Delberthot

You're always going to get venues where the sound of the band has either been the last thing thought about or not at all. I've played places with big dome ceilings, 85dB sound limiters, marquees and so on and you do get places from time to time where the sound is going to be no good regardless of where you play. That was part of the idea I had about getting a small cab that I could raise to ear level. That way I don't need to be so loud and because it's right next to me it's not affected as much by the surroundings. You're already at a disadvantage if your cab sits low on the floor as the vocals can tend to bleed back from the pa and other musicians around you can mask the true sound of your cab making you think it sounds garbage but if you stick your ear near it, it still sounds good. Our guitarist carries one of those Sansamp flyrigs for venues where the sound isn't the best and uses a monitor in front of him instead of his usual Fender combo.

Like most people on the forum I am self taught so when I began playing I used just my index finger on my right hand and played everything on the E string using my thumb over the top of the neck to fret the notes. The left hand thing came easily enough playing with the rest of my fingers but for years I only used one finger on my right hand. I found that just by making a conscious effort to introduce the second finger when playing along with tunes it did eventually develop. I still favour using just my index finger but for some things it's nigh on impossible to use one finger. The important and difficult thing I found thing when learning to use two fingers is to try to get the attack identical on both fingers but it just takes time

My band went through a phase with a drummer that we'd all played together with for the best part of 20 years. We always thought he was good but he was too loud and played everything too fast and towards the end tried to control the band, tried to cause us all to fall out and ultimately became a liability. He was that childish that he threw away a 20 year friendship and unfriended me on Facebook before he had left the band We are now in a position where we have an absolutely amazing female drummer that I both love and admire as a person and a player. She has great timing, can play at a volume to suit the venue, just a very fluid and smooth player and we're all now performing at our best and loving it. Without a doubt I am the happiest I have ever been in a band since I got my first bass at Christmas in 1987 Life is too short to muck around with people you're not getting on with in one way or another. I would try organising auditions, maybe outwith your area to see if you can find someone else before your current drummer gets wind of it. Or you could confront your drummer. Years ago Roger Daltry was almost out of the Who and had been due to be replaced with Boz Burrell but he got his act together and the rest is history

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1472675727' post='3123257'] Exactly... defret and turn up to jazz jams with it [/quote] I did have a defretted one but decided to sell as the first fret position may as well have been in the next town it was so far away I take it the reason this one has a scratchplate is that it has been routed for the Stingray pickups? Mine had the standard soapbars with the staggered poles [URL=http://s927.photobucket.com/user/Delberthot/media/DSC06311%20Large_zpsh68xv6db.jpg.html][IMG]http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad111/Delberthot/DSC06311%20Large_zpsh68xv6db.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s927.photobucket.com/user/Delberthot/media/DSC06325%20Large_zpsbpaxsduj.jpg.html][IMG]http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad111/Delberthot/DSC06325%20Large_zpsbpaxsduj.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1472513949' post='3121793'] When I picked up the Sterling, I had a little play with the previous owner's Stingray and comparing the two, side by side with the same amp, etc I found I prefered the sound of the Sterling. Don't get me wrong, the Stingray sounded nice and I found its neck very playable but it was just a little too polite for me. I got the impression that I would really have to dig into the Stingray to get any sort of aggression out of it whereas with the Sterling it was much easier, and as I play with quite a light touch, this suited me better. [/quote] Exactly my thoughts. I can't actually remember how many Stingrays I've had but I felt that I always had to try too hard to get the Stingray growl but with the Sterling, even with flats, it's right there whenever I need it

I played with a drummer for years that I thought was fantastic and I used to wear earplugs on stage Turns out the more I think about it, he couldn't control his volume despite being a drum tutor and used to hit his drums hard because he hadn't bothered to learn how to play quietly - if any one of us commented on how loud he was he'd go in a strop and actually left the band once because of it. We all had to turn up to his level which meant that it was deafening on stage. Thankfully he eventually did leave permanently. My current drummer is amazing and she know how to play to a room of any size - now that's a good drummer in my opinion. Obviously playing in time and all of the things you'd expect a drummer to be able to do as well. Oh, and I don't need to wear earplugs on stage any more so I can hear everything properly again And we're having a ball on stage because we aren't in pain with the volume and having to cope with a childish drummer's tantrums

