TimR

Superb, thanks Andrew. Bookmarked!

Someone on here once said that just being a cover band was too bland to sell. If you are a 90s/00s pop-rock or 70s punk, or 80s funk/disco you are much easier to market. The pubs/venues will be able to sell you and you will draw the people who know what they like. There is no reason I can see to be playing wedding/function tunes in a pub. If a pub band started playing that type of music I'd be out of there. BUT the general wedding/functions cover band is the same as a disco. How many times does the DJ trot out ABBA, New York New York etc. They're just as bad as the cover bands. You are providing dance music for drunk people to celebrate to. Its easy and yes it leads to laziness but playing requests keeps the crowd happy. Saying that I've played plenty of gigs where you just start playing and people dance and no-one comes up and requests anything. What you are all overlooking is that a live band is "magic" to people who are not musicians and who don't go out every weekend to a gig. A friend of mine stood mesmerised in front of a band who quite simply were awful. Afterwards he said they were excellent and he had no idea how they all know what to play and made all the bits fit together. People love live drum kits. When they hear Mustang Sally they don't hear CFG ad infinitum, they hear and see magic, it something they know and is predictable and they can sing along to it. SO Whatever you do play needs to fit in to your style, be instantly recognisable and people must know the words.

White spirit is oil/paraffin based, I don't recommend it. Meths and surgical spirit are alcohol based. All are solvents and do the same thing but white spirit will leave a residue. I suspect what is happening is that the solvent is dissolving all the grease built up on the strings from your fingers. The grease will have particles of skin embedded in it. I doubt that the solvents will remove skin particles actually trapped in the windings or coils of the strings (If there is any). Very hot water will do the same but detergent will help. I also suspect that the strings age because as you stretch them they lose their elasticity. I usually have to tune up, I can't remember many occasions when I have to tune down but this may be due to slippage (is there such a word) of the tuners. I would think that weekly cleaning the strings with a cloth and meths (careful of the fretboard) would be easier and also extend their life.

Got to be similar to Sky £800 a month. Some nights no-one in, some nights pack the pub to the rafters. You need to have the regular bands in to keep the reputation of a live music pub.

[quote name='Bankai' post='1117323' date='Feb 6 2011, 04:05 AM']What actually makes a keeper is an emotional attachment. Instead people use keeper as a adjective for a bass that is technically good.[/quote] That's more like what I thought Clarky was saying in his OP hence my rambling post earlier [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=121807&view=findpost&p=1117167"]#39[/url] I thought he was asking what sort of person uses the word keeper? My basses have all been keepers apart from a 5-string that I rashly bought for £80 and was unplayable due to the neck dive. I bought it purely to see what a five string was like to play and to learn on with a view to possibly spending a lot of money on one in the near future. But I've never used the term keeper. Maybe because I've never really considered whether I would sell it later. If I'm spending a fair bit of money on a musical instrument I make sure it's right to start with.

The term "keeper" seems to me to be used by people who have tried several different basses and eventually been dissapoined by each one in tern and swapped them. Describing something as a keeper implies that you realise that you've been doing it and have now found the perfect one. The more fickle a persons nature the more likely they are to impulse buy and change their mind. That's what fickle means by definition. So this fickle nature soon shows and it wasn't the bass that they were not satisfied with but they way they looked at the bass. So having a fickle nature will ensure that their view of the "keeper" will also change. The less fickle of us will buy wisely and be happy with our purchases. Not a criticism just an observation. I knew a woman like that - she got through a lot of men. Heavy enough for you?

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='1108139' date='Jan 30 2011, 02:01 PM']Normal gig: ... Bessemer converter ...[/quote] Heavy metal band?

