote] Define "heavy" and actually no. . . . not all bases are heavy. Mine aren't and you don't need a heavy bass to get a good sound. You've highlighted the problem. Get a lighter bass.

Genz made a 110 combo. The one with the amp clipped on to the top.

Back in the day we all used big cabs because we had no other other choice. I played loud and 412's and 215's was all you could buy that would fill the room. I now use "little" cabs because some clever guys decided to build cabs that sound great and loud in small and light formats. These small cabs are as loud as bigger cabs (mine sound better), and will go even louder if you use several of them. In very loud bands I used to run a 610 which was replaced by a 3 112 stack of fantastic Berg cabs, which changed into 2 "super" 112's. My current 2 112's are louder than the 3 112's which were louder than any 410 I've owned and even louder than my 610. Did I say they also sound better? So small cabs can be used in any playing situation. You might need a couple of them and the budget will have to be bigger but they [i]will[/i] work. If your experience is limited to "older" cabs then all of this won't appear logical. To the guys who believe that you need big cabs to cut through or 15's for "the low end", believe me . . . things have changed. . . . a lot. You can buy big cabs if you want, but now you don't have to.

+1 for levelling the pickup. I just bought a reasonably expensive Jazz and couldn't work out why the top end was being overpowered by the bass frequencies, until I noticed that the pickups weren't level. The G and D side was lower in the body. I don't know how the previous owner got an even sound out of the instrument. Anyway, I levelled pickups and even that little bit of adjustment made a significant improvement to the overall balance and sound. While you''re at it, I'd also set up the action and put on a new set of strings.

Bands I liked that didn't last. . . . That describes so many of the bands I've been in!!!!

What did the other guys say at the end of the day? If they're talking about more recordings I'd say they think it's all OK. I'd stick with it and see how the gig goes.

Back in the day, my Marshall and Hiwatt stacks sounded great as did my Peavey, Ampeg and Dual Showman 215's and every 810 I've used has been sonic nirvana. Using great sounding cabs has always been the aim and these days the design of some small cabs means I can use a 112 if I really have to and I'll know that most gigs will be fine. I would have never imagined I could say this. What a great time to be a bass player. On the other hand I think 2 112 cabs sound so much better (even at lower volumes) that I always use both. 2 21lb trips is wonderful and if I really needed to knock down more walls I'd just get a third 112.

Jesse Winchester died in 2014 and I "discovered" him in 2015. Bugger! Still, one of my bands now does 2 of his songs.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1493019994' post='3284789'] I guess also thst for Fender, shipping instruments by the container-load round the globe $60 for a CITES certificate covering 300 instruments is no big deal. [/quote] Does the certificate cover the whole 300 or does each bass need it's own paperwork?

Bands that didn't last? All the John Mayall bands, Cream, The Jeff Beck Group and Fleetwood Mac. IMO these bands were redefining musicianship and didn't last long nearly long enough. Then there's Kokomo, Gonzales and Oblivion Express. There were some fantastic bands that hardly got on the radar.

Seems to me that you're teetering on the edge of falling into the trap. . . . that a 3 piece means you have to play more and/or change your sound. I'd start with your usual tone until you know if it works or not.

The other point is that these a-holes will usually trash anything they can't steal so stopping them getting into the shed is the best idea, but if you don't, fix a sheet of ply over the front of the cab when it's not in use, so they can't kick the front in.

I'd spend the extra on bolts, grills, locks and an alarm to stop these guys getting into the shed in the first place. Carpet gripper on the top of your fences would be a start. Whatever you choose I'd also get a couple of shelf brackets and bolt the cab to the floor.

Many thanks to Pete for a great sale. Deal with confidence.

Bernard Edwards was a powerful and unique payer, but listening to BE then and Chic now, I think there are several points to think about. As we know, the sound is mainly in the person, their style and technique, but more importantly, Nile Rodgers doesn't try to make Jerry Barnes play like BE or even sound like him. So the guy actually playing in Chic doesn't have to sound like Chic! He is allowed to play sounding like himself. BE is a great player and like all the other great players we shouldn't be trying to sound exactly like him, just assimilating him into our own styles.

Louis Johnson also got his great slap sound (in the early days) playing an SR with flats.