Damonjames

[quote name='gs_triumph' timestamp='1494874709' post='3299250'] I've had a half hour playing with a longer strap, bass at buckle height. Felt odd playing with fingers but I guess that's just a case of getting used to it. Much more comfortable on the pick tho. I suffer with carpol tunnel syndrome so I guess it won't be long before I'll know if things aren't right. Thanks guys [/quote] I actually find that with the bass lower, my plucking wrist is at a much shallower angle, and therefore far more relaxed. I have only recently raised the height of my strap as I did play quite low, but with the neck of the bass at a 45 degree angle (think rob Deleon from stone temple pilots) I actually find that this makes the angle of both wrists more relaxed and a doddle to play, BUT it does seriously restrict you ability to play at the dusty end of the neck. I have also tried to play with a pic at this angle, and have found that the angle the pic meets the strings, it adds a slight grating sound (like a pic slide where you drag the pic along the string), so I find I have to play higher with a pic! Good luck!

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1493735274' post='3290265'] Indeed I do. I'm going to blame the bank holiday hangover for that one! 😃 [/quote] I'll let you off then 😂

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1493728617' post='3290157'] Also known as Doom or Stoner rock, although I think it basically comes from Queens Of The Stone Age, who started out playing keg parties in the desert. Music journos do love to coin a phrase. [/quote] I think you mean Kyuss 😄

Quick update after a trip to the gp. My outer ears are all clear, but have blocked eustacian tubes, which is something j used to struggle with as a kid (I had to have grommets put in). They have put me on otrivine spray for 2 weeks to see if that clears it up, but have just come down with a head cold so it's out the brakes on!! Will keep you all posted. Hope everyone else is getting some help?

Nice work on the wood type correction kiwi, cheers. And love the replica mate!

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1493212080' post='3286553'] I'm a sh*t guitarist and if I can do it, it can't be that difficult. Everybody Dance is way more difficult. Neither Nile nor Bernard have been particularly into their gear. Despite the mythology he's conjured around The Hitmaker, I suspect his pre-CBS strat is a bit of a dog. PreCBS strat pickups are terrible sounding things - very anaemic and scratchy. Apparently he used Tokai strats quite a bit but I've never seen him with one in a photo so suspect they were used in the studio more than anything. [/quote] I'd fancy you are right kiwi. He tells the story of how he came to have that guitar in his book. Bernard talked him into trading his Gibson jazz guitar in for it, and he wanted to sound like jimi Hendrix so went for the strat. If I recall, it was red and he had it repainted white when he bought it. So the story goes, when they were getting ready for the '59 fender agreed to buy a whole bunch of ash off a farmer, and when the went to collect it, it was right at the top of a mountain. Due to the high altitude it was particularly less dense than normal ash, and as a result, that year seems to sound a lot more thin and trebly - Niles signature sound. He admits that none of this was intentional at the time, he just wanted to be like jimi so bought a strat... fate is funny sometimes!!

[quote name='inthedoghouse' timestamp='1493058601' post='3285290'] It didn't work for the last band I was in, sadly, but not surprisingly. [/quote] I should clarify, I'm not talking about a night of B sides here, just not their greatest hits in a lot of respects

[quote name='SisterAbdullahX' timestamp='1492986043' post='3284689'] Simply that. Does anyone on here play pubs but not play the same old tired Classic Rock covers? Been finding that my usual staple of function gigs has steadily dwindled over the last few years to the point where I'm getting fewer than ten a year and could quite fancy packing them in altogether and just finding a nice local pub band to play for the enjoyment of it rather than having to entertain drunken wedding guests. However, the prospect of having to go and play all the standard rock tunes makes me think I'd probably just rather sell all my gear and pack in altogether! Does anyone play covers that aren't well known at all and still get a favourable response from the audience and get rebooked? Seems to me that, even if you don't play the rock stuff you still have to play well known songs, whatever the style of music you play, and that just bores me. Also, all the other bands that play that style of music play the same tunes! [/quote] Don't ask questions like this, some of us will be out of a gig 😂 In all seriousness, my band (Karl's old band) play classic rock, but try and do songs by well known artists that you don't hear so often. It works for us! Having said that, we play freebird (much to my dislike) just like practically EVERY other band on the circuit. My previous band did a grunge tribute, and we had a full diary for the 2 and a half years we were together. We were limited to certain venues naturally, but it still worked. Just try it, whatever it is you want to do. Find a venue you have played before and know the landlord, and ask for a favour to try it out!

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1492809212' post='3283471'] From Nile himself: https://twitter.com/nilerodgers/status/642173067121328128 'Nard used flats first then swapped to rounds in the 70s. [/quote] And that was about the last time he changed them too!! I remember reading somewhere (think it was in Nile's autobiography), 'Nard never like to change his strings, and think it was that fateful gig in Japan he snapped a string and was pissed about it. He liked the sound of dead rounds apparently! I can't find enough words to describe Bernard, In my mind he is simply the perfect bass player. He can play stripped back and simple, or a really fancy groove when required. He can also get a bunch of different sounds depending on his right hand technique. Just downright amazing. Taken way too soon!

[quote name='only4' timestamp='1492453579' post='3280405'] I've been suffering very similar symptoms for a couple of years on and off just without the extreme tinnitus, all low end dropping out and feeling like my ear needs to "pop" It's extremely painful when flying too. The doctor recommended steam inhalation and decongestants but these made no difference. I was then prescribed a steroid nasal spray to cut down on mucus production, this also made no difference. Next step was seeing an ENT specialist, firstly I had sound and vibration hearing tests including timpanic pressure test on my ear drum. The results of these tests have lead to having 2 MRI scans and I am seeing the consultant tomorrow to discuss the results. I'll let you know what he says. I'd recommend going to a specialist. [/quote] How did it go?? I am having similar issues, it's a bit of a sore point at the minute as Mrs DJ is sick of repeating herself! My ears feel full and slight ringing at the minute (seems now noticeable since a head cold a month or so back) so am getting concerned. Will book an appointment with the go to have a look this week. I've always been careful with my hearing and used earplugs/iem at low volume etc, but I am approaching 40, so I'm not ruling out hearing loss just yet!