Leaderboard

Wood & Tronics is now https://www.pasinibasses.net/ Perusing their wares, I was struck by a resemblance: Is it just me?

Bought this lovely little bass here a very long time ago. It was picked up for me by the BL from one of my bands as he was in the neighborhood of the seller. Then we had all sorts of issues in the band and I didn't see them for months. Well last night we finally reconvened to play a wedding and I got to see and use the dub king. It's a kind of Celtic influenced set with acoustic guitar, whistle and mandolin, and I've been searching for the right sounding and looking instrument for a while now. This is it. An absolutely amazing bass. Tight to play being so small but oh! The sound! I've never known a bass so articulate. Every nuance of every note was clear to hear in the mêlée. It has an acoustic element to its sound, helped by the flats. The pick ups are very different from one another but blend beautifully, and the tone as expansive as any I've played. And it's beautiful.

Two gigs this weekend. Headlined a festival in North Somerset on Saturday and a wedding last night just outside of Bristol. The festival was brilliant. Extremely well oiled crowd (it was a cider festival as well as a music festival) and they were so up for it. Wedding was a different band, and while more bijou affair, they enjoyed themselves equally well. Had the fun of a song I wasn't expecting and didn't know in the second set, but I scribbled some chords in the break and all went well.

We closed a Local festival in Cheltenham last night. Fun gig, great crowd, nice onstage sound, all good

Maple Road This Sunday 1:00- 4:00 St. Agnes Parish Festival Butler WI This was a big tent event. Ok, we used a dep drummer and it showed. Songs we're played too fast and we had allot of sloppy intros and endings. It was a long gig. I felt bad it was so humid by the last set I had to play sitting on a bar stool and they put a fan in front of me. Very embarrassing for me. Guys, see what can happen when your twice the age of everyone in the band. 4 hours with one 20 minute break. Remember when I was bragging about no more 4 hour gigs? 😒 Well, that's the story guys. Blue

1972 2022

Video on the way (when I figure out how to upload a large video file)... would have done it yesterday but I had another late afternoon/evening gig straight after! The guy turned up (he was at the festival with his parents for the weekend any way) and assured everyone he'd been rehearsing... and we got through it. Full update when I get this file!

Thom Yorke of The Smile (and Radiohead of course) this evening at All Points East Festival, rocking a trio of vintage shorties: an old Mustang, a modded Gibson EBO and a Guild Starfire.

