Conan

Classic quote on the subject. I believe it was credited to Wilko Johnson: "If you make a mistake, just look brash -and the audience will think they heard it wrong!".

[quote name='jonthebass' post='1011633' date='Nov 4 2010, 08:05 AM']I'd seriously listen to this advice. Bill knows his stuff and it makes me wonder about my setup now...[/quote] Why? If you like the sound "and presumably the lightness) of your set-up, why change it?

[quote name='skychaserhigh' post='1010778' date='Nov 3 2010, 02:00 PM']Perhaps i'm just not as much of a gear junkie as some of you !! Cheers , Dave.[/quote] There's a very strong possibility of that being true!

[quote name='skychaserhigh' post='1010609' date='Nov 3 2010, 12:01 PM']I'm taking my name off the compact tour list. Seems the 2 week maximum time for keeping it has been totally ignored and i have lost interest due to the long wait since it was first announced !! Cheers , Dave.[/quote] Some of those delays were caused by logistical problems, and some as a result of pretty horrific personal injuries to one of the guys further up the list - so your comments seem slightly heartless and crass IMO...

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1007897' date='Oct 31 2010, 09:46 PM']Neither head felt like it was working particularly hard, to be honest...[/quote] Agreed. When I used it, my LH500 was only on a volume setting of around 6 - and that was against a very loud drummer and two guitars! Sensitivity would appear to be the key...

I've never noticed any hiss on my LH500, but I mostly use it at full band rehearsals at pretty high volume, so any background hiss would not be noticeable anyway.... I have heard other users refer to hiss from these amps, but I can only speak as I find! Then again, my Status is beautifully screened and uses quality components so it doesn't produce any hiss. I don't use any effects either, so there's another source of noise eliminated. I would have thought that it was only a real problem if you were recording the bass through a mike rather vthan DI'ed - particularly if the speakers themselves are contributing to the hiss...

I'm fairly sure that Stringbusters do...

Looks like a 1950s radio.... Not keen.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='995370' date='Oct 20 2010, 10:02 PM'] Still, better to find out now than when you're trying to judge whether you can make the leap over a 200ft george filled with ravenous alligators. With lasers on their heads.[/quote] I think that most of us would be able to estimate that 200ft was rather too far to jump - alligators or not! Besides, who's this George of which you speak?

[quote name='Chris2112' post='994967' date='Oct 20 2010, 03:43 PM']I generally don't like it so low that it's flapping and creating buzz. A little bit of tension can be nice to help you get those finger funk lines grooving! Like here we have a video of a lovely Status S2 classic and it just sounds like a load of crap because the strings are buzzing and clacking off the frets. If the action were raised a tiny bit it would sound so much better![/quote] A lot of that fret noise and clack is acoustic and wouldn't be heard at gig volume, but it does indicate that the action is set too low - which will inevitably result in loss of tone and sustain. Just because the action [i]can[/i] go low, doesn't mean it [i]should[/i]! I'm another heavy-handed player, so I tend to have the action on the high side. But it's an interesting point that people have raised about the amplification that you have played through. As I guess most of us started on small and low powered amps, does that cause you to dig in more while you are still learning? Does that then become part of your technique? I'm guessing that it does.

[quote name='purpleblob' post='994471' date='Oct 20 2010, 09:31 AM']I like the shape on the Monarch but I'm not mad on the whole Yin Yang look, it's a little pretentious to me (obviously VW can get away with it, but I don't feel I could ). But each to their own.[/quote] Me too. Was that design inspired by/for VW or was his Yin/Yang album inpsired by the bass? Either way, it seems like a kind of signature bass without the signature. True though, only other bass players (and even then, only some of them) would know who Wooten was. I like the body shape, but don't like this particular option. Horses for courses though I guess.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='994535' date='Oct 20 2010, 10:39 AM']It was made in the 70s though, so it weighs a ton.[/quote]

[quote name='Sibob' post='994215' date='Oct 19 2010, 10:50 PM']Might I point out that weight is subjective depending on ones stature! Chill out all! Si[/quote] Not quite! Boffin head on now... Weight is not subjective. It is absolute unless either a). the mass of the bass changes or . the earth's gravitational pull changes. As I assume that neither are about to happen, then the weight is a constant. However, the perception of weight is definitely subjective! Takes off pedant's hat. WoT, that bass looks like your colour! Not fancy it mate?

[quote name='Delberthot' post='988715' date='Oct 15 2010, 12:56 AM']I use 3 songs for my right hand workout - Phantom of the Opera, The Trooper and Parallel Universe by the Chilis[/quote] Doesn't Flea use a pick on Parallel Universe? If you play that with your fingers you must be a glutton for punishment!

IME many players who use tapping a lot have low actions and fairly light gauge strings - makes the whole thing a lot easier if you think such things are worth doing (which personally, I don't! ). If lack of "strength" was a factor, I think you might be fighting against a bass that is set up wrongly for this style?

Is it normal for the machine heads to look so dull and oxidised in a Fender of this age? Or is that some kind of "custom finish"?

Different strokes an' all that... but I don't mind matching gear - especially if you have more than one cab. The amp doesn't have to match of course, but some people just like that "neat" kind of vibe. And, having just traded two Ashdown cabs that [i]didn't[/i] stack together properly (despite being the same cab!), I actually [i]do[/i] value stackability!

Some great advice above! I would echo most of that - especially the comments about knowing which keys they play in and which versions of the songs they play. Be straight with them. There are a number of potential reasons why they may have chosen straightforward songs, so don't be afraid to ask! Remember also that an audition is a two-way thing. Yes, it's about them checking you out, but it's also about you getting a feel for them. Anyone can [i]sound[/i] professional by saying the right things!