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1114575' date='Feb 3 2011, 09:37 PM']maybe it is for some, but for the most part, i really dont think its because of that reason..there not that thin skinned surely.. i asked Julian Crampton if hes come on BC, and he said he just doesnt get the time...[/quote] I suspect that anyone who has a busy life doesn't spend their time on forums. The pro musicians I know are either teaching all day and playing every night, or on the golf course. Maybe the golf forum would be the place to find them. I don't spend my free time down at TalkEngineering or EngineeringChat. Most will have a techinician to mend amps and basses and won't be spending all their time fiddling "under the hood". If they're rich enough they'll pay to get it fixed and if they're stuggling they'll be working to pay for the repairs

[quote name='teej' post='1108806' date='Jan 30 2011, 10:26 PM']Some food for thought here. I'll read back over it all again, but for now, I'll say I use a generator once a week on average all year round and have done for something like 12 years. I also know plenty of other acts who do this regularly. I guess one major difference is that we're using them in the street with less kit than most bands. Ours is a small Honda, the kind you can pick up with one hand and walk down the road with, powering a Yamaha Stagepas500 (with vocal and double bass into it), and a '70s Roland Cube for the guitar. In fact we don't add any more kit for gigs, but, being street performers we're starting out from a stripped down approach anyway.[/quote] This was my thought when looking into earthing etc. I bet you don't drive a spike though the pavement and get an electrician to test it.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1108511' date='Jan 30 2011, 07:18 PM']Can I just say in response to some of the shopping lists of "essentials" I did my first proper gig with a beat up cheap ass bit of korean Ply, a tuner and 2 cables 1 into and 1 out of the tuner (I think although I might have just unplugged to tune), a few picks and a copy of the setlist. Amp was a P.a. head through a 15" speaker borrowed from my uncle. No Gig bag, no spares, no effects and no tools. We thought that would be it done our gig had a laugh call it a day instead we got nearly another 7 years out of it . I did get my own amp soon after though [/quote] I didn't even have a tuner. Spent years building up a bag of essentials (or "be able to continue playing if a meteorite struck in the middle of a gig" bag). Then realised I never used or needed most of them and pared right down to the real essentials. The only real unusual essential item I have now is buldog clips and clothes pegs for windy outdoor gigs - they keep the music from blowing away.

[quote name='Marvin' post='1108049' date='Jan 30 2011, 12:37 PM']She (meaning me!) reads these from time to time No I'm not planning on extending the family! I was just curious (ok nosey) and Mr M didn't think many would reply. Plus I need some ideas of what 'bits and pieces' I can get him for b'day, christmas etc etc. ( oh I also know what most of the 'stuff' does generally ) Mrs Marvin xx[/quote] ROTFPMSL You've made my day. Although I will admit I'm easily pleased. You can never have too much Gaffa tape, too many spare strings or 9v batteries. But it is a very personal thing so I tend to ask my wife for specifics or I end up with some very nice well meant things but I would have bought different ones. So maybe I'm not that easily pleased

[quote name='Marvin' post='1107997' date='Jan 30 2011, 12:04 PM']I'm not particularly interested but the wife asked...[/quote] Be very careful here. If the wife is asking, the essential number of basses is n+1 where n is the number of basses you currently own. 'A bass and an amp and a few leads' is going to leave you seriously under-equipped. At the very least the answer should be an entire cupboard full of kit, possibly leaning towards a room full of kit. It is not necessary for you to explain what any of that kit does, how often you use it (if ever), or even if it is necessarily essential. All she needs to know is ALL that kit is what you NEED and if possible you need a bit more space for expansion. She's not planning on extending your family is she?

There's a huge discussion here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=120075"]Sound Guys that want to DI my guitar but not my amp[/url]

