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I was a founding member of a KISS tribute with whom I spent 25 years performing across the World. I, of course, portrayed 'Gene Simmons'.... Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? You don't HAVE to be, but you should at the very least have a high level of appreciation for either the band or musician you are portraying. There's no way on earth I'd play in an Oasis tribute for example.... How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? This depends on the band. With KISS the visuals are EQUALLY as important as the music, but the visuals are also the hardest. I've seen some terrible KISS tributes where the Gene Simmons is only 5ft tall (even in his 7" stack heels) and the Paul Stanley is way overweight and lycra is NOT his friend.... lol! Many of them barely move onstage or think that an occasional stick out of the tongue is 'job done'. *head shake* With an ABBA tribute, the four upfront need to look right, but the rest of the band not so much. However, no matter what band/artist it is.... musically the attention to details needs to be there e.g. accurate parts, identical solos like the record/famous live version etc. I also think that where possible identical or very similar instruments should be used - particularly if the artist is know for it e.g. Mick Ronson - Les Paul, Clapton - Strat, Simmons- Axe, McCartney - Hofner/Ricky. Also, I believe there to be two distinct types of 'tribute'. 1) A 'Tribute to the Music of....' - Bands/artists not known for their look/visual impact/frontman with specific image i.e. Steely Dan, Eagles, Chicago etc 2) A Tribute Band/Artist - has a strong visual as well as musical impact whether just frontman or whole band i.e. Stones, Beatles, Queen, KISS, Bowie etc Anything else is a cover band. They may like to think they're a 'tribute', or bill themselves as one - but, to me, if they play the songs of an artist without the necessary attention to details musically and/or visually then they could just be a covers band down the pub... Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? In the KISS tribute my 'character' was everything. I had to learn/practice how to walk/prowl on 7" stack heels with a huge armour/studded suit on while playing bass, flicking my tongue, grinding my hips etc.... lol! Add lead singing 40% of the set on and bv'ing the rest on to that.... and then learning to breathe fire and spit blood... well, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, especially when dodging pyro pots and flame pods onstage! If I was a Bill Wyman, Flea, McCartney etc I would also think it essential to get into character. However, if I was in e.g. a Squeeze tribute, it wouldn't be necessary. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) I wouldn't say I found it musically limiting - it was a challenge recreating the bass lines accurately while juggling the vocals and physical moves too. We also regularly changed up the set and played plenty of album cuts for fan and band enjoyment. I played/play other stuff at home for myself anyway and at various points over those 25 years I was in a couple of original bands and pub cover bands on the side. Also, there's a skill and discipline in recreating things accurately every night..... Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? Not at all. It's a separate scene and tbh it keep venues in business, but we always tried to have a local upcoming originals band on as support when we could in order to give something back. Where else would they get to play their original material to maybe 400+ people a night and get to promote themselves/sell a few CDs etc? Certainly not on their own shows.... Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? We were very lucky in that our positive profile with the band and their record company gave us many amazing opportunities including: Gene invited us to perform a private show for him and the schoolkids on his 'Gene Simmons Rock School' TV series. This was a highlight as we spent lots of time in his company, laughing, smiling and joking. I've met him a few times now and the 'real' Gene I/we know is not the controversial person he projects for the press/general public (PT Barnum was right). We were asked to play at various KISS album and video launch events for Universal Records. We played various Fan Conventions across Europe where we met members/former members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Bruce Kulick, Eric Singer, Mark St John (RIP) and their longtime Manager Bill Aucoin (RIP). We also had all bar Paul, Gene & Ace join us onstage at different events to play live with us! We only ever got positive feedback from them - although a couple of former members (with alcohol issues) were a little 'difficult' lol! Other well known bands also came to see us over the years including The Red Hot Chilli Peppers who saw us at the London Marquee club & Def Leppard who saw us at Tokyo Ariake Coliseum. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Attention to detail, personal discipline, huge respect for the creative aspect of the original act and musicians involved...and the energy needed to do it night on night for years! It's also a lot harder to do it right than people give credit for..... or than doing an originals band, where there are little or no audience expectations other than hopefully vaguely decent songs. All the 'best' tribute bands and shows pull out all the stops, wherever possible/financially realistic and this sets them apart from what are, otherwise, mainly glorified 'cover bands'. Recreation of the main things the band/artist are known for are key....! However, having said that.... there are some particularly anal fans who will always find something to criticise. One guy said to our Paul Stanley that it was "an excellent show but you don't have quite as much chest hair as Paul Stanley"... to which our guy replied "I'm not Jewish either and I've still got my foreskin .... how accurate do you need it to be?!!" Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? I would..... not KISS though... as a slightly overweight 50+ in lycra and make up paying tribute to a similar 70+ year old wouldn't be a great look! I'd rather be involved with a 'Tribute to the music of' show..... ideally The Doobie Brothers, Journey, ELO, Toto or something equally as musically satisfying. I'm happy for now doing my 'Classic Rock Anthems & Power Ballads Show' in theatres..... although part of me would love to do a bit of 'Rutger' in an ABBA tribute too

