SumOne

Nice one. I've now bought one of them. I was considering being cheap and buying a big storage bag, but can't get the right size and it wouldn't be that much cheaper anyway.

I'm looking for a Cab cover for a Markbass MB58R 102 but the Markbass and Roqsolid ones cost nearly £100 which seems a bit steep to me being about 20% of the price of the new cab for something that is only really thick enough to stop cosmetic scrapes and keep the rain off when going from car to gig (they don't seem to offer much real protection to things like being bashed or dropped). Anyone aware of cheaper options (like a big paddleboard bag or storage bag), or success with a DIY option?

I do really like the FI, but there must be some reason (other than I'm very fickle!) that I think I've bought/sold the v3 twice and the v4 once. It's difficult to put my finger on exactly what, but for me there is just something about it that ends up frustrating me and thinking 'time to get back to playing'! The octave jump tracking warble thing annoyed me with v3 (I think it's sorted with v4), and v4 I dunno but it took me many hours trying to connect it to my Laptop and in the end I gave up. That was almost certainly an issue with my Laptop, but I haven't had that issue with any other pedals or interfaces (other than the NUX MLD Preamp) so in a way it is an issue with the FI - It'd be like not being able to start a car and the manufacturer saying 'ah yes, but did you open the passenger door first - because it won't work if you do that, and did you remember to put your seatbelt on before putting the key in - because it won't start otherwise'. I think that hands-on, low-fuss elements are what is making the MXR so popular particularly for live use.

It seems to me that more often than not it isn't the ones that are 'appropriated' that get offended - it is other people getting offended on their behalf. I think the biggest risk is if it is a straight-up copy (including accents and clothes etc) it starts to obviously not be genuine and seems a bit naff. 'Keep it real' and all that.

My latest ad on joinmyband: Reggae players assemble! I'm a Bass player aiming to put together a Reggae backing band - something like Soul Syndicate, Upsetters, Roots Radics, Soul Vendors, Friendly Fire Band, Taxi Gang, Uppercut Band. The ambition is to support guest vocalists (live and studio). So if you play Reggae and have a decent knowledge of it (know what someone's on about if they ask for 'Baltimore', 'Heavenless', 'Full up', 'Stalag' etc.) give me a shout. I'm in Chichester, but play/rehearse with bands in Worthing and Brighton so don't mind a bit of travel.

Nice one. Since that first post in 2021 I've moved house to Chichester. I'm now in a ska/reggae band that plays local pubs/small festivals about once a fortnight, and in an original reggae band that is just doing rehearsals and recording to try and get an album and gig amount of songs. So I'm all good for being in bands right now..... although come to think of it, I would like to put together a decent reggae backing band to support guest vocalists, ambition being to one day back some of my reggae vocalist heroes.

Yeah I wish more companies got onto it. I tried doing it myself with sparkle rattle cans, and then tried again with glitter and clear coat, but both times were a bit of a disaster!

You're right - that is a great Reggae bass tone. Lloyd Park and Robbie Shakespeare and both credited as bass players on that 'chapter 3' album. I'd guess that particular one is a Robbie bassline/tone.

I'm working my way through the Joe Gibbs 'African Dub' albums today. Chapters 1 & 3 are probably my favourite:

Thanks (sorry for the late reply - I've only just seen your response). I've still got my eye on getting a Ray 34 Purple Sparkle: I've got to admit though, it is almost entirely down to the paint-job that I want one. I've always wanted a purple sparkle funk-machine! (What's more funky than Purple Sparkle Stingray? Nothing!....well, apart from perhaps a Purple Sparkly Bootsy Space Bass, but I don't think anyone apart from Bootsy can pull off that level of funk!) My main 'wants' for a Bass = Light, Passive, front facing jacks, headless, Purple Sparkle. ....so it seems that the paint job might make up for the other things!

Linval Thompson Meets Lone Ark - Marijuana Sessions in Dub (also called 'Linval Thompson meets Roberto Sanchez At the Ark' ....seems to be a running theme of Linval Dub albums having multiple names....but don't get Scientist started on that!). https://alonereggaeshop.bandcamp.com/album/linval-thompson-meets-roberto-s-nchez-at-the-ark-marijuana-sessions-in-dub-lp "After having backed Linval Thompson during shows in Spain, France and Portugal in 2009, the link between Jamaican producer Linval Thompson and Roberto Sánchez of the Lone Ark Riddim Force has become a strong one. They have collaborated on various recordings and releases for multiple labels. Linval also shared original material he produced at Channel One in the late ’70s and early ’80s, including a lot of material that hadn’t been dubbed. Among the files he sent was a significant portion of the riddims recorded in the sessions for his self-produced second album, I Love Marijuana, released in 1978. This album is a must-listen for any serious roots reggae enthusiast! Therefore, it was inevitable that some day a project featuring dubs would be unveiled. And here it is. Entitled Marijuana Sessions In Dub, this 10-track dub album was mixed by Roberto Sánchez out of Linval Thompson’s original 1978 Channel One/King Tubby’s tapes. Most of the riddims come from his first self-produced sessions for the I Love Marijuana album. Only a limited number of tracks from that album have been previously released as 7-inch singles, alongside their dub counterparts, or as part of other albums. This compilation marks the first time that many of these tracks have been officially dubbed for an album. The album features a lineup of renowned musicians from that era, including Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Leroy “Horse Mouth” Wallace, Carlton “Santa” Davis, Earl “Chinna” Smith, “Ossie” Hibbert, Ansel Collins, and Sly Dunbar. Marijuana Sessions In Dub features seven dubs of tunes included in the original album. Although some of the songs were dubbed before on 7″ or dub LPs, some of them are dubbed here for the first time. Included are dubs of I love Marijuana, Big Big Girl, Not Follow Fashion, Just Another Girl, Dread Are The Controller, Roots Lady and Starlight. The three last tracks of the set are dub versions of songs from the same Channel One period, including Cheater Dub, which is a different version of Lion Dub from the Negrea Love Dub album. Linval’s classic album remains a cornerstone of the reggae genre, and Roberto Sanchez’s dub edits are of equally high caliber, reflecting the exceptional quality of the original material. Each track has been mixed while honoring the original sound and adhering to the dub tradition. This was achieved by utilizing an analog delay and spring reverb on an MCI mixing board, along with the use of an original Altec low pass filter. One for fans of vintage dub music."

