Leaderboard

I'm afraid I have no idea, but I want to commend your use of the term "embuggerance". I will find an opportunity to use that word myself today, and strongly recommend others to do likewise.

Why Festivals (Especially Reading) Are Perceived To Be A Wasteland Of Musical Ghastliness * Festivals used to be about the music rather than 'the festival experience' because 'the festival experience' was usually very unpleasant * Shrewd business tactics on the part of festival organisers led to an improvement of 'the festival experience' to the point where 'the festival experience' became the main draw rather than the music * In consequence, most people who go to mainstream festivals do so for 'the festival experience' rather than the music * People who prioritise 'the festival experience' are often people who like music made for people who don't like music * Festival promoters therefore book bands who make music for people who don't like music * People who don't like music made for people who don't like music don't like the bands who make music for people who don't like music * People who don't like bands who make music for people who don't like music won't go to festivals because the bands at festivals are mostly those who make music for people who don't like music but who prioritise going to festivals because of 'the festival experience' * People who inhabit bass forums tend to be people who don't like bands who make music for people who don't like music * Festival line-ups comprised of bands who make music for people who don't like music will attract criticism on bass forums Ergo: Most festival threads on bass forums will be critical of festival line-ups. See also: festival selfies, banners, performative display, DJ sets.

They did hardly any ‘jamming’ at Belfast when we went over to watch them a few weeks ago ( we are Fu Fighters so a tribute ). They were excellent, well polished played, super chilled and did lots more Foos songs than usual, as they tend to do a lot of covers in their set. Totally enjoyed it and they looked cool as, you just can’t help but love Pat Smear! Next morning having a coffee we spotted Chris Shiflett wandering past so nipped out for a chat and a pic. Had loads of time for us, right good chat and what a lovely bloke. Not watched Reading yet as we were gigging yesterday too so I’ll catch up now 🤘

Woah, press pause, wait until you're well again. Don't make any decisions while you're clearly having the carp kicked out of you by a very nasty virus. I've had something similar recently and it drags you down both physically and spiritually, affecting hearing, speaking, thinking, mood and reactions. Get well, be kind to yourself.

To any newcomers wondering what the hell we're all banging on about, a company who made bass amps used to write on a label how many Watts the amp was rated at. Musicians used this as a guide as to how loud their bass would sound through different amps, the assumption being that more watts meant louder bass. This particular company confused people by writing a lower number than others would. For example where most manufacturers would write 250w this company wrote 130w. Musicians were therefore astonished to be told that the bass amp they'd been listening to at a gig was 'only' 130 Watts. But but it was sooo loud they would splutter. Now, decades later, with the facility the Internet offers for endless debate we are all choosing sides and arguing about this fairly straightforward, and historic state of affairs. Hope this helps.

Sleaford Mods are great. Not as great as Yes or Genesis, mind. 😉 I’ve never really had much time for any sort of “musical orthodoxy”, probably because my dad was/is what I refer to a a “Jazz fascist”, in that he views almost all non-Jazz as crap and I grew up not being able to play music at home (although did hear stuff on the radio) unless it had been vetted; the first I was allowed to play was ABBA. Of course it wasn’t all bad as I was exposed to most of the great jazz artists literally from birth (probably before!). So I decided pretty early that if I liked something, it didn’t matter what it was. As such I’ll happily switch between Yes, The Damned, Manowar, Tangerine Dream, ABBA, Count Basie, Johnny Cash, Stravinsky, First Aid Kit and Sandy Denny etc etc without blinking an eye. So far as I’m concerned there are only 2 types of music, music you like and music you don’t. If you don’t like it, that doesn’t mean it’s not valid. Just move on to something you do like. I’m rambling a bit too..... been a long day.😉

Well, it all went off quite well. The band before us finished around 5 so we were late on, but there was a reasonable crowd. A few mistakes but most didn't notice. It was a freebie, and the LL actually bunged us some cash and wants us back.

20 feet from stardom.

Mine, I painted the headstock myself Oh and the mother of pearl too now I think back, not easy to do with the frets still in, hindsight I should have pulled them out first

First heard the expression 'Po-Po' in The Wire and the last season of that was 11 years ago. No, the police-y epithet du jour here in South Central Wiltshire is 'Some Pilchards', as in: 'Gim muh wrap a facefizz*' 'Ess U some pilchards?' 'Nah sai if wuz. Hur hur hur'. 'Hur hur hur' * Cocaine

If you don’t feel ‘natural’ is particularly inspiring , either for you or the camera , be someone else , get an idea or a person in your head And be them , you don’t have to actually do anything , as long as your head thinks you are ! Getting into a character can take the pressure off you as it’s the other guy putting himself on show

My apologies. In the cold light of day it makes perfect sense. Last night, post gig and under the influence of several vodkas it was an unbreakable code.

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway... ...oh.

