grandad

What do people think? What do you use if you're in a similar group? Jazz quartet - I use a TC BH250 into a BF One10. Also have a TC BC250-208. Both suited fine. Small & lightweight.

I love playing instrumentals. In my previous band we would always include several Shadows' numbers and also a couple of Ventures'. Riders In The Sky, Apache, FBI, Walk Don't Run, Perfidia, Sleepwalk, Blue Star, Nivram, Gonzales, etc. 1961 and I was 13 years old when the 'big' Xmas present was a Portadyne record player and The Shadows 1st LP. It got played to death. My brother still has it.

Every couple of weeks I play through my old Peavey SS head into an Ampeg 115, (I leave them at the community centre for all to use in the music club). Just dipping the mids a bit it gives a full, warm sound with plenty of authority. The tone controls are effective but gentle to use and give a "softer" sound through the 115. My gig & home rig is now a TC BH250, (class D), into 1 or 2 BF One10s. It took a short while to get used to the more effective/sensitive tone controls which provide a wider choice of sound. The One10s I would say are very articulate and can be punchy. So maybe some of the difference I found had to do with passive versus active tone circuitry. Can't say I regret the change to class D least of all for the size & weight.

It varies. Some tunes, (usually those stuck in memory from my youth), I'll never forget. New stuff I often can't remember from one day to the next. I do like to have the music in front of me now.

Finished reading it although I admit to speed-reading much due to my mental fatigue induced by the writer's verbosity. However, the final chapter is a redeeming factor and I might go back and start again at a later date. I may have been predisposed in my judgement as I was/am not enthused by the accompanying glam & hype - tinsel and sparkle attempting to dress up musical trivia . I know I tend to be quick to dismiss but I have said I'll try another read later. My apologies to fans of Bowie, Bolan and the like.

From my daughter. I've managed to get to page 15 as I can only stomach about 3 or 4 pages at a time. The author is such a sycophant. Why the biographers attempt to elevate the subject of their efforts to messianic height I know not. I shall however persevere. I do enjoy biographies of singers and there are many very well written and researched works that are well worth reading. A number of these I keep on my shelf to pick up again. 484 pages - oh dear!

My search for an easier carry led me to a TCE BG250-208. Such a simple convenient little combo. I liked the amp so much with the Spectracomp loaded that I bought the BH250 head and then a BF One10 should I need a little more power/low end. Both are lightweight and small footprint.

I have a BH250 and loaded spectracomp via USB from my laptop by following the instructions in the user manual. Worked 1st time no problem. Have you got the manual?

In the bleak mid-winter Frosty wind made moan Earth stood hard as iron Water like a stone Snow had fallen snow Snow snow on snow In the bleak mid-winter Long long ago etc. There, that's cheered everyone up!

Just listened to 'Rule The World' by Take That. I have to work out a suitable bass line for an instrumental and also a vocal version for my quartet of sax, trumpet, rhythm & bass. The original seems very well produced and multi-layered and not much help as our arrangement will be very different obviously. This happens with a lot of tunes we do.

I moved to medium scale and short scale some years ago. I tend to favour my Squier Mustang. I think I'm getting a bit lazy in my dotage and find it easy on the left hand plus it's relatively light weight. Flats of course. It's very comfortable to play seated and I've discovered no dead frets. The narrow string spacing may not suit everyone.

1st tune, at practice or performance is usually Blue Monk.

It's a minefield but my advice comes from several years and many £s of running the PA for my previous weekend warrior band. 1st thing is how big, how much power do you need? It sounds like a small/medium would be suitable. 2nd question is - active or passive speakers? I've used both and sound-wise had good results from both. I prefer passive speakers as it means simpler cabling and all controls in 1 place. For your stated use I would say something like the Stagepas 600i would be ideal.

I think the tort pick-guard carries the dark colour of the neck through to the body and contrasts against the pink and chrome to make a very individual looking bass.

Who Are The Brain Police was a track on the 1966 Mothers Of Invention debut LP titled Freak Out.

The Fox Hollies Set. A couple years ago playing with guests.

46 lbs/21 kg was the heaviest I used to lug around - Ampeg B115E. My Peavey head was 28 lbs/13 kg. I couldn't imagine coping with more than that then let alone now. I can't/don't want to carry anything more than about 30 lbs nowadays so the new lightweight gear is a real bonus. I usually play my Mustang, (7 lbs-ish). TC BH250 at 4 lbs into a BF One10 at 16lbs. I'm so grateful. I've lightened up on the PA kit now with an EMX2 into a pair of CBR10s. Makes gigging so much easier. The heaviest bit of kit is the cable case but I use what's called a rolling pilot's case so even that's not too bad. Same for the music when there's a 100+ scores in folders.

I would say that playing to the crowd, by extension, would lead to a similar playlist for all. So I suppose, depending on age and where you are in your musical life and why you play all go to shape your attitude as to what and where. In other words, where are you coming from. It would appear that a fair few here are young, in a covers band, like to please the crowd and see the approving blandishment from a crowded dance floor as exoneration. I have many aquaintances who just want the approval of strangers. They just want to be liked and a round of applause just fills them to the brim with happiness, (I'm not entirely immune from this either). And that's OK, if that's where you are. But others here are not, they are elsewhere. With a number of years playing in a covers band behind me I am now able to enjoy my dotage by making amends for lacking a musical education and play with and learn from 3 talented amateur musicians in a loosely described Jazz quartet with an occasional young girl singer. The set-list is decided collectively by what we enjoy playing. Coming to the point, there is one tune aforementioned that we usually end our set with. It's MOONDANCE. Now I remember listening to the ASTRAL WEEKS and MOONDANCE LPs in 69/70. So into the next century and I get to play an instrumental version with sax, trumpet and rhythm guitar and myself on bass guitar. Very much our own take with the brass both taking it away and then returning and my own bass line in the lower octave. It always receives applause. So, guilty and unrepentant.

I'm afraid I've not played any of the songs mentioned here and wouldn't recognise most. I don't know who Mr Bruno Mars is. In fact I don't know what half the posts on BC are talking about. Musical snob, well yes and no. To my mind I have good taste. It does however evolve from year to year. If you are in a covers band and the money is important then a certain amount of playing what the audience want seems to be difficult to avoid. If that is balanced alongside ones you love playing then I guess that's the most most suffer.

And this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YfBs6rigys

If you enjoyed the above you may also find this interesting.

Here is a video of 2 of the first Brits to play electric bass. Jet Harris was the only bass player I could name until Paul McCartney and Bill Wyman came along. By chance I once met Jet and we chatted for several minutes. He was pleasantly affable.