KevB

Presumably the teaspoons are like those finger extension things Tony Levin used to have on and the vole is a string dampner?

This is why I think the series/parallel switch on the S1 jazzes works well. Gives the jazz noticeably more presence in band situations.

Only just spotted this thread. I'd been planning to come down to the gig at The Greyhound in Beeston anyway, the involvement of a fellow BC'er is a bonus, will try to say hello John.

Brings back memories. One of the first proper bands I was taken on by were weekly rhearsers and had been gigging for a long time on and off. By the time I joined the main band leader had got to the point where he didn't really want to gig any more. Unfortunately he took virtually a full year of knocking a set into shape to then tell me and the rest of the band. A year of rehearsing, one unpaid gig and that was it. Then more recently I was talked into helping out on a project which seemed to constantly end up rehearsing the same 5 or 6 songs every week despite me trying to nudge things along more productively. The person that put the project together (to get himself back to full band gigging after a 12 year lay off) then came in one day and started a tirade of complaints about me and suggested we would have been gigging weeks ago if they had taken on a different bass player. I was always the first one to get any new material learned properly and found the attitude totally bafling. Quietly packed my gear away and wished him all the best before walking out. The whole project folded within days apparently. We must all have been through these things. It's just a question of how long before you think it's a lost cause.

I'm sure he's a great player and probably very nice bloke too but all that name dropping puts me off a bit, especially knowing something about the bands involved. I don't think he's on any Uriah Heep studio albums (one tour though IIRC) and his involvement with Rainbow was minimal - a few sessions which didn't end up on record and didn't tour with them to my knowledge. The Colosseum connection is more substantial by the sounds of it but I know less about them.

Still never got round to seeing them, I really should before they retire. Peggy's a bit of an underrated player, saw him several times with Tull. His son (Matt) is pretty good too.

What did they mean by 'not strong enough'? couldn't lift the PA single handedly or something? bizarre.

There is a jam session at The Greyhound in Beeston every Sunday afternoon from 3pm-7pm. You could just turn up and play 2 or 3 songs with the house band and get them to publicise the charity aspect. Tick it off as a gig and then move on to another later in the evening. Contact our own 'OutToPlayJazz' (Richard) and he can give you details.

Another fan of Guitar Pro here.

Much of what you don't enjoy about the band seems to directly or indirectly relate to the singer. If the rest of the band are feeling the same but haven't raised it yet then a change of singer might be a better option than finding a new band from scratch. If you're not enjoying the music anymore then yeah, best to quit.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' post='1132869' date='Feb 18 2011, 10:30 PM']We do Roxanne as a Bossa, makes it a different song until we throw in the original ending...at the end![/quote] Interesting you mention that - the original version of Roxanne, as being noodled around acoustically at rehearsal by Sting on guitar, was a Bossa. Summers mentioned it in a recent BBC4 doc.

Personally I'd go the 'second detuned bass' route as well. Don't know why but I think it looks more professional to slickly swap a bass for another song than retuning. No matter how fast you think you are retuning it always, from my experience as a punter, looks awkward from the audiences view.

I'm not a huge fan of the band but I think Renegade in particular gets chronically overlooked. Nice variety of styles and some great hooks.

The first I knew of Midge Ure's involvement was when I got the later live album 'Life' and noticed he was on that with a lot of other past members guesting so then checked it out.

[quote name='ezbass' post='1135445' date='Feb 21 2011, 01:38 PM']Yeah that was a disappointing show, listen to it once, never again. A talented writer, I really liked his book. As for his playing check out the outo of Madonna's Like A Prayer (album version) very nice indeed.[/quote] He's not alone though, there are plenty of guest presenters they've had on there that just don't work out. I was a bit more surprised with Pratt because his book and his stand up 'evenings with' seemed to get good reviews on the whole so expected a bit more from him. Some of the ones they have used are actually front men who should be used to articulating themselves in front of an audience but stick them on the radio and they just sound awkward. I think one of the better ones was Fish but I don't think he's done anything on there for some time.

Sometimes you don't have to see his face. I tried listening to him when he was doing a stint on Planet Rock. Just stick to playing Guy, please.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1127355' date='Feb 14 2011, 05:53 PM']Always used to park mine between the edge of the scratchplate & the body - helps if a: you play a bass with a scratchplate & b: you don't mind the plate being warped! As I got more mature & sensible, pockets seemed to work best. These days I do have a mic stand thingy, because one song requires a quick change to pick in the middle... Jon.[/quote] I do this as well (jazz and precision anyway). The plate being very slightly bent isn't a big issue for me, never lost a pick this way yet. Put them in the back pocket and they usually end up lost in the washing somewhere...

The latest in the 'Britannia' music series looks at Reggae; [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcmusic/2011/02/reggae_britannia.html"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcmusic/2011/0..._britannia.html[/url] The others in the series have been a pretty good standard so I'll probably record it. Don't know that much about reggae so will fill in some music knowledge gaps for me.

I'm obviously not very observant, it has only just ocurred to me he seems to prefer an alternative front strap button position, maybe it just suits his stance/playing style? I've not considered rics to be particularly neck heavy.

And if you want to go for more modern era blues rock types then people like Joe Bonamassa and Jeff Healy are obvious candidates.

Can't offer any personal recs re PU's, mostly people who swap them out go for pretty high end replacements to justify doing it at all. These types of threads come up often and Wizzard seem to get good reviews from others on here. Then there are things like Fralin but they would probably be out for a limited budget. How about Seymour Duncan or Dimarzio? I also picked up a Squire P special last year and thought the PU's were a bit low output too, They sound OK through a decent rig but I understand the potential problem if it wasn't the only bass being gigged on the night. I'd also like to hear others suggestions as I might upgrade mine at some point, think it was very good value (£190 delivered, brand new).

[quote name='silddx' post='1117304' date='Feb 6 2011, 02:38 AM']No-one will buy it, it's got a fish on it.[/quote] Anyone remember the Marlin Sidewinder? I recall the Marlin name was crafted into the shape of the fish, thought it looked quite cool. The only actual bass I ever tried in a shop was a bit crap though.

It's pick up only, but apparently in Nottingham. And so am I. Must resist If the price zooms up close to the end that'll stop me for sure, looks a nice rock and roll bass though.

We'd better not get you started on Status Quo then

[quote name='silddx' post='1112196' date='Feb 2 2011, 12:05 PM']Bit off beam mate, that. There are plenty of pro players on BC.[/quote] As I'm quite aware, I was simply offering opinion in regard to the OP, ie on 'really famous people' that might have other professional priorities in life. Sorry if the wording confused you. Again. Mate.