Dingus

Wasn't Bill Wyman considerably older than the other Rolling Stones ? You can probably get away with it more if you are a bass player because very few people ( no one ) cares or understands about what you do .

The G string , or indeed E or low B string , slipping of the edge of the fingerboard is not necessarilly due to bridge or neck misalignment but can also be caused by how the nut is cut . Music Man five string basses are particulaly prone to this problem .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358978606' post='1948154'] Oh dear... I have two of those. Am I trying too hard. Seriously though, age is no barrier if you and the rest of your band have the right attitude. My band (the others are all in their 20s) respect me for my experience, my song writing skills, the fact that I'm not afraid to rock like a bastard. Also looking weird helps... [/quote] And you've looked after your figure, too .

Men over 50 can be very cool - look at Brian Eno , David Bowie , Vidal Sassoon , Jeremy Clarkson ... well look at the first three of those anyway . It's all about how you present yourself . The first mistake people make is to try and look and/or act younger than they really are . Looking good when your older is not about fooling everybody your still 21 years old , it's about making the best of what you are . If you are up for trying to lose a bit of weight then that will always help and will probably take years off how you look and feel , but otherwise choosing the right outfit - something simple and flattering - and presenting yourself in the right way . Think of yourself as an elder statesman rather than as being too old to rock and roll . If the dad dancing is a problem then adopt a more static and serious stage persona . Just be stylish and understated in the way you dress and be yourself . And play the bass - that makes you cool all on its' own .

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1358948366' post='1947452'] In its original form the song had different lyrics. Mr Bowie thought it would be a bit of a wheeze to enter it, under an alias, for Norway's Eurovision. He got his people in Norway onto it. Unfortunately it fell at the first hurdle. Apparently, those that rejected it were quite scathing about the song, along the lines of [i]Norway has high standards when it comes to Eurovision, and this offering falls woefully short[/i]. Think the T-shirt is a kind of 'thumbing of the nose' to those in Norway that rejected it. [/quote] And people say he has no sense of humour !

[quote name='mcgraham' timestamp='1358929440' post='1947078'] Anyone can sing. To sing decently takes a bit of work. To sing well takes a good bit of work. To be a great singer takes a LOT of work. The voice is an instrument like any other. Just because you HAVE one doesn't mean you know how to use it to make music well, just like if you HAVE a guitar doesn't mean you know to use it to make music well. It takes practice to get to the level you want to be at. If you're interested in lessons either in person or via Skype hit me up. I do know an Speech Level Singing teacher in Cardiff who can give you lessons as well if you'd prefer someone closer to home. [/quote] +1 on this . A good friend of mine who I used to be in a band with was a fairly decent singer and sang semi -professionally for years . He started having proper singing lessons and the difference they have made has been [u]amazing [/u], I mean really astounding . He says that the exercises and warm -ups he does before performing now have completely transformed his range and stamina , and his pitch is noticibly more reliable . He says he can't remember how he used to sing and perform without what he has learnt from the lessons .

Hi Ben , I cant think of any tracks that specifically feature an MM /J config , but these vids show the basic sounds available on the Lakland pretty well . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpd7r0PdVnU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNMcB5etjCY If you use this link to the audio samples page on the Lakland web site they have got tracks in a variety of styles with a bass in this configuration playing in the tracks : http://www.lakland.com/audio.htm

Most importantly , what does the T shirt mean ? Song Of Norway ? This man is deep!

Now that's what you call a hot player ! ( Fetching coat ...)

I would love to start a discussion about this frankly quite remarkable episode and its' dramatic yet unexplained conclusion , but I am too frightened to . There are powerful and potentially sinister forces at work here . For full melodramatic effect I intend to delete this post in the near future .

I'm glad someone has revived this thread . I was just thinking the other day how much this song has grown on me over the last couple of weeks .

It sounds like the pickguard is not quite a perfect fit . It's impossible to say if the jack is under too much strain without seeing it , but it should be ok . Take a look at it and try and see if it is under pressure or more susceptible to being tugged than before .

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1358885782' post='1946655'] No, but my backside's bright blue. [/quote] Good to know !

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1358883388' post='1946599'] The Lull headstock shape does nothing for me, It is blandis in extreamis. I'd have the Lull TBird if it was not for this bit of vanilla. By the way, I'm just about to turn 46 and I play a Gibbo Thunderbird, and with no apologies I must say I look and feel absolutely monu-f***ing-mental [size=4] [/size] [/quote] Have you got very long arms ?

