Franticsmurf

I should add that while the sharp edge is the main reason it's going back, I'm not so enamoured with the piezo sound as I was when I first played it either. I think the body is chambered rather than fully hollow (judging by the weight and lack of unplugged volume). Having played a Hofner violin bass a while back, its definitely not the same kind of sound, and I was looking for something closer to the fully hollow body tone. I have no complaints about the quality of the bass but over the last 24hrs I've realised its not for me.

Yes, I can see how it would be difficult to contour, but it's actually quite sharp with no attempt at rounding the edge. I think the size of the body makes it more noticeable than the semi-acoustic 6 strings I have. In any case, I've struggled with it and I'm currently arranging with Bax to return it.

New Hollow Body Bass Day. I've been after a hollow body bass for the tone and this showed up in the research. A Sire Marcus Miller GB5 - the fretted version. I was impressed in the demo videos I saw/heard - it had the sound I was looking for and it's not bad looking. There was one for sale in Bax at £397 so I jumped in. Ordered on Tuesday, it arrived this afternoon. Shiny black (that won't last after my grubby fingerprints get on it 😀) , great playability straight from the box and almost the sound I was expecting without any dialing in of the amp. My only criticism is that the point on the body where my arm rests is quite sharp - no contour. It means a slight adjustment of the position of my hand to be most comfortable. Not so much of a problem if I'm playing with a pick (which won't be that often on this).

I know it wasn't aimed at me, but I've added relevant photos to my first post. 😀

Alas I must gracefully bow out. A new project called for a couple of new effects (phase and vibe) and I've just handed over a few coins for a Sire BG5 electro-acoustic bass. Pedals due today, bass by the end of the week. Good luck to the rest of you still hanging in there. 😀

I've been using a Zoom B6 for the last year or so with the Hulla band and I think it's great. Its perfect what what I need, which is access to a range of effects during rehearsals that will coalesce into (hopefully) four patches with a couple of options such as chorus and/or phase once the final set list has been decided. But I also play occasionally, either in scratch bands - one-offs and fun gigs - or as a dep in a couple of bands. For the dep duties, it's almost always a straight forward rock set for which I only need a couple of pedals and so I don't use the B6. Recently I've become involved in a scratch band trio made up of mates I've played with before and which is due to play at the end of October. It may evolve into, at the very least, a band that jams regularly although there's a chance that something more may come of it. So being the type of person that likes creating pedal boards and also the type of person that has a selection of pedals to play with, I thought I'd put a board together that would emulate the B6 but with less choice; that choice being focused on the rock and blues end of the spectrum. One key element was to include the Keith McMillen 12 Step keyboard controller, which dictated the width of the board. It really needs a hard surface to sit on to respond properly as it's quite flexible so mounting it on the board seemed like a good idea and would offer some protection as well. I'll be added a few simple keyboard parts to fill out the trio sound. This is the final choice of pedals. Included here is an acoustic guitar pre-amp (top centre) as I may be playing acoustic guitar on one or two numbers and a mini mixer for the . Also in the picture (bottom left) is a Behringer P1 wired monitor so I can wire an in-ears monitor ste up if required, and also so that the board becomes a self contained practice rig. The power block is a Harley Benton unit. This is the under side of the board, which was built from off cuts of plastic interior windowsill strips covered with black gaffa tape. There are various strips of velcro or similar that will hold the cables in place. Looks a bit messy, because it is a bit messy. 😀 I finished off the board this morning. The core sound is provided by the Ampeg pre-amp and the H24 HPF, along with the Hot Wax providing a bit of overdrive where necessary. I couldn't fit the acoustic guitar pre-amp on the board which annoys me a bit, as does the gap beneath the Plethora X3. The latter space is necessary for the USB cables that connect to the 12 Step. I'm already trying to decide what could go in there. Top left is a DI box, top right is the P1 monitor. The X3 is currently proving compressor and phase and may well be swapped out for individual pedals to do the same , which may free up space for the acoustic pre-amp. Hmmm. These 'final version' builds are never final. 😀

Do it. 😀 My purchase was an act of pure nostalgia but the bass has found its way back into the stable of basses I take out to gigs.

