u/Anon_use_fun_alias

Hey folks- classic cubmaster/den leader combo here.

Before I became cubmaster, pack meetings were mostly about getting by, and my predecessor kept the pack alive through the COVID years with limited help. Activities naturally took a back seat. Since taking over, I’ve tried to make pack activities more of a priority, and we’ve already taken some steps in that direction. I think the precedent is still indifference to pack meetings, and it's probably self-fulfilling; If they don't show up, they don't see the change.

I think this year I'd like to get a sense of what's challenging the Pack. I suspect a significant impact is jam-packed family schedules that deprioritize the Pack. If that's what it is, that's fine, but it helps to level-set my expectation.

I haven't figured out how to frame it just yet:

• Something to help me understand if poor pack attendance is due to conflicts
• The feasibility of weekends as times for pack events (this probably varies by time of year)
• What activities would they like to see more
• interest/ability to serve the pack in some official/unofficial-but-continuing/single event capacity.

3 hour Thursday gig, right after work, and an hour commute both ways. Really familiar set list.

Based on how I feel about how last night went, I’d say 20%. 10% my own mojo, 5% my perception of the audience, and 5% my perception of the band.

On the one hand I’ve played gigs where I’ve played better than I’ve ever played; that endorphin-fueled natural high combined with a serotonin release from a great experience. I’m relaxed, the band is locked in and the audience is boppin’.

Last night, and others like it, was not that. Hard to describe, but I just never relaxed into it, and I kinda felt like I was in my own head. It’s like I’m putting more pressure on myself to perform than normal, and I’m dwelling on mistakes, which of course leads to more mistakes. And all of that is insane, because I know what’s happening, and I can’t just flip the switch in my brain.

I don’t think it was just me, either- I was hearing mistakes from all around the band.

The audience had a great time, and the venue loved us, so at least there’s that.

For me it’s that “high mass” bridges have any impact on sound quality.

So I’m 40 now. Throughout my late teens and my 20’s I practiced a decent amount of slap bass. I was pretty comfortable playing tunes like “power” by Marcus Miller and I could do “higher ground” and standard fair.

But I never really got to play slap bass (really) in gigs I was playing. I stopped focusing on practicing a technique that I used effectively 0% of the time.

5 years ago (probably) I made the switch to flats and preferred the tone. My action is “high” but appropriate for finger style and I’m very comfortable playing on it. It’s higher than most people probably slap on, but it’s not “Jamerson high”. My bass sound is clean and articulate and transient noises of frets and position slides are really reduced.

Well now this side project I’ve been helping has been mixing in a little slap- limited to the bridge in “Soul to Squeeze”- not enough for me to change how I do things. I can play it, and it sounds like slap on flats. Not the greatest, but whatever, it’s 30 seconds of music in a 3 hour gig.

They write some originals and now they’d like to do, what they’ve dubbed, an “anthem”- upbeat and higher energy. They’ve determined they’d like a slap bass line, and they want me to change one of my setups to round wounds to be more slap appropriate.

Now there’s two things:

1. it’s possible this song never gets written and the problem solves itself. I love these guys, but they’re not musical juggernauts, and we all have day jobs. Right now it’s more of a wish than a reality.
2. I have my interchangeable primary and secondary basses setup just how I want them. If one is down for the count, the other steps in just where I want it.

I could buy another bass. I don’t want to, really, especially for one song that might never come to fruition. I could have it setup specifically to make slapping easier and just carry a mandatory two basses to these gigs and have another bass to maintain. I enjoy slap bass, but I have no real drive to practice it anymore “just for fun” since my other responsibilities really regulate my practice time. It’s kinda played the role of “neat trick” in my playing life. I also don’t see slap bass becoming a feature in this band which is generally “yacht rock”.

So what is your opinion? How would you handle things?

I just learned about this yoyo recently (thanks guys!), but I can't seem to see any new product out in the wild. Is this still a yoyo that can be found?

