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So, I got all my gear...or do I?

#21
JimmyM said:
di box is a separate box with an xlr out to run into the pa like what's on the back of your amp. it's not a bad idea to have one, but i ran for 25 years as a pro bassist without owning one. every gig with pa i ever played they had a di or mic for me anyway. so if you don't want to spend any more money, you're set. overdrive is really the only necessary effect for bass, and on some gigs you don't even need that, so you can coast for a while with just the boss if you want.
Click to expand...

thanks for the explanation. and yeah, I do believe I've seen the PA system owners with DI boxes so it doesnt seem like a necessity to me now that I know what it is.
 
#22
Hi

You seem to have what one needs but yeah a tool kit and spares, at least fuse and strings is good

A di of your own helps a lot

I dont dig effects so much, they are nice alone but as said most dont cut the mix and you always have volume/tone problems as soon as you change a setting somewhere and the extra cables/potential ****ups,buzz... Even though i really liked the russian Bassballs, it had no volume issues at all and i always kept a fat tone no matter what the setting was.

And DONT get a straplock, I know it helps from dropping your bass, but I had them, and after a wild gig where I jumped around like crazy, that heavy annoying stiff piece of #¤%& chew up my strapbutton hole . its best just to keep a hand on your bass
 
#23
elzeder said:
And DONT get a straplock, I know it helps from dropping your bass, but I had them, and after a wild gig where I jumped around like crazy, that heavy annoying stiff piece of #¤%& chew up my strapbutton hole . its best just to keep a hand on your bass
Click to expand...

- 1,000,000. Get something to secure your strap to your bass. I new strap is much cheaper than a new bass. There is a thread on here about using a large rubber washer. I haven't tried that due to already having strap locks, but it does sound like a great idea and won't waller out your holes. Nobody likes a wallered out hole.
 
#24
A good set of earplugs.

You're 17. Start protecting your hearing now and you'll be able to keep rocking for the rest of your life.

Don't end up like Pete Townshend.

+1 on the toolkit, too. Flashlight is key. Spare cables. Direct box. Electrical outlet tester. Pencil & paper! Tuner. Gaffer's tape...

All of this is emergency stuff. Your bass and amp are all you need. You're good to go.
 
#25
+1,000,000 on the ear plugs. I never wore then as a drummer (bigger mistake than marrying the ex wife) but always wear them now as a bass player. Life can get annoying when you always hear a slight ringing in your ears. :(
 
#26
an alternative to earplugs is playing at a decent level. that's why i never use earplugs. i'd rather know i'm playing at a decent level than wearing earplugs and blasting. of course, if blasting is inevitable, it's a good idea, but i think sometimes they just cause people to play too loud.
 
#28
RNV said:
- 1,000,000. Get something to secure your strap to your bass. I new strap is much cheaper than a new bass. There is a thread on here about using a large rubber washer. I haven't tried that due to already having strap locks, but it does sound like a great idea and won't waller out your holes. Nobody likes a wallered out hole.
Click to expand...

Sorry if i wasnt clear, english isnt my natural language, but i wasnt talkin about the holes in the strap, but the holes in the WOOD of the bass, where a long screw sits in there and fastens the strapbutton to the bass, that hole got chewed up because of the heavy straplock mess working on it, had to fix it with some heavy duty wood glue, it holds but the screw still got a tenth of a twist of free movement so sometimes it rattles when i play acoustic and it certain frequencies
But hey its IMO and my experience with it...
 
#30
elzeder said:
Sorry if i wasnt clear, english isnt my natural language, but i wasnt talkin about the holes in the strap, but the holes in the WOOD of the bass, where a long screw sits in there and fastens the strapbutton to the bass, that hole got chewed up because of the heavy straplock mess working on it, had to fix it with some heavy duty wood glue, it holds but the screw still got a tenth of a twist of free movement so sometimes it rattles when i play acoustic and it certain frequencies
But hey its IMO and my experience with it...
Click to expand...

have straplocks in all my basses, and all my guitars when I played guitar never had that problem. I suspect error in the install ;)
 
#33
elzeder said:
Sorry if i wasnt clear, english isnt my natural language, but i wasnt talkin about the holes in the strap, but the holes in the WOOD of the bass, where a long screw sits in there and fastens the strapbutton to the bass, that hole got chewed up because of the heavy straplock mess working on it, had to fix it with some heavy duty wood glue, it holds but the screw still got a tenth of a twist of free movement so sometimes it rattles when i play acoustic and it certain frequencies
But hey its IMO and my experience with it...
Click to expand...

Take the screw out, put a few tooth sticks in the hole along with some wood glue and put the screw back. Should last pretty much forever. However, if you drop the bass and break it you cannot fix that with glue and tooth sticks. Go for the strap locks.
 
#34
I dont use alot of effects but my son gets free pedals from dunlop (one of his sponsors)
So I get brand new handmedowns haha. The last pedal he gave me i am very happy with because of one button on it in particular. I am a massive tweek freak and always messing with my eq and yes I am leading to a point lol.
The pedal he gave me is a MXR bass DI M-80.
What i like about the pedal is that it has a separate channel for clean and distortion.
Both are very adjustable as to the blend you want and is footswitchable.
What i like most on this pedal though is the color switch on the clean channel.
It is factory set to give you the best eq possible for bass and it sounds great.
The distortion channel has a built in gate as well.
Im not sure what they cost as it was a gift from my son but im sure they are someone reasonable. I also own a sansamp pedal that really can beef up your tone and you can adjust the blend on it as well. I have an old boss chorus pedal but i have never really used it for much maybe some slow songs. And if there is a PA availble you can DI straight to the PA and still monitor your sound from your onstage amp.
 
#35
Put that Ampeg head into a rack and buy the following to go with it.....

BBE sonic maximizer (sound enhancer)
Korg DTR-2000 (rack tuner)
Furman Merit M-8LX (power conditioner/powerstrip for the rack)
4 space rack drawer for your extra strings/fuses/cables/DI box/batteries/flashlight/etc

By the time you get all that you'll probably have outgrown your amp and you can just replace that with something you like better. The stuff I suggested are pretty standard things to get and aren't going to hurt to have in your rig.
 
#36
Add a Boss or Behringer tuner pedal in there and you should be set...generally.

You may wanna add:

D.I. box (doesn't have to be great - I only think of them as a lifesaver when the amp D.I. goes)
New strings in bag
At LEAST 1 spare cable for each lead your using
Pick for when your fingertips go
Spare bass even if its a nasty beaten-up cheap thing
Also look around for guitarists toolkits and a soldering iron, they're less likely to be used on a gig but handy to stick in your bag anyway...
 

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