tauzero

Between four and six strings? Obviously doesn't get out enough. And as for "Just like you need a special electric guitar to play metal, you need a special bass to play in a metal band." - no you don't. It's a bass. It sounds like a bass. A bass in a metal band sounds like a bass. Oh, and "If you want to go even further, you might want to consider Warwick, Spector or Lakland. These are American brands that are not as popular as the ones listed above" - has anybody told Warwick that they've moved continents?

When you haven't got a lot of room on stage, the fact that you've got no lead to tread on is an even greater benefit than on a big stage.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1443133106' post='2872622'] My wife has a Bay City Rollers scarf. [/quote]I have two Gary Glitter scarves. And a Gary Glitter album. Well, they literally turned Fred West's house to dust to prevent souvenir collectors from collecting, so there's always a chance the market will rise.

If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1443010797' post='2871404'] The Rugby World Cup has pushed our start time back to 11 pm this Saturday. Finish at 2!! [/quote] It's pushed the start time for two of our gigs back by two months each...

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1443018071' post='2871493'] But they did write a cheque for about £250,000 when I needed them to on another policy. [/quote] Ah, a Fodera, eh?

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1442913937' post='2870387'] Oh, and of course Clapton - however did he allow Layla to be recorded, let alone released?! [/quote] You do mean the awful acoustic version rather than the masterful electric version, don't you? David Bowie, there's another one.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1442936264' post='2870752'] A 'Face' could have been construed, back then, as a celebrity, or person of note; the folks cited were simply somewhat modest. [/quote] They were actually trying to make themselves appear as insignificant and unthreatening as possible, due to the rise in facism.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1443011651' post='2871414'] Sorry. I thought you wanted to know why he had a .ca web address and might be interested in the geography and people of that area. My mistake. [/quote] I was simply pointing out that it was quite likely that he was Canadian rather than American. But it seems that although he comes from Ontario, which is in Canada, and lives in Ontario, which is in Canada, he's not Canadian because some of Ontario overlaps with some bits of America. So does that mean that Dumfries is English, or is it that Alnwick is Scottish?

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1442997057' post='2871190'] Yeah, on DAB, tbh it's just background music but I can't say as I noticed any phone-ins. [/quote] That's because Planet Rock went all-digital, Absolute Phone-in took over the Planet Rock frequency on FM.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1443000552' post='2871231'] He is in Ontario. Just South of Detroit. He may technically live in Canada and may have a slight Canadian accent but there's no way he is a proper Canadian. I've worked in Michagan and Ontario and met a lot of people who live in that area. [/quote] Good grief, so you issue Canadian passports too? Is there no end to your authority?

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1442933786' post='2870696'] He's American. [/quote] With a .ca domain? That doesn't stand for "California".

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1442951103' post='2870928'] I've just started listening to Planet Rock again, between the hours of 2 'till 5pm.[/quote] On digital? Since it went to Absolute Music, the phone-ins get in the way of the morning music and the music itself has got a bit blander.

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1442773790' post='2869379'] thanks for the info - i like the look of the graphtech saddles - are they reversible? would need to spin two of them around as on the gotoh bridge the E and A have the long screw below the string rather than above [/quote] Do you mean reversible fore and aft or reversible top and bottom? I don't see why you shouldn't reverse them fore and aft, I'm sitting looking at a bridge with very similar Graphtech saddles on it that's waiting to go on a bass and I can't see any reason that they'd be bothered about which way the string was running over the saddle.

Very impressive piece of work.

[quote name='GrammeFriday' timestamp='1442781127' post='2869481'] Peavey Grind 6ers are ace as well, and cheap as chips used. [/quote] I would suggest that except that the string spacing is relatively narrow.

For playing at home, the Antoniotsai 5-string fretted as it's conveniently to hand (hanging on the wall) and comfortable to play sitting down (unlike the Buzzard, which is like cuddling a hedgehog). For gigging, mainly the Sei headless fretless. It lives in a case at home because Hercules wall hangers don't work with it (see also: clip-on tuners). But if there's going to be a reasonable amount of room, I'll take the Buzzard too, or if I feel like it, the Antoniotsai.

Damn you all. Now I've just found a Revelation lap steel on That Ebay for £55 new and it would have been rude not to buy it for Mrs Zero.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1442919550' post='2870473'] The other point is that the social clubs don't have a band on every week. Each week it's a different act. So you're not competing with the Karaoke, or disco, you're working alongside. If you're playing a club three times a year, you're competing with four other bands. And the likelihood is that the other bands are playing a different set (or maybe not). I can't believe anyone would go and watch solo singers singing to backing tracks week after week. Although I suspect we're looking at people who go to Spain for their holidays and read the Sun and eat fish and chips when they get there. [/quote] It used to be a live band every week. Gradually the karaoke acts have been moved in and the bands moved out. The people going to the clubs are there to meet their friends, to do bingo/raffle/members' draw/play your cards right/whatever, they're not there primarily for the band/karaoke singer. However, they do like their entertainment, and they prefer live bands to karaoke singers. The karaoke singers don't drive them away but they entertain them less.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1442861414' post='2870110'] You need silence so you can listen to the music in your head. [/quote] The voices are louder though. Radio 4 in the car - used to switch over to Planet Rock while Thought for the Day was on, but now it's Absolute Music and there's some sort of phone-in going on at that time, Radio 2 has Chris Evans so it's a bit of a lottery as to whether I'll hear some music, and BRMB is Brummies phoning in. Don't listen much at home. Mostly it's to learn stuff or see if I think it would be good for us to do (lest it be thought I have a dictatorship, we all have a say about that).

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1442873388' post='2870236'] We played an RBL club twice in six months. The second time; the committee had changed and the audience was made up of completely different people. [/quote] Well, that enormous sample size certainly blows a hole in my argument.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1442874186' post='2870243'] It's the first bit played forwards joined to the same bit played backwards. [/quote] Although when they did it live, he played the whole section including the bit that was reversed. Twice.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1442852502' post='2870012'] These threads always seem to get very polarised for some reason. I don't understand why people seem to get slightly irritated about the fact that other people really like Fender basses... and some don't. [/quote] The irritant is when the Fender fanbois start on about how no-one needs anything else, and how other musicians stop worrying when they see you've got a Fender (something I've never encountered, incidentally, all the musicians I've played with have been more concerned about whether I could play the right notes at the right time). I'm very happy for all you Fender lovers, I just wish you all understood that other people are happy with other basses and don't feel any need or desire for a Fender (or, indeed, Fender clone) and that doesn't make them bad people.

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1442848799' post='2869968'] That's it. Pretty much my reason for using a Precision. One less thing to worry about so I can enjoy playing the songs. [/quote] That's my reason for playing a bass. Stick the controls in the middle (active bass) or full chat (passive bass) and it sounds like a bass. Funnily enough, all of my basses do that. They even sound quite like a bass if I move the controls around a bit. Not like keyboards, those are a right menace. Press the wrong button and all of a sudden you're playing drums.

These are social club audiences. They're on rails on a Saturday night, and they want some decent entertainment before and after the bingo, raffle, and members' draw.