icastle

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1022354' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:20 PM']My MB combo is of kickback design. I've only used it once as a monitor in this position tho as I normally have it standing vertically.[/quote] Ah - [i][b]stealth kickbacks[/b][/i]- I hadn't thought of that permutation... <cough> I don't [b][i]think[/i][/b] I've seen many kickback amps used...

[quote name='Mog' post='1022340' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:05 PM']Scope out as many pubrock bands as you can and DO NOT play what everyone else is doing. I swear if the band in my local tonight play Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, The Killers or Journey i'm gonna go mental! Theres plenty of great tunes out there. What I used to do was go to the bars when there wasnt a band playing and write down what was played on the jukebox over an hour and a half.[/quote] Yep - very good points there. We tend to have enough material to do sets from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's so we tend to have a quick lookaround beforehand and see what age group we have and bias it towards them with just enough other decades covered to keep everyone else interested. [quote name='Mog' post='1022340' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:05 PM']Volume is key. If your band is using 4x12 guitar cabs its overkill. As is an 8x10 bass cab. The bar staff dont want to be shouting over the racket all night.[/quote] Absolutely. I've been known to walk out of pubs where the volume is too loud and I should theoretically be used t it! [quote name='Mog' post='1022340' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:05 PM']STAY AWAY FROM AGENTS!!! [/quote] I read that as GENTS

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1022346' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:13 PM']Maybe they don't sell as people don't think they look as cool[/quote] Possibly. Got to say that although I've seen them in various shops I've never seen one being used in real life (whatever that may be!).

[quote name='rOB' post='1022273' date='Nov 13 2010, 11:07 AM']This may be a stupid question and I may be being particularly dense or displaying my lack of experience here (both very possible) but why aren't there more kickback/wedge shaped amps/cabs on sale? It seems that most gigs I go to or play at the bass is put through the PA in which case the amp is really only for stage sound. PA monitors are mostly wedges so why are most combos and cabinets straight (is that the right word) designs? Unless you're using a cabinet stand or have a tallish stack then isn't most of your sound being projected at your legs/waist? Any wisdom to be shared on this would be appreciated. Cheers, Rob[/quote] It's the way it has generally always been. Having said that, Ampeg, Behringer, Fender, Gallien Kruger, Hartke, Eden, Laney and SWR all make angled combo's, so there are more choices out there than you might have imagined...

[quote name='SteveO' post='1022236' date='Nov 13 2010, 10:27 AM']Without wishing to go too far OT, I also have no idea who Christina Hendricks is, and cant be bothered to google. Can we infer from TNIS's pst that she's some sort of actress? I always thought that Pete was being ironic by having a dowdy bint in amongst the rest of the soft porn avatars.[/quote] Yippee! Does this mean I've finally hit soft porn status?

[quote name='SaxxyBass' post='1022232' date='Nov 13 2010, 10:16 AM']A takeover bid [/quote] You need a copy of Paul McKenna's "How to Improve Your Life by Taking Over a Chat Forum" book... [quote name='SaxxyBass' post='1022232' date='Nov 13 2010, 10:16 AM']Yes - for im indoors' Haynes manuals [/quote] <choke> Don't make me laugh out loud or my missus will guess that I'm sat here doing nothing while I've got her sanding window frames next door...

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1022152' date='Nov 13 2010, 07:51 AM']I have to say, I am completely done with the pub circuit. It used to be better, but now it seems to have died a bit of a death, and is is tougher on musicians than ever before. With the increasing prevalence of pay to play, it's just awful. I'm lucky in that as far as band playing goes now, it is 100% studio based for me now. As a band we've retired from the live scene as it's just too much hassle and fuss for what you get back from it. I'm fortunate that one of the guys I play with has an amazing home studio where we can relax, drink a few beers and jam. Once we've got something on tape we can play it back and adjust/mix it at our leisure as there are no studio fees! If I was going to go back to playing live it would only be on the hotel/wedding scene as you are pretty much guaranteed to have appreciative and accomodating organisers and customers.[/quote] I can't work out whether Zootopia is in the North or South of the country but reading through various threads in BC it does seem to be different in different parts of the country. I was talking to the landlord of my local about Pay to Play earlier this week and he was astonished that people actually went for that and was of the opinion that if he tried to put something like that in place he'd never get any one to play at his pub and get a sh*t reputation - "those bloody southerners" (add your own gruff Derbyshire accent and mix for the full effect).

