thebrig

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1476259509' post='3152690']
I was having a very tough week, and I still am, however I also thank you for the understanding and empathy; I do appreciate it


Are we heading towards a situation where its all fluffy bunnies and no one can raise a protest of any kind? Some disparaging comments about bedroom warriors do surface from time to time, and I don't like the condescension. Some of us have fewer choices.

I deleted my post, so now you don't need to keep coming back to it. #thereyougo



@TheBrig, I understand your position a little better now btw
[/quote]Geek, I do understand your position and certainly didn't set out to upset anyone, it really was just one of those situations where I was reading through BC threads on Sunday afternoon, and I just happened to notice that quite a few people mentioned that they don't gig, or only gig occasionally, so I thought I would just put it out there to see what those people do instead of gigging, because I could be in a situation myself very soon when I wont be able to gig anymore, it really was just an innocent question.

I have to say that when I saw your comment, I was so upset about it that I can honestly say that I was thinking about terminating my membership to BC for fear of upsetting others.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1476220167' post='3152521']
But it isn't, it's awful.


[/quote]It's a great song to a lot of people, but I don't like it, if I had said it's awful like you did, lots of people are going to have a right old go at me!

Oh alright then, it's bloody AWFUL!!!

There, I've said it now!

I've watching Empire Of The Sun on Jools as I write this, and I have to say that the set was very impressive and very unusual for LWJ, but the song did nothing for me I'm afraid.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1476204990' post='3152320']
A lot of the music I play I would never listed to, and a couple of them I just winged as I really didn't want to listen to them. However, a lot of them are good fun to play, and I like playing live.
Moondance, as you say, isn't a great song, but I generaly explore different scales when playing it to see what works, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, noone ever really notices. Pretty sure I have never played it the same twice.
There are a few songs that are just dull to play, but enough to make the overall experience good.
[/quote]I didn't say that Moondance isn't a great song, I just said I just didn't like it, but I have to agree with you that some songs you don't like, can be fun to play, and the first time we played Moondance, I did actually enjoyed it, even if it took me a fair bit of work to nail it, although once is enough.

As someone who is just starting off in the recording game, I'm in need of a pair of studio monitors, I started reading various independent reviews online, and magazine reviews such as Sound On Sound, which I do realise could be a bit biased depending on various factors, but I thought I might go for the KRK Rokit RP5's, but having just read through this thread, I'm back to square one.

I started off thinking that dedicated studio monitors would be neutral sounding and with a clarity that doesn't add colour to the sound, but there are so many different opinions with people are saying that certain monitors colour the sound, if this is the case, could I not just use my hi-fi's Tannoys powered by my Yamaha amp which is a minimalist amp with no controls other than volume?

The reason I plumped for the Rokits was because being front ported, I thought they would be ideal as they need to be placed against a wall, they also fall into my price range.

Edited to say that after further research, the [b]PreSonis Eris E5[/b] seems to be a better option, apparently it is one of the most transparent and most accurate monitor in its price range, and its also front ported which is a bonus.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1476173904' post='3151885']
Really interesting thread that puts a lot into perspective. I've been feeling a bit concerned recently that I think I may have the start of arthritis in my hands but to hear what some of you guys deal with and still keep going....

My band just had it's 21st anniversary of our first gig this summer. Stopped counting at 1000 gigs about 5 years ago although that number is increasing at a slower rate these days with family commitments so down to around 20-30 gigs a year these days with 153 being our busiest year about 15 years ago.
Right now we've got a few weeks off. Our last gig was 10th September and our next is 22nd October and it's driving me absolutely freaking nuts. I honestly found quitting smoking easier than this!
[/quote]Regarding the possibility of having arthritis in your hands, if it is, try to keep playing if you can, I have arthritis in both my hands and my left hand which is my fretting hand, is far better than my right hand, and I put this down to the fact that it is usually very active moving around the neck regularly, if I have a break from playing, even for just a few days, my left hand seizes up and hurts like mad, even worse than my right.

I get the impression that Jools/producers dictate what the artists can play, for instance, the two songs Blackberry Smoke played were to me, bland and nondescript, I'm not a great Blackberry Smoke fan, but they have much better, and "rockier" songs than the ones they played in their locker.

Just log in to BassChat, there is always something interesting to read on here.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1476173904' post='3151885']
Really interesting thread that puts a lot into perspective. I've been feeling a bit concerned recently that I think I may have the start of arthritis in my hands but to hear what some of you guys deal with and still keep going....

My band just had it's 21st anniversary of our first gig this summer. Stopped counting at 1000 gigs about 5 years ago although that number is increasing at a slower rate these days with family commitments so down to around 20-30 gigs a year these days with 153 being our busiest year about 15 years ago.
Right now we've got a few weeks off. Our last gig was 10th September and our next is 22nd October and it's driving me absolutely freaking nuts. I honestly found quitting smoking easier than this!
[/quote]Thats a great achievement Painy, have you been together all that time with the same lineup, or have you had a few changes along the way?
Either way, its still great that a bunch of guys can stay together playing music for so long.

