TrevorR

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1443700304' post='2876972'] Wow.. how does it sound? [/quote] Heavy, man. Heavy!

Hmm, yeah, I karn't quite work out who it was either... That singer seems a bit Fishy though....

Most who do this are doing it for fun, for the love of music and the experience and even the regulars (like the York or Burgess Hill folk) tend to do it once every two or three months at most. On that basis (and providing it's not actively disturbing those in the surrounding environment) it's hard to see the harm - and doing it with consideration to others is advisable as with all things in this life. After all I'm sure that no one hosting house gigs is trying to make a living at it or trying to turn their front room into a nightly music venue or business - every one I know who has done it has passed 100% of the ticket price onto the artist and made a loss (if you factor in providing drinks, nibbles or even spag bol for everyone). It's an interesting experience to think about trying, it's not like it's compulsory... it will work for some and won't work for others. If someone thinks it will work (while being considerate to neighbours) it's worth a go. If the situation is such that it won't work (and would annoy the neighbours) it's probably best not to. The volume levels which are being contemplated are an order of magnitude lower than the local oik pumping techno out of his window at 140db so even that kind of comparison is a strain at best... However, if your neighbours bang on the wall or call the environmental health out at activities of a genuinely modest volume then hosting one is proably not for you! Horses for courses, YMMV and all that stuff. If it works you you, if it is hosted with consideration to others etc etc etc it's still a really fun way to experience music.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1443350319' post='2873978'] I don't think there was a worst. All the gear was top notch and I thought you couldn't get a fag-paper between most of it. [/quote] Yup, what he said... they were all surprisingly good, including the PA cab. And even the 4x5" cab held its own withthe 2x12 and 1x15s in terms of volume, range and poke in the test (albeit that it was from a pretty top maker whose identity should be blindingly obvious just from the configuration).

Here are some examples to give you an idea... Katey Brooks Steve Lawson Amy Wadge Laura Cortese

To be fair, our selection of artists were more of the acoustic, country, folk, singer-songwriter mode than punk or death metal... And actually significantly less noisy than having the music on at a birthday party or watching an action movie on telly. I'd be surprised if any of our neighbours would have even realised that any music was going on if it wasn't for the fact that we'd invited them along! A lot of house gigs don't use any form of PA at all. Think about it. If you were sitting at one end of your living room you'd hardly need a huge rig to hear someone playing piano or guitar and singing over at the other end, would you...? As it was, we did use a small PA at ours but it really wasn't necessary and the volume even from that wasn't exactly high. Certainly no higher than having the hi fi on. So really, it's not an issue. Of course, if you lived in a tiny flat with paper thin walls where you could hear the neighbours breathing next door...

I tried out Rumblefish's Reverend Rumblefish at the Bass Bash. with its Dano-like construction it felt pretty featherlight...

Yeah, absolutely. It's not an arena where you'd stick up "Gig at 21 Acacia Avenue, Cheam on Saturday" on the interweb. For the ones we've done it was all word of mouth so friends were more than welcome to invite their friends and we really encouraged them to reserve and pay for their tickets in advance (to avoid last minute unpaid drop outs who then look at you blankly when you see them later and say, "I covered your unused ticket when I paid the artist, could I have your now £10 please".) Although strictly we worked it on a suggested minimum donation basis we printed out "tickets" for those who had confirmed and paid, partly to make it feel a bit more special but also as a way of sending them our address at that point. Some of the artists did put "House gig in [town]" on their website gig list and then pass me on the details of fans who were interested in coming so I could email/phone them back to confirm. Even so of the 20 or so folks at each gig only at most 3-4 came along that route. Yes, you do have to exercise a degree of caution and common sense about this as much as anything else related to the interweb...

Hmmm 500W just won't be enough... Aaah, this thread had got me reminiscing about the old days when folk used to say "Wot ya need is twice as many watts as yer guitar player's amp and you'll be sorted." (We never knew at the time that such talk was pure tosh). The days when a 500W amp was what they used at Wemberley Stadium and my 200W TE combo with 8ohm 15" speaker was considered to be way more power than any amateur bassist could ever need... How times have changed, eh?

Sorry, I misread the OP rather. Whether the pedal is on or not the gain and level act as input and output gain. However, at about 9 o'clock I wouldn't expect to hear clipping. And increasing drive should increase not decrease it. That does sound like odd behaviour. You might want to complain via eBay and seek a refund/return...

If the drive is at 12 o'clock you could well be getting preamp drive. Don't assume that all on 12 is a neutral setting, esp as the character knob gets above about 2 o'clock. The high end of the character knob is designed to be very gain-y in a distortion/fuzz box kinda way. The attached photo shows my settings and that just starts to give me a bit of amp style grit as I really dig in. You'll see that us with bot drive and character around 10 o'clock... Have you got the sheet with the sample settings to try out with the pedal? They might be a good place to start... Ps oops, normally the blend is full not at 10 o'clock too...