*Edited to add photos* First proper bass I owned was a Hohner 'The Jack' headless back when I started to identify as a bassist rather than guitarist. At the time I was a bit self conscious that regular basses (i.e. long scale with large headstocks) looked a bit silly hung around my 5'7" frame, so headless made sense to me. I soon overcame that and a couple of headed basses came and went. I sold the Hohner during a lull in my playing career but recently purchased a different one from this parish which has recently seen a lot of action in the build up to a couple of gigs I'll be playing in the next few months. The next milestone bass was another headless, my Spirit XZ2. Milestone because it's been with me the longest and will probably be the last bass to go should I have to sell up. It has a drop D bridge and I've fitted a GK3B pickup to drive a Rioland V Bass. Its played or been sat as a back up for probably half the gigs I've played. Next milestone was my Sterling Stingray 34HH. Still the most expensive instrument I've owned (even with the discount my mate got for being in the trade). One of my influences is Tony Levin and that got me interested in the Stingray. It has a range of tones on tap and for the main band I play in that's ideal as the repertoire of songs is many and varied. It's heavy The last one (for now) is my Fender Player Precision. Simply because it was the first Precision style bass I'd played and I was immediately smitten by the sound and the way it fits in with any band I've played with. I was a Precision sceptic until I was persuaded to try one.

Sorry, I misread. Still, the general message is the same. Don't let the personnel make @12stringbassist quit completely.

I can't comment on your personal issues, but things change so don't cancel everything, just enough to give you the break you need for now. You can always cancel more if necessary, but if you have something to look forward to or work towards, that may be something to help you out of the situation you are in. I hope things improve for you soon.

I can't comment on construction/materials, but my house usually has around 60-65% humidity levels (I've just checked now: Hot day, windows open, light breeze through the house = 59%). The house doesn't feel damp and I've often wondered what a 'normal' level is. I have no problems with any of my guitars or electrical gear other than the usual change in tuning as instruments warm up or cool down.

+1 for the B1-Four. It's my go to practice device with a decent pair of headphones, I've gigged with it, sending the signal to FOH or using it for a couple of effects into an amp and on one occasion it provided the drums for a duo I was in when the backing tracks failed. In other words, it will last beyond your novice stage.

I love that Ampeg pre-amp pedal and like you, I've been looking for overdrive and distortion to compliment it (although I'm after more of a Chris Squire drive sound with the option to go a little further). I've got an EHX Hot Wax pedal (originally bought for guitar). It's two independent overdrive/distortions which can also be combined (actually the 'Hot Tubes' and 'Crayon pedals crammed into one box). Works for me with a P Bass, Hohner Jack and Sterling Ray34 HH into FOH. Edit: I have also used a Marshall JMP 1 valve pre-amp rack unit, also originally bought for when I was guitaring. It has programmable patches that can be selected using a midi pedal and also has an FX loop. Rack and midi pedals, with attendant cables, is a bit bulky but I'd still use it for the right gig.

The Hulla band have no gigs booked until the end of November so last night's rehearsal, following the previous weekend's double gig, was due to be more relaxing and a bit of fun. Not that they aren't fun anyway, but the deadline pressure was off. It turned into a bit of a jukebox session, with the BL calling songs we hadn't played for months (or in one case over a year). Fortunately I have crib sheets/charts for most of the stuff we've done over the past 18 months so a combination of memory, watching the guitarist and frantically scrabbling through my book of stuff meant that I was able to keep up. Duff notes? Yes. Dodgy BVs? Yes. Brain fade (the BL called 'Summer of 69' and I called up the heavily flanged 'Dakota intro' patch)? Yes. Laughter, teasing the saxophonist, ukeleles playing 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'? Yes! I often get frustrated at Hulla rehearsals as they are also the only time that some of the band play their instruments (it started off as a social/community thing so about half the band don't consider themselves musicians). It means we don't spend enough time on arrangements. Fortunately, the core of the band (BL/vocalist, guitar, bass, drums, sax = the loud ones) are able to get the arrangements done and the BL conducts the others so it all works. In the last 18 months the band has improved immensely and we're getting more word of mouth gigs as a result.

I use a BAM 200 with either a Gnome 1x12" or one or two TE 1X10" cabs. Plenty of low end, especially with the Trace cabs.

Thanks for sharing. That Lakland hollowbody is rather nice. A hollowbody is the only style of bass I don't have. I can feel the first rumblings of GAS!

It wasn't so much the distance (about 15 miles) but the circumstances of the journey home on Friday (see here).

One from each gig last weekend. Friday - fresh faced, energetic, ready to go. Saturday - after a stressful journey home and little sleep the night before.

I've not been in that exact position (apart from the 'no new songs for x years' once) but I know that a lack of response from an audience does affect me negatively - more so than a negative response because at least that is a response. I would find it hard to be enthusiastic about those poorly attended gigs and if it looked like a trend that was getting more frequent, I think I'd be thinking the same as you. I would certainly take it through with the other band members and see if there is some alternative to jacking it in. It would be a shame to lose the work you've all obviously put in to get that tight and 'great guys, decent songs' seems to be something worth fighting for if some of the other posts on BC are to go by. Maybe a full band break; take a few weeks and then start to have informal rehearsal/jams to see if the mojo is back? Whatever you choose, good luck.