I understand why Blue is happy to play music he might not like, because for him, apart from his love of music and gigging, it is also his only source of income, and fair play to Blue for being able to make a living from gigging, even if he admits himself that it can be extremely hard work at times.

For me personally, I find it very hard to play music I don't enjoy, and as Barking Spiders said, it's hard to play with "feel", especially when you are just going through the motions when playing the song.

When I first started out about ten years ago, I was playing in a function band with a bunch of guys who loved "cheese" by the bucketful, I was totally out of place being in that band, not because they weren't good guys, because they were actually good friends as well as bandmates, it was because I preferred more rockier stuff, and was continually being outvoted on any material that I suggested, even though occasionally we would try some and it went down well, but by the next gig that song would be left out.

We played material like Moondance, Mr Bojangles, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Gravity, etc, now to all you people who love these songs, please don't think I'm suggesting these are rubbish songs, because they are not, its just that I don't like them and found them extremely boring to play, so in the end I made the decision to leave and form a band playing material that I'm more into, obviously you still get the odd song that you play that you are not too keen on, but if I like 95% of the set, then I'm happy.

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1476165354' post='3151818']
How's a bout these...

Foderawal...



Seiwal


[/quote]Mmm, very nice, I would love to hear how they sound.

I've had two Corvettes, both had MEC's and they both had that Warwick growl, but one was bubinga and one was swamp ash, they were both passive with bolt on-necks.
I've heard bolt-on Thumbs live, and they also have that distinctive "Thumb" sound just like the NT, so I'm not sure if there is any real difference between bolt-on or NT.

This only my thoughts of course, but it would seem that the MEC's contribute to a certain extent, but because the Warwick bodies can be made from various woods, I would say that its possibly the neck wood that contributes the most to the Warwick growl.

The reason I'm asking these questions is because I would love to be able to put the same pups they use in a Thumb into a Jazz, and then hey presto! I've goy myself a bass that feels and plays like a Jazz, but has that distinctive Warwick Thumb growl, but I have a feeling that it just wont!

Just thinking, I absolutely love the growl and tone of a Warwick Thumb bass, but I don't want one because it will be far too heavy, probably suffer with neck dive, and with my short arms, I would never be able to reach the lower frets, but I am wondering what it is that gives it that distinctive sound.

I had a Corvette a few years ago, and although it didn't growl as much as a Thumb, it still growled none the less, but it was passive, so it couldn't have been the eq that gives it the Warwick sound.

And it really can't be the neck or body wood, because a lot of people will insist that the wood hardly contributes to the sound/tone of a bass.

So is the pups, and if so, what makes them so different?

If I put a pair of pups from a Thumb into a Jazz bass, would it sound like a Thumb? it should if the wood doesn't have much say in the sound/tone, but if it doesn't, does that mean the wood does make a difference.

Sorry, I don't really want to bring up the old wood/tone debate again, but just wondering...

[quote name='Fisheth' timestamp='1476112424' post='3151407']
You guys seen this yet?

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxj1QwZoZgI"]https://www.youtube....h?v=Gxj1QwZoZgI[/url]

Lovely.
[/quote]That is beautiful!!!

At the moment I'm really fancying some surf colours, but I absolutely love natural wood and that looks great, I would love that with just a P pickup and no guard, and I love the look of that neck.

You guys have far more serious health problems than me, and I sympathise greatly, and I really hope you can continue to play music for a good many years to come.

The health issues that I have is concerning my back, the vertebrae is very arthritic and has various abnormalities, they are not sure whether they can operate on it successfully, so at the moment they are just giving me a massive amount of painkillers, and morphine every four hours to mask the pain, its helps to take the edge off the pain if I'm just sitting/lying around on a soft sofa, which is what I'm doing now, but I can't walk more than 50 yards without severe pain kicking in and I have to stop, and I can't drive anywhere because its too painful, but more importantly, the drugs are affecting me a lot and I'm away with the fairies most of the time, so driving really is out of the question.

Luckily for me, I have a very understanding and sympathetic wife and she is going to drive to our rehearsal studio tonight, she's going to wait for me until we've finished, and then take me home again (its about a 80 minute round trip), and she has also been driving me to gigs, but quite honestly, I'm getting to the stage where I'm not sure whether I can carry on, the pain is so severe, and I'm all drugged up when I'm playing, I really feel that it is affecting my playing, I'm making silly mistakes that I've not made in the past, the guys in the band are great about it, and to be honest, I don't think they even notice, but I do, and it really bugs me.

The other thing that is really worrying me is the fact that I now have to sit on a stool to play a gig, the guys make a bit of a joke to the audience about me being the old git in the band, blah! blah! blah!, and admittedly, it does give the audience a laugh, and sometimes the banter can carry on all night which I honestly don't mind, I always enjoy a bit of banter, but sitting down! its just not rock & roll is it?

