The Combo Club

[iagtrplyr]

Good early morning, Combo Club. It's your roving reporter pulling a late one. Please excuse any typos as I've been up since 6:10, Thursday, because I've been waiting for this day for six months; the last time I played music with this bunch. I've got a few pics as well, but nothing earthshaking.

Started the day off by taking a walk to the local convenience store and picking up milk and a bag of donuts. I jsut hope I can fit in the front door when I get home. I'm at this really nice hotel, but with no free breakfast, and here in America, as ?I'm sure it is elsewhere, we love FREE! Oh yeah, grabbed a bag of corn nuts too. Anyone outside of the USA know what those are? I like 'em.

Got picked up by the Pastor who lent me a car to drive so he doesn't have to chauffeur me around. Why not, I liked it. So I drove down to the church and decided it was a good time to check my equipment over and polish up the 'ole bass, shown below. I know there are better basses out there than mine, but I'll never part with this one.

After finishing all that toiling, and he wrapped up a visitation, we took off for lunch. John's goal is to take me to every decadent restaurant, at least calorie-wise, in Columbus. Double smoked bacon cheddar cheeseburger with all the fixings. I thought I'd died and gone straight to Heaven. Then, with no room to spare, we walked across the street to a exotic ice cream shoppe where the Reverend went with a scoop of sweet corn (tasted salty and buttery according to him) and blackberry, I think. Not to be outdone, and to really push the envelope, I chose strawberry. Hey, I have a club to look after; I can't get too crazy or I may never go back home.

Afterwards, I took off for the hotel to supposedly catch a few winks, but ended up finding a Walmart to purchase some deodorant (mine ran out...it's getting hot here, sue me) and a throw rug for my Zoom pedal. Plus, my feet won't mind a little cushion on Saturday. Finally I got back to the room where I called the lady holding down the fort in IA where we shared a laugh or two. She's totally missing her honey, but somehow is making all that peace and quiet (no bass playing) work for her. I don't get it...

At 5:00, John and I headed over to one of our female singer's house for a quick supper. She down this the past few times I've traveled to Ohio and it's always appreciated. A birdie must've told her we've been overindulging because we ate a delicious tossed salad with chicken, bacon, and umpteen veggies to boot, plus watermelon sherbet and chocolate chip cookies. I couldn't complain about the taste and the lighter fare wasn't gonna hurt either.

Time to head over to the church for band practice, minus our guitarist/singer. He is attending the man's funeral on Saturday, and appreciated not having to feel guilty about missing the fun fest. We began a little after six and wrapped up around 9:40, with I think one pee break. With all the songs to go over, and we didn't play all of them through, we all knew it was going to take a while. Great fun though, and it made me think of Dr. Intrepid's jam session. For a few hours, neither Donald Trump, nor school, nor the fact that I'm slowly running out of spending money shook the vibe in the room. I shot a few pics during a quick break. You'll notice I went with the Rumble 100 as my weapon of choice. I ran the Ampeg rig, though, this morning at was a tonic to the ears. Now I'm thinking it may be my PF-115 HE, but will need further analysis to determine anything wrong. The PF-210 along with my 800 earned the starting job for the outside gig, though I am planning on using the Rumble for the Sunday service. Here's the pics and then a quick comment on the Rumble.

Rumble rehearsal review: the sweetie did a pretty fine job overall. I left it on the floor, but next time I'd like to elevate it a bit to offer me a better chance to pick up some highs. I pretty much ran it my usual; gain at 9:00, lows and mid-lows at 10:30, mid-highs and treble at 1:30, and the volume at noon, with it being controlled by the Zoom pedal. Yeah, 100-watts is still 100-watts no matter how you slice it, and the uke player's Crate 2 X 8 with 20 watts out of each speaker, definitely ice-picked it's way to being the loudest instrument there. Our rhythm guitarist who plays acoustic and the Les Paul you see there uses a Fender Mustang 40, I believe. Pastor John plays his keys through an older Peavey keyboard amp and usually has it on cruise control. I never felt like I ran out of gas, and maybe turning up the gain would've added girth, but the Ampeg obviously offers a lot more headroom and a different tone that I still really like. For anyone who enjoys a bass that sounds like a bass, the Rumble series is hard to beat. We'll see how it does during Sunday's service. My one criticism is the overdrive, in my opinion is the least effective component on the amp. I've heard it used by others and it sounds amazing. Real gritty, but not obnoxious. Mine, no matter how I set it always sounds puny. I'm guessing running the gain as low as I do may have something to do with that. No biggie, as I have a TC Electronics MoJo MoJo overdrive I really like on bass.

The evening finished up with a band meeting. I love drama! No, this one was positive. It concerned my desire to record some songs on Saturday so I can prove to the folks at home I'm not in Las Vegas gambling the retirement money away. The Rev and I are heading to Columbus' local Sam Ash tomorrow looking for something our uke player said we need in order to make recording. PA is not my forte', but John wants a peaceful ride back to Clinton on Sunday and said he's gonna make a recording happen. I'm stoked, and if we get anything worth putting up on the forum I will do it. I thought we sounded pretty good tonight even without Greg.

Okay, I know you're all worn out by now. I am. We'll see what tomorrow brings. All I know is I'm not only catching a nap tomorrow, I'm hitting the hay a little earlier so I have the energy to make it through the 89 degree and humid forecast for Saturday. Yep,m we'll find out if the Ampeg amp is safe or not. Stage 800, you may be getting called up by October!

Best wishes to those of you reading all this minutia; I really appreciate it. Also, your comments inspire me to keep this going for the next twenty years or so. No, I'd be completely broke by December, so don't worry. Until tomorrow night, don't forget to get out there and play!

