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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/06/19 in all areas
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The one who helps pack the gear up is the one you want.10 points
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Expect the unexpected, and try and remain professional and courteous at all times, even if what you're witnessing is bordering on the painful...! A wee story from a previous band I was in from 4 or 5 years ago when we advertised for a singer and got some very, very bizarre auditionees...the most memorable being one woman in particular who, via email communication, appeared exactly what we were looking for, but turned out to be as mad as a box of frogs...! We agreed a date to get her in the studio so sent her a few song titles to get started...the alarm bells should have sounded when she specifically asked if we could do Stevie Nicks, "Edge of Seventeen"...on her turning up, there was an immediate and obvious influence there...the flouncy black clothes for one and the overall general hippy exterior she exhibited...which certainly isn't a negative one if you can actually pull it off... The audition started...and so did Stevie...the singing was, well, incredibly "pitchy" I think the "talent" shows today kindly put it...it was actually God awful...but it was the stage histrionics which really done it for us...the down on her knees...the praying hands...the flouncing of her cape (!)...and I'm ashamed to admit, that me and the guitarist standing opposite each other locked eyes and basically lost it...we were uncontrollable...it was just all too much and too surreal, someone who so obviously couldn't sing, but had so obviously put so much into her acting out of the role of Stevie Nicks... Admittedly, this was all very unprofessional behaviour on our part, but we literally couldn't continue, we just got so out of control... So, moral of the story, don't do as we did...remain cool, calm and collected at all times...even if the audition is an immediate and obvious no-go from the off.7 points
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I'd invite them both back for another run through of the songs but let them know that they have been "whittled" done to, the last 2 singers. They don't have to know that there weren't other applicants and maybe, knowing that they are "THE" two choices, it may give them added incentive to pick up their games either 1) vocally and 2) communication and enthusiasm wise. I think nerves may also have a part to play, too. It manifests itself in funny ways sometimes. Meeting new people especially in a group situation can be quite unnerving, as we are all aware. Maybe a 2nd audition will improve their confidence. Good luck either way ⭐5 points
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Audition them again, maybe with more time the first guy will sound miles better and it will also give a chance to the second guy to show if he's going to communicate and not be a total PITA. We auditioned new singers a few years ago, first audition was very close between two of the girls so so we asked them both back and the second time it was an easy choice. Also don't deal with all the communication this time, leave it to one of the other members who were enamoured with the PITA guy. You might find they change their mind when they're the ones trying to organise someone who is so blasé with other people's time and schedules. Recruiting a band member who CBA to reply to messages is setting yourself up for a headache.5 points
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I think we're both experiencing what is known as " Pre- Death".😁 Blue5 points
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At a local-ish festival last summer. I haven't changed much!5 points
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It's with real regret that i am putting this bass up for sale as i love the sound the feel of the neck and basically everything about it except the weight , it's just a little too heavy for me to play longer gigs with. I appreciate that this level of relic will not be to everbodys taste however this is another fine example of Marks work his pick ups are some of the best i've heard and these are no different, , the bass plays superbly below is the spec as outlined on Marks site as you can see it's got a lot of top quality components I've had this bass 6 months it's been gigged but not over used to be honest I've played it more at home . Forgot to add prefer a sale but may consider trade for a black, black , maple P Bass Limelight 00220 Heavy Relic Precision in sunburst with J width neck This Limelight Precision was built as a 68/69 bass and we went to town on the specs. It has all the usual Limelight features but in addition also has the metal earthing plates under the pick ups, an extra added Jazz pick up in the bridge position ( a very popular mod back in the day) plus the extra knob required and side mounted jack socket. It also has a genuine Fender nitro-cellulose pickguard which are over £100 to buy new! If this spec was to be ordered today then it would cost over £1150! I’m offering it at a good price as I currently have 3 Limelight’s for sale and in stock, and usually I have none, so quick sale required. The bass is very heavy relic sunburst, with “J” width rosewood fretboard with clay dots and rolled fretboard edges, and has the usual high quality components such as CTS pots, Switchcraft jack socket and vintage wiring. Price is firm and includes postage and a Hard case if you would like to collect from Wigan I'll reduce by £50 , The bass is not light i don't have an exact weight but it is in excess of 9lbs and probably wouldn't suit anyone like me who has a dodgy shoulder or back issues Happy to send more pictures if anyone wants any4 points -
