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Showing content with the highest reputation on 01/12/24 in Posts
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Two gigs this weekend. Still suffering with the man flu which made me bed-bound over a week ago so it’s been hard work but both actual gigs were great fun. First up, Katy Hurt at Greystones in Sheffield. Given the last time out I never made the gig thanks to a flat tyre, I gave myself 6.5 hours to do a 4 hour journey, which was very wise with all the slow crap on the M1. Gig venue is great, soundwoman was lovely and very good indeed, and I have to say I think we played and sounded great. We threw in a new song which we’d polished in sound check and it went down as well as all the more well-known tunes and Katy did the same in her short acoustic interlude. Basses (Zoot J and P) and rig (Handbox WB100 and Barefaced Two10) sounded absolutely mint even with my cack handed playing. Best bit was catching up with the awesome @asingardenof and his better half Feeling rough, I decided to stay in a ropey Travelodge rather than drive all the way back to Surrey, so Saturday was spent first driving home, then unloading everything just to reload different basses (ACG TKO, Conway Taranis fretless) and a bigger rig (Trace TE1200 and Barefaced Super Twin) then go collect the PA and lights for Wednesday’s Child to play a gig at the King’s Arms in Dorking. A couple of shots of Talisker perked me up after we’d set up, and apart from a slightly non-perfect vocal sound I think we played and sounded great (except possibly my BVs which were probably terrible). Frankly both gigs were awesome fun at the time but I suspect I’ll feel it today given I wasn’t 100% beforehand. But for things to make you hot sweaty and sticky, this has got to be near the top of the fun list 😀 Today is a day for lying in bed or on the sofa. Or putting up the Christmas decorations according to Mrs Mert 😩😄 Photo shamelessly stolen from @asingardenof from Friday.17 points
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Last night was the annual Crown Court Xmas party gig for the Hulla band (our singist is a barrister therein). Always a good gig and not just because the buffet is superb. It's a nice hotel venue and a decent crowd who were all up for a dance and sing along. The setlist was long and varied (there were 40 songs listed) so I had two basses to cover the rocky stuff (Squier PJ) and more mellow songs (Ibanez AGBV200A hollow body) with a planned change over just after half time. However, the buffet arrived early and we stopped about a third of the way in to the set. Our singist occasionally gets a little carried away and can forget some of the arrangements - he has a tendency to start songs himself that have been rehearsed with different intros etc, so I was trying to anticipate an appropriate intro that would give me time to swap guitars. In the end I settled on 'I Love To Boogie' which I guessed (correctly) he would start with a complete verse of just him and guitar. There were the inevitable free jazz improvisations - for some reason I chose to modify the key change in 'Love Story' (yes, Taylor Swift forms a part of our repertoire) and the requested 'I Want It That Way' at the end was not working with the bassline I'd learnt from the original (in the end I just stopped playing as I couldn't find an easy re-entry point) but overall it was one of the best performances of the band as a whole and I was happy with my part in that. I always enjoy Hulla gigs as we have a lot of fun on and off stage and the atmosphere i unlike any other band I've played in. Kit list: A Squier PJ in Lake Placid Blue - a very recent addition to the fold - and my pre-aged Ibanez AGBV200A hollow body both plugged into a Zoom B6 (I love that I can swap between two inputs). I use the B6 in rehearsals to narrow down a set of sounds for a specific set and by the time of last night's gig I had the PJ going into a patch based around and SVT emulation with very slight grit and the option of adding flanger (Dakota) or chorus. I had a second patch which was basically the same SVT sound with a slight gain increase and reduction in bass EQ/boost in mid EQ so I could cut through the mix during a bass break in 'Seven Nights'. The Ibanez had a patch based on the AC370 acoustic amp and for a couple of songs I had a patch based on a TE400 amp for a more bassy feel. The B6 was DI'd into the X32 desk (we have a dedicated sound man) and I monitored through a Behringer P16 linked by Ultranet to the desk. I get a pre-fade mix that I have mixed to give me what I need. That was feeding a wireless IEM. Footwear: A matched pair of Skechers SN52635s modified to improve bass response and using a custom loaded impulse response model - or so the shoe salesman told me. 😀16 points
