grandad

I'm pleased to hear that others get as much pleasure from flatwounds as I do. I tend to buy Rotosound which to my ear sound full & warm & not at all dull. The "feel appeal", with which I can readily agree, has been mentioned. So if you fancy a rich, creamy bottom end, try some flatwounds.

Our setup for 60's covers band: 2 vocalists into mixer - wedge stage monitor 1 mix. Lead & rhythmn guitars from pedal boards into mixer, no backline, wedge stage monitor 1 mix. Backline bass. Roland drums into a KB150 & line out to the mixer. Monitor 2 mix back to channel 4, (dedicated monitor i/p) on the KB150. 1 member sets up the mix whilst we all take a turn out front & give our opinions. This seems to work reasonably well. We like to do a sound check before the punters arrive. The best powered mixer I have tried is the Yamaha EMX 5016cf which has auto' feedback suppression & multiband compression. The later has the very noticable effect of placing the vocals clearly above the backing, I can only inadequately describe it as putting them 'clearly in front of & above' the backing. It is important to bear in mind that the the sound on stage & what the punters hear will be very different. When each performer is comfortable with their mix they will give a better performance. The acoustics of some stages are dreadfull whilst others quite acceptable & this can effect one's performance. The mix FOH is most important & I have learned a great deal about mixing & acoustics over the past couple years. There are some excellent websites giving lots of very good advice. LEARNING TO LISTEN PROPERLY IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST THING. Get out front, walk about the venue, & really try to listen. Be polite & constructive when advising others & ask for their opinions too. This is an interesting thread, keep it going please.

Hello there, I just play a simple boogie line in E: (string then fret) - 4/0 4/4 3/2 3/4 (4 times) then move up a string & play the same pattern from A (twice). Back to the E same pattern (twice). then: 3/2 1/4 1/2 2/4 3/0 1/2 1/0 2/2 4/0 2/2 2/0 3/2 (twice) then damping & doubling but ending on a single undamped repeated note* 4/0 2/2 2/0 3/2 2/2* 2/2 & back to the riff. The riff is a doubling of the notes & damped whereas the instrumental bit is mostly single time & not damped except for that last line. I hope this is useful & understandable. I just listened to the original 'Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' version. Regards, Chris.

Thank you all for the welcomes & meeting up sometime in the future sounds like a good idea. Regards, Chris

Hello all, I've been reading articles on the forum for some months & have decided to join. This is the first forum of any kind I've joined other than Facebook, which I use to keep in contact with my family & friends. I'm Chris, 62 years young & play bass for 'SHINDIG', a cover band with 3 guitars, drums & male & female vocalists. Our playlist covers the 60's & 70's for the most part & with our practice room at Quarry Bank Community Centre we perform mostly in British Legion & Working Men's Clubs & some pub's around the Black Country & West Midlands. About 10 years ago I took heed of Tony & John's suggestion that I might like to take up the bass guitar. They are elder brother & childhood friend, rhythmn & lead guitarist, respectively. Both played in successful amateur Brum bands in the 60's & needed a bass player to assist them in growing old disgracefully by reliving their teen's. Both continue to tutor me. I shall, I fear, forever remain a novice as the first signs of memory & hearing loss are beginning to evidence themselves. The widely aired GAS quickly took hold & over recent years I have spent a large portion of my children's inheritance on gear. I am currently undergoing 'cold-turkey' & have not bought anything on ebay, other than a clip on tuner, for a month. Amplification: Roland Basscube 100 + SWR 110 Peavey Max160 head + Ampeg B115E Instruments: Tokai EB3 Epiphone viola Bass Collection Speakeasy I have numerous other items that I need to sell after the long journey of trial & error to find the kit I like but I think I'm finally there, (fatal to say I'm sure). Inspiration for me started with the first electric bass on TV, (1959ish), with the late Jet Harris & The Shadows. I met & chatted with Jet at the NEC some years ago. As is often said, he was very generous with his time & advice. He was truly a nice guy. So, I naturally started with a Precision copy, then a Jazz copy, then a Gibson EB0 copy, & tried many makes & models inbetween. The criteria for me were action, comfort, looks & a warm sound. I string all my instruments with flatwound & play with thumb & pick. The speed & technique of younger players elludes me. I watch & listen in awe. I do what I can & learn & improve little by little . I only wish I'd started when I was 15 & not 50. The pleasure I get is just wonderful & music is surely "the poetry of the air - Richter". I hope I can contribute to topics under discussion as I have some knowledge of electronics & acoustics though I am by no means expert in either field. Regards, Chris