Having auditioned various band members over the years, singers have been the most...polarising, I'd say. The bad ones can be really, really, clenchy; the good news is you'll know pretty much straight away*. A relaxed atmosphere is always the best, just another rehearsal kinda vibe. If you're looking for a frontman, though, I'd be looking to see that from the word go: if the prospective singer can't do it in front of you, he's (or she's) gonna struggle in front of a room full of strangers at a gig. Conversely, if it's range and quality of voice you're after, then a little shoegazing can be overlooked. * A pal of mine still drags out an audition tape from years ago for laughs, whereon a chap had turned up with a strong Irish accent, a rather high-pitched register bordering on Squeaky, and a constant sliding vibrato like someone playing a musical saw...his rendition of 'Triller' by Michael Jackson has quite literally to be heard to be believed.4 points
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I flipping love this hobby. even if I do end up drinking too much free booze!4 points
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4 points
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Yesterday picked up an absolute bargain of a bass and my first spector 😎 this beauty rebop! Some fresh slinkies, a new battery and a quick clean, she sounds awesome!3 points
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I bought this one at a car boot sale a year or two ago; I'm trying to strip off the paint ad get it back to original... (The touch where the kid who owned it wrote "Fender" in gold Sharpie is especially inspirational...)3 points
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Holy 5 year old thread resurrection Batman!3 points
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I've auditioned loads of singers over the years, and here is what I know to be true: They won't have learned most of the songs you've sent them, no matter how long they've had to learn them. Some will only have learned one song. And they will sing over the guitar solo A good amount of them will simply not be able to sing A good amount of them will never have sung with a band before and regardless of the quality of their voice they will not be able to cope and make themselves heard. X factor et al have a lot to answer for Assuming you can get past that and find people who can sing in tune, the best attitude I've found is to remember that they are auditioning you as much as you are auditioning them. Let them know exactly what it is you're looking for - do they need to bring a lot of showmanship or are you just happy to get a great singer? And don't be d#cks One tip I would add is to try and tape the audition - doesn't need to be very professional, even just setting a phone down and recording from that might do. That way you can concentrate on playing when they audition, not on trying to listen to them. I've certainly had people try out who seemed much better or worse in the studio than they were when we listened back to the tape3 points
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The very fact you've posted this question shows what a thoughtful and considerate bunch of guys you must be. You obviously deserve a decent singer, and I hope you're not disappointed. You'll usually have some idea if someone's going to be the right fit within a few minutes of their arrival - before they've even started singing.3 points
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Up for sale is an amazing playing & sounding Yamaha Attitude LTD III Here are some links with lots of information on specs etc.: http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Yamaha_Billy_Sheen_LTD_3_Sonic_Blue.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-zQOfWER6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKxtuZLMycQ This particular bass was signed by Billy Sheehan himself in 2016 (if this is bothersome to you, I am sure it can be removed). I got this bass in a trade for a boutique 5 string because I wanted to try out a nice P Bass. In a way its far from what I usually play; bright candy looking colour, p-style etc. but oh boy does this bass play and sound well!! It feels like a broken in bass, with no dead spots and a very powerful, warm sound. You can run this in stereo as well and explore countless possibilities (EQ the pick ups differently, put effects on them and pan them etc.) . It also records really well and has many more sounds than the typical Sheehan Sound (Distortion + Mid Boost on the P-Pick Up) The Bass is in almost new condition, only it has a three marks that I captured in the photos (top of the headstock, and two on the side of the bass). It comes with the original case. Please no trades at this point, because my financial situation forces me to sell this one again (otherwise I would be keeping it for recording). The Bass is located in Germany but I can ship throughout Europe. If you have any questions, please pm me, thanks.3 points -
They were already a band and were booked to do a US tour with Mick Fleetwood. FM had broken up and contracts had been signed so they were going to be Fleetwood Mac! The band had flown to NY and were waiting for Mick to turn up for rehearsals, when he backed out. The management still put them out on tour with another drummer. It didn't go well with the audiences!! I occasionally play with Stretch's drummer at the time. The guy who was left at home, then sensibly refused to do the tour when MF left them in the lurch. Back to banned songs. . . . . . .3 points
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6670066C-CF4F-46AF-B91A-620F57A7CA6F.MP43 points