A month or so ago a vocalist put a shout out in a FB local musicians group, asking for musicians to back him as an opening band at a local music festival. Me being me, I like a challenge and said I'd do the bass (I had noted several other guitarists who I respected showing support/interest). The fact that the guy was happy to go with a 'scratch band' and play live gave me a degree of confidence in his abilities. To shorten the story, myself, 2 guitarists (1 of whom I was familiar with) and a drummer were co-opted into this project and set up a FB chat group. All hunky dory and within 24 hrs the singer had presented 8 covers (Journey - Seperate Ways, Led Zep - Rock & Roll, Def Lep - Hysteria, Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl etc) which we agreed to learn and all agreed 1 x 3hr rehearsal on 25th (approx 4 weeks from this inception and 3 days before the gig). No probs... so far! We asked the vocalist, who had been booked for this little festival by the organiser (a personal friend of his) to find out what the tech spec, parking, access etc was. 16 days later he'd still not responded to any of the messages (he was active elsewhere on FB) and no indication that the rehearsal was booked. Messages started getting more direct and curt. Eventually the vocalist got back and apologised as he'd been busy. He wasn't sure where to book a rehearsal so it wasn't booked yet (about a week to the gig). I politely pointed out that Google would give him 10 rehearsal studios within a 20-30 minute drive of all of us (we'd previously said where we all lived), he responded saying he was on it... 48 hrs later and nothing from him despite questions (Oh and we still didn't have info on the tech spec or anything), then he popped up to say did anyone know anywhere else as he couldn't get in at short notice to the studio he normally used! At this point I took the lead, phoned 2 rehearsal rooms and booked a rehearsal on the agreed date and time; sorted! 2 days later the band turned up at the allotted location and time, all except... the vocalist, he arrived an hour late. We were miffed but thought we'd just crack on. 30 minutes later I called a halt to proceedings to point at the elephant in the room; the vocalist didn't know the songs, couldn't hit some of the notes/keys and barely knew where the entry point for the vocals was. I have to admit I'm pretty easy going but it took me a bit to keep my cool. I could see the rest of the lads nodding and backing me as I pointed out a few home truths and I suggested we bail on the whole thing. As it happened the rest of the musicians (I'll not include the vocalist in that) were good musically and were easy to get on with and they were thinking that as we'd put the effort in to learn the stuff, the gig might be a decent experience (the 2 guitarists were wanting to get their faces seem a bit more on the music scene). I didn't want them to be let down by me so I agreed to continue with the next 30 mins of the rehearsal and if we could get through it we'd do the gig. First off we scratched 3 of the songs as they patently were not going to be achievable by the vocalist and pulled in the cheese classic 'Summer of 69' to fill the set out a bit. We got through it and the vocalist left promptly leaving us to reflect on the experience. It's been quite cathartic to type this up and there isn't really any advice that I'd like from anyone BUT it has made me realise that just because someone is so absolutely sure of their own abilities it means nothing. This guy had been told by so many people that he had a good voice and looked the part that he absolutely believed in himself. We really should be honest with folks like this and not pander to not hurting feelings (without destroying confidence obviously). It also highlighted that the music side of things is one aspect but being organised, communicative and straight with people is equally important.

The Question I'm Asked Most Often Is ... "Is that a cello?" BUT The question I'm asked most often by other musicians is, "How do you do those harmony vocals?". There doesn't seem to be a thread anywhere about BVs, so I thought I'd stick this here. At every live gig with my two main bands, I bring That's a Pedaltrain Nano (plus an extra pedal off to the left) fitted on top with a Diago mains power distribution and underneath with a battery pack that can deliver up to 1A - note the label on the Harmoniser pedal. The bread and butter end of the board is I still rate the red Mic Mechanic as one of the most useful things any vocalist can carry, a genuine Swiss Army Knife of a vocal pedal. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DDW The green Duplicator is, essentially, a Mic Mechanic with the Echo function replaced by live ADT, really useful if you need a voice 'thickened up' on stage. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DDX In The Junkyard Dogs I route lead singer Rick through the Mic Mechanic and drummer/BVs Paul through the Duplicator. In Damo & The Dynamites I route lead singer Damo through the Duplicator and I put my own voice through the Mic Mechanic solely for some subtle pitch correction ... essential (IMHO) if you're going to use a harmoniser of any kind. Ah yes, the harmoniser. For that we need the other end of the board. Since The Junkyard Dogs routinely sing in 3-part harmony there's no call for a harmoniser pedal. For those gigs, I swop out the harmoniser for the TC Helicon Voicetone X1 (on the left there). I've always sung and I carry a tune well, but my voice is a muddy baritone which simply does not cut through in a pub rock setting. The X1 is frankly a bit of a novelty act thing; it has eight settings, of which just one I find useful but thats OK, I only need that one setting! https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DE4 With Damo & The Dynamites it's a whole nother thang. The drummer doesn't sing so all the BVs are me, and we do a lot of stuff where the song is 'made' by the harmony BVs ... think how lame a lot of early Elvis would have sounded without The Jordanaires. To achieve that I use the TC Helicon Voicetone H1, and that's the pedal that gets noticed; used wrong it's the most complete train wreck you can imagine, but used right it can really deliver. This pedal has the facility to run your guitar/bass through it which will automatically set the correct key, which is cool but of surprisingly limited use. Firstly, if you operate it like a pedal (i.e. with your foot) then you are either restricted to a single set of harmonies or you have to kneel down and fiddle with it between songs. Secondly, if you play a fretless bass or a double bass then the smallest error in your intonation can have catastrophic impact. 😂 I keep the whole board at waist height beside me and operate it manually. Note the Tippex marks at E and A for easy location on a dark stage. As an aside, on one occasion I used this pedal to tune my bass at a gig ... I sang each note (EADG) with the pedal correcting my pitch, and tuned to it. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0DE1 When multiple harmonies are not needed but I still want it to sound as if more than one person is supplying BVs I switch to the TC Helicon Critical Mass. This is something of a halfway house between the Duplicator and the Voicetone H1; it can be used in quite a subtle way but it certainly beefs up the sound of a stripped-down 3-piece. https://www.tc-helicon.com/product.html?modelCode=P0CGT I should probably state for the record that I am NOT sponsored by or affiliated to TC Helicon ... I just like their pedals. All five of these were bought by me, with my own money. Speaking of which, all these pedals have increased in price substantially since I bought them, by well over 50% in a couple of cases. On the other hand, we now have blue passports. For context, in the unlikely event that someone wanted to duplicate precisely my vocal pedal board today, and bought new all the way (I always buy pre-owned if I can), they would still have change from a grand. That's including the Nano and both power supplies. If my board got nicked and I needed to replace it, I would expect to spend half that figure. Now ask yourself how much a half-decent bass guitar costs ...