Fantastic. I have the same but with rosewood fretboard. Love it

I was 16 in 1991 and a school friend gave me copies of: Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese Chilis - Blood Sugar Sex Magik Faith No More - The Real Thing At 16 these three bands blew my mind. I hadn't heard anything like it before and they're still 3 of my favourite bands to this day

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1471935486' post='3117006'] Plenty of speakon to jack connectors out there these days. Some speakon amp sockets will accept jack cables as well but I can't remember exactly which ones off the top of my head [/quote] The combo sockets are usually a dark green colour

[quote name='P Kool B' timestamp='1471805906' post='3116043'] After having a listen online (I know, not the perfect way to find out the sounds of amps), I'm torn between the GK mb200 (because cheap), GK mb Fusion, and Aguilar Tonehammer. I LOVE the Tech21 micro amp, BUT the sound would just not fit. Thing is, if I got the mb200, I could possibly afford a little cab for home use too. The possibilities. [/quote] If you have the money then I would go for what you like rather than go by price. I had £900 ready to spend on an amp and went for one of the cheapest ones on my list because I believe that it was the best one for me in my current situation

I must be one of the lucky ones. We just have a good laugh, try to blag free tea and get friendly with whoever is in charge of the venue. I'm at the stage of my musical career where I am having a complete ball I must admit, and i think it's the adrenalin, that I have to sit down until it's time to play, otherwise I wander up and down the room constantly

My new amp and cab arrived at the end of last week but today is the first chance I've had to try them out [url="http://s927.photobucket.com/user/Delberthot/media/14089238_186834378388756_330157803568661876_n_zpsouj6rnhg.jpg.html"][/url] The velcro around the head and cab looked better in my head than it does in practice so I might think about another way to permanently attach the two together Sound wise it is incredible. I had to flick the -10dB button as the Sterling was overdriving the preamp but there's still plenty of volume on tap for gigs.

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1471727116' post='3115442'] I agree completely. I'm a recent MB200 convert. I originally bought it purely as a backup, but as soon as I tried it, I was amazed at the tone and volume. It's such a useful little amp. Paired with a Barefaced one10 it makes a brilliant rehearsal and small gig rig - tone to die for! It's a very capable amp and if you think 200 watts is puny, you'd be pleasantly surprised by the MB200. Frank. [/quote] My MB200 & One10 cab arrived at the end of the week and I've just had the chance to try it all out. It sounds incredible. Proper GK tone, can't wait until my next gig

I found the Steve Harris ones to be crazy high tension but if you drop them a semi tone they are fantastic. I had them on a single coil precision and they were ace.

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1471379518' post='3112715'] Not all flats are the same. Some, like D'Addario, are very tight, GHS Precision Flats, Pryamid and Laklands are lower tension, Thomastiks are even lower. And that's before you even start with nylon flats! [/quote] I don't find D'addarios to be that high tension - even the heavy E string I use

Received my MB200 today and it's hard to imagine how this teeny thing is going to be loud enough. Alex said last week that my cab would be ready to ship out either yesterday or today so I'm hoping that I am going to receive an email tomorrow saying that it's on its way I have a couple of weeks before our next gig so plenty of time to play about with it first.

Chris bought my Fender Rumble combo at the end of last week. Well things couldn't have gone any smoother. Thoroughly nice chap that I wouldn't hesitate to sell to or buy from again. Enjoy the Rumble mate

I was contacted by Max who has been a member for a few years but who plays mainly guitar to buy my Microthumpinator. Max hadn't bought anything on here before as far as I was aware so I wanted to establish whether he was trustworthy, which is something that a lot of us who have been members for years take for granted when dealing with each other. After a few PMs I got the distinct impression that I could trust him so agreed to a sale using Paypal which I don't normally take. Absolutely no problems at all with Max. Everything went very smoothly and I'd happily buy from or sell to again. Top banana

I buy my AAs from a seller on Ebay and change them every gig in my wireless. Duracell Industrial ones. I used to be forever looking at the LEDs on the receiver and then working out when I could change them but that wore thin very quickly. Works out at about 50p a gig to put them in and forget about them. I put a Duracell in my Sterling when I got it at the end of March and probably won't change it until the same time next year in time for the wedding season gearing up again. I do keep a spare at hand along with a spare cable, strings, spanners, Leatherman, strap, underpants and all those other things that us bass players carry that no other member of the band does

Based on recommendations here and elsewhere on forums and Youtube I've decided to order the MB200 Thanks for all of the help