I love the fact you can take it apart, and it's got a wooden transaxle.

Hey everyone- I realize this post is a little like walking into a fountain pen sub and talking about why I think a Bic Roundstic is great for what it is. I wouldn't consider myself a yoyo player except that I really appreciate the simple things in life, and throwing a yoyo is one of those things I've rediscovered. I just wanted to share a recent experience I had and see if there are any others like me out there.

On Saturday, I stopped in with my family at our local toy store to get some of those Guillow's Balsa Gliders. On a whim, I picked up a green Duncan Imperial for $6 because it triggered something in me. I haven't thrown a yoyo in probably 30 years.

I read a post from this very subreddit (maybe 9 years old?) where the OP thought that the Duncan Imperial was actually hurting the hobby. I can see where they were coming from- it's an overly simple yoyo which makes it harder to do tricks with. Impossible in some cases.

I screwed around with that yoyo all weekend. I'm not really interested in any advanced tricks, in fact they kind of make me anxious. I just enjoy slinging a yoyo around; kind of like the ultimate fidget spinner. My 8 year old got interested in it, so I bought him one too. I double wrapped the axel so it'd always return. He's been enjoying throwing that thing around and nailing the occasional loop.

Anyway, from my perspective, the Duncan Imperial is probably the best $6 I've spent in recent memory. I really appreciate the simplicity, the nostalgia, and the lack of expense. YMMV

I ordered a Hornet just because I wanted to experiment, so in a way, the "Imperial as gateway" strategy is kind of working. Part of me just wants to go buy 10 Imperials and have a lifetime supply.

Cubmaster/Den Leader here.

Right now, our Pack is about 35 non-transient scouts every year and we've been holding steady for a few years. The last 2 years we've had small lion dens (1-3 scouts) and looking ahead for the well-being of the Pack, we need this trend to change. This year we'll be losing 13 scouts as they cross over.

I've already started planning out our recruitment campaign for the fall, focusing heavily on scouts inviting friends, flyers being sent through the school system, and appearances at open houses, all in an effort to get high attendance at our joining event which will be a meeting at our typical time in September.

I'm going into this with some hope and, accompanying that, some trepidation.

My hope is that we recruit new scouts and bolster up the smaller dens. My anxiety is that will increase the numbers of our larger dens (11 & 13 scouts) and drive more work for already burdened leaders.

My other hope is to increase the number of parents from whom we can draw more volunteers. My anxiety is that the proportion of volunteers we'll get will be smaller than the proportion of work load we'll pick up with new scouts.

Have any of you been in this position before? How did it work for you?

I've been playing a long time, and my typical mindset is to always get more than what I think I need, but I feel like I'm dialing in to what works for me.

I only ever play relatively small to medium size venues, sometimes on patios. Classic bar band situation. I direct line into a PA, but we don't rely on it to provide anything more than some flavor into the mains and piping the bass into the monitors. I'd say my rig does most of the heavy lifting (for better or for worse - I have my own thoughts, but I don't control the board).

for the last 15 or so years I've been using a Markbass Mo Mark (500W @ 8 ohms) almost exclusively through the Markbass 121 New York 1x12 (8 ohms), which is only rated to 400 watts. My master volume rarely gets to 75%, usually around 50% - 60%.

from past experience over a decade ago, 300W through the same 1x12 means I'm dialed up to about 75% - 85% in rehearsal (can't recall if I gigged with that setup). If memory serves, I didn't particularly like feeling "maxed out".

When I was young and didn't know anything, I ran a 1000W (advertised) Carvin R1000 through a 4x10 and 1x18, never ran the "bridged" configuration for the full 1000W, and never went above 60% volume in a very loud band. I think that was far too much rig (180 lbs of rig!).

I think that means that a 400-500 watt rig is probably my sweet spot.

Just some things I've been thinking about now that I'm looking into getting a backup rig. I keep trying to tell myself 300 watts should be fine, but I think I know better.

