DrBike

I've got tickets to see them next March in Brussels. It'll be a bit of a Roadtrip with the drummer from my band, we first met when working over there way back in the dim and distant 90s. Drive there, drink beer, watch band, stay over, drive back again the next day. What can go wrong?

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1411127522' post='2556715'] I have a request for gear to try though, would anyone be able to bring any of the following? 1) Zoom B3 (I'd like to try the dual comp setting) [/quote] I have one with an expression pedal too (courtesy of Dood). I'm not 100% that I'll be able to attend due to family commitments but if I can I'll try to swing by for a "sticky-beak" and if necessary I can lend you the pedal.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1413563935' post='2579688'] But moving between long and short scale bass is easier than between bass and guitar or double bass and electric bass. [/quote] What is this guitar thing that you speak of?

I had a medium scale neck bass a while ago (Gibson EB3) and cos I sing and play and don't get to look at the fretboard much I'd find that I was "missing" notes from time to time. If you're used to long scale and you're not one who looks at the fretboard all the time it might take some getting used to. However if you have small arms/hands it might be just thing

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1413470399' post='2578574'] The 'Vintage Modified Jaguar Special SS' is - it is 30" The normal 'Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass (wot mine is) is 34" [/quote] Thank goodness for that

Aren't Jaguar basses short scale? (rinses mouth out with soap and water) IGMC

[quote name='keeponehandloose' timestamp='1412802425' post='2572315'] Flapper, as in trouser flapping loud. [/quote] I was going to say Trouser Flapper, but you beat me to it. Plus it's not really following the theme that the OP suggested.

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1412776567' post='2571914'] Black Lightning? anyway, please check out Richard Thompson's - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. Think it is on youtube. (sorry to go OT!) [/quote] Red hair and black leather is my favourite colour scheme

I heard the '77 and immediately thought of JJ Burnel.

Two bits of advice Firstly - unplug all leads after playing Secondly - Get a 9v power supply, you can get them off ebay for a few quid, probably not much more than the price of a PP3.

I started off playing bass only, then I got a mic stand stuck in front of me at practices to get used to it and then once I got confident enough I started doing backing vocals. I'm now the lead singer/bass player in my current band My advice for learning to play without looking at the fretboard - play with your eyes closed when you're practising at home. I used to lie on my bed, lights off, eyes closed and just play the parts by "feel". Others do it by "noodling" (sitting in front of the tv and playing your part whilst watching Star Trek or Friends or whatever it is that people watch these days). After a while muscle memory etc. kicks in and you can start to play without thinking about what you're doing, this prepares you for being able to sing and play. The other potential problem for those starting to sing bvox is being confident with your singing. You've got to be able to sing in key and sing the right notes. Often the bvox are a harmony over the lead vocal so you've got to be OK with picking out those parts, "dialling" them in and being able to sing them. I'm lucky in that I come from a musical family and even sang in the church choir as a kid (many years ago before I lost the light) so have a good grasp of harmony etc.. For some it comes easily for others you may have to think about it a bit more. If you're serious about singing consider getting some vocal coaching so you can learn how to project your voice and also protect it (warming up properly etc.) Learn the words (or have them printed out and on a music stand) so you don't have to think about what you're singing. Be prepared to "dum down" the bass part to allow you to get used to playing and singing simultaneously.

The last 2 basses I've gigged are a Squier P Bass that my wife found at a car boot sale for £65 and a Vintage V4 that I got new off ebay (via DJM Music) that was £85 which I'm assuming someone priced wrong but I wasn't going to complain. A reasonable amp does help too but in my case the Portaflex setup cost me around £500 and it suits me fine. Both basses play and sound great to me, I might be a little self centered but if it sounds right when I'm playing then I don't really mind how it sounds to everyone else. I've had no complaints, in fact the comments that I have had are "Your bass always sounds great" so I'm going to stick with what I've got. I've got a couple of "kosher" Fender Jazz basses and I've owned a Gibson EB3 and an Aria Pro II in the past but I'm more than happy to play my "cheap" basses for the forseeable future.

The one that got away - a 1971 Gibson EB3 (the one with the slotted headstock). I was downsizing my "quiver" prior to moving house and sold it for a song in 2006. I could probably get 5 times what I sold it for now. Out of the 4 pickup selector setttings there was only one useable one, however that sound was awesome. I haven't sold that many basses and there aren't any that I was really happy to be shot of.

If you get no joy with the one linked above you could also try - [url="https://www.facebook.com/michele.pethers?fref=ts"]Michelle Pethers[/url]

Some bright spark in our band (the one who hits things) has decided that we should have a go at Black Velvet. We don't have any females in the band and I do most of the singing

8 out of 10 for me, I was scuppered by #1 and #8

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1404469832' post='2492867'] It's whatever sounds right and puts the notes in a convenient place to play them. [/quote] And whatever feels right too. One benefit of playing in the middle of the neck is that the frets are a comfortable distance apart. Lower down the neck it can be a stretch (especially for those with smaller hands) between the frets and higher up the neck it can be tricky to squeeze your fingers into the spaces between the frets. Also if you play with your hand in the middle of the neck it's not so far to reach. Since I sing and play at the same time, anything to make life easier is OK with me You also have to consider what the other instruments are playing, how you can best compliment what they're doing and the style of music. Whilst open strings have their place I tend to avoid playing them too often as open strings (and those lower down the neck) tend to vibrate more and it's easier to use "deadening" the sound when the strings aren't vibrating as strongly.

Witam That's not quite the full extent of my Polish but it's a start.

Has Pino fallen on hard times? I see that they're selling 2 of his basses.

Some years ago the Trace Elliot combo that I had at the time went up in smoke (literally), so I went looking for some new gear and had my heart set on an Ashdown rig. I went to my "local" shop and took regular my bass along, plugged it and it sounded awful. No matter what we tried (the guy in the shop was checking everything) we couldn't get anything out of it other than a really muddy sound. We tried a couple of Ashdown amps (a MAG 300 combo and a separate amp/cab if I remember correctly) and it was the same for both. I then tried a couple of Ampeg rigs and they sounded awesome. I was really disappointed but relieved that I'd tried out the Ashdown stuff before trying it. In the end I didn't buy anything, because although I could afford the Ampeg rig I could neither justify it at the time nor fit it into my car/lift it on my own (despite the fact that the guy in the shop suggested I buy another car). As it happened the band I was in at the time folded shortly afterwards and I drifted away from playing music for some time. Now I have an the new Ampeg Portaflex rig which is both portable and has the sound I want. I've been put off Ashdown ever since, but the moral here is that you should really try before you buy. Also (as was stated above) the backline is often provided by the organiser, the other thing to consider is that they may be endorsed by Ashdown to promote their amplifiers.

I voted 2, but that's based more on the fact that I prefer the sound of the 2nd guitar. If I were you I'd get whichever is the cheaper one. Personally I use Reaper for recording which is next to nothing to buy and has loads of free plugin VSTs.

Just bought an EHX Bassballs off Ollie. Picked it up from his place, straight forward transaction. Nice guy too. He also put me in touch with Dave at bassic-bits. Another great guy.