dmccombe7

Got a Blue Angels gig tonight with the punk band Emergency Exit so that'll be interesting as always. At least its not pissing down and blowing a gale like the other times i've played there. The very small stage area is right next to front door and every time the door opened throughout the night i got an icy blast on my neck. It got so bad i put my hoodie on last time i was there. I was absolutely frozen down my left side. Its not like you can complain to them Dave

Looks like a decent size stage their Mart. Nice one. Dave

that's made my morning. Still laughing as i type this. Dave

I think i'm ok at what i do. I get comments at gigs about being good but i tend to think that its more down to being fluent rather than fast or showing off. Most bands i play in say my selling point is i learn songs note for note and they like that. They generally rely on me knowing the song inside out when we start rehearsing and i am usually asked how a certain part goes. Our new-ish guitarist told me last year that in many yrs of playing a certain Xmas song in Glam covers bands i'm the first bassist to actually play it correctly and he hasn't had to explain how to play it. I'm not a flash slappy type bassist, i just play what i'm asked and can keep a steady pace thru songs. I do love picking songs out by Jeff Berlin and learning little bits of them just for my own benefit. Not so much recently as i've backed off with my aggressive finger plucking but many bands liked the attack i managed to put into a rock song but the blisters were getting too much for me and i struggled doing 2 gigs in a row over a weekend. Now i play lighter in the Glam band but still like a bit of aggression in the punk band. I do have to watch what i'm doing when i have 2 gigs in a weekend I've been to bass bashes and watched some amazingly talented players way better than i'll ever be. I just don't do solos and get embarrassed doing them even in bass shops when trying out a new bass. I'll just play basic stuff in shops with a very occasional fasty bit. I guess i'm your typical shy bass player. Dave

I did read somewhere about a guy that has had many Stingray's over the years but since buying the Central he's a convert so that kinda said it all to me. I tried a few MM basses years ago and couldn't take to the neck. I love my VM4 and Marlowe basses and the quality is 2nd to none for me. I do quite fancy the natural Central that someone posted further back on this thread. Look forward to reading the follow up to your question. Dave

I've played it a couple of times at jam sessions back in 80's but not recently. I've not even heard a covers band do that one in many years. I always found the first verse bassline very tricky 😁 Dave

Smoke machine always on the floor when i use them. Usually i try to keep it out of sight. Find out where any draughts are coming from and position it to blow across the stage. With our Glam band wearing costumes and wigs we tend to have large fans at each end of the stage so a smoke machine just doesn't work very well. Dave

Check the smoke nozzle Daryl. If it's oil based it'll have oil residue on the nozzle. If its water based it will be dry. If it's oil based make sure not to point it towards anyone's gear as it will leave a residue on the gear. Played a gig a few years ago and their smoke machine was oil based and it was right in front of my pedal board. I had to clean the full board when i got it home. I didn't spot it until we were all set up and they fired it up. Dave

the gift that never stops giving Dave

The newer water based smoke machines shouldn't cause you any probs. I know the older oil based ones used to leave a coating of oil on anything near the smoke outlet but the new ones don't do that. Its more a water vapour. I have 2 smoke machines using water based fluid and our singers have no issues with them but to be fair i've not used them much in past few years. Maybe i should fire them up again. Dave

Gorgeous basses. Unusual bass rig set up too. Do you use both amps at same time or is one just a back up. ? Had a Streamliner 600 years ago when they first came out. Wish i had kept it. Dave

Just home from a Blockbustarz Glam rock covers show at Longstone Hearts Club in Edinburgh. Not a big venue and we were told we could use the house PA so that was good altho it wasn't the best of gear but we managed to sort it out enough that we could carry on with the show. Originally we had terrible feedback and the tone was weak and thin. Its at this point i wish we had just brought our own rather than faffing about with strange PA's Anyway it turned out to be a fantastic night. Sold Out too plus we are back early December. Fair bit of dancing thru the evening and exceptionally good feedback. My fav from a fellow bassist telling me he plays bass in a 3 piece band but "i was absolutely fecking brilliant and the star of the show for him" That made me happy but general feedback is that everyone is now booking tickets for the Dec Xmas show at the venue. Stage was small and we weren't able to move about much. Changing room was a managers office where security cameras are fed to. We were on TV They were that impressed the organiser said they would add another £100 onto our Dec fee because they were so impressed. Now you don't get that very often. No pics or vids as yet Using my Sandberg VM4 into Ampeg SVT7 Pro and my Mesa cabs. Shure wireless and an EBS envelope filter for Virginia Plain mid section. Dave