Played a set at The Woburn Sands Festival Saturday evening. First time there. A good crowd and quite a few dancers during our set.

Thanks, it’s all good now as I had some copper foil/tape to use left over from a project. 30 mins or so and it was sorted. Dead quiet now. I think the fact it was close to my valve pre made it particular bad. Ive ordered a black pickguard. I was going to force my self to live with the pearloid but after less than 36 hours of ownership I can’t handle it anymore 🤮🤣vj

Third gig of the weekend successfully completed - with Frankin's Tower again, at the Oxford City Music Festival. Single set, so no holding back. Great ride home on the bike down dark country roads, the only way to survive is to have 100% concentration on whatever is in the beam of the headlight. Not unlike playing material that is always changing, really.

re. continuing the band with a different vocalist. I really only did this 'one off' gig as I like a challenge now and again + to get my face known/seen at the local festival circuit (start small). The other guys in the band were genuinely good and easy to work with but I really don't need another as I play in... A) rock covers trio with the guy who was Richie Blackmoor's drummer for about 6 years B) Cheap Trick tribute band C) duo with my wife D) unlpugged/acoustic group (variously either 3 or 4 of us) All of the above mentioned bands/groups have players in of at least the minimum standard of the best in this scratch band (no disrespect to them). They would make the core of a good new band... any bassists in the NE want to hook up with them (sans the vocalist)?

Mind you, no matter how good those pedals are, they can't save you from

For me: 1972 You are not worthy. 2022 No, still not worthy.

It's a left handed body with a right handed neck played upside down!

Did you know you've fitted your tuners upside down? 😉

4 hr gig with a 20 min break. Bloomin heck !!!!!! I simply couldn't do that. My fingers would be shredded. I manage a 3 hr set on occasion with Glam band because i dont play as hard with my fingers but 4 is out of my league. Huge respect @Bluewine I'm a member of a band that has refused money for a gig. Just after pandemic we were asked to play a larger venue on a Sun afternoon 1-3pm. We turned up (punk band) and the venue was almost empty. Most of the people there were people that knew the band from that local area and had come along. The owner had laid on food and free drinks etc. At the end of the gig the owner who was really happy with the band gave us the fee and the band had already discussed just take enough to cover fuel cost but the owner wouldn't have it and insisted we take the full fee. A deal's a deal they said. The Sun afternoon thing was a new venture to see if they could start pulling in a crowd on a Sun afternoon. We were the first band to try it and he was aware that it was going to be a risk. Also played 2 free gigs after the pandemic for 2 venues the band play regularly as a helping hand to get them back up and running. 2 small bar venues that were struggling to get people back in again. It was agreed before i joined the band but i was ok with it at the time. Not sure i'd be doing it again. Those were unusual times. Dave

Tonally speaking probably silly to have the mids on?

