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#21
wshines1892 said:
We have a local venue that insists on micing bass amps too, but it's smaller so I suppose they're used to smaller acts with amps without DIs? I asked if they'd like me to go direct, but they said it'd be easier to mic it?
Click to expand...

That was the thing. I've NEVER seen a head without a DI and since they're providing a cabinet it's logical they use the damn DI. They're a relatively big club and national acts come through so thinking some chump's gonna roll in with a combo would be silly. No offense to anyone who plays out with a combo. I think it was a time issue, granted it takes 2 seconds to plug in but I guess their logic is: leave the mic on cab, plop head on cab, plug in cab, play.

Whatever, at least there will be a lot less farting at this show....

:hiding:
 
#22
doctorpunch said:
That was the thing. I've NEVER seen a head without a DI and since they're providing a cabinet it's logical they use the damn DI. They're a relatively big club and national acts come through so thinking some chump's gonna roll in with a combo would be silly. No offense to anyone who plays out with a combo. I think it was a time issue, granted it takes 2 seconds to plug in but I guess their logic is: leave the mic on cab, plop head on cab, plug in cab, play.

Whatever, at least there will be a lot less farting at this show....

:hiding:
Click to expand...

That depends on what you lot eat for supper....
 
#24
There are an awful lot of two- or even three-way cabs in use nowadays. Most bass players I've seen lately have used cabs with tweeters. Since those got popular, I'm surprised anyone would go with a mic as their default PA interface for bass. It seems like in most cases that would ensure muddy, dead bass tone out front. And how are you going to mic up something like a three-way fEarful, which for all we know presages what everybody will be using in a few years?

I can see using a mic if you have an SVT fridge or some old-school amp with 15s or something, but from what I've seen those kinds of rigs are in the minority these days.
 
#25
OK so we played there again on Sunday...holy different!

Small back story: This past weekend I went to Atlantic City for my friend's birthday. Went up Friday and got there around midnight, up until 7AM. Woke up around 9 Saturday, up until 4AM Sunday. Woke up around 11, had to check out within an hour and drive 5 hours home. Got home at 5, load up is at 7...I got a half hour of sleep at best.

First thing I do is walk to the stage to see if the cabinet is still there, yup. Exactly where it was last time. Sound guy(different one) comes up to me and I go through my usual "Meet the soundguy" routine. He was MUCH cooler this time. I didn't bother asking about the cab because I didn't want anyone recognizing me as the guy who broke the house cab.

Load up with both the guitar players, drummer's running late. Not a big deal since they provide drum backline. I swear to god they're punishing me for something, once we get EVERYTHING but my 8x10 up a straight and rather steep set of stairs to the 2nd floor they both say "We're not carrying that" and go inside. Promotor comes out real quick to tell me we're next and runs back in since it's cold as a witch's....you know.

Nobody outside...great. As I recall, this thing weighs roughly 165 lbs. Stair by stair, I'm hating my life. Halfway I strongly considered plugging into my Sansamp.

When I get to the top they're setting up and I'm ready for a nap at this point. I get everything on stage and the sound guy hands me....A DI!!! Plug in, crackle crackle crackle....guy blames my DI...I blame the cable with tape on it. Once again we mic it....crackle crackle. After a few seconds it just...stops.

Drummer shows up. He and our trusty roadie got lost.

Okay, let's see how this sounds. I go over to the EQ on the front of my amp and it's ALL OVER THE PLACE! Damnit, I guess someone hit it. Sound check is pretty much done so I just guess and make the knobs look like I think they should. Volume up...BOOMBOOMBOOM! It sounds AWESOME!!! Easily one of the best nights I've sounded. Played our set, I'm pretty sure I sweated out about 5 gallons of whiskey from the weekend before in the process. During one song I went to stomp my distortion pedal, the bottom rubber of my shoe get's caught on the lip of the top and I ripped the sole halfway off! It looked like a mouth on the end of my leg! Afterward I got countless "Dude, you were insanely loud"s and everyone in the band said I sounded great. Sweet. While the headliner sets up I go to our merch table because there's a congregation of females, who as I got closer (I usually wear glasses) seemed of questionable age and unquestionable weight....Neeeeevermind!

I fell asleep on a couch during the headliner's set, I kinda felt bad because they're really nice dudes but it was really ambient music and well...I had a grand total of 11 drunken hours of sleep in 3 days. I got woken up by the house lights. Load out, slept like a baby the way home, had a tuna fish sammich.
 
#29
Yeah, the Pro model kicks the crap out of the standard Epi T-Bird. Go to MF.com and check out the specs dude, pretty much every single aspect is better.

The neck dive is noticeable and sucks at select times. Whenever I was fingering I'd have to hike it up with my fret hand and it'd slow me down. Picking it didn't affect me, at times I even welcomed it. You can live with it depending on your style. I moved the strap button to just behind the neck heel and it doesn't dive, but now it flips over. I wear my strap in front of the body now, it looks kinda lame but it keeps it tight to my body. I'm gonna buy a standard T-bird to experiment with button positions. I might try moving the other one higher up on the wing next time.
 
#33
Promoter in Honolulu I hugged for with my band always provided backline. Don't recall what make and model his cab (8x10) was, but he used a peacetime head of very recent vintage (i had to lend him my 80s peacetime head a time or two when his was out for repairs). It was never Mic'd or plugged into the PA, it just rumbled out loud of its own accord.

I personally preferred to use my own cab, but I wasn't always permitted to load it in depending on the size of the venue.
 

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