dmccombe7

I'm guessing i've met you as it was a shop i used a lot from 80's till it closed. Bought my Thumb NT in 89. Was an amazing bass collection sadly long gone. Dave

Glasgow is using those intermittent bus lanes that are only enforced at certain times. Its getting to the point you need to study a Glasgow road map before you drive in the city centre. When driving you dont really have time to read all the small print on the signage. All i see is BUS LANE and i just dont go there. Dave

I find that's just my age Dave, nothing to do with city parking. I do that in Tesco's. Dave

Did a couple of Sunday afternoon gigs with the Glam rock band and they were sold out but sunday afternoon with the punk band didn't really work. Different types of venue tho. Glam was a proper club venue and punk was a rock venue more suited to a Sat night party. Dave

And you look as tho you are really enjoying it and getting into it. That looks like a happy at their work band. Dave

Nice one sir. That's quite a nice gig to play. Dave

We're finding same thing on Friday nights that used to be busy but not so much now. If people are going out i think they will prefer a Sat night if at all. Sign of the times i'm afraid. Dave

Not sure if this counts but i saw The Illegal Eagles tribute band few weeks back and they were amazing. Probably some of the most proficient musicians i've seen in a band for a while. Thoroughly enjoyed them. I had the tickets for 2 yrs LOL Dave

I did take lessons for half a day and it was basically the snowplough we were taught and i think that's what gave me the aches cause i vaguely remember being able to turn like proper skiers was relatively easy once i got the hang of it but lets be honest one day at it was never gonna take me past a beginner. No chance of me going abroad these days, i hate airports, not so much flying just hanging about airports plus my passport ran out in 2015. Not been abroad since 2009 and even then it was on a Harley Davidson ride down to St Tropez. Dave

Heated chairlifts................you're spoiled sir. 😂 Dave

Tried once in 80's up at Aviemore area and it was painful and caught in a blizzard but the aches and pains i got when i was just learning was enough to put me off. I was only on the learning area tho. Have to say its something i would like to try again as i was just getting the hang of it on the learner slopes and could see the attraction of it. I'm now a bit older and wiser and probably a bit fitter than i was in mid 80's LOL. Dave

Oddly enough i bought my Warwick from Sound Control in Glasgow and when it developed a fault with the electronics module when you went from active to passive there was a very loud speaker damaging pop sound the bass was initially sent to Moon Guitars in Galsgow who couldn't do anything as the electronics were silicone encapulated modules. It was then sent to Bass Centre who were main distributors for Warwick who also couldn't sort it and finally returned to Warwick who replaced the module. It took about a month if i remember right to be returned to me but Sound Control gave me the pick of the shop while mine was away so i picked the other bass i was looking at a Warwick Streamer with gold fittings. Was very nice and better balanced than the Thumb but didnt have the tone i wanted. I got a really nice apologetic letter from Germany in broken English plus a lot of goodies thrown in incl sweatshirt, 3 sets of Elite strings, several advertising posters, pens and some other bits and bobs. Bass was great up until a few yrs back when same fault appeared and Warwick no longer sell the encapsulated modules so i had to have a MEC pre-amp fitted. Not sure the bass sounds just as good so i might put it back in and get the EMG pre-amp fitted. The Thumb bass has some sentimental value as my new girlfriend (now my wife) went with me when i went into Glasgow to try as many basses as i could and she also liked the look of the Thumb and thought it sounded best. Maybe she was just being nice and supportive, a YES DEAR kind of support Dave

I originally started with Elites which came with the bass plus Warwick sent me 3 free sets when i had an electronics issue with the bass and it was returned to Germany for repair. I quite liked the Elites 35-95 that came with the bass. I have tried Warwick red labels and they were ok but didn't last long. Used the NYXL's on my MarloweDK last night and they felt ok but i was too close to my amp to hear the top end clearly which is an issue with this particular venue. I have to just set up at soundcheck and go for it hoping i've got it right. Once i hear some of the vids taken by same guy every time we play i might get a better idea how they sounded. Certainly didn't get too many issues with finger blisters on plucking hand altho i was trying to play a bit lighter but i just get caught up in the moment with some songs I want to see how long they last and it might just be a trade off of tone V's longevity. Dave