 

[Giffro]

Well done Mike...good review and write up. Man does this guy like his food loll It sounds like you're having the time of your life away on this gig. I am not a great fan of overdrive for bass at any time...old habit from playing a clean amp (the Peavey MKIV) for 30+ years although it had DDT compression which cuts in if pushed too hard to protect the speakers and that gives an overdriven type of sound.
I do use a tad of overdrive on the Rumble 500C sometimes so the overdrive controls, the Drive and Level knobs are both set at 9oclock. Ive found it suits some songs, but like I said I prefer the cleanest signal possible coming out of the amp. The cleaner the better and let the bass guitar's character shine through, especially the Ric.
Definately get your Rumble up higher Mike closer to ear level where you can hear the highs, especially playing on that hard floor, although that's preferable to a bouncy wooden stage. Ask the milkman for a crate or two lol.
All of the US is getting Australian type heat this year it seems, with the temperatures we usually have in our summers (Dec-March) so I don't envy you in that heat especially playing a gig.
We all hope you get a good recording of the show for us to hear upon your return. Keep us posted with more nice pics if possible. Thanks for the pics so far of the setup..all those little combos everywhere with the keys looks great.
I notice that your Mrs. Mike is missing you and you missing her I would say...I have mentioned before maybe that when my wife to be was in England and me in Australia I made her 700+ songs done on my computer with the bass plugged directly into the Soundblaster sound card..was an ancient way of recording before proper recording software came out..lol I recorded my bass along to the track being played in other words and I had to record my bass at her request louder because of her hearing issues, so forgive my louder than normal bass mix.
I'll post this one for you Mike and for Mrs Mike..I sent this, and the other 699 songs eventually to my fiance when we were apart. I devote the song to you and your wife Mike while you are seperated on your musical adventure.
I hope it works for you and you can hear it..probably if your on a laptop my bass playing will sound like its coming out of a 1965 transistor radio loll. Probably for the better loll

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

Good early morning, Combo Club. It's your roving reporter pulling a late one. Please excuse any typos as I've been up since 6:10, Thursday, because I've been waiting for this day for six months; the last time I played music with this bunch. I've got a few pics as well, but nothing earthshaking.

Started the day off by taking a walk to the local convenience store and picking up milk and a bag of donuts. I jsut hope I can fit in the front door when I get home. I'm at this really nice hotel, but with no free breakfast, and here in America, as ?I'm sure it is elsewhere, we love FREE! Oh yeah, grabbed a bag of corn nuts too. Anyone outside of the USA know what those are? I like 'em.

Got picked up by the Pastor who lent me a car to drive so he doesn't have to chauffeur me around. Why not, I liked it. So I drove down to the church and decided it was a good time to check my equipment over and polish up the 'ole bass, shown below. I know there are better basses out there than mine, but I'll never part with this one.


View attachment 3102677

After finishing all that toiling, and he wrapped up a visitation, we took off for lunch. John's goal is to take me to every decadent restaurant, at least calorie-wise, in Columbus. Double smoked bacon cheddar cheeseburger with all the fixings. I thought I'd died and gone straight to Heaven. Then, with no room to spare, we walked across the street to a exotic ice cream shoppe where the Reverend went with a scoop of sweet corn (tasted salty and buttery according to him) and blackberry, I think. Not to be outdone, and to really push the envelope, I chose strawberry. Hey, I have a club to look after; I can't get too crazy or I may never go back home.

Afterwards, I took off for the hotel to supposedly catch a few winks, but ended up finding a Walmart to purchase some deodorant (mine ran out...it's getting hot here, sue me) and a throw rug for my Zoom pedal. Plus, my feet won't mind a little cushion on Saturday. Finally I got back to the room where I called the lady holding down the fort in IA where we shared a laugh or two. She's totally missing her honey, but somehow is making all that peace and quiet (no bass playing) work for her. I don't get it...

At 5:00, John and I headed over to one of our female singer's house for a quick supper. She down this the past few times I've traveled to Ohio and it's always appreciated. A birdie must've told her we've been overindulging because we ate a delicious tossed salad with chicken, bacon, and umpteen veggies to boot, plus watermelon sherbet and chocolate chip cookies. I couldn't complain about the taste and the lighter fare wasn't gonna hurt either.

Time to head over to the church for band practice, minus our guitarist/singer. He is attending the man's funeral on Saturday, and appreciated not having to feel guilty about missing the fun fest. We began a little after six and wrapped up around 9:40, with I think one pee break. With all the songs to go over, and we didn't play all of them through, we all knew it was going to take a while. Great fun though, and it made me think of Dr. Intrepid's jam session. For a few hours, neither Donald Trump, nor school, nor the fact that I'm slowly running out of spending money shook the vibe in the room. I shot a few pics during a quick break. You'll notice I went with the Rumble 100 as my weapon of choice. I ran the Ampeg rig, though, this morning at was a tonic to the ears. Now I'm thinking it may be my PF-115 HE, but will need further analysis to determine anything wrong. The PF-210 along with my 800 earned the starting job for the outside gig, though I am planning on using the Rumble for the Sunday service. Here's the pics and then a quick comment on the Rumble.

