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I enjoyed the program too. I have been a long term Yardbird's fan and first saw them live with Eric Clapton in December 1964 when they supported The Beatles at the Hammersmith Odeon. Jeff Beck was an inspired replacement when Eric Clapton left the group and it was great shame that he left them too. I just couldn't wait for the first appearance at the Marquee Club, Wardour Street, London of the recently formed Jeff Beck Group. I was supposed to be at my Art School classes but wanted to make sure I got a good position. Arriving at 10am I was the first in line and chose my position on the edge of the stage. The stage was only two feet high so my position was about as good as it gets. I believe the date was 11 April 1967 and was a very early concert as Ronnie Wood was still on lead guitar which was for a short period only before switching to bass. I had to keep my wits about me during the evening to avoid a head injury as their unknown to me singer liked to swing the microphone stand around a lot. OK so I now know the singer was Rod Stewart and the microphone swinging was his trademark. During the evening Jeff Beck broke a guitar string, tore it off and dropped it - right into my lap. Even after all these years I remember it was a fantastic evening with Jeff Beck and Ronnie Wood playing off each other. However my close proximity to the group had one drawback - it took me three days to get my hearing back! I still have the Jeff Beck guitar string which is now mounted in a 16.25" x 12.25" glazed aluminium frame together with a fantastic moody period black and white photograph of Jeff Beck.

Rickenbacker

We have those conversations regularly. It's merely Aguilar's turn.

Yup. i listen to well rehearsed professionally produced music and I play the polar opposite.

How can Rebel Yell not be anybody's "thing". Fire him. Fire him now.

Just gigged my Greenboy Fearless Dually 2x15 (built by Tricky Audio) - as always, very easy to load in and out of the car and roll through a crowded beer marquee (or pick up and waddle with for a while where needed!). A lovely tone from the Faital 400s, suits a P in a blues/rock/soul combo beautifully. But most importantly, the colour matches the bass

It’s time again for us to think about choosing some new songs for our set, and as usual nobody can agree on which songs to play. We play the local pub circuit doing alt rock and indie covers from the last decade or so. As far as I’m concerned we are there to entertain people which means playing big songs that people want to jig about and sing along to on a Saturday night. Whether or not we like the song in question is largely irrelevant, in fact there a couple of songs that I can’t stand and don’t like playing particularly, but I tolerate them because they go down a storm. Several song suggestions were made over the weekend by members of the band but our drummer has, as usual, vetoed every single one of them: ‘not playing that, don’t like that one, don’t like this one’, despite the fact that all the songs suggested are guaranteed crowd pleasers, which surely is what we’re trying to do? The complete inability/unwillingness to see beyond your personal feelings on a song is really frustrating, and holding us back as band. None of the songs I played when I was doing the function circuit were songs I’d go home and listen to, but give me a floor full of people loving you playing Katy Perry over a couple of blokes staring at you from the bar while you play a Pendulum album track (yes really, we used to...) because the drummer likes it any day. So, I’m venting because this happens every time we choose new songs; we always get past it in the end, but damn it’s frustrating...

So I bought a new router bit that has the bearing at the end, as the one I had was only really short. There were some really cheap ones but I got something that seemed decent, and god it is sharp. Used it on the other side of the wood and what a difference it makes. No resistance at all and the edges it makes are smooth, rather than rough like that top. Wish I had shelled out for the first half. So the outline is done, and although it is a little rough in places, where I can file it down, the only place it is bad is on the top horn, where unfortunately a piece of wood chipped out on the overlap. Might just round it off a bit more. It is wider than it needed to be which is lucky as it needs a bit of work. But in general pretty happy. Will spend some time getting the sides smooth the old fashioned hand way, then on to the scary bit of cutting out the neck joint, pickup holes, electronics and making the bevelled bits, the arm dent and stomach bit!

I knew they reminded me of something...

@Kevin Dean Your ‘hair splitting’ has worn me out lol. Payment advice or Invoice - doesn’t really matter because the point is (please no more splitting hairs?) Ashdown do not need to justify their business practices especially to forum nerds who have no ACTUAL knowledge.

That is a crucial consideration, certainly.

I've usually had enough after seconds. Urp!

