Roland Rock

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1361057756' post='1980602'] "Clap on! Clap off!" If only it were that easy ... best, bert [/quote] This seems as good a thread as any: Why are you called Bass Tractor? Are basses and tractors your thing? Do you play bass while operating heavy machinery? (I hope not) Is your real name Robert, Hubert or Egbert? If English is not your first language, please may I compliment you on your incredible grasp of it; you seem to be able to express yourself, whether it be humour or viewpoint, effortlessly.

This came up last month http://basschat.co.uk/topic/195848-paying-for-music-or-not/page__hl__downloading The odd cheeky CD or file share aside, I think that putting this viewpoint to a forum of musicians is like preaching to the converted :-)

Ben Folds Five?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1361050989' post='1980516'] Given that my Thumb NT 4 weighs more than my mate's Stingray 5 I shudder to think what it would be like with just one cutaway... [/quote] Sorry, I was referring neck dive, in that the strap button on the SC is around the 13th fret. But yes, all the more weight!

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1361044570' post='1980382'] Apart from physical damage (e.g. drinks spillage etc) what is the actual risk with sharing gear? Assuming you have cabs rated to take the full whack from your amp, what can someone actually do that will cause damage? Surely people don't use stuff that is so delicate? [/quote] Exactly. People seem to be worried about clipping - does this do damage or just sound bad? People can crank the gain as much as they like on mine, it loves it! On the subject of pre-arranging gear share, Facebook is great for this, just pop a message on their fb page. Much more effective than relying on promoters.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1361042481' post='1980342'] All those saying they don't lend or borrow rigs obviously don't play at the lower end of the originals bands circuit. For a start most of the time the stage area is tiny with little space left once you've got a drum kit and 2-3 sets of amps up there. Stick another band's amps in front and they are left perched on the edge of the stage. Add a third band and it's simply not going to happen. Also at a lot of the venues there isn't anywhere off-stage to store gear that isn't being used at the moment. And when you've got a maximum of 30 minutes turn around time between bands, it's just not practical to swap over more than drum breakables and maybe one guitar amp. No matter how well rehearsed your band are at doing this you have to assume that the band on before will be terrible at getting their stuff off stage. Remember that it's all about entertaining the audience. You need to get set up and playing as quickly as you can. And TBH even though a lot of the band we play with (and indeed ourselves) have a fairly "energetic" on-stage presence, everyone is pleasant and helpful when it comes to making sure that the evening goes well for both those playing and those listening. [/quote] This is my experience too. Any advantages of refusing to share gear are hugely outweighed by the hassle that this causes imo

[quote name='cloudburst' timestamp='1360879298' post='1977937'] Welcome from another Northern Irelander. CB [/quote] And another :-)

I'd imagine the Thumb SC is better in this regard. Aesthetically an acquired taste though.

I only caught the guys from Squeeze doing PPM, and to be honest though it was mediocre. Thanks for the recommendations for the others though, I love Beverley Knight's singing and energy.

I've seen this done without horns, and it still sounded great. http://youtube.com/watch?v=6QYbZsBPawI

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1360964771' post='1979292'] I like gear share gigs. It is easier for the engineers, the changeover times etc. etc. The worst experience I ever had with a gear share was last year at a festival, I lugged my amp all the way from the car park across fields of mud (having been told there was no backline, fair enough, that's why I bought a tiny amp that is nice and easy to carry) since the "roads" between stage areas were now just bogs. I got there dragged my little amp on stage, and began to hook it up, when the lovely sound guy pointed at an ampeg 6x10 and Orange Bass Terror on the stage and said "do you not want to use that then mate?" to which I obviously said, "by golly yes I would." I then lugged the bloody thing all the way back to the car park, and didn't use it, got it spattered with mud, and gave myself a backache for absolutely nothing. Bugger. BTW, if I am ever in an amp-share with you, do not be afraid, I rarely touch the controls, as long as I can hear it, I let the sound guy do the tone twiddling, as my bass tends to sound the same whatever rig it goes through. [/quote] Hah, yes, I've had similar, where the venue manager said bring your own backline, then as soon as I've lugged my rig up all the stairs, the headline band finish sound checking and say "feel free to use our backline". A frustrating lack of communication. Although I respect that people have the right to say no, I still think that it's being a bit petty and precious, not in the spirit of the 'musician community' of which I feel a part. But then, I've never had a bad experience with gear share. I'm perfectly happy to let people share my rig - other than spilling a pint on it or switching the impedance switch on the back, I don't see that they can do much harm.

I had that book, and thought it was great. A nice mixture of information and music, and overall a lovely tribute to Jamerson by many great bass players. If I remember correctly, it doesn't contain tab, so if you don't read music, this is good motivation to learn!

I found the transition pretty easy. Like others have said, give it a week or so and you'll stop hitting the B instead of the E. I don't agree with the 'use it as a thumb rest until you need the extra range' though - use that extra string to make life easier on yourself!

Do you play blues rock? :-D Sounds great. I love blues, but it seems every time you go to a blues jam, you're subjected to endless rock-out solos. Good on you for making a stand! Alas I'm committed to another band, but good luck with yours.

Great customer service. Nice one Orange. Glad you're getting it sorted. Btw, is it under warranty?

Mine are all woodwork related, as that's my day job. The worst was getting my thumb trapped in a thicknesser (thankfully not the sharp bit!) - it took a month or so to get the feeling back into my thumb. When a Japanese saw sprang away from the wood and onto my knuckle, it swole up a treat. It was the index finger of the left hand, so I had a fun couple of weeks fretting without using the index finger. Could have been much worse!

A sasquatch of bassists A clunge of bassists

I never approach others at gigs re gear, but will usually have a nosey glance. My amp is pretty unique and always gets comments. Since using my Ergon, I've been approached quite a bit by people asking what it is and complimenting the looks and tone.

That looks great! I refinished my 78P in Capri Orange a couple of years back, love it! It had already been stripped back to the bare ash by a previous owner, so grain filling was the fun part.

I don't get it. Was it the soapy t*t w**k comment? Has Bilbo never had one? ;-)

[quote name='Perennial' timestamp='1360681692' post='1974521'] Wow that was great. I usually avoid the Lennon solo stuff but this was interesting. A little Zappa. [/quote] Isn't that the version off the White album, ie The Beatles rather than solo John? The YT description is quite misleading Agreed though, fantastic song

This is one of my favourites. This could almost be a Chemical Brothers song. How's that for innovative and influential http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjcPS4ekOA

Our singer is not as short as she looks in that pic - she's just flanked by two tall chaps.

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1360658883' post='1973987'] [b]WARNING: NO FENDER CONTENT[/b] Something like this [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/196092-my-first-acg/page__p__1927622__hl__new%20acg__fromsearch__1#entry1927622"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry1927622[/url] [/quote] I'd say that's stretching it a bit to say that looks like a P - isn't that a J Type? I'd love to try a Pino Sig, and am also drawn towards the Dingwall Super P

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1360596602' post='1973003'] This thread does seem unnecessary really. [/quote] Of course I don't like to make anyone upset, but I don't feel too guilty when I remember how I was made to feel in the shop. I don't think I'm being overly sensitive, and can handle being left to my own devices, but I felt that this was verging on disdain and rudeness. Although my OP was a mild rant, I've found the subsequent thread very interesting in terms of what different people like from the staff when browsing. Also, I hope that it illustrates to owners what kind of people they need to represent their business. I haven't had experience of Bass Direct, but hear great things, and all of my correspondence from Bass Gear has been superbly helpful. If I was in the market for a £2000 bass, I'd look there first and get the best of both worlds.