darkandrew

It's strange because I usually really like the Eclipses and most of what I play would be considered "rhythm" but I just can't get comfortable on them playing in that particular style. The scale difference is less than an inch, the width at the bridge is less than 3mm different in total (so .5mm per string) and the string gauge difference from 10s to 9s is also very small, also the Eclipse body is contoured and slightly thinner than a traditional Les Paul which should also negate much of the differences in body ergonomics too. I guess it must be a case of one thing not making a lot of difference but when you put them all together at the same time, they all add up and do make a difference.

File this one under "What were they thinking?": http://ebay.co.uk/itm/ESP-Wide-neck-LTD-6-string-with-a-48mm-nut-with-custom-strat-neck-pup-HB-/192326351124?hash=item2cc78b3914%3Ag%3AISAAAOSwnLdWsnSk&_trkparms=pageci%253Aec17a7d4-b6ad-11e7-8cc9-74dbd180a5d0%257Cparentrq%253A4105227515f0ab6b446034c5ffff0ebd%257Ciid%253A25

I've got a trio of ESP Eclipses but no matter which pickups are in them, they just don't feel right when playing clean, funky rhythm guitar. Instead, I find myself reaching for my cheaper Korean Fender Tele FMT. I can't put my finger on it; they're both mahogany/maple set-neck guitars with twin humbuckers but the Tele just lends itself so much better to that style of playing. The main differences between the Tele and the Eclipses are the scale length (Eclipse, being similar in shape and construction to a Les Paul, is slightly shorter than the Tele) and the body shape - would these really make that much difference?

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1508492587' post='3392518'] A great band no less and Budgie is one of my top 10 drummists, me also first and foremost being a drummer. He was way more accomplished than most of his contemporaries. [/quote] He has a very unique technique (check out the 7 Year Itch DVD), something like a giraffe playing drums, but very effective; The drumming on the live version of Cities in Dust from that DVD is amazing. Never caught The Creatures live but their live guitarist, Rob Holliday, is a great guitarist and bass player and has played with Gary Numan, Marilyn Manson, The Prodigy, The Mission, Curve - in fact most of my favourite bands at some point.

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1508422980' post='3392097'] Voulez Vous is incredibly easy to turn into a rock song. Myself and our guitarists are both from rock band backgrounds so we tend to approach this song from a rock point of view and it works really well [/quote] I reckon "Winner takes it all" would be pretty powerful as a rock / metal song (it would probably be a bit like Paradise Lost's cover of "Missing").

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1506942690' post='3382101'] Yes I thought of him to and possible Keith Levene and James Honey-man Scott from the Pretenders. I personaly like those kind of guitarists that put a few layers to the music. [/quote] Another pretty-much unknown guitarist in the same style is Robin Simon - guitarist with Ultravox in the late 70s (before John Foxx left and Midge Ure joined) and John McGeoch's replacement in both Magazine and Visage.

In the Fields of the Nephilim live DVD, Ceremonies, there's one song where the guitarist appears to play three different guitars.

I'm also going to throw Andy Taylor's name into the ring. Some very solid (ie. tight, to the point and no unnecessary showing off) guitar work on the first three Duran Duran albums (and also on "Astronaut", their comeback album), some equally good playing (if a little more flamboyant) on the two Power Station albums plus a storming cameo on Robert Palmer's "Addicted to love".

I immediately thought of John McGeoch (Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, PIL, etc) - very well thought of amoungst musicians but pretty much unknown to the rest of the world, which is a real crime as he was definitely one of the most talented and influential guitarists of his time.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1503340020' post='3357415'] Bass - Amp (set flat) In fact 9 times out of 10 I DI straight from the bass and don't even bother with the amp. [/quote] I've got to say, I've always been the same. Any amp I use is basically for my own amusement as I have always DI'd straight into the desk when recording - however, ever since I started gigging and recording in the late 80s, I've always used basses with active preamps built in (both with and without active pickups) so maybe it would have been different if I had used purely passive basses?

[quote name='Skezza' timestamp='1505761525' post='3374154'] can you run a guitar through this as well as a bass [/quote] Yes you can - it's got both guitar and bass amps and cabs.

At uni there were 2 Andrews; one had red hair and one had dark hair - so I was known as dark Andrew.