I'm a drummer, and maybe I'm just unlucky (I doubt it...), but most modern pop songs are very, very uninteresting as such for a drummer to play (think Rolling Stones...). There is little in many cover band repertoires for personal expression for the drummer; it's mostly 'four on the floor', straight beat with occasional fills, and even more rare 'hooks'. All that to say that, if that style of performance is not accepted, 'covers' drumming is not the right genre for the drummer, and a covers band not the right environment. For my part, I find interest in just about any drum part, and treat it as a challenge to play 'simple' stuff cleanly and regularly, in the same way as I approach my 'rudiments' exercises at home, which can involved an hour or so of 'disco' beat on the hi-hat, for instance, or even longer on snare patterns. Some songs (SOAD, Muse, Bowie...) may have a particular 'drum style' which can be technically pleasing to perform correctly, but one would rarely have opportunity for such in a whole evening's repertoire in a typical pub band playing chart pop. Either the bloke is in the wrong band, or the band is aiming at the wrong 'market'. I'd suggest the former, and look to either changing drummer or changing bands. Just my tuppence-worth.

The same place that they make the Apple iPhone X - a snip at just £1,149. Aguilar's prices, like Apple's, are probably more to do with profit margins than labour costs. As long as they can persuade people to pay those prices, they'll get away with it. That's business.

I'm stunned by how many of the bands put forward as 'global successes' here I haven't heard of. I remember Yes (a friend liked them, I couldn't stand them) and Rush (same friend liked them, I couldn't stand them either). Strangely enough, we are still friends and still have quite different musical tastes. Kings X? I thought it was a station. I have, until this thread, never heard of a band of that name. I'm not proud of my ignorance, but neither do I feel inclined to look them up. I have existed quite happily in my limited world for many years now, haven't listened to the radio for the last 40 years or more, very rarely watch TV (have to hear it though, my wife enjoys it, I usually sit facing away from it, often listening to music through headphones to drown out the constant chatter of the telly).

By this, you imply that because they are friends, the drummer and frontman will back each other up, regardless of what the others suggest. IMO a working harmonious and professional relationship between all band members is a must, and it trumps...or should do...any personal friendships. It's the band as a unit that should come first.

Just for comparison purposes, obv...

That statement you made contains all the information and job description necessary for your drummer - It's a covers band? = YES So you're going to be playing popular covers that people know, so you get gigs? = YES So are you going to play shoegazey obscure album covers? = NO! No band can demand that punters stay and listen to the band's personal favourites, they'll just vote with their feet. And there's no fun in playing to an empty room.

Honestly it seems like everyone isn't on the same page. The main thing about these cover bands I tend to see is that the members who play there don't fully realize or have the self-esteem to realize what they're doing. There's something called "musician's ego" which is and has always been very prevalent - musicians, like most human beings, like to show off and think that they need to play the most technical and advanced songs in order to show the public they're good so that they can fulfill their ego. And in cover bands that's impossible because not only do you have to play OTHER PEOPLE'S songs but you also have to stay true to the original (that means no random drum fills on Another One Bites the Dust you stupid prick Joe...). What you should do, in my opinion, is gather up your bandmates and schedule a serious meeting. Be realistic and talk to them about the band goals. Ask everyone: "are you here to make money or have fun?" Obviously the best of both worlds is doing both but everyone has to compromise. If you have to play Katy Perry songs then do it and no one can say "no" unless they're only there to have fun (which isn't the main purpose of a cover band really...). You can't only play boring pop songs though or everyone will burnout so add a few still popular but amazing songs to play (Bruno Mars comes to mind for instance, very fun to play but also well known) and also a couple of personal favorites from your members (everyone gets one pick for instance). In the end it's all about balance but EVERYONE should know what you as a band are aiming for and what the consequences are. If the drummer chooses to say "well but I don't wanna play boring songs" then he's not your guy. You're in a cover band, you're gonna play mind-numbing songs from time to time because it pleases the crowd. Either be ready for the commitment or go play prog metal with your friends.

I have used 2 x 15 pretty much my entire playing career. Started with a couple of 'lesser' cabs (Impact and HH) but the epiphany (or is that epiphone) was an old Ampeg V4 2 x 15. Wonderful sound and I went from that to a Boogie Diesel cab which I used for about 28 years until I bought my current pair of Subway 15s. I had a brief flirtation with a pair of BF Compacts but it didn't last long. They've always been my sound and I still love it.

Is it the drummer's band or a democracy? I can see if someone really, really hates a song, but he should get one vote, majority rules, not total veto power. Tell him to take it like a man.

