geoffbyrne

I got mine from Ebay. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gotoh-Battery-Box-Electric-Guitar-Double-/130466833332?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1e606de3b4"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gotoh-Battery-Box-El...=item1e606de3b4[/url] G.

The old MIJ casters were much mellower then the Indonesian variety - and I've always put 5 on rather than four................... G.

As I've mentioned above, you'll get a LOT of valuable info on the Shuttles by going over to Talkbass & searching the postings of 'Agedhorse' - he's one of the main designers. G.

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1072121' date='Dec 29 2010, 08:35 PM']Nice one Geoff, would be good to meet you, we're from Coalville, so just down the road from you. Hope you've got a strong stomach though, the sight of five 40-somethings in spandex is not for the faint-hearted![/quote] I'll have a couple of medicinal brandies before taking the sunglasses off!! G.

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='1072032' date='Dec 29 2010, 07:23 PM']Good on ya Geoff!! Getting out there and doing it is what it`s all about. A good trick that we employ is to play a song in the first set and if it goes down really well, is to say that someone has requested that we do it again in the second set. We get away with it as most people are well pissed by then. Jez[/quote] Sounds like a good & reasonable ploy, Jezza, and I think we might have employed that.................. By the way, I'll be up in Scotland last week Jan, 1st week Feb if you still have that VDU & go down the road for a pint? G.

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='1071615' date='Dec 29 2010, 11:58 AM']Well done Geoff, sounds like a good night! I'll keep my eyes open for you playing round here. In our band, we leave plenty of time between songs for comedy moments, the audience love (and expect) it when our singer and guitarist swap quips. It also gives our lead guitarist time to tune/swap guitars etc without the audience focusing on him. IMO its all part of a professional, slick show.[/quote] I see you play around my area, Mark, so I'll try & keep an eye out for when you're nearbye & come along some night. G.

[quote name='gub' post='1071629' date='Dec 29 2010, 12:07 PM']Great stuff ,we have our first paid gig at the end of january ,so far we have just done a jam night at our local pub which holds them once a month and that seemed to go ok . good luck with yours .[/quote] Thanks Mate & good luck with yours. Although I'm a frequent visitor to Ilfracombe, I doubt we'll ever be close enough to bump into each other - pity, it's always nice to meet other basschatters. G.

[quote name='Jam' post='1071596' date='Dec 29 2010, 11:44 AM']I would love to hear your rendition of Fade to Black (I presume the Metallica song?). Especially with a harp player![/quote] The Fade to Black we do is on Mark Knopfler's 'Ragpicker's Dream' album - is it the same song as Metallica does? It's carried mainly on bass & drums only & I use a phase on it to get a nice rolling effect. The guitarist lights up and sometimes it's even pretty good!!! The singer doesn't play harp in it. G.

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1071523' date='Dec 29 2010, 10:26 AM']Apologies if my post sounded like a criticism - was certainly not the intention. I was just curious, having never seen such a thing before. I guess I was confusing a pre-planned set list with what you actually ended up playing. Overall, it sounded like a good gig. Anyway, if the audience are asking for a repeat then why not?[/quote] None taken Mate - it's just the way it happened. G.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1071489' date='Dec 29 2010, 09:45 AM']No..I wouldn't say it is..but then this gig isn't regular in the sense that it seemed a pleasant outing that suited both parties. If the gig was paid and on normal terms, I don't think would be done by many bands and round here wouldn't really be acceptable. But, as I say, it was an informal arrangement and the band might not have expected paying, the pub couldn't really moan about it. It seems like a nice night and when all is said and done..that what most of us do it for.[/quote] We're short on numbers, hence repeating a couple at the end - as it turned out, White Room was requested anyway. We need at least another 10. We went through the first set in 40 mins when it was intended to be an hour - played a wee bit too fast through nerves, I suppose, and didn't leave any time at all between numbers. However, quite promising. G.

