BigRedX

Another interesting episode. I liked the fact that Hooky wasn't afraid to criticise where it was needed, Midge Ure last week was just a little bit too polite IMO. However, Cafferys apart I thought the standard seemed lower than last week. It's very difficult when you only get two snippets of songs to judge the bands, but Kissmet were IMO by far the most interesting band in the rehearsal clip and then they went and blew it by playing an awful cover at the gig. However unless the rest of their set was equally as bad, I thought they should have made it through. The Cadavers had completely upped their game by the time of the big gig - it hardly seemed like the same band on stage from a performance PoV. Pity that on the evidence of the two tracks shown they don't actually have any memorable songs. Since we now have some inside information I'd be interested to know some more details of what the programme makers wanted from the rehearsal and gig clips. WoT I understand if you can't give too much away at this stage, but any answers you can give would be appreciated. 1. The covers thing is interesting. At what stage in the competition did you know that you would be expected to perform a cover? Personally I'm ambiguous about covers. They can be fun to do, but they can also detract from the bands own songs. I certainly don't think that they are an "easy option" - I've played in several bands where we could get a new song written and arranged in much the same time as we could learn a cover well enough to be giggable quality. I've also played in more than one band where we would have struggled to play any song we hadn't written ourselves to a standard where anyone else would have actually recognised it. 2. Have long were the band sets at the gig? On the programme where the audience gets to see half of one song it gives little idea of the overall impact of the bands on a decent stage. 3. The rehearsal clips - whose choice was the rehearsal venue? The band's or the programme makers? Do the Cafferys regularly practice as shown on the programme or was that something just to break up the monotony of endless rehearsal rooms? (most of which looked considerably flashier than the ones I'm used to!) Thanks!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1465551525' post='3069132'] Exactly what is it about Barefaced as a company that provokes this kind of criticism when their competitors quietly do their thing (and not as well, imho) without comment on this forum? I don't get it. [/quote] I think it's probably because Alex (and Bill for that matter) had the cheek to tell us that our favourite cabs had been badly designed and that they could do a far better job. Some people don't like being told that. Personally one the reasons I read these forums is to learn. I'll make up my own mind about Barefaced when I get the chance to properly try out some of their cabs in a serious gigging environment.

[quote name='lushuk' timestamp='1465492829' post='3068772'] That would be awesome, thank you On another note (no pun.....) i couldn't find the interview with Donny on how he played it, maybe there somewhere lets see what the Moog can do! [/quote] The interview was back when the single was released so a long time ago and so my memory is fairly hazy as to how it actually functioned, but it appeared that the ribbon controller was doing all the work, and I don't recall him playing any actual notes on the keyboard at the same time although I could well be wrong on that matter. What was obvious was the he was using the full length of the ribbon controller which according to the info I could find about the keyboard is a 3 octave range. The only ribbon controller I've actually used is the one on the Yamaha KX5 which is up to 1 octave each way (2 in total) and has a dead spot in the centre to make it more user friendly for pitch bending, but would completely ruin the effect you need for the Crazy Horses sound.

Looking at the specs there's not a lot of synths with ribbon controllers on them that have the same 3 octave range as the one on the YC-30. However I imagine that it's one of those sounds that is very easy to get with the right instrument. If you have an actual Yamaha YC-30 you can probably switch it on and it will be right there. IIRC there was a television interview with The Osmonds where Donny demonstrated exactly how that sound is done. I would be very surprised if someone hasn't already uploaded it to YouTube.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1465421875' post='3068169'] Precisely! Column on the right hand side of the desktop version. [/quote] Oh that. I turned it off because it takes up too much screen real-estate that could be better used for the bits of the forum I'm actually interested in!

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1465420623' post='3068156'] Very true - it's like folks posting what could be quite decent threads as status updates (which don't get seen on phones) [/quote] Status updates? What are they?

There's already a thread for this in "Off Topic". No idea why it's there. Can't think of many things that are more on-topic than this.