And to make matters worse, we are an old school R&B band, and about 80% of our set is made up of energetic Dr Feelgood material, so I should be walking about all over the stage whilst playing!

[quote name='Earbrass' timestamp='1476105185' post='3151298']
My last bass gig was about 5 years ago. Since then I've played an average of 20-30 gigs per year, but none on bass. I've had to cut back recently due to health issues (ME/CFS), but hope that won't stop me for too long. These days the bass sits in the corner and is only used for my (sadly occasional) home recording efforts. I wouldn't be without it, though.
[/quote]Sorry that your health issues has meant you cutting back on gigging, I hope that can find a way to get back out there again soon.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1476054967' post='3150941']
If the tracks you are recording with the zoom sound good, then they are good. Enjoy the process of recording and spend time experimenting with the stuff you have and figuring out what it is capable of - recording equipment can get very expensive very quickly, so before deciding to upgrade your audio chain, you really need to be sure about what is going to bring the best improvement.

If you are concerned about recording 8 tracks at once, what circumstances are you going to do this in as an overdub where latency might be an issue? Go do it, and see whether it really is a problem - if there isn't a problem then great, if there is a problem, you need to ask how often you will need to record like that and what your options are (for something like full drumkit overdubs it may be economical to rent some studio time and take advantage of their mics and acoustic treatment and pro level kit if you are not going to be doing it on a regular basis) - do you need more kit, or can you change your approach to making the recording so the problem disappears.
[/quote]Thanks for the advice, I will give it some serious thought, after all, its very early days in my recording hobby.

[quote name='Jow Bass' timestamp='1476102953' post='3151249']
I can do all of your mods, let me know if you are interested?
[/quote]Hi Jow, I've PM'd you.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1476100684' post='3151216']
I never wrote a diary, but I have a book that lists all my gigs for the first 10 years or so.
[/quote]Its a pity you stopped after ten years, it would have made interesting reading to look back on almost a lifetime of gigging, and I'm sure there is a story or two to be told amongst that little lot.

Anyway, well done, fifty years really is an achievement!

We always start with AC/DC's [b]There Gonna Be Some Rockin' Tonight[/b], we think its a lively number that really lets the audience know what to expect for the rest of the evening.

Also, the clue is in the title!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1476052834' post='3150917']
Gigging was all I intended to do when learning bass.

Played at home or the Albert Hall, the bass is the greatest instrument. Whichever venue you choose is fine.

IME nothing in the world feels as good as standing in front of 500 watts with the room rattling and your trousers flapping.


And breaking news. . . . The 20th November is the 50th anniversary of my first gig.
[/quote]That's absolutely brilliant Chris! but how do you remember the exact date?

[quote name='GirlOnADragon' timestamp='1476046391' post='3150855']
2nd forum post. be nice.

Picked up my bass again after almost 10 years absolutely determined to gig - 9 months from picking up my bass again I'm pretty keen to get gigging but current commitments mean its difficult to find and fit in a band. That said I'm a fairly tenacious creature and so I will gig - even if to start with the music isn't 100% my cup of tea.

Somewhere deep inside is an exhibitionist just waiting to get on stage.
[/quote]Go for it!

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1476042766' post='3150800']
Memories of pain killer fuelled jams and gigs just came flooding back then, I can only remember that working for one of the bands I was in But seriously, you just know when it becomes self defeating and time to stop, until then I hope you find a way to keep on enjoying it. If that means having a Roadie then that's cool, stools are ok too!
Bands and playing were my complete life at the time and I had invested so much into it, and had some incredible times along the way. I never thought I'd cope having to stop, but I eventually found a new career that is much more rewarding in the grand scheme of things as it's in the third sector. My life has a much wider purpose now and though it's still physically challenging just being there it is worth the additional pain that full time work brings. I wouldn't have found this new path had my health had stayed good as I was too focussed in music. Funny old world eh?
Honestly, it all feels equally unfortunate for all of us that must stop through health, I was young but you're on far more serious drugs than I need and I feel for you massively. Still, no one will ever truly understand chronic life changing pain unless they live with it, or amongst it, so I guess that's why we can empathise here together.
[/quote]Yes, I am in a lot of pain, but to put it all in perspective, what I am suffering from might be "life changing", but it's not "life threatening", whereas, I have lost a lot of people close to me through terrible illness's, and I have a friend who was told about six weeks ago that he has only two to three months to live, I'm actually going "Sober for October" in a bid to raise money for his favourite charity Macmillan who are looking after him during his final days, but the thing is, I can't drink anyway because of the medication I'm on ([i]people are still sponsoring me though[/i]), and unfortunately, he probably will have passed away by the end of October so he wont know how much we've raised, and spare a thought for all those unfortunate children who are born with all manner of illness's, some don't even see their first birthday.

I feel lucky to have had a good life, and although I came into music late, I'm trying to make the most of it and if I do have to pack it in, I will try and get my music fix by making and recording music at home.

Bump!

Bump!