Well that's a mouthful! 😁 I've had a Squier Bass VI since they released them but, like many, have never really got on with the string spacing, it's fine if you played it like a guitar. The Eastwood is much more like an actual bass. I'd been keeping an eye open for a used Eastwood but they just never seem to come up for sale. This one had been on facebook for a while but was too expensive for me, £300 more than new as it's one of the limited edition Fac51 Hacienda ones, so I'd kind of been toying with ordering a new one. I was selling stuff to buy the Peavey T40 I'd mentioned in other threads (I won't bore you) but the seller has decided to keep it. Feeling a little deflated I looked up the Eastwood ad and the seller had reduced it substantially. I made an offer and we struck up a deal. Now, I wasn't after the Hacienda one, it's kind of tacky, and being only 51 made is more of a collectable than a player, but I got it for a couple of hundred less than a new standard one so what does it matter? And being a huge Joy Division/New Order fan helps. It'll sit nicely with my Yamaha BBPH. It's never been played, just bought then squirelled away, so is absolutely mint condition. It's actually way nicer in the flesh than the pictures online make it look. Well built, lovely finish (I'm a fussy git) and really nice neck wood with quite a bit of quilting and grain, it looks really 3d as you move it in the light. It feels so much better than the Squier to play, the stock strings are fine and the spacing feels much better for me. Although wide, the neck is very shallow so feels very comfortable. It sounds fantastic, of course I had to put it through my EHX Bass Clone and play some New Order. 😁 It was bought as a 'let's see' kind of bass, which is why I was after second hand. But after a few hours of playing I can already tell it's a keeper, it just feels right where every other Bass VI I've tried doesn't. Anyway you must be bored by now so here's some pictures. 😉

1971 - I can do that. 1977 - told you I could do that. 1978 - this looks like a right toilet full of scrota but it's a start and they're paying me half a weeks wage. 2022 - how come I'm in the same toilet full of scrota for a tenth of a weeks wage ??

Incidentally, this is what we're talking about:

New (2000 Fender) Hot Rod Bass Day. Acquired from Reverb and in great condition. Seller turned out to be no less than a certain John Giblin 🤯

Not the clearest of pictures but this was the rig / office for last Saturday in Aberdeen with my band Reloaded.

Haha, yeh, but look how miserable that jazz his making him!

Haven’t gigged at all during August and enjoyed the time off. Starting back next weekend with my usual rig - a Markbass LM3, 102P Traveller and STD102HF cabs (both 8ohms) but a couple of basses (sometimes swap the P for my Mustang). Its a good enough sounding rig for what I use, and modular enough to fit in a Ford Fiesta. updated: forgot to include pic!

If it only needs to pass from a distance, you could just try getting somebody to make you a custom one-piece pickguard that doesn't need to modify anything about the original bass but has the missing visual cues that separate a J from a P, which to me are the straight line between the pickups and the tail at the bottom. I would use the existing screw holes and sub in with a bit of double-sided where required, and not try to move the pot or jack positions either - just swap the Jazz knobs for chrome domes. Literally do it as a completely reversible cosmetic nod to the P and see how it turns out. Might work...!

In all honesty, I've heard far, far worse from well rehearsed gigging bands. I know it's only a short clip but I'd say you got away with it. Very cool stage by the way.

The opening track... it misses off me singing the first few words to give the 'in' for vocals.

There was more than 1 adult and 2 children present btw! LOL

I suppose if all these cricket puns don't work well in Latvian, just do a translation with Googly.

It'll be far cheaper to buy the bass you think you need than try and adapt what you have. Also, you don't need to.

