chris_b

That Genz was shutdown is the reason that FMIC is in trouble. The management have no idea of the business they are in. In their minds they are just selling Fender widgets and Fender is so iconic that everyone should just buy the brand, because it's Fender. I worked for IBM at a time when they couldn't respond to the competition, who were killing them with innovation and great products. They just thought the name IBM on a product should be enough when it was obvious that it wasn't. Recently both David Nordschow and Dan Lakin have been on gardening leave and, surely could have been made offers that would have brought their proven talents to Fender, to everyone's advantage. But Fender decided to get Bono on board instead!!!! That's all you need to know.

My covers band works at least 2 nights a week covering an area from Ramsgate to Reading and Luton to Brighton. We usually play each venue about 2 or 3 times a year and realistically we are not going to bring an audience to many gigs in such a large area. What we can do (should be able to do) is attract the pubs music punters with a good evening. They can dance, sing, request numbers or just listen, but here's the problem. Most music pubs don't think it's their job to put on a consistently high level of band so that punters actually want to go to the venue week in week out. Not many will remember us after 4 months, but they will remember the crap band that was dull and too loud who were on last week. It costs a lot to go out for an evening and punters don't want to go home feeling they've wasted their money. The landlords who expect the band to bring the audience and all they have to do is sell the beer are just plain lazy.

Interesting conclusion. I'd be trying to work out why [i]I[/i] didn't understand what she was saying.

The last stack I owned was a 100w Hiwatt through 2 412 cabs, in 1973. The rig I used a few years ago on some stunningly loud Led Zeppelin gigs was 650 watts of Thunderfunk going through 2 Bergantino AE210 cabs. These days big just means big.

You can't blame One Direction. It's not their fault.

20 years?!?!

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1414416263' post='2589029'] ...I just dont get it!!... [/quote] So it seems. Think about something else.

The only GB amp I've heard was the 9.2 through a Barefaced BB2 and it sounded huge. It filled the room with full, fat, warm, clear, well defined bass. It's what made me buy my BB2 and now I'm saving up for GB 9.2.

Get an Aguilar TH500 right now, then start saving for some good cabs (a 212, 2 112's or 2 210's).

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1414245777' post='2587458'] ....I can never quantify this feeling but I get it with various drummers.... [/quote] +1 I'm doing some gigs with a great drummer, but it's taken me a long time to feel comfortable playing with him. He doesn't seem to vary the beat at all. It feels mechanical but when I listen to the recordings his playing is spot on. I play with other guys who are all over the place but playing with them just feels "right".

Bad, bad news. . . . . Saw Cream many times and he never failed to give a thundering performance. I also saw Jack Bruce excelling in Tony Williams Lifetime and the John L Walters band.

My toes still curl up when I think about it! So I'm not telling. On another occasion; we had a girl in the audience of a residency we did who fancied the drummer. She used to get up and dance on stage. Not very pretty but lively. One night she got carried away and got her tits out. Big. Nice. Then even more carried away and flashed at the drummer. . . displaying a perfect "meat and 2 veg"!! Apparently she/he was saving up for the rest of the change over!

Just check out the music that came out of Stax, American Sound Studio, Muscle Shoals, Hi, Fame and Malaco in the 60's and 70's.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1414155247' post='2586508'] ...valve amps don't sound good below 2 or 3 on the dial... [/quote] If that's the case then the guitarist's using the wrong amp.

I don't think there is a one size fits all answer. I spent nearly all my formative years playing with drummers of varying abilities, so I tried to hit the beat exactly but feel like I was leaning into it. Keeping time and pushing the number along. I've been playing with very good drummers for years now and I my preference is to hit the beat whilst leaning backwards, but how I actually play will be decided by the drummer, the band and the number, as they all need different approaches.

In my opinion you have moved up a rung with the new amp, so you should be checking out better cabs. Are you looking at a 410 and 115 for volume, tone or looks? More volume doesn't always get you heard on stage, but better tone and definition will. With my LM2 I used a Mesa Boogie EV 115, 2 Aguilar GS112's and then an Epifani UL410, all of which went pretty loud while making a great sound. Now I'm using a 700 watt 212 cab that will go much louder and (IMO) sound a lot better than your current 2 cab rig. I'd look at using smaller, better designed cabs with your new amp.

Over the years guitarists have done for my ears, but it was my fault. I should have bought my ACS plugs a lot earlier than I did. They're not all bad, but these days most of the guitarists I play with run the band so I just turn up and play as loud as they do. I usually don't play with "wall of sound/half stack" merchants and while I'd rather be playing with less volume, my rig does sound good when I turn up.

If you run the amp flat out, then you might damage the 250 watt cab, but I never had my LM2 over half and it was loud enough for me. If you want more volume don't turn it up just add the second cab. I always daisy chain cabs but you can do either. Why do you need new cabs? The ones you have might sound great. Play this rig for awhile before you look to change it. If you buy good cabs then you don't need a 15 for the low end. That might have been the case 30 years ago when bass cabs generally weren't as well designed, but you'll get more bass out of a modern 410 than any 15.

The modular approach works for me.

Yeah, sorry. . . I meant rock as a generic term covering everything electric since the 50's.

The real question is what do you want to do with your bass playing. If you only want a hobby and a knock around with your mates then you don't need to know much. If you want to take your playing as far as you can then education should be very important to you. Every aspect you don't know is a limitation that can "hurt" you. I know guys who like my playing but won't book me because I don't sing, another because I don't play double bass. I don't see why electric bass won't work in a Rock-a-Billy band, but decisions made by others always affect and limit your life in music. Don't give them a stick to beat you. If you're in any way serious you have to be able to play by ear and you have to understand music as it relates to your instrument. Reading the dots can be very helpful, but tab isn't a thing you have to learn to be a complete player. My heroes Pino, Duck Dunn and John McVie can't read music, but Jamerson, Nathan East and Wilton Felder can. The great thing about rock is that you can do a little, all or none of this and still be a good bass player, but whatever you do you'll do it better with a good ear.

My Lull is set up low. That's the way I got it. No interest in what the numbers are. I've just had the Lakland fret stoned and set up low by the Gallery. I'm sure both basses could go lower but they are easy to play and sound fine just as they are. If the action is high I'll play harder which I'd rather not do, so, to save my hands and wrists, I play a low action as lightly as I can. This style seems to improve the quality of the tone with the rig I'm using these days.

We all wear black. The second guitarist wears black, with brown shoes!!!

A 5 string bass has worked for everything I've been asked, or wanted, to play for the last 25 years. From originals through covers, blues, soul, rock, folk etc. IME a good 5 will excel at any genre you want to play. I find a 5 much more flexible, convenient to play and it just sounds better.

I put the cab where it sounds best, even if that's in the middle of the stage and you're stuck on the other side.