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1358881446' post='1946546'] How do you choose the songs that you are going to learn, rehearse and ultimately gig? Do you reach consensus or is there a dictator? What criteria do you factor in? Is it about the quality of the song or is it about the popularity and potential audience satisfaction? An example i can give you is that our girl singer asked if we could have a go at a Bruno Mars song. On listening i can see why she suggested it as the line up suits the band, he sings like a girl and it appears to be very popular. However another member of the band says its only popular with 13 year old girls and it sounds like The Poilce [/quote] Popular with 13 year old girls and sounds like The Police is supposed to be a negative thing ?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358880555' post='1946526'] It's not my age I'm touchy about. It's being told I can't/shouldn't do certain things because of it. I simply don't accept that. I might start accepting it when my body or mind can no longer keep up, but until then I'll carry on doing the things I want to do, no matter how age inappropriate western society thinks they are. And after a couple of years of being GAS free, I really want a 5-string Lull T-Bass... [/quote] I have never played one of Mike Lulls ' basses but a friend of mine who has one swears by it and says it is the best playing and best sounding bass he has ever owned , and this guy has owned a lot of high - end basses . The T Birds ( and Fender -style derivatives ) look appealing to, me because they will sound unique . Light hearted remarks about age aside , I could never get on with the [i]very [/i]long - feeling neck on a regular Gibson Thunderbird bass or the neck dive that goes along with it , despite the great sound they have . I got offered a very cheap artist deal Thunderbird by Gibson about twenty years ago when I was in a hard rock band and had to decline due to the fact I found them unusable . These Lull T Birds are supposed to be perfectly balanced to counteract neck dive , but I would have to play one to see how they felt overall before buying . Some of the colour combinations are sumptuous and the sound will no doubt match . Pretty reasonable price for a top quality bass , too.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1358876942' post='1946439'] Not sure if this is entirely true. The young master discreet (10) loves to rock out, as does our guitarist's son (14) and daughter (11). I'm not touchy about it. I'm getting older is all. Like everyone else. Like YOU!! Bwa-ha-ha-HAAH!! Sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable. [/quote] You're right , but rock music is not exclusively for the young as it once was , say 40 years ago . The days when rock music was seen as a challenge to the establishment and the vanguard of social change are long , long gone . Nowadays it's just another consumer item . That remark about age wasn't directed at you by the way , it referred to earlier posts about this ( apparently ) touchy subject . I've been middle aged for some time now , depending on who you believe . I am looking forward to getting older - I see myself as being dapper and surprisingly ( disturbingly ) virile for some years yet , even if it takes a bit more effort !

On a practical level , try jamming along to some blues tracks and get a feel for some of the common progressions and cliches that come up time and again in this genre . Some of the early Fleetwood Mac albums spring to mind as having a good selection of blues shuffles ect . As others have mentioned , blues is a very broad term , so getting an idea of what you will be required to play would be very helpful .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358871494' post='1946338'] And have no intension of growing old gracefully. IME unfortunately some people are already middle-aged before they've reached their 30th birthday. Me, I expect to wake up one morning in about 20 years time to find that I've made the transition from rebellious youth to grumpy old man overnight. Until then I'm going to keep rocking like a bastard. As Earl Brutus said: "Pop music is wasted on the young". [/quote] Earl Brutus - what a great act they were . So sad that Nick Sanderson is no longer with us . I'm presuming you don't want to borrow any of my Joni Mitchell albums .

[quote name='GazWills' timestamp='1358873126' post='1946371'] Jeff Ament will be 50 in march and still looks very cool with his lull Sig t-bird bass... 50 is the new 30 [/quote] He's a rock star though . Different rules apply . It's when people [i]wish [/i]they were a rock star ( or even worse , believe they are ) that things get a bit uncomfortable . Rock music is middle aged music nowadays anyway . Kids are far more intrested in DJs , video games and playing with their phones than they are in rock music .

I wish I'd never said anything now ! I has no idea people were so touchy about their age ! I should have known better .

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1358868384' post='1946292'] By that reasoning, Jazz bass body = old bloke bass... I can understand that... On the topic of the pickups, here's my Fenderbird, with Dingwall pickups, cunningly lurking beneath these great covers: [url="http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b585/MTM133/photo_zpsebe2a12f.jpg"]http://i1293.photobu...zpsebe2a12f.jpg[/url] [/quote] More importantly , my body = old bloke ! ( That's the way it feels some days now , anyway ) . Nice looking bass , by the way .

That said , I'd still have a Mike Lull T Bird and play it at home where no one could see me . I've been having a look at them and they are beautiful .

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358866547' post='1946255'] With respect... Bollocks! [/quote] No offense taken , but I am a firm believer in growing old gracefully , and to my sensibilities older men trying a bit too hard to look rock and roll with angular "attitude " guitars is a bit like Jeremy Clarkson wearing jeans . Don't get me wrong - you can only please one person so please yourself , by all means - but I would feel a little less comfortable with myself than I do holding a Fender or similar . To me rock and roll will always be a young mans' game .

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1358861025' post='1946128'] I'd happily have both [/quote] I'd have a TBird style Lull too , except I think there's a rule that you have to be under thirty years old to play a bass like that .