View attachment 3102684

View attachment 3102685

View attachment 3102687

Rumble rehearsal review: the sweetie did a pretty fine job overall. I left it on the floor, but next time I'd like to elevate it a bit to offer me a better chance to pick up some highs. I pretty much ran it my usual; gain at 9:00, lows and mid-lows at 10:30, mid-highs and treble at 1:30, and the volume at noon, with it being controlled by the Zoom pedal. Yeah, 100-watts is still 100-watts no matter how you slice it, and the uke player's Crate 2 X 8 with 20 watts out of each speaker, definitely ice-picked it's way to being the loudest instrument there. Our rhythm guitarist who plays acoustic and the Les Paul you see there uses a Fender Mustang 40, I believe. Pastor John plays his keys through an older Peavey keyboard amp and usually has it on cruise control. I never felt like I ran out of gas, and maybe turning up the gain would've added girth, but the Ampeg obviously offers a lot more headroom and a different tone that I still really like. For anyone who enjoys a bass that sounds like a bass, the Rumble series is hard to beat. We'll see how it does during Sunday's service. My one criticism is the overdrive, in my opinion is the least effective component on the amp. I've heard it used by others and it sounds amazing. Real gritty, but not obnoxious. Mine, no matter how I set it always sounds puny. I'm guessing running the gain as low as I do may have something to do with that. No biggie, as I have a TC Electronics MoJo MoJo overdrive I really like on bass.

The evening finished up with a band meeting. I love drama! No, this one was positive. It concerned my desire to record some songs on Saturday so I can prove to the folks at home I'm not in Las Vegas gambling the retirement money away. The Rev and I are heading to Columbus' local Sam Ash tomorrow looking for something our uke player said we need in order to make recording. PA is not my forte', but John wants a peaceful ride back to Clinton on Sunday and said he's gonna make a recording happen. I'm stoked, and if we get anything worth putting up on the forum I will do it. I thought we sounded pretty good tonight even without Greg.

Okay, I know you're all worn out by now. I am. We'll see what tomorrow brings. All I know is I'm not only catching a nap tomorrow, I'm hitting the hay a little earlier so I have the energy to make it through the 89 degree and humid forecast for Saturday. Yep,m we'll find out if the Ampeg amp is safe or not. Stage 800, you may be getting called up by October!

Best wishes to those of you reading all this minutia; I really appreciate it. Also, your comments inspire me to keep this going for the next twenty years or so. No, I'd be completely broke by December, so don't worry. Until tomorrow night, don't forget to get out there and play!

That bass looks great! I'm assuming it's a Fender? What year is it?

When I was younger I always wanted a Jazz, but couldn't afford it. When I could afford it, for some reason I became obsessed with Hofners. Part of me still wants a Jazz, and a Ric, but I keep those desires suppressed to avoid GAS!

 

[Jeremy Jones]

That is a cool setup Here is my setup with a Studio 40 on top ( i changed the grill cover) and a 40 v3 on bottom!!! This works so well for me!!! I played a big outside gig and actually had FOH ask if I could roll back the low end a bit!!! That made me smile!!

Yep, you could certainly do that! I don't know if he still does it, but @b-b-b-bass reported to the Fender Rumble Club that he has used four Rumble 25s at once.

View attachment 3098241

 

[iagtrplyr]

Well done Mike...good review and write up. Man does this guy like his food loll It sounds like you're having the time of your life away on this gig. I am not a great fan of overdrive for bass at any time...old habit from playing a clean amp (the Peavey MKIV) for 30+ years although it had DDT compression which cuts in if pushed too hard to protect the speakers and that gives an overdriven type of sound.
I do use a tad of overdrive on the Rumble 500C sometimes so the overdrive controls, the Drive and Level knobs are both set at 9oclock. Ive found it suits some songs, but like I said I prefer the cleanest signal possible coming out of the amp. The cleaner the better and let the bass guitar's character shine through, especially the Ric.
Definately get your Rumble up higher Mike closer to ear level where you can hear the highs, especially playing on that hard floor, although that's preferable to a bouncy wooden stage. Ask the milkman for a crate or two lol.
All of the US is getting Australian type heat this year it seems, with the temperatures we usually have in our summers (Dec-March) so I don't envy you in that heat especially playing a gig.
We all hope you get a good recording of the show for us to hear upon your return. Keep us posted with more nice pics if possible. Thanks for the pics so far of the setup..all those little combos everywhere with the keys looks great.
I notice that your Mrs. Mike is missing you and you missing her I would say...I have mentioned before maybe that when my wife to be was in England and me in Australia I made her 700+ songs done on my computer with the bass plugged directly into the Soundblaster sound card..was an ancient way of recording before proper recording software came out..lol I recorded my bass along to the track being played in other words and I had to record my bass at her request louder because of her hearing issues, so forgive my louder than normal bass mix.
I'll post this one for you Mike and for Mrs Mike..I sent this, and the other 699 songs eventually to my fiance when we were apart. I devote the song to you and your wife Mike while you are seperated on your musical adventure.
I hope it works for you and you can hear it..probably if your on a laptop my bass playing will sound like its coming out of a 1965 transistor radio loll. Probably for the better loll

Giffro, I'm totally honored by this gesture. I'm just hearing it for the first time, but am going to send the link to Jackie (Mrs. Mike) after I get done posting (I'm supposed to be sleeping because I'm heading to the church around 7:30 to begin setting up, but I'm too wound right now) my nightly entry. You are a gentleman in the truest sense. We talked tonight and though she's enjoyed her time, she's ready for me to begin disrupting the house again. Thanks again for thinking about her and myself in such a kind way!

 

[iagtrplyr]

That bass looks great! I'm assuming it's a Fender? What year is it?

When I was younger I always wanted a Jazz, but couldn't afford it. When I could afford it, for some reason I became obsessed with Hofners. Part of me still wants a Jazz, and a Ric, but I keep those desires suppressed to avoid GAS!

Ooh, it's the club's doctor making a house call! I hear about the constant GAS that I'm always suffering from.

Yep, Doc, a February 2014 MIM Jazz. My fave story about her was in 2015 when I sold the bass to an acquaintance to fund a new electric guitar, fell in deep despair because I missed that bass so much, called the guy up another year later to see if there was any chance of getting her back and he said, "Yeah, my wife has ended her experiment of trying to play bass and it's just sitting downstairs." So I gave him just about the same amount of money and promised never to be so dumb again. My reward has been zero problems, a neck to die for, and when dialed in just right, wonderful tone. My retirement gift to myself, according to me, will be an American Jazz, but this one will never leave my side. Thanks for asking!

