Beedster

And in drug terms, such basses would be termed 'responders' 👍

That wasn't as tongue in cheek as it sounded BTW, for example there's plenty of drugs that (appear to) work despite the fact that the mechanisms originally proposed by the developers have either been found absent or are present but not responsible for the drug's effect (SSRIs for example), hence my earlier comment about placebos

I suspect they don't really know why it works

That makes a lot of sense to me and - if I understand correctly - explains why Badass bridges seem to work wonders on some basses while making absolutely zero difference on others?

Useful post. Given that you can take a well mixed/mastered/produced album, play it through a top-end audio system in a flattering acoustic environment, and by messing with the controls make it sound bloody awful, the harm that can be done to the sound of an amateur/semi-pro band playing through a low/mid-price PA in a challenging acoustic environment is obvious. As is always the case, half the battle is having better gear, it's simply knowing how to use the gear you've got 👍

Italian cars have different design criteria (thank God). You might look at Volvo 😆

While most people here start threads for discussion, your first posts tend to feel like you want an argument. It might not be the case, but it is how they come across sometimes. You also tend to go back and edit them quite heavily. OK not a massive problem in the scheme of things, we all have good days and bad days, and like you said earlier you’re a very long-standing and well-liked member and have earned respect on both those bases. But as I also said earlier, if you don’t want arguments, perhaps don’t start your threads argumentatively? Anyway, back to Charles Berthoud 👍

Rather looking forward to reading this thread 😆

Exactly what I thought 👍

Try a few, Caswells offer them on trial 👍

A good player will make a poor bow sound amazing, a poor player will do the opposite

I get the original point, I suspect it referred to the idea that if one person starts to pick up the jobs that the others don't like doing or do badly, they step back even further from doing them. That's happened a lot in bands I've been in, often to be honest for the best as it means things get done quickly and are aligned

You’re very lucky 👍

I think that's a common misconception, or at least the assumption that all musicians share the same interpretation of what is fun. A good comparison is an amateur sports team; if it's well managed, well coached, has a good philosophy/strategy, and the players all do what they're required to do, it's fun for everyone. But it only takes one of these to be absent for the whole thing to turn into a mess and eventually fall apart. In my experience in both sport and bands it comes down to a simple process; everyone doing what they agreed to do, ranging from learning the parts to turning up on time for rehearsal to notifying the band of any dates on which you're unavailable well in advance to being professional at gigs (especially in terms of equipment, arriving on time etc). Of course, for everyone to do what they agreed to do there has to be some organisation of that agreement at the outset and likely some revisions along the way. While none of it's rocket science in my personal experience most bands I been in have eventually split or I've walked for one of the above reasons, and most frequently failure to learn parts which, in two specific bands, turned pretty much every rehearsal into a part-learning practice for the guitarists. These bands didn't have band leaders as such, I suspect they'd have been far more successful had they done so, especially as the individual musicians in question as well as the musical cohesion once we got going were actually pretty good.

Pelham Blue is rather special 👍

I was just chatting with Lawrie @Burns-bass and he mentioned selling some gear because it solves a problem he no longer has, and it consolidated a lot of my recent thinking around gear generally, that is far from getting rid of gear on that basis, I was often buying gear that solved a problem I don't have (most notably the Chadwick folding bass that while absolutely beautiful in design and engineering terms was an absolute PITA at gigs generally, leading me to decide that the best bet was simply to sell it and take better care at gigs of my non-foldable DBs). But as with life generally, I suspect a lot of the gear we have is bought either explicitly or sometimes subcobscioulsy to solve similarly non-existent problems (by which I mean that we make choices based on a set of parameters that while current on web forums really do not solve any problems for us as an individual. Good examples for me Chadwick folding bass: as I've said, beautifully designed and engineered, but..... East P-Retro: again beautifully designed and engineered but having had three of them (!), I've always found Precisions just work better passive Enfield Fusion/EBMM Reflex: both beautiful instruments and technologically wonderfully advanced, but while the idea of a 'take one and only one bass to every session/gig'/huge tonal palette appealed, the Fusion stayed in Precision mode 90% of the time, and the Reflex never really got off the ground Badass bridges: I even bought one this week, what am I like. A difference yes, does it solve a problem, rarely if ever, but for some reason there's a part of my brain that drives me to try one on any Fender bass that's passed the 3-months at Beedster Towers test....... My therapist has put it on the list for our next session Neck LEDs: No more in tune on a fretless that without them, but annoyed the guitarist immensely 'If you want to be in tune that badly that you have to walk on stage with traffick lights stuck to your neck, perhaps try playing a fretted bass' Micro/lightweight heads: My biggest challenge with heads that fit into the pocket of a bass gig bag is my tendency to forget about them/lose them. Ironically the only time a head went down on stage and I needed the backup I'd taken the wrong (double) gig bag to the gig. i take two 19" heads to gigs now, because I have no problem with either size or weight. Expensive DB strings: Don't get me started.......... Interested to hear what gear falls into the 'solves a problem I don't have/never did have' category for the BC crowd?

Yep, In my experience..... Practical = bass player Whatever = keys Dreamer = singist Crazy = drums I'd add..... Self-centred = guitarist

No I think you're right mate, timbers effect the tone because no matter how well isolated the bridge from the body, the other end of the strings attach to the neck and that is very much part of the vibrating timber system (first time I used a Fat Finger I realised that, but have also realised it every time I've switched necks on basses, different woods and different dimensions = (often) different tone). Difference of course, as suggested above, doesn't always mean improvement, and I suspect the mods that a lot of people (including myself) have made to their to instrument - and despite a discernible difference in tone/envelope/sustain as the result - have often had an overall negative effect on how the instrument sounds.....

This is the list of reasons I aim to do the same, there's a time for democracy, but.........

Not for thr first time this week Jack, I will be looking in your direction for advice!

Leadership in any space not only requires a very specific skillset on the part of the leader, but also a group of people prepared to be led. In my experience - and in contrast with other environments I know well such as science, business, and sport - many musicians do not fall into the ‘prepared to be led’ category. In short, a band leader has to chose their musicians not on musical talent alone but on a number of other factors. I was playing bass at a vocalist audition 20 years ago, one of the applicants was incredible, but the band leader said ‘No way’. Having seen him down two cans of 1664 before his slot, he was not prepared to take the risk that the guy was going to bring alcohol problems to gigs. Seemed harsh to me at the time given nearly all musicians I know like to drink around gigs, but for the BL it was a simple and almost certainly correct call. I’m watching this thread with sincere interest as I’m about to take a step into band leadership….. 🤔