lozkerr

Not a gig as such, but I did do a three-hour slot on the independence march here in Edinburgh yesterday playing snare drum. I had a strong sense of irony though. I've spent rather more than I want to think about on bass gear and lessons and I'm still looking for a band. By contrast, I was playing an el-cheapo drum I picked up for 20 quid on fleabay. It was held on with a £2 belt from Primani as I was too tight to buy a sling and I had to jam every tune as I hadn't heard them before - and at the end, the band were very complimentary about my drumming and asked me to join them permanently. Funny old world!

I have one too! Still use it on occasion.

And a metronome. I use an app on my tablet and plug it into the aux in on my amp when playing late at night.

After a tiresome week in the smoke, I got home to find a large parcel from a well-known music retailer waiting for me. I was impressed with its size - what could it be? A new head? A set of IEMs? A couple of new pedals? A whole spider's web of patch cables? A lifetime's supply of strings? A box this size could contain anything... ah. Well OK, I was expecting it, but talk about OTT packaging!

1. Sherry. 2. Wonderwall. 3. Err. 4. That's pretty much it. Two songs I loathe with a passion.

Two recent purchases, but not new releases: Ellen Foley - double CD of Night Out and Spirit Of St Louis. Deacon Blue - Believers The final Passions album - Sanctuary - is due for re-release in November. That's next on my list.

I am informed that a Mr Justin Bieber may be planning a tour. You may wish to contact his management.

That's what I did, but even with new batteries and the volume up to 11, the general racket made it difficult to get a good sense of the tone. It was a definite improvement over crouching in front of a speaker, though. After trying a few instruments, I just concentrated on how they felt to play. Spent quite a while playing the Chowny NT5; I think that'll be my first choice when I need a backup gigging bass. Lovely instrument.

Well, all in all, I had a fab time. I felt much more confident than I did last year - 2018 was the first time I'd been and I felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I think the highlights were having a play with the lovely @Chownybassgear - his five-string is on the shopping list for my next bass. The masterclasses were good, too. I got the most out of Ellen O'Reilly's sessions. Lovely lass and really approachable. Here's a wee pic of me with her and her band. Roll on next year!

I'd played several different instruments in the past - piano, violin, snare drum, bugle, trumpet. If it hadn't been for a particularly vicious dental abscess, I might now be quite a reasonable trad jazz musician. But pain of that nature put me off in a big way. I tried guitar when I was a student, but found it really difficult to play chords as my thick stubby fingers kept getting tangled up with each other. I should really have gone for an acoustic, but I wanted an electric because, y'know, guitar. At the time, I was knocking about with the original bassist from the Dogs D'Amour. He tried to get me to take up bass, but me being me and Knowing It All, decided I was meant to be a guitard. Which it turned out I wasn't. I think a seed might have been planted, though. Fast-forward a few years and I was chatting to a friend on Facebook. She was making noises about learning some Thin Lizzy songs and I said I'd be up for learning bass. Don't ask me why - it just seemed a logical step, albeit one fuelled by rather a lot of home-brewed wine. The next day, I wandered into Dawson's Music and mumbled something about bass guitars. Shortly afterwards, I left with my first bass - an Ibanez GSR200. It just felt like it dropped into my hands and it instinctively felt right; I knew there and then that I'd discovered 'my' instrument. I've been playing ever since. Just wish I'd listened to my friend's advice years ago.

Should be working now. I hope it is - otherwise I'll have to nail the URL shortener's other foot to the floor.

It's business. If I need something in return, I know where to find you. Thanks for the nod, @skankdelvar. Everything's in hand, @Ricky 4000. I've found us some nice transport - my procurement team of McThug and McPliers obtained a luxury coach with the minimum of unpleasantness, and we're on our way. It's an excellent vehicle - they've learnt well. All being well, your children will be returned unharmed in a few hours. I would however recommend that if you should encounter incidents like the below before you and they are reunited that you avoid becoming involved. Leave it to the professionals - we'll deal with it. It'll be sweet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdnA-ESWcPs

Jesus wept. Talk about rubbing their noses in it. That's appalling. I've done arts festivals in the past and slept in some pretty dubious accommodation, including dressing rooms, but at least I aye had a roof ower my head. Do they hand out trowels and a roll of army form blank in place of toilets, too? Sheesh.

I am approve. And I think I'll use my video camera tomorrow night to record the march out and the fireworks. It has an impressive zoom capability for a device that is twenty years old. Far more civilised to lean out of the window than stand in the street with hoi polloi.

I suspect that might have been in the Tattoo's mind when they placed the ad. As I said above, I've been watching the march-out ever since the blasted thing started - thankfully missed last night as we bailed to the pub - and the wee gaggle bringing up the rear have a noticeably gawky teenager air about them. I haven't seen them up close - CBA to run down 76 steps and back up again - but they do look very young. Assuming they are this band, of course. And bearing in mind that I'm now at the age where MPs and senior Forces officers look young, too 😉

Has anyone heard any more about this? I'm getting the impression they managed to recruit some suckers eager beavers after all, as I've been watching the Tattoo march-out for the last few nights. Can't do much else, as the buggers make too much noise to get any shut-eye. They all come marching down Castlehill in smart uniforms - the Guards in scarlet, the Highland dancers, a detachment of what I think are Commonwealth soldiers, some singing girls - and before the massed pipes and drums rock up, there's a small gaggle of T-shirt and jeans types who look like a band, even though they're no carrying instruments.

This should be a pinned post. That was what convinced me to switch to a five-string. Take Teenage Kicks. Dead simple bassline - so simple that even I can play it without cocking it up too much. The first note is a D. On a four, you might start at fret 5 on the A string and bob up and down towards the nut. Fine if you have hands the size of shovels, not quite so easy for us lesser mortals. On the five, start at fret 10 of the E string. You can play the whole thing over four frets without changing position at all - just drop down to the B string when you hit the chorus.

Well said, Sylvia. I can see why folks are concerned, but it'll be easier to judge after the event. I'm uneasy, I have to admit, but I'm hoping that my concerns will prove unfounded. See you there!

My first bass was a GSR200 too, and it never had a hint of fret buzz. As other folks have suggested, it's worth taking it to a good luthier for a set-up as a first step. Regarding the fuzzy sound, before you attack the pups with a screwdriver, check a few things first. If the fuzz is worse at the lower end, replace the battery. When it's on the way out, the low notes start to sound muddy before the higher ones are affected. Also, try turning the Phat EQ right down. As in fully off. A little of that knob goes a long way. I like the GSR200 - if I still played a four-string I'd be keeping it as a backup instead of thinking about selling it.

Leave it - he's just trying to milk it.

It is! Bought on Marketplace a few months back. I doubt if it would be ideal as a single cab but it sounds lovely alongside the 210.

It's actually an 18" cab, and it makes one hell of a difference to the tone. The low end sounds really full and warm compared to just using the 210 in the Metro. I have been toying with dividing the Metro into a separate head and cab. It's not a real combo - the only connection between the amp and cab is a bog-standard speaker lead. Might make it easier to lug about and the 210 would certainly look better on top of the 118.

It's (literally) painfully simple - I'm not strong enough to lift the Metro onto the 118 cab. That's the only reason, and aye, it does look odd. But I have the feeble body of a woman...

I bet it's a featherweight compared to this lot. Aye, it's bloody heavy but the tone is gorgeous.

I'll be there on both days. Hope to see you there!