Mr. Foxen

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='974405' date='Oct 1 2010, 06:17 PM']Y'know the first bit of that rationale could apply just as well to someone playing in a covers band.[/quote] I think that would be the difference between a covers band, and a band that plays covers. Retaining a band identity that is imprinted on those covers, like playing trad folk songs. Thin Lizzy's best known song is tradition song not penned by themselves, it is still a Thin Lizzy song. I suppose recording has just meant that those familiar folk songs are now those familiar pop songs. This does make me think of a phrase I hate though, 'We play pop songs, but rock them up', bah, stripping them back can be interesting, some of the Motown stuff has lots of chords going on, some are quite funny ones, lots of potential to be interesting, but cramming them into a 'rock' flavoured format kills them.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='974345' date='Oct 1 2010, 05:13 PM']Why covers? Well, why originals? * Greater financial rewards from song publishing, etc? Unlikely in most instances if you're 'only the bassplayer'. * Moral superiority? Unproven * Increased likelihood of being 'signed' - possibly, but only if you're a pretty boy to start off with * Greater social cachet? Sigh.[/quote] These are the reason people play what they call originals, but sound the same as other stuff enough that they might as well be covers. Some people play music because they want to play music, as a form of self expression, especially the self part, to rationalise something into a form, if they are lucky, it will strike a resonance in someone else, and that is the bit that makes music worthwhile tome, not because a sound or chord sequence is familiar and comforting.

[quote name='TimR' post='974097' date='Oct 1 2010, 02:45 PM']All the originals artists I know want to get signed to a record deal. If anyone knows of one originals band who just want to perform at home or down their local to a few freinds I would be interested to see/hear them.[/quote] I don't want to get a record deal. Kinda got one anyway though. I know loads of bands cheerful to play locally to mate. I'm not adverse to playing out of the vcountry, and can probably make it happen, but it isn't the sole aim, I won't have failed because I don't. I can't say to friends for my stuff, most of my friends are scared of what I do, or involved in doing it. [url="https://www.yousendit.com/download/WTNMYURKQk5CSnJ2Wmc9PQ"]Here's the last thing I did.[/url]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='973970' date='Oct 1 2010, 01:45 PM']Because more people eat MacDonald's than at Michelin star restaraunts - not just because it costs less but because they don't like to be challanged. Its a strange thing, isn't it. In every other walk of life; furniture making, fashion whatever, the customer expects to pay more for a specialist quality product and less for mass produced/production line stuff (like buying a bass?). More to the point, the workers involved in the production line work are paid less than the real craftsmen and are generally less skilled and certainly less satisfied. In music, it seems to be the other way around. The gigs go to those who reproduce the mass market material whilst the more creative/demanding skills of composition, arranging and the performance of art music etc are devalued almost to oblivion. I say leave the production line work to them that likes it and I'll go apply for Arts Council funding for my musical theatre production based on the Communist Manifesto [/quote] I am listening to Bilbo's music now, and enjoying it, it is not very familiar to me, mostly because his genre is outside my general exploration, I'd not know if the tunes are covers or not (presupposing the are within genre covers). I decided to hit the link whilst ignoring so many others because I think his attitude might produce music I enjoy. [quote name='lemmywinks' post='974041' date='Oct 1 2010, 02:20 PM']So if there were no covers bands then every pub would be full of adoring crowds dancing away to originals bands? Really? If originals bands aren't pulling a crowd then they should improve and promote themselves. It takes more work for an originals band to build a crowd as before you get them to come to a gig nobody gives a sh1t about you. There is no built in audience, and that audience is usually a totally different one from the covers scene What i don't understand is the whining - "you're killing music" blah blah blah. It's been done here before and every time has been shown to be a huge logical fallacy Believe it or not some people will go to a pub on a weekend whether there's a band on or not, if they are hearing music they like played by a good band then they're likely to come back, spend more money etc. Btw the covers scene and originals scene where i live is pretty dire, many venues make more money when they have no band on at all. Do you hear me whining that "DJs have killed music"? No. Accept it, move on, play to your audience[/quote] Thing is, originals bands might not be motivated by showing off to an audience, or by making money for themselves or someone else. The more those are the motivation, the less likely I am to enjoy their music. So yes, bands that are aiming for audiences and money are killing music, because music I don't like is dead to me. In fact, when I'm at a gig, and there is a vast crowd of adoring fans, it totally annoys me, I'd rather be among very few people, so aiming for a crowd also kills my enjoyment of live music.

[quote name='Twigman' post='974005' date='Oct 1 2010, 02:02 PM']Absolutely Why would anyone want to flip McD burgers when they could be creating unique culinary experiences?[/quote] The answer is pretty apparent, even in this thread: Because it pays.