Totally unique artist on a guitar, and I mean artist. Loved the bit where he was described as 'The Picasso of guitar players' but said 'Oh! i thought I was more Jackson Pollock'. Like anybody who pushes the envelope there's a lot of his stuff that misses the mark, but when he hits it there's nothing that comes close. I find it incredible that he's been out there on his own for so long and still relishes it and has the energy and imagination to keep on producing highly original music that nobody else can copy or emulate. The respect from his peers says it all really. Guitars and V8 engines have been 2 of my passions for decades too. Maybe that's why Jeff Beck is so special to me.

I used a 2x15 in the 80s, now I use a 1x12 that I like better, especially when I have to move it. But I won't compromise my sound for convenience. I have not.

Before you buy a new saddle pick up or anything try fiddle around with the existing one. I've had this issue on a few acoustics at the 'value' end of the market, one even had Fishman pre and pick up. Loosen strings and remove saddle. Lightly sand the saddle base flat with the fine sandpaper, emery cloth, whatever you've got on a sheet of glass to get it dead flat. Reassemble and try all string volumes. If not fixed try slipping a piece of paper or two under one end of the pick up strip, even in the middle. It's all about getting the same pressure across the pick up from all strings. The most trouble I've had from this problem is with uke basses as they have very low tension strings which the piezo strips don't seem to like. It might not fix it but it's free to try

You're supposed to change strings? I change them when they won't tune any more. But then I don't like a bright sound at all.

The support band won't have been mixed by the same engineer, and won't even have been mixed through the same mixing desk. There's so many variables involved in getting a good sound. Taking Brixton as an example - it's a beautiful and storied venue. I was really excited to be mixing in there and ticking it off the list. The advice I got from colleagues that had been through there was that it's a hideous sounding room when it's empty, but more manageable when full, and that the sound at the mix position doesn't reflect how it sounds across most of the rest of the room, especially around the tricky bottom end. So - you're on the back foot with the room before you've started. Then - many venues that size don't have an installed sound system. It's brought in show by show, by the artist or promoter's chosen supplier. The system will depend on the budget, and the headline artist's brand preference. This has to be flown/stacked, configured, time aligned to suit the space. This is largely science with a splash of art, and is a skill set in itself separate from being a mix engineer. A great system tech is a desirable thing. They create the canvas that the FOH has to work with, so is again filled with variables. Soundcheck comes - taking that Brixton gig as an example, the headline band had a closed soundcheck. I didn't even get to walk up to the desk until they were done. They ran an hour over schedule. I raced to FOH with my carefully prepared show file on my USB stick, filled with confidence because I knew I'd prepped the file well and could start quickly. I got to the mix position to find I'd been supplied a completely different desk from the one in the advance, my show file was now useless and I was starting from scratch on am unfamiliar desk over an hour behind schedule. The ten minute rushed soundcheck we had meant I didn't get the opportunity to walk the room enough to get a proper feel for how it sounded away from the mix position, and also meant I didn't have time to do anything but the very quick basics to throw a decent mix together. When it came to show time, I discovered all the little issues that the rushed soundcheck had hidden - like just how over-egged with bass and lacking in mid some of the bass sounds coming from the SansAmp on stage were. Whilst there was plenty of low end, there was next to nothing I could do to dial the clarity back in to the midrange because that detail just wasn't reaching me at the desk. In every song, I had effects changes and constant fader rides to do to suit the arrangement, lift key parts in the important places etc, so trying to firefight sonic imperfections around that. The half our set is over before I know it. Band and management made up with the mix, I know it was ok but would have been much better given more favourable circumstances. [Edit to add: When you're in a full venue, with regular adjustments to make, it's often just not practical to go for a wander to hear how it sounds across the room. In a sold out gig, to get far enough away from the desk to hear the difference, means there's too many people in the way of you getting back quickly to react to something hapening on stage. I don't know many engineer's working directly with a band whose mix stays static throughout a show. If you know the material, you play the mix to suit and it's constantly changing. ] That's a pretty typical day and regular set of challenges on a live show of that scale, and that's barely touching on the amount of things on stage in terms of tone, musical arrangements, performance, stage volume/spill etc that you can't control from behind the FOH desk and just have to deal with as best you can. If it was that easy to make everything sound great in every corner of every venue, anyone could do it. Sometimes it's easy, but sometimes it's really bloody hard. "Turn the kick down" and "tweak the mids" doesn't really cover it!

