chris_b

Shops like GAK, Guitar Guitar and Andertons have sorted out their business model, so the shop is now just the front for their internet operation. That is the future of higher value musical instrument sales.

+1 Ted, I think we're wrong to focus on bass frequencies. How low can your rig go, etc. The emphasis of most recorded bass is in the mids and low mids so IMO we need less bass and more mids to get a better live tone. I never have boom or mud in my sound and I put that down to my Berg cabs tightly controlling the bass frequencies.

I don't know the AC/DC version, I just love what these guys do with the song. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay_jN3KHp5c[/media]

Many music shops haven't made the leap to online selling and are finding they can't survive in the internet age, so they will stock what they know they can sell. I would guess that for every bass player purchase they get they will sell something to 100 guitarists. They are not "idiots" just businesses trying to get by. That's why the stock is always skewed the way it is. The days of having a local music shop with a stock of great bass gear (even for me in London) have gone and will never come back, but great shops catering for bass exist. You just have to make it a day out to get to one.

I once put a J pickup on a P bass and unfortunately the improvement wasn't as much as I was expecting. I play a PJ these days with the J switched off, because I find the P is much better on its own. So before you get into the potentially messy and expensive business of modding the bass (with an uncertain outcome) I'd look at trying out a preamp, such as the Aguilar Tone Hammer. It's an OBP-3 on board preamp in a pedal and would almost certainly warm up your sound.

I've used Markbass and TC amps with 2 Berg 112 cabs and they both sounded great. I even used an Ampeg SVT3PRO and it sounded very good. Can you stretch your budget a little further? If you can get to £450 - £500 you have a wider range of amps available to you. Like the Genz STL 9.2 and Aguilar TH500.

I'd forget the castors and get a trolley.

I occasionally work at our local Uni. The stress levels there have been pretty high for the last 4 weeks. Hope all went well for you.

They do sound good, don't they. I briefly had the MB2, but it was a 4 string and fretless. Both together made my brain explode so sadly it was sold on, but it was the best sounding bass I've played in a long time. Have fun.

Phil Harris is in his 60's and wants to slow down. The kids have other careers, so sadly a closing down sale it is. Our drummer is a mate.

When they first signed to Motown The Supremes got 1% each. I don't think Van Morrison even got that much when he signed up to his first management deal in the US. What ever you think of the songs, it's wrong that he gets so little for world wide hits such as Brown Eyed Girl and Moondance.

Love Affair were not very proficient. Steve Ellis' timing is all over the place. Time was money, and the studio players were used because they got the job done in 2 takes. Many bands got ripped off, mainly by their management, but using studio players to avoid paying the band royalties is a new one on me.

And a lot of it has already been sold.

Make sure you've got a couple of good bands to underpin the depping. It's even more flakey than normal band work. I built up a roster of about 7 good bands that I depped for on a regular basis, but after a couple of very good years with the regular bands turned into a down turn, I discovered I wasn't being called any more. If you're not available when they want you you'd better be very good or they'll find someone else, and there are a lot of great players out there.

Not saying there will be no vibration at all, but it is unusual to have so much that it will rattle the amp off the top of the cab. As you say the feet not gripping could be the actual problem. Anyway, you've fixed the problem, so all's good.

Really? Who told you that?

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1432041880' post='2777469'] when was the last time that any of us told a guitarist that they sounded amazing [/quote] I do. I usually comment to everyone if the gig was a good one, and if someone plays a blinder I'll tell them. One of our guitarists is using his 210 Fender now instead of the 410 combo, after we discussed the band and his sound. I think he gets a much better sound now. You can achieve all sorts of things with positive comments.

It's great to get confirmation from the guys that you're doing something right. Some bands do that, but some like several of mine never say a word.

I'm using a Bergantino CN212 and before that I had 2 AE112's and 2 AE210's. No vibrations at all. For amps these days I'm usually playing my Aguilar TH500 or the Thunderfunk 750. We're not quiet.

For years I've use foam under all my amps. I started in valve amp days as a way to protect the valves. But if your amp is vibrating off the cab I'd suggest you should change the cab. Those vibrations are wasted tone. The cab should be rigid and all the movement, the speaker cone, should only be pushing air and your wonderful tone and volume out of the front of the cab, not moving the walls of the cab around. As I say, your inefficient cab is wasting your tone and volume.

I played a couple of Foderas at Bass Gear. What amazing instruments. The quality and authority of the tone oozed out of them. Each note sounded sooooo good. I didn't GAS over them at all but I can see exactly what the buzz is all about. You're a lucky chap if one of those beauties is on your bucket list.

[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1432021829' post='2777243'] .... there you have a 'dep set,' or a ' someone just left the band set,) all ready to go.... [/quote] We put together a simplified set if we're using a dep. It makes sense and gives you a fighting chance that the night will go well even if 25% of the band aren't familiar with the material. On the other hand, you'd be surprised how many bands (even some of the good ones) give you a list of numbers and then proceed to play completely different songs on the night. Some of the numbers are completely unbuskable; like a chord per bar and key changes. It's stupid and unprofessional really. They've wasted my time and put me under needless pressure on the night when I should be concentrating on other things.

I don't know how you learn a repertoire as a dep in bands you've never heard before. They'll probably play the numbers in different keys and may use different arrangements. Then there are dep gigs where you'll be expected to read the dots. How's your reading? I always ask for a set list and if there are any originals I ask for mp3's. I chart the songs I don't know and use a music stand. I don't care what anyone thinks about that. My objective is to sound better and fit the band better than the guy I'm depping for.

The OP seems to have gone to sleep. And we still don't know what he wants to play. This is what I think of as Country these days (as opposed to the[i] and Western[/i] type). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vulqnx4S7p4