[quote name='ribbetingfrog' timestamp='1465402618' post='3067947'] I got a Harley Benton pb50 last year. Not a patch on my £1800 Warwick, but for some reason, a hell of a lot more fun to play! I'm never going to be good enough to need a bass as good as that Warwick, I'm a mediocre bassist in a covers band. Actually sold my Warwick. Cheap bases are genuinely more fun. [/quote] I'm also a mediocre player - in fact I'm probably less able then most people on here when it comes to playing bass. But... I also know that my expensive basses (Gus, Sei Warwick) are far easier to play than the cheap basses I've owned and therefore I sound less crap than I would if all I had was a cheap bass. On the whole cheap basses are only fun if you are into self-flagellation.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1465413744' post='3068073'] the way it's going TV ads will be the only way bands make money from recordings, at least the ad is worth watching with a decent backing track, which I is the idea, when the band are discussing new songs to cover, one will get the thumbs up because "Yeah Joe Public will know that one it was used in and advert".Anything that exposes the public to different music is good isn't it? I can do Blitzkrieg Bop at open mic now [/quote] Except that most songs for ads are re-recordings with sound-alike musicians so the only ones benefiting are the song writers. More reason than ever to concentrate on your songwriting skills.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1465393978' post='3067812'] I cant see the point of spending a load of money on a bass that you are worried about taking out. I appreciate the theme of the thread, but if you have to spend a lot on a bass to be happy, but are happy to play a cheap bass, then maybe you dont need the expensive one lol. [/quote] Conversely, if you've spent a lot of money to get a bass that you really like, isn't that the one that you should be playing? Great if your cheap bass is a perfect substitute for it, but IME it rarely is.

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1465389699' post='3067753'] It's just a gig with a rowdy (but good natured, non threatening) young crowd eyeball to eyeball with us in a hot, cramped, low ceiling bar! Beer can get spilt, machine heads can get knocked, leads can get stood on and pulled out. No one's going to get hurt, nothing is at risk, I would just rather take a £200 bass into that kind of environment than a £1000 one! It's going to a blast and I can't wait. [/quote] Well then there's no need to worry. I'd be happy to take one of my £5k+ basses to a gig like that.

At the sort of venue where there was a real risk to my musical equipment I would be far more worried about my own personal safety. Instruments can be repaired or replaced, that what you have insurance for - you do have insurance don't you? Human body parts aren't so easy to repair and replace, at least not to the standard where I would be able to carry on doing my job and enjoy playing in a band.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1465317447' post='3067091'] I think most high-end instruments don't actually get used that much. Never seen anyone down the Frog and Twat with a Ritter or Fodera. [/quote] The cheapest bass I'm currently using to gig with has a new replacement value of just under £3k. The others I use cost considerably more. I'm playing rowdy punk/psychobilly gigs most weekends. At gigs I'm careful with my instruments but not precious about them. As others have said if you really don't look after them then they stop working reliably and that gets in the way of the performance. On the other hand a few knocks and scrapes won't affect them and if they get too battered looking then I can always get them refinished and looking brand new again.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1465322641' post='3067170'] Be gobsmacked then.... the rehearsal needs to produce something otherwise it is pointless. If I want to hang out with mates, I don't need to do this dressed up as a rehearsal. [/quote] JTUK do you even like music?

[quote name='dannelson' timestamp='1465291466' post='3066752'] Just another shout out for OBBM! Have ordered a variety of leads from Dave over the last year, all still going strong. On the subject of planet waves, I've never had one of their cables that didn't break! It's quite pathetic really, this includes their cheap and more expensive options. The only good thing they do are the cable ties! [/quote] IME the screen on most store-bought leads is the minimum that the manufacturer thinks they can get away with. Generally it will be a loosely woven wrap. Unsurprisingly this will be the bit that fails not matter how carefully you coil your leads after use.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1465294169' post='3066790'] [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2015/uks-best-part-time-band"]There's a summary at the bottom of this page.[/url] [/quote] I suppose the clause about not having a recording deal or being in negotiations for one would be sticking point for some of the better known bands, but these days I unless the band is selling a significant number of records/CDs/downloads I doubt being signed to a record label would be sufficient to financially support a whole band.