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Edit: looks like this discussion is gearing towards 'all Ken Smith', so I modified the title accordingly! Good morning! I'm late with this, as I bought the bass now few weeks ago already - however! It would be a crime not to share it with you all I have a strict rule of 1 in, 1 out, and I generally only own 2 basses at a time (if not just one sometimes), AND I only have GAS attacks once every 6 to 8 years, so when that time comes, I GAS hard I present to you my latest purchase, this time justified as a birthday present to myself: a beautiful 2004 Ken Smith Black Tiger BSR6TN! Specs: Neck: 5-piece Laminated Aged Hardrock Maple & Bubinga with Graphite-Inlaid Bars Fingerboard: Macassar Ebony with MOP Top & Side Dots & matching Macassar Ebony Headstock Overlay Body Wings: 3-piece, Bookmatched Rare Figured Black Walnut Top, Walnut Back & Tiger Maple Core Hardware: Gold with Dunlop "Flush Mount" Straploks Pickups: Smith Custom Bass Humbucking Pickups Electronics: Smith B.M.T. 3-band 18-volt EQ Circuit with adjustable DIP Frequency switches for Bass, Mid & Treble with Pickup Blend and Master Volume Control (push/pull Active/Passive) + Series/Parallel Switches String spacing: 18mm Scale: 34 Finish: Classic Hand Rubbed Dutch Varnish over Stradivari Gold Oil Pretty much the most comfortable and fastest neck I've put my hands on, and it has an awesome character. Will enjoy spending the next few hundreds of hours getting to know her better! Happy times!2 points
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Just seen another topic re how to audition a singer. Well here is the "after the audition" topic.2 points
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Beast of an entry to 5 string! You’re right the biggest hurdle is muting, esp at volume / speed. Takes a lot of perseverance to attain the same fluency you’ve currently got on 4. For exercises, I found working through the modes across 5 strings was a huge help, getting muscle memory going with 5 fret / 2 octave runs. Looks elementary but some sound advice here ..2 points
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Joe Bonamassa?2 points
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And home back to normality Roll on the next bout of escapism whenever that might be.2 points
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I rather foolishly thought that acoustic bass guitar had a future as a solo instrument in the world of folk music. I gave up! However, at the weekend, following a recommendation from a friend who saw thus guy at Wimborne folk festival, I might need a rethink. Stunning song this, with superb vocals. But it’s the bass I’m mesmerised by- simple but highly effective in my view2 points
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Thanks for all the helpful replies. Getting the 2 of them back down is a fine idea.2 points
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Try not to laugh out loud. I speak from experience. Which is ironic as most of my own auditions for bands have been pretty dreadful.2 points
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My band experiences have been largely the same - mates, or mates of mates, getting together to form a band. I've never auditioned, I've always either put the band together or have been asked to join by people who have played with me in a previous band The one downside is that you can sometimes get stuck with a band member who really isn't pulling their weight but nobody wants to sack them because they're a mate2 points
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my current band we met in Costa coffee at motorway services for a chat first. We hadn't met as a band before. We had an informal chat and we all just clicked. Enjoyed same kinds of music and had the same ideas on what we wanted from the band and what direction we wanted to go. We discussed some of the songs we thought would work for us even down to discussing how many gigs a month we wanted to do. Altho we had never met as a band we were all aware of each other in other bands so it came from word of mouth. I found that a good experience and made the first rehearsal a bit more relaxed2 points
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I've popped out the samples again, upped the gain a bit on the quieter ones and got rid of that dastardly hiss. For those who might have missed it, here they are again >> Eude2 points
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First rule of interviewing, eliminate candidates who aren't appointable. So rather than compare A with B, ask the question of each 'is s/he good enough to join the band?' This will then leave you with two, one or no candidates, so you can move on to the next stage of the process.2 points
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are you willing / able to change key to get the best out of their range?2 points
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Apart from the obvious musical things its worth having a chat about the band away from playing songs .Stuff what maybe became and issue with the old singer .Gig amount,song input,whats expected of them work wise .etc Ive done bass auditions where they liked me but had no real plan going forward,then other very formal ones with stage presence,backing vocals,type of gear etc discussed2 points
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#blatantselfplug And they won't play this on the radio either: Help help i'm being censored!!2 points
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Hi , the strap button is positioned lower as it helps pulls the bass into your body . on the GB Rumour basses , there are 2 strap locks fitted so the strap can be moved for different styles of playing. hope that helps2 points -
Closed Wave Gotik Treffen 2019 at Haus Leipzig. By the end I think we had the crowd on side.....here they are after the first encore. 49F34054-3A8A-4323-9827-42CB9D52CCC4.MP42 points
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Don't use rechargeable ones. They lose their charge much quicker than standard Alkaline or Lithium ones. The pre-amp takes very little current anyway so as long as you buy decent batteries, they will last ages.2 points
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I think Darren nailed it, Squanchy* would definitely make a better president and be ironically less of a cartoon character. *See “Rick and Morty” for details.2 points
