chris_b

I currently have the best 2 rigs I've ever owned sitting in the room behind me so, of the gear I've sold, I have a dead heat between my 80's-90's rig a Dynacord BS412 115 combo and my 90's-00's rig an Ampeg SVT3 PRO through Mesa Boogie 210 & 115 cabs. These all used EV speakers, sounded like a force of nature and weighed as much as a small planet! Unusually for me I was actually sad when I sold these rigs.

[i]How[/i] you improve your playing is the criteria for practice so you can use any amp to practice through. You can make many things work in the studio. For their classic bass lines Fame studios (60's Aretha Franklin etc) used a Fender guitar amp with one broken, disconnected speaker and one good speaker. James Jamerson, at Motown, got one of the best, warmest recorded bass sounds through a valve DI. Does Ampeg still sell their Ampeg SVT-VR Bass Amplifier plug-in for recording?

Are you sure it's a 4 ohm 112? You mostly see 8 ohm 112's because 2 [i]always[/i] sound better than 1. I don't see a single 112 sounding big enough even at 4 ohms. It just can't move enough air on its own.

I own 3 5 string basses but only take one bass to gigs. I play in multiple bands playing diverse genres and one bass covers everything. For years it was my Lakland 55-94 which I used in an acoustic duo through, originals and blues bands to covers. That was replaced as No1 bass by my Lull PJ5. My basses work. They do hundreds of gigs and they get looked after. They have very few scrapes, scratches or wear marks. I've tried playing different basses in different bands, like using a Wal in the originals bands and a Rob Allen in the acoustic duo but while they did get compliments and sounded great to me they didn't seem to raise anyone else's heart rate enough so I sold them and went back to the Lakland. I've never seen the point in changing basses for particular numbers. I'm not precious about my sound. I'll do what fits best and my experience is that if you buy a reasonable "Fender type" bass, get a good sound out of it, play it well (good timing, no bum notes) and be easy to get on with most people will accept and be happy with "your" sound. I don't know anyone else on the "circuit" who is significantly different. We all seem to have made the "one size fits all" philosophy work.

. . . . but the Seinfeld theme was played on a synth by Jonathan Wolff.

I'd be even more worried for your joists. You need to get some advice about improving the circulation of air in your roof space. I'd clean the cases with Mr Muscle. Is there anything else in the loft that needs checking out?

Sounds like the guy has lost a board room battle and is throwing his toys out of the pram. Possibly not the most professional response. It happens. . . a lot. It's the staple of board rooms. Fender, Eden, GB and Lakland for example. Whatever Eiche does, if Tecamp is profitable it will continue.

Don't confuse the purpose of a gig with practising. On a gig you need to project to a lot of people in a probably difficult room alongside a bunch of noisy band members. When you practice you only need to hear what you are playing enough to familiarise yourself with the part. The tone really isn't important at that point. If I practice I'll usually play the bass unplugged. I need to get my ideas into my fingers. I don't have to wow myself with my tone.

Bass "heroes" still gigging? John McVie, Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney. The guys of a later generation that are still gigging and inspire me are the likes of Nathan East, Reggie McBride, Cornell Williams, Nate Watts and Hutch Hutchinson. Then there's the likes of Kenny Gradney, Willie Weeks and Sean Hurley. I don't think we'll run out of world class bass playing any time soon. IMO there are fewer "classic" songs these days but there are more inspirational bass players around today than when I started listening.

If you get caught trying to evade the duty you'll probably get hit with a fine which could be several times the cost of the instrument and they could confiscate the bass as well. I'd buy the bass and take it though the red channel. Just walk through. You might not get stopped but factor in the taxes and duty when you are doing your sums. If you get stopped fine but if you don't you're ahead.

The last old set are kept in the accessories bag. I have never broken a string but I still carry a spare set, just in case. I've tried to recycle old strings but the council won't take them, so I throw them in the metal skip at the dump.

[quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1451479962' post='2940784'] I am firmly in the Under Pressure camp, it IS the song and the song was huge and still is played umpteen times a day on radios across the world to this day. [/quote] Even so. . . whenever we play Under Pressure the whole place starts chanting Ice Ice Baby to the bass intro.

Sit a Super Compact under the 212 and use a 2 ohm amp.

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1451472850' post='2940700'] I just don't think Summer of 69 sounds right without the production effects on the original [/quote] Badly played and over played songs are the danger for cover bands, but IMO a good song doesn't need much production. Like Buddy Holly songs, a good song can be stripped down to the bare bones and it'll still work. You've got to be Mr Pastry (google if you don't know him!) to make a mess of them. But I like Bryan Adams. I think he writes some cracking songs that stand up even as just 4 chords on an acoustic. Missing You by John Waite is another over played song but It just works with every audience I've seen, especially if you under play it. The other proviso is that simple songs have to be played well. You can't cut any corners or fudge anything or else they just won't work.

I'd expect Gimme Some Loving by the Spencer Davis group to be up there in the listening public's collective brain.

If you're serious about a cover band then no song should be "off limits" unless it gets no reaction or worse still a negative reaction from an audience or your band can't do it justice. The bottom line is that you're there to satisfy the audience first. As there are thousands of hit songs from the last 60 years there should be a lot of numbers where the audience and you can agree. I don't like playing Tainted Love but it's a very popular number and a floor filler and sing along for every audience we've played it to. Cover bands shouldn't ignore a reaction like that.

Bad news. A bit like Keith Richards, I had almost got to the point of thinking he was immortal. Sadly not.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1451299656' post='2939330'] I didn't think he played with Aretha? [/quote] Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie, the classic Aretha Franklin rhythm section. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXJx2NnnxA0[/media]

I have some gigs over the new year and the guitarist has added some Steely Dan, Josie, Rikki, Reeling in the Years and Revelation by Robben Ford. All good stuff.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1451174014' post='2938714'] How about Jerry Jemmott with Aretha? [/quote] Sorry, my next favourite would be Chuck Rainey.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1451044738' post='2937986'] Whereas my choices take quite a time, I'm very picky and tend to choose pretty well. Most of the gear I have I keep because it does what I want it to do. I very very rarely turn over kit within a year or two..if that. [/quote] Exactly.

Is the Muscle Shoals film the one that starts with Rick Hall and Fame studios? If so they left out all mention of Tommy Cogbill. That's unforgivable.

My wife, who actually [i]is[/i] the cooolest wife in the known universe, has seen it all many times before. She first saw me play when I was in the band at school so I reckon she's served her time. She does come to the occasional lunchtime gig but usually; the band is too loud, I don't get home until very late after leaving too early to get to the gig and I talk to the guys in the band. I call it networking and she calls it ignoring her. She is very cool, and I have to admit, she is also right on all of those points.

Trad? Never! Just conjures up images of cardigans, Brylcreem and Hush Puppies. Dixieland, with the likes of Kid Ory and King Oliver, every time.

Don't confuse the greatness of Jamerson's lines, the great singers and the super successful hit singles with the majority of Motown's output. Motown put out a lot of unremarkable songs on the albums which were intended to be throw away pop music. Motown was always well written, arranged, recorded, performed and played but most of it was very forgettable. Jamerson wasn't unappreciated by Berry Gordy and during the Detroit years I believe he became the highest paid session player in the US. I think Jamerson was the most creative and influential bass player. He didn't just open the "busy bass lines" door for the rest of the world, he knocked the whole wall down. In spite of JJ's unique greatness I still prefer Tommy Cogbill with Aretha Franklin, David Hood with Mavis Staples, Duck Dunn with Sam and Dave and Vernie Robbins with Jean Knight.