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1443527007' post='2875498'] I think we've all been here at some point - please dude IMHO you (and the other guys in the band) should seriously consider reducing the volume levels for rehearsals. Apart from being completely unnecessary and possibly even counter productive when you're writing or honing a song - as Lozz says you could end up with damaged hearing. Also consider this - when you do get to gigging (I'm assuming you're an original material band who are aiming to be on larger stages rather than pub gigs) - sound guys usually HATE a massively loud backline. That's what FOH systems are for. Backline should only really be for monitoring if you have FOH support and if you are used to having an ear splitting stage volume, you are going to run into constant problems with angry sound men, and ultimately end up having to turn the amps down and be p1ssed off coz you can't get into it with the stage volume being quieter. You may already know all of this and not care! That's fine and I really don't want to be condescending either, so please don't think I'm a know all kn0bhead, believe me I'm not! I'm just speaking from my own experiences with this and I really think you'll benefit in the long run from getting used to playing at lower volumes. I certainly have. For info - I run a 500w class D amp into 2 barefaced super compacts and rarely need to turn the output past 10 o'clock. That's with a pretty loud drummer too. Good luck! [/quote] Condescending or wise words? Absolutely definitely the latter!

What a rubbish website design and, frankly what a rubbish concept. Like you said... Why take that chance. There are loads of other websites which list house gigs and where you can find out about them. However, the whole idea of a house gig is the intimacy and personal connection. They are a great way to see an artist up close and personal. And, hey, if you can't find one nearby... You can always host your own... Until our little boy came along and they became impractical with bedtimes etc we used to host them fairly regularly. Over a few years we had artists ranging from Steve Lawson to Amy Wadge, Laura Cortese and Victoria Vox from the USA, Riana Nel from S Africa, the wonderful Emily Baker, Anna Neale, Edwina Hayes and Katey Brooks and a number of other singers we'd got to know from visiting singer-songwriter evenings. There are lots of independent UK artists who like to supplement their regular gigs with house gigs and, similarly, a number of independent U.S. artists are also happy to do house gigs when over here between their club gigs. It nicely fills up slots in the tour schedule and probably pays as well as (or better than) their other gigs. Here are a few house gig websites to check out but I really recommend doing some yourself for family and friends. It's great craic! http://www.concertsinyourhome.com/ http://houseconcerts.org.uk/ http://houseconcerthub.ning.com/ http://www.timeout.com/london/music/living-room-gigs http://www.timeout.com/london/music/living-room-gigs http://giginyourhouse.co.uk/ Here's an old blog from Steve Lawson on doing House Gigs… http://www.stevelawson.net/2009/03/house-concert-hosting-a-beginners-guide/ My response to a comment in the comments of the above link… A bit of encouragement to Steve C… I can completely understand why your other half might feel awkward about “charging” friends to come to your house. However, the chances are that it’s just an irrational fear of what your friends might think of you for doing so – not to belittle that concern, doing a house gig for the first time is a step into the unknown, especially if you’ve never hosted one before. Imagine someone inviting you to a birthday party and then charging you for nibbles, drinks and cake. Awful. It’s really a matter of mind-set on what’s happening in your home. The mental step from “we’ve invited our friends to a party” to “we’ve invited our friends to a gig (where the artist will need to be paid to perform), it just so happens that the gig is happening in our house”. It’s actually not that big of a mental leap when it comes down to it and I suspect that ALL your friends would get the concept straight off without any offence at being asked to pay a tenner to attend. If you’re still attracted to the idea of doing a house gig it might be an idea for you (and your partner) to approach a selection of trusted friends with the following question: “Look, we’ve got this mad idea to book a singer/artist to do a gig for us and a few friends but to do it in our front room. Apparently, it’s becoming the new big thing to do. Thing is, these artists are professional musicians, making a living out of this stuff so we thought of asking everyone who comes to make a donation of a tenner towards the artist’s expenses -kinda like buying a ticket for the gig. Would you be up for that sort of thing? It wouldn’t make you feel weird to pay or anything, would it?” I can guarantee that anyone you would ask wouldn’t be offended at the idea of paying towards the artist’s expenses. In their mind it’s not paying to come you your house, it’s paying for someone to provide a service of entertaining them while they’re their. It’s a paid gig like any other. It might help put your partner’s mind at rest. Of course the main thing is that they don’t feel awkward about it. The whole point for the host is that it’s a fun, low stress evening with a great vibe. If you hear of any house gigs in your area it might not be a bad idea going along just to see what happens and how it works for them. There are a number of people who do advertise their house gigs more widely and a Google search might throw up something in the area. When we do house gigs ( we’re doing them about every other month now!) it’s only friends, family and “gig buddies” that we invite and – without exception – no one balks at the idea of paying for a ticket. They come for the vibe and the experience first and, to be honest, the music second. We have a few friends now who ask to buy a ticket BEFORE they know who’s playing. They trust us that, whoever it is, we wouldn’t book someone rubbish and that if we like them they are at least worth a listen! For us it’s about enjoying great music with people we like played by people we like. So far we’ve only booked musos we happen to know and who are friends. As it is, we make the event more of a “gig” than a “house party” – although the actual vibe on the night is equally informal and vibey. We do “fliers” that we sent out to friends and print out a ticket which we give them. We provide soft drinks and a few nibbles but ask people to bring along their own (alcoholic) beverages and some nibbles. We also have seats for pretty much everyone. We’ve been to others where it’s more of a house party – everyone on cushions and beanbags on the floor and something more substantial in the interval. Both work and it just depends on how you fancy doing it. I would recommend giving it a go if you feel you can. It is amazing fun and your friends will love it!