Thanks to everyone who came, displayed, played, chatted, laughed and made for a fantastic day. It makes all the organisation of these events so much more worthwhile.... Big thanks to Colin @Hamster and Sarah (Mrs Hamster) for securing the venue and keeping us caked & coffee-d and to@Kingbassist for taking the time out of his busy schedule to give a fascinating and entertaining talk and demonstrate some awesome playing. Hope to see you again at future events Ian! Gear of the day for me was the new Trace Elliot head (huge heft and punch!) and the Trondheim Audio SkarBassOne pedal (juicy tones!). Both are new to market so keep an eye/ear out for them! Same time next year (preferably without the torrential rain storms)?!

Next task is to shape the neck and radius the fretboard. I've cut the first line to follow the body but that's as far as I've got so far.

I did 2 different Police tributes. One just played in local pubs, the other did bigger gigs. Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? I am a fan of the Police, so it was easy for me. Both bands I was in, were also big fans How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? I look a lot like Sting, even when not on stage and as he is the focus it worked well. I spent quite a lot of money on the correct basses and the matching outfits Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? I spent a lot of time watching Sting live and copying his moves but I don't speak like him Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) Try singing and playing some of those songs. Driven to tears is the hardest playing/singing at the same time song I've done Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? Absolutely not. Why would it Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? No, but I tweeted a video to Stewart Copeland and he commented on 'you got the sound right but I pity the poor B'stard in the cute shorts' What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Nothing I didn't already know. You can't please everyone all the time. I always put 100% effort into every gig, big or small Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? I would yes but not The Police now. My knees hurt and a bad shoulder means I can't jump up and down and so it's not authentic enough now anyway here's a few pictures of the gear etc

I'm gigging on Thursday 27th October at Hootananny in Brixton with Musical Youth. https://hootanannybrixton.co.uk/musical-youth-40th-anniversary/

I played in a band for a couple of years who had a weekly residency in a pub a few miles from where I live. It was a complete variety of music covering mainly 50's, 60's and 70's mainly due to the age of the punters. Occasionally there were a few people turning up who sang more up to date songs. Pros: I was still pretty new to being a regular band bass player so every week I was out of my comfort zone which helped develop my ears and read chord charts quickly, follow singers covering songs i'd never heard before. It exposed me to music I had never heard before. I found it quite a fun gig with less pressure to be on point with the recorded bass lines of any track. I just captured the vibe of it which in most cases was fine. Cons: Sometimes it was quite a chore. It meant going to a pub every week which are places that I generally avoid., I don't like being around drunk people. Enduring occasional inappropriate ignorant racial comments from some parts of the audience. Too much rock n roll and not enough soulful music. Having to refuse to play reggae because I knew the band would not sound authentic.

A really good event, of course. Well done to everyone (who braved the rain) and @Hamster and everyone who helped. I had to drag @rumblefish away as I was gigging in the evening. Some fascinating stuff for sure. Good to see a worthwhile use for the stuff that boy racers hang off the bottom of their cars!!

Marathon - Rush (those of a certain age will see the connection).