My 8 year old has decided definitively that he wants to play bass just like his old man, and I can’t be happier about it.

I started on piano when I was his age and I felt it was beneficial for me as a bass player, but I found the Squire Mini and the Ibanez Mikro basses. If he wants to play, I’ll make it happen.

$200 isn’t a big investment, so if it doesn’t pan out I’m okay with it, but I save me the heartache if either of the options suck.

Well, my first summer as Cubmaster and with a supportive Committee Chair, we're going to offer 3 summer events for the scouts.

I'm expecting very low engagement - we only have about 30 scouts since cross-over, and I expect maybe 10 scout families, tops, based on our typical engagement for special events.

I'm planning:

1. a hike at a state park and a picnic (there's bathrooms and a picnic area)

Duration: a couple hours

2. fishing at an accessible location (there's porta potties)

Duration: a couple hours

3. a field day / BBQ / picnic. (there will be bathrooms and running water available.)

Duration: undecided- maybe an afternoon.

Any lessons learned in your own experience?

I'm in need of some advice or reassurance.

For background: tough_interscout_issue OR TL;DR: Scout A and Scout B can't get along at school, and Scout A doesn't want to come to meetings as a result. according to Mom A. I've offered to help mediate, but the offer was declined, so I'm keeping to myself.

Now we continue on with new information...

Recently, unrelated to any of this, I've been filled in on some of the school drama from Dad D who's Scout D and another Scout E got sent to the principal's office for quarreling with Scout B when Scout B destroyed their "snowman" (some kind of craft) on the playground at school. Dad D is a friend of mine and our Committee Chair, and he was just sharing this information as a dad disappointed in his kid's reactions. I haven't mentioned to him anything about the predicament between Scout A and Scout B.

Now we have Scout C who also doesn't get along with Scout B at school, and now Scout C has been missing meetings as a result, according to Mom C.

Thinking back, I think I can recall some times when Scout B might have been rude to some of these other scouts in my Den meeting, but without the context of these strained relationships, I didn't really think much of it. I recall having to remind him to be nice after one of those instances.

This is Scout B's first year in my Den, and I've gone from having minor issues, to issues that are impacting my Den's ability to function. I've not discussed any of this with Mom B- it hasn't been my place, since I've been asked to not intervene. My instinct is to continue turning a blind eye to it until I'm tapped to do something. However, now there's more than 33% of my den being impacted in some way or another and I feel compelled to do something to ensure a safe space for the scouts.

At the very least, I'm considering breaking up my Den up into two groups- swapping meetings every other week. I'll separate Scout B from Scouts A, C, and possibly Scouts D and E as well. With 11 scouts, I have more than enough scouts to do that. It does mean we'd cover half as much material in the school year, however, but armed with the information that I have, I feel like that's the best I can do.

What do you think I should do?

The only songs I've ever learned note-for-note by ear are songs like Hysteria - songs where the bass line needs to be learned as played. In these situations, the line is so prominent that the original artist doesn't toss in their favorite fills, and that makes learning the tune note-for-note a lot easier.

There are other songs where it's more difficult - situations where I'm essentially trying to learn another bassist's "fill of the day" that they played in the studio, and maybe just that one time, and maybe it was edited later. Usually in these situations, I'll learn the main riffs and anything that seems really important to the song, then I add my own flair of fills and what not.

There's obviously a benefit to learning songs note-for-note, and I'm sure it would make me a better player, but there's so many songs to learn, and only so much time to devote to it.

Anyway, bass community- I was just wondering what your experience is like.

24 years of playing and I’ve owned 4 bass guitars, and all of them ended up being 5 strings for the very reason I’m about to outline to you.

So I absolutely love the look and concept behind the Joe Dart 1, and I’ve been eyeballing the page for weeks. I’ve gone to guitar center and played on the entry level passive sterling to see if I think I’d like the Joe Dart 1. I imagine the JD1 is better quality, and the entry level isn’t that bad! With a proper setup, I would have walked out of Guitar Center with that $300 orange entry level Ray-lookin’ thing.