 

[iagtrplyr]

That is a cool setup Here is my setup with a Studio 40 on top ( i changed the grill cover) and a 40 v3 on bottom!!! This works so well for me!!! I played a big outside gig and actually had FOH ask if I could roll back the low end a bit!!! That made me smile!!

View attachment 3103077

JJ, how ya doing? Thank you, my friend. Saturday's rig is going to be nice as well, though I'm not comboing it. The Rumble gets the nod on Sunday, at morning service. I can easily toss back the same compliment to you as well. You guys with these darn new Fenders. Why are you doing this to us amp-purchase weaklings? I never thought of a double 40 setup with the ability to DI out to the house. Sweet pic too! This combo-with-a-combo idea is kind of interesting.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Good evening ladies and gents of the esteemed Combo Club. It is I, your humble secretary, posting for another night, Day 3, of this Ohio Journey. No, Journey isn't playing in Ohio this weekend, but there's a gonna be some music around 10:00 in the morning, and I hope it will sound good. Yep Giff, temps to reach 88 degrees with a chance of a storm in the PM. If it's anything like it was this afternoon, get the ark ready, Noah! 20 minutes of a serious downpour and then possible Bombay, India-like humidity afterwards. In other words...summer. Don't worry, the purple fan will be nearby!

A rather non-musical day overall as we decided to rest up a little before the 10:00-2:00 gig and then late afternoon worship service outside. If the rain holds off it''ll be nice. I did visit my first Sam Ash store this morning and liked it for a couple of reasons. I know, you're thinking big deal, but we don't have this store in Ioway, and I'll take a music store over a clothing shop any day of the week. First, I thought the staff was nice without being pushy. Second, and I've never seen Guitar Center do this, but they list the sale price of all their equipment plus a "Try it out for 3 days" price. I thought to myself, that's a neat idea. For example, they had a used Strat copy for $178 dollars, but you could take it home for $10 and put it through its paces. I'm sure there's a ton of rules, but as long as the money down would go towards the sale price, why not take advantage? It'd be a great way to pick up an amp in an emergency without having to resort to buying it.

Bass-wise, they're big Hartke dealers and there was a lot to choose from. I didn't play anything being there is rarely a lefty bass on hand anywhere, but I did check out their KB-series of combos; both the 12" and 15" models. Pretty slick. If anyone has had experience with those I'd love to read your thoughts on them. A Fender Studio 40 was sitting there too, but I ran away from that as quickly as I could, even though Wifey gave me the green light if I just had to have something. Eh, they didn't have the Stage 800 there and I passed, but one of these days...

Thge other cool thing I saw, at least to me, was that they stick the used equipment alongside the new stuff of whatever you're looking at. In the bass area you'd see a brand new GK 212 ii combo and three feet around the corner was a Peavey combo back from the Middle Ages, and I'll bet still able to kick out the jams! It looked terrible and I tried lifting it, but became leery of a possible hernia and stopped. I thought it was neat to have a bass-only section where we cool people could hag out. Of course, the obnoxious guitarists were blasting away dropped chords every second we were there, but they were confined to an area too, All in all, I enjoyed our time there. John and I were looking for a 4-channel mixer to run instruments through and then into our uke player's laptop. We needed USB obviously, but had to spend two bills on a nice Yamaha to get just that. So we're gonna run a couple of overhead mics and take our chances since we didn't plan this thing out quickly enough. We'll see how it turns out and if I get anything recorded even half-way decent I'll post it. Don't expect Giffro-quality, but I think as long as you can hear the bottom it should be pretty decent.

Otherwise, today was a lot of church-business in the AM (I worked on other stuff), a really tasty lunch featuring a create-your-own pizza and it's baked and served to you in 5-8 minutes. The place was called Mod Pizza, which again, we do not have in Iowa. You're charged by the size of the pizza, not by the number of ingredients. I said this kind of place could be huge in college towns. The Pastor told me he believes Mod Pizza was started in England. Any truth to that, members?

The afternoon was spent organizing mics, cables, packing up gear on a couple of carts, and sundries other tasks. All we have to do is haul everything out to their pavilion and set up to rock and roll. I'll snap pics until the battery dies. We finished out the day eating Chinese along with /John's wife, Joy, with a PhD in religion. Whenever I hang with these two I have to be ready for anything. Fortunately, they're both big education supporters, obviously, and it's always a good time. Yeah, Giffro, the eats around here have been terrific as I can tell when I'm trying to button pants!

Finally, tonight's two pics are the board we just purchased back in June to go along with the and powered speakers, and the results of our 10:30 after practice meeting where we were trying to map out how we'd record. I just thought you might find it interesting, or perhaps think it's a new offensive play of the Chicago Bears. I do have a question on the PreSonus board for any PA experts: It has the mini card slot for saving recordings. Is that is simple as stick it in the slot, hit play, and whatever you've miked go es on the card? That was my idea this morning, but since I didn't have access to the owners manual, I couldn't prove that's how it worked. I figured a 64-Gb card and we could get some songs recorded pretty easily. Much thanks to anyone who can shed some light on the subject, not necessarily for this gig, but in the future. Of course, I could always download the manual and figure it out too!