A chum went to see them the other night and said it was amazing. I asked him who was playing second guitar, Tim Renwick? He said, "No some other bloke, didn't recognise the name." Clearly not a Roxy Music fan then, my mate!

If cash is a limiting factor you could search on eBay for old synth modules. Some proper gear seems to be kicking around in the sub £100 market. Add a midi cable and a cheap midi keyboard... Yes, you'll need to do some plugging in but the sound quality of the piano and strings could be a notch above....

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1443524283' post='2875465'] Fretless PRS seen on farcebook... I think I'm in love... [/quote] Oooooooh, look at ther carve on that? I look at that bass and just keep wondering if Roger Giffen was involved in the design somewhere along the lines. Takes me right back to the stuff he was doing in the late 80s...

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1443445944' post='2874715'] It may be worth experimenting with some outboard if you are struggling to get a great core sound... it may be that your brain is hankering for something more processed. I know that there will be people going on about "pure tone" but at the end of the day, the resulting sound is the result of the component parts... [/quote] That's quite true but to balance that, GIGO equally applies with a sound source...

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1443536253' post='2875620'] Not really my kind of thing but I've forwarded your link to a friend, it's right up her street. You need to get one of those keyboards you can wear on a strap & have a guitar type neck for holding onto! [/quote] Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! No one EVER looked good playing a "keytar". NO ONE. EVER. EVER EVER EVER!

Exactly...here are a few examples that show the variation you can get from one standard/tune... Stella By starlight http://youtu.be/Iqs3w1Q5sto http://youtu.be/XGx1HvLV_NQ http://youtu.be/ytwXPKmdv7o A personal fave... Joe Pass http://youtu.be/jN0oEWuc_Ng http://youtu.be/AbJKyEE1_AE http://youtu.be/gm7oBctygOA

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1443464333' post='2874980'] You'll have to excuse my ignorance here as this genre is most certainly not my cup of tea. Are these songs generally looked at in the same light as all the 'rock cover band' standards that all pub audiences love but most folks on here recoil at the very mention of, dakota, sex on fire, mustang sally etc? The way the Jazz standards have been described above makes them seem like they're the same old same old that every other jazz band churns out. Not looking to cause trouble, genuinely interested in how they are regarded. [/quote] The ethos around the Jazz circuit seems to be quite different from the rock / pop circuit. With the latter if you play originals often you are seen as "creative", if you play covers often you seem to be regarded as somehow lesser. How many online forums have threads there the theme is, "How can people just play covers all the time. How rubbish is that? How rubbish are they?" etc. With jazz the standards (or let's face it, "the covers") they are just seen as a resource to be creative with - and interpretations can vary wildly from artist to artist. If you want to do originals, fine. If you want to play the standards, fine... And some of the greatest recordings and performances in jazz are purely covers, if you like. They aren't thought of as lesser art. Which, if you think about it is a bit like in classical music. No one would ever complain about an orchestra just playing covers of tunes by Beethoven, Mozart and Bach... It's just not the world view that they live within.

If you're new to jazz but wanted to explore its various styles and incarnations you could do worse than download this album, "#1 Jazz Album Ever!" by Various Artists https://itun.es/gb/XR-sA from iTunes 150 tracks for £5.99 including a huge range of all tine classic tunes by the artists they're most associated with...

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1443451632' post='2874794'] I prefer a nice thick one myself. Fnarr fnarr, yuk yuk etc.... [/quote] Mine's four inches wide. That's how I like it! Oo-er Matron...

Meant to ask him to look at my Aria SB700 but never quite got round to it. Next time!

Graham, brilliant. That was on my list to do but you beat me to it, Sadly, the two versions of Gordon's Heartsong I was thinking of aren't on Spotify The original album version features John G Perry on W1111 (and Simon Phillips on drums) while the version on Live At Oxford has John Gustafson reinterpreting Perry's lines on his JG (with Ian Mosley later of Steve Hackett and Marillion). So instead, here is JG miming on Top Of The Pops on his JG bass to JGP's original bass track! http://youtu.be/VIUS2HMe9zg

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1443294281' post='2873695'] Does this mean you have an infestation of basses? [/quote] I guess that some folks have an itch they just have to scratch... I'll get me coat...