The Cave in Paisley Glasgow with the punk band last night. Love playing this wee pub gig. Start at 6 finish at 9pm and home for 11 after stopping for a kebab. Audience always up for it and a great night was had. Dave

I know i'm getting a good mix when the SE listens to my on stage tone then sets up his channel to match and goes between the two to get it right. Luckily i've had a few SE that said the bass tone from my Mesa was so good they didn't need to change the desk from a flat setting. I liked that Some venues tend to have a preset bass tone set up that is thunderously deep with no definition and i need to work with the SE to get the tone i like. Some are great and happy to help, others think they know best and can be a bit defensive. You need to be careful how you word it. Diplomacy NB : just to put into context i'm generally talking pub / rock venues rather than larger theatre sized venues. Dave

In the 9mths i've experienced 3 that have been poor or just not quite there with the sound. They're usually at venues doing lots of different styles of bands so maybe its just that they dont do many punk or 70's Glam Rock cover bands or maybe i'm being too much of a critic. The gigs have all gone down well so its maybe just from my own perspective on stage or from vid clips that i'm noticing things. Its hard to tell from phone vids as the recording quality isn't usually that good anyways but i have gone out front at sound checks and had to tell SE to adjust levels. Guitarist also had to do it on occasion. Dave

I've had Elixir nanowebs on my Thumb bass for god knows how long now. Can't remember the last time i changed them. I dont play that bass very often these days even at home. I'll try the NYXL's tonight and see how i get on with them. Failing that i might go back and try a set of elixirs but from memory i found the tension a bit too much for me altho i'm fine with my Warwick when i do use it. I find that if my strings have too much tension i get more aches or pains on my fingers over a full gig. I've gone from 35-95's up to 45-100 at moment. Have tried heavier but just couldn't get used to them at all. Think they were 50-105 or thereabouts. I guess its all down to personal preference. If i can get a set that i'm happy with i'll stick with them. I'm not gigging every other night and strings will last me 2-3mths with EXL's if i'm using that bass every gig and practice at home. Dave

Sound "persons" can be a hit or a miss. I've had some great ones and some disastrous ones. I liked the comment about them being one step up the evolution from a DJ. That to me is spot on for most of them but i've had a few that were bass players themselves and the sound comes out brilliant with a great balanced mix with nothing overly loud. With ex DJ's the bass gets lost and even our guitarist has picked up on it during sound check and corrected it. Dave

That's the one. That looks very tasty too. Nice colour. Dave

No probs. I need to lighten up and that's me without a drink on a sat night. Afraid I don't watch politicians, they're too depressing. All good and apologies for taking it wrong way. Dave

Is that aimed at me ? If so I don't understand why the aggressive tone. A simple agreement with my point would suffice.

Got the NYXL's fitted to my MarloweDK and they have a bit more tension than the EXL190's but the gauge was 45-100 rather than 40-100. Had to tweak the neck a little to reduce the string height. Not a big issue since i bought myself a decent capo LOL Anyway the strings feel nicer on the fingers but not as bright as the EXL's but that's only in the house with my back up amp which isnt great to be fair. Gigging tomorrow night with it and will update my thoughts. This gig is the one i first noticed the change when i went from EXL's to MB Longevo strings and had a lack of definition. Hopefully the NYXL's will give me back the tone i like. I definitely like the feel of them. Dave

From a punk themed night for a venues 50th anniverasry of live music. Emergency Exit band has been going for 45 years now altho its only the guitarist from the original band. Great fun band that i really enjoy playing in.

We've noticed that on Fri nights its a hit or a miss as far as audiences go. Saturday nights are usually pretty good turnout but some Fridays have been slow even tho we get great feedback on the gigs from those present so i'm guessing its not down to the band Few of the venues we play have also mentioned they are finding Friday nights can be up and down. Either people are still taking precautions after Covid or they just cant afford to go out 2 nights in a weekend and most people prefer a Sat night out. Hopefully it will all pick up as time goes on but that's maybe just wishful thinking. Dave

I do like the look of those. Similarities to one of the Alembic basses but cant remember the name of. They do get high praise in reviews. Dave