peteb

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1329833508' post='1548091'] A cover band will play what they think the audience wants to hear. A good cover band will play what the audience wants to hear. [/quote] [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1329844034' post='1548386'] and how do you decipher one collection of people from the next to make them happy? I've seen the dance floor full to" Don't **** bel$~%&*ing", and another club specifically request that we don't play it because everyone there was sick of it! I've seen Great grandmothers request Pink Floyd's Comfortable numb and a biker crowd cheering after a Lady Ga Ga song. No one can claim to have the perfect set of songs. If you get an average of 80% where the crowd are whooping and 20% just clapping, pat yourself on the back. Iv'e been doing covers to bingo audiences, pubs and functions for 31 years. I've seen it all and there is no magic formula with mixed covers. [/quote] [quote name='bigjohn' timestamp='1329846366' post='1548455'] I prefer cover bands that play songs that I want to hear. It's rare. Though hearing an unexpected gem is what going to see a cover band is all about for me. They're usually songs that the audience go "huh? " to. After that I prefer cover bands that play songs they want to play. Don't get me wrong, I respect bands and players that look like they're getting off on playing some of the crap that goes down well with most audiences. But I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw 'em... [/quote] I always think that the ideal approach is to play a set that the band like and that will attract an audience that have broadly similar tastes to the band Obviously you cannot be too obscure and the odd compromise has to be made, but if you can get it right then you will get a following of people who specifically come to see you rather than just playing to the people who happen to be in the pub / venue on a particular night! These people will notice that you are still playing music that they like but is a bit different from the same old tired set list of songs that they used to love but can hear any other band play every other week until they start to get sick of them...........

[quote name='subaudio' timestamp='1329768418' post='1547091'] Not keen on the 1st link, wouldn't call the 2nd link blues but my god I like it ! who are they? [/quote] Mike Keneally - played with both Frank and Dwezil Zappa's band as well as with Steve Vai His bass player (& co-band leader) is Bryan Bellar, who has played with Dwezil Zappa and is currently playing in Steve Vai's band..........

[quote name='kennyrodg' timestamp='1329641169' post='1545055'] Tommy Shannon was the perfect complement for SRV, as was Chris Leyton I guess, the perfect Blues Trio for me. Dirty Pool is one of my favourite Stevie Ray tunes with a lovely bass line to go with it. A stand out as peteb describes. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFsPYyj7mIU[/media] [/quote] Nice one - shows SRV at his best in many ways! We were asked to learn this one for someone's birthday party a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, we didn't manage it due to a family illness within the band so we just jammed a couple of SRV songs that we kinda knew instead......

Assuming that we are copying the original version (rather than rearranging the song) I always play the part how I would if I had got the gig with the original artist Someone mentioned ‘Ain’t No Love In the Heart Of The City’ by Whitesnake – if you listen to the various live versions, each different bass player approaches the song completely differently and plays a different part, whereas on ‘Give me All Your Love’ they all play virtually identical parts! Easily identifiable or defining parts (such as the intro to Sweet Child as mentioned earlier) mean that you really have to stick to a note-for-note approach I also think that some people misunderstand the approach that ‘pro’ musicians will take – many pros will take the easiest way of covering a gig that they can get away with! This applies to the gear they will take to the gig and to learning the songs. They will also approach a pub / low paying function gig completely differently than they would a high paying / prestigious one………

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1329590016' post='1544686'] Recently i've been getting massively into blues - specifically Steve Ray Vaughan, BB King, Joe Bonamassa and George Thorogood. A lot of it is predictable to listen to - but I just love it. [/quote] You sound like you could be our target audience! Yes, it is predictable but it's also a lot of fun if you see someone who can really pull it off. To do so is much harder than it looks - blues is simple music and pretty much everybody can get thru a 12 bar, so to you do need to have something special to stand out from the crowd!

