JapanAxe

And we haven't even begun to discuss the lightbulb's HEFT!

Well I got paid!

Another short-notice gig, this time 2.15pm call for 9pm local gig with a 3-piece 'classic rock' covers outfit. There were quite a few numbers I didn't know or wasn't familiar with, so I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening roughly working out numbers, making and/or gathering together transcriptions, and memorising the simpler numbers. All the dots went on my iPad. I recall there was a thread a while back where the use of music stands on pub gigs got a bit of a hammering. If this gig had been at a fortnight's notice I may well have learned the set, but that wasn't going to work on this one, I had to read it from dots. Fortunately I was able to position my iPad stand behind a PA speaker, so visually it was fine. On the downside, the BL had no clue as to keys. I first received a set list based on first notes or chords, then one with the alleged keys, which were mainly nonsense. Fortunately only a couple of songs turned out to be in non-original keys. The actual gig was ok, but the few people at the pub were more interested in the rugby and/or golf than in the band.

I can't for the life of me find the video on YouTube, but Pete Thorn posted saying if your gig has at least 2 of these 3 it's good: The money The music The hang (i.e. the craic) Can't argue with that!

Tell us more, Blue!

Rebel Heroes (Bowie tribute) at the Old Court in Windsor - damn near sold the place out, over 2 hours straight through on stage, with a mini acoustic set in the middle = pure enjoyment. As well as taking a DI from my Demeter head, the sound guy set up a cab mic. "I like Barefaced cabs" he said. Other Bowie tributes are available.

Just got back from my shortest-notice-ever gig: FB message arrived 8.38pm, started the first set 9.30pm, so 52 minutes! It was a blues gig with a pickup band for a singer/harmonica player. The call came from the guitar/keyboard player (who I knew mainly from open mic nights), the scheduled bassist having fallen ill minutes beforehand, and the drummer being 3rd in line after the other tub-thumpers dropped like flies from the lurgy. Fortunately guitar/keys had the set list well beforehand so knew how the tunes went, and the drummer had done the gig before (albeit a couple of years previously). Obviously it wasn't as polished as it might have been with a rehearsal or 3, but singer/harpist was happy and the pub crowd loved it, plus I got paid, so that's win-win-win!

Fri 20th September - Rebel Heroes Bowie tribute at The Old Court, Windsor. Tickets on sale here.

+1 for these, I have them on all my bass guitars. Mainly synthetic materials, but the ends are leather.

Are you a bit (or a lot) of a Bowie fan? Would you like to play Bowie songs in front of enthusiastic audiences? Then you could be the guy or gal that we're looking for. You'll be competent in a range of styles, and confident to tackle the guitar playing of Mick Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick, and other stellar Bowie sidemen. This is not a look-alike act, which makes it all the more important that we accurately replicate the music heard on the classic Bowie albums. Pub-rock versions will not do, so you'll have your work cut out to get our 2-hour set under your fingers. As well as playing ability you'll need decent reliable kit and transport. The band rehearses in the Bath/Wiltshire area, so ideally you'll live around that area too. Message me with any questions and to be put in touch with our Main Man.

I was a guitarist, bought a bass for home recording. Friend said he needed bass on an upcoming gig, so I bought an amp too. That was nearly 20 years ago...

Ooft! That is mighty fine!

I now own this bass, and it is also the best 5-er I have owned. Actually I have only owned one other, a G&L L1505. The Dingwall is easier and more comfortable to play and control, and sounds like variations on a P-bass. Which is what it is! Resonant, responsive, and the weight just feels right.

Some observations, just because I can't help taking a fun topic seriously: All these comparisons are done with people's ears, which are easily fooled, and take little or no account of the frequency response of the amp and/or speaker, or how loud an amp could go before distortion reaches a certain level. We also 'measure' these things with our eyes, and with out prejudices and preconceptions fully engaged. There is a tendency to equate the weight of an object with quality. Ex.1 - the spec of my Hyundai is very close to that of the Mercedes I had before it, but the Merc 'felt' more like a luxury car but it was so weighty. Ex.2 - dialog from Jurassic park when boy picks up night vision goggles - 'Are they heavy?' 'Yes.' 'Then they're expensive.' Ex.3 - for a given power rating, a valve head will weigh more than a Class AB, which will weigh more than a class D. The closest thing we've had to a scientific experiment was the amp shootout at one of the Bass Bashes a couple of years ago - no-one could distinguish between valve watts, conventional (Class AB) transistor watts, and Class D watts. Despite this, people still make these same assertions. Of course Trace Elliot is the exception, for the reasons given in their educational video...

I play both guitar and bass, and can read on both, but to drastically different levels! On bass - a decent reader, and if in doubt I can still play something in keeping with the idiom and get away with it. On guitar - dots are more of a study aid, I struggle to read vertical groups in real time, and I feel a lot more exposed making mistakes. Nevertheless, when working out songs and writing them down for future reference, I always use standard notation, never tab (cue perennial debate...)

I often gig the 50W version - most satisfying! Makes a great recording pre-amp too, with the built-in 8-ohm dummy load.

Bought a pedal from Pete, always nice to meet a fellow BC-er, shame I didn't have time to stay for the refreshing beverage proffered!

Facebook!

Nice! Did you singist show up in good time?

I'm not so sure that's true. Any circuit, whether valve or solid state, is capable of imparting some coloration to the audio signal passing through it.

Flats on a Precision through a clean amp? Perfect for most of the music I play. If I need a bit more top, my flats of choice (D'Addario Chromes, Ernie Ball Cobalts) will respond to plectrums and popping. And they feel so smoooooth...

GET OUT!