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We were due to play the Bonfest stage last night at Winterstorm festival in Troon Ayrshire last night with my ac/dc band. But on Thursday night got a call from our female singer saying she couldn`t make it so after some frantic phone calls, the guy who runs Bonfest got us in touch with a singer he knew who was playing on the same day as us and was a big DC fan and knew the songs. Great stuff apart from the fact that as were closing the festival at midnight, the guy would need taking back home to Dundee which is 2 hour ish trip and then I would have to drive home again, about 1.5 hours. But hey, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. Anyway, no rehearsal but the guy was on it right away, knew all the words and had the moves and patter. He even looked like a young Bon Scott! It was the most I have smiled at a gig in years and we went down really well. Then I woke up this morning to a message from our drummer saying he wasn`t happy and was leaving the band but to fair I guessed it was coming so the hunt is on for a replacement. Ah Rock n Roll is a cruel mistress!15 points
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Great dep gig last night at The Plough in Farnham, Surrey with the 'Lee Aaron Band'. Not loads in, but a great sound and everyone who did attend fully interacted with the music by singing and dancing. Can't ask for more than that.....15 points
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Last night, played Wilsons in Aberdeen with Nine Lives. Nice to get back into it after a weekend off. Overall a good gig, decent turnout and folk up for a boogie. Technically, it was a game of two halves though - first half went great, good levels, clear vocals, everything going great. Drummer wanted to add a monitor at half time and for some obscure reason this made everything go bad - couldn't get the monitor working anyway and the piddling about lost our lovely levels. Managed to get it back but then my pedalboard threw a bit of a wobbly. Might be a dodgy cable - swapped the one from the board to the amp and it seemed to help. Switching on the OD was introducing hum, worse when the OD was cranked. Managed to get to the end of the gig, but I have some fun pedalboard diagnostics in my near future, yay! Gear used: G&L Tribute LB-100 then Yamaha BB1200 into the usual Markbass tone cubes.15 points
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Friday night was the last one at one of our fave venues in Essex. It was a great turnout and so many people came along to say goodbye to us. We have one more in Southend next Saturday and then we're packing the band up after a total of 24 years. It's gonna be 'emowsh' as we say down here.... Here's some pics from Friday15 points
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Great wee afternoon gig at Fisons Club in Boness for BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers yesterday. Sold Out 1-6pm event that we've played before. The organiser called it a Xmas gig so 2x1hr sets with the obligatory Xmas songs thrown in. Even with it being sold out there were a shortage of tables and chairs and people were still coming in looking for seats all thru the first set. Mostly women audience too and they were all up for a great party afternoon. Dancing from 1st song. Oddly enough the floor cleared for our first Xmas song Let It Snow by The Sweet which usually does a good job of floor filling ? Lots of people singing along and taking pics and vids to the song so we are a bit confused with that one. Other Xmas songs filled the floor. Gear for the afternoon was Sandberg VM4 into Shure wireless then a Keeley Bassist compressor only just on with very little compression to keep a nice even level. Mesa TT800 Boogie channel into Mesa SW210/115 cabs. Footwear pic below :- This was our first set. Busy wee dance floor.15 points
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Yesterday the drummer messaged us. His car is in for repair but the sole mechanic has gone down with norovirus! He'd borrowed his daughter's car - a Fiat 500! So the first stop was at his house to collect the kit he couldn't fit in, and then onto the gig in Melton Mowbray (and anyone from Leicester can sympathise with what a tedious drive that can be when you're stuck on the A607 behind a slow driver!) We'd not played the White Hart on a Saturday before. Melton was quite busy, all of the parking near the pub was taken, so I had to double-park and quickly chuck the kit in the pub. The place filled up nicely just before we went on. It got quite warm, which I don't mind at all when you're playing well and it sounds great. It did thin out a little after 11pm but still had quite a few to see us finish just after midnight. I do like playing there - the landlord has built a great sounding stage that's also a decent size. It really did sound great and we had lots of compliments. We had a lot of musos came to see us, which is always nice. I really enjoyed my strings being still quite fresh and twangy (D'Addario pro steel), and was told my bass sounded awesome by a good friend drummer. More importantly the landlord loved it. Kit: Sire P7-5, Roland Boss GT-6B, Fender Rumble v3 500 Footwear: Solovair burgundy rub-off 8 hole zipped derby boots They are nearly broken in now, especially with the "bass stances" being thrown quite liberally tonight, but I was rather pleased to get them off my feet at home afterwards!15 points