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1329582554' post='1544528'] Last time I saw Walter Trout he announced he wasn't sticking to the set list and would play whatever came into his head. Later on he started "Sitting on Top of the World" and the bass player clearly didn't know it, and wasn't much closer to knowing it by the end of the song. Created an interesting atmosphere on stage. [/quote] [color=#222222]Seems to be a common phenomenon in the genre – Paddy (our band leader) does this frequently![/color] [color=#222222][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"] [/size][/font][/color] [color=#222222]Usually we get away with it but can come unstuck sometimes[/color] [color=#222222][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"] [/size][/font][/color] [color=#222222]At the last gig he called a song of the cuff and the drummer had to ask me what it was after the show – we had never heard of it before (still sounded alright thru)………[/color]

A couple of guys that I know who travel round a bit tend to have a board with a vol pedal, tuner, compressor, some sort of preamp and a DI - this gives them some sort of control over the sound when they are using hire rigs supplied the venue When I saw Roger Inniss doing a tour of small clubs a few years ago I noticed that he had a massive pedalboard, presumably with a couple of preamps on it, but had only brought a couple of 1x10 powered cabs for his backline! Presumably, he found it easier to cart around a large pedalboard rather than an amp rack....

The following springs to mind: the keyboard intro to Tarot Woman off Rainbow Rising up to and including where the band kicks in; where the guitar comes in on Shine On You Crazy Diamond; the 'If we could just hold hands' part of the Rover Song by Led Zep; and the first few notes of the guitar solo on Deal With The Preacher by Bad Company, just perfect timing and choice of notes

Hey Simon - I know that you're not too keen on compressor pedals, but for those of us that need to use one live for practical reasons, which pedal would you say is best??

[quote name='lxxwj' timestamp='1328823815' post='1533426'] Since my fuzz thread was so popular.. What do you guys use for chorus? I've always wanted to find the perfect chorus: analog and very versatile/controllable. The EHX Small Clone just doesn't cut it, it's too subtle and simple for me. So do you have any good analog & moderately controllable chorus pedals? I think I might have to resort to... *shudder* a Boss pedal! Anything but that! [/quote] The one Boss pedal that I have is the CEB-3 bass chourus - great pedal and used by many top pros (as is the brown octave pedal)

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1328998432' post='1535975'] I had it on the tube mode, with both gain and compression on the 9 o`clock mark. Barely noticeable difference to the sound, apart from preventing some unwanted boom on the lower strings. [/quote] To be honest I did notice a difference - not a bad sound by any means and great for harmonics but didn't really work with the sound from the amp that I was using [quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1328828532' post='1533546'] The tube setting does change the tone noticeably. It seems to warm up/muddy up the tone depending on your take. If you're looking for a transparent compression I find the multiband setting with compression at about 12 o'clock ideal - really good for smoothing out peaks and tightening the bottom end without changing the basic tone. [/quote] That worked great - nice transparent compression, just what I wanted May just tweak it for my set up and try using slightly less compression but on the right track now - cheers.....

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1329052517' post='1536461'] Clinical trials have conclusively proved that playing blues piles on the pounds: [/quote] Another study suggests that the associated weight gain with playing blues is because most musicians don't turn to the blues until the onset of middle age

[quote name='subaudio' timestamp='1328968161' post='1535404'] Hi all, a bit embarasing this considering I've been playing for so long, but I've never really played blues or listened to it, weird as I'm predominantly a rock player but there you go, so my question(s) is/are, who is good to listen to, who has/had a bass player that can really make music, and what is the form on blues jams? [/quote] As a predominantly rock player myself, who has been playing (and gigging a lot all over the country) in a blues band for nearly two years, I would suggest that you don’t get too hung on authenticity and listen to the more recent stuff at this point. The two I picked on were Walter Trout (as both of his bass players are great but quite easy to suss out) and Kenny Wayne Shepherd – in fact if you listen to the first half of the first KWS album you will have the basis of pretty much all you need for modern blues rock! Not massively authentic I know, but a good crash course on what most punters’ seem to like and a good basis to get you thru any blues jam and many decent gigs that might be out there!

[quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1328985391' post='1535755'] Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! These guys are about as genuine as anything Simon Cowell has put together : the singer came 3rd in the 'Inxs find a singer' reality TV show a year or two ago, and the other three guys have been playing sessions in LA for years. It's so contrived, image by a stylist, deliberate 'DIY' vibe to the whole thing, but, they are managed by Doc McGhee (Bon Jovi, Motley Crue etc) and strangely enough they are out opening for Bon Jovi this summer. I'm sure they are great guys - but it just feels to me like they are 'dressing up' & don't believe it - and it's just a big marketing ploy. That said - The Wombles still had some good tunes. [/quote] Plus one - well spotted! Well crafted but not as authentic as they appear to be....