[quote name='Bilbo' post='973970' date='Oct 1 2010, 01:45 PM']Because more people eat MacDonald's than at Michelin star restaraunts - not just because it costs less but because they don't like to be challanged.[/quote] I think it is much more akin to doing the cooking from this point of view, as in, the context of being a musician/bass player. I could be cooking generic burgers in a chain pub from prepacked ingredients, knowing that people all over the country are enjoying very similar burgers, but I'd expect to be paid for that, because otherwise it wouldn't be worth my time. I'd much rather be cooking something for a few friends who I know will really appreciate it, and I won't charge them for it, and even pay for the ingredients from my own pocket. And if I know them well, it is very likely I will challenge them to try things they haven't tried before, because that's what makes life interesting.

[quote name='paul h' post='973875' date='Oct 1 2010, 01:04 PM']I keep trying to reply to this but I don't know where to start. I am quite familiar with any number of songs. Some of them I would even qualify as "favourites". Is that wrong? Should I only listen to new songs. Then what happens after I am familiar with those? I'm confused. Sounds like the sort of thing I would have said after an empty originals gig. [/quote] [quote name='wateroftyne' post='973880' date='Oct 1 2010, 01:06 PM']You do what Mr. Foxen presumably does. Buy a CD, listen to it, hurl it in the bin, and then look for something stimulating and new. [/quote] Depends if you consider yourself one of the majority of people. I don't go to covers gigs, or indeed gigs where I have a comfortable expectation of what I'm going to hear. If a band is described as sounding just like some other band", then there is no point, if I've already got sick of hearing other band. The people I refer to are the ones that are watching gigs and not playing them. I've long since given up on buying CDs, due to the hurling in the bin because they are boring. I hear stuff I've heard loads of times before enough listening to JoeGarcia talk about his latest drive pedal, and need of a new amp. The packaging may be new, but the substance is still the same. I really don't care if there is no-one at a gig, gigs I play get put on because someone enthused by music enough to put on a gig wants that gig to happen. I don't really want to impress people who don't like music, it would be like cooking for someone who only like eating McDonalds. My favourites are tunes I can listen to and still get an emotional response, or still appreciate something new in them. I have enormous piles of CDs I never listen to. Generally I'd rather be playing something.

Not as fun as playing Doom in front of 200 speakers.

The vast majority of people would rather have numbingly familiar than stimulating and new.

I didn't actually know they were still about. Just been having a look, and Carolina appears to be a sort of ash [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus_caroliniana"]wikipedia[/url], linked from [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraxinus"]here.[/url]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Excellent-Antoria-Bass-Guitar-Mint-Condition-Park-Amp-/220676830648?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item33615d35b8"]Nice ash Antoria[/url]

Week after I'm in London.

Xmax is for when you have lots of power. Not so much the thing with valve amps.

[quote name='farmer61' post='972651' date='Sep 30 2010, 01:29 PM']Thanks, but not sure tbh, think the shape of those is more rounded mine are more like [url="http://www.grotro.com/Mainbass%26pedal.html"]this[/url][/quote] [url="http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=65"]This one.[/url] [url="http://store.hipshotproducts.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=72"]Or this one.[/url]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='972708' date='Sep 30 2010, 02:10 PM']Given that the current bid is £50, it would be very interesting (in a good way) if you could sell some of the bits and get all your money back [/quote] With the plate and the bridge trashed, I think the major parts aren't going to be going with mine. I am making some repro bits, so any faker fans should pm me and show some interest so I know what is worth doing a run of rather than one-offs.

I've been tinkering around trying to mod a 30w amp to have enough headroom for clean bass. Here's what I have so far:

Not I, but I'm watching them as I'll have a pile of spares from mine.

I'll have a go with my Carlsbro 60w into a Barefaced Compact tomorrow and see what its like. Shame this isn't in a week or twos time, jsut spoke to Umph and my CS100 is fixed bar some valves. Beta 15 is cheaper, so that's a plus.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-ELECTRIC-BASS-GUITAR-MADE-JAPAN-/300474578545?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f5ae3671"]Iwama apparently.[/url] Not heard of this one before. Same tuners as my rickenfaker though.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-ELECTRIC-BASS-GUITAR-KAY-K20B-MADE-JAPAN-/300474572158?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f5ae1d7e"]Nasty kay, but £65 BIN[/url]

Whats the deal with all the mini cameras in that, people wanna watch it back cause they missed it concentrating on filming?

Eminence Kappalite 3015, spensive, but happy in that box, and sensitive. If you are only running 100w don't need to worry much about the port either, more power and it wants to be bigger/two of them.

I have those necks on a couple of my basses, branded Johnson. They are very thick, pretty much half a basesball bat. The notch and the end is good for pushing against you cab for low end feedback. Why not slice off the bottom paralell to the g string and add something instead?

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='971266' date='Sep 28 2010, 11:31 PM']Is this Japanese? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BC-Rich-Eagle-Bass-1980s-monster-/300474184254?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item45f5a8323e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BC-Rich-Eagle-Bass-1...=item45f5a8323e[/url] Edit: Mystery switches![/quote] American, and the switches are phase, series/paralell (two of whichever is appropriate), a rotary varitone and active boost on/off.

Change them when you want the sound of newer strings. There are loads of videos on youtube, some are quite bad. Find a pro looking one, and post it up for critique. A good set of wire cutters and a pair of smooth jaw pliers should be all the tools you need.