martin8708

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441291151' post='2857633'] I think it's entirely unjustifiable today to spend £2,000 on an acoustic guitar. [/quote] I'm sure Amalia Ramirez , Paulino Bernabe or even your very own George Lowden won't loose too much sleep over the above comment .

I have 5 Precisions , one amp , and one cab , and one set of fingers ( no Isle of Wight jokes , please ) They all sound slightly different according to age , strings , maple or rosewood neck . Still don't sound like Colin Hodgekinson though

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1432993077' post='2786873'] The plus side is that we didn't fall out over it, the downside is that there is no longer a band, and it's left me with a real hole in my life, and I'm feeling it quite badly as the band was my only real musical outlet. Apart from having no practices or gigs to look forward to it just seems such a shame that all that work has gone into the band was for nothing. Just needed to share. [/quote] As a veteran of band break-ups or dismissals from bands , I fully sympathise with this sudden hole in your life . Band break ups can be as bad and ugly as breaking up with a partner . My coping mechanism is dusting off the acoustic guitar and improving my guitar technique . As a non Facebook / Twitter user , I tend to go to the occasional jam nights and still rely upon the notice board in the corner of the local music shop . I also stay in touch with as many muso's as possible , so I still get the odd last minute stand in gig . Generally speaking , something allways tends to turn up if you let enough people know your available for gigs . All the best Martin

We tend to check out the pubs before hand , but both pubs in question are not really " Sports bars " as they are sometimes known . One is actually the best music pub in the area , the landlord just happens to like Rugby ( as we found out when setting up our gear ) Drunks we can handle , we have a pair of Peavey floor wedges which seems to take out most of the flailing drunkard dancers , we all know Peavey gear is indestructible !!!

Playing second fiddle to Skysports channel is my issue . Arriving at the pub at 8:00pm for a 9:00pm start , the landlord mooches over and says " can you guys start playing at 10:30 pm after the Rugby has finished . Did another duo gig when the World Cup was on , I think East Timor was playing Yemen ( two really strong contenders ,or such like ) and the Landlord refuse to turn the TV off , and we played the whole gig with a widescreen TV just above our heads . It was like playing to a bunch of Zombies , no eye contact at all .

Well , screw all the nay sayers , I think these guys are great . Two local ( ish ) lads with a different take on how to make good music , I wish them the best of luck . Much rather listen to them than the predigested drivel that passes for music these days .

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1427058102' post='2725291'] As we go through life we have to make compromises - sometimes we can live with these, sometimes not. You have to balance whether making those compromises makes you happy or not then balance that against whether you would miss playing if you decided to leave. [/quote] Very much this , you are truly blessed if you find a band that plays exactly the type of music you want to the standard you require . To quote BigredX , I find its more about the people who you play with , rather than the music you play . I've been a Pub Blues / Rock bass player for nearly 30 years , but I now play fretless in a Folkie style duo , I' m discovering some great music from Glen Hansard and Leonard Cohen . The guitarist / vocalist is really cool and a great entertainer which makes gigs a real laugh . Just open your mind to different types of music .

Dire Straits / Dire Straits ( their debut album ) Still play it regularly , full of guitary goodness from Mr Knofler. can I squeeze in Zenyatta Mondatta from the Police as runner - up .

[quote name='Ashdown Engineering' timestamp='1422829108' post='2677366'] Does the Bergantino come with a lifetime warranty? [/quote] Not one that I can see on their website . I have just read the thread on the Social B , some of the comments are pretty unnecessary . I have used Ashdown before , a Spyder 550 amp , so my interest is genuine . At £700 , the 1x15 is rubbing shoulders with Bergantino / Vanderkley so the more information available , the more confident I feel that I am buying a good quality cab . From a customers point of view , handing over 700 notes for something that we may or may not get on with is always a bit risky . Anywhere local to Isle of Wight / Southampton/ Portsmouth to try one out ?

Just had a look . The Foundation 1x 15 is the same price as a Bergantino NV115 . Hmm , decisions, decisions .

A '69 CAR refin with Simon's fretless neck on it . Nice neck Simon , straight as an arrow.