'ello. I'm second from right in a very silly gig indeed. Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? Wasn't to start with, then listened to nothing else for six months to get into shape, then couldn't listen to them again outside of gigs for the next three years. I'm finally getting round to enjoying them casually again now. How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? Oh, lots and lots and lots. If you get the broad strokes right people fill in the blanks; even the hypercritical snobby fans (who are thankfully few and far between) don't notice as much as they think they do. We try to be true to the spirit if not the letter. We have an authentically upside-down left-handed bass player, and I'm a bald guy on keyboards/guitar, and that's about it. Our singer looks uncannily like Mark when she wears her glasses which is a nice co-incidence. The really odd bit is that we have a nice little sideline in logo branded t-shirts that do quite well. I think we've built up a bit of a following now so we get a fair few people coming to see us just because they specifically like what we do, as opposed to just liking the material. DEVO aren't touring over here and even if they were they aren't playing the early seventies vibe that we're trying to cop, so I'm happy to fill that niche. Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? A bit. It'd feel a bit daft to pretend to be the exact Spuds, but we go for the attitude and vibes and people seem happy with it. We have a lot of handy folks in the band so we've gradually built our own props/costumes/instruments over the years. It's helpful that our bass player is usually allergic to anything sniffing of 'commercialism' so we have a finely tuned barometer of "that's a right womble idea" to run ideas past; if he's game for it then it's probably not too cheeseball. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) We all have other projects. I wish writing with these guys was as easy as touring with them because we've made it six years or so without any major fallouts or line-up changes. They're very accommodating of me dropping the odd "sorry chaps, but I have to block two months out of the calendar for this other tour" as it's not a full-time gig for any of us. Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? I don't think putting a silly hat on is going to stop garage bands from playing original music. It doesn't even stop me. Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? DEVO shared us on their facebook page a couple of Halloweens ago and they were asked about us in a Guardian Reader's Questions feature (Jerry was very diplomatic) so they know we exist. We've spoken to their team a few times and they've politely requested we don't use certain bits of artwork which we're happy to do. My requests to be the UK franchise of the band have been politely ignored. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? I try to take something away from every gig I play with, but I suppose it's been an interesting exercise into really deep-diving into one particular catalogue. I can't think of many other acts where I know 30-40 songs to gigging standard. Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? Oh, probably not. I like the idea of doing brief dives into a catalogue to do a one-and-done Stars In Their Eyes tribute night or something, but it's been a bit intensive learning all the music plus co-bandleading really. I auditioned on keys for a Foos tribute a couple of years back but my heart wasn't really in it even though the money would be better and the material significantly easier. I sometimes see other tributes post audition lists and then go away and learn them just as an exercise (Slade and Blink 182 recently) but I don't think I'd connect with them quite like WAND.

For preparing the enclosure for my latest build, I finally bit the bullet and invested in my first step drill bit, and have used it for the majority of the holes. So much better than plain HSS bits, especially for the bigger holes. Highly recommended if you don't already have one.

Just remembered this for a couple of weeks ago...played a gig at the bar mentioned above, and there was a nice couple in their 50s, seen them before in there, sitting at a table by the very small corner stage where we were playing. They were enthusiastic, listening, and applauded, even shouted for an encore. After we'd finished, some friends of ours were playing across the road, a couple of doors down, and we could hear they had a later slot than us, so before we broke everything down, we popped across the road to see how it was going. Ten minutes later, I'm outside having a vape, and was standing next to the same couple...this was the conversation: Bloke from couple, pointing to band still playing: 'They're good, aren't they?' Me: 'Yeah, very.' Wife from couple: 'There was a good band over the road, too; they've just finished.' Me: 'Yeah, you were at the table at the front' Couple: 'Errr...yeah?...' Me: You know that bloke stood on stage for two hours eight feet from you? On the left? Your left?' Couple: 'Errr...yeah?' Me (pointing to my head, doing the Fozzy Bear thing): .... Couple: 'Errr...yeah?' I gave up at that point...sometimes picking up a bass does activate the Klingon Cloaking Device...

Last night I was on bass as part of an acoustic duo as the drummer and guitarist couldn't make the date. It was a standard Cheltenham race meet affair. Basically a mix of old blokes in tweed demanding Irish songs, young blokes in unintentionally hilarious ‘Peaky Blinders’ fancy dress, women in jodhpurs with a dead bird on their head and orange girls apparently live streaming themselves posing into their phone screen all night. All of whom are screaming the word ‘Oasis’ in perpetuity. standard.