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1328831097' post='1533608'] Exactly, I put EMGs in my Japanese '62 reissues, ditched the pickguard and got them bashed and scratched at gigs. Fairly recently I've realised that to get the Fender sound it's best to have the cheap old pickups and Bent Bit Of Tin bridges so now they're back with their original components (luckily I never throw anything away!). It's probably hurt the resale value although I'd probably still get much more for them than I paid 20 odd years ago. Interesting to hear some of the early 80s instruments are starting to be sought after. [/quote] My point was that we didn’t have the reverence for 70s Fenders that was reserved for the 60s models – they were thought to be relatively cheap workhorses that were often not very well made (including my keeper) and needed a bit of work for them to be any good! You may even pay a little more for one with EMGs or a Badass bridge as it saved you the bother / expense of doing it yourself! All the changes I made to my bass significantly improved it IMO but detracted from its value in the long run I still hate the crap pickups & BBOT bridges. Despite saying that I would never get another Fender, I recently succumbed and bought a beautiful lake placid blue American Std Jazz from someone on here. Unfortunately it didn’t play or sound anything like as well as my other basses so I gave it to Jon Shuker to work on the neck and put in an active circuit / new pickups (the bridge is next)! It sounds and plays great now, but I hope that it won’t become a ‘future classic’ in a few years and I find that I’ve seriously devalued a potentially expensive bass by making it better!!

[quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1328828532' post='1533546'] The tube setting does change the tone noticeably. It seems to warm up/muddy up the tone depending on your take. If you're looking for a transparent compression I find the multiband setting with compression at about 12 o'clock ideal - really good for smoothing out peaks and tightening the bottom end without changing the basic tone. [/quote] Cheers for that Simon - certainly agree about the tube setting, thru harmonics do sound great! Will try the multiband mode at 12 o'clock on Sunday's gig......

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1328816639' post='1533229'] Changing anything from original will damage value eventually - [/quote] Ain't that the truth! Does anyone remember the early / mid 80s when a late 70s US Fender Precision was thought to be a basic workhorse bass that used to traded about between friends for £200 - £300? I used to put a Badass (or sometimes Schaller) bridge & EMG pickups on every Fender that passed thru my hands - the one that I kept for years was totally unoriginal, complete with all black hardware and stripped back to the wood (after I saw the P bass being used by Paul Rogers' bassplayer on the Muddy water Blues tour)! I ended up trading it for a 90s stingray and a bit of cash on here, but I reckon that I probably lost about £500, maybe £600 off the value if I had kept it all original.....!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1328443233' post='1526901'] +1 Makes a lot of sense. Although I`ve only had it a week, I really like my EBS Multicomp - it evens everything out, without ever sounding like the sound is changing. In fact, the time you notice is best is when it isn`t on, it`s that subtle - exactly what I want from it. I`ve had others that seem to reduce the low frequencies as soon as you switch them on, irrespective of settings, but luckily the EBS doesn`t do this. [/quote] I've just got an EBS Multicomp myself Can I ask which mode you use and the settings? I've tried the 'tube' mode on a gig but have had to go back to the drawing board as it was changing the sound more than I intended

Excellent - be sure to post future installments......

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1328658868' post='1530944'] I think I enjoy the 'proper biker' conversations almost as much as the 'Fodera are too expensive' ones So what constitutes a 'proper biker'? I ride approx 300 to 400 miles a week, all year round, does this qualify me or do I get excluded because some of those miles are on a Harley? I've ridden from Miami to San Francisco, and beyond, all of it on a Harley. Also Miami to Washington on a zig zag route through the Blue Ridge mountains. All of this on a great big old Electra Glide in all weathers, probably not 'proper' biking though. Meanwhile I have an Italian sports bike that I probably ride less than 2K miles a year but it's seen as OK down the biker cafe because it looks like a race rep. For me, a big part of the fun of a Harley is that when you fling it into a corner you really have to work hard to come out the other side - the same cannot be said of my Aprilia or Beemer which sail through with little effort. Personally I think a Harley is way more similar to a vintage Fender and a Ducati is a Fodera. I'd be more than happy to own all four [/quote] [color=#222222]I suppose that by a proper biker I mean someone who has always ridden bikes - from their teens / 20s to their 40s / 50s or whatever[/color] [color=#222222]No offence meant, but as someone who has never had a bike I am merely repeating the prejudices of many of my friends who have always been bikers![/color] [color=#222222]I would agree with your statement about old Fenders being similar to a Harley compared to a Fodera / Ducati[/color] [color=#222222]From my point of view, the best bass I have ever played was a Fodera – however I would have to have a lot of spare cash before I would consider buying one as you can get a bass that comes awful close if you can spend £1k to £2k![/color]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1328630871' post='1530340'] Uh oh - better watch out for the Harley riders coming after you Bilbo I was a member of a Harley club in the UK for many years and I've never known so many people put so many miles on their bikes in all weathers. In my experience the riders of Honda Fireblades and Ducati sportsbikes are more likely to be 'fair weather' bikers than the Harley brigade. Of course this isn't to say that quite a lot of all bikers fall into the higher income, middle aged bracket. After all, look at me - a 52 year old, twin Fodera owner plus a BMW K1200GT, Aprilia RSVR 1,000 Factory & a Harley mild custom sitting in the garage [/quote] Most of my mates who are 'proper' bikers are generally highly amused by the average Harley rider - to be fair we all are! [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1328632016' post='1530370'] The trouble with men in the mid life crisis phase is you can't tell them. Like bigots, they cannot but see themselves as reasonable people, unaffected by such things. What tattoo have you got, molan? [/quote] Lets not knock the mid life crisis too much........... A mate of mine hit his early 50s and got a couple of arms of tattoos, traded in his missus for a younger more glamorous (and to be fair, much nicer) model, passed his bike test and bought a gleaming harley We all laughed at the obvious mid life crisis but he's happier than I've ever seen him in the 30 years I've known him!

