casapete

Doing Chuck Berry stuff properly is a damned sight harder than you may think. Getting the feel of the originals is notoriously difficult, with the drums and bass often not playing the same styles ( straight / shuffle etc. ) As Keith Richard once said, most bands can rock but few can roll..... Also it's easy for songs to descend into a Quo type thrash, and for the chord changes made the same. ( For example , in 'Johnny B. Goode' so many people insist on playing the IV chord towards the end of each verse when it stays on the V etc.) Good luck, hope you enjoy the gig!

Never a UK hit, until the dreadful UB40 version (itself a cover of a cover by Tony Tribe) in 1983. Great song though. * Beaten to it ^^^^^^

Great stuff, thanks for posting.

Did this when I couldn't play bass guitar after an injury. Really weird at first, wondering what to do with the other hand and also being unable to wander around the stage whilst playing. Nice not having to wear the instrument though, and not needing to keep checking the tuning. Enjoy, you'll be fine.

Well I don't care -MUSIC STAND!! I use one as my eyesight doesn't allow the use of one of the iPad mic stand jobbies, they're just the wrong angle / too close for me. The music stand (there, I've done it again...) allows perfect positioning for a myopic old bugger like me. Never once had anyone comment on it being there either. With my Country band we have probably 300+ songs in the pad, so none of us can remember music/words to all of them. Before using the iPad, massive folders of parts did look a bit naff, so it's now a lot better.

I use forScore on gigs where I need access to parts / lyrics etc. Don't know how it compares to others TBH, but works fine for what I need.

Few years ago I did some corporate gigs in Majorca, everything hired in. After giving them our requirements, we waited to see what we got. My 'wants' were a Fender Precision / Jazz and an Ampeg / Hartke rig. Left it deliberately loose , figuring there wouldn't be much choice. I got - a Fender 'style' bass, a Peavey head and an unnamed cab. And do you know what? Nobody died......

Whilst more of a Knopfler than a DS fan, I love 'Why worry', great song.

Rotosound Rotos seem to be still available for around £12/£13 a set in some places. Also Legacy Nickel Roundwounds (which I believe may be re-branded Rotos?) for around £22 for a twin pack.

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1488629539' post='3250583'] Going from this everything was an improvment. [attachment=239608:Kay EB100.JPG][attachment=239609:Sound Fashion.jpg] Round our way we were jealous of lads with Satellite guitars. One fella had a CSL Les Paul copy, that was top notch stuff for us. I dreamed about getting a Westone like Henry Thomas. [/quote] Can't believe the prices these go for on ebay recently. Must be a lot of nostalgic people out there who will be very disappointed when they realise how naff they are.

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1488492779' post='3249520'] One of my best amps was a Peavey Mk4 twin channel with graphic EQ and 400W. Had an old Columbas bass that i thought was poor quality but having more experience now it wasn't as bad as some i've tried since. My mate still has that bass and his daughter learned on it. Had a Carlsbro Stingray amp and it seemed ok at the time but i guess in comparison to modern amps it was a bit poor for the money but that's just progress. After that early start with Columbas and Carlsbro i was fortunate to progress on to good quality gear with Peavey Mk4 and custom cabs and either Shergold twin neck, Aria, Fender, WAL. Dave Dave [/quote] I had one of the Peavey bass amp heads, Mk IV I think. Wonderful thing, twin channel, graphic, switchable compressor etc. These gave out a very loud 210 watts @ 4 ohms, 300w @ 2 ohms. Ran it into a 2x15 EV cab and it owned the stage anywhere! Eventually sold it to a good friend with a PA company. It is still being hired out to this day, never missed a beat.

Hearing 'Motown Chartbusters Vol.3' coming down the corridor out of my brother's room. Didn't fully realise at the time, but that pretty much sealed my fate with bass.

Great thread, enjoying reading them all. What has surprised me though is how many BC ers use pedals, especially overdrives to get their sound. I've always stuck to just a lead between bass and amp, only using my Sansamp set flat for DI purposes. Maybe I need to start investigating some stomp boxes.

[u]Main band[/u] - Fender Precision Lyte -> Sansamp Bass Driver (set fairly flat for DI to FOH use, unaffected output into..) GK 1001RB head / GK neo 410 cab. [u]Pub band[/u] - Danelectro Longhorn (or sometimes Squier Jaguar SS) -> GK MB800 head / Barefaced Gen 1 Compact cab [u]Acoustic duo[/u] - Washburn AB20 , Countryman Ukulele bass -> Yamaha / Bose PA All cables OBBM, no FX, wide leather straps of various origins, Snark tuners (so shoot me....)

No music or tab I'm afraid, but a great tune. Think it was Tetsu on the recording, Ronnie Lane having left the band just before.

Recently saw St Paul and the Broken Bones at the 02 Ritz in Manchester. Great band, top gig. Also interesting support by Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, a Canadian blues-ish band with a superb female vocalist too.

2 for theatre gigs. Spare is a Precision replica that usually stays in it's case in the stage wings but could be pressed into service reasonably quickly should anything demand it. Did a gig in Jersey a few years ago, where the theatre electrics didn't like my active bass at all, causing even more dodgy noise than usual! Ended up doing two 60 minute sets with the spare bass, and actually wasn't too bad, although a fair bit heavier than my usual Precision Lyte. Other than that I've never had to use it, but it is reassuring to know I've a back up there if needed.( Also have a spare amp for the same reason, never used it yet, touch wood ). Local pub gigs, just take one. Should anything drastic occur, could always nip home for a replacement.

Still happy with my GK 1001RB head. Weighing in at 22lbs, it is the perfect compromise of weight and tone for me - old school amp that is still portable and sounds great. I also have a GK MB800 which is used for some gigs and whilst also a cracking amp, I do prefer the 1001.

Dan Armstrong 'London' series basses and guitars featured sliding pickups on an aluminium rail. Believe they were first made in the early 1970's in the U.K.

FWIW the first few weeks of having the Countryman it was a bug*er to keep in tune, needing constant attention to maintain pitch. Then it settled down to where it is now, just needing an occasional tweak to remain in concert pitch for weekly gigs.

Squier Jaguar short scale - PJ pickup arrangement, light and looks cool. Love cheapish stuff that works great. Also Hartke HA3500 amps - had a couple, and always regret trading/selling them on (I know, duh..) Seem to be cheaper than ever s/h these days, and all the amp I'll ever need. Loud as hell, great eq and reliable. Next one will be a keeper.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1487098474' post='3237099'] Faces [/quote] Big +1 for me too. The Stones would probably be fantastic too, although as mentioned above replacing Gary Tallent in The E Street Band would be my 1st choice.

[quote name='ians' timestamp='1487107538' post='3237237'] ....and here's another interesting Jamerson tidbit....his last chart tune was on Marylin McCoos 'You Dont Have To Be A Star' which is full of lovely little Jamerson motifs [/quote] Actually knew that one, great song too.