Prague last night was hot and sweaty, a perfect end to the tour. On the way home now. What an experience! Hopefully I'll get to do it again some day

"Bass is cool. Today is a great day" Noam Chomsky 🤠

I've decided that the 'sound hole' in the body needs to be reshaped a little now I can see it with the neck. I've drawn on it in black marker and think that will look better

If not, you can catch it on iPlayer over the next 27 days...assuming you're a Soul fan. Talking heads include the Holland brothers, Mavis Staples, Barrett Strong, Fred Wesley, Steve Cropper, Marcus Miller and Martha Reeves. Very good it is too.

Lovely. I've got one very similar but in sunburst. I prefer the natural though.

The last drummer I worked with praised me for my ability to count to four.

(Ham)Let it Be - John Lennon

Here’s a wee pic from Friday night

Busy prepping artist’s sets for a huge run of shows coming up! From straight Pop, RnB, Neo Soul, Reggae, Punk & so many more!

Yes, serveral times. No, no import fees. I think because they come in letter size pacakage it hasn't been an issue. I just built the simulcast (pedalpcb hudson broadcast clone) for a friend: Has a Mullard OC71 from the early 70's - sounds really good! The drilling guide was too tight on the footswitch - didn't leave enough room (hence the plastic washer). My first attempt at waterslide decal!

My band has a regular monthly gig at a large music bar in Edinburgh. I assume it's because we're a decent band that can be relied upon to turn up, as we've been on the go for years. Most of the bands that play there have been gigging there for a long time. The place feels like home, as we've been playing there regularly for at least the last 10 years. Newer bands have a tendency to split up before the gig comes around,which leaves the booker in the lurch.

In the early 70's I was in a band that played the same venue every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for about 8 months, playing Soul, R&B and current top 40 hits. I loved it. So did the audience! In the 80's I did a weekly Sunday lunchtime at a pub in Camden. Then switched to the Friday night slot. That was for about 2 years each. We were a high energy Chuck Berry, Dave Edmonds boogie band. That band morphed into a Chicago blues band which played every Tuesday at a West Kensington blues venue. Residencies are great. Play interesting songs with enough energy and humour and the audience won't notice that the set is the same as last week. The only cons to playing one gig a month is it's not 2 gigs a month!

First practice for us in over 2 years, and the first since losing Kev, our guitarist to covid in January 2021, we'll be having more.

Thanks for having me today, I really enjoyed meeting everyone and checking out all the gear! Glad to hear my ramblings made some sense 🤣 I’m off to check out some Barefaced cabs online! 👍🏻

I wouldn't expect a bass I bought to be setup how I wanted when I got it (unless I had asked for that), but I would expect it to be playable.

My name is Pete, and I play bass in a tribute band - The ELO Experience. I've been doing it for around 10 years now, with the band being formed a few years before I joined. When the band first started I believe we were the only one on the go, now there's a few more appearing. So, here we go! Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? I think it definitely helps, although in my case I wasn't a full on ELO nerd - actually prefer Roy Wood's stuff to the later ELO albums. Have grown to like most of the ELO stuff now though, especially the crowd pleasers. How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? A difficult one this - when the band first started out, the visual thing wasn't so important, with all the effort being put into sounding authentic. However, mainly due to people coming to our gigs it was decided to make our singer look more like Jeff Lynne. At first I went for a bit of a 70's look with my stagewear, but this has gradually changed to more how Jeff Lynne's band have looked recently. (If any people here know how the late great bassist Kelly Groucutt looked in ELO then you'll understand my relief!) We do try to sound reasonably authentic, with some changes being deemed okay to fit in with our line up, Never had anyone call me out for anything yet, so think it's okay. Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? As I'm not playing anyone in particular then this isn't an issue. Never see it as 'just a gig' though, I always approach it with a positive outlook, thinking the paying audience deserve to see a band who look up for it. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) I don't find it limiting - I'm no amazing player and some of the lines do stretch me a bit which is probably a good thing. I still do other things outside the band - I'm in an acoustic duo which is great fun, along with an occasional gigs in country/rock band 'The Fork Handles'. I also really enjoy doing occasional deps. As the tribute band gigs are mainly in theatre type environments, these other gigs are usually in smaller venues - pubs, clubs etc, which I've done for over 40 years now. Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? None. As others have mentioned, it's only a type of cover band at the end of the day. Hope this doesn't sound overblown, but Jeff/ELO didn't play live for years, and I like to think we played a small part in keeping his music going with all his fans through that period. Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? Our singer and keyboard player were invited to Birmingham when Jeff Lynne was visiting to immortalize his handprints on Broad Street. They got to meet him briefly, and were suitably blown away. (Also met Jeff's mate Jasper Carrot too!) When ELO were rehearsing for their 'comeback' gigs we had some of the band come to see us at Richmond Theatre. They were rehearsing nearby so thought they'd come and check us out. Fortunately I didn't see them until after the show when they came down to talk to us. I met Lee Pomeroy, who was absolutely fantastic. He said some nice things and even had a go on my bass! All the band were lovely and happy to chat for ages, & we were absolutely thrilled to meet them. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Never underestimate your audience. Also always remember how much love they have for the music you're playing and try to do it justice. We have some fans who follow us all over the place, and I never forget their commitment and support which allows us to keep going. Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? This is actually the 2nd tribute band I've been involved in, the first one being a Neil Diamond show. That got rid of some of my doubts over the whole tribute thing, so by the time I was asked to join my current band I kind of knew what to expect. I would consider another tribute band if the situation ever arose, and would most enjoy something like a Stones / Motown / Springsteen type of thing (although don't think I could do Jamerson's Motown bass lines justice TBH). However, I'm approaching 65 and hope that I can carry on with this band until I decide to slow down a bit gig wise - doing gigs all over the UK does push me at times, but still absolutely loving it!