Well, just came in from the first gig of The End of the Line Blues band and am sitting here with a glass of Dalwhinnie Single Malt in my hand mulling it over. This is one of the bands I started when my affiliation with a guitarist/singer/bassist fell apart in the summer - as we played some pretty good stuff, I was pretty pissed. However, I digress (the other is a middle-of-the-road band with a female singer, sax/vocals, guitar, drums - same guy - & me on bass/vocals) It was a gig local to the guitar player who got the pub to take us on on spec, with no promise of payment. The guitarist hasn't gigged before, & the drummer hasn't gigged as a drummer - but he used to be a gigging bassist. The singer is a bluesman & harp player from way back, but has just come back to it. I'm on bass. Since the drummer used to be a bassist, he & I can get really tight, as he has the abilty to watch my fretting hand & tie in with the rhythms I'm playing. Anyway. Lots of nerves - played the first few numbers a bit too fast & didn't leave any time between songs. 4th song was a bit of an oops as the guitarist started it in the wrong key, but Dave (singer) came in on harp on the correct key & it all righted itself, except I forgot we'd changed it from A to E & took 2 verses to figure it. Anyway, we were more than OK generally & a guy came up at the end & booked us for a full payment gig. The pub gave us £100 amongst us, which was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Another 2 or 3 gigs & we'll be up to speed. No pics or sounds. Set list follows. White Room Tore Down Johnny B Goode Hi Heeled Sneakers Help Me Stormy Monday Born Under A Bad Sign Lets Work Together Cross Roads Sitting On Top Of The World Break....... Black Magic Woman Alabama Train Shake Your Money Maker Tell Me How You Like It Thrill Has Gone Need Your Love So Bad Got My Mojo Working Fade To Black White Room Tore Down or Sitting On Top Of The World (or both again, depends on the audience reaction to us) G.

Check that the slots in the nut are sloping back a little toward the tuners & have a clean 'witness point' (never understood why it's called that) for the strings to break on. G.

[quote name='squire5' post='1070615' date='Dec 27 2010, 10:47 PM']When you are installing new strings,do you wrap them round the posts a few turns before tuning up?This can cause that weird 'phasing' effect you're talking about.I used to do that a lot until I discovered thats what was causing the problem.Try removing the offending strings and then re-install them,without first wrapping them round the post.Take up the slack by using the machine head.Worked for me.[/quote] +1 Strings with a twist do this. G.

If there's a music shop in Irvine (don't really know the town), go in & make enquiries as to jams, get-togethers etc. I very much doubt that there's nothing going on in a town the size of Irvine. Otherwise as at nearby towns. I remember playing quite a bit in Ardrossan back in the 70's. G.

No, and No. G.

Sounds like the answer is the old '2 extra turns of string on the A post' chestnut. *All* basses with Fender-style (ie no break angle on the headstock) are prone to this. Answer is extra turns on the A string, or fit an extra string-tree (always looks a bit ugly unless you get a Gotoh). G.

Pick up a Westone Thunder Fretless & if you don't like t, you'll sell it for as much as you paid. G.

The stuff from Guitar Fetish has a decent reputation: [url="http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Bass-Guitar-Pickups_c_97.html"]http://www.guitarfetish.com/GFS-Bass-Guita...ckups_c_97.html[/url] I've had quite a lot of stuff from Jay & I usually get it through in about 4 - 5 days. (and I have a nice Schaller 3D, including shim, in the drawer). G.

Have the nut replaced & cut properly - it's not an expensive task - Jimmy Egypt at CC Music, West End. G.

Can't speak for anyone else (obviously!!!) but I just kinda picked it up & played it. 'It' was (at the time) an unlined Vintage Thumb copy in a music shop in Melton. I bought my Precious (Westone Thunder IIIa Mk2 Fretless Unlined) and have been happy ever since. It's one of those things, I think, you either get it or you don't. Like 5 strings & narrow string spacing. I like all of the above. As for tone etc, there isn't the attack of a fretted, but there's more subtlety. You can play straight or with 'Mwha!' If I use my thumb, there's 'Mwha'. Once you're used to it, it's like being set free. G.

Get yourself up to The Old Volunteer in Carlton on a Thursday night 9pm & make yourself known. G.

....I always thought she'd produced to best tracks to immolate myself to.... G.

I'll third it if you can get a seconder!!!! No. Seconded. OK? G.