dmccombe7

I envy musicians that can remember loads of songs and able to recall them at short notice. Because of my job in engineering i've always solved a problem and moved onto the next problem and the last problem was forgotten. My learning technique for songs is just the same. I learn songs for a band and when i leave that band the songs are pushed back into the back of my mind under forgotten files I seem to be limited to my current set lists and trying to remember songs from previous bands i just struggle with. Dave

Nice Daryl, How did the gigs go this weekend. ? I do bar gigs with the punk covers band and clubs and larger rock venues with the Glam covers band. Hoping to move the Glam show into the Theatre gigs next year as demand is getting better every gig. Dave

Chocolate Starfish is a new one on me. Made me laugh. Dave

For the punk covers band i have to learn :- 1. Nobody's Hero - SLF 2. Gotta Getaway - SLF 3. Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol All great songs. I do enjoy the SLF songs as the bass player is pretty good. Dave

You have the best of both worlds Pete. Think the ELO band is more suited to Theatre style venues. Just seems right. Dave

Pete's band are at the top of their game and playing some of the best gigs in UK. Afraid the rest of us are doing similar things to you Daryl. Other than the HD Museum of course you lucky sod Dave

That Bongo was the first thing i clocked when looking at that pic too. Gorgeous looking bass. Dave

Gotcha i can see how that sucked. (thats me using American twang to put you at ease there Daryl 😀) Sure you'll bounce back next one. Dave

I used to think that when i was younger but work and life took priority for me and i only played at home for about 20 yrs and even then it was only occasionally maybe once or twice a week. Sold all my gear apart from my Warwick Thumb and an old HH amp and a 210 custom cab. Have to say it never really bothered me too much that i wasn't in a band or gigging, it was just the way things developed. Not planned in any way. I also had a 2 period when i was around 22-24 where i only practiced rather than bands. I much preferred learning Jazz Rock styles like Percy Jones, Jeff Berlin, Richard Sinclair and some others. The positive from that period was i developed a lot of styles that no-one else locally was doing and a few bands asked me to join from pop to prog and finally settling on Southern Rock style band would you believe mainly because it was just so easy to play and great fun and i could just pose on stage. Happy Days. Dave

I've had gigs with both bands that i thought weren't working whether that was the on stage tone, making mistakes, lack of a decent sized audience to encourage you, lack of dancers but at the end of the songs we get good applause and good feedback at end of the night. What was it that made you feel it wasn't a good gig ? Anything specific or just a combination of little things. ? Dave

Ouch sorry to hear Daryl. Sometimes it happens. Forget it and move on to next great gig. Dave

Def this, the perfect response. Dave

We do Waterloo in the Glam covers band and like you i had no idea how good the bass lines were until trying them. One of my fav songs to play in the set. Don't think the band were given the credit they deserved. Dave

Love this. Not your original choice of music to listen to but just great fun to play. I'd have this over playing boring songs that i might listen too at home. Dave

Great band. Have the greatest hits CD and enjoy it a lot. I remember the singles back in 70's and always enjoyed hearing them on the radio. Dave

She never got over her sons suicide at 17 yrs old. Such a sad sad story. So talented and different from the usual run of the mill writers. Dave

I started playing again after 18yrs away at ripe old age of 52 and i've never been busier. Currently in 2 bands. A 70's Glam Rock covers band and the other a classic 70's Punk covers band. I started off with a Deep Purple tribute band i found thru Join My Band and have used Bandmix and even Gumtree for local bands looking for a bass player. From there it was more word of mouth thru people i've met doing the tribute circuits. I'm now 63 and loving the fact i'm having good success with the Glam band and the Punk band is ticking over to fill in the gaps. Not out every weekend but its slowly getting closer to that. Have some weekends where i'm doing 2 gigs but we try to avoid that. You need to make the effort to seek out bands looking for a bass player. Its easier if the band is already formed but starting from scratch still works but takes a bit longer to get out gigging if everyone has to learn the full set list. My advice is have a look at Join My Band, Bandmix, Gumtree and even Facebook has a musicians wanted page now. Good luck with it but if you put the effort in the rewards will come. Most of all you need to enjoy the band you're in. Don't just settle for the first band. Use it to get experience and get known. If you are good, reliable and a likeable personality bands will be keen to take you on. Dave, EDIT :- one thing i forgot to mention is that in the last 11 yrs i've taken on any kind of music from Rock, Blues, Funk Rock, Celtic rock, pop, tributes up to my current Glam and Punk bands. My background is Heavy Rock / Prog and never thought i would play in a punk band but its really exciting and powerful and a lot harder than many would expect. For me that was all experience and helped me become a better player.