[quote name='allihts' post='1022219' date='Nov 13 2010, 10:01 AM']I usually get ignored when I suggest Laney RB9's in 'which head for a first head' threads in favour of someone who says peavey or hartke. I have tried the hartke LH head and to my ears I much prefer the Laney. It's a head that is capable of just putting out what you put in or if you use the EQ right, absolutly transforming your tone. EDIT: Here is what a local reviewer had to say about my tone on my band's new EP "The deliciously produced bass sound has both the snapping tanginess and the warm smarminess needed for the different dynamics of the song.". I used the RB9 when recording it [/quote] I've not tried one so I couldn't, with my hand on my heart, recommend someone spend their cash on one. MarkBass users will recommend MarkBass, Peavey users will recommend Peavey and someone with a 50 year old Selmer will recommend tracking one of those down - it's the way of the world. The last Laney I tried was back in the 80's and, compared to other budget brands like Ohm, it was really not too good. However, the 80's were 30 years ago now so things have more than likely changed quite a bit. The next time I see an RB9 I'll try it out and see how it does. Fair?

[quote name='Doddy' post='1022106' date='Nov 13 2010, 02:23 AM']So you needed a shelf help book [/quote] ROTFLMAO

[quote name='martthebass' post='1021373' date='Nov 12 2010, 01:25 PM']Was looking at changing the pup cover on my 1998 Ray5 (fancied white for some reason....yeah I know). Contacted EBMM - very helpful, gave me the direct contact at Strings and Things. S&T equally helpful and more than happy to send me a cover but said that replacement was verrrry difficult on a MM5 pup (unlike the MM4) as it's epoxied in and removal can result in damage/destruction of the windings. Anybody any experience? Thanks, MTB[/quote] Not on an MM5 but the good news is that the pickup is placed inside the cover and then epoxy is poured in. This means that the pickup itself is encased in a block of resin and uses the pickup cover as a mould - so there is some protection there. You won't be able to just lift out the pickup though - you'll need to take a pair of side cutters to an exposed piece of rear edge casing, nibble away at it until you have something you can grip with the cutters and peel the cover away like you are peeling an orange. It would be a very good idea to completely remove the pickup from the guitar if you are going to attempt to do this. HTH

[quote name='lojo' post='1018910' date='Nov 10 2010, 03:53 PM']The reggae thing has come up in the battle of theory vs Groove saga, can you define styles relating to bass in a few words FUNK either you play a note or you don't (read that in a book) Reggae, Im sure I read at the top of a sheet of music once, "lazy feel" So, how about, Jazz, Rock etc..[/quote] Before anyone takes offence, at least three of these apply to me [b]Acapella[/b] - the inability to play a musical instrument. [b]Classical[/b] - Safe music as the well armed band often outnumbers their unarmed audience. [b]Country & Western[/b] - an excuse to sing songs about a mans love for his horse with no danger of arrest. [b]Drum N Bass[/b] - the inability to find a guitarist. [b]Easy Listening[/b] - specifically designed to cause no change in heart rate, often used in funeral services to combat the possibility of customers changing their minds. [b]Folk[/b] - a retrospective musical feast often involving ferrets, fairies and oddly shaped root vegetables. [b]Funk[/b] - the crossover point between using a bass guitar as a musical instrument and something used to fire arrows. [b]Jazz[/b] - as long as the first note and the last note match the tune vaguely then it'll do. [b]Pop[/b] - Visual viagra for early teens. Dance routines usually more intricately rehearsed than the music. [b]Reggae[/b] - Environmentally friendly as it requires only one string. [b]Rock[/b] - the ability to play extended solo pieces at 1000dB with a rolled up sock as a genital enhancement. [b]Roots[/b] - Quorn based. Usually involves instruments with names containing (a) no vowels or {b} all vowels. Does not usually include fox hunting. [size=1]Note: Please do not be offended if I have not picked on you, its nothing personal and I'm bound to catch you at some point in the future... [/size]

