chriswareham

Had a bad experience where the house engineer got blotto the night before we played, and he hadn't noticed that someone had pinched most of the DI boxes. He had a few old DI boxes, but had to reuse them for each band. Come our set, he plugs our rack of synths and samplers into them - only problem is that he left them on the Mic impedance setting rather than switch them over to Line. No line check, and as we start our set I can't hear the drums or keyboards as the engineer yanked their levels down since the output was so distorted. Audience look perplexed as well. I ended up playing the whole set looking at the blinking metronome on the sequencer since the engineer was too useless to realise what he'd done. Thankfully the venue sacked him shortly afterwards.

I briefly used a Gretsch Jet Baritone as a bass. It's the same scale as a Fender VI, and I strung it E to E using La Bella strings. I could get a decent bass sound out of it, and I could also do "twangy" surf style guitar lines on it. Took some getting used to the string spacing versus a conventional four string bass, but it was great fun and sounds great with distortion if you want to play something approximating a lead guitar part.

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1419806165' post='2642909'] What I find far more incredible is someone paid this, and is now selling it so quickly. [/quote] At this price point you are paying for novelty. No way does that play better than a bass a tenth of its price - it's value is in its exclusivity. I suspect that it was bought by someone with a lot of money that expected a quantum difference in playability to something like a top end Musicman or Fender and are disappointed with the reality. On a subjective note its as fugly as hell as well.

Haven't read much of the thread, so I'm probably doing an AOL style "me too", but my favourite JJ moment is the entire bass part to Nice 'N' Sleazy. It was my party piece when I first learned to play bass, and is invariably the first thing I play when I pick up an unfamiliar bass guitar.

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1420145216' post='2646153'] Roll on the return of the Phillips Laser disc 2000, my mates dad had one, it was the only one I ever saw, actually come to think of it my mate had a mullet at that time [/quote] My school had that Domesday Project thingy that was on a Laser Disc kind of format that could only be read by a specific device for the BBC computer. Much to my amusement there was an article a couple of years ago about how the data was now difficult to access since the format and hardware was so unique. Didn't have that problem with the parchment of the original Domesday Book. Now excuse me while I go and insert a 3.5" floppy into my old sequencer (and no, that's not a euphemism).

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1420020053' post='2644821'] Bargain alert! Westone Thunder 1A version 3 incl. hard case £100 BIN collection only Sutton, Surrey [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bass-guitar-/261717883775?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cef99fb7f"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3cef99fb7f[/url] If I didn't already have one I'd be driving round the M25 at this moment. [/quote] Jaw dropping bargain - if I didn't already have too much gear I'd be pressing the Buy It Now on that right now. I've owned two Thunder 1A basses, and a battered Thunder Jet. Only (slightly silly) reason I don't play one now is that their quite small body looks a bit daft on a bloke who is six foot four and weighs 220 pounds. The early neck through ones were surprisingly heavy though.

