chris_b

At the risk of sounding very sad. . . . I've tried several, even cutting up a Spontex washing up sponge. That might have sounded good in the studio, but IMO it killed too much tone for a gig. For me, soft foam is the best.

Learn your scales and use those notes to construct pathways between chords. As you get better you can get more creative.

Flats are a life-style choice. I like that sound so much I also put a lump of foam under the strings to squeeze out the last few drops of thumpyness.

If you read his autobiography. . . . sadly. . . . it's all 3 and a few more to boot. It's a shame because I've been going to Clapton gigs since 1965 and am a fan of (most) of his music!!

I'm gigging on Saturday, a working man's club, no public, membership only, so I'm a little more relaxed about it, and on NYE, which I'm expecting to be pulled.

Was it Blond, or the Cream that the first Fenders used?

My thumb hardly ever goes above the E string. You must be hitting the strings pretty hard to make the bottom string vibrate when you're playing the top string.

I used a Two10 and One10 together for a couple of gigs. Very nice sound from a small modular rig. In the end I went with my Super Compact and sold the Two10. I kept the One10 and use 2 of them at home for a great practice rig.

Too many people , it seems, try to find gear that makes a specific sound. That approach can involve a long search and a lot of disappointment. Maybe switch it around and be less picky. Use the great sounds you can get out of any bass rig.

Back in the day, the standard rig around our corner of West London was a Marshall 100 watt head through a Marshall 412 cab. 2 cabs if you were rich or had a deal. The only "standard" I've seen would be the touring SVT/810 backlines.

I only have experience of playing one NYC Sadowsky, a chambered Jazz, in Guitar Guitar Epsom, and my Metro beat it hands down. IMO disbanding the incredible Japanese manufacturing operation was not one of RS's smartest moves. Finding a distribution deal for the Metro basses would have been a major win for all bass players.

double post!!!

Having a "tone in your head" seems to be a millstone to many players. Blinkers that prevents them seeing that great tones can be had from most basses we pick up.

I was on it for about 6 months in 2007. An acquired taste, that I never acquired.

You might be right. Oh for access to a good FOH system! The bands I play with only put vocals through the PA, but I think I've tamed most bad rooms with my current gear.

I've been playing one venue since the 80's and the sound is terrible. It has a concrete floor, brick walls and concrete ceiling. If you put the bass amp right in the corner then the sound is bad. Leave a 4' gap to the corner (the stage is big enough for that), and the sound become workable. IMO there are amps and cabs that make bad rooms easier to handle, eg Bergantino, Barefaced and my old Mesa EV cabs, and some that do not work well in bad rooms. So having favourite amps at home or in the rehearsal studio is one thing but you might need a totally different amp to sound good on a gig.

Chuck was influenced by many things, from Johnny Johnson and T Bone Walker to Country music, but underneath all that he was an original.

In the 60's Chuck Berry won a case against Brian Wilson because Surfin USA is a rip off of Sweet Little Sixteen. But cases, such as this one, is the new way that publishers make money out of their songs. The only part of a song that could be protected was the melody, now artists are being sued for the arrangements and rhythms they used. Let's hope some common sense is applied in this case, but knowing some US judges and juries, I won't be holding my breath.

Gear is very important. If I can get a good sound without touching the EQ I'm winning. Good sounding gear is a great safety net.

I use a Gramma. People will be along soon to tell you that they don't work. IME sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, but they always protect the bottom of your cab from damage.

OK.

Probably shouldn't be using orange cables, they aren't earthed.

IMO rooms can be bad, but most are OK and some sound great. Buy good gear. Stuff that works well together, get a good sound with the EQ, in the ball park. Get a good balance with the band and play the gig. Nothing is ever perfect so don't go chasing those shadows. Rooms can be difficult but most will give you a reasonable sound if you EQ well enough and get the volume right. If you were recording you'd want perfect, but gigs just have to sound OK. It's the songs, playing and performance that makes a successful gig.

He's playing bass on my 45 of Rosie by Alexis Korner. Alexis on the jazz cigarettes again!! I never saw Binky but friends said he was a great player. Used to put Vaseline on his left hand to speed up his playing. I guess murdering his Mum, Dad and brother in law curtailed his musical career some what!

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