WalMan

Just added a couple more to the Soundcloud set I have for my band from the 80's - gosh at that time we were Nik Kershaw wannabees Link to Soundcloud set - [url="http://soundcloud.com/aka_walman/sets/all-thats-fiction/"]All That's Fiction[/url] Done with some considerable assistance from 51m0n in fixing as best as possible the guitars, which suffered worst in the transferring from the 1/2 inch multitracks, and were done on a crappy Session solid state combo anyway so have that very scratchy 80's feel. I have re-recorded some lead guitars (where my limited skills and big fat fingers allow) using my Peavey EXP & Amplitube and mixed those in. Also went mad and did a major rework on one (just keeping kit & vox) and will eventually put both versions as I get around to it (& #2 stops b1tching about lag everytime I upload ) Currently we have:[list] [*]Storyteller 2012 - the rework [*]Corridors of Power [*]The Worker - redid the bass with the L2500 fretless instead of the old Shergold Marathon, and added a smidge of B3 [*]Missing Persons [/list] Generally they are standard 80's pop rock of a sort of Nik Kershaw / Go West type (VERY SORT OF) though MrsW has just said Stray Cats when I played her The Worker More to follow, if you can stand it

Next gig attendance for me is The Tubes in Leicester Square on the Sunday night - 22 July Next gig for me is a possible dep but not for weeks - SOB - then got to wait until the w/e before my hols start for two on the trot.- further SOBS

Just nicked this photo posted by a friend on FB Two Shergolds, an Aria & my Wal in its original glory The silverburst 8 string was originally a Black 4, same as the fretless. The Aria I only had for a short while, but it did do a session. The Wal is as it originally was - passive Pro1 and I had probably only just acquired it secondhand from the drummers music shop. It replaced the Aria. Ah memories. The Wal & Shergolds saw me through some good years looking back (through rose tinted specs probably). Also has anyone else ever noticed how like the Shergold's the Wal body shape is The wal used to fit in my Shergold cut out flightcase almost perfectly!!

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1341432814' post='1719062'] Come to think of it, I have never seen a copy in WH Smith. I assume it only goes to certain branches. But I dont recall ever seeing one in Birmingham city centre even. [/quote]In Guildford the bass mags are tucked on the bottom display with the Guitar mags, but right at the back & virtually invisible. Like the Fender idea, but that's mainly because I suddenly find myself fancying a P of some sort. Spent years working up to the G&L's, then picked up the Tanglewater at LBGS and am loving the passive again after all these years. How about following a bitsa build, putting together what you hope to be "the" bass from parts. I suppose we have Build Diaries here that tick that box at the mo. The suggested Blind tests would be good, similarly "Best for...." A few years back now I spent ages looking round for a new bass, trying all the current basses within my then price bracket, and at the end of all of it the best I tried was a Squier Jazz

Not volunteering for the synth workshop - as my talk would last about 30 seconds & be "I plug all this cr@p in and stand on that" but I shall bring along the bits & pieces I use in the proggy band so the bass pedals, DSI MoPho & Roland A300:

One of my guilty pleasures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8iyNvJ78GM Out walking with MrsW along the seafront with her wittering away and one of the MANY things she said was "I posted a Sweet track on FB" which made me come home and find my copy of Sweet FA, an album rather different to the singles (though the B sides to those tended to be quite rocky too), and play it LOUD

Billy Sheehan - the pinch harmonic. Was listening to a Mr Big d/l in the car from a memory stick that does not show track details ( damn you Audi!) and did not recognise the track/band (there are hundreds of tracks & all the car shows it "Track [i]nn[/i]") but the second he hit the pinch harmonic I knew who it was Steve Morse - has a very distinctive lead guitar style due to picking every note. Eric Johnson - has a pretty recognisable tone too

Years ago a band I was in did the main band's night off for a season. Every Tuesday throughout the summer,[list] [*]left work @ 17:30 dashed home (thankfully only 5 mins then) [*]jumped in the car drove to Camber Sands (getting on for a couple of hours), [*]set up, [*]sat around for ages [*]did a set [*]sat around for more time while they played silly games etc [*]did another set [*]packed up [*]out & back on the road by 01:00 [*]home about 03:00 [*]bed [*]08:00 alarm rings, up, three S's & off to work [*]EVERY ****ING TUESDAY!! [/list] I am sure it would kill me now & surprised it didn't then to be honest, but it was quite a giggle all the same. Probably the best night was the last of the season when they played the "get across the alligator infested swamp ([i]the dance floor[/i]) by building a bridge with your clothes" game and the Bluecoats took part. Normally it was the happy campers and petered out due to insufficient clothes / embarassment, but this night all of a sudden there was a cry for all the blokes lurking backstage as a particularly lovely & stacked BC (EDIT Bluecoat not Basschat ) took part and was across that swamp and starkers in seconds flat Happy days As to whether they're worth it...well then it was a well paid WMC gig for us IIRC, though as all my gear came from the drummers music shop where I had a never ending slate I never actually saw any as it all went to the slate. Songwise it was the standard WMC fare of the time