That's it, off to sleep. Ah, 4 hours is enough. Adrenaline will be enough to keep me going, but tomorrow night could get ugly! As always, thanks so much for reading my journal and to those responding to it as well. Have a great Saturday, good luck if you're also playing out, and have fun if you're just jamming to tunes. See ya tomorrow evening.

iagtrplyr

 

[Giffro]

Good evening ladies and gents of the esteemed Combo Club. It is I, your humble secretary, posting for another night, Day 3, of this Ohio Journey. No, Journey isn't playing in Ohio this weekend, but there's a gonna be some music around 10:00 in the morning, and I hope it will sound good. Yep Giff, temps to reach 88 degrees with a chance of a storm in the PM. If it's anything like it was this afternoon, get the ark ready, Noah! 20 minutes of a serious downpour and then possible Bombay, India-like humidity afterwards. In other words...summer. Don't worry, the purple fan will be nearby!

A rather non-musical day overall as we decided to rest up a little before the 10:00-2:00 gig and then late afternoon worship service outside. If the rain holds off it''ll be nice. I did visit my first Sam Ash store this morning and liked it for a couple of reasons. I know, you're thinking big deal, but we don't have this store in Ioway, and I'll take a music store over a clothing shop any day of the week. First, I thought the staff was nice without being pushy. Second, and I've never seen Guitar Center do this, but they list the sale price of all their equipment plus a "Try it out for 3 days" price. I thought to myself, that's a neat idea. For example, they had a used Strat copy for $178 dollars, but you could take it home for $10 and put it through its paces. I'm sure there's a ton of rules, but as long as the money down would go towards the sale price, why not take advantage? It'd be a great way to pick up an amp in an emergency without having to resort to buying it.

Bass-wise, they're big Hartke dealers and there was a lot to choose from. I didn't play anything being there is rarely a lefty bass on hand anywhere, but I did check out their KB-series of combos; both the 12" and 15" models. Pretty slick. If anyone has had experience with those I'd love to read your thoughts on them. A Fender Studio 40 was sitting there too, but I ran away from that as quickly as I could, even though Wifey gave me the green light if I just had to have something. Eh, they didn't have the Stage 800 there and I passed, but one of these days...

Thge other cool thing I saw, at least to me, was that they stick the used equipment alongside the new stuff of whatever you're looking at. In the bass area you'd see a brand new GK 212 ii combo and three feet around the corner was a Peavey combo back from the Middle Ages, and I'll bet still able to kick out the jams! It looked terrible and I tried lifting it, but became leery of a possible hernia and stopped. I thought it was neat to have a bass-only section where we cool people could hag out. Of course, the obnoxious guitarists were blasting away dropped chords every second we were there, but they were confined to an area too, All in all, I enjoyed our time there. John and I were looking for a 4-channel mixer to run instruments through and then into our uke player's laptop. We needed USB obviously, but had to spend two bills on a nice Yamaha to get just that. So we're gonna run a couple of overhead mics and take our chances since we didn't plan this thing out quickly enough. We'll see how it turns out and if I get anything recorded even half-way decent I'll post it. Don't expect Giffro-quality, but I think as long as you can hear the bottom it should be pretty decent.

Otherwise, today was a lot of church-business in the AM (I worked on other stuff), a really tasty lunch featuring a create-your-own pizza and it's baked and served to you in 5-8 minutes. The place was called Mod Pizza, which again, we do not have in Iowa. You're charged by the size of the pizza, not by the number of ingredients. I said this kind of place could be huge in college towns. The Pastor told me he believes Mod Pizza was started in England. Any truth to that, members?

The afternoon was spent organizing mics, cables, packing up gear on a couple of carts, and sundries other tasks. All we have to do is haul everything out to their pavilion and set up to rock and roll. I'll snap pics until the battery dies. We finished out the day eating Chinese along with /John's wife, Joy, with a PhD in religion. Whenever I hang with these two I have to be ready for anything. Fortunately, they're both big education supporters, obviously, and it's always a good time. Yeah, Giffro, the eats around here have been terrific as I can tell when I'm trying to button pants!

Finally, tonight's two pics are the board we just purchased back in June to go along with the and powered speakers, and the results of our 10:30 after practice meeting where we were trying to map out how we'd record. I just thought you might find it interesting, or perhaps think it's a new offensive play of the Chicago Bears. I do have a question on the PreSonus board for any PA experts: It has the mini card slot for saving recordings. Is that is simple as stick it in the slot, hit play, and whatever you've miked go es on the card? That was my idea this morning, but since I didn't have access to the owners manual, I couldn't prove that's how it worked. I figured a 64-Gb card and we could get some songs recorded pretty easily. Much thanks to anyone who can shed some light on the subject, not necessarily for this gig, but in the future. Of course, I could always download the manual and figure it out too!

That's it, off to sleep. Ah, 4 hours is enough. Adrenaline will be enough to keep me going, but tomorrow night could get ugly! As always, thanks so much for reading my journal and to those responding to it as well. Have a great Saturday, good luck if you're also playing out, and have fun if you're just jamming to tunes. See ya tomorrow evening.