1st time was fairly quiet on a Sat night but the staff said it was same every weekend. This time it was pretty full which made all the difference. Have to say i enjoyed this one a lot. Easy load in from side door car park too. To be honest i don't really get much time to talk with people as we can't really mingle between sets with the gear changes taking up our break at some venues. Did get a lot of requests for pics with the band at end of the show which was a really nice end to a great day out. All that and finished at 6pm loaded by 7pm and home for 9pm via kebab shop. What more do you need from a gig other than paid too. Dave

Spot on. 2nd time we've played there. Dave

Just a wee update after using the SVT7 Pro at our Glam Rock covers gig on Sun afternoon. The amp worked perfectly all day. The tone was a bit boomy on stage even using the gramma pad but that was same last time i played here with the Handbox. On hearing the vids the bass sounded like an Ampeg with that warm depth but nice and clear. Have to say i was very pleased with it. I had the amp set as follows. Gain 12 o'clock, Comp at 10 o'clock, Bass at 2, Mid at 1 on setting 3, treble 12 and master at 10-11 o'clock. Amp still had a fair bit of headroom. Using my Mesa Subway 210 and 115 cabs. Sandberg VM4 all EQ flat. I found it a lot faster response than my other amps and putting that down to having just one pre-amp valve and being class D. Like all class D amps i've had or tried they are very sensitive to string noise and i had to adapt my technique slightly for that, which wasn't much of an issue to be honest. Feedback from audience and other band members was extremely positive and they all said the bass sounded clearer but still retaining the depth. Having listened to various mobile vids i have to agree the bass sounded like "tone in my head" as Ampeg say. All in all a good buy and i think the Mesa TT800 is no longer a definite. I'm liking the tone that much i may another one as my back up and get rid of my Markbass and possibly my Handbox or Mesa Mpulse but will give it a few more gigs before any rash decisions. Will be good to hear it with my punk covers band and my MarloweDK. Many thanks to @Berserker for selling it and making the transaction so easy. Dave

The early models had some issues but it was narrowed down to a microchip not being up to the job and i believe they were upgraded. The newer revised models came with the upgrades. The early ones being around 2011-2013 i think. This one is a 2019 model. Not heard any bad reports of the more recent amps. Dave

Some short 30 sec vid clips appeared on FB from Sat night first set. Not sure if this will load but will try http://www.facebook.com/1647406946/videos/823100932532968/ http://www.facebook.com/1647406946/videos/pcb.10227970050870430/216309024307924 http://www.facebook.com/1647406946/videos/pcb.10227970050870430/587917856866745

Where or how did you get them ? Not so much for my current Sandbergs but i have an Overwater i would like to try something else. ? Plus i might pick up a 2nd hand VM4 and change that out just to hear the difference. I do love my Sandbergs and i'm not usually someone that changes things on a bass as i buy a bass that suits what i'm doing at the time but Berg build quality is top notch but the pick ups are the weak point for me. Not that they're bad just a little too clean but at the end of the day they work well in a live situation so maybe i'm just being a tad over-critical. i'd like a warmer tone from the P pick up and a more aggressive tone from the Humbucker just to see how it sounded. Dave

I might buy 2nd hand tho. That doesn't count Dave

BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band at Methil ex-services club this afternoon 3-6pm. Gig was very busy and a great enthusiastic crowd who were well up for dancing. We had people travel down from Dundee, up from Kilmarnock and some even came over from Dunoon. We also had a few Americans in the audience and they all loved it. Lots of folks wanting pics with the band with all the gear on at the end which is always nice. Had a few people tell me that was the best band that's ever played in the club with one guy saying its the best band he's ever seen. Not sure how much drink was involved but i'm taking all comments Used the new Ampeg SCT7 Pro for the first time and i sounded great. Pretty loud amp. Feedback from people who know me said the bass sounded clearer than the Handbox WB-100 but that's fine and i quite liked the sharper, faster sound i had thru my Mesa 210 & 115 Cabs. Used the Sandberg VM4 today as always. Home by 9pm via kebab shop of course. Only pic i have at the moment is one taken by the singer of our dancers on one half of the floor. Dave