This year's surprise Christmas present from my wife was a copy of the recently released biography of Peter Ratajczyk, better known as Peter Steele. Not seen much mention of him on this site, but he was the bassist, lead vocalist and songwriter of several influential bands culminating with Type O Negative. He's been a musical inspiration to me and as a fellow tall gangly, guy the amazing physique he had in his prime was also a spur to me getting into lifting weights in a serious way. That's something that probably saved my life when I suffered a life threatening illness that went undiagnosed for several years - the specialists said it was only my fitness that kept me going for so long before I was ultimately hospitalised. I'm about halfway through the book, and so far it's been a cracking read. Peter absorbed the pop and rock that his five sisters played, but his musical epiphany was when one of them started playing early Black Sabbath albums. He then went on to record a début single with future Type O Negative band mate Josh Silver under the name of Fallout before forming Carnivore. Their early music stood out amongst the other thrash bands of the time thanks to the occasional reflective interludes and unusual lyrics that revolved around a post-apocalyptic theme. Then he started to absorb NYHC (New York Hard Core) influences, which mixed punk with metal. As before, Carnivore stayed distinctive with Peter's unusual lyrics and stentorian vocals. He continued to absorb an eclectic mix of influences such as industrial, metal, goth and pop, but Carnivore ground to a halt. He formed what eventually became Type O Negative, initially using songs he'd intended for a third Carnivore album. The band got into a lot of bother in Europe due to some people taking the cathartic and personal lyrics at face value (despite people saying us Europeans do irony and sarcasm better than the Yanks). Then the band came back with a series of incredible albums that became more and more absorbing before Peter's untimely death in 2010 at the age of 48. There's a lot to like about the book from a music perspective, as Steele was definitely someone who wrote about personal experiences from the heart, and it covers the complex reasons why. It reads like an honest account to me, and I think that's why Peter's sisters have now disowned it despite a lot of involvement - I think the author has done a good job of writing a realistic portrait of the man rather than papering over some of the deep problems he suffered from. As someone with Asperger's Syndrome, I do wonder if Steele had it but was undiagnosed, as I'm finding some surprising parallels with my own outlook on life and resulting experiences. In summary, I'd strongly suggest checking this out - and that's from someone who has found all but two or three biographies or autobiographies of musicians to be a bit of a let down.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1420155100' post='2646278'] It always tickles me when people slag these sort of shows off. If there's something on telly that you're not enjoying then turning it off (or over) would surely be the sensible thing to do? [/quote] As I point out above, I think a lot of peoples problem with the regular Later... is that it's the only live music show on TV, and it's invariably a bland smug fest. The reason I mentioned The Tube in my comment above, apart from the Jools presenting connection, is that it had a wide range of music on it. I wouldn't like a lot of it, but a bit like the John Peel Show, it would typically have something that I'd like amongst all the variety. Now it's just talent school trained clones and has-beens. [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1420155100' post='2646278'] Of course, if you're [b]intentionally[/b] looking for something to grizzle about, watching the whole thing in abject misery will do the job nicely. I'm sure you can get yourselves nice and wound up by the time it finishes. [/quote] Well, for those of us who were waiting up to see the fireworks on the telly, it was either Jools or a Queen tribute band. I would have stuck a YouTube video on or something, but then ran the risk of missing the chimes.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1420148706' post='2646193'] I so agree with this. It never ceases to amaze me how many BC'ers seem to revel in having a go at live music on TV. [/quote] I think it gets so much criticism and the threads are so noticeable since it's about the only live music show on TV. Jools was OK as a presenter on the late, lamented Tube back in the 1980s because he didn't have any involvement in the wide ranging selection of music on that show. It was also in an era where independent labels were successful, whereas Later and its offshoots just show us the bland major label manufactured sh*te and has-beens. At least it doesn't have that creepy bearded twunt Bob Harris on it like, but otherwise it's the current version of the Old Grey Whistle Test in its bloated, condescending glory back in the mid 1970s. Wow. Needed to get that off my chest.

Just read this thread in its entirety. I find the Ashdown stuff frustrating to use - it seems to be ubiquitous in London rehearsal studios, but impossible to get a decent sound out of. I've tried a variety of active and passive basses through them, but they always sound too muffled. I have to defend the Carlsbro Stingray 90 combo from the late 1980's though. I had one as my first amp that I bought from a friend when he upgraded to a Peavey stack, and while it was a bit bland with my passive bass it sounded great with his active one. On the "should be good but wasn't" front, I positively loathe Trace Elliot stuff from the early 1990s. Seemed to only be popular with slap players, had no bottom end, and weighed a ton. Hartke amps of that era seemed to be the same just more expensive, although I played my ancient Simm-Watts through a Hartke speaker stack once and the cabinets themselves were fine.

I tend to find it shows up the dirt too easily, and as for being tight it can make the crown jewels a bit too prominent.

Drivers and support from future operating systems won't be a problem if you buy a device that uses "class compatible" interfaces. There are standards for USB and audio interfaces that mean compatible devices don't require proprietary drivers. Alternatively, switch to Linux, where even things like my old Yamaha UX-96 still works despite not being entirely class compatible. I use a package called Ardour (not the same as Audacity) which is an open source and free equivalent to Ableton Live or Logic.

I've seen posts on here and over at the US equivalent from a number of people who've bought from sellers on Ali Express. All have been positive, with the occasional caveat that the hardware may not be the best but acceptable for the price.

Hi folks, As I love my vintage Vox Foundation cabinet with its original Celestion G18C speaker, I decided I needed another one to go with it. Seeing as they are as rare as hen's teeth and either in an appalling state or with a replacement speaker when they do crop up, I decided to build my own. Fellow Basschatter Balcro was kind enough to give me his home built speaker cabinet from the 1970s, along with its hardly used Celestion G18C. I then set about getting the dimensions and construction details of my original Foundation cab down on paper. It's made from 3/4" birch plywood with 7/8" cross section battens for internal bracing. I decided to omit the recessed handles, since it would make covering the cab in Tolex that much harder. My local B&Q had suitable plywood, 18mm thick external use stuff, and 20mm cross section battens for the bracing. This afternoon I put the basic chassis together as stage one of the build: Now I have a dilemma. I don't know how to cut a neat round hole for the speaker in the baffle. I also don't know the correct tool for rounding off the edges of the cabinet. Any advice gratefully appreciated!