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1340796462' post='1709654'] I was listening to this too over the weekend whilst on a nature walk. It was the 2 disk version, though if you have a single CD version I wouldn't say there was anything significantly better on the additional disk. I find them a bit hit and miss but this sounded a decent enough effort. Still waiting for the new Panic Room album though! [/quote]Aye. Got the 2 CD SE version & would agree. Be interesting to hear the new Neal Morse offering later in the year, and in a bizarre change of style I am also looking forward to the new Nik Kershaw album, due soon(ish) I believe

The new Flower Kings CD that landed on my doormat from Sweden yesterday. Quite enjoyed the first listen through in the car on the way to work this morning.

Much as ever at the place in question. Played fine, but [quote]Well IoW's on and there's something else on down the road[/quote] So those that were there were looking like they were enjoying themselves and apparently singing along, but each song ended to the sound of one hand clapping, UNTIL the last song when they suddenly wanted more and became vocal about it. So of course we did, 'cos we're whooers & like making a noise. Packed up & loaded out in the p155ing rain. Got home @ 1:30. I'm not convinced by the EBS Compressor I picked up from here recently and was not happy with my sound which seemed to come & go. #2 guitarist brought along his 5W Blackstar head & used that miked instead of the Boogie combo. Barely needed it though as it seemed a mahoosively loud 5W. Good news is #1 guitarist took it away for a lend so fingers crossed he may get one of those instead of the Marshall combo that gives me so much grief by nicking my sonic territory. Sadly now a long break to the next one. I really ought to get my A into G and go looking for some more places to play, but that may require another band meeting with the sound guy to see whether we can get him to put together a smaller rig, otherwise what's the point!? I look at new possibles and then think "well we'll never get all that sh1t in there" and give up Must try to develop a more positive outlook on life, but sometimes it's difficult.

[quote name='mcgraham' timestamp='1340379512' post='1703791'] FYI, if anyone is interested in getting some idea of what I can offer for a workshop you can visit [url="http://www.markjwgraham.co.uk"]www.markjwgraham.co.uk[/url] I've also got a growing blog at [url="http://www.markjwgraham.co.uk/blog"]www.markjwgraham.co.uk/blog[/url] that also has clips of issues you might recognise in yourself and how we can address them. [/schpiel] [/quote]Looks interesting. Looked at your site and I foresee one fatal flaw for me [quote]all the notes are there with the innate tone of your voice[/quote] Trouble is the innate tone of my voice is sh1te Joking aside I shall be up for this. Things like:[list] [*]ideas to hit pitch first time. Always think I hit the note but listening back I often feel I may be slightly out or waver [*]getting a better tone, if that's possible. [/list] I have got to the point where I realise that I need to sing out strong, because standing off and not having the courage to push it out (as it were) just sounds worse, but compared to my main bands vocalist my own b/vox always tend to not have the depth.

Second night of the weekend. Felt it went a LOT better than the previous night, probably down to a more responsive & up for it crowd - still need to watch the vids which'll no doubt change that view. First outing with the new lights - a KAM parbar. A bit darker than the old sh1t we were using, but it provides some movement, and the guitarists amp doesn't buzz with them as it had with the LED panels I bought before and sold in a short lived fit of NEVER AGAIN! Did the fitrst set on the sound to light, probably with the sensitivity too low sow they were changing a lot, but I thought were OK. In the break vocalist says to me "we've got to change somethigng with the lights else I'l either fit or vomit, not sure which first". Changed to a slow scene change patch instead of the S2L and that seemed OK, so I do not have to sell these 'cos of the vocalist instead of the guitarist, which is a start. Now we could just do with a second bar to fill in the light. Here's one from the night before anyway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnKrtV7VuGc