iagtrplyr

View attachment 3104011

View attachment 3104012

Woo..I mis-read the line about Journey playing there loll..never mind I may get to see them one day. Christine my wife adores them...or at least the orig singer little Steve Perry with the huge voice.
That weather sounds really sticky and yuck..lol we don't have much weather of that type where I live although a few days in summer can be on the humid side.
I'm glad you got to have a wander around a popular US music shop especially with the ok from the wife to buy what you want, if you want lol
Hopefully you guys can get to record the band..i'm sure the quality will far surpass Giffro quality..loll..what a character you are, although Mike i'm sorry I cant help you with your query on the PreSonus. I've never had any experience with PA stuff..that's always been the singer's specialty. That 3 days for $10 deposit is a great idea..especially as you said, in your position there in Ohio if you needed an amp for the 3 days..cheap hire lol
Good lad..dont go lifting strange Peavey gear..its all great stuff but back breaking as well. I need the 2 of us to lift my Peavey 1820 cab as it weighs 122lbs and is only as high as my hip...shes solid and earth shattering.
It looks like you're getting pretty organised towards Saturday despite the culinary temptations of Pizza and Chinese food. If Mod Pizza opened in Iowa i'm sure it wouldn't take long to be renamed Mike and John's Pizza Heaven instead..lol
Enjoy your musical adventure away Mike, because before you know it you'll be back home disrupting the house again with your beautiful Jackie chasing you around with the broom and shutting all the doors between her and the music room loll
Great pics again although that blackboard diagram looks like Jerry Lewis was developing his new formula in The Nutty Professor lol
As I write this its 5.05pm Saturday my time and 3.35am Saturday your Ohio time..have a great day when you wake up for your gig..that's if you managed to get to sleep at all..lol
The club awaits your next review and we want to hear how the combo's went and how much more pizza was consumed before you hit the large man's trouser shoppe..loll Have fun Mike...break a leg.
Giff.

 

[Jeremy Jones]

I got lucky with having that setup. When the studio came out I had planned on trading my v3 in for it but at about the same time one of my daughters was asked to play bass for her schools show band so my wife made the suggestion that I keep the v3 for her and get the studio for myself. Found in the rumble forum that you could link then together so now my daughter and I share them!! The other night I got so many questions about the setupl!!! that was fun!!! That set up holds it own so well!! I run from the effects out of the studio to the input of the v3. This allowed the effects and amp sims to be pushed to the v3. I had no issues with my stage volume. I ran them both about 12:00 and could hear it perfectly. we ran the v3 direct to the foh. I even got to use some crazy effects on one song. Tonight playing a smaller gig so I will only use the studio!

JJ, how ya doing? Thank you, my friend. Saturday's rig is going to be nice as well, though I'm not comboing it. The Rumble gets the nod on Sunday, at morning service. I can easily toss back the same compliment to you as well. You guys with these darn new Fenders. Why are you doing this to us amp-purchase weaklings? I never thought of a double 40 setup with the ability to DI out to the house. Sweet pic too! This combo-with-a-combo idea is kind of interesting.

p

 

[adk teleman]

And here I am! First time today wandering the club's hallways, and it feels great. adk teleman, welcome to our humble get-together for bass-playing combo owners. I see you are a Jazz bass aficionado and that's definitely okay with me. You're member #102, and I think it's time to update ya'll with a list. Tell yer friends!

Talkbass Combo Club Name List


01) ChefKen

02) Modulusman

03) Vmabus

04) Firewalz

05) spanndrew

06) shawshank72

07) gfaulkner

08) ack

09) Dustin Owens

10) Relsom


11) EoganDubh

12) cchorney

13) NickDG

14) Big Hoss

15) Ajcsk8r

16) Basshappi

17) Lesfunk

18) Squierbassjake

19) lo-freq

20) PetersReviews


21) Jughead6

22) bordinco90

23) mikeyjim2

24) KickingBass

25) jmverdugo

26) Toddbass65

27) Floridabway

28) elkkid2

29) 1954bassman

30) woodyng


31) Doublesixes

32) Steve88

33) mccartneyman

34) CL400Peavey

35) mikeyjm2

36) Linnin

37) bmc

38) yahboy

39) outoftune

40) KramerDon


41) heynorm

42) Bobby Bass

43) KeithAlanK

44) Photobassist

45) rtslinger

46) Thumpinshelton

47) Razman

48) ticol07

49) alaskaleftybass

50) Srvmojo


51) iagtrplyr

52) ubernator

53) Fishyfishfish

54) JakobT

55) thabassmon

56) Gaolee

57) G-Dog

58) RumbleMan3

59) Luciferiad

60) eric_B


61) TrevorG

62) SoulReflection

63) theduke1

64) Moody Tuner

65) Giffro

66) Doctor Intrepid

67) Drgonzonm

68) GonePlaid

69) BradE

70) Amoodymule


71) Jeremy Jones

72) Ghostinthemach

73) ScottTunes

74) BazzaBass

75) Biguglyman

76) Dr. Cheese

77) Bob Clayton

78) NathOBX

79) Bass V

80) Five String


81) Gremson

82) Morrighan

83) Zon6c-f

84) rodl2005

85) Nancy1234

86) Shadven

87) twinjet

88) Michael B

89) Vickerekes

90) Beendown139






91) Relayer71

92) basst scho

93) itsmesantiago

94) Smith357

95) Russell L

96) Cropduster

97) Datsgor

98) Haxel

99) Devon Bustard

100) Stumbo


101) Daniel Piper

102) adk teleman

Thank you iagtrplyr!
I guess I’m lazy because I like to just go to a gig with bass, cable amp! Lol.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Good morning everyone! It's Day 3, if I remember correctly. Today was one big blur with music being the top story. I got back to the hotel the earliest yet because I'm exhausted, and for me that's saying something. The day was wonderful with I think every goal we set out to do as a group was accomplished. We play tomorrow morning's church service (4-5 songs) and then head west to the Land of Corn. I'm gonna spare you the long prose tonight and use images to tell you the story. Joy, the pastor's better half (oh, it's so true) went around at different angles to capture shots of the group. I asked her because I'm usually the one taking the pictures and am rarely in them, but not today. Included below are setup shots under the pavilion, band pics, and images of the setup for tonight's church service (amp still on floor, but way better sounding after some button pushing), and a shot of tomorrow's chapel look.