I think this bit is the end of a boutique bass:

Yes, I bought a MegaPara from them and all was good.

Someone recently gave me their band 'card' which was also a sticker with a name/logo and a QR code. It looks good enough that it is stuck on my amp case giving some advertising and a more permanent reminder than a card sat in a draw.

Pablo Gad, Trafalgar Square (Album)

I recently played at a rehearsal room that had a LM IV and a Markbass Traveller 102P and my first impression is 'what's that little thing?! That'll be far too weak' ( I play in a 8 piece Reggae/Ska band and for the Reggae bits in particular I go loud and low with my Ashdown RM500 and Tecamp 212 600w cab). ....but after a couple of songs and dialling in the EQ I thought 'wow, this is really loud/punchy and clear', it was plenty loud enough and had enough low end. We got to the end of the rehearsal and without any prompting the guitarist commented on how good it sounded. I guess the 102 Energy is even better (better freq response 40Hz-20KHz vs 45Hz- 18Khz, lighter 11kg vs 14.5kg, but the traveller does win at being slightly smaller and about £90 cheaper). My Tecamp 212 isn't exactly heavy (I think 19kg), but can feel plenty heavy enough to carry into gigs from the car - especially is steps are involved and negotiating past pub punters, and it is a big box of a thing that needs to live in the garage. These Markbass options are a lot lighter and smaller and it seems that the sound won't be compromised other than perhaps a bit less trouser flapping low end that the Tecamp 600w 212 can achieve. So the upshot is, I'm now considering selling my cab and going for the Markbass MB58R 102 Energy or perhaps the Traveller.

I worked in a team of two doing manual work - which meant a lot of time in a Transit van, at cafes, or just chatting while working. The guy who was my boss turned out to be racist, but given the situation I didn't directly confront him right from the start - I didn't agree with him or encourage him but gradually questioned his thinking, over time he admitted that it was how he was bought up, is the news he consumes, and for him it basically came from a place of fear of 'different' and angry about his lot in life - it wasn't actually due to anything that had specifically happened to him by different races. More time passed, more discussions, long-shot was that over the course of a year he pretty much completely changed his views and went from voting BNP to being a strong Corbyn supporter. I dunno, in some ways it seemed he swung from one extreme to the other rather than just chilling out! I've known another racist, a relative. She seems genuinely scared of 'small boats' and all those sort of stories, add to that from Covid for about 4 years she didn't leave the house and barely does now - not for any specific medical reason, just that she is scared of the world. There's no reasoning with her, it's difficult not to feel sorry for her though. And I know a guy that is almost the definition of a homophobe, he jokes but is literally scared 'I'm not going in the toilet while he's in there' sort of stuff. I don't confront him that forcefully other than poking fun at his irrational fear 'he'd never fancy you' sort of stuff. I now mostly feel pity for people having those sort of views - they seem to live quite irrationally fearful and angry lives, so I don't know about potential band mates - I'm not sure someone being fearful/ill-informed/stupid is reason to not play music with them. And most of the time these attitudes are only a very small part of a personality.

Yeah, it can sound better without anything, but I think it all depends on what music you play. It's like 'my ice cream actually tastes better without tabasco sauce on it'. Stuff like classic Blues, Motown, Rock n Roll, Reggae etc. often sound better without any 'hot sauce'! But some songs really need effects, threads like this 'Chorus, what songs need it?' https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/514762-chorus-what-songs-need-it/ Or, you'd have trouble re-crating the Bassline from Thundercat's 'Them Changes' without an envelope filter, or Electric Wizard's 'Funeralopolis' without some heavy distortion/fuzz. I wouldn't give up on the hot sauce, it just needs to be used where appropriate.

Nate Smith:

In the nicest way, it is worth remembering that audiences don't really care (unless they are aficionados that paid a lot to see your technical skill). Everyone with be supportive.

The Heptones, Good Life ... nice bassline to play along to.

If I'm playing 'clean' then I like a compressor early in the chain and quite subtle so it doesn't kill all playing dynamics but evens things out a bit before it goes through the preamp/Amp (and some compressors add a bit of a specific tone). If I'm doing slap/pop then I have it set up a bit more like a limiter (high threshold, high ratio). If I use things like an envelope filter then I like the compressor to be after it and a bit more like a limiter - so the subtle dynamics of playing get through to trigger the filter (or not), but then any really loud envelope filter peak noises get reduced. I feel that multi-fx are good for compression as you can take these things into account for different presets, or easily use more than one compressor/limiter in a signal chain.

I've played a couple of small outdoor festivals and they usually lack the energy and audience connection of a more tightly packed indoor venue (ideally I'd like 100 club on a busy night sort of thing, I expect most people would prefer to have seen bands like The Who, the Clash, Sex Pistols, Oasis etc. there than a stadium), so I don't think a massive crowd is necessarily on my wish list - but need a good up for it crowd is needed. Anything else is a bonus for the mundane stuff (good sound, easy access, not too far to travel, free food/drinks).