[quote name='thunderbird13' post='1021528' date='Nov 12 2010, 03:01 PM']cheers for that - that sounds quite simple[/quote] Don't forget that once you have filed the nut down to a suitable height, it needs to be polished off to remove any roughness that the file (inevitably) leaves behind. If you don't then you're going to get string wear at that point. I use a small oilstone to give it a final polish.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1022092' date='Nov 13 2010, 01:51 AM']I would rather kill myself. I used to try to offer humourous modes of death in response to questions like this but I no longer find any joy in it. I would just kill myself.[/quote] Take note people... ...Everything He Does, He Does It For You... Erm - I'll just leave without collecting my coat yes?

[quote name='SaxxyBass' post='1021943' date='Nov 12 2010, 09:26 PM']You can get some good self help books (I've a shelf full of 'em!)[/quote] I used to have a shelf full as well, but got so disillusioned and stressed about the shelf bending in the middle that I got rid of them...

[quote name='Sue' post='1021900' date='Nov 12 2010, 08:27 PM']Perhaps that's another reason why the women are quiet?[/quote] Unless you is all plotting of course......

[quote name='Gust0o' post='1011865' date='Nov 4 2010, 11:48 AM']What I should have asked was, should I be looking for head, amp, cab, combo, or whatever? I don't need some Bon Jovi-esque rig, but a nice wattage would be good; the facility to run my effects; and ultimately enough to fit into York and Leeds' finest small venues.[/quote] I've used combos in the past but have always gone back to seperates in the end. [b]SPEAKERS:[/b] I chose a 1x15 and a 2x10 - 2x10 for practices and small gigs. 1x15 for gigs where I'm using an EUB or know that I'm going to need some more bottom end. 1x15 and 2x10 together if I need to push some extra power out. If you want something between those sort of scenarios then perhaps look at a 2x12? That'd give you the compromise of portability but with a bit more bottom end than a 2x10... I've never been a fan of SH cabs though - anything that moves is going to wear out eventually and movement is what makes speakers work. I'm sure bargains can be found though if you are prepared to take the gamble. [b]AMPLIFIER:[/b] Assuming you are working with a drummer and at least one guitarist, you probably need about 300W as a starting point - no scientific basis to that figure - it just seems about right. There are loads to choose from new ranging from about £270 up to £get a mortgage, so looking at the SH market for this might save you some money and get a real bargain. [b]EFFECTS:[/b] Don't worry about your effects - whatever you choose will be able to run your effects.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1022021' date='Nov 12 2010, 11:07 PM']Excellent tomorrow I shall be building an accordion amp.[/quote] OK - be honest now... ...who saw that coming?!?

[quote name='lojo' post='1021881' date='Nov 12 2010, 08:09 PM']I've not played originals for 15 years (hope to again sometime), but I remember the circuits venues being very different[/quote] Yes totally different. Most of those venues have developed their own "niches" and a roots band playing in a bikers pub just wont work regardless of how good a bunch of musicians you are. [size=1][i]At this point I'm expecting 20 people to tell me that they play in Peruvian folk bands and play in thrash metal bikers pubs every weekend...[/i][/size] Three of us from the covers band have started working together as a stand alone folk/roots band playing a lot of originals and are picking up a fair bit of work on that circuit, so it is "doable" but the market is pretty limited. Has to be said though that we use the covers band for income and the folk/roots/originals thing for pleasure. [quote name='lojo' post='1021881' date='Nov 12 2010, 08:09 PM']We have enough gigs as we cant do loads, but if we did wish to push it I guess its easier for someone to click a link for 10 seconds than mess around with a CD, so I guess we would make a website, is that the done thing these days?[/quote] A website is a good idea - we've been talking about one for a while now but haven't got around to it as yet so we're just using a couple of e-mailed mp3's and a well written and mutually agreed mail.

