dmccombe7

I had no idea i would get so many suggestions guys. Its gonna take me a while to get thru listening to them all. Some i've had a quick listen to and think maybe a little too extreme one way or another but majority are spot on and i'm really getting into a style of music i've never really given much thought to. Cheers guys and all very much appreciated the effort some have put in to their reply by adding youtube links. Basschat is def a great place to be when you need help. Dave

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1478286833' post='3168245'] Meteors or Neville Bros... or pick Yellow Moon or something which was a collaboration... but if you are trying to go funky, make sure you can groove and don't do poor man's rock/funk as there is nothing worse.. [/quote] That was my biggest concern when i was asked to join. I'm not generally a funk or groove player with nearest i've played would be some Glenn Hughes funk rock where i really enjoyed the feel he had when playing even with Deep Purple. It has taken me 3-4 rehearsals with the band to really get into the groove feel. Basslines are not very difficult to play but that groove thing was the hard part. Some of the songs i had played years ago within a rock blues set but to play a full set really is quite different. I must admit that playing this style of funk blues has been far more satisfying and enjoyable than any other style i've played before. I actually feel this is what i should have been doing over the years rather than heavy rock. To be honest many of these songs are the ones i used when i was learning bass and trying to improve on my technique along with Jack Bruce, Andy Farser, Glenn Hughes etc. I would hate to sound like an amatuer playing songs without feeling the rythmn of the song. That would be my worse nightmare. Hopefully i'm doing a good job. The other band members seem to think i've more than nailed the songs and they all have many many yrs experience playing this style of music. Dave

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1478276317' post='3168129'] I have a strong hunch that Hendrix had his tongue very much in his cheek when he wrote that one. In one of my bands, whenever we got heckled by the type of 12-bar blues evangelists who wouldn't know the real thing if it jumped up and bit them on the arse, we used to respond with a piss-take that our drummer made up at some point (knowing him, it was probably something he lifted from Zappa). It was basically Red House with replacement lyrics as typified by the first verse: "Woke up this mornin', dreamt a chicken walked across my face; (repeat); and then I realised - it was only my wife Grace (but that's all right cos I still got my guitar)" - cue 15-min lead break. We would watch the punters in gleeful amusement to see who 'got it' and who was swallowing it hook, line and sinker. [/quote] Now that appeals to my sense of humour.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1478247314' post='3167781'] To me, that completely misses the point of playing blues. It is a simple musical form that gives the performers plenty of room to express themselves. Playing someone else's lines is like wearing their dirty underwear. It has to be about your feelings, your blues, no matter who wrote or performed the song. Make them your own. [/quote] Its only on certain songs like Cold Sweat where he wants me to keep the walking bass line simple rather than ad additional fills. I kinda see where he's coming from whereas other songs i have a fee hand to play whatever i feel is right so its a bit swings and roundabouts. Not realll a big deal. I've been used to bands where i had to play exactly what they wanted. I def like to put my own feel on a song as i do tend to have a slightly more aggressive feel than a lot of bassists i know. I use finger style with my nails clipping the strings but also play quite hard which gives me quite a powerful sound when i need it. Saying that i back off on many songs to just using my fingers without nail clipping the strings to get that smoother feel. Dave

Just had a listen to Tommy Bolin album Teaser for first time and that's pretty impressive album. Liking it a lot. Dave

Climax Blues Band i haven't heard of them in many years. Well worth a listen. Deep Purple early albums i wouldn't even have given them a thought but that would work for me as i played in a Deep Purple tribute few yrs back altho more rock than funk blues but still another good choice. Lie the idea of adapting some classic blues songs only prob with that is one of the guitarists is a Blues fanatic and will only play a blues song as it sounds by the artist. He doesn't even like me to play ad-libs on certain songs. Likes to keep it simple blues bass lines. Like the Luther Allison song and the Johnny Guitar Watson and they could work for us. Allison one might be a little too funk for some of the band right enough but again we could dampen it down to a more blues feel funk. Liking the suggestions so far tho. Dave

1st bass was a Columbas Jazz copy in mid 70's and my mate still has it and his daughter learned bass with it and has now moved onto Overwater.