Some lovely basses above by the way - gonna have to delete those before I finish so mine doesn't look so naff 😂

Basses are meant to be played and if it were me (and I've done this myself in the past) I wouldn't be precious about it. If you like the feel of the neck, get it fretted if that's what you want. After all, despite all the fuss by those that call them vintage, it's still a cheaply made, mass produced, bolt on neck solid body and hardly a Stradivarius!

'Cos bass is not a fish, maybe..?

I've often wondered about the neck coming on and off constantly. I've probably done it more than most , particularly on the rare occasions I've taken a bass on a plane. I've always used tooth picks stuffed in the screw holes when it's been off a few times but I still wonder about it. Then you see folk selling vintage stuff who have the neck off just to photograph the heel stamps . Dunno. Jury's still out for me.

There was once a haven from the wickedness of the world, Wetherspoon's Monday Club. Sadly no more. I mind of seeing the members of said club appearing now and again, squinting into the midday sun like freshly unearthed moles. "And malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man. Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink For fellows whom it hurts to think: Look into the pewter pot To see the world as the world's not." A.E. Housman - A Shropshire Lad.

Seems to be the way with most pub/club musos I've met. They either don't get it, or don't want to get it. It's ALWAYS the rock versions of Too Hard to Handle and Ain't No Love 😟

(S)he Wasn't ～ Avril Lavigne

Great day for a mix'n'match meet up once the clouds parted. It's always interesting to see all the kit variations that work for each of us and get some ideas for what to try next. A good insight into another world from Ian King along with some enjoyable demos. Thanks to all those who did the work behind the scenes and here's a few pics for the peeps that didn't make it today.

This the bass that I’ve been playing on mainly for years now. Built like a tank, sounds like machine. Hundreds of hours live gig amd studio time. The most comfortable bass I’ve ever played. It’s a G&L sb1.

Had a support slot for Ipswich based 80s metal band Woden Forge's reunion gig. Venue 77 in Ipswich, which is basically a warehouse tucked behind a pub with a tented ceiling. Stage wasn't massive, Woden Forge boys had set up by the time we arrived so we had to squeeze onto the tiny bit of space left available to us. Sound was amazing, absolutely crystal clear. We've had the same engineer on other gigs and he is great. We played a 45 minute set to the sell out crowd of 200 and I reckon most if not all of them were there when we fired up. We played well (I made a couple of mistakes but nothing crazy) and we went down really well with a crowd who were absolutely up for it. Lots of people came up afterwards to say how much they enjoyed the set. Apparently the whole of the Woden Forge gig, plus our last two songs, went out on a live radio stream. I also understand that our set was recorded on the desk, so hopefully we can get our hands on that. A great night, assisted by a completely hold-up free journey home along the A12.

My rig - a pair of Barefaced 2X10s topped off with a Fender Rumble 800