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Had a gig at the No.1 in Cleethorpes on Saturday night, great crowd & great night. My band play a mix of covers with some original material thrown in, it's nice to see the crown dancing to the originals. Was playing the Squier VM that I bought of Pentode on here for the whole gig, what a great bass that is, I need to find out what make/gauge strings are on it, I think I'm a convert to flatwounds on a fretted bass. It was also the first outing at a gig for the Line 6 wireless set up, so I had to play in the crowd for a couple of songs (see the picture!!!)2 points
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Beautiful Ken Smith 5 string bass in the coveted BT or vintage shape. Exceptionally beautiful Ebony top. Year of construction 1995, the golden period at Ken Smith. The bass is exceptionally light for a Ken Smith with 4,4kg. The bass was loved and played a lot, so traces of use are visible, but overall it is in excellent condition for its age. The tuners were exchanged by the previous owner for the Gothoh Light-Tuners. Later Ken Smith used the same tuners as well. The originals are included. 5-piece body: Ebony Top, Mahagony Core and Walnut Back, each with one maple layer in between. 5-piece neck, 3 strips of maple with probably Morado or Pao-Ferro stripes. Fingerboard also probably Morado or Pao-Ferro, but I'm not sure about that. Neck with graphite rods, this is recognizable by the G in the serial number. Had several Smith basses, but this one has the most beautiful neck. Flatter than the one I was allowed to hold in my hands. There is a Smith Teardrop case. This case was bought by the previous owner from the bay due to the completion. But the case is in a good condition, has obviously seen a lot of the world. The condition of the case does not correspond to the condition of the bass. But ultra cool, vintage and hardcore managed. Antests possible near Ingolstadt. But beware: is addictive ... ;-)) No Trades. I need some Money, otherwise i would never sell this outstanding Bass. Shipping with DHL.2 points -
Because his head would fall off. Oh, you mean on the bass...2 points
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Almost anything I've sold or traded is bound to increase in value2 points
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I would like to sell (no trade) my absolutely as new Keith Roscoe Bass LG5 custom. Bought it new from bass-direct. Absolutely no scratches. Everything works fine. Bass is located in Düsseldorf/Germany. Shipping within EU is no problem. •Specifications; • Spanish cedar Body, • Exhibition Quilted/Spalted maple top • Finish - Natural gloss • Maple/Purpleheart neck • Fingerboard - Paduk white side markers • Graphtech nut • 35" Scale - 2 octave • Aguilar OBP 3-band pre amp with volume, pan, treble/bass stack, mid/mid freq select push/pull (250/800hz) • Aguilar DCB Pickups in the Roscoe positions • Black ultralight Hipshot tuners • Black Hipshot A style bridge in Aluminium • Strings: D'Addario EXL Nickel Wound 45 - 130 • Roscoe fitted hard case • Weight: 8lb 12oz/3.9kg1 point -
Very briefly had an Allen Woody. I’d say over 7lbs, closer to 8, so probs not much use for you tbh. Nice basses though...1 point
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Are you wearing flippers? Nice bSs have a bump👍1 point -
Lots of sanding, shaping and more sanding. First coat of oil down on the natural one. 50-50 coat first and let that dry overnight. I am going to paint on, sorry gents! Really enjoying it so far and the grain on the walnut one is lovely.1 point
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Having owned a Stomp for a couple of months now I find that editing on the unit itself is a doddle, I can see that having the editing software could be useful but I prefer to know my way around the pedal interface so I can make changes on the gig without having to think about what I'm doing. The limited controls have been implemented in a simple and intuitive way making edits on the fly quick and easy.1 point
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A very interesting post. From experience auditioning for new band members is a real challenge, apart from ability to play and perform the 'yes or no' decision to hire also needs to take into account the personality impact of the individual you are looking to recruit. Lead singers need big personalities to front bands so this needs to be accepted by the band members and a new recruit can cause the 'status quo' of a long time band to suffer. We recently recruited a new member for our band as our guitarist was moving away. As a band we had been a real solid five piece for about 6 years with same personnel. We auditioned for players and at the end had to decide by vote as to who we were going to select. Not everyone agreed on the choice. Our new guitarist is a fantastic player but it took quite some time for him to adjust to us as a unit and us to him. Our performance dropped but is now returning to the level at which we want it to be as a band. All of us underestimated the effect of a new member joining and the difference it makes to the unit as a whole. All existing members need to adjust to the newbie and at the same time in the early stages do not be afraid to challenge something that is not working in terms of performance. Its better to get it out on the table at rehearsal rather than during the gig. Once you have auditioned potentials it is best to have a band meeting with no instruments and discuss pros and cons across the table. Good luck with the auditions.1 point
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Top of Body: Rear of Body:1 point
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The example in the OP just makes me want to ask "why?" Boss pedals are some of the most robust and economically designed pedals ever created, so why anyone would want to rehouse it is beyond me. I suppose if you wanted to fake it to make it look like a boutique pedal, but then it really needs the graphics to be designed by a 5-year old and to move either the input or output sockets to a less practical position.1 point
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