My 1st ever single was EP called All My Loving in 1963 when i was only 3 yrs old. I still have that single and altho i've never been a huge fan i always enjoy hearing them. Was at a 60th birthday sat night and the band was a tribute band called Thee Beatles and they were all in early to mid 20's but exceptional good and the bass player had an original Hofner bass and was left handed too. Dave

Just joined an easy going band who are covering a style that i can only describe as a sort of Funk / Blues. Only just got together before i joined so its all at an early stage. They are covering songs like :- Because of You - Robert Cray Magic has Gone - Joe Cocker All Your Love - John Mayall Big Change - Peter Green Hard To Handle - Commitments Tightrope - Stevie Ray Vaughan Long Train Running - Doobies Its not my usual style of music but i'm really enjoying the feel of it. I don't have a great knowledge of bands doing this kind of material so was looking for some other ideas for songs that would suit the above style. Any suggestions or ideas welcome ? Dave

Think it would depend on the drummer involved. Some drummers can re-catch the beat on their own and others need the help of the band to adjust to them. It would also depend on length of the gap too. A very slight pace change is easy to sort but dropping a stick or mental pause can be bit longer and more difficult to hide. I've had to adapt to both and can't say its ever really bothered me too much. I've played with a lot of drummers over the years and like every band member they occasionally make the odd blooper but then again don't we all Dave

I was asked to learn that few yrs ago and got the basic feel of the song down first and then worked on the fills that Neil puts in. There is a live VID on youtube somewhere with Neil playing a Kramer and you can pick out the fills very clearly. Sometimes the studio versions can have the fills yet when the guys play live they miss out the very techy bits but not Mr Murray. He does it all live and sometimes adds little extra bits. I have to say i am a big fan of his and he was a huge influence for me along with Jack Bruce. I used the tabs that someone provided earlier in the post. The biggest prob i found was that the fills change through the song so its not easy to remember what fill goes where altho most people would never really notice. Even bassists probably wouldn't pick up on that if they were in the audience that night but def a great song to get right and i just loved playing it. Wishing you all the very best with it and hope it all eventually just falls into place for you. Dave

I had my custom done by Overwater and as previously stated they kept me updated with regular calls or emails and invited me to see the bass in progress as i'm only 1hr drive from them. Took almost exactly time they said it would and that's why i'm a bit confused and angered by Zon's lack of management in this. Whether or not he's a one man band which he obviously isn't as he has support staff like a sales manager there should be regular updates even if its only when requested. An email to them every 6 - 8 weeks is quite lax for me. I would be at them as a minimum monthly. Also i don't fully understand why a luthier cannot get the timescale correct for any bass. Maybe few weeks out but months is not acceptable. He should know exactly how long a bass will take to build. If there are delays from suppliers ie Bartolini or whatever then you should automatically be informed. If its a small business as people have mentioned then basses should be easy to track and customers kept updated. No company is that busy to avoid keeping their paying customers informed. I love the look of the Zon basses and is probably one i would still like to own but this kind of thing certainly puts me off buying new. If Zon want to keep their sales up then they need to conform to an acceptable level of customer service. They are a reputable company and i believe you will get your bass in the end but a few email updates from them would certainly help smooth things along and put their customers at ease. Pretty disappointed after readaing this. Dave

Agree with almost everything apart from volume issues. Some drummers just cannot control how hard they hit a drum yet others are far more versatile players and can adapt to a certain degree. I've just ordered set of ACS earplugs mainly because the drummers i currently play with are too loud. That's my only criticism really. As for helping set up and strip down and loading and unloading its always been all hands on deck and you lift whatever is needed to get the job done quickly. Usually the most experienced stays in van and does the packing where required and rest of band humph the gear. Dave

Probably quite a few but 2 that stand out for me is the bass riff from mid section of Tom Sawyer by Rush. Just a catchy little riff that sounds great at that particular section of the song and then there's the bass line from Elton Johns Nikita which just has a nice mid punch and gorgeous tone. Not even sure if it is a bass or a bass synth but i like it. Dave