Bought Simons Allparts Fretless neck , paid on Sunday and arrived on Tuesday , quicker than Thomann . bombproof packing too . many thanks Martin

[quote name='Drax' timestamp='1421529341' post='2662425'] Martin - do you ever take a different bass if you're playing a gig where you know you won't be able to keep that close an eye on it? [/quote] Sometimes I will take a 58 American Vintage re-issue , but we always have at least one member of the band watching over the gear , especially during loo-breaks or trips to the bar . The current band I'm with don't even know that I play a vintage Fender , to them it's just a beat up bass.

yup Precision + Markbass amp + decent cab ( vanderkley or berg ) = great tone . Throw a Sansamp Bassdriver in the signal path for a classic Ampeg sound .

I play / gig a 63 Precision , it's pretty worn and battle-scarred and one more ding or dent just adds to the character of the bass. 99% of the audience don't know the value of any instrument , but I never let the bass out of my sight in case the 1% scumbag tries to help himself to it . On the other hand , I occasionally get the " you need to treat yourself to a new bass , mate " comments .

Out : my trusty Yamaha BB1200 - sadly missed . Trussart Steelcaster guitar In : Stephen Eden flamenco guitar. What have I learned ? There's very little bass wise that can't be done with a good Precision . Learning different styles / instruments brings real benefits to bass playing , I now pay far more attention to timing /rhythm / accents on notes .

I've still got 9 birthdays to go before I hit the big six zero , but I've still got three decades of pub band gigging . Most of the older musicians I play with seem to have a very narrow spectrum of musical taste , they seem to concentrate on a very focused style of music , any suggestion of widening the musical spectrum from " he who plays 4 strings " is met with looks of derision . Playing with younger musicians can be refreshing , some are YouTube hero's , but some have a good sense of style and rhythm and are open to suggestions of different styles of music . Suggestions of trying a bit of country or reggae or Beatles is met with more enthusiasm .

Many thanks for the replies so far . Thanks howiebass, I have seen the Ampaholics website a few times , it never seems to change and a small note at the bottom states last updated 2013, so I'm not sure how active the site is , mind you , anythings worth a try . Thanks to Steve and Skank as well , wow, £1500 for a pair seems a bit optimistic to me , I'll have to watch them to see if they sell. Seems to be more radio / hi-fi application , rather than putting it in a guitar cab . many thanks again . Martin

I have this old vintage Goodmans speaker as part of my current speaker stash , and I'm struggling to find out any information about this speaker . I know there are quite a few knowledgable speaker guru's around the hallow'ed halls of Basschat , so if anyone can tell me abit more about the speaker , ie , age , application and poss it's worth , I would be grateful. I assume it is an Alnico Speaker and the box has AXT2 1210/15 T/L w/cone . Its a 12 inch 15 Watt speaker with cone is as far as I have got . E Toogood is Eric Toogood , who may have been the local Isle of Wight dealer for Goodmans . I have the original box which is labeled Goodmans Industries Limited , Wembley , Middlesex . I have tried Mr Google and Yahoo , not too much floating around at the moment . I known it's not really a based related subject , ( more poss guitar related ? ) Many thanks in Advance Martin

Pub gigs down here pay £90 to £150 depending on venue , we all know this , so there is no point moaning about it . Our band is just not good enough to get the big event gigs , so we're happy with just small pub gigs . As a non pro bass player , the chance to turn up the amps and rock out , and get £30 for the privilege seems like a fair deal.

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1416077070' post='2606677'] Gear Acquisition Syndrome. The ideal number of basses is n+1, where n is the number you currently have [/quote] It does'nt just stop with basses , after the guitar bit , you move onto the huge array of amps and cabs , then pedals , leads , tuners ,straps , gig bags and all the other paraphernalia that comes with this cursed addiction . Of course , scanning the for Sale sections on basschat just fans the flames of desire .

Ideally , the best band would be great , talented musicians who were friendly and easy going . I've played in bands where the musicianship was great , but you could cut the atmosphere with a knife . Current band is kind of opposite , really nice guys , very sociable , but the drummer insists on beating the sh+t out of his kit , and the guitarist needs to acquaint himself with his tuner , so rehearsal is more sociable than musical . Thankfully , I remain on good terms with previous bands I've been in , so the odd short-notice gig still pops up .