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Wowser. We played the Exchange in Risca. Could be described as the 'type specimen' for a valleys rock pub. Full of lovely people. My partner and I met some people at a gig on Friday who wete looking at our posteron their phone and persuaded them to come. Anyway pub was pretty much rammed. I couldn't see any of the side dots on my (reissue) 1960 precision for the first set so swapped to my Harley Benton Marquess, an active two pickup fiver, as different as it is possible to be, for the second set. But if we made any cock ups (there were a few) no-one gave a toss. Went down ancabsolute storm, three encores and it would have been more if the pub hadn't put the lights on. We finished with gasoline by audioslave and bearly took the roof off. Much to my partner's horror a WhatsApp in joke was debuted as the band's new tagline "keep it moist". At one point the whole pub (except Ms. S) was chanting "moist, moist moist..." An utterly epic night and felt like we've really become a band. The "keep it moist" t-shirts are in the care of UPS... 😁15 points
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*** NOW SOLD *** For sale is my beautiful and mint condition Fender FSR 70’s Precision. I bought this bass brand new in 2018 from Guitar Guitar in Epsom and has only been used as a backup a few times between 2018 and 2020 for a 50’s Rock N Roll band. I really really don’t want to sell it as it’s the nicest Precision I’ve played but I only play fretless these days and struggle with fretted basses so I’m going to let this go to a new home. This bass was a limited Fender Special Run and sounds fantastic with the Ash body and American 62 vintage pickups. Specs are as follows, • Ash Body • Maple ‘70s “C” Shape Neck Maple Fretboard • American Vintage ’62 Single-Coil P Bass Pickup • Vintage-Style Bridge with Steel Saddles • Vintage Style Tuners I am based in Camberley, Surrey and any trial is welcome. Shipping included in price or will drop to £700 if collected.14 points -
Last night we played The Queens Arms in Brixham. It's been acfew years since we were last there. It's quite well organized with lights, speaker braketts on the wall and camera / TV too. It's fairly small and not much of a stage area, so we didn't bring the sub and have to keep the volume down as best we can, which isn't always easy with drums but he made a decent effort of playing quieter. It wasn't that busy until early in the second set when more people arrived. We played well and had some encouraging comments from people, including a family who just moved in nearby. I forgot my Hercules stand, but there isn't really much room so I used my spare jack plug stand as a backup, which you can just about see in the photo below. It was a great night and we performed. I was talking to the landlord after and he was interested in my BF210 cab, asking what it was and how it was perfect for the pub. He has some regular musician on a Wednesday and says the bass is rattling all his windows! He took me behind the bar where they store there equipment and there was a BF610 cab there! I joked that he needs to take a saw to it and remove 4 speakers. It's nice to get compliments about my gear. Like most musicians I sometimes worry about my FOH sound, even though I go out front for sound checks. On stage it's always cracking, but without a sub it doesn't have that low end punch out front. There was a slightly sour end to the night though. I've lost a really nice hat, that hasn't appeared yet, so I'll have to replace it with my gig money. Our guitarist who deals with the booking verbally agreed a fee, but was paid less. We are not sure why this is and haven't had a chance to discuss it with the landlord, and didnt eant to make a scene of it there. We haven't taken any bookings for next year yet, but will need to square it with the landlord before. Suffice to say if he doesn't offer us more like the going rate we won't be coming back.14 points
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Well, that was a more interesting gig than last week. Despite having my new Ric for less than 24 hours, I decided to gig it, easier to find out what something is like when you gig it, and I am glad I did. It was a gig at a local working mens club, good layout, played many times before. However this time it was harder to load in as there was a 18th birthday party in the back room. We set up fast and for some reason, when we were done I was looking round as it was quicker and the stage was tidier - we had so much more space than usual. but it was all connected. Couldn't get the sound right to start with but I leveled everything off, turned it up and adjusted and got it pretty perfect. Did the first half of the set and really enjoyed it, people were good, the stage sound was good, the ric was great, and everything just seemed to go well. At half time people were coming up saying it sounded great and asking about the bass (which is unusual, noone ever really notices). Also had comments that it was good without the keyboards, which is handy, it is the first giig we did there since our keyboard player left. And well, one woman was insistant we should play 'one and only' by chesney hawkes, and we should do it because it