WalMan

Average. We have been going through a phase where I think the general consensus is we have got away from what we do by trying to cover all bases and please everyone, in the course of which we have managed to please noone. Until last night the previous gig was at the same place as last night, but at the beginning of December and as the drummer & I (who do pretty much all of the running around for gigs & stuff) had got sick of it we have no gigs this year. First r/h for the year was Wednesday which went ok & brushed off the cobwebs. We were supposed to have had a meeting but diaries clashed & nothing was said @ r/h until after (much burying of heads etc) when the drummer original guitarist & I were loaded up and ready to leave, the others having gone to get last trains, which i fine. SO. The gig. One of the issues that we have is that the sound guy brings so much gear for places that really dont need it. It's one of those difficult situations where we are all friends from school, and that goes back a long way, and all a bit too nice and not wishing to upset long time mates. The PA van turned up & he started unloading and there was a comment along the lines of "ooh me back. not been gigging much & feeling it" to which my reply out loud rather than to myself was "well get some smaller gear then" Got set up. Didn't get a sound check as time was getting on and the drummer just flat said "no. what's the point" First set started and the sound was terrible and didnt get any better. Kit was booming & the PA guy didn't seem to be able to hear it. I couldn't hear the bass and wasn't about to turn up as that way madness & volume wars start. Went out front and the sound was just a mush with no separation, or bass. Got to the break and there was much discussion. Sneaked a peak at the desk and found the bass was a horrible scooped mess of loads of bass, cut mids & a smidge of top. Made the adjustments myself and I think words may have been exchanged generally, but low and behold the bass sat much better in the second set. Still need to get the guitar sound fixed as they are far too full range and eating into my frequency range, BUT the second set went MUCH better and I ended the night somewhat happier than I started - for bits of the first set I just gave up & did a Beyonce. I have said before, and had to say it again last night that the guitar tones are too full & need the bottom end killing to open things up and allow everything to breathe. IMV for the sort of rock stuff we do the foundation has to the the rythmn section with the bass at least audible & driving things along with the kit (well I would say that wouldn't I!) with the guitars sitting on top. That's not what is/was coming through the PA. It's all guitar and vox & just an indistinct rumble for the bass Meeting on Wednesday evening to talk through what we are going to do, or even if anyone wants to continue as it has really slid in recent years. Probably an "intervention" with the PA guy. We'll see how that goes. Then it just depends how the r/h on Tuesday for the new project the drummer & I am involved in goes. Sorry this has been a rant not a "how was your gig" report really. In terms of that:[list] [*]first set - sh1te [*]second set - better but could also do better [/list]

[quote name='paul j h' timestamp='1359395079' post='1954116'] Hi I don't play in a band, six string fretless playing along to yourself/CD's is;nt going anywhere. I am going to buy an acoustic gu**ar and learn all the songs from my youth etc i am even going to take lessons. Cheers Paul. [/quote] [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1359395492' post='1954122'] Get your guitar, keep you favourite bass. Get some recording software for your computer and start writing and recording. Very little is more satisfying than doing this, you'll enjoy your bass again. Music should be fun really shouldn't it. [/quote]Enter the BC Recording compo every month - like I have singularly failed to manage for the last two months

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1359297112' post='1952611'] I take it from your sig that you suffered buyer's remorse with that one...? [/quote]Not really, there's just other things I have my eye on, though frankly I'm barely bumping it once a month. Every so often something pops up that catches my eye in For Sale & I give them a half hearted bump. If they go, they go. If not it's not the end of the world. Still pretty jaded as the end of that line in the sig says. Full moons not helping

Some stalls sell, others just show. I picked up the Overwater/Tanglewood ClassicJ last year.

Yup I'd recommend Roqsolid too. I have had covers from then for all my cabs & combos in recent years and they are well built and last well. Even got them to make a case (a slightly modded version of another case) for my Roland bass pedals. Sent an email & had a reply the same day with some suggesions of possibilities. After a couple more emails with dimensions it was sorted and I had the case/cover withing a fortnight (even quicker IIRC)

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1358717067' post='1944053'] I feel, and share, your pain. [/quote]You & me both bruv. I am watching so many different things and cosmic ordering the Premium Bonds each month it's just silly

Just about to start a similar project with my partner in crime in the rythmn section for the last 20+ years plus a new vocalist he has worked with before & a guitarist she knows but we don't. Got a list of three songs to work out for the first get together with some links to YouTube versions by email, followed by another with a note re key change for one, plus a link to tab for another. That tab is one bar long as it is basically a blues shuffle in A, not even a 12 bar. Sweet (I thought) nice of her to be thinking of us, but I think I had that one covered Still it'll be different & hopefully fun. First get together is I suspect just to get the feel of it & each other (in a musical sense I hasten to add) and see how it goes. Good luck with yours. I am hoping that as I have been with my drummer for years and we pretty much share a brain & feel for where the other is going it'll fall together fairly easily.

Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited 2 Just played Suppers Ready ... twice Followed by The Lamia. That made me realise the Nik Kershaw has a very recognisable voice/vocal style when listening to it & thinking "that sounds like NK" going off to check and finding that indeed it is/was

Looks nice, and cheap assuming it's not offshore. Say "built Nov 2010", so one of the new builds then and they are "[url="http://www.walbasses.co.uk/Ordering%20and%20Pricing"]Prices from £3650[/url]" so someone is potentially taking a mahoosive loss!! Saw an old Custom in a shop in Brighton that is seriously relic'd - for which read beaten up with gigging not a sander - and no original case, and they are asking a snip under £3k. Anyone who pays that will be plain mad.

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1358462659' post='1939878']I mentioned Chic and there was a disbelieving silence before rhthym guitar exclaimed "But we're a rock band, Steve".[/quote] And there's your problem with stuff like Chic, fun as it might be, but for a broadly rock band I would have thought that would be too much of a leap. Then again look at what Gun did with Word Up or Thunder with Funky Music. Both in a basic rock stylee, but you can mess with the bass underneath it to give it some groove instead of a straight bash. Lenny Kravitz is another coming from a rock slant, but that will probably be known for the hits and has a certain something

Got halfway through last night. Trouble is the more I listen the more I realise how mutton I am becoming in picking out variances & deciding. Will have another go tonight

Luckily I read emails from the last couple of days before embarking on working out Yours Is No Disgrace and found the one from keys saying he wouldn't have time to learn it. So tonight will be tidy up Starship Trooper & see if I can program some useful sounds into the Zoom B9. On the downside the emails floating towards a different (main?) band meeting for Sunday along the lines of where are we, is there any point in continuing are not looking good. I fear that a band of many years will shortly be no more

Just remembered I am supposed to be learning two Yes songs for r/h on Saturday - well three actually but as one is Your Move & that is basically an open E on1 of every bar as far as I can tell I think I have that nailed. So tonights sesh was Starship Trooper. I did sort of work it out 30 years ago, but that was to Yessongs on my record player and dropping the stylus back & back to pick stuff up. Tonight was an MP3 into IK Multimedia SVT in X-Gear and boy does that make life easier. Set A-B points to loop and slow it down a bit. An hour later and after looping round the walking bits starting at 85% then speeding it up I think I pretty much have it. HURRAH!! Tomorrow night is Yours Is No Disgrace (if I'm not too late back from father sitting) Of course what will then happen is that either only half the band will have read the email and learnt the song and/or we'll run it a couple of times and Mr Anderson's squeaks will defeat the vox & they'll get canned. Still fun to learn & a bit different from the proposed new three piece blues project that is due to try to get off the ground at the beginning of Feb

Drummer on my left 99% of the time...saves me having to crane over my shoulder to catch his eye. Can't remembre the last time I did a gig on the other side

Just had a gun nutter / conspiracy theory email to my BC only email

Good news

Well that's good to here. Might try to give him a call at the w/e for a quick follow up

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1357761321' post='1928070'] Several weeks ago I offered to pass on Howard's number to concerned Basschatters. In that time only two people have asked. It would seem that some people would rather diss him on here, even though he won't read it himself. Not impressed. The guy offers excellent work at mates-rates prices. He has hundreds of satisfied customers but as soon as he experiences a few logistical problems people start sticking the knife in. Unbelievable. [/quote]Just re read the thread to try to see the knife. There's been some grumps, but come on compared to what you might see elsewhere on the interweb it has all been pretty civilised just trying to get updates, even so far as keeping it off the forums & in private discussions. I have tried to keep any comment low key throughout in any post be it in open forum or privately, and am not about to nor ever have hurled any sort of abuse - same really for pretty much everyone involved I think. I have Howard number (from the private discussions), have texted and may follow up at the w/e with a call - though this month is hell for me at work - but as my query is no longer with regard to the plate that arrived (broken by Royal Mail) but the follow on I have left that hanging rather than disturb him re that.

If you look at this demo for the Steve Harris P part way through the whisperer shove a piece of foam under the strings which might be an option? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A72TYFcqk4E

So your plucking hand rather than fretting then, and presumably you play with fingers rather than a pick? I used to get trouble in my fretting arm/hand from the weight of the bass hanging on a knackered shoulder. Had that replaced a few years back now & all's good. Is there anything possible in the way of replacement joints. They helped me (knuckles & wrist) but then I have pretty much always used a pick anyway. All the best. Hope you find a way through to do something.

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1357470159' post='1922920'] Wow. There was one on Gumtree recently for a sensible asking price. [url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/shergold-marathon-bass-guitar--made-in-england/1005073697#gallery-item-full-3"]http://www.gumtree.c...ery-item-full-3[/url] [/quote]This was more like what [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/2175-basses-owned-is-one-you-want-amongst-these/page__view__findpost__p__1730081"]my two[/url] went for, one boring black fretless and the other a silverburst refinished 8 string. Mind you that was a few years ago but both were in a flightcase. Almost kept one of them as it fitted my Wal nearly perfectly Looking at the black one it has two output jacks. I could have sworn my original black fretted 4 (that became an 8) had a single switchable stereo jack that came with a split stereo lead if you wanted to run the split. Perhaps that is a faulty memory Seems a lot for both (£800 & £575) even if the former is a nice finish. They were my first two proper basses & served me well - the 8 string was originally a black 4 - but even so were pretty basic basses (but then what's a P I suppose). Looks like I should have held onto a couple more classics I once had