chris_b

Is there anyone on Basschat, who, by design or accident, only plays gear made in the UK? I exclusively use Barefaced cabs and OBBM cables. I owned a Wal for about 10 years and but for the weight I'd very interested in an Overwater Jazz. There have been several occasions when I've been close to buying an ACG and Shuker bass, but I don't seem to be able to get very excited about British amps. Since I started I've also played German basses and amps and of course always US gear, but I don't recall ever recall having 100% British gear. I don't think I've ever played with any other musician who only used British gear, either. With the B-word flip up just about to happen I was wondering who is supporting British companies in their bass playing endeavours. Who can come up with a convincing case to make me reconsider my current amp choice of Aguilar and Thunderfunk? I think we should be be looking to increase our support for all British companies in the future. Looks like they're going to need us.

That.

The OP in in Portugal.

Hi. My suggestion is, if you are looking for gear that sounds like TE then get your amp repaired or buy some more TE. Anything else will sound different. IMO a lot of the gear made today sounds just as good as TE ever did, but if you expect one make to sound like another then you will usually end up being disappointed. Good luck with your search.

Good news. Let us know how you progress.

Sting said that writing a song was easy, but pairing it down to be concise, simple and effective is very difficult.

The guy who runs Kaspersky is ex Russian secret service and a mate of Putin. He has said he believes the use of the internet should be "monitored by the authorities". This is the gist of his comments and is the reason I would not use his software in a million years. I know all the others are probably in bed with their respective Governments but as it turns out, on the internet, the Russians can be trusted the least.

Being semi-pro doesn't mean you can't aspire to be better. I know a lot of excellent semi pro players who don't settle for anything but the best they can be. You can be a brilliant player and still have a day job. It's too late now, but if you want to improve your playing then things like this can help. IMO we usually get a bigger push if we have outside help. SBL or one to one lessons and a desire to be a better player are all parts of the way forward. Chose which one works for you. Did you join?

Some of the bands I've seen would count fit to play as turning up at the right place and facing the right way on stage.

lisa (apparently right hand man) on the right.

When I get one of these, I always type "scam" and the main part of the email or phone call title into Google. So far it has always come up with information confirming it to be a scam.

Very nice tool kit.

Very nice.

Small is good but as bass players we still have to move air. Micro cabs might sound good on stage but can they reach to the back of the room? I haven't gigged a One10 on its own yet but I have giged 2 of them and they worked well, even with a my 5 string.

When you are hot, drink water. . . lots of it. If the guys in the band were flagging after 10 mins they should be seriously worried about their general health.

What is your budget?

Willie Dixon was hugely influential. The songs he wrote and records he produced formed the basic building blocks for a couple of generations of players of all instruments. He was on many of the songs I played when I started learning bass. He was one the first bass players I listened to to get bass lines.

IME the best musicians wouldn't need to be told. Anyone who needs to be reminded to pull their finger out can leave, and those guys wouldn't be missed.

I prefer gigging. These days, most of my gigs are done without rehearsals. I'll get an mp3 or links to YT, do the homework, turn up and play. Good drummers make it all possible. Having said that I'm rehearsing on Wednesday. The drummer and me are fine without, but it's been called by the band leader, mainly for his benefit. He'll turn up under rehearsed and with no clear idea of the new songs or their arrangements. On the gig he'll probably have forgotten at least 50% of what we did. The drummer is very good, the songs are usually excellent and apart from the amnesia, the band leader is good too. So, as usual, I'll put up with the hassle to get to the good bits. Ho hum!

IME originals bands are either democratic or dictatorial. The democratic ones can be messy if the focus isn't there. I've been lucky in that respect.

The problem I have with Glastonbury is the music. I'm not a fan of most of the guys who play it and I'm not really inclined to wade through the stuff I don't like to get to the few bands I do. Then there is the BBC coverage. I don't much care for their ideas of how you present a music festival. The trouble with TV people, they can't just show the music. They have to get creative and believe they have to add all their bits which is what makes the show interesting! Take all the BBC rubbish away and just leave the music. And then, what idiot thought all those bloody flags were a good idea! What's going on there? Janelle Monae. Did she bring Brandon Gilliard? An amazing bass player. I'll have to have a look on YT and see if her set is there.

IMO there are two kinds of rehearsal, covers and originals. For the originals, anything goes. We used to sit around in someone's front room, start with a skeleton of an idea and swap suggestions until we were happy the song was finished. Then we'd take it to the studio. Rehearsing covers is costing you money, so turn up knowing what you should be playing. The geography of the song and arrangement might change but that shouldn't be a problem if you already know your part. IMO practise is what you do at home to learn the song and rehearsal is the band putting it all together.

I dep with bands so I regularly get to play different styles of music. From blues rock to soul, blues funk, the old style R&B, pop covers from all eras, reggae, americana and ragtime. I love the variety and playing with good drummers in these styles improves my playing on every gig.

How old fashioned to go to a 3 day festival in a muddy or dusty (trench foot or sun stroke) field for the artists. The people I know who go to Glastonbury go for the event.

Depends on what flatwound strings they are. Upgrading to a good (and new) set of flats might just be the icing on the cake.