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1505393874' post='3371588'] Surely the next natural step to this discussion is "Bands you do like, which have a member you don't like." Trickier, but i'm sure they exist. [/quote] I've often wondered what Magazine would have sounded like with a different singer? John McGeoch, Barry Adamson and Dave Formula were amount the best musicians of their day (John McGeoch being my all-time favourite guitarist) but I never really "got" Howard Devoto.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1505325565' post='3371099'] The smiths - take away Morissey and they are great, with him they range from passable to terrible. [/quote] I'd agree with that.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1505572084' post='3372935'] I was depping with Total 80's at the gig darkandrew saw last night. [/quote] Were you depping on bass? The band, overall, were very good - very tight - and there was no sign that anyone was standing in - so, well played. But I really have got to single out the drummer for praise, he was excellent - didn't overplay anything, got everyting spot on all night and really held everything together.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1505542581' post='3372648'] I wouldn't let it spoil my night [/quote] It did make it a little awkward and my wife found it a little discomforting - a shame really because the band were actually very good.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1505524100' post='3372624'] Could I ask where the gig was please? Roughly. [/quote] Hazlett Theatre, Maidstone in Kent.

I've just got back from seeing an 80s tribute act with my wife and was quite shocked by the attitudes of some of the male members of the audience toward the female dancers. It seemed that quite a large chunk of the male audience think it's OK to repeatedly wolf whistle and shout out smutty comments at the dancers throughout the show. I overheard a conversation between one of these men and the lady that he was with, during the interval, where he tried to justify his behaviour by saying that "they love it, having all these men oggling them". To be honest, I found it deeply embarrassing and awkward. Now, am I being too sensitive, do I need to lighten up a bit? Is it just a bit of fun or was a right to feel awkward and embarrassed by this behaviour? How do you feel if / when you or your female bandmates are on the receiving end of this sort of thing? Is it just par for the course or is it something that should have been kicked into touch many years ago and has no place in 2017? If it does happen to you and you don't like it, what do you do? Do you react or just ignore it and carry on?

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1505249703' post='3370569'] I know that this isn't something you should admit on a bass guitar forum, but I have never enjoyed listening to Rush and I never will. Terrific musicianship but I just can't stand the sound of Geddy's voice. [/quote] I have a similar opinion of most of Yes's recordings - there's little doubting the musical ability that's displayed but most of it, to me, is just over indulgent, meandering nonsense. And as for Jon Anderson's vocals ... not really my cup of tea I'm afraid. Sorry.

Last time I was down there, the road behind Denmark Street (which I think was called Denmark Place?) was being demolished but I believe that Denmark Street itself was still in operation.

If you're very lucky and the original finish is polyurethane, and the new clear coat is cellulose based then you will be able to remove it chemically and then just polish off the flowers. However, the chances are that the new clear coat is an off the shelf can of acrylic or polyurethane lacquer which is going to be harder to remove. I had a similar, but smaller scale, issue with a bass I bought where the previous owner had "dinked" the corner near the jack socket and caused a bulls eye cracking of the poly clear coat. I had to very (and I mean VERY) carefully sand off the cracked lacquer, to repair it, and stop before I went through to the coloured layer underneath it. Even for a small area (about the size of a 5p) this was tricky and for a whole body is probably not something that I would undertake unless I was happy to strip it down all the way and start again.

All my basses and guitars are kept stored in cases or padded gig bags and only come out to be played or serviced - I feel it keeps them (and their strings) cleaner and helps keep them at a more stable temperature. It also helps protect them from my kids.

[quote name='mep' timestamp='1503514223' post='3358887'] Ours like to swap certain lyrics for swearwords. Funny the first few times, years later the novelty has worn off. [/quote] Having our singer rephrase Robert Palmer's "Addicted to love" as "Addicted to muff" became a little tedious (and more than mildly embarrassing) after a while.

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1502518577' post='3351913'] and THAT, boys and girls, is how you name-drop without sounding conceited or crass [/quote] Unfortunately, Lloyd Webber devalued his credibility value somewhat when he did that song with Timmy Mallett. Mind you, it did get to number one in the singles chart so what do I know?

When I was (much) younger I wrote and played in an originals band - all very serious, next big thing, etc. Now, however, my gigs are limited to occasional one-off gigs for weddings of friends and their friends, and that sort of thing, playing in a band with a set comprised entirely of 80s covers. Whilst trying to conquer the world as the "next big thing" in my youth seemed like fun at the time, I am having a lot more fun this time around.