was easy and everyone knows it. Second half all went well, played a bit long stopped before 12, everything went very well. Finished, everyone seemed good, the owner of the club came up saying it was the best bass sound they had had in the club, and how did I get it (bass -> Mod dwarf -> PA) and was impressed with the ric as well (he played in a band). We started packing up, the drummer went to get his stuff and said 'I would leave it a minute, there is a guy in the party that was getting pretty lairy'.. shortly afterwards a guy who was clearly the Lair came out, went up to the woman who seemed to be organising the party and started yelling and trying to strangle her, then a few people dived in and people went flying and it all kicked off. We carried on packing stuff. So then the fight moved to the back room then outside, so after we deemed it safe we went and got the cars and loaded up, just in time for the police car and meat waggon to turn up. So that was all fun. Felt sorry for the 18 year old girl whos party it was, she seemed way younger than 18, really friendly and having a great time with everone unlike most of her too cool friends. At the end of the evening she was in tears being consoled by people - but you know, a few days in perspective, and she had a birthday that was both fun and had an ending she won't forget - who wants a forgettable party?13 points
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Better shot from beforehand last night when I was happier. Soundcheck and slight hissy fit over FOH annoyances to come. 🙄 Having seen a crowd video today with me using the S1 5 string there seems to be a huge amount of bass through FOH, which I often feel is not the case, so I really don’t know. Felt like it may have been an outlier as I wasn’t getting the level where I was behind the PA 🤷♂️12 points
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A gig of two firsts for me, first gig on a proper acoustic double bass, and first gig without any form of backline. Our female fronted acoustic trio played up in the wilds of Wanney at the Queens Head in Glanton Northumberland. It’s a strange place to play, the pub is essentially three inter-connected rooms laid out in an L shape and you play in the corner of the L to effectively two separate rooms. We had an enthusiastic crowd made up of locals and friends of the band, some of who had brought their instruments with them (12 string guitar, 6 string guitars, cajon, and even a cello) so things got a little ‘off piste’ at times with the various guest spots. Playing without backline was ‘interesting’ and next time I will definitely use my in-ears as I was struggling to really hear the E string and as a result I have a lovely pair of blisters on my plucking fingers. For the gear sluts, here is the obligatory ‘office’ photo 😎12 points
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Pissing this now as I'm off to that there London at the arse crack off dawn tomorrow and won't be back until Monday evening. A much-hyped gig at the Salthorn WMC near Bradford this evening, up and "unfinished" road so bad that left me fearing for the car's suspension. Fortunately it survived and I was able to find a parking space virtually outside the front door. The pace was smaller than I was expecting but I decided to use the ABM anyway and it sounded very nice, but probably overkill. I'd been told that the club was likely to be packed and it was, but everyone was sat down until we were well into our second set when we had half a dozen brave souls up and dancing. We all played well, with only a couple of gaffs; the first being out drummist forgetting that he's not supposed to play during the breakdown in Let Me Entertain You, and the second where I, having remembered to retune after our last sing being in drop D, then forgot to disengage the tuner pedal and wondered why I was a bit quiet during the first couple of bars of our first encore. We went down very well and they've promised to rebook us next year, which is nice because we're having a hard time getting new gigs at the moment. Obligatory "tonight's office" photo and a warning aimed at someone called Worthington possibly...12 points
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After last night's cheering and singing along, today a huge room with a handful of people. Friends and family outnumbered the rest Set up near the tables rather than on the (magnificent) stage We were without our (mainly) rhythm guitarist so it was a bit odd as some cues missing and had to reallocate some intros etc. But we treated it as a gig rather than paid rehearsal and played pretty well. One silly mistake by me, had a pint of shandy in the first set, then a coffee in the break (to warm my hands up). Towards the end of the second set I had to listen to mr bladder and take avery quick break Got some pics of my gear... Quecha approach shoes:11 points
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Benefit gig in the local village pub, Corris in mid Wales, packed out as we've got 2 more gigs before we stop playing or regroup with a new guitarist. Graham bless him is fantastic but arthritis is making playing tortuous for him. Double special gig as our singer Beth's mum died unexpectedly 2 days before so she was singing for her dear mum. Such a buzz when the gig works, everybody in the pub singing and the sweat pouring off you.11 points
