chris_b

This my problem with these comments. You're all sounding like my Dad. He was wrong and so are you. We should be fighting intolerance not adding to it.

That's what a drummer I play with uses. Doesn't fix starting at the wrong tempo, just helps you maintain the tempo you started at.

"Putting off going lightweight" is a false economy, like not worrying about your back until to get pain or your hearing until you have tinnitus. It's like not worrying about your car insurance until you've had a crash! Do start working out and boosting your general fitness when you still feel lively. It's tough to get back what you've lost and age and inactivity has taken from you.

I had a suit made earlier this year and the waistcoat didn't sit properly at the front. I went for an adjustment fitting and the tailor spotted my uneven shoulders, left much higher than the right, thanks to years of holding up a bass.

Ah, the JJ Cale version.

Yep. Everyone should have a good internal clock.

Most of Terry Callier's recordings are slow to mid tempo and all have great, simple and very effective bass lines. . . . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8jJXJUy3I8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxfHtxp1QCI

I put GHS Precision Flats (a re-badged Lakland set, bought from Happy Jack and the first set of flats I'd used since about 1970) on my P bass and saw an instant step change improvement in tone. I was getting a great sound with DR Lo-Rider rounds before that, but I definitely preferred the sound of the flats. When I moved to a set of TI's I didn't notice any difference in the playing but the sound improved again. I play on the top of the strings and don't "dig in", so this tension "thing" doesn't affect or bother me.

If you want to dig in, you can't use a ramp. If you don't want to dig in, improve your right hand technique so that you don't! It's like having stabilizers on your bike. You learn how to ride the bike then you don't need them Same with a ramp. I don't understand Gary Willis. Someone with his amazing technique doesn't need a ramp so why does he use one?

There's no need for the rest of the band to use a click track. If only the drummer hears the click, he counts in and the rest of the band just play to the tempo set by the drummer. That's a good way of ensuring all tempo's are right. Clicks are used in most west end shows and many big touring bands. When you have learnt to play with one it fades into the background and you don't notice it.

Seems like a lot of people are putting up with a drummer who can't keep time! That is like a guitarist who can't tune up or a singer who can't sing. Before you do any more rehearsing you have to sort that problem out. Being in time is part of their craft, so drummers speeding up or slowing down can't be tolerated. It doesn't sound good, it makes the whole band look bad and wastes all the effort of the other band members. I would fire any drummer who doesn't have a good sense of time. I'm lucky, this isn't a problem I've encountered in the last 20 years because I haven't played with bad drummers in that time. In bands most of the songs have been counted in by the drummer but I'm playing with a lot of guitarist/band leaders these days, and they tend to count in.

You can either stop the song and restart in the right tempo, or take the tempo up or down during the song. It's never pretty but if continuing in the wrong tempo is unacceptable you can make either way work. I know a couple of drummers who have a digital metronome, one on his phone, so they can count in at the right speed.

When I put flats on my Precision it sounded fatter and fuller with a more authoritative sound. I thought if they make a P bass sound this good I'll put them on my Jazz. I was disappointed, because flats seemed to take away the dynamics that the rounds gave the Jazz. A note about Joe Osborne and his tone. He asked Fender for a Precision and they sent him a Jazz, so he only ever used the neck pickup.

Why do people keep on with this, "I think it's all crap, so it shouldn't be on TV, crap?" Everyone has different musical tastes so all music is valid. Later doesn't often cater for me but that doesn't mean it's rubbish and should be scrapped! I record it and run through it later with the FFW button at the ready. Sometimes I can check out a show in 20 seconds and other times I'll watch most of the acts. Where are the other live music shows on TV? Pumping out so much negativity is tiresome and unnecessary. Watch the show and you might find the blinkers coming off, if only for one number. There should be more live music on TV, a lot more. I'd suggest Later do some specials, where they focus on a particular type of music, but my hope is that Later outlasts me.

LA first call session player, Neil Stubenhause's comment was, "That's just Greg being Greg". So I guess GP was just having fun. After the "synth taking over" nonsense in the 80's, I don't think anyone will put bass players out of business. The sound of a well played bass guitar is too powerful to ignore.

Some beautiful fretless 5 string bass lines played by Hutch Hutchinson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT4ndqEnwto

Yeah, over a 45 year period. The first was a forgetful roadie. . . clean forget to pick the singer up! Didn't remember until he got to the gig. The next was traffic on the M25 and the next was illness.

Always carry Gaffer tape. You can't prevent every possible failure or problem. Even if you do the traffic could get you. You have to improvise etc. I saw John Mayall using a combo for a PA when his broke. Tower of Power did several gigs without a bass player when Rocco Prestia was hospitalised on tour in Europe. Our singer didn't show on a gig and the 3 of us took it in turns to sing the songs. We couldn't sing and didn't know most of the words but we got by. I've done gigs when the drummer didn't show and one when the drummer and guitarist didn't make it. We were a bass and a singer strumming an acoustic guitar. We got an encore!

I would play my own signature bass, if Roger Sadowsky was silly enough to make it, but other signature gear doesn't interest me. I'll incorporate better players lines and sounds into my style, but my approach is always to buy the best bass I can find and make it sound like me.

Join a second band.

I have a pair of one10's. I have gigged them but on listening back to the recordings I decided to stay with the 12's. I'm keeping the one10's as a practice rig. They are permanently set up at home and even at very low volume make a fantastic sound.

I am in the same situation. My solution for the stupidly loud bands was to buy a second Super Compact. The modular approach just seems more logical to me.

I've played and sold a BB2 and 2 Two10's. They sounded great but I found out my preference was for Super Compacts. I've even sold one of those and now play through an SC and Super Midget. Put a good sound in and a great sound comes out.

Damn. . . I got tired of waiting for them to come back into fashion, and just cut mine off!!