Happy Jack

Yeh, noticed the load-in. You should have seen the drummer's traps case. A large open wooden box (no lid) which must have weighed 20lbs on its own! Manoeuvring that through the strange double-doorway thing must have been a nightmare.

I find myself wondering how much Fodera would have had to pay in advertising and PR to attract this amount of coverage, discussion, and controversy. So by making a 'special' version of one of their standard basses and putting a slightly silly pricetag on it, they've managed to hook a well-known bass mag plus the largest bass-related website outside America. And for no money at all. These guys aren't stupid, y'know. As to the high cost of their New York operation, their workshop is in the equivalent of a run-down part of London's Docklands. We're not talking Manhattan here, and the place itself is absolutely not glitz & glamour ... check out Bluejay's blog from last year. Compared to a cup of coffee, an entry-level Chinese-made bass, or a carbon-fibre bicycle, that Fodera pricetag is huge. Compared to a university education, a high-end car, or a flat in London, that Fodera pricetag is trivial. Which end of the telescope do you want to look through?

http://www.diago.co.uk/pedal-power/diago-powerstation.html I know you've already pulled the trigger, but this Diago unit is probably the best I've used yet. Apart from the quality & functionality of their kit, Diago are a British outfit (so they're easy to reach) and they remember what 'customer service' means (so you can actually sort stuff out when it goes wrong or bits go missing).

[quote name='police squad' timestamp='1428305135' post='2739972'] had I seen this before easter I could have offered The Arches venue in Coventry on good Friday followed by the Marrs bar in Worcester on Saturday but I've only just seen it [/quote] Bloody wish you had mate! I have to say that we were taken by surprise by just how little was going on near Birmingham over the BH weekend. From what we could see, Coventry had a reasonable amount of activity, maybe some in Rugby, but that was about it. Obviously this may reflect our search pattern, but we're pretty good at this stuff and I don't think we missed some sort of treasure trove. The highlight was finding a local band playing at the Brasenose Arms in Cropredy, letting the SatNav route us over the country parks and moorlands to get there, talking to the band while they were setting up, and discovering that they were based in Acton (erm ... where my studio is) while their rhythm section came from Brighton. OK, scratch "local" then.

If I'd seen these when I was just starting, I'd have had a set. Looks like a very good idea for a new starter.

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1427803055' post='2734373'] I can often find it hard to distinguish conversational speech if there's significant (not necessarily loud) background noise. [/quote] +1 I hate going to parties for this reason, and I'll only go into noisy pubs if I'm there to listen to a band.

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1427802659' post='2734365'] No, riding a bike for years with no earplugs did. [/quote] +1 Bloody Vance & Hines system ...

Playing a 5kg bass will definitely do damage to your body over time, and it may take years for that damage to surface. The stresses created by slinging a heavy bass over one shoulder and then twisting your upper body to play it are entirely assymetric, and damage not only the obvious places but also - through your body compensating for that - a load of other places too. If you know that in advance, then it's possible to take preventive action to protect your neck, shoulders and lower back. Going to the gym to build up strength won't hurt, but it won't deal with the damage caused by that lack of symmetry. It's like getting tinnitus from too much exposure to loud music. If you wait for that tinnitus to appear before you start using decent earplugs then - frankly - you've left it a bit late. The time to start doing something about tinnitus is [i][b]before [/b][/i]you suffer from it!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1427893755' post='2735524'] Another small point: musicians are obsessed with what their playing is not. Audiences are more concerned with what it is. [/quote] Well if you're going to go there, then covers bands definitely have a huge advantage. The audience don't actually hear us play. Most of the time they're listening to the music in their heads. They hear what they remember the song sounding like; if we sound vaguely similar then all is well. FACT!