It was definitely warm, but my fan kept me cool and baby powder kept my right hand from sticking to the bass' neck.What impressed me most was the tone I had coming out of the Ampeg/Zoom combination. I was easily dialing in whatever a particular song needed; a double bass with the fretless patch, big, fat bottom with an Eden patch for classic pop, and a heavily-distorted SVT tone for "Spirit in the Sky." I replaced the fuzz guitar tone in the beginning of the song. Norman Greenbaum isn't gonna stay awake at night worrying I stole his sound, but it went well. By the way, zero equipment gremlins the entire day. None at all. The amp head played four sets from 10:00-2:00 with as much as a hiccup. So I'm blaming it on bad voodoo and leaving it at that. Bad news Stage 800 fans: I'm back to my original idea of buying the 50-watt Ampeg PF-20T tube amp for boudoir jamming. I figure it's either one or the other this fall, but I'll keep an open mind.

As far as the Rumble 100 did at the evening service...perfect! The pic will show me in a room with the rest of the band outside the door. I thought they were joking at first, but I was the only electric instrument with even vocals being done sans PA. I ran the tone controls flat and then pushed the button that will forever change the way I feel about it. It was the Vintage button and all I can say is wow. I've tried it before and never really liked what I heard as bloated bottom, but today it filled in the holes and made my Jazz solid without overdoing it. Gain was set at like 8:30, master at 9:00, and as I said, everything else flat. I'm still thinking about how it sounded!

Tomorrow morning I'll use the same rig. I must note that no FX pedal was used in producing sound from the Rumble. Straight through with nothing to distract the pureness. I was really happy though with my gear. If anything goofed up my playing, it was me and I'd rather have it being me than an amp.

So my big news is we did make a recording of the entire daytime show and I'll be getting either a copy on disc or as a download. I didn't listen to any of it, but Nate, the uke player, said not only did it record well, but you could actually hear the bass. Remember, this bunch only gets true bottom end once or twice a year! I'm looking forward to hearing it and promise to put up a couple songs here to get your input. There's a lot to choose from, and that's no lie. Pastor John loves to overdo, so if you're a detail fanatic you'll see seven mics set up. Overkill? Not everyone sings, so what's that tell ya? It was a clean job setup though. This pavilion has become kinda special because the fellowship that takes place makes you still believe in the goodness of man. I took a picture with and without the equipment for the sake of photographic balance.

As always, thanks for reading and for the comments/likes. If anything, these ramblings have really boosted our page numbers! So who's going on tour next? From now on any extended traveling for music has to come with a daily journal! I'll try to close off this journal tomorrow night after getting home. It's been quite a trip. Oh, and to top it all off, Greg, the guitarist/singer showed up after the funeral to sing the entire fourth set, and he played and sang for the service. It was nice having him back. I'm going to bed, here are the pics in reverse order:

The above picture resembles and old man sitting, but when you look at the two ladies singing (82 and 77 years old), ya kinda put the old-man talk away and just play music!

 

[basst scho]

Sweet look, 'scho! Tell your bro he done well. Maybe he found his calling, and you can let him try out his ideas on your bass. Very cool look.

it was the last chance for that. he did it at work in a few lunch breaks, but has another job now...

if i had to pay for his working hours, pickguard would be more expensive than the bass its guarding

my early birthday present this year

 

[iagtrplyr]

Good Monday morning, everyone. I'm fighting to stay awake long enough to tell you, "The Eagle Has Landed!" John and I got back about 9:00 IA time, and I just finished putting all my gear away. I know, could've done it tomorrow, but I was hyped about getting back home and decided to burn some of my energy in a positive way.

We took off after the morning performance which went quite well,0 though I thought we sounded a little tired. I was, but enjoyed the service, which had a nice-sized crowd. Though the Rumble did its usual thing; sound great, I was less pleased with the sound, in my opinion, being right up against the pew it had no breathing space for lack of a better explanation. I ran it straight from bass to speaker and thought it was a little dry, but still served the music.

Speaking of music, our uke player, Nate, who also doubles as the recording guy, began last night working on the recordings. He has 43 songs, I believe, to prep for distribution to the rest of us and has nine of them done. So he cut the Reverend a CD with those nine songs, all from the fourth set, for us to listen to on the way home. Sonically, they sounded way better than I was expecting, and other than some wind noise, it was quite listenable. Now that was from an old Mercury Marquis stereo system, but with some tweaking I could hear my bass pretty well. We're gonna wait for him to upload them in a cloud (I don't which one though), and let us download them maybe this week sometime. As soon as I get them I'll post a couple to listen to.

Definitely my fave of the nine I heard was Nazareth's "Please Don't Judas Me," from their Hair of the Dog album. If you're interested, go onto YouTube and listen to the song if you're not familiar with it, and then listen to our version after I link it. Being we're primarily an acoustic band you have to figure it's an altered version to fit us, and you'd be correct. In fact, I hardly hear a resemblance as we've basically taken the lyrics and created the rest on our own. I really liked it though and hope you do too. I'll also put up one of the religious pieces that sounds good to give you a flavor of what the group's main sound is.

No pics tonight, but I'll be doing an inventory of what was taken over the week and maybe throw another one up for your viewing pleasure. It feels super to be back home in the loving arms of Mrs. iagtrplyr, and to be in Iowa. The drivers in Ohio are insane! Now it's the week to be starting on that long road to securing another Ohio trip in 2019. In other words, it's time to begin work. My arms and shoulders need the rest anyway!

Once again, thanks for hanging in there with me for the last five days. I told many people about my vacation journal and how it was reaching the far corners of the world. If ya ever get the chance to do something fun and exciting like this, I promise to read your day's events with great interest since many of you have done the same.

 

[Giffro]

First chance ive had the last 24+ hours to check in..especially about Mike and his Ohio Musical Excursion.
Well done Mike and the group for completing what you set out to do, with satisfying results from what you have said Mike. Good pictures of the event and all those Combos that you have posted back to us all and the Combo Club members appreciate your nightly journal efforts i'm sure.
Welcome home Mike..I bet Mrs. Mike is very happy to see you..in keeping with that..lol..here ya go. Awww Mr iagtrplyr back in Mrs iagtrplyr's arms again.