Thank you all for your input! I've discovered that the velocity touch works very well with all the virtual pianos and synths, it was just the Hammond organ that didn't respond to any touch sensitivity, probably as per an original Hammond! So far it all works rather well and I've saved myself the hassle of selling it and buying the appropriate midi keyboard/controller. The keys on this A90 are a joy to play and as I'm planning on leaving it where it is rather than gigging it the weight is not a problem. The lesson I've learned is to get yourself an older quality keyboard and utilize its midi capabilities with a modern(ish) midi to usb cable and it works just fine

Did a great couple of gigs over the weekend: Fri, Punks Against Cancer at The Mulberry Tavern, Sheffield. Was a sweat bath in there, the bass speaker cab didn’t work (I had trusty Para Driver to help out), couldn’t hear much through the monitors but it was a good gig, and a worthy cause which we’re always happy to play. Sat, The Boulevard in Wigan. An all dayer so some (most?) of the audience had indulged in liquid shall we say. We were headlining and the gig was amazing, bodies flying everywhere (one guys head got split open quite badly during the band before, but he was back for our set) people up on stage, the general chaos of the gigs we do in the North West. Afterwards pretty much the whole audience came up to us and shook hands/hugged us and said how great it was. Pretty humbling really, we’re three blokes in our 50s making a racket, but it’s really nice to see the hard work we put in paying off. Also made some good merch sales, all of which go back into the band, furthering our opportunities.

I’ve just been working stagecrew at the Colne Blues Festival and on the Sunday had a few beers with a drummer from Ipswich, who set off at 5.00am to drive up to Lancashire to do a couple of gigs, all to get paid a couple of hundred quid and a night in a Holiday Inn. This guy was in his mid-sixties and says that he still keeps busy and will do every decent gig he gets offered (as well as teaching drums, running a local jam session, a bit of PA hire and doing a show on a local radio station). I think that we were all up to about three in the morning, with all the crew and musos from the bands playing at the festival who were staying over commandeering the bar of the local Holiday Inn. The point is that no one is forcing you to do this. This guy is in his sixties and still playing every week with no intention of dialling it back. There are certain sacrifices you have to make to be a musician, both in terms of learning to play and the lifestyle involved in gigging regularly. If you have issues dealing with other people, don’t like crowds, the camaraderie you get playing with other musicians, or you are not prepared (or able) to organise your life to allow you to take gigs (the killer for lots of decent players) then you just shouldn’t do it...

I played a couple of gigs this weekend with my RM800 head and newly acquired Super Compact, no problems whatsoever. Powerful and portable little rig.

The cab’s a CVA with a B&C coax 8” driver - I think it’s a high-end pro install unit found in clubs and venues. It works beautifully as a full range small bass cab with excellent resolution (a bit like a good studio monitor). I suspect you’re right re the soldering iron - a £50 buffer unit would probably do the job but might not look as pretty. I was alerted to actives/buffers and passive basses by Chris May - I have one of his PJs with an internal Overwater designed East buffer. Beautiful and difficult to return to straight passive after using it. The ASC just appears to give ‘more’ of the character tone of any given passive bass. Not like taking a duvet off the speakers but maybe a chiffon scarf

OK, for something completely different, Bing Crosby, Frank SInatra, Louis Armstrong - Got to be High Society. "Well you take some bass...now you're getting some place"

It depeds on the brand, but selling something like a 2015 Fender P as a new bass at 2019 Fender P prices is not acceptable in my view. The big F - like them or not, continuously updates and "improves" the product so selling old stock at new prices means a different spec to the current RRP. It might be different for other manufacturers and high end stuff. Avtually with Fender they couldn't do this because the names of the models have all changed recently. You woudn't buy a 2015 spec car for the same price as a 2019 spec car, and the same arguments apply.

Two pub gigs, both good payers: one Satdy in an Irish pub in the centre of Manchester - it was just loopy hot in there, but the place was jumping, and then last night a pub in t'suburbs, again warm (but nowhere near the over of Satdy) and again jumping - one of the punters paid us a ton for another half hour, so we asked him what he wanted to hear and busked a lot of it... 🙂

Exactly like mine then! Great basses, I love mine 👍

Love the analogy stewblack! Amazingly,despite your avatar, I still believe every word you say about the Bass Centre instruments, used (live, at least) by Mark Bedford and other gliterati of the bass world, they must be as good as they say! Genuinely sorry to hear of your woes, RobF, I hope you get some satisfaction (didn't mean to be flippant, but I couldn't resist it), please post some pics and thoughts on your new bass when you get it, they look very appealing Good luck

as a photographer I too hate being 'that' side of the lens and come into contact with many people of a similar disposition. The best advice I ever got was to go for it. I'd you hate being photographed or filmed you'll never look good in the picture. You'll be stiff and awkward, take one look and reinforce the whole situation with more negative thoughts. So go for it, don't be natural, don't just be yourself, demand the attention of the camera, its a gift to photographers and videographers when people offer something and they'll get better results and you will like those results thus breaking the cycle If it's a fly on the wall thing then play with your eyes closed lose yourself in the music, or only make eye contact with your best mate in the band. Another thing which works really well with the camera shy is try to look really serious even grumpy. Again it's an act as has been said above if you're acting you're not being you, you are a persona.

