super al

In a previous covers band we used to play 'gay bar' and on one occasion the singer pretended to fellate the lead guitarist. Only happened the once, unsure why it was never repeated. So happy there was no bass solo! Irrelevant to the topic as nothing naff was spoken, he had his mouth full at the time.

[quote name='project_c' timestamp='1501692515' post='3346642'] I still have a lowly Commando 15 at my home studio, every time I mention that I like it, people look at me funny. Sounds really good to me, and i'm not a fan of Trace stuff at all, in fact I hate all the rehearsal room Trace amps i've played through. But the Commando has something nice about it, very punchy mids, not the usual scoopy tone. I got it for £50. [/quote] I've just gone through this whole thread thinking "am I the only one who could just about afford a Commando 15?" Then "boom" we got one at last! The budget TE that failed me on more than one occasion and baffled the shop that tried to fix it. I eventually gave up and went for an ashdown mag combo which was lovely!

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1501350021' post='3344230'] I've never been to the UK. As a kid I always heard the phrase "Foggy London Town". I thought it was just a joke thing. My point, is it ever nice outside? Blue [/quote] Ha! We've had a great summer but the rainy season has started now. It's a great ice breaker having such unpredictable weather!

My band is a wedding/function band and if I get time tonight I'll send you a sample list of tunes. Website with a performance video coming soon (I hope!). We're called Gold Band but we don't do Spandau Ballet!

I'm glad The Greek picked 'reward' as a crowd pleaser, that's one I snuck into our set without too much trouble. Also snuck in Dreadlock Holiday Walk the Dinosaur Down Under & Message in a Bottle All band pleasers so far, got to wait until October to see if they're crowd pleasers!

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1500460195' post='3337902'] Perhaps you should write a blues song about being misrepresented in surveys? Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jiving too. [/quote] I've put the blues behind me now and cheered up cos I'm a 5% man... I'm in a weddings/corporate band. Even if the wife, the kids and the dog leave me I have happy, smiley bandmates now!!!

Out of 4400 respondents not one played blues covers? Or was it not an option? Feel like I've spent half my bass playing life playing the blues only to be pushed into the 'classic rock' genre.

[quote name='pnunes76' timestamp='1499623812' post='3332570'] How many time you spend playing the bass? [/quote] Whatever time the wife and children allow me to have ;0) Usually 3 to 4 times a week and for usually 30-60 minutes. Make it a habit and it helps to keep a record of what you are practising and learning. I seem to spend most my time learning new covers and making sure I don't forget the old ones!

Done

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1498578473' post='3325651'] Less than a minute with Google will get you the answer. [/quote] Google is sorcery and we don't use it round here 😈 I've got Dave on speed dial and he says they were doing a session for Labi Siffre that was later sampled by m&ms on "my name is..." Didn't get a penny apparently

[quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1498575744' post='3325633'] +1 for Chas & Dave! They opened (or at least were playing when we arrived) at Status Quo's "final" London concert in 1984 at Selhurst Park - the second gig I ever went to (and I discounted it from being a festival for my earlier response but it was an all day affair) and they were brilliant. Excellent at entertaining a big crowd Edit - I'm pretty sure they played Sonisphere the other year too, but I have no memory of seeing them there so possibly i was watching something else at the time [/quote] My preconceived notions that Chas n Dave were a bit naff and a novelty act were dispelled when a mate persuaded me to go see them live. The guys are top, top musicians steeped in rock n roll history with one or two stories to tell. I can't remember which tune but one of Dave's basslines was sampled for an Eminem track I think (someone here is bound to know!)

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1498478253' post='3324835'] I was 16 and it was amazing [Img]http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg580/christopher_brown14/rackbags/1990%201_zpskbiafnto.jpg" class="ipsImage" /> [/quote] Reading 90 was my first festival, this is the 1st time I've seen the line up since then. F@#k me! I missed Nick Cave! I'm now giving the teenage me a clip round the ear. What a tw@t. Damn good year though

[quote name='Cato' timestamp='1497478485' post='3318616'] I used to live near Stratford upon Avon, about 5 miles away from the old Phoenix festival at Long Martston. All you could ever hear of the festival was Boom Boom Boom to various rhythms. When the wind was blowing in the right direction you might hear the occasional crowd roar. Bass frequencies travel. [/quote] Ah, the Phoenix Festival, such happy memories (I think!)

After a gig I came out of the venue with my amp and saw the guitarist speeding off in his car and the rest of the band looking at my car's rear bumper! Apparently the lights had changed and he didn't have time to stick around to apologise for backing into me car. Just one of many niggles we had with him but probably the straw.