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A gig out in the wilds. Having been up to Victoria on Tuesday to meet Beedster and relieve him of his Geddy/Status Jazz and have a bit of a chinwag I got a Hipshot BT2 from Bassdirect on Friday - a fettle even I could manage as a straight replacement for the Hipshot already fitted - and managed to find a spar set of strap lock buttons that fit what I have on the strap at the last minute, so casting caution to the wind I took it along. I spent probably 20 years with just my Wal and a d-tuner before joining here and getting my first 5. Since then I have pretty much exclusively used 5ers live so much the same as that first night all those years ago when I got the 5 and took it to a gig that night despite the muscle memory of the 4 and d-tuner there were some lost moments tonight but no one except the rest of the band noticed I should think. The Frankenjazz sounds great 🥰 Gigwise it went ok. Crowd were good as was the sound generally I think after a shaky start at soundcheck when there was booming and feedback. I am getting a bit peed off that this is a regular occurrence that is embarrassing. 🤬 Still otherwise all went well. New songs came and went well. Crowd singing and dancing so I shouldn’t complain. New bass sounded lovely so there’s a silver lining 😁11 points
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Punters having a fight before we start was a bit disconcerting, but the gig all worked out well. In fact, the more rough and boozy pubs often have the most lively and up for it crowds. Monitoring was an issue though. In ears not working properly for some people, and feedback in the mics - the drums were mic'd up and half the band have stage monitors. It is too complex, I think we need to all go one way or the other.10 points
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Supported local heroes, The Owls, for a St Andrew’s (St SkAndrews) night do, which was sold out, despite being £20 a ticket. 3 band line up and we were on first. Turned up early so we could get a proper sound check, man alive the big ass PA was über loud! We played well and folk were up dancing almost straight away, not bad for a 7:30 start. The one problem we had was the other 3 in the band decided to play Substitute, whilst I was playing I Can’t Explain; you can’t get the staff . Great comments from everyone and looks like we’ll get some work off of the back of it. My gear? JMJ Mustang through my M87 comp and VTDI, into the top act’s, bass player’s TC head into Ampeg 4x10, which was unnecessary really, as the sound I was hearing was all from the monitors.9 points
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I really like this bass, and I'd rather not sell it, but with a new (expensive) Franz bass incoming I cannot justify keeping it. Bought last December, it's the latest generation (metal EQ knobs) and I hand picked it from half a dozen fivers in Andertons; it was far and away the best. It's lightweight, at a little over 9lbs, and balances well. Controls are stacked volume/tone, blend, treble, sweepable mids and bass on the active 18v EQ, but can also be run passive. The pickups sound great: the neck solo'd is just pure P bass honky heaven while the J pickup adds lovely bite. I cannot sing its praises highly enough. All the official spec can be found here. It came stock with a pearl white scratchplate (included in the sale, shown below), but I replaced that with an official tort one by SIre (£40) and also added Dunlop straplocks (£25) and a Fender tugbar for proper old school vibes. I also added Gotoh tuners but will remove them and sell them separately (link in my signature at the bottom). I think it looks great either way! The above images show the bass with the Gotoh tuners and staplocks added, but before the tugbar was fitted. Fresh image taken today. The bass is in great condition. No dings or scratches anywhere apart from a headstock repair between the E and B strings from when I cracked the lacquer removing a bushing installing the Gotohs. It repaired really well, and you can only see it if you look for it, but I wanted to be totally up front about it. There are also some light scratches on the back of the headstock from the tuner install. You can see all of this in the pictures. This is the best angle to show the headstock repair. I've deliberately taken it at this angle to show what is left of the scratches. I buffed most of them out and the rest may come out too. It honestly doesn't look this bad! And this is what it looks like in more typical light. I also gave the corners of the pickups and the nut a light sanding to remove the sharp edges. It comes with a superb Sire semi-rigid gig bag. One other thing to note is that the serial number printed on the back of the headstock has worn off! I have a photo of it though that I will share, along with proof of purchase, to the new owner. Price includes a 48 hour fully insured courier service in the mainland UK. I can ship the bass anywhere from the end of the week when my new Franz arrives, as I will use the box from that. Looking on BC and eBay these are hard to price, so I have gone for a mid-range value as I appreciate the alterations and the missing serial number may bother some, but bottom line is this is a great PJ5 for not a lot of cash. What's not to like?!8 points -