Hi Blue Doing OK, hope you are too. We played Althea last Friday, first time in quite a while. It was in the second set so about 2 1/2 hours into the gig - that lovely slow rhythm almost sent me to sleep, I was just swaying along with my eyes closed and just zoned out. Don't think anyone noticed, but it was a shock to realise I had been 'out' for a short time. Franklin's Tower usually play for free, it just seems to be something of a tradition with bands in Oxford. Last night was typical - a two or three day 'festival' that was basically just about every band in the city playing a 40 minute set at (for once) a decent venue. The bands didn't get a penny, not even a free drink, though they were taking money on the door. I don't think there were many paying customers, though - virtually everybody in the audience was wait there turn to play! The Saturday gig with The Wirebirds (now a three piece) was a freebie as well, but that was a fund raiser for a local chap, and run by people we trust. We did get free food and drink, plus the promise of a paid gig at the that venue in the future. We played a similar event there a few years ago, and did get another booking on the back of it. It worked for us, as we are still breaking on our new drummer, and we didn't have to pay for a rehearsal room. I had booked the Friday gig with the Franklins, and they were all amazed and delighted to get not only free drinks but a decent payout at the end. And yes, as you say, none of the 'we only play for free' guys said no to the money! I enjoy the music too much to leave the Franklins right now, and it was easier yesterday as I had my bass taken there by one of the guitarists so I didn't need to drive into town and look for a parking space - just rode in on my motorcycle and parked beside the venue.

Bet they don't cost peanuts, though.

Hi Stuart. The RM-800 sounds like an Ashdown - a little more vintage in character than most Class D amps, slightly darker and rounder. Very loud. Lots of built-in gizmos (compressor, distortion, octaver). One of the best all-rounders I've owned, if I'm honest. Tempted to get another one (the newer Evo II version). The Mesa WD-800 is modelled after the Walkabout head from 10 years ago or so, with the same EQ section. It's got a very nice valve preamp which adds some tasty richness and a little bit of additional harmonic complexity to the tone (although it can add a lot of additional hair if you turn the input gain up high enough). Very versatile EQ with sweepable frequencies, and a great low-pass filter that helps all that power actually make it out of your speakers by rolling off the very lowest frequencies that your speakers might not be able to reproduce. Loud, but the RM-800 seems louder (despite both technically having the same output) - it clips out a little when turned right up. I think there's more usable volume with the Ashdown. I like the Mesa for the tone - very detailed and flexible. I like the Ashdown for the punch (it has lots, especially if you use the compressor). Compared to the new Trace, the Trace is cleaner, louder (1200W) and, well, sounds like a Trace, with that big wide open midrange. It's also got the dual-band compressor, which is great - turn it up high on the lows and down on the highs and you've got that Tony Levin tone right there. Maybe a bit less detailed than the Mesa, with a less versatile EQ, but if you want that Trace tone, it's got it in spades. Going to give the new Gallien-Krueger Fusion 1200S a test drive soon and see how that stacks up against the others.

Oh no! Not another one?

I went to the Reading Festival some years ago. Was very disappointed to find there were no books. Mis-representation, I call it.

Oh I can assure you the promo will feature a bassist in heavy disguise.

I have no idea what’s going on, I skipped forward a bit and he seemed to be hiding behind the guitarist on the left making obscene hand gestures. 😳

I wanna be your dog - The Stooges

I also have a Jabba bass, which I can bring, maybe some spectors, and maybe the chapman stick again if anyone wants to see that who didn't last time.

The Lunatics have Taken Over the Asylum - The Specials

hmmm... OK it's not a genre I normally sing (I'm a classical guy) but I have a lot of experience as a singer and I've had a lot of singing lessons. Basically, the guy does not know how to sing - end of story. Well done for getting him through it. Trouble is he'll probably think he can wing it next time as well. An orchestra I used to play in did a 90s/00s dance music gig - I'll put a more detailed post in my thread - but long story short: the 'name' artist didn't have a clue about how to sing with an orchestra. He was obviously used to being carried by the gig band. You cannot do that with 60 piece symphony orchestra. He didn't even know where to come in with his own songs...

Fantasists in rock n roll? Who'd have believed it!