We had problems with volt drop on a very long extension lead when we played a gig. When we were asked to play again the next year we borrowed a genny. I think it was only a 2.2kV. we took it with us to every outdoor gig after that just incase. Rather than hiring lots of smaller gennys you're better getting one the right size. They're very quiet but everytime you add one you increase the sound. Put it as far away from the stage as possible, they sound loud if you listen for them but once your drummer starts they're inadiable, but that's nothing compared to the complaining your singer will do when they're breathing lungfuls of exhaust. As has been said before, add up all the ratings on your amps, but be aware that these are likely to be peak ratings. You'll only notice problems when pushing your gear to the limits and then proably only on the loud notes. Things that suffer when the voilts drop are the digital equipment, the amps tended to be OK soundwise but the reverb unit, feedback destroyer, keyboard and guitarists effects were all over the shop, lighting up like christmas trees and dropping out. We didn't earth it but I couldn't get any real info from anyone about doing this for temporary short term (3hours max) considering all the equipment we were using was in good condition. The genny had a metal frame in contact with the ground. If you are playing outside on grass (even in a marquee) it may be wise to insist on a wooden floor or at least a waterproof tarpaulin to stand on, even if it just stops any damp getting into your amp from the grass it's a wise electrical safety precaution. Turn your amps and everything OFF BEFORE you start or stop the genny. Your amps and your ears will thank you.

[quote name='digitalmetal' post='1104718' date='Jan 27 2011, 08:23 AM']This had been my feeling all along and the thinking behind the original post The obvious thing missing from this setup us is clean DI but is a clean really that important? just for the low end perhaps, I dont know, And this thread is making me begin to care less as everyone obviously has different opinions and i may just carry on with my thoughts of requesting My Di (with my valve distortion - what i consider my sound) along with the clean DI if the soundguy insists on that. I will do what i usually do and take a moment to stand out front during sound check to have a quick listen if it sounds too trebbley i will tell them.[/quote] Your situation is different to that of most of us in that you are using the drive from your amp as an effect. The problem is, as has already been noted, bass players have a habit of fiddling with their amps as their ears get used to the stage volume. If the DI is post EQ you have all sorts of problems. If the DI is taken pre EQ then it's only the pre-amp gain that the soundman has to worry about. I lent my amp to someone at a festival, during the set of 6 songs he must had adjusted something at the end of every song. Sometimes this is just nervousness. If you don't know the gear don't try to mess with it while performing. I couldn't hear any difference out front but the DI on my amp can be switched pre EQ or post EQ. when we played I found something that worked and left it as was for the entire set. We're all different.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1104121' date='Jan 26 2011, 06:08 PM']... but I don't think it's what most people want to hear...[/quote] If I could turn up to every gig with a DI box, a lead, my bass and a tuner, I would be a happy man indeed. In my last band I rehearsed through the PA in the rehearsal studio. It was excellent - turn up and play while the drummer was still polishing his cymbals - or whatever he did that took 3/4 of an hour to do....

[quote name='endorka' post='1102332' date='Jan 25 2011, 04:42 PM']Other people have advised you to walk a mile in a soundman's shoes to get perspective from their point of view; this is good advice. Jennifer[/quote] Someone been reading To Kill a Mocking Bird. Maybe take a rifle to the next gig? You could always take an overdrive pedal for use in cases where the soundman won't take a DI from your amp. At least you'll get 50% of the way there.

[quote name='digitalmetal' post='1102070' date='Jan 25 2011, 01:24 PM']Dont get me wrong im not expecting an exact replication of how i hear my sound to be out the front for the crowd , just somewhere near, What i heard from the PA that night was a night and day difference to my amp sound. What was coming from the PA was a clan twangy pop funk bass hifi sound (apologies for my crap description but im not so good at axplaining the sound). Where as my sound from my amp is [b]driven distortion[/b] blended with a fat low end without any high twang at all. Otherwise i may as well not bother taking my amp rig at all.[/quote] Essentially that was the problem in a nutshell. The amp is part of your effect. It actually looks like you have no option other than DI the amp. The problem is how do you convey this to the sound man.