Well.. finally managed to snag a 4003 for a reasonable price. I feel like the 2nd hand market priced have finally begun to reach the bottom in the UK and I couldn't let another one slip through my fingers! I believe it's a 4003CB in Autumnglo, 2022. Best bass I've ever had the privilege of playing, no less owning. Super happy. Couldn't help but to also post it with a pic of my other modified Squier Classic Vibe 60's Mustang (DIY refinish from cream poly, and white pickguard) since it's my first post here. Cheers!8 points
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Even better than expected, high quality craftsmanship & fits even better than the original! Fender etc could learn a few things from Brian, especially how to produce a lovely oldie worldy opalescent pattern👍👍7 points
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My year-end setup. Went full analog on my board. This will be my main rig and the HX Stomp as a standalone fly rig(using my presets based on my main board). Just received the Doom2 and Octabvre today which I bought from reverb. Surprised I didn’t pay any customs and bought them for $340 and $355.6 points
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Wife got me a GSS Baby Sumo for my birthday. It's tiny! It's loud! Comes in a lovely little metal flight case. It's barely the size of two paperback books. Just gave it a brief test with my Hamer Cruisebass into a GED2112-DI. (We live in a detached house, neighbours away. Chortle!) Man alive, the clarity is incredible. I've jacked the Ged into a variety of amps and effects returns thereof over the years and it's never sounded like this... it's almost been a disappointment at times. It sounds like when I've just gone straight into a mixing desk. Lovely!5 points
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After all these years I'm not sure which "gig" was the first for "Finster Blitz" (our poorly translated German for "black lightning"). It's either... a) The De Montfort Hall in Leicester (Leicester’s biggest venue!). Erm... backing an assembled children choir of primary school kids. So the first song could have been a hymn 🤷♂️ The most memorable thing was that we couldn't get the drummer's shirt to stay tucked into his trousers b) Our European Tour Well actually our school choir exchange visit to a school in Munster, Germany. We dragged our single amplifier through customs (yes, they took a look inside) so that we could plug the lead singer, 2 guitars and bass (me!) into it. The singer's microphone was actually something you'd plug into a tape recorder, so had a lead about 1m long meaning he had to sit on top of the amplifier so it could reach. The song would have been an original "Force Ten Joan" - a 12-bar, and I can say that with confidence because it was the only song we had! The first song I played in a semi-professional way was UB40's Red Red Wine. I say semi-professional as I didn't actually get paid for that performance, but did a couple of weeks later when I took over from the bass player that was leaving the band. I've always hated that song - such a dirge 😂5 points
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Hello! It's been a while since I've been on here but I thought it would be rude not to share a NBD update with the community! I bought it second-hand from PMT in Cardiff a few weeks ago. I was in town celebrating a birthday when some down time arose (Fiancée had gone Xmas shopping...) so I thought why not pop in and have a browse. I played a few basses, including some new Fender jazz basses and also an Ibanez six string, none of which were particularly inspiring... but THIS THING! Good lord. It's from 2004 I believe. It's nicely weighty, so feels proper sturdy in on the strap. Great balance too, doesn't hang low or suffer from any neck dive. The wood grain underneath the "honeyburst" finish is absolutely gorgeous, and the maple neck and finger board are a dream to play. It's got a great B string, despite not being a 35" scale, and sounds monstrous. Different from a Stingray with the one humbucker at the bridge, I can't quite put my finger on it but there is a difference in sound between the HH and H models. Super versatile of course with the five way selector and two humbuckers, though I naturally find myself playing from above the bridge H pickup. I love how it looks - although part of me does want to replace the black pickup covers for white ones to match the pearly pickguard... Dunno, TBC. Just enjoying playing it for the moment! Here's a video I did of un-boxing it, it was fun to make! https://www.facebook.com/100003195770658/videos/3061739417322633/ I love Stingrays, and have played a four string teal green Stingray since my mid-teens so it's a natural progression! I've only played it at a few casual things - open mics and jams etc, but taking out with the band tonight to hear it in action for real. Can't wait! Thanks, Jack4 points