[quote name='ColinB' timestamp='1449042010' post='2920245'] I've upgraded the amp..... but I can't seem to load up the 3 new effects into it. I'll keep trying but I'm in the middle of house move negotiations so play-time is limited at the moment. [/quote] Me too! (Not the house move but the effects). Tried to update the toneprint app on my phone but nothing happened. Had this problem before and solved it by taking the app off the phone and downloading again. Worked before but not this time, maybe its the new version of the app or my android phone is out of date! Downloaded app to tablet, big n fiddly compared to phone :-( . Looked at reviews on latest version of app, quite a few unhappy customers.

Has anyone (with a BH or BG amp) tried the upgrade and tested out the tone effects yet? Any good?

Great thread, tees seem to hold great memories of gigs past for a lot of us. I went to a tiny festival last year at the railway inn, Winchester. It was the promoter's birthday and to celebrate, his daughter had sown together loads of his old tees into a giant backdrop for one of the stages. He seemed happy enough about it, I would've had a fit I reckon! I think my oldest gig tee is from 1990, the great but sadly short lived Five Thirty

Bought the guitar in the late 80s from Axe, it was £99.99 I think. As well as a cheap guitar you also got a tiny battery operated amp, a lesson book (more like a magazine than a book) and lesson tapes which I think I still have somewhere. The guitar was black with axe on the body, a mate rubbed it off for me so it looked relic'd. The frets were dangerously sharp on the ends and hardware a little cheap looking (what did expect for £99.99!). Oh, it also had a whammy bar! The Axe drum kit was about £200 for a 5 piece kit so you could kit out a band for about £400. The guitarist wouldn't be very loud though so everyone would be happy!

Bristol always bemuses me. Saw alt country/trip hop/Americana dude Jim White twice there. First time in the thekla he played to about 50 punters, then about a year later he played some working men's club down a side street in the middle of nowhere, place was rammed! About 200 punters! I think he put it down to having a tune played on breaking bad that year. Love Snarky Puppy but M.L.'s bassface is just strange, you gotta have great chops to pull that kinda gurning off!

I think this relates to The Funk's 1st post, every time I hear the intro to 'son of a preacher man' I start singing 'hits from the bong' by cypress hill! Its a terrible thing to say but its the only time I'm disappointed to hear Dusty Springfield sing!

That is ideal Paul, thanks for the 'heads up' I might just go for that. I have the same stand too (well, you need it with this bass!) Good work and thanks for posting pics too

Check out a band called El Ten Eleven, a duo from the states who play instrumentals. The guitarist/bassist plays a twin neck with the bass underneath the guitar. I would post a YouTube video but I'm rubbish at that sort of thing! Amazing sound for a duo but he loops a lot of the bass and guitar parts.

Like Blue I had an active bass run out of juice mid gig. Mid 90s I had the good fortune to play in a band for the musical 'Grease' (Southampton Uni not West End!) but didn't have a spare battery. In front of a sell out audience my bass decides to die during the first few bars of my big moment, 'you're the one that I want', oh poop!!! Luckily the MD played the bass part on her keyboard and saved my butt. 20 years later that still haunts me but lesson learned, my EUB takes a 9v battery and I always have a fresh battery for a performance plus a spare on top of the amp in case.

Sorry Ped, I've not had the time to sit down and post my feedback yet, here's my 1st go with the strings - Received my test strings in the post Saturday (4th July) and also a nice Elixir tee in my size! Bumped into a drummer friend that afternoon whilst wearing the new tee and got into a conversation about Elixirs (his son plays bass). Kudos to Elixir already! I've used Rotosound strings 95% of the time I've been playing and Elites the other 5% I would say. Mostly roundwound nickels and steels (stopped using steels so much when I noticed fret wear) but the occasional dabble with flats. I put the Elixirs on my MIM Fender Jazz, she has been modified with Basslines Quarter Pound P/ups and a Gotoh bridge. Just tuning up (amp muted) I thought the Elixirs had a slightly 'bedded in' sound compared to my other new strings. i've never been a big fan of the bright, clanky sound of new strings so, for me, that was a good start! To compare strings I had my Peavey Jazz copy to hand with a set of my regular Rotosound strings on (newish!). Going back and forth between the two I found the Elixirs were smoother with less of that scratchy string sound (bad technique alert!) I get with my usual roundwounds when my fretting hand moves along the strings. Playing around with chords on both basses I preferred the Elixir strings for their tone and cleaner sound. Overall they feel nice and smooth on the fingers too. I shall give them more of a road test at band practice and at home but so far, so good. I've never spoilt myself when buying strings, buying flatwounds probably the most I've spent on a set, so this is a bit of an eye opener for me.