[quote name='risingson' post='1021835' date='Nov 12 2010, 07:19 PM']It's all about having a good rapport, and most of all being prepared with business cards at the end of gigs and being punctual with replies to gig offers and emails. Nothing sets you up better than being an organised band. Think about it: turning up on time, being set up when you're told and giving them a hell of a gig will mean that the chances of you getting recommended to play again are very high indeed.[/quote] Absolutely. Business cards are essential and definately worth spending a few quid on - don't be tempted to have seperate one's for each member - it get's confusing, agree amongst yourselves who is best placed to be able to answer calls during the day and use that persons number. Have a band diary so that all planned holidays and booked gigs are there in black and white, all band members update this at weekly rehearsal so it stays up to date - this save's a lot of mucking around using deps (I get loads of dep work because people don't do this so I shouldn't really complain...). The person taking the calls needs to manage the diary so they can give a fast "yes" or "no" to gig requests. As for setting up, the question we always ask is "what's the earliest we can get in there to start setting up?" If we're playing a Saturday evening wedding reception we are generally loaded up at 8am, at the venue at 8.30am and fully setup and soundchecked by midday. We then all go home and meet back at the venue about an hour before we are due to go on. A couple of us also go to the venue a few weeks beforehand to ensure that we know: 1) Who the venue contact is and get them on side. 2) Size\shape of the room so we know where we are going to setup and decide what kit we need to take with us. 3) Location and number of mains sockets available. 4) Work out rough cabling routes and check we have appropriate cables to do the job. We don't do this for pub/festival gigs, but wedding gigs we stick to a "uniform" - black trousers, white top - cheap, easy to manage for everyone and despite my initial resistance to the idea, it does look very professional on stage. Have two encore songs available and make sure they are good ones - not leftover tunes that didn't make the main set. Once you have done the encores... STOP - if you go back on again and play a rubbish last minute thing then you will be remembered for that, not for being accomodating. Biggest and most important thing though is to have fun and interact with the audience - get them on side and you've got it made - WOM and repeat bookings will start appearing...

[quote name='spongebob' post='1021719' date='Nov 12 2010, 05:35 PM']My covers band is trying to fill the diary for 2011. We've got some re-books from this year, but trying to get new venues....phew! I appreciate pubs get overrun with demos, but for the most part, their attitude stinks. I can't believe how rude and off-hand so many are! There just must be an easier way to get a gig....once you're in, that's fine, but it's the getting in at first! I'd love to try a different approach.....but what? Maybe an agent or something, but I wouldn't have a clue where or how to go about it. We were thinking of doing some originals in the new year, but some places I spoke to actually asked if we were an originals band - and if we were, forget it! Really looking for some advice for others on this and how you get on securing bookings in this climate.....help![/quote] Here's a few ideas for you: 1) Forget giving out demo disks to pubs - they get ignored, forgotten, thrown out with 20 others and really don't work like they used to. Get the landlords e-mail address and e-mail them an MP3. The rationale behind this is that a CD needs them to both find time and remember to listen to it - send it by e-mail and they're a) already sat down and can get on with something else while they listen. To make it dead professional, in the e-mail mention in passing that you can supply them with a CD if they particularly want it in that format. 2) Word of mouth is the very best advertising you can get, so make sure you do everything you can to keep the landlord "sweet" - they all know each other and they all talk. I've lost count of the number of £700+ wedding gigs that have been booked purely on word of mouth recommendations over the last year, and we're getting a couple of calls a month from places we've never played at before asking if we can sort them out a date. 3) To bolster up the word of mouth approach, get some short reviews from previous customers and pass those on to the landlord so they can see what their fellow landlords have to say about your performance. 4) At the end, when the audience is (hopefully) clapping - get them to give the landlord a clap as well ("for being a great landlord and making us feel so welcome tonight" or some such thing) - I've seen the hardest landlords turn to jelly after a public "thankyou" like that. 5) Agents "cost" and in my dealings with them over the years, don't add a huge amount of value - do you really want to go down that route? 6) Covers or originals - probably an unpopular statement I'm about to make here, but in this current economic climate, as you have discovered, pubs are generally not interested in putting on originals bands. It's tough but if a landlord has a choice between a band playing originals and selling 50 pints of beer or a band playing covers and selling 200 pints of beer then the choice is pretty clear. They want stuff that people know, feel at home with and will drink along to (and who can blame them!?!). If you are treating this as a business orientated exercise then you need to supply what your customers are looking for. There is most definately a place for original music within the pub circuit, but now is probably not the time for it.