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I've downsized considerably over the last few years. Cab-wise just running a pair of Darkglass 1x12s and I have a Barefaced Big One (a 15/6) which doesn't weigh much at all. I can run a single 1x12 or double it up. After 35+ years in this game, you realise with every passing year that it's absolutely unnecessary to have these huge cabinets any more. Also on the whole downsizing thing, wife got me a GSS Baby Sumo for my birthday,(today) which decreases the whole weight thing even more.4 points
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My last gig of 2024 is with In Isolation, and will also be In Isolation's farewell performance as singer Ryan is calling it a day. It will be at the Salutation, in Nottingham on Saturday 14th December. Doors are at 7.00pm and we'll be on shortly after that as we will be playing an extra-long set and it's Spellbound Goth Night at 9.00pm afterwards. Tickets are just £4.00 and if you'd like to come and see our final gig it is highly recommended that you get one as they are selling fast.4 points
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I know my mate's first song was probably Spirit of the Age. For me something off this list (which was after we'd done a fair few gigs) but probably c 'mon everybody. The photo is the actual first gig.4 points
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Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my duo Deadlight Dance recording our live in a Saxon Church movie / album "The Wiltshire Gothic" so we thought we'd mark it with a cheeky few numbers at our friend Joe's Open Mic in Aldbourne, Wiltshire. Just for fun, I worked out a few on the upright and off we went... We opened with The Cure's Fire in Cairo, bravely tackled Sisters of Mercy's This Corrosion (on the upright bass and mandocello) and finished up with joy Division's New Dawn Fades. We got a second set where most of the acts had gone once they played (I always think that is a poor show!) so did a couple of our original songs and then some other deep cuts from the depths of our collections. The crowd seemed to like us but one drunken local coming out the toilet decided to shout about us being "f***ing s**t!" Everyone ignored him. I didn't think it was worthy of acknowledging at the time. I am sure he's brilliant! I don't know if it's a consequence of growing up post punk but I quite like music being divisive at times and not appealing to everyone. I felt we played pretty well. I was also rather taken with the teenagers who did a couple of set. Nice to see the younger generation giving it a go.4 points
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Ok, so it's not a bass... but I absolutely adore the art-deco headstocks on the D'Angelico jazz boxes.3 points
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There were lots of people taking photos and videos of our gig this evening, but unfortunately I wasn't one of them, so you'll have to make do with a brief description. We were at a very small pub that we've played many times before, but this year the dates just haven't aligned to get any in the book. So it was nice to revisit and kick off the Christmas season (it's ok, it's December now). As it's a tiny pub we decided to "go acoustic" again. We've done a couple of those recently and thoroughly enjoyed them. Tonight was fabulous. The crowd really enjoyed something slightly different and the place was rocking - especially when we got them to sing Since You've Been Gone. Playing the EUB was a challenge, from the sublime (White Christmas, Moon Dance, Stuck In The Middle) to the ridiculous (War Pigs, Witch Queen, Crossroads) Rig: Stagg EUB, Fender Rumble v3 500 combo, tinsel Footwear: black 8 hole DMs Edit: I must give a special mention to the guitarist for playing the guitar solo in Whiskey In The Jar... on a kazoo! 😂3 points
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I'm happy to say that your playing was not in any way cackhanded and the tone was most excellent, as was catching up with you. Hopefully next time there'll be more time.3 points
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This. Comically oversized but what an absolute brute.3 points
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The early Ibanez Soundgears are spot on.3 points
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Love the fact that people are now including footwear in their rigs!3 points
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`As long as you were facing away from that wallpaper it was probably good!3 points
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I don't normally receive or expect compliments for playing in the church band but this morning I received one! A very attractive young lady, who has been coming to our church over the last few weeks, came and told me how much she enjoyed my bass playing. I thanked her but said that no-one really notices the bass but she was insistent that I had done a good job. She was in the early to mid 20s and was working at a local veterinary practise. This 74 year old grandad now feels very encouraged!3 points
