JakeFoordBass

We use a HK Lucas 1k rig with our function band and, although the tops are small, it's a very powerful and clear sounding rig at high volumes with a full 7/8 piece band through it. The sub houses the amp and crossover so all packs away neat and tidy! Been using it about 2 years now and it's been great! Can highly recommend it!

I've always found it depends on how well I know the material plus, as a few have said, size of stage. On the size of stage thing I think there's a sidenote though! Some of the most energetic gigs I've had have been tiny venues because of the vibe from the audience! If there's a packe venue's worth of people in front of you going mad, it kinda can't be helped but to jump around a bit! We tried coreographed moves once and immediately sacked them off, realising we looked incredibly cheesy and naff! Definitely a vibe thing though! If you feel it, go for it!

[quote name='Grant' post='1225673' date='May 9 2011, 10:47 PM']Our original drummer was definitely not sh*t, but we did a wedding reception as one of our early gigs, all of us except the drummer arrived at the agreed time and proceeded to set the gear up. 20 minutes before we're due to start, still no drummer. 10 minutes before we're due to start - still no drummer. Managed to get hold of him on his mobile - conversation goes something like this: "Andy, where the f*** are you? We're due to go on any minute!" "Smmurry, I wsss aslllpp" "Pardon?" "Sorry mate, I was asleep and I've just woken up, I'll be there in about 20 minutes." He turns up 30 mins later, takes another 30 minutes to set his kit up, and then halfway through the first set, disappears for a piss..... Great drummer and top bloke though... [/quote] Haha! That's a great one! Drummers always complain about getting a load of stick but they do (and I know this is a sweeping generalisation) bring it on themselves. We managed to get all the way to Croatia for a festival to find our drummer's passport had expired 6 days earlier and had to wait a fair while for him to get an emergency visa! Then the next trip, he managed to lock his new passport in his car and lose his key! We had to get a very dodgy Scouse mechanic to break into his car for us to get it! Barely made the flight! Again, lovely guy and great drummer!

Hi All, From the post I put on the Introductions page I noticed a good amount of Scousers (whether real or adopted) on here. Therefore, I just wanted to post a lil something about some gigs I'm putting on! Having noticed a real hole in the Liverpool Funk/Soul/Hip-Hop scene I decided to start a monthly night at Alma de Cuba where I work as the company's music partner. Coming up soon, I have: [b]Thursday 19th May[/b] - Boy Com. A 9 piece Party Hip Hop band from the Bath/Bristol direction. They're really awesome and very good fun! Support is from a very good new Liverpool Funk/Soul outfit called Manukah. The night starts at 9.30 with myself and another of the 6ix Toys crew DJ'ing. Free entry. You can check out Boy Com [url="http://www.boycom.co.uk"]Here[/url] and view the Facebook event [url="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=510005366#!/event.php?eid=221279224565194"]Here[/url] Then: [b]Thursday June 2nd[/b] - Cantaloop. Another big old Funk/Hip-Hop/Soul mash band who brand themselves as "Super Heavy Funk." Very cool band who have toured with the Fun Loving Criminals a few times. Support comes from Manukah again (we really like them). Another 9.30 start and same deal with DJ's and free entry. Later this year we'll have shows from Smoove & Turrell and us 6ix Toys lot will be doing some stuff for our new album. Always looking for real quality funk for support acts and just for general Thursday nights at Alma. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's an amazing venue based on Seel Street in Liverpool City Centre in an old Church. Beautiful building and a great setting for live music. I also run an Open Mic Night at a venue called The Noble House on Brunswick Street in Liverpool every Wednesday night. You can always expect decent music down there but need more so please get in touch and come down with whatever instruments you fancy! Starts at 9 and is, again, free entry. This week's special guests are TJ & Murphy, Sea Legs and Nadine Carina who are all amazing. If Folky acoustic stuff's your bag, come on down! Cheers Guys & Gals! Jake