Does anyone still have a link or has saved a copy of the entry terms and conditions for this? If it was mostly that being in a band wasn't your main source of income, given the current state of the music business I think you'll find that a lot of well-known bands might have qualified...

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1465291314' post='3066751'] I used to have a Reverend Brad Houser in bug eye chrome. It has no bearing on this topic but hearing the name Reverend made me remember and it was a cool memory. [/quote] And IMO part of the problem with the lack of popularity of the current bass range is down to how unique and desirable the original Rumblefish basses were.

I used to buy all the components and make up my own leads, because I had my own home studio and required cable runs of very specific lengths and often different connectors wired in very particular ways at each end of the cable. However when I need some more basic jack-to-jack leads for my new bass rig 6 years ago, I ordered them from OBBM. I could have probably made my own for slightly less money, but certainly not once I figured in the cost of my time to do it. All these leads are still functioning as perfectly as the day I received them. They most definitely last longer than any of the shop-bought leads I've owned.

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1465228639' post='3066326'] No - much simpler than that. As you can see, I had to infill at the neck to get the neck pickup in the correct place and hide the original rout, but also there were a myriad of drilled holes from the original bridge. The stop-tail routs sorted some of them out but a coordinating piece of walnut to the bridge infill meant I could get rid of the remaining ones Maybe getting on for as easy to build from scratch, but with the horrifying cost of decent wood, it would have added approaching £400 to the cost. Besides - and again you see this more in real life than in the photos - it really does now look like a well cared for [u]original [/u]1970s bass. You would struggle to get that same mojo with all new wood... Good questions, though, BigRedX [/quote] Thanks for that! I'd forgotten about all those existing extra bridge holes. And I didn't realise that decent wood for building musical instruments was so expensive these days. It's a long time since I made my first electric guitar but I don't think the wood I used cost anything like that much.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1465223909' post='3066265'] How were the bands selected? How did they bring themselves to the attention of the programme makers? It was clearly filmed in the winter, but I don't recall hearing anything about it at that time... [/quote] IIRC there was a thread on here when the original call for entries came out some time last year. My band had a look at entering this but either we didn't fulfil the criteria or the rights issues regarding the use of the songs was too restrictive for us to consider it, I don't remember which.

IMO the simplest way to future-proof your computer-based recording system, is to buy a cheap computer running the OS of your choice that supports your current audio interface, and reserve it just for doing music on. I bought a second-hand 3Ghz 8-core Mac Pro with 32GB RAM for £300 - I could have got one for less if I'd been able to travel to pick it up in person. It will run any Mac OS from Snow Leopard onwards and therefore will support Logic 8 onwards with the right OS. Has more than enough processing power for what ever you need to do and room for 4 internal SATA drives so you are unlikely to ever run out of room for recording or samples to use with your plug-in instruments. I've made recordings that have been released on CD and got national radio play on machines with considerably lower specifications - you don't need to latest version of anything to make great sounding recordings.

Wow! That's a fantastic looking bass, and a brilliant bit of restoration/construction. A couple of questions: 1. The extra large route and the block of new wood at the bridge was that to give the bridge something a bit more stable to be fitted to rather than the neck laminations? 2. A while there's no denying that it's a brilliant piece of work and great to see a discarded instrument brought to life, I can't quite help but wonder if it would have been cheaper and easier to have started from scratch with some new wood? ;-)

I spent a whole morning at the Sadowsky workshop when it was in Brooklyn trying out their basses and came to the conclusion that they all sounded better with the built-in pre-amp turned off.

A "proper" 8-string! ;-) Does it have a separately adjustable saddle for each string in the pair?