If I heard the song right on YouTube (it was on my phone speaker so hard to hear the bass drum), then it's bass drum on steps 1, 9 and 11 with snare on 5 and 13. Each step is a sixteenth note in a one bar 4/4 pattern. Snares on 1, 5, 9 and 13 for the bridge. Very simple!

Modern drum machines normally have a "tap tempo" feature that allows you to tap along in time with a song to determine its tempo. Check the manual for your machine to see if it has it.

I'm sure I read somewhere that he played "incognito" with Zodiac Mindwarp a few years ago. They are both contributors to the Idler magazine, although Alex didn't realise at first that the mild looking Mark Manning was really priapic rock god Zodiac :-)

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1419020987' post='2635856'] Try the Ed Friedland book which ought to be called Jamaican bass: [/quote] Cool! Just snagged a copy on Amazon for less than a fiver.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1419022063' post='2635862'] Lots of triplet stuff where you just play the two and three of the triplet. Unfortunately to be any good at any style you just have to immerse yourself in it for weeks. Just listen constantly on your iPod to as much as you can get hold of. [/quote] Any recommendations gratefully appreciated. Stuff I'm familiar with and love includes Specials, Selector, Prince Buster, King Tubby and various stuff that Sly and Robbie have played on. For whatever reason, stuff that leaves me cold is Madness (apart from Night Boat To Cairo) and Bob Marley. I think I must be in good company when it comes to sharing this love of ska / reggae / dub stuff as it's also a big influence on people I admire like Killing Joke and Godflesh.

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1419020457' post='2635851'] Someone once told me that reggae bass is played on the 'off' beat, not the 'on' - is that any help? [/quote] Could be. I tend to think of the emphasis as being on the quarter notes, first note of four triplets or two dotted and one undotted quarter notes in a single bar if that makes sense. Perhaps I need to change my sub-conscious "count" to use alternate eight notes and what would be sixteenth "passing" notes in the genres I normally play. It's either that or start smoking draw, which is what was recommended by the Rastafari guy who ran the rehearsal place I used as a student!

I've played in punk, gothic, industrial and metal bands for over twenty years and something I've noticed is that pretty much everyone I've ever been in band with absolutely loves Ska and Reggae - in particular the Ska revival stuff of the very late 1970's and early 1980's. Whenever we've talked about it further, my bandmates have agreed that the bass playing in those styles of music has a feel we've found it impossible to replicate. It's almost as though our primary genres demand a mechanical and precise feel that is the complete opposite of Ska and Reggae. I've been intrigued by this for years, so I've spent this afternoon trying to analyse what makes a typical Ska bass and drum backing. My conclusion is that the the drums are typically quite "shuffling" (not sure if that's the correct term), but ultimately play a repetitve pattern thoughout most songs. The bass guitar though is completely unfathomable to me, playing against the rhythm and often changing so much that it almost sounds like it was improvised. I know that people like Horace Panter had been playing for many years before they acheived a high profile, but how on earth do you start to learn this style of playing? I've tried many times to play along with the recordings, but I always sound stilted in comparison!

Hmm, synth porn. Here's my collection of unreliable analogue antiques: Roland TR-77, Roland Jupiter 4 and Oberheim OB-X. All with MIDI retrofits. ARP Omni II and Solina String Ensemble Mk I. Powertran Transcendent 2000. Plus about a dozen other rack mounted or percussion analogue oddities such as a Syncussion and Clap Trap.

As it was my birthday today, I asked my brother if he'd buy me a cheap Gibson EB-1 or EB-3 copy. I'm a big fan of Jack Bruce's playing in Cream, but could never justify the exorbitant cost of a Gibson short scale. So, my birthday present was an Avon Rose-Morris EB-1 copy: I found it on Gumtree, then my brother sorted out payment and shipping (£60 in total). Neck is straight, action is spot on and the tone goes from thuddy if I pick near the neck to surprisingly bright and twangy near the bridge. I absolutely love it!

Type O Negative - Cinnamon Girl (they also did a great version of Summer Breeze, a song mentioned earlier in this thread, but a rather lacklustre Beatles medley). Jesus And Mary Chain - Mushroom (a Can cover) and a scorching version of Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love? Paradise Lost - How Soon Is Now (no Morrissey vocal is a bonus for me), as well as a great version of Bronski Beat's Smalltown Boy. And a stonking cover of The Sisters of Mercy's Walk Away. Sepultura - The Hunt (a New Model Army cover). Diamanda Galas - Gloomy Sunday (with the first English lyrics that are closer to the original Hungarian lyrics than the later, better known version covered by the likes of The Associates). Therapy? - Diane (Husker Du cover, although the original is great as well).

Looks like an alcohol fuelled posting that sounded funny until they sobered up. Either that or they really are twunts.