Limelite would be something like this then - classic late 50s/early 60s family saloon, heavy relic, no pick up covers 😀

Limelight- replica kit car with fake badges.

Not really the types of gigs I do, but a mate who has been in a pretty high level function band for many years told me that demand is way down (north of England), they are not working any where near as much as they used to and have been forced to reduce their fees accordingly.

Ooh it’s a tricky one isn’t it? I’d like to think that after a couple of minutes refreshing the memory, I could play every song I’ve ever played but number wise??? 🤔

I would love a 4 ohm Mesa 2x15. Far too expensive, far too heavy, completely unnecessary, not very practical and inefficient compared to modern lightweight design. However I have a Trace Elliot V6 that is also all of these things and I think that the two pieces of gear would be a perfect match. The amount of heft on tap would override all other negatives.

You may but the BC code of silence means the mods lips are sealed. Just accept you'll never know and have a nice mug of tea instead (coughs, taps side of nose, winks meaningfully).

Successful covers bands play songs that people like singing to and dancing to, nothing too complicated, they are there to entertain the audience. Just because a member of the band doesn`t like a particular song doesn`t necessarily mean the band shouldn`t play it, in my old rock covers band we did Born To Be Wild. I`ve never been overkeen but the audience loved it, if it had bombed I wouldn`t have cared but it was one of the most liked songs we did, so it stayed.

Don't know how I didn't find this thread earlier... I've been thinking just starting work on a few similar mods to my PB-50 since I got it last year - all these really nice finished basses have inspired me to get on with it. I'm planning to start with just a headstock re-shape, and (now I've seen how good it looks) a bit of a vintage tint on the very white neck to go with it. I'm also deciding whether to get a clear scratchplate made up - it was only when I stripped the thing down I realised how much I preferred the look of the body without, but the holes would annoy me too much to leave it as is. I did a quick image search and found this Italian site with a couple of pictures where someone has whipped the scratchplate off - unsurprisingly mine looks exactly like that right now... http://www.suonoelettronico.com/harleybentonPB50SBVintageSeries.htm I've already confirmed what everyone else says - that decent flats are the future for this bass, and I was able to set it up 'acceptably' without changing anything else. The one weakness I've found is the tuners... the ferrules were all loose on mine, so after a while they were all sort of slightly pulled out, if you know what I mean? I think I can secure them by wrapping them in tape before reassembly, but it's an annoyance, and I don't really want to replace them since it held in tune fine. All in all I think that a few simple mods will make this a spot on backup bass for me... although some of the ones people have done here would be #1 basses.

Still no decent global rock bands formed since 2000...

Totally agree, i was just generalising, but a good band can turn things around sometimes. Ive seen (and been in bands) playing social clubs and its really hard work if you arent the right band on the night. If you are flexible and want to make the extra effort it can save the night. With my old band we would get very tough audiences, not interested in our set at all, and some members of the band would give up. ‘Sod it, lets just get through this’. Asking the audience if they have any requests and playing those helps warm the crowd up. Being flexible is the key IME. We stopped using set lists years ago, and just go with the flow on the night. You can usually gauge what an audience wants, by what’s not going down well, age, look, type of venue etc. Again, I’m generalising, and of course its not always going to work, but it has worked for me in the past on a lot of gigs.

Hofner I feel is more 2CV And I wouldn't want to play a Limelite in the rain - with vacuum operated wipers But guess most on here haven't driven one of these on the M4 in a thunderstorm

It really isn't for us to demand or expect "respect" from an audience. If people wish to chat with friends, have a drink, watch the footie on the big screen, jump around, pick their noses, etc, etc, that's their prerogative. They've paid their money and they are entitled to take their choice.

Added fret lines to the Black Beast. Not especially for exact intonation but for ease of playing the beast. For me a fretless with lines is just more relaxed to play.

Hmmm... I feel like I arrived late to this thread and I'm standing by myself with a glass in my hand. Just me, and the bartender, who is about to go too. Oh God... I'm THAT guy!!!

or rather 'itth a mythstery'

Nigel Tufnel once said; "The last band was so bad that the audience was still booing them when we were on!"

My friend Rowland Jones - an excellent blues man - plays with so many different local musicians from time to time that they're called "Rowland and the Moveable Feast". I'm now playing in the Plastic Mojo Blues Band - my idea, it was meant to be just a private joke taking the mickey out of ourselves, but the others all seem to share the same strange sense of humour and decided to go public with it.