Hi Pete. It's a bit difficult to say what sort of amp is going to suit you best at the moment, especially as you haven't started rehearsing yet. Probably the best advice I could give at the moment is see how well the rented studio amp does the job and use that as a baseline to select your gigging amp. If you let us know what you used, how well it performed once everyone else was playing and what budget you want to work to, I'm sure that folks here will be able to give you some damn good suggestions of what to look at. HTH

[quote name='gary mac' post='1021625' date='Nov 12 2010, 04:15 PM']I think she will allow that one. I might actually try Caustic Soda, maybe not an overnighter though, just an hour or so.[/quote] It usually comes in pellet form so make sure you add water to the pellets, not pellets to the water or it'll make the pellets shatter and fly off like little bullets! It also gets very hot so use cold water and a ceramic or glass container to mix it up in (not metal or plastic). Couple of other things spring to mind : 1) As always, do a trial on something that doesn't matter. 2) Keep it off your fingers (I sed a clothes peg to grab hold of the ring and rinsed it off using that) 3) To be totally sure the reaction has stopped, after a rinse dunk it in vinegar and rinse it again (Caustic Soda is alkaline and the acid in the vinegar neutralises it). Oh - and don't be tempted to sniff it - it'll burn like crazy!

[quote name='gary mac' post='1021495' date='Nov 12 2010, 02:41 PM']My wife who is usually the most reasonable of people, won't allow the vomit in the sink method.[/quote] Got it! The shiny chrome plated rings on our gas hob had gone really manky, we used a whole pile of different cleaning stuff and it made no difference. Last night we dropped them into a bowl of Caustic Soda that we picked up from our local DIY chainstore. This morning I fished them out and washed them down - the Caustic Soda had certainly removed all of the mank... and the chrome plate as well - they're all dull now. Good news for your quest but not so good for our oven...

[quote name='RhysP' post='1020850' date='Nov 11 2010, 11:55 PM']1. Put your tuners in the sink. 2. Drink a couple of bottles of red wine. 3. Vomit copiously over the tuners & leave overnight. This exact method stripped the chrome off the plughole in my bathroom sink so it should relic your tuners a treat. [/quote] LMAO - I think Gary was after [i]"reliced"[/i] not regurgitated...

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1020776' date='Nov 11 2010, 10:23 PM']Would you buy a TV built entirely on turret boards though? Things on turrets are a joy to work on, but they are kind of expensive, amps are fairly simple, and a turret-track built very serviceable Matamp will cost you quite a lot more than a very complicated TV. I've spent the last few days tending to a handwired amp, with help from some dudes in the know, they are all pretty close to retirement (except Umph), the skills to be able to just fix stuff is going.[/quote] Apart from the fact that I'd never buy a TV anyway? I get your point though but I do find it a real shame that the skills to repair down to component level are dying out. [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1020776' date='Nov 11 2010, 10:23 PM']Anyway, one of those kids living off mountains of discarded rubbish is me, I collect cable and stuff to sell for scrap, I've just stripped out some washing machines for the wiring for this amp. Actually, now I'm looking about, there is very little I own I haven't been inside fiddling with, this pc is cobbled together from parts, and the fan sheared out and is held in with epoxy putty, those surface mount component boards are near impossible to work on, so fairly happy to go back to where they came from.[/quote] I wasn't slagging the kids or you off in the least , just making the point that the "green policies" are just smoke and mirrors to hit soft targets that are made up by people with no expertise in their subject field. My guitar leads don't get replaced - they just get a few inches shorter whenever they fail and I have a 40'x20' brick built outhouse thats full of "usable stuff" that is getting in the way of the recording studio that was the main reason for buying this house. I'm certainly no eco-warrior - just very aware of where stuff ends up... [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1020776' date='Nov 11 2010, 10:23 PM']Also, another tip I picked up, instead of abrasive paper on the back of pots, scrape with a blade, avoids getting grains of abrasive in your pot.[/quote] I was a bit generic in my terminology there, I use that grey "wet & dry" stuff - just leaves a little wet grey sludge that I mop up with a bit of kitchen roll. The knife idea is cool but I'm still not allowed sharp shiny stuff...