First of two nights. Not being into the footie I only realised last Weds that it was the England game on Friday. Checked with the venue who said no probs we'll have the game on the screen you can set up behind and go on when the match finishes, which we did. In the run up had one of those "oh good we've scored. Oh cr@p they've scored. Oh cr@p they've scored again" the "thank f**k we've scored" twice so the evening had the potential to not be a bunch of p155ed & morose footie fans by the end. Then of course they were only ther for the footie so it didn't really matter as they pretty much all fecked off as soon as the game finished. Good venue. House PA & lights. Backstage area with loo (that is not the pit from hell, at least at the moment) & showers & stuff going in. Door at the back that we could bring the gear through rather than fight through a pub of footie fans. Took our sound guys Aviom stage board that then fed straight into the house PA mulkticore, but meant we had our own IEM rigs off the Aviom. Playing wise went not too bad. A couple of new songs in the set that we ploughed through with only a couple of errors (including vocalist getting out of sync with where the vocal lines should have been and where we actually were). EDIT - and then I watch bits of the vids & listen to the recordings & think "why bother" Drummer nixed another song at the end of the set as one he cannot get into / his head around and theat then puts him out of wack for the rest of the set. Vocalist had another few moments where he stepped to the side of the stage for lead breaks, but then stayed there in semi darkness for the next verse & chorus despite the front man spot having been vacated by the guitarist after the lead break. That really gets me. You're supposed to be a frontman FFS! Tired today and a long gig tonight followed by a r/h with another band tomorrow night. It'll be a long weekend

Started discussions on the Multicomp 10/6 Paid 11/6 Picked it up from the delivery office this morning (16/6) they having tried to deliver 15/6 So all in all good for me. My only suggestion to Samuel, in light of the comments above, would be to try to keep the comms up throughout to include confirming safe receipt of funds/ posting details. Going quiet after agreeing terms and being told the transfer has been made, even if all is OK as here, can tend to make the buyer twitchy. No blame, just a thought

[quote name='mr.noisy' timestamp='1339692302' post='1692884'] and my holiday off from work starts 10th of september [/quote]Me too Do we have to bring a Warwick? That would require a further GAS attack

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1339681813' post='1692606'] Ladies & gentlemen I'm pleased to announce that, thanks to the excellent efforts of our very own Hamster, the [b]SE Bass Bash 2012[/b] is now confirmed for [b]Saturday 29 September[/b] To be held at the usual location ! (When I get a minute over the weekend, I'll start a new thread..In the meantime, please book it in your diaries) [/quote]Phew! I'll be back from hols

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1339440495' post='1688562'] i very much doubt that the person who gave them the new gigs on the back of their street party gig insisted that they keep the exact same line up sounds to an old cynic like me that they are not happy with you playing in more than one band - i'd let them know politely but firmly exactly what i thought of their passive-aggressive schtick [/quote]would the punter even recognise it was a different bass player - unless the dep was behaving like the "drummer at the wrong gig"!?

Sold Carl my Tech21 MIDI Mouse recently. Nice easy deal. Quick friendly to & fro of PM's while I found it, checked it still worked & then we agreed a price and exchange details. Swift payment & a pleasure to do business with. Al

Having a Tubes day today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIDRMT-HEK4

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1339518598' post='1689792'] well where are you buddy not to be rude but to try any barefaced cab would be a plus? andy [/quote]Sorry, between Portsmouth & Brighton, and if you were coming this far you might as well go to see the range with Alex

Can't really help with a tryout of my S12T, but I suspect that it would be rather brighter than you are after. Still a great cab though

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1339511529' post='1689579'] don't remember seeing you there! Truly awesome gig. [/quote]Ah shame. MrsW & I were about 4 back in the middle. Yes indeedy. Top night, and looking at the above tales of woe just goes to confirm that I'll take a small sweaty club over a p155 filled field or enormodrome any day Roll on The Tubes in July The only outdoor gig I have ever been to was in Milton Keynes years back for Bon Jovi, Billy Idol, Little Angels & Manic Street Preachers (IIRC) and that only because I got the offer of a cheap ticket on the day when a mate dropped out sick.

My download experience....I went and saw the Little Angels Download Warmup gig @ The Wedgewood rooms. Top night & I was back to the car and on the road in 5 mins

Let's see:[list] [*]the vintage Superbass 100 (that I still have though is probably a Trigger's Broom nowadays) that blew a fuse at a gigperhaps 25 years ago, and was fixed IIRC with a fure out of a mates Moggie Minor [*]the Trace Elliot combo that would cut out intermittently and took three returns before the fault was tracked to a hairling crack on the input board, and led to my having an XLR permanently ready to plug into the Wal's DI out; [*]and then the usual, thankfully infrequent user failure when going back for an encore, the song starting and there being no bass for ages while I check the battery in the radio, radio's on, all leads plugged in, tuner not on for silent tuning, round & round in increasingly paniced circles...until I finally realise the standby is still on on the amp [/list]