I've just ordered a set of the Pro 17's. Appointment for impressions at Boots on Thu morning. ACS state the 17's are more suited to amplified music and have a flatter overall db cut but note that some of you guys have been using the 10's or 15's which show on their graphs as cutting more of the high end along with the overall reduction. Have i ordered the wrong thing ? At £139 i want to make sure i've bought the right filter. Dave

I've got the Gruvgear strap with the loop end to fit over the top horn. There are VIDS on youtube showing the cross strap. The straps are quite thick leather but think the cross strap is a thinner manufactured material. Not sure if you will get both straps over the standard pins. Try fitting both ends of your existing strap over the one pin. If doesn't fit then you would need to get the recomended strap pins that cater for thicker straps. Other than that the double strap works well. I only use it when my shoulder starts to ache. Most times i leave it hanging down the back. The other thing to note is that the standard strap supplied is pretty short and my bass was sitting far higher than i normally use. I like the centre line of my bass to sit approx just above waist or belt line. With the standard strap it was sitting more low chest level Mark King kinda thing. The extended strap and the cross strap are not available in UK as far as i could find and suppliers are waiting on stock from US. I used a cheap leather belt cut to an extended 4" to get my normal length making the holes identical distances to the original strap. Not sure if you can buy the strap as an extended strap direct from Gruv gear ?? One other thing i have found is that i was using a wider well known gel filled strap and was getting aches in my shoulder and chest area along with pins and needles in my arm at times of extended playing. When i started using the Gruvgear as a single strap i found the issues disappeared and have since started using my older standard width leather straps altho they are cushion filled and no more probs unless i'm standing for 3 hrs or more at rehearsals without break. Myabe worth some trials before spending that kind of money. Try using 2 cheap thin straps on same pins to see if it helps. Dave

I'm looking for a set for my Dingwall fan fret but they don't do them. Bass Direct are showing out of stock for 5 stringers. Anyone out there any suggestions for alternatives Dave

I do a combination of few things. Usually i will jot down a few basic musical notes and approx timing to remind me till i get home and then i will write it out properly at home. Sometimes i will record it on my zoom till i get home

Jazz influenced Rock Bassist

My Warwick Thumb 89 and my Overwater custom fretless 6. All my other basses could be easily replaced off the shelf. Dave

Only buy it if i'm looking for new gear and want to read reviews normally i would take on holiday for a light read.

Hope you get your gear back and the police get the B's that stole it. My sympathy to you mate. Dave

I chose Overwater for my 50th pressie for several reasons. They had a reasonably long history that i've followed since 80's and they were getting fantastic reviews at the time i was looking. Another important altho not major factor was they were only 1hrs drive from me. That was more a bonus than a deciding factor. I did look at ACG at that time as they are also very close to me but didn't appear to have the same history with bass building as Overwater. I hadn't really heard much of them up to that point however i have seen them at Moffat Bass Bash and am very impressed by them. SEI were a bit too far from me in event i needed to visit the workshop to discuss my requirements and in event anything went wrong after buying. Because Overwater were so close to me i was able to attend the workshop on several occasions from initial discussion with Chris to determine my needs. Chris was hugely helpful in explaining how the different woods might affect the sound and weight and we agreed on best way forward. All in all it was an expensive bass but i would have no hesitation in going back to Overwater if i were to buy another custom bass. I would however look at ACG mainly because i have been quite impressed by them also. The only minor change i had to make on my Overwater during build was that i like smooth or rounded fretboard edges and Chris made sure it was finished with a rounded edge. All done and sorted. Dave

Ordered a gift voucher from Strings Direct today but there was a problem with the automatic ordering for what i was looking for. They were unable to resolve today and are sending me hard copies in post plus they added another £5 to the value free of charge. Would have to say Sam at Strings Direct was excellent and kept me informed of what they were doing to resolve the software glitch. Excellent service from an already great supplier Dave