Great pic Daryl. Dave

Onto Ampeg these days Mart but still got old faithful Mpulse. Dave

Will need to try that Mart. Dave

100% agree a little courtesy and helpful advice would have gone a long way. I just don't understand all of this. They sell bass gear but being nice to bassists who are customers shouldn't even be something we are discussing here. Its a given as far as i'm concerned. Such a shame and a worry to be hearing all these shocking stories. I'll still use BD as my first port of call until i get any sign of a poor response and that will put me off using any shop again. Dave

I was down that way on Sunday at Retford during the day and A1 was closed just after i was leaving for Worksop. Scary when a main road is closed. I had no idea England got the storm so bad but you could see the flooded fields each side of the A1 in that area. Well done with the gig under those circumstances. Dave

Sounds like its been taken on board and hopefully all will be better in future. Some valid points made by Marcus even tho it all now falls on Mark's shoulders as to why its not working. I guess it must be difficult for an owner to relinquish some responsibility and ownership. Its usually my first port of call when looking for new gear. Dave

I thought it was Marcus that left to work for Simms / Enfield as his girlfriend was the daughter of the owner. Sounds like i might be wrong if people are still dealing with Marcus at BD. Dave

I guess that's the same in any workplace. I've experienced bad atmospheres in jobs and was glad to move on or retire early in my case. Was glad to see the back of it after 40yrs but i never let it show to customers. Dave

Nope if you work in any shop you need to put customer satisfaction first and foremost. If you can't do that you really shouldn't be working in a shop. It may well be frustrating but most shops of any kind probably have the same issues. I worked in chemical and gas industry and our customers always came first. No matter what their query was you needed to bend over backwards to keep them satisfied. When you've dealt with the electronics giants like Motorola and NEC they can be be very picky and think everything going wrong in their yield is your fault and you need to prove them wrong. If you want to keep the money coming in you have to accept the issues that arise from your customers. As much as i appreciate working in a shop of any kind is not the best paid job in the world but surely its a work ethic that counts and makes you want to do the best you can. I'm exactly the same with my bands. I put in 100% in everything i do to ensure my customers get a good show when they've paid out decent money for a ticket. Dave

Love it. I like your sense of humour. Dave

Its not as if you were buying a £150 cheapo bass either so its a bit worrying that someone treats you like that. If you dont want to be pleasant and help people then working in any shop is not for you. IMO Shame and sorry to hear this kind of thing. More recently i've just bought on line from Guitar Guitar or Andertons. I do like Andertons to be honest. I've had good dealings with them and they are usually quick to respond to any questions. Dave

When i drove down to the shop approx 450 miles round trip the guy in the shop wasn't overly interested but Mark appeared and all was great from there on in. The first guy left to work for Simms i think. I now prefer to talk with Mark when i call, not that i buy lots of gear but when i do i get fantastic service from BD. I've been to other shops and no-one takes any interest in you and i walk around for a bit looking at expensive basses and nope......no response from sales staff so i just leave and buy on-line. Guitar Guitar in Glasgow has been ok in the bass department and usually they guy is over and asks if they can help and if not right away just shout over if i need anything or have any questions. I like that attitude. I hate when i ask to try a bass and the sales guy takes it down plugs into his preferred amp and continues to play the bass and attempt to show off all the while i am standing there knowing my wife will be wondering where i am. One time i waited till the sales guy had stopped showing off and said "yep it sounds wonderful but my wife is waiting on me and i now need to go". Never got a chance to play that bass at all. I did laugh but he was playing poor slap bass for approx 10 mins while i was standing there. I'm 63 yrs old been playing bass for 45 yrs and know my way around a bass. I don't need some young show off trying to impress everyone in the shop. I've even waited and when i eventually got the bass to try myself i'll play something like "Little Old Wine Drinker Me" 2 notes to a bar stuff. You should see the look on their faces. Dave

I usually help drummer in with his gear and let him get started. While he's setting up his drums i'll rig up the PA cabs and lights. Drummer runs the desk so he sets the desk up. I run in mic cables etc. Once PA cabs in place i'll set up my own bass rig which only takes me a few minutes. At end of the gig i pack away my own gear first and then strip PA down and pack away while drummer packs his drums away. I'll then give him a ahand to load his drums etc into his car. To be fair we all work that way in both my bands so that everyone leaves the gig at same time except our guitarist in Glam band as he normally has further to drive than us lot and we tell him to head off as soon as he's loaded up. Most gigs he'll stay and help pack drums, lights and PA gear so its all very friendly and helpful. Dave