Recent content by Cycho

I'm 68 and do about 20 gigs a year. Jamming tonight and many more to come

He's the only one with an ear. http://www.gocomics.com/jim-benton-cartoons/2014/11/04

It's not that bad. John McCain didn't know how many houses he had. Invalid Link Removed

It was an outdoor event which got hit with a driving rainstorm. We were in a leaky tent serenading the cars in a parking lot. There was a big crowd in the building behind us but later we found out they couldn't hear us at all. We're doing the same event this year because it was so much fun. :P

Lakland 44-01 with flats. Easy to play and a rich warm tone which goes well with the Jazz standards we play.

If someone is to be kicked out of a band there must be a reason. Kick him out and tell him the reason. Then, you can massage his ego if you want, as long as you don't retract what you said or let him back in the band. In other words, honesty should be the top priority and avoiding a scene should...

I'm too arrogant to be bothered by snotty music store sales people. If they can help me, fine, but I don't really care about their opinions.

Very clever and creative!

I got a Beringer 302USB for my birthday. It allows me to mix my bass input with output from my iPad so I can play along with iReal b or an mp3. It sounds great through my headphones and has a lot of flexibility in a package much smaller than a paperback. Highly recommended.

I use a hardshell case which used to be a toolbox many decades ago. I filled it with foam and cut out a space for the amp. That may seem like overkill but even solid state amps are delicate, particularly the control knobs. Cables and tuners, both of which are fairly robust to impact, go in a...

Lakland color looks great. I wouldn't even call the Jazz bass "coral" -- just brown.

I don't use distortion or high volume levels and I like the light weight and high reliability of solid state amps. Another point: I don't think observing that most people in the audience don't care about tube amp sound vs. solid state amp sound constitutes contempt. I think it's just a fact...

I use a headphone amp. Yeah, I'm cheap, but it works fine.

Speaker design has come a long way so buying by the inch probably doesn't make sense any more (if it ever did). I love my NY 151, BTW, so I certainly have nothing against 15 inch speakers.

I have heard that to master anything takes 10,000 hours (see Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers"). So between beginner and expert we should expect to spend 10,000 hours playing (practice, rehearsal, and gigging). So how much money should you spend on gear over that same time? Electric bass is not...