Hands up who's had gigs with reaaallllyyy sh*t drummers??? Guessing quite a common one. Was depping a mate's function band and had been warned of the drummer. Was a reading gig and had received charts in advance to familiarise myself with the material. Drummer was so shocking, tempo was all over the place, stabs/stops/pushes in all all the wrong places and obviously didn't have ears! Horrible gig! Another was a wedding for a friend of our function band singer's family. Already had a mission on our hands from Liverpool to Surrey. Having given ourselves 6 hours to do a 4 hour drive it took us 8 (traffic news was saying it was the worst traffic they'd seen on both the M62 and M25 in years!). Although we turned up dead on when we were supposed to start (having phoned on regular intervals on the journey to update the wedding planner and groom) and managed to set up full 7 piece band, PA and Lights in 20 minutes and played the full amount (under)paid for, I received an email 2 weeks later asking for a refund! We had already lost money on that gig with my policy on paying musicians (everyone gets a minimum fee, even if costs are higher than expected. Only gig where we've lost money in 2 years) and transport costs so there was no way that was going to happen. Proper groom from hell! Boo to bad gigs!!!

Yeah, come along! Should be a good one next week, got some great acoustic types playing!

Hi Everybody! Thanks for the warm welcome! Let's get some sort of Scouse power going on this thing! Hi Liam, how's tricks? Yeah, doing an Open Mic at The Noble House on Brunswick Street every wednesday! Come down and have a play sometime, it's a great space! Giving the NS it's first road test there next week. Big Bassy love y'all! Jake

Just bought an NXT5 today and although I haven't tried it through an amp yet (only got back to Liverpool from London an hour ago!), it plays exactly the same as any CR model I've ever played! Very sturdy and solid feel to it!

Hello Everybody! Just getting into this Bass Chat malarky and enjoying it! I've been playing for around 12 years now, starting with rock like most "because a band needed a bass player" but then realised bass was the superior instrument to everything else! I'm now playing lots of Funk/Soul/Latin and Folk/Acoustic and loving it! Gear wise, I'm only just getting back into the gear geekery and loving it. I have a 5 string Jazz Deluxe (always interested in 5 string Jazz hybrids if people are getting rid) which I play through an Ampeg Rocket and sometimes a clapped out homemade cab with a Warwick head. Also have an NS NXT5 EUB (my old aria swb lite one EUB on the marketplace). Got a sansamp bass driver DI and T.Rex Squeezer, not much into pedals otherwise! Bands wise check out: [url="http://www.myspace.com/6ixtoys"]6ix Toys[/url] And: [url="http://www.paxrecords.com"]Orquesta Buenos Tiempos[/url] Which was recorded partly in Cuba with Mongo Santamaria's nephew Roberto, which was awesome! For most recent stuff. Have toured all over the place, as far as China and regularly gig in Europe. Love the lowend and love playing music full stop! Thanks for having me! Jake

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1216703' date='May 1 2011, 05:36 PM']I have an NS CR5M which I bought as an upgrade to my old Dean Pace. I don't think I'll ever part with my NS. The NXT seems to be very similar to the CR5M. Had it been available when I bought my CR I would have probably gone for an NXT and saved a few quid.[/quote] Ace, I've played the CR Series basses before and loved them! Picking the NXT up tomorrow! Yay!

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='1217304' date='May 2 2011, 10:48 AM']Google is your freiend: [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/squeezer.shtml"]http://www.ovnilab.com/reviews/squeezer.shtml[/url] Actually, ECC83/12AX7 types are about 98% of valves used in these things & bass/guitar gain/tone stages in general. G.[/quote] Cheers Geoff, that's great to know! Jake

Hi All! Does anyone know if the valves used in the T.Rex Squeezer pedal are a standard type that can be easily bought and changed? Mine got damaged in the post and the repair guys I've given it to haven't had much luck contacting T.Rex directly! Anyone else got one and had valve problems? Was gutted when my new toy turned up and didn't work! Cheers, Jake

Hi All! Looking at buying a new electric upright and have been offered a good deal on an NS NXT 5. Has anyone got one or have any opinions? I'm selling my current one [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=133996"]Here[/url] so I'm guessing it'll be a good step up? Are there other options in the same price range I should check out first? Cheers, Jake