The reason I always end up with a 5 string is that I started on one and I’m so used to the convenience of the 5th string. The ease of positional playing as well as the extended range are just niceties I’ve become accustomed to. It’s especially nice at gigs where unexpected tunes can be called and I don’t have to worry about what tuning they’re in.

So back to the JD1… I have a hard time imagining that I’d ever elect to play a 4 string over my typical 5 strings. I never play two of the basses I already have as it is, but I just can’t bear to part with them.

Anyone else have this “problem”? Is this me just talking myself into making a rational financial decision?

ETA- who the heck is downvoting this? This is not intended to be a 5 vs. 4 battle- it’s an honest question.

I had picked up bass because I thought it would be an accessible way for me to break into the rock music I was listening to at the time. I was 16, and brand new to bass, when I came across “Classical Thump” and it changed how I viewed my new instrument. There was room for tremendous excellence on the humble bass. I practiced harder, day dreaming of playing like Victor.

When I was 23 I ran into him after a Wooten Brothers show. I was star struck because he’d become somewhat of a personal hero. He was such a humble guy, and lived up to what I imagined he’d be like in every way. Sometimes it’s completely okay to meet your heroes- they don’t all let you down.

Now he’s dealing with Focal Dystonia and I was pretty devastated to hear the diagnosis when that news broke. Lately, I’ve been having a hard time myself with the news, because I’m 40 and the temporary nature of life taints things with some amount of sadness. This is just another one of those events for me that underlines that theme.

Then I watched his interview with Charles Berthoud. Even now, crippled with Focal Dystonia, he’s still playing, still hopeful that he can over come it, and above all, he’s demonstrating that he can humble himself into a more typical bass player role, and still enjoy it.

For a guy like me who will never reach VLW’s level, not even close, this was really an amazing moment of relief for me. I’m a competent player, and strangers who watch me play will stop to say how much they appreciate what I can do… but in my mind I always wanted to be better. I haven’t practiced enough, I should be better.

Bass guitar was never going to be my whole life; it was always going to share time with other things. It’s a privilege that I get to support different bands and share in great musical experiences in some part time capacity. Once again Victor teaches me that it’s really not about being the best. Greatness can be achieved by doing what you can with what you’ve got. If VLW can acknowledge his limitations and still press on for the love of playing, can’t we all?

Well, thanks for reading my ramblings.

So I've been thinking about this for years, revisiting it over the past week, and read a post that reminded me about it just now.

I have my old Yamaha RBX765a bass, my first. I love how it plays and it sounds great after all these years. I hate the preamp (too bass-heavy, too treble-heavy, nothing in between) and I hate the battery. I've read somewhere that the pickups are "passive" pickups, meaning that when the EQ is flat, there's technically no boost. I think I've been draining batteries for years without much benefit.

My dream is to convert it to a 3 knob.
Pickup Sweep -> Volume -> Tone.

if I have to, I'd go for a J-bass setup with 2 volumes instead.

Anyone have any experience out there?

I notice I have a tendency of playing too aggressively during some gigs for the past several years. We’re playing more demanding songs that require some faster playing, and I catch myself playing harder during some live shows. I’ve got solid callouses, but I end up with some kind of blood blister on my middle finger to various degrees.

I’ve arrived at the conclusion that I’m loud enough for the audience, but I think subconsciously I feel like I don’t hear my sound as well, and I’m playing harder to compensate. At my last gig, the band I was working with was paired down without electric lead guitar or drums, and without the competition I played like my normal self and didn’t end up with blisters.

So I think I’m going to take the plunge for in ear monitors. Everything I hear currently comes through wedges and past -15 dB ear plugs. So here comes the question-

Is it weird playing with in ear monitors when the drums aren’t mic’d? Maybe it’ll be absolutely fine, but I’m worried that everyone else will sound crystal clear, but the drums will sound muffled and that will throw me off.