MrDaveTheBass

I agree - I've noticed the 'straight-neck' phenomenom in classifieds too, and thought it weird. I've always set up basses and guitars with a bit of neck relief, but I agree with Tim - you'd never be able to sell a bass using the line: 'with a nicely bowed neck'!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1462101853' post='3040231'] At that time if the feel was right then a bum note or two wasn't the complete disaster that it's seen to be now. Plus it was harder and more risky to fix a single note back then. I blame Pro Tools. It's so easy to fix things that it's done as a matter of course. [/quote] There's an excellent BBC 'Arena' documentary on Brian Eno. In it, Eno makes a wonderful analogy between Pro Tools and Playdoh: In the 'old days' a 'warts-and-all' recording would be like lots of different brightly-coloured bits of Playdoh - the quality came from the feel and variety. Now, because it's so easy to pitch-shift and quantize every note until it's 'perfect', it's the equivalent of mashing all your different Playdoh colours together into one homogenized, sh1t-brown lump.

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1458234838' post='3005886'] [size=5][b]And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda by Eric Boyle[/b][/size] [/quote] Thanks, I've learned something today - I'd only ever heard the Pogues version on 'Rum, Sodomy and the Lash', and I hadn't realised it was a cover. Absolutely amazing song - I'll go and hunt out the original.

Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson always messes me right up.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1456611696' post='2990837'] The other thing that bugs me is that singer consistently gets the words wrong. So if I'm doing BVs I have to sing them wrong as well otherwise it sounds weird. I couldn't bring myself to sing 'savilate' instead of 'salivate' though. (It's in the lyrics to 'Bitch' in case you're wondering) [/quote] Does he Savilate like a Pavlova dog?

I was looking for a transcription of Charlie Larkey's sublime bassline on Carole King's Smackwater Jack, when I happened upon this little gem: [url="http://www.sykestranscription.com/transcription-archive/"]http://www.sykestranscription.com/transcription-archive/[/url] Mr Sykes offers a paid transcription service, but has a large archive of (mainly 70s rock) basslines, all free to download as PDFs. They're all proper old-school dots (no tab), so a good opportunity to brush up on your reading skills.

Noddy Holder sometimes played Jim Lea's bass while Jim was sawing away at his fiddle.

The news is still only just starting to sink in. I never met him, never knew him, but I'm really shocked at how much this sad news has affected me. Absolutely gutted.

I tried out a new pair of Alpine earplugs at rehearsal last night, and I was really pleased with them: [url="https://www.alpinehearingprotection.co.uk/earplugs/musicsafe-classic/#"]https://www.alpinehearingprotection.co.uk/earplugs/musicsafe-classic/#[/url] I've used Elacin ER20s for years, but the Alpines were much more comfortable and the sound quality was better. Mrs Davethebass is pleased too, as they came with a smart black aluminium keyring case, which is much classier than the transparent plastic manky earwax-filled case that I used to cart my ER20s around in. The Alpines come with two sets of filters - silver for medium level protection, and gold for high-level protection. I'm not sure that I'm ever going to use the silver set, as the gold filters were perfect for a small room rock band rehearsal with bass, two guitars and a loud drummer, and I could still hear everyone well enough to chat between songs.

[quote name='No. 8 Wire' timestamp='1447678358' post='2909411'] Have you also tried TI flats? How do they compare tension wise if so? I really like the low tension of the TI flats but I'm interested in trying out the cobalts. [/quote] The Cobalts are my first venture into the flat world. The tension is higher than the Ernie Ball rounds I was using previously, and I needed to adjust the truss-rod to compensate. The marketing blurb for the Cobalts talks about a roundwound sound with a flatwound feel. They haven't got the full growl of a set of rounds, but sound much brighter than a traditional set of flats. As the Sterling's got loads of GRRR, anyway, I'm very happy with the compromise.

I recently put a set of Ernie Ball Cobalt flats on my Sterling, and I'm really pleased with them. They're still bright enough if you need a bit of slap and pop, but you can wind off the treble to go in search of a Bernard Edwards tone. (Impossible I know - it was all in his fingers, but it sounds closer than using rounds).

It's OK as long as you don't think of it as a guitar, but instead as a 6-string piccolo bass.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1446728998' post='2901794'] I suppose as far as placebos go they're cheap enough, but they're still placebos. I've never been able to find a single bit of objective data from any of the makers of either isolation or coupling devices (and you really should wonder why there are both) so I obtained my own. The results are posted here: [url="http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19112"]http://billfitzmauri...hp?f=10&t=19112[/url] BTW, since hockey pucks are a high density material if they did anything it would be to increase coupling to the stage, not reduce it. [/quote] Thanks for the link. It looks like I'm going to have to sell my cab and buy myself some skates and a hockey stick instead!

The pucks are made out of fairly sticky rubber, so if you anchor them under your cab's feet, the cab doesn't go anywhere. I must admit I've only tried them on level stages though.

