Truckstop

Hello all, Band have decided to stick it in the set and I'm really worried about how lame I make it sound. I suspect there's an octaver there, maybe an envelope filter also. I have octavers but I can't get it burpy enough. Ends up sounding really synthy (I've got a Boss ME-20b which I think emulates the OC-3, and an EHX Octave Multiplexer). I can get the parts down fine, but I just can't get the sound right. Normally I'm not that bothered about getting 'that' tone but I think it really makes the song on this occasion. Help gratefully received! Alex

You can see a slight nod to the SBV's. Looks very nice indeed!

I think I'll be alone in this, but I much preferred the Bass Metaphors over anything else. Sounds really sweet to my ears! Good resource, thanks OP!

Really?! Take the gig! If you've not got anything else on then do it for gods sake.

Plus one. Always hire in PA and engineer! Makes everything easier and we charge enough to make it cost effective. Yeah, long days are the name of the game! I remember once turning up at a venue 5 hours away from my house, setting up and sounchecking in preparation for the evening's festivities by midday (as per contract). Sadly, turned out that the groom got cold feet and the wedding never went ahead. We didn't find out until 5pm! Still got paid of course.

Buy some guitar polish. Should do the trick! I got some from my local music shop, unsure of the brand but it's pink. Wipe on with one cloth, wipe off with another

Yeah, I used to sing lead but only required to provide BV's at the moment. I find BV's harder because there's more emphasis on getting the phrasing right and obviously making sure you get the harmony right. We play a couple of songs where the BVs and the lead vocal interplay a lot and it's really hard work maintaining the groove and getting the words right! No-one else in the band wants to sing so I'm thinking of getting a vocal harmoniser. Should hopefully work quite well! Plus one on what other people have said: The more you do it the easier it gets and the better your voice gets. You can't just pick it up, you need to work on it all the time. I notice if I don't practice for a day or two it feels like I lose my power and breathing a little. Even in you're in your car just singing nonsense; you're learning more and more about what you're capable of.

I've owned both at some point and preferred the 424 because it was slightly lighter than the 1024. I didn't notice much of a difference between the two at all other than a slightly heightened sense of quality with the 1024.

The Grits

Air conditioning? Not a fan.

I wouldn't go out on NYE for less than £200 and even then it'd have to be local. Any more than 45 minutes travel and I'd need another £50. If you think you're being undervalued, then say so. If your band don't like it, well then I'm sorry but you need to give them some facts and you need to stand your ground. You'll need to be set up by 7pm, play from after dinner (9ish?) until at least 12.30-1, you won't be able to pack up for an hour after that and you'll end up getting home at 2.30-3am sober. That deserves recompense! Any other pub gig you'd be looking at around £10ph all told from when you leave the house to when you get home. NYE should be at least double that.

Cliff Burton may have popularised wah for bass. Don't know if anyone used one before he did?

Try muting with the left hand (assuming you're right-handed) to achieve the staccato effect Norman gets. Otherwise it all sounds too 'fluid'. The funk's in the stops!

Maybe try spending money on trying out different strings? It's amazing how much the strings contribute to the tone and playability. I'm perfectly happy playing any bass at all as long as I've got the right strings on board. If I play a strange bass with strange strings on it I really struggle. Tension needs to be right, grip needs to be right and having the knowledge that the string is going to react in the right way plays a massive part in how well I can play. Bog standard LaBella Stainless Steels btw. An aside: Massive BB fan here. Got a 424 at the moment. Had a 1024 but needed to free up some cash although the 424 does exactly the same thing!

Smells and looks better too

Recently I was trying out some keyboards at my local shop and immediately forgot everything I knew how to play. I just struggled with Chopsticks for a few minutes and walked off.

You won't need to be able to read, I don't and I get quite a lot of work. I doubt you'd find much work in pub rock bands but I suppose the advice i'd give would be the same. Find some pub rock bands on the Internet and print out their set lists. No need to learn the songs exactly, but get familiar with them and learn the words. Makes it easier to learn the structure that way! You'll notice that most bands probably share about 50-60% of their material with a few odd ones thrown in. Same with wedding and function bands. Put together a book or folder with all the songs you've researched. Print lyrics, chord charts, personal notes etc. and flick through it now and again making sure they don't slip from your memory. Don't ever agree to busk a song on the night. If you've never heard of the song and they spring it on you, just don't do it. It won't make anyone look good. Don't worry about 'getting the tone'. All you're required to do is turn up on time with minimum fuss, play the songs and get paid. If they want you to have a particular sound or look they'll tell you beforehand. Buy a pair of dark grey and a pair of black suit trousers. Buy a white and a black shirt with French cuffs. Buy a pair of black shoes and keep them polished. If a band used colour coordinated ties and/or cummerbunds, they should let you borrow for the night. Always assume they wear shirt and shoes. Avoid jeans unless they say they don't mind you wearing them. Ask them where they want backing vocals, don't just jump in when you feel like. Most bands are well rehearsed and expect certain things to happen at certain times. You could throw them off and get some stinky looks! Never turn down work if you can help it. Do not double book. Do not take a higher paying job for one you've already got in the diary unless you can get it covered. If you dick people about, your name will be mud very quickly indeed! You shouldn't need a website and professionally recorded media unless you want to be a pro and work constantly. Most of your work will come from word of mouth and recommendations from other people, ergo people will hire you on the strength of other people's opinions which means they won't need to hear you beforehand. If you're just starting out see if you can attend some rehearsals prior to a gig. It's a good confidence builder because you need to know that you can play the songs. Now I don't bother unless I get paid. Most bands play the same songs in the same way, and the last time I had to look up a song and learn it was about 8 months ago. Gear wise, just make sure you have back-ups in place. People don't care what you have as long as it works. You don't need thousands of pounds worth of stuff. I use my Yamaha BB424x and a Fender Rumble(V3) 100 combo. Before the Fender I used two SWR Workingmans 10 combos that cost me £120 each. Good luck!

I think you could use whatever medium takes your fancy. As long as it works well with the primer and as long as you can protect it properly with a clear finish it'll be fine. I've seen some work on guitars done with an airbrush, some with pen and ink and some with acrylic paints and a brush. I'm sure I've seen some heat-stamped/scorched artwork somewhere too?

10-4 buddy. Convoy!

I use a Fender Rumble(V3) 100 combo with a rhythm and blues trio and it's plenty loud enough with more in the tank. No larger than a normal sized 12" cab and weighs nothing. £239 new too. I've been using mine for about three months now and I'm very happy with it indeed.

Elbow also my favourite band! One Day Like This is great for an occasion. Weather To Fly has a lovely calming cadence and nice groove. Open Arms has a great mood to it and a smashing chorus. Won't go wrong with any of those. Elbow fans would probably prefer some of their more esoteric numbers but wouldn't go down well at an event!

If you bought it from a shop, send it back or exchange it. If you bought it from a dude on the Internet, then caveat emptor! Get it re-planed and use flat wounds on it.

Very unusual, I've never seen one! Flat Eric's probably in a better position to offer more information. I don't think it's a bitsa, what's the point in sticking a Blazer neck on a Roadster? Looks lovely though, them brass bridges really add plenty of snap to the tone