Muzz

To be honest, if you're getting your sound from the Helix (I do that, too), it's just about something to give you some of that sound for onstage monitoring, so whatever provides your Helix sound with as little colouring as possible at the volume you need sounds like the best bet; as I say, I use a Rumble, set as flat as I can get it (other than all the bass cut for volume purposes); I wouldn't necessarily use a Rumble without the Helix (or the PA), but it's small, light and was cheap... And point it at the guitards... 🙂

Despite having a very soft spot for Explorers back in the day (and, if I'm honest, still a bit now, tho I've absolutely no use for one) I was completely caught in two minds about it when I saw the same model being played (albeit upside down and left-handed) by Rick Mayall in the video for Bad News' Warriors Of Ghengiz Khan...and he played it live at Donnington, too... 😕🙂 Erm...oh.

Nico, do you cut all the bass out of your onstage monitor amp? I only ask because at small-to-medium gigs I use a Rumble 100 (with a better Eminence in it, not that that's particularly relevant here, it just gives it a bit more headroom from the 100w), and cut all the bass out, which allows it to be louder without struggling as much. Given that the PA's doing all the bass-end heavy lifting, I find it works a treat...might be worth a try...

I know it's fairly early in the thread, but I think we have a winner already: ' The resulting gig was a train wreck saved only by the didgeridoo solo at the end.' 😁

I knowwww...it was about 1984, tho when I was a callow and frivolous youth. To compound the 'Doh! In Hindsight' factor, I sold it to buy one of these... 😕 Did I mention it was 1984? 😁

I wish I hadn't I sold my 79 4001 Jetglo...sorry, I'll expand on that; I wish I hadn't sold my 79 4001 Jetglo for £200.

We played a posh wedding in some country house hotel miles from anywhere (and even further from home) and just as we finishing setting up the dep drummer realised they'd forgotten their kick pedal. There was a spare plastic box kicking around (SWIDT?) so we miked that up and they had to basically thump that with their right foot. Ironically it sounded really good...

I've got a Canadian Dingwall, and tho it's not a 5 or 6, it's got the best E of anything I've ever played. I do, however like a higher tension string, so this might play into my preferences. Doesn't do any harm that it's also one of the most 'alive' (resonant and responsive) basses I've ever played, too. The multiscale thing in terms of playing isn't an issue; I've taken it to gigs and switched basses with a standard 34" 4 and not noticed any adaption in playing technique. I've not voted because the choices are too stark; I have both types of basses, normal and multiscale...

I play with a The 'Singer's Name' Band, and it isn't an issue at all - I've played in other, more obscurely named bands where ego issues have been much, much worse...on the plus side, if there's any mither from punters or the people paying, you can point to the named bloke and say 'Dunno, ask him; it's his band...' 😁

I'm a bassist largely* because when we were 13, a friend said to me "Let's learn to play - I'll be a guitarist, so you'll have to be something else...you can play the bass". Seeing as it was his idea, I didn't contradict him. He stuck at it for about three months, I'm still ploughing on 45 years later... 🙂 * That and, as I've mentioned before, the gloriously unholy noise Jean Jacques Burnel made 14 seconds in to Hanging Around...: 'What's THAT?' 'That's the bass.' 'Maaaan, I'm doing that...'

This reminds me of why I loooove Bobby Vega...whatever he's doing with his thumb... 🙂

A friend of mine, (who's worked in the industry all his life) they make everyone sound a bit better, and it's true it's hard to sound exactly bad with one...once said I had one (with a MB 410) for a while...I found that putting a Sansamp/BDI21 in front of it made it growl much more the way I liked...until the drummer (of all people) said "You always have that pedal on, why don't you just get an amp that sounds like that?" So I moved it on, and did... Again, those filter knobs aren't exactly intuitive with their 0=Flat thing, but even playing with them, I was never really happy with the sound...

Y'see, I'm the opposite; I've always wanted to try those Quad pickups, but the big fat a$$ on the bass makes them an immediate No, Ta from me... Still, as has been said, it's always a shame to see a UK luthier with obviously top quality output cease production...

You know those EBay listings when you're frustrated because the pics don't allow a zoom? Well, in this case, I'm very grateful...

Ooooo, me back, just reading that...

Actually, I should qualify that; even the idiots have lessons to teach: 'Don't bring a double-kick kit with 17 cymbals, 8 rototoms and your bloody gong to the Dog & Duck on a Wednesday night' being a particularly valuable drummer-supplied one... Edit: that's the lesson that's valuable, not the drummer. He was an industrial-grade pillock...

Oh, and I forgot another big thing in the Plus category for more than one band; the more people you play with (as long as they're not idiots), the better you get... 🙂

We supported them at Jillys in Manchester back in the day...yeah, it was a wild one... 😁

Now, where's that pic? Ahhh, here it is... 🙂

I've used a few (OK, a lot - I've bought and sold more amps than cabs, which says something in itself), but now (and for the forseeable) I have a Mesa Walkabout into a Big Twin or Compact (or, when I'm feeling particularly epic and stacktastic, both)- the cabs put out what goes in, and it sounds fantastic. And I love them especially when loading out at 1am...

I think I'd be responding around the subject of how I wasn't keen on their haircuts/the cut of their jib generally... 😕🙂 If your gigs are variable in size, then the backline/lack of should be variable, too...here's mine - IEMs/Stomp, Fender 100 combo (uprated speaker, juuust in case), and Mesa/BF half stack/stack. The heaviest chunk is 38lbs... Oh, and I use it these days in roughly that order; I've only used the full stack once...

Oooooh, I'd love to fling a far-flung gig...best I managed last year was Glasgow... 😀

That Fenderbird (well, technically a Shukerbird) has been waiting a long time for that sort of gig. It gets used in the Rawk band, but some Skynyrd would be nice... 🙂

Yup, I like the buzz of playing something new for the first time - the non-rehearsing band is a trio, and the other two are better musicians than me, so it's always a challenge. It's made me a much better bassist than all those interminable rehearsals with nit-picking numpties... 🙂 I pick up gigs wherever and whenever I can; the main band used to be out every weekend, and apart from the fun (which can be variable; we did 40+ weddings one year, and there's only so many vol-au-vents a man can eat), you get used to the money...well, I did...