chris_b

Forget the battery and go passive.

I've gone about a light as I can while maintaining a great tone at any volume level between very quiet and very loud. I'm using an Aguilar TH500 and 1 or 2 BF Super Compacts.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1479830404' post='3179632'] That's not an option for all bands. Some bands can't find a decent primary drummer or a dep. [/quote] True. . . but it seems this band isn't even looking.

Lots of negative posts, but there's nothing so negative as having to sit at home when you could be gigging. If you have trouble with the dep then you've chosen the wrong guy. [i][b]Don't choose the wrong guy[/b]![/i] If the band is so inflexible that they can't accommodate some "differences" in the way their songs are played then they really should be getting out, playing with other musicians and working through this inexperience. I know good deps. This Saturday we are a scratch band of guys who know each other but don't regularly play together. We have a set list from the singer, we know what we should be playing, we've done our homework and it's going to be a great gig. This doesn't happen over night but with experience anyone can make this work.

[quote name='HengistPod' timestamp='1479816615' post='3179473'] It's alright for the multi-band guy, but not handy when you get offered gigs and the drummer is out with his wedding band ... again. [/quote] Don't just accept sitting at home as an alternative. . . . get a good dep drummer.

Make sure the main band are not skimming your profits on the merchandise. Ensure you get a good pitch, where you'll be seen. Preferably beside the main band's merchandise area.

My only experience of Reidmar gear was using a 2 110 and the 250 as a provided back line on a pretty quiet gig. With the bass boost engaged I was pretty impressed by the sound. If the 750 has any of that tone it should be on everyone's evaluation list.

Why bother? Just doing my homework and evaluating an area of the bass world that I know nothing about . If I try and forget my back episodes, I also have arthritis developing in my shoulder and left thumb. These may or may not beat public disinterest in ending my career as a bass player. Just trying to be prepared.

Get a good accountant.

Peter Cook's really was a hidden treasure. Sorry to hear that it's gone. My wife bought me a Fender Precision Special from there in the mid 80's. The shop manager in the early 70's was Chris?? anther bass player. We used to dep for each other.

That's why I said "best". There must be one that is better than the others or do they all do this job equally well/badly?

Chris, you're right it stinks. You are being taken advantage of, bullied and ripped-off. But. . . this always was the norm for many big tours in years gone by. Also if you start to go down better with the fans than the main band they'll throw you off the tour. It's not fair but neither was Don Arden holding people halfway out of open second floor windows or the contract that Van Morrison signed that gives him a minute percentage of the royalties of many of his early hits (the list goes on for ever). . . . as they say "that's show business". You have to decide if you're just paying for the ride or if you will actually get something positive and worthwhile out of this experience.

But, which one is best if all you want to do is play bass lines and sound very much like a bass guitar?

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1479665084' post='3178273'] I always liked Bing, myself. That laid back, cheek puffing style of his was a winner. [/quote] Especially with his kids.

Mods. . . just delete the whole thing!

Imagine if/when your hearing sounds like that when you have no plugs in?

In the cut throat West Coast studio business you don't become a first call bass player on thousands of hit records by not being one of the best. She made her Motown claims and doesn't seem to have added further information so it's difficult to know exactly what was going on there. Until we know more it's pretty easy to throw insults around but impossible to back any of them up with facts. Get a grip guys.

I don't know Zoot cabs but Thunderfunk amps are a work of art. My 750 has the 800 upgrade which lets it run down to 2 ohms but I believe the standard 750 can do 2.67. Email Dave Funk and find out. Either way I've owned a TF since 2007, first the 550 and now the 750 and they have sounded fantastic through every cab I've owned since then. Amps come and go, Aguilar x2, TC x2, Markbass x2 and a GK but a TF remains. Good move.

I always keep my plugs in my gig bag. That way, if I'm playing, I've got them. These days I can't play without hearing protection, so I carry foam plugs as a backup in the gig bag and also accessories case.

I had a Vox Foundation. 18" cab (weighed a ton and no handles! How did that get past the design team!!) and 50 watt amp, which caught fire in the studio on my very first recording session! IMO On the gear front, these are far happier days. I would suggest a quality 112 cab and a good 350 watt amp, but If you want to go lighter than the GK then rather than breaking the bank, I'd look at the Barefaced One10 and an Aguilar TH350 or maybe a GK MB200 amp.

Sad news. The Dap-Kings were a great band.

I've used ER15's for about 8 years in some pretty loud bands. I'm thinking about getting new ones and the PRO17's look interesting.

IMO Lakland and Mike Lull make Jazz and other 2 pickup basses that sound a lot better. Maybe replacement pickups would improve the sound of your Jazz basses.

OK, but it's a technique tip that is good even if you don't have any hand problems. I'm getting some arthritis in the base of my left thumb which is concentrating my focus on things like this. Obviously it's for you to decide if the info you get is appropriate or not. Good luck with sorting this out.

OK, so I'll say the usual. . . if your fretting hand is stretching you're doing it wrong. Always move your whole hand to place your fingers over the note and never [i]reach[/i] for it. Don't play with your thumb anchored to one place. Your left hand should always be "on the move".