This is a topic that comes up a lot. You've been given the answer, but it wasn't the one you liked so you picked the ones you did. If you point out that you have a DI on the back of your amp, I can see no reason why the soundman wouldn't use it. If the amp goes down mid set then that's your problem, you'll have to stop and he'll have to come up and DI you directly and soundcheck the band again on the fly. Maybe they've had bad experiences of band's gear frying their desks? I've seen some really dodgy equipment, usually, but not limited to, originals bands. As has been pointed out, the sound you like may not actually work in the venue or even in the mix even if it sounds nice in your rehearsal studio. Do you ever practice at low volumes to see how the mix sounds? It's not unusual for a soundman to get the job because he is a mate of the venue owner rather than because he is a top notch soundman, especially if it is a night of unpaid original acts on a low budget. If you have several bands on the bill and you can plug all the bass guitars direct in it saves a lot of EQing and time between acts checking signal levels - do that every night and you're just doing a routine that you know works. Unfortunately it's only you and the other bass player in the room who will notice 'your sound' and he might not even notice you're using an SVT. I would point out that you've got a DI on the amp already. IME that is usually is enough to do the job. After all it saves him using another bit of kit.

Doesn't your guitarist have a tuner? Both ours do. When I arrive at rehearsals the drummer is just finishing setting up, the guitarists have been playing for a while. I set up and am ready to play, the drummer finishes, we have a short chat and we play a number. This happens EVERY week the same. At the end of the first number I turn to one (the same!) guitarist and say "<GUITARIST>, have you checked your tuning?" He checks it and says "ah yes I'm a bit out." EVERY week without fail! He's 60 not 16!

I think facebook is a bit random on what it 'shows' to people. It seems to put a high importance on telling people that you have changed your profile pic or updated your status, but doesn't always show all your pictures that you publish, usually it only shows one or two from your album.

The Warwick forum is quite busy and worth digging around. www.warwickbass.com the Mods actually work for Warwick and talk directly to their tech guys very quickly, I've had replies to my questions in a matter of hours. Although bear in mind they're German so might have a different understanding or way of looking at things. The 3.1 amp seems to be thought to be undersized by many, but they need to be driven quite high above where the clip light comes on. I have the 5.1 and have been very impressed. If you can find the extra go for the 500w. Both are rated into 4ohms and 300W into 4ohms is not a lot. The other thing is that they do/did two ranges of speakers, the 410/411 and the 210/211. The 411/211 series are supposed to be their professional range and are much louder than the 410/210. There is no mention on their website of the 411 ND. Odd. I have the 211pro and coupled with the 5.1 it's loud enough for me. The 3.3 is discontinued by Warwick too. Odd. I would check exactly what you are buying!

[quote name='Roland Rock' post='1090620' date='Jan 15 2011, 04:47 PM']I'm going to defend the lowly Marlin Sidewinder! I picked up my silver Sidewinder along with a cheap 1x15 amp (Cougar) for £200 The output was fine, the tone lacked a bit of definition and character, but was acceptable, and the action was quite high, but it was a great starter bass. I managed to practice, gig and even record with it for about three years. Maybe I lucked out with a good example[/quote] Yes the action on mine was murderously high but once I ripped the frets and gave the truss rod some serious abuse it now tows the line (although a truss rod tweak is needed every now and then). I aso rewired the switch and put in vol/vol control and took out the capactor on the vol control. Helped a lot as the two pickups are really badly matched. I think it was around £100 in 1985 but it's nowhere near as good as what you can buy for around £200 now.

I still have a Marlin Sidewinder bass. I ripped out the frets using screwdriver and pliers and filled the slots (and gouges) with polyfilla. Sounds a lot nicer than you would expect!

OK. I've done some more research. The power supply does have a significant impact. But it's still the current that's causing the problems (in this case excessive volt drop). The transformer in my amp is 640W but the amp is rated at 500W into 4ohms. There's no 8ohm rating so that's not much help. Do the manufacturers get the transformers purpose wound or do they get them off the shelf to keep costs down? I also have a two channel 1500W into 2ohm poweramp. Its ****ing heavy! I'm guessing that the amp power is not restricted by having too small a transformer. More of a case that they use the smallest transformer they can that still gives the amp the power out that they require. They could probably put a bigger transformer in but I'm guessing that then they would have to redesign the amp to get more gain.