Personality traits like the hatred of gigging?

I’m enjoying the Gladiators basslines lately 🙂

£300 is a great price if it's in good condition. They go for quite a bit more on Reverb these days, damn price hikes. Things I'd check - I wouldn't want it to be too heavy, I'd want it to be an active 2eq model (not the passive one) and the obvious neck in good condition part (truss rod, frets).

It's 100% year of manufacture. Having dabbled in the restoration & selling of vintage instruments, this is somewhat axiomatic. The caveat is when it's still a manufacturer's current model to which there have been no incremental changes, it's completely reasonable for a retailer to sell it as current. As far as re-selling's concerned though, if there's a serial number giving year of manufacture, you will struggle to convince a buyer that it's not really as old as it says...

Backbeat about Stuart Sutcliffe is a favourite of mine.

110% agree. Few guys in our band have had that virus. I've been lucky that it had little effect on me other than being a bit hoarse but not a sore throat. Drummer was left in bed for 3 days just completely shattered and it took him 1-2 weeks after that to feel well enough to gig. Get better and have a few gigs under your belt before giving up on something you clearly enjoy a helluva lot. As you say you are normally like a coiled spring. That tells me you just love playing in bands. Dave

Ex Porcupine Tree frontman and now solo artist Stephen Wilson. Quite well known, certainly around these parts. I was suggesting that it seems like he doesn't like playing live, but then gets offered money he can't refuse. I possibly didn't express that with perfect clarity as last night, but I'd have thought the gist was pretty clear.

I like this one, I've had it over 30 years, used to gig it regularly. I think its about 1987. Gave it some TLC earlier this year, replaced the broken pickguard put ashtrays on it (they had disappeared when i got it) (it's a split P-pickup under the chrome):

Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis (2017) - a documentary about the Bataclan shootings and the after affects on the band, a difficult watch but an excellent documentary. Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986) - interviews with fans outside a Judas Priest concert, much, much better than it sounds. Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008) - funny and heartwarming. Lemmy (2010) - a documentary about the guv’nor, full of his sardonic yet incisive wisdom, what a dude. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005) - another tough watch, you will have to decide if he’s a bona fire genius or an exploited madman. Intensely interesting but challenging in several ways. Stop Making Sense (1984) - imho the best concert film ever made, Talking Heads at their absolute best, funky as f***. Oil City Confidential (2009) - Essex innit, Julien Temple’s documentary about Dr Feelgood. One More Time With Feeling (2016) - another tough watch (I’m seeing a pattern) Nick Cave recording his first album after the death of his son, painful but superb.

One of my favourite music/musician films is ‘Slade in Flame’. It’s a gritty and cynical tale and if you haven’t seen it I wholeheartedly recommend it. Slade are surprisingly good as the titular Flame. (Incidentally one of my early bands was called Flame, in reference to the film).

I would stick the £80 Harley Benton PB-20 on your list. It's a decent P-bass for little money. The £125 JB-75 is another fine bass but weighing 12lb might come as a shock to a beginner. The £90 LA and £100 LA II & Louisiana from G4M look interesting,reckon they get the necks same place as Peavey does for Milestones. The £80 alder body P-bass from DV24-7 deserves a mention. Unless the beginner has a pal with some savvy I'd steer them clear of the used market. Too often I see basses with saddles so far out of whack it'll be out of tune beyond the 5th fret,others will need forearms like Garth to play 😃 The best advice is just buy a bass you can afford.

If anybody asks me, I will steer them to find an ergonomic solution. 1) scale length? (estimated together) 2) style? 3) a used or a new one and why? 4) some instrument suggestions ⁸based on these and the price range. It is also reasonable to suggest: a) professional setup and at least b) new strings, a light set of 40-100 is a good start for a beginner, c) a wide strap and d) one quality silicone cable. I live in a country that has pretty big changes in temp, so if a bag is in order, thicker is better to reduce temp shocks. Last, but definitely not least is a test drive. I want to try the instrument and I want that the person tries it, too. This is just one way.

spent a few hot hours in the shed today undid the clamps all looked not to bad, trimmed the inserts and gave it a quick rub over just to tidy it up, forgot about the screw holes in the side i drilled them out and glued in some dowels. Not looking to bad. Sorry the pics are not in the right order.

The 1975 are awful. I try to not listen to bands like that as it makes me feel sad that they've got a deal and someone, somewhere with better music didn't.

Personally I've got a PB 50 - very good & doesn't feel/sound like a " cheap" bass. Theres a lot of BC love for Harley Benton - just do a quick search there's quite a few threads

Some kind of Harley Benton ? https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_electric_basses.html Great value for money