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And the witty answer… (Shuker Series 2 Elite Custom)3 points
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Fender Precision (1957 onwards) Musicman Stingray 43 points
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Early 70’s TV Script Fender P with nickel (tall stem) tuners. Just something so “right” to my eye.3 points
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It's a shame he didn't play one of these Ive just got it out after 3 years in its case It's amazing3 points
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I think that my first time on stage in a musical setting was at Chester town hall in about 1978... My mum had entered a piano competition and was playing a Mozart sonata (IIRC). But she wasn't confident enough to play without music so she roped me in as page turner. Luckily I'd heard her practicing it so much I knew it pretty well. However, another performer had her page turner drop out and my mum volunteered me! And it was a piece I'd never heard, rather complex and perhaps by Shostakovich. The lady saw I was having a little trouble following so she muttered "now" every time we approached the end of the page. Unfortunately neither my mum or the lady won - perhaps because of my punky pink hair and home-made bondage trews3 points
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Well, I’ve had it for a little over a month and I’m still loving it. I’m doing a lot less EQ fiddling than I was with my old cabs, most of the time I’m leaving the EQ at the 12 O clock position apart from reducing the bass when I turn it up louder. I doubt I’ll ever need a second cab to have a vertical 4x10 but it would look very cool….3 points
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In my case, no rational reason; I'll give you a load of saloon bar philosophy. I went into lockdown on the back of graduating through grim covers bands into being the token old bloke playing nice RnB/ Disco stuff with glossier looking musos 15-20 years younger than myself. I was playing, and enjoying using a G&L 5 string. Over lockdown those bands folded, and I emerged feeling older and didn't feel inclined to punt myself out; start up bands, rehearsals where you only see the singer at gigs due to childcare issues, bands staring into smartphones trying to make 'ain't nobody ' work in a band context. So that is what 'Me playing a 5 string' become synonymous with, nothing wrong with the instrument or object but me thinking, jeez I can't do this anymore, it's bleak. Along the way, I joined a pop/ soul band that was more of a pub band doing function repertoire to a slightly more basic standard. I had switched to a G&L fallout short scale and used an octave pedal for synth impersonation and low notes. A great bass again, absolutely perfect for what I needed. But...the musical situation started to grate, they were probably as sick of me moaning at the drummer as vice versa and so that ended back in September '23. I basically downed tools. In a need to shed my skin, the Fallouts got sold for no other reason than me associating them with that band and time. I actively sought out a bass ( a 1980 P bass special from Ash) that I knew I'd always sounded rubbish on, a precision, just to give me a challenge and also knowing that nobody gave a damn what gear I was using because I had nothing on the calendar. Anyway, I'm playing a tour support later this month and the P bass has worked out fine. Apologies for the rambling post, just that my gear choices are based on no science or liking active/ passive/ blah blah just a mixture of self - loathing and /or the alleviation of boredom!3 points
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When my mid life crisis hit, at age 45, I reluctantly decided against getting a motor bike, cos I knew I would total myself in short order. bought a Squier P and a Fender amp instead. Within 6 weeks I had joined a local band and after 12 weeks played our first gig. According to the old set lists we opened with Vertigo, but I have a vague memory that I hadn't learned all the songs and it was Ziggy, the 2nd song on the list that I debuted on. I'm sure there some video somewhere....not rushing to find it!3 points
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My current covers band ends our first set with this song. I find it weirdly daunting to have to just play one note for the first minute or so. Really hammers home how it's all about the groove! First song I ever played live was a self penned rap-metal original called "Harmless Powder". I was on guitar (sorry). Circa 1995, so I'd have been about 14. First cover I played live would have been about four songs into the same set, when I put down the guitar and me and the singer launched into a duet of "I ain't goin' out like that" by Cypress Hill. We genuinely thought we were the coolest mfs to ever exist.3 points
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Santana's version of Peter Green's Black Magic Woman. Here's the very gig in June 19773 points
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