if anyone is interested - interview with Bob Daisley remembering Gary Moore just after his death [url="http://www.bobdaisley.com/interview/glory-noise-gary-moore"]http://www.bobdaisley.com/interview/glory-noise-gary-moore[/url]

I guess from your OP that you are after more of a 'P Bassy' type sound rather than a Sadowsky tone I would suggest that you get to the rehearsal room a bit early and set everything flat on your Shuttle and Ibanez and then experiment - start with slightly boosting the low mids on the amp and turning on the LF filter A decent compressor might be a good idea as it should help you cut thru the mix better, but most other effects will merely 'colour' the sound and you already have a good (if rather clean) preamp in your shuttle I am guessing that you like the sound that you get at home as you are probably using a 'mid scoop', which sounds great but can get lost in a mix if you are not carefull - try not to have massive cuts and boosts on the amp and see how it works with the rest of the band

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1328178656' post='1522990'] There's no political soapbox needed in this thread, only a charitable outlook on things if you are so inclined. [/quote] I am afraid that anything to do with healthcare is very much a political issue in the US and unfortunately, is becoming increasingly so over here

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1328014635' post='1520248'] Your attention seems to be solely focused on the cost of healthcare in the US, but not also on the earning potential and taxation system there. Over his professional life, Mr Rainey has been taxed at a lower level than self-employed people in the UK, and has been entitled to a higher level of deductibles. Without getting into the numbers in detail, for every dollar Mr Rainey has earned he has had between 10 and 15 per cent more in his pocket than those of us in the UK. Here, those of us who operate self-employed contribute in terms of class 2 and class 4 national insurance, as well as through the sums gathered in general taxation. It's also the case, without the backup of an employer, have to make provision for those scenarios which may/will arise, such as absence from work due to illness of other events. For someone self-employed in the UK, it is sensible to carry both private health cover (to expedite the time in which healthcare services can be accessed) and various insurances (to cover for loss of income), to reduce the impact that any absence from working can have, and that in addition to the cost of building up a fund for retirement. My experience tends to be that there are those people who live their lives thinking "it'll never happen to me" and those who live their lives thinking "what if?". If Mr Rainey, living and working in the wealthiest nation in the world, with the level of opportunity available to him, and the greater level of wealth left in his pocket after his federal government has taken its share in taxation, has either made no or inadequate provision for the "what if" then his predicament is his own cross to bear. He's had a lifetime of opportunity to make provision for this moment, and should be in a position to support himself without resort to internet begging. By contributing to Mr Rainey, all that you are doing is sending out a message to others, that it is all fine and well not to make provision for the future, that someone will come along and hand you the finance you need, when you need it, encouraging more and more people to labour under the misapprehension that, not matter what, no matter what they do, no matter how they live their life, no matter how little provision they make for their future, someone else will come along and pay for everything they want and/or need. [/quote] I can only assume that you haven't read the above posts on how difficult it is for people in such an unpredictable profession as Mr Rainey to afford and maintain sufficient medical insurance, nor the post on the prohibitant costs involved or the paradox of an overtly Christian society not taking care of those in need