tauzero

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1450794211' post='2935935'] When I replied earlier I forgot my golden rule - is there a couple in the band? Never a good idea in my experience. [/quote] You haven't experienced my current band (me and Mrs Zero) or former club band (drummer and keyboard player) then.

I was looking into the McMillen myself and you can trigger drum sounds from it - after all, all you have to do is put the notes out on MIDI channel 10. The manual is downloadable from McMillen's website and if you check the list of presets, there's one that does drums.

You could get a Zoom B3, MS-60B, or BiON to experiment with - you can get octave up/down, other pitch shifts, chorus, overdrive, etc out of one box. Decide effects what you like the sound of and then whether you're happy with the sounds that the Zoom unit or whether you'd rather explore the world of separates in the endless quest to find the exact sound you want.

Started on guitar, joined up with three others in the hall of residence I was in to form a band, which gave us two guitarists and a third member who could switch between guitar and keyboards (and sing, talented git). So I started playing basslines on the bottom strings of the guitar and then went out and bought a bass. I did have a couple more abortive attempts to be a guitarist with a band, but finished up as a bassist full time, with the only guitaring I do being to accompany Mrs Zero in an acoustic duo, because she lets me. She might just be being kind.

Irish new band Nothing 2 were finding it hard to gain any success until they heard compatriot songstress Sinead O'Connor singing "Nothing Compares 2 U", at which point they compared Nothing to U and decided in favour of the latter.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1450362362' post='2932046'] On a guitar the right note is just a bend away from the wrong one. On a bass it's already too late [/quote] Why do you think I play fretless?

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1449127801' post='2920892'] The dancefloor ...just thinking about having to dance makes me feel uneasy... nothing ends a night out for me quicker than the mention of a dancefloor... it inevitably leads to everyone I am with dancing, and therefore me being expected to dance, even though everyone I know knows I have never and will never dance. Why do people always assume that after a lifetime of refusing to dance this time will be different? [/quote] I think you need one of these: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291172451739"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291172451739[/url]

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1450383940' post='2932330'] Was it the 2012 tour? I was staggered and I mean STAGGERED by the quality of the vocals. [/quote] For me, the thing that somewhat lets Level 42 down is Mark King's vocals. He sings perfectly well, it's just that his voice is rather bland.

The late Sonny Bono was not, in fact, the son of golden-tonsilled U2 frontman Bono. He was his father.

"Prototype Brit biker"? Don't think so somehow.

Do they do an electric one?

One that struck me greatly at the time (and the bassline is tremendous). And this is the first track off her first album, so I've got it right this time: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOqVQPq8zm8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOqVQPq8zm8[/url]

Personally, I managed to play bass for 30 years before I heard of him and still have only knowingly listened to one track by him (I will make an effort to have a listen to Hejira), so I find 'universally acclaimed' a serious case of hyperbole. And if he was so influential, why is it that you can hear tasteful fills and melodic bass lines by people like Bruce and Bolder before Jaco, but after Jaco it seems that root 8th notes became the order of the day? :-)

Another Spinal Tap here - current drummer told us yesterday he's leaving for his former band. He left them because he thought he wasn't playing well enough, we recruited him and his self confidence has improved greatly. He prefers the material the other band's doing (rather more soul than us). The drummer before him, incidentally, hadn't gigged regularly for about 20 years (did very occasional reunion gigs, less than one a year) and he very quickly got back into it.

No More Heroes

[quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1449137576' post='2920974'] I much prefer gigging on New Years Eve than going out as a punter myself. Inevitably, the most comfortable place in a manic bar or club is on the stage. That, plus the fees are usually 1.5x or 2x the standard! Looking forward to it. [/quote] Either you're getting underpaid for NYE or we're getting underpaid the rest of the year. I prefer playing to punting too. Copper Pot at Leamington Spa for us this year, following a successful Halloween there.

I managed 20 seconds of it before the vocals set my teeth so far on edge I had to stop listening.

I've played one or two. We're trying to sort a couple out for this year. Slade gets the universal thumbs up but the drummer doesn't want to do Mud's "Lonely this Christmas" which is my favourite Christmas record. He's made a counter-suggestion of Wizzard, which I loathe. Used to do a very punk version of "Silent Night". I'd like to do that again.

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1449012386' post='2920160'] The remaining guitarist is a lefty, so yep, I guess i'm gonna have a lot more space now in more ways than one! [/quote] All you need now is a headless bass and you'll have acres of room. I've got a chorus permanently on and an SVT amp sim (both in a Zoom MS-60B). Occasionally use octave down, also occasionally use octave up (all through "I love rock and roll" and for the brass bit in "Get it on", for example). Just experiment, and record yourselves so you can assess what changes you need to make, if any.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/St-Blues-Strings-And-Things-In-Memphis-Custom-P-Bass-Guitar-Headstock-PROJECT-/330911627343?hash=item4d0bdeb84f:g:Wa0AAMXQQQhRdMGB"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/St-Blues-Strings-And-Things-In-Memphis-Custom-P-Bass-Guitar-Headstock-PROJECT-/330911627343?hash=item4d0bdeb84f:g:Wa0AAMXQQQhRdMGB[/url] How could anyone resist?

A guitar inspired by Pablo Picasso, who designed such instruments as this: However, Picasso was a drummer, not a guitarist, which explains a lot.

With a former band, the guitarist/singer always put an encore on the set list (well, you should be prepared), and always insisted on playing it, regardless of the reception we got. My current policy is to have an encore number lined up. If it doesn't look like we'll get an encore, then we either play it as the last number of the set (we have got other songs just in case we get asked for an unexpected encore) or leave it out.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1448214408' post='2913727'] "[font=Arial][size=2]the price may appear slightly high to some folks but it is right on the money, I have just sold a pair of effects send-return cables for $4500 to give you a price guide,[/size][/font]" [/quote] Although that wasn't on Ebay.

I see 14 of us are still watching it in horrified fascination.

Fret markers are FretFX, as can be seen in the photo three from the end. If it was in the UK and about half the price, I'd be very tempted.