Most of the time I am pretty reluctant to 'let something go', and I have irritated any number of band mates by insisting that we/they get things right, rather than merely close enough. On the other hand, and partly to rein myself in a bit, I deliberately remain in one band where the word "loose" doesn't even begin to describe it. Every song is chaos, every set is complete anarchy, you never know what the leader is going to do next ... he routinely starts songs in the wrong key, or the wrong speed, or even the wrong rhythm, he changes the structure as he goes along, forgets the words and makes up new ones, you name it, he does it. It's a great way to put my other bands/projects in perspective, and to remind me not to get too anal about all this.

Does he own a time machine?

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1427581510' post='2732060'] Even wrong on most album sleeves! [/quote] Yes, that really has astonished me. If you've gone to the trouble of writing the lyrics and recording the song, is it really too much trouble to check the sleeve before it goes for publication? I had exactly this conversation with Bluejay recently, about [i][b]How Deep Is Your Love[/b][/i] by the BeeGees. The first line is "[i]I've seen your eyes in the morning sun[/i]" which, in the context of what follows, makes sense. The album sleeve has "[i]And when you rise in the morning sun[/i]" which, again in context, makes no sense whatsoever.

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1427814304' post='2734555'] Sounds good to me. [/quote] The shrubbery?

Can I just mention that, before each gig we play, our drummer builds his own kit?

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1427814146' post='2734553'] The clause about not playing the same area within a certain timeframe I'd normally argue was common sense, but normally it's two weeks, or "not in the same month". [/quote] Never been convinced by this argument, unless you define "area" very tightly as in within 400 yards or something. If your band is known and liked at all the music venues within easy range of the one you're pitching to, then your band is far more likely to bring a following which is exactly what most venues want. If your band is known and disliked at all the music venues within easy range of the one you're pitching to, then it hardly matters anyway.

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1427791691' post='2734174'] A few years ago , there used to be a load of bars in this area that would put bands on. Every band was busy. There was no animosity between bands as there were more than enough gigs to go round. [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Gradually more and more of the live band bars have closed or simply stopped putting on music. [/font][/color] [/quote] [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1427792137' post='2734184'] I always thought that relaxing licensing laws re music would be a bad thing and lead to too many places putting on music.. which has happened and ..and that dilutes further the live music scene, IMO.. [/quote] Erm ... guys? Which is it? I think we should be told.

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1427794117' post='2734218'] References to 'lazy journalism' are a bit unfair when nothing has even been written yet. [/quote] You don't really get the whole pre-judging thing, do you? Where's the fun in waiting to see some results and reaching an informed conclusion?

Do they have Dave Vader's favourite - Post-Womble Deathcore Hoedown?

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1427619053' post='2732272'] If I was looking for something akin to very light valve breakup, which would I get? [/quote] What would you be putting it in front of? IME it's pretty damned ticklish to achieve "light valve breakup" from a pedal if you're running into a valve pre-amp. Much easier if you're using the pedal as a way of compensating for NOT having real valves. If you want to borrow some high-quality, little-used pedals to experiment with, let me know.

Christ! That hadn't even crossed my mind ...

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/258941-the-sound-of-young-women-coming-together/page__pid__2733404#entry2733404

[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1427721676' post='2733411'] ... and have so many issues at home in a box, [/quote] Yes, my analyst recommended that method of dealing with my issues too. And don't call me Shirley.

[url="https://youtu.be/YK_SRUlLHJE"]https://youtu.be/YK_SRUlLHJE[/url]

The correct answer is, it depends ... What sort of music do you play? Are you a tapping & slapping person, a doom-laden Goth monster, a heads-down no-nonsense mindless boogie type, etc.? The OTB is a truly great head and a perfect match for Barefaced cabs with 12" drivers (IMHO and IME) but it is famously a one-trick pony. If you like that one trick (and I do, believe me I do) then it's an awesome head. If not, then you will be eternally frustrated by the total lack of flexibility or EQ, and you will invest your entire pension fund in FX pedals in a desperate attempt to remedy the situation. Your call ...

Shouldn't you ask a Mod ... no, wait ...