bassace

I was doing a jazz gig last night, playing with one of the best drummers for hundreds of miles. He studied under Ed Thigpen for a time, he’s that good. So he sets up, no charts on the gig but he still set up a music stand to his left and proceeded to play most of the time looking at a blank stand. Habit I suppose.

Or this?

It’s in the EUB and DB section, should give a clue. And as Bilbo doesn’t play EUB.................... Laurence Dixon supplied and fitted a new adjustable bridge, reprofiled the fingerboard, adjusted the soundpost and reglued the body here and there and made the bass sound divine. All for £450. So I’d think £350 is a bit much for the bridge only.

Knock out 2 to 6 and I’m your man.

Thanks for the kind reactions, folks. But in one band I played in this was part of the stage patter. If we had a request for a number, often in the interval, we’d announce it as a request and then go into..............we only play requests when we’re asked. Another one, as I remember, was ‘ make sure to patronise the bar because the more you drink the better the band sounds’. There were plenty more.

Preceded by a glis?

We only play requests when we’re asked.

I was looking for their site this morning and found some lot who wanted to flog me fish. Yes, really.

A lot of my work these days is with jazz trios and quartets. Without bass and drums interjections, even with a quartet, the two ‘front’ instruments will sound a bit samey for a whole gig. So the bass will have a goodly number of solos, if only to add a third voice to the tune. Ditto the drummer with fours. Indeed you can do other tricks, rounders, arguments, walking bass behind a single instrument, all the give the punters a bit of variety and, let’s be honest, give a bit of light relief to the players. its all very well to say rhythm sections/bassists/ drummers shouldn’t play solos - and I’m not totally without sympathy with this point of view - but necessity demands otherwise.

Yup, all of that.

Surprised me

Yup, I’d go along with all of that. Plus only one tune from Jamie Cullum left us a bit short changed. First Aid Kit not quite my thing but enjoyed them nevertheless. i wonder what the guy who liked only Underwotld, Orbital and PSB is doing on a bass players forum but that’s me being a bit controversial, innit.

It was a great bass before the work, it must be spectacular now. So it’s a hybrid (carved top on a ply back and sides). I thought it was rather too good for a ply. Enjoy your bass, Bro.

Not sure why, but in my advancing years for quite a while now I’ve been a bit self conscious about going into music/guitar shops. But I’ve bought a Stagg stick, keyboard amp and sundry bits and pieces from PMT Oxford. Ive always been met with full attention and courtesy directed towards an old guy.. Hope they succeed in London and you boys and girls buy lots of stuff from them.

Getting the drummer to play quieter is like cutting the lawn with a tumble dryer.

‘Always leave your audience wanting less’.

We used to say the definition of a percussionist is a drummer who can’t swing. A bit harsh perhaps, but I know a very good session percussionist - tuned and untuned- who is probably the worst kit player I’ve ever worked with.

Boo!

Great pics, Silvia. Disappointed none of you, could you train Jack next time perhaps.

You’re playing a jazz gig, Miles, bebop and such. It’s riding along beautifully with an Art Blakey clone on drums. Then some derrière in the audience asks for Stranger on the Shore. Happens quite often.

Punters raising their voices, gosh. In the sixties fights were a regular feature in the halls and ballrooms. One venue was closed down because, as one guy wryly put it, there were too many dances during the fight.

What The Rev says. My Bryant scale length is 40.5” and my Martin 40” although, surprisingly, it looks easily the larger of the two. So go figure. Anything less than 40” has got to be a half size, I’d say.

I remember talking to the leader of a big band in the days before email or social meejah and he said that every gig required a minimum of 54 phone calls to put together.

That bass is quite something. For a laminate it’s got a great voice and Nick A said he’d never come across a lam that bows so well. A little bit of work, initially fingerboard reshoot and a decent endpin, and later new bridge and strings will turn this duckling into a swan. Truly a great bass in prospect.