Wayne Firefly

So it would seem that on an oscilliscope, tiny variations in waveform can be put in the form of a graph of some kind, and subtle differences pointed out. If you used a tin Fender bridge against the Babicz bridge, put on the same bass using the same strings. Lots of variances there right ? BUT in the real, actual, working world of sub zero temparatures outside then straight into a hot sweaty venue, sound checking drummers, rushing to set gear up in the dark, tuning, then playing a set of aggressive music, loud guitars, loud fast drums, my attack and distortion coming from the Sans, swirling chaos in motion in the audience, mic stands going over, stage divers, chaos, more chaos, loud, fast, dark, fast, chaos, loud, mic hits you in the mouth, split lip, and so on.... I guess differences in vibration are a moot point. I guess again I asked a loaded and probably dumb question if brands of gear actually means anything in real terms when what I should actually be doing is playing the damn thing !!!! The more I see the less I know !!!

Played a small but popular venue last weekend and the engineer obviously has his set up dialled and bands pass through there week by week. Same problem here....Nice guy but he just assumed we were the same as all the other bands that play and made his decision of how we were to sound. I tend to lean towards the Bill Gould side of tone and when our singer puts her guitar down its effectively a three piece. So now the bass takes up one third of the sonic space, drums, guitar and bass creating a wall of sound. When the guitar player solos or does little fills or detail bits, there is no drop out in power (if you get my drift) Not this time.... as it was a LOT quieter than usual and loads of drive and attack were gone. So, the band sounds weaker by default and less aggressive. Maybe I should just take it on the chin and accept that not everyone gets it !!!!!

Loved my Status neck on my Stingray, got one with a Jazz profile for a pseudo SLO feel... was way more stable than the stock MM neck (in touring conditions similar to what Shedua511 describes) BUT whatever you do, dont knock it at all !!! It chipped with terrifying ease and the one time it had moved, it seemed the truss rod had loosened itself right off so a quick nip up and fine again. It looked awesome and felt great too. The only thing the stock neck had is that it was stock / original and it was a lot tougher (took more abuse) but other than that, Id go graphite every time now !!!

Rockabilly drag triplets with the upright....but then again, I havent put the necessary hours in either.....

FLAT OUT !

Singer by default.... couldnt get one, no one else would try....started by learning how to control shouting !!! Now Im a gravelly, melodic shouting Rod Stewart / Peter Criss / Dickie Barrett type 'singer'. Get allsorts of advice and help from someone I know who's a very powerful singer about breathing and diaphragm use. I already had a good sense of time and pitch from my bass side of things... learning to sing and play was a pain in the butt but got around it in the end. Stopping smoking gave me oodles of stamina I didnt know I had too !!! But then agin, I dont really see myself as a singer, more a front person when Im with my band...Shane Macgowan was no singer, Kurt Cobain was no Chris Cornell either so I think I can get away with a lack of vocal talent somehow !!!!

Well, this weekend's gigs all had fantastic soundmen. From a small club in Cumbria to a larger club in Wakefield and an 02 in Glasgow, the soundmen couldnt have been friendlier and more helpful. Great attitudes, friendly.. just great !!!! Brilliant work !! Just goes to show it is just people's attitudes that can change things soooo much.

Im in a touring band, had many many years at the sharp end. We get strict instructions from venues what time they expect us to be there and we strive to be as professional as possible and cause as least amount of hassle and stress. We have our routine down pat. Fast and efficient. We know what we need, usually really simple and quick. Its funny how I can get through to a monitor man who didnt speak any English in Colombia just by being nice and having a friendly nature whereas another example of a Clash sounding gig on the outskirts of Manchester, the soundman was hostile from the off. We throw our gear on quick, I have two amp rigs to set up, mine and the singer's Marshall. Usual thing, slightly bigger stage than usual club stuff, point the cabs facing our respective mics, level with the front edge of the drum riser. Same old thing, when this little guy comes up almost screaming at me THE 'BACKLINE' GOES AT THE 'BACK'.....THATS WHY ITS CALLED BACKLINE as he carried on dragging my cab and the Marshall to the very back of the stage... now we are at his mercy with monitors only....at this point any attempts at being diplomatic are shot to pieces so with a 20 min change over complete and line checked, the general atmosphere before we played was utter s**t just because this little mentalist went waaaay over the top. Now I appreciate he didnt want to be there but its not like he HAD to right ?? Im holding a gun to your daughter's head... you'd better do their sound.... When we came off, I got talking to the other bands and about four bands on before us all had similar reports and one rather large skinhead type gentleman was ready to give him a bit of a telling off. We never went back, I spoke to the organisers and asked if he was ok or had had any family trauma etc but no, he just hated being there. Not much could be done in that case. Guy was a complete c***.

Its not about room acoustics or the actual PA system, just the attitudes of some engineers. Some are friendly and on it, like I said, I usually go over with a smile and introduce myself in a friendly manner but sometimes it dosent matter what you do, you cant avoid A holes. We played up in Gateshead a few years back and WERE TOLD TO GET THERE FOR 5PM TO LOAD IN AT ANY COST so we bust our balls to get there at 5pm, which we did, only to sit outside till 7PM until the sound engineer came to open up. To which I asked him where the effin hell he'd been.... to which he replied it was our own fault for getting there too early then no bass in the PA. I learned an important lesson that night.

Thats exactly what Im on about !!! When we have done bigger festivals, the fact I have a similar sound (it sounds like to me) is not a problem at all. Smaller venues or whatever, the soundman usually argues the bass is too trebly / raspy and infers that he would prefer if I got a sunburst, tortoise shell pickguard rosewood Precision with flats on a Mark King length strap, stood next to the hi hats, play with my fingers, keep my mouth shut. We played recently in Oldham where the hippy type know it all soundman gave me that exact attitude, then when he was trying to speak to our guitar player, I stepped up and asked if I could help him (as the guitar player was busy doing something else) he said he wanted to speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey. From that point, I only spoke to him in 'F' and 'C' related expletives. Luckily enough this was right at the end of the gig so no harm done but he did make me more sure that my theory is correct.

We play a lot in all sorts of places and I have come to the conclusion that sometimes, the sound engineer is an enemy of bass. Thats what I have ended up calling them. 8 out of 10 times, no problems at all, usually friendly and helpful, we all get on and get the job done, no hassles and maybe even a couple of drinks afterwards. We all know the rules about not upsetting the sound engineer, (same reason not to upset a waiter - special sauce etc) best to go over with a smile and introduce yourself and be polite and friendly. Usually works fine, no probs but sometimes....... Some are just miserable, some just downright rude, some are complete A holes. I tend to find, the more professional the PA guys, the less hassle they are and get the job done quicker. The weekend warrior types tend to be the ones who complain more and have the crappy attitudes. How often do you come across engineers who are a pain in the A hole ?? Have you any funny or interesting stories about some of the more entertaining characters Im sure you have met along the way ??? Bad attitudes, nasty comments, totally unhelpful, totally no understanding etc etc, you know what I mean.... Enemies of bass !!!!

Weak willed market led mammothrept hahahahaha !!!

Lol indeed !!! Your logic is sound Captain !!!! So from a structural standpoint, its superior, I like the idea of solid locking parts !!! (I tend to lean towards the Bill Gould school of playing)