If you're looking at ways of isolating your cabs (especially on boomy wooden stages), I've had great success using ice hockey pucks. They're easy to chuck in a case or gig bag, and at £6 for 4, they're 10 times cheaper than one of them there Gramma Pads. [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skate-Hut-Ice-Hockey-Puck/dp/B0073UQTMI"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skate-Hut-Ice-Hockey-Puck/dp/B0073UQTMI[/url]

The most useful tool that I've used for working out tunes is the Korg Pandora (PX4D). It lets you hear both yourself and the track at a proper level. It has a handy detune function that allows you to tweak the tuning of the track into concert pitch. Add a decent set of headphones, and you're good to go. I also recommend a fantastic free Android App called 'Audipo'. You can pay for the 'pro' version, but so far the free version's done everything I needed it to. It allows you slow the track down without affecting the pitch, and to loop-repeat difficult sections. It works on the fly with MP3s on your phone, so much more convenient than having to fire up the laptop and import a tune into Audacity. I find that if I can sing a bassline, I can play it. I've also found that it helps to play along with a kazoo. It sounds crazy, but it works - try it! (Just make sure that you're out of earshot of your significant other, or if that's impossible, at least hide any sharp or heavy throwable objects!)

To be honest, I didn't have a problem with any of the band members (at the time it was just the bodhran player, a fiddle player and me). I was just getting back into playing after a 10 year break, and was really looking for a pub-rock outfit. The folky thing was interesting, but I was struggling to fit bass-lines in with the bodhran and no proper drummer. We rehearsed a coupke of times, but I never gigged with them.

Nina's playing was exquisite. - tasteful, always fitting in with what the rest of the band were playing, incredible timing, and then pulling out the most incredible blistering solos, all the time making it look effortlessly easy. Actually, the whole band were this good - Arthur certainly knows how to find a great bunch of musicians - definitely not your average 'backing band'.

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1444667650' post='2884933'] No names, no pack drill but if it's a "folk-rock" band led by a bodrhan player, it's the same one! [/quote] That's not the band that I've recently left, but if it's the band that I think it is, then I was bass-player #1!

Hmm, I'm staring to suspect that I may have been bass player #37!

If you're an amateur like me, the main thing about being in a band is that it's got to be fun. You might get a bit of petrol money at the end of the night from a pub gig, but if you're not making enough to live on, then your enjoyment and satisfaction is the only thing that's important. There's always going to have to be some give and take when you're in a band, but if all you ever do is give, and all everyone else does is take, that's not a compromise - that's called taking the p1ss. I've just left a similar situation. I'd stuck with them for over a year, but finally realised that all I ever got from them was lip-service. In hindsight, I should have been more concerned when I joined about all of their tales of woe about their long list of bass players who were forever leaving and letting them down. Unfortunately the egos involved are so large, and their self awareness so small, that I doubt that they'll ever realise that it's them who are the common denominator. I had a jam the other day with friends that I hadn't seen for years. It made me realise that I knew guitarists, drummers, singers even! , who were also lovely people. Just because you want to be in a band, it doesn't mean you have to be in a band with a load of a55holes. Life is short. If you're not having fun, walk.

Indeed. Arthur has that very rare mix of huge talent and humble ego. Very friendly and willing to have a chat with everyone afterwards. All I need to do now is get hold of Jevons' stage outfit (think Demis Roussos meets Hinge & Bracket). It looks bizarre, but if it makes me play that well, it'll be well worth the money!

I went to see Arthur 'I AM THE GOD OF HELL-FIRE' Brown at the weekend. Tiny little hall in Nuneaton of all places, with less than 100 punters in the crowd. I wasn't expecting much, but WOW! I was completely blown away. The man must be in his seventies, but has the most amazing live voice I've ever heard. His band are fantastic. If the bass-player's on here, then sir, I salute you! (I'm also a bit in love with Arthur's lady guitarist.

Dedicated covers band seeking bass player in Hinckley/Nuneaton/Coventry/Tamworth area. Gigs booked for this year and next. Set List: [size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY – Lenny Kravitz[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]EVER FALLEN IN LOVE - The Buzzcocks[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]WHITE WEDDING – Billy Idol[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]BUCK ROGERS - Feeder[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]WORD UP – Cameo (Gun Version)[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]INSIDE - Stiltskin[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]DAKOTA - Stereophonics[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]TEENAGE KICKS - The Undertones[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ALL THE SMALL THINGS – Blink 182[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]RAIN – The Cult[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]VERTIGO - U2[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]PRETTY VACANT – Sex Pistols[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]THE RIVERBOAT SONG – Ocean Colour Scene[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME – Simple Minds [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]MONEY FOR NOTHING – Dire Straits[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]BOHEMIAN LIKE YOU – Dandy Warholls [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]HANGING ON THE TELEPHONE - Blondie[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]LIVING FOR THE WEEKEND - Hard-Fi [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]TURNING JAPANESE – The Vapours [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]TIMES LIKE THESE – Foo Fighters[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ROCKS – Primal Scream[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]20th CENTURY BOY – T-Rex[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ALL DAY & ALL OF THE NIGHT - The Kinks[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]YOU REALLY GOT ME - The Kinks[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b] JUMPIN JACK FLASH - The Stones[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]SUPERSONIC - Oasis[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]CAN’T STAND LOSING YOU – The Police [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]GIMME SHELTER – The Stones [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ROCK’N’ROLL STAR - Oasis [/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL - Jet[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE - The Police[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]BABY ONE MORE TIME - Britney Spears[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]BORN TO BE WILD - Steppenwolf[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]WONT GET FOOLED AGAIN - The Who[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]MY SHARONA - The Knack[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]ALL OR NOTHING - The Small Faces[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]RUN - Snow Patrol[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]SUNNY AFTERNOON - The Kinks[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]USED TO LOVE HER - Guns'n'Roses[/b][/color][/size][/size][size=4] [size=4][color=#9AB7D5][b]SONNET - The Verve[/b][/color][/size][/size]

And where are they now? The little children of Stonehenge?