fourstringEUB

I don't want to bore you folks with a load of 'I remember when' stories but if a post sparks something in the dim recesses of my brain worth repeating I'll post it. I should really write a book!! Come to think of it..... I did finally achieve the last type of gig on my bucket list in July...I played on a cruise. Seen it, done it and been there but never played a cruise ship. Wife and I were on a Norwegian Fjord cruise (Braemar, Olsen Line) and the cocktail lounge band was the Rosario Trio...arco double bass, classical guitar and violin. Light classical and show tunes...very low key...they're on Youtube...not exactly a swinging jazz outfit. I had a quick word with the bass player one day, said I played DB and he asked my opinion of the bass. I rattled off a couple of 12 bars...pizz of course...and got a big round of applause from the customers to my surprise. (Not a good bass, owned by the cruise line, student quality and set up for arco) A couple of days later he grabbed me as I walked past and asked me to sit in...I thought this could be interesting! Had a look at their pad and settled on Autumn Leaves but they played it in E, not the usual key of G...but what the hell. Think hard bop bassist meets light classical violin and guitar. To their credit they went for it once they realised that I knew what I was doing and there was a solid groove they could sit on...even in E!! Brought the house down...smiles and handshakes all round. So I've finally played on a cruise ship...for free.

I've just had a flashback to 1973! I worked for Davoli UK back then, one of the lines we distributed in the UK was Gherson, Italian-made knock-off guitars and basses and not very good (with all due respects, I note you have a Gherson Jazz Bass) You may possibly have heard of The Sweet, one of the original glam-rock bands (Ballroom Blitz etc) They used to visit the warehouse and go through the stock of Les Paul copies, choose around 6 of the best ones and then saw the fronts out and install flash bombs, fix the fronts back then blow 'em up as part of the act. We could never figure out why they wanted the best ones to destroy as they were unplayable after er...modification! Such a fun industry!! -C-

Many thanks for the warm welcome fellow bassers. Veteran most certainly...I go back to the days of 4 track, (2 track at the BBC!) no drop-ins, much track bouncing and recorded synth time limited to 2 hrs a week by the MU! No virtuoso me, more yer safe pair of hands who always turned up on time and got the job done without an attitude...unlike some. Always busy tho...happy daze!!

Hi all. Dunno why it's taken me so long to find this forum! To introduce myself..... The name's Clive AKA Bassface...nearly at the end of a long career as a pro/semi-pro with a dual complementary job running a UK music import-distribution company for 23 years. We supplied such lines as ESP, EMG, Whirlwind, Dean Markley, PM Tubes, Bartolini and other products so I'm pretty well up on the business end of things. Retired now from the day job and the crap gig scene means I'm not playing much either! My fault for being a jazzer. Spent many years as a jobbing bass player...was house session bassist for Polydor back in the '70's, did BBC work and really anything for money except C&W and anything involving banjos. Experience also includes house band at the Royalty' Southgate to big band gigs with Georgie Fame to chart covers to a jazz- funk band MSQ working the same venues as Level 42, Morrisey-Mullen. Last 15 or so years mainly jazz trio gigs including 4 years with the late, great pianist Johnny Burch, a frequent player at Ronnies. Earned the real money on a few different Precisions, changed to an Aria Pro-II 1000 in 1980, modified with a Bart MM and preamp which I still have...my favourite bass Guitar. Originally started playing double bass (last one a Hawkes Professor) but changed to BG as that was where the money was. Changed back to EUB in '98 as I stopped the commercial stuff and wanted to get back to my jazz roots. Last prestige gig was the European Jazz festival in '06 Current gear: Clifton EUB with Fishman T/ducer and Bartolini quartered jazz bass p/up with Bartolini buffered preamp built for me by Bill Bartolini. Very Custom!! Aria Pro-II bass ESP Custom Shop Jazz bass (I sold all the other basses recently...how many can you play at once dear?) Amps: Acoustic Image Contra Series 3 exclusively for EUB SR Jam 300 BB mainly for BG but useable for the EUB I am a micro bass amp enthusiast these days! I doubt I'll be doing much more playing now...I hit 69 in August and you can't give a jazz trio away round here and I've got to the point of not really being too bothered. However...I've had a bloody good playing career, the like of which I doubt we'll ever see again...in my day if you wanted music you hired a band. That's it from me...if you have bothered reading this ...THANKS! -C-