grandad

[url="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cover"]http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cover[/url] Cover is the right word. Tribute bands copy, and some very successfully. I watched the UK finals for best tribute act a couple of years ago at the Garrick in Lichfield. Very good pro' acts, especially the Eagles tribute. I suppose we all start out copying but then, as we improve, we change this and that trying to improve on or be different to the original. When electric guitars became popular as a lead instrument, many of the old dance-band numbers were covered by The Shadows and The Ventures and good old Bert Weedon. It was a new and exciting sound. If you listen to a few covers of 'Perfidia' on Youtube there is an amazing variation. And that's a good thing because there are many of us who, try as we may, find it impossible to write our own original material. We can only envy and cover other's material. In fact everytime I noodle and try and compose a riff or tune I end up playing something I already know. It's a complete mental blockage. Hat's off to those who can compose new material. So in compensation I play/cover many wonderful tunes and songs and where I can put a little something of me into it. And I love it. I sure I'm right to say that the covers of black artistes material by Dusty Springfield, The Beatles, Stones etc were intrumental in the POP explosion of the 60's. And that was a good thing bringing black and white artistes and audiences together.

I have owned both. The tone of the briefcase was very warm and the eq just perfect. I preferred it to the flightcase which to me was more middy. I suspect it's the different speakers used but I'm not sure. If you don't need the power how about the PB-100 with the buddy. I eventually settled on a TCE BG250-208. A bit more power and the ability to use an ext cab.

"You lost it a bit in the middle 8 didn't you" - from my elder brother on rhythm guitar.

I'm lucky that it's a tune stuck in my head having heard it over and over again aged 13 when it was on the only LP I had. Even so I don't think I play it exactly the same as Jet but as it's a Jazzy number you can [i]wander[/i] around the tune. I like a lot of Shadows numbers, especially the slower 'chillout' ones like 'Sleep Walk' and 'Blue Star' etc. Probably my age showing.

Found this old video on Youtube. It must be about 10 years old. [i]Nivram[/i] was composed by Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Jet Harris and I believe loosely based on [i]Barney's Blues [/i]by Barney Kessel. It appeared on the first Shadow's LP in 1961 which was my 1st ever LP on Xmas day that year. I still have it. I played in the group [i]Shindig[/i] for several years. It started late in the last century and went through various changes in line-up finally disbanding 3 or 4 years ago. Not too good a recording but there is a bass solo around 1.30ish. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6_FrtRqsrQ&list=RDMMi6_FrtRqsrQ"]https://www.youtube....RDMMi6_FrtRqsrQ[/url]

From [i]Freak Out! [/i]onwards we always looked forward to the next FZ album knowing that it would be completely different from the previous. Musically he was accomplished. You will be enraptured by some compositions and bemused by others. Were to start? Anywhere. [url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa_discography#Albums"]https://en.wikipedia...cography#Albums[/url]

I'm the opposite of many BCers in that thumb or plectrum is my natural and easy playing style. Finger-style I have to think about where they are and have developed no finger-memory for. The pics I use are celluloid from tonedeaf, rather on the thin side, quite flexible so as to feel the pressure I put on each note.

I tried a friend's Spirit I think. It felt very strange with no headstock and little body to speak of. My fingers didn't know where they were on the frets. The headstock must be a reference point for finger-memory.

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1465641989' post='3069846'] Forgot to say, at £145 it's the same price as the hand-knitted woollen throw (made and sold by the missus) that I photographed it on! [/quote] I looked at these, the ivory one appealed to me but I resisted. How does it play?

[quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1463590147' post='3052660'] Er, Chaps, Henley In Arden is in Warwickshire. Not Oxfordshire. They may row there, rowdily or not, but not on the Thames, where Henley Regatta takes place. There is a river, The Alne, but whether you can row on it I don't know. [/quote] Well yes, that's the one, we had a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon at Henley in Arden in the Jubilee gardens at the back of the Guildhall, a beautiful setting. Folks were well behaved and children were free to run around. Dogs were kept on leashes with no fights breaking out. The band enjoyed free drinks and food from any of the many stalls at the fayre. People's feet were set tapping to 'Moondance' and 'Sunny Afternoon', and were heard humming along and tapping fingers on tables to 'The Lady is a Tramp' and 'Guantanamera'. We played 3 1/2 hr sets - bass and drums, rythmn guitar, keyboard, sax, 2 trumpets and a young lady on clarinet and vocals. We were invited back next year.

I have 5 basses at the moment. All are 2nd hand. All are medium or short scale. Approx' prices paid: Tokai SG - £150 Aria CSB 380 - £150 Epiphone Viola - £150 All 3 have been set up by my luthier and all have a good action. I'm working on the other 2 myself. Yamaha Motion - £120 - undergoing restoration Squier Mustang - £200 - more work needed to achieve a good action. Each bass is very different in tone and 'feel-wise'. The Aria has a superb neck with the lowest action all the way along the fingerboard. The Tokai is gigged the most. All have dings but nothing to worry about. I have gigged my brothers £1000+ P bass but felt very nervous about dinging it. If I owned a very expensive bass I'd be worried about bashing it and I think my playing would suffer. I definitely feel more relaxed with cheaper models but it still costs the same to restring and set up. Some I set up myself, others my luthier does. I have various flats on each. I tend to go for the looks and feel and weight of a bass rather than price. Put a bit of work into most mid/cheap models and a decent instrument can be had. Ok, I'll admit I still have GAS for a Gibson SG.

Plectrum or thumb here, never bothered to learn fingerstyle proper. Use a pick when I want that attack and thumb for a softer sound. Often I find finger players a little too busy. Maybe it's my preference for a strong bassline with strong and distinct intervals.

Due to the perculiarities of our auditory system, we tend to interpret the gradual distortion produced in valve amplifiers as a pleasant and louder signal. When SS amplifiers distort we hear sudden harsh distortion and dislike it. So it's largely about how they move into distortion as the input levels increase aswell as the harmonic content of each.

Thank you for an excellent review.