 

[GonePlaid]

Good Monday morning, everyone. I'm fighting to stay awake long enough to tell you, "The Eagle Has Landed!" John and I got back about 9:00 IA time, and I just finished putting all my gear away. I know, could've done it tomorrow, but I was hyped about getting back home and decided to burn some of my energy in a positive way.

We took off after the morning performance which went quite well,0 though I thought we sounded a little tired. I was, but enjoyed the service, which had a nice-sized crowd. Though the Rumble did its usual thing; sound great, I was less pleased with the sound, in my opinion, being right up against the pew it had no breathing space for lack of a better explanation. I ran it straight from bass to speaker and thought it was a little dry, but still served the music.

Speaking of music, our uke player, Nate, who also doubles as the recording guy, began last night working on the recordings. He has 43 songs, I believe, to prep for distribution to the rest of us and has nine of them done. So he cut the Reverend a CD with those nine songs, all from the fourth set, for us to listen to on the way home. Sonically, they sounded way better than I was expecting, and other than some wind noise, it was quite listenable. Now that was from an old Mercury Marquis stereo system, but with some tweaking I could hear my bass pretty well. We're gonna wait for him to upload them in a cloud (I don't which one though), and let us download them maybe this week sometime. As soon as I get them I'll post a couple to listen to.

Definitely my fave of the nine I heard was Nazareth's "Please Don't Judas Me," from their Hair of the Dog album. If you're interested, go onto YouTube and listen to the song if you're not familiar with it, and then listen to our version after I link it. Being we're primarily an acoustic band you have to figure it's an altered version to fit us, and you'd be correct. In fact, I hardly hear a resemblance as we've basically taken the lyrics and created the rest on our own. I really liked it though and hope you do too. I'll also put up one of the religious pieces that sounds good to give you a flavor of what the group's main sound is.

No pics tonight, but I'll be doing an inventory of what was taken over the week and maybe throw another one up for your viewing pleasure. It feels super to be back home in the loving arms of Mrs. iagtrplyr, and to be in Iowa. The drivers in Ohio are insane! Now it's the week to be starting on that long road to securing another Ohio trip in 2019. In other words, it's time to begin work. My arms and shoulders need the rest anyway!

Once again, thanks for hanging in there with me for the last five days. I told many people about my vacation journal and how it was reaching the far corners of the world. If ya ever get the chance to do something fun and exciting like this, I promise to read your day's events with great interest since many of you have done the same.

I always unload when I get home from a gig-unless we are playing the next night too. South FL heat/humidity isn't good for gear, my temperature controlled(ac)house is. No matter what, the bass(es)come in. They're safe in the garage except that becomes an oven. Happy that your journey has been a rousing success and you're home safe. Looking forward to hearing the recordings.

 

[iagtrplyr]

I always unload when I get home from a gig-unless we are playing the next night too. South FL heat/humidity isn't good for gear, my temperature controlled(ac)house is. No matter what, the bass(es)come in. They're safe in the garage except that becomes an oven. Happy that your journey has been a rousing success and you're home safe. Looking forward to hearing the recordings.

GP, thank you so much for the kind words. I had the gear in the living room, but didn't feel it was fair for my wife to have to wake up to the disaster I created after getting home. Plus, I was wired from the trip and used as a way to come back down. I was so happy with of all of my equipment I can't tell ya. That feeling when everything you brought did exactly what it was intended to do. I'm so glad I brought the combo because it was the better option in the smaller areas we played. My biggest problem now is what to buy next being I currently have no complaints! That's usually when I begin looking at basses, but let's keep that between us so my Jazz doesn't suspect anything.

I just finished emailing our uke player who's working on the recordings. If they sound as good in the house as they did in the car I'll be a happy camper. It'll be my pleasure to post a couple of them since ya'll had to piut up with my scribblings for nearly a week! Thanks again, Gone Plaid!

 

[iagtrplyr]

First chance ive had the last 24+ hours to check in..especially about Mike and his Ohio Musical Excursion.
Well done Mike and the group for completing what you set out to do, with satisfying results from what you have said Mike. Good pictures of the event and all those Combos that you have posted back to us all and the Combo Club members appreciate your nightly journal efforts i'm sure.
Welcome home Mike..I bet Mrs. Mike is very happy to see you..in keeping with that..lol..here ya go. Awww Mr iagtrplyr back in Mrs iagtrplyr's arms again.

Giff, you're a tonic for my weary senses. Yeah, Jackie (Mrs. iagtrplyr) was very happy to see me. That smile of hers gives her away everytime. Thanks for all your kind words during the "Ohio" tour, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I enjoyed some Roy Orbison with bass enhancement by you. I haven't heard that great song in years. Why isn't stuff like that on the radio so the youngins can be introduced to good music?

 

[Davidus1]

I own a Fender Rumble 200 and just purchased the Rumble 40. Extremely happy with both. The 40 is a surprisingly awesome little amp. Using it at church while playing with an acoutic guitar. This amp is perfect. It weighs only 18 lbs. Can a brother get a number please? ( :

 

[iagtrplyr]

I own a Fender Rumble 200 and just purchased the Rumble 40. Extremely happy with both. The 40 is a surprisingly awesome little amp. Using it at church while playing with an acoutic guitar. This amp is perfect. It weighs only 18 lbs. Can a brother get a number please? ( :

Absolutely! Thanks for taking up my offer. You're in friendly company in this club where we maintain an upbeat attitude and respect all others' equipment. Feel free to mingle about and I'll get your number later tonight. Thanks Davidus1!