Following on from my experiences on Friday (see above), I headed back along the same roads to Port Eynon for a wedding party gig yesterday. More rain was forecast but the venue, another outdoor tented affair, was much better. We avoided the road I got stuck on (there were cars that had been stranded in the water still blocking it) but the road in to Port Eynon was blocked as it had collapsed into a sink hole! We found an alternative route via an unmade track behind the dunes. The venue was flat and the tent was actually a double teepee(?) with plenty of room and, more importantly, dry and sheltered. We had a few issues with power as we set up - it was coming from the village hall about 50m away. Fortunately, two of our line-up are electricians so it was quickly sorted. We played our full set with a number of requests from the bride and groom. Our first half was very tight (it benefited from having been played the night before) the second suffered a little from being a bit rushed between songs. I was very tired from the previous night's adventures, so I wasn't playing at my best during the second set but it went down well with the folks who were there (we had about 50-60 guests). We had dancers from the start and through to the end. I'd left my kit in one of the vans from the night before so the line up was my Ibanez EHB1000s through an Ampeg pre-amp into the desk. I had my full IEM set up, which was great, and this time I was singing. For once we had plenty of room on stage.

We were booked to play a new festival being held in Gower this weekend. I felt sorry for them as the weather forecast was horrendous and there weren't many people there. When we turned up the van got stuck in the mud and had to be pushed several times. We were due on third but the 2nd act had cancelled at the last minute so the opener, a solo sax act, valiantly played on until we could get set up. By the time we relieved him, he'd been paying for 2.5 hours. Not our regular sound guy but he was very quick getting a decent sound and we played for about 75 minutes (rather than the 45-50 we were due to play) which put the event back on track. The last 15 minutes was punctuated by great flashes of light as the lightning arrived. The stage was facing out to the sea overlooking Oxwich bay, so it was spectacular. But also a little unnerving as each flash got a bit closer! We finished and managed to get the vans packed just before the torrential rain started. Finding our way down to the gate through the field was almost impossible but every few seconds a massive flash of lightning lit the whole field and we managed to get on the lane and away. I'd left my car at our rehearsal place (a couple of miles away) so I was dropped off there and headed home. Most of the road is at the foot of sloping fields so the water was running through the hedgerows like little waterfalls. I was driving (slowly) through 6" deep water most of the way but the first I knew of the really deep stuff was when my headlights dimmed. The water was blocking them. I managed to keep going and it took about 30 seconds to get through. Then I went through a shorter section of the same depth and finally came across a car stuck in the middle of a third. And all of this during an almost non-stop display of lightning. Got home about 3 hours later, having had to dodge debris from collapsed walls and hedges on the way. Our gig tonight is back in the same area and I've just been told that the road into Port Eynon village has partially collapsed. Rock 'n' Roll! 🤘 With a small stage, I decided to use my Ibanez EHB100s through an Ampeg pre-amp pedal (which was always on) and I DI'd into the desk. I was really happy with the sound and it was a good band mix.

That's a really good question, not just for newbies.

Before I played anything at all, I was that friend. I played the repeated bass note to Queen's 'Flash' after having been directed to the correct fret by the guitarist. 😀

I think the answer to your question is 'I just knew' which doesn't really help but I don't recall an actual moment when I decided I could be in a band. Once I'd learnt the basics of my instrument (I was playing guitar at the time and had been for about 18 months) I started off with a couple of mates who were better than me, and we jammed regularly. Once that seemed to be working we talked about forming a band but for about 6 months all we really did was play a few simple covers over and over, plus we started writing our own songs. That 6 month apprenticeship taught me to play with other musicians and once I'd got some decent gear and built up my confidence it just seemed obvious that I was ready. I think if I'd been planning on joining a band it might have taken longer and there probably would have been a few rejections along the way. And when I was starting out, there were no open mic nights to let me test my abilities. As has been said above (while I was writing this) just go for it! If you can play along to songs you like, you're ready to start being in a band. Find people who are a little better than you and jam with them. Have a look to see if there are any local open mic nights where you can join in, build your confidence and make contacts. In my first bass gig, I only played root notes to simple songs and I hid behind the PA speaker for most of the night. 😀 Just do it, good luck and keep us up to date with your progress.

This is what we did in my first band, way back in the cassette days. And every time we wrote new songs, we'd collect them all on another cassette, add the original mailed envelope into a new one and repeat the process. Of course, we could have mailed separate envelopes, which would have been the logical thing to do. But we were rock rebels rejecting 'The Man' and his logical ways. 🤣