Len_derby

‘Loving this thread @Mickeyboro thanks. Almost glad the magazine tanked 😆👍

Thank you, that is very illuminating! My covers band have fairly recently recruited an Italian as a drummer. He comes from Sicily and has come over to the UK to work for Rolls Royce. I now understand why he drums like he does 😆

My experience is that a 5 string version of a favourite 4 string can seriously disappoint. I love my 4 string Jazz and I bought a 5 string version but it was very mediocre. My advice would be to treat it like a clean slate and find a five string that you like and fits your budget.

A disaster. My originals band, Diamond Bridges , secured a slot at yesterday’s Oxjam Festival in Beeston Nottinghamshire. The headliners kindly agreed to me using their bass rig, Beeston is on the main rail line between Derby and Nottingham. So, I thought it’d be great idea to travel light and use the train. Train cancelled due to points failure with no prediction as to when it’d be fixed. No time for me to get home and use the car, I’m thirty minutes from the station. No suitable busses. So, I never made it in time for our slot. Top marks to the other two guys in the band who played the gig as a drum n’ guitar duo. As icing on the cake, yesterday was the first use of my senior railcard I’d shelled out for. 🙄

I have a Japanese-made Fender Jazz, ocean turquoise with stacked-knobs. It used to be my go-to bass for most gigs until I treated myself to a custom-made bass form our own Andyjr1515. It’s not been out of its case now for about three years.

It’s a tough one. Drummers and singers seem the hardest to replace. Here’s three ways bands I’ve been in have tackled it. Each has its own challenges, pros and cons. 1. Do without a drummer. Use a drum machine. 2. Someone in the band retrains as a drummer. Tip - it always seems possible to find a guitarist 😉 3. Approach local colleges. This has to be done carefully with tact, but my current covers band found a really enthusiastic 17 year old drummer this way. She’s now joined the police and stepped back from gigging due to shifts but we got two great years. Good luck with your search. Drummers who are not already over-committed are tough to find where I live, which is the densely populated Derby/Notts M1 corridor.

There’s something about this area that makes you spend money 😉😆

Postman Pat - stupid hat. Particularly relevant for bass-players.

Just back from playing at The Old Star in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. It’s a pub that consistently supports live music, has a proper stage and friendly, obliging staff. But……bands play outside in a courtyard area. By the end of the second set tonight it definitely felt chilly. Time to get the hand warmers out again.

It can be very sad to see favourites past their best but I wonder if some of them can’t afford to retire.

No, I don’t think it’s worrying. Fashions come and go. The low frequency notes in music don’t have to come from a bass guitar. The average music listener doesn’t know or care (or need to know or care) which sounds come from which instruments. To me, it’s all about making music that people want to listen or dance to. If one of the bands I play with tell me they don’t want a bass guitar I don’t thing I’d struggle to find other options.

I do, and I’ve just had a double-check by trying it on. I’ve found it comfy enough, and I try to avoid using my car where I can so I often have a decent walk - I’m a skinny 6’1”, if that makes any difference to the fit. I guess the point is to try a bag if possible before committing.

Yes, the M80. I’ve had it more than 10 years. It doesn’t show any significant signs of wear.

I’m sure others will be along soon to give their suggestions, but my favourite, which has served me well for years is the Mono Classic gig bag for bass guitar. Not cheap, but ticks the boxes.

I’m probably a bit too east for the best route but I could do the Notts/Derby M1 corridor up to theSheffield area.

Yesterday we made our third visit to The Crossroads Tavern, Alfreton, Derbyshire. It’s the old town post office converted into a bar, and their slot for live music is Sunday afternoon. We enjoy playing there, the crowd is always lively and enthusiastic. By the time we finish, 6.30 ish, most of the bar is bladdered and singing along. But, within 15 minutes most of them have gone. Some to the curry house next door, some on busses back to Derby and Nottingham and others just shamble off into the distance. Another fun afternoon, only mildly spoiled by a wheel falling off my trolley.

I have inherited a large collection of books about India. My farther-in-law was a lover of India and things Indian. He made several visits. I thought I’d see if any one else interested would like them. I’m prepared to deliver or meet-up within and hour or so of Derby.

On Bank Holiday Monday the covers band took part in a charity festival at a local pub. It was to raise money for the local Air Ambulance. It was the first time our newish drummer, Guido, had taken part in such an event. The multi-band setup requiring quick turn-arounds, no sound-checks and borrowed kit freaked him out a bit. I think he got used to a much more leisurely, comfortable way of doing things in his native Sicily! Not to mention the dusty trailer soiling his immaculate jeans 😆. He did well, though. Hopefully plenty of money was raised. The flying blood wagon does a lot of business around here, what with the outdoor activities of the Peak District and the motorcycle hot-spots.

Well done to you and the band for having a professional attitude, making the best of it and putting on a good show. There may have been someone in the audience who was inspired by you to become a musician and start their own band. Little knowing what the reality is sometimes 😆

If it can make it to the Derby/Nottingham area (junction 25 M1), I’ll do the last leg. I know where the wolves and brigands frequent.

Commercial Meths includes a substance called pyridine, which imparts the foul smell plus also a purple dyeing agent. I used to get involved in the manufacture of it when I worked for BASF. Colloquially, we were told it was to discourage drinking it!

“Sociopathic bass-player quits making passive-aggressive complaints about band-members”. Now, THAT would be breaking news. 😆

My at-home playing is mostly on a short-scale Stagg acoustic bass guitar. It’s always out and ready to be picked up.