TimR

Should have held it at an angle.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1502118370' post='3349402'] Now that sounds like an interesting one* - do tell? [size=3]*unless the punchline is, "it was a tribute band"![/size] [/quote] We knew an arts student. Fantastic at poetry and drawing abstract art but very shy. He used to write the 'poetry' and sing it to the guirtarist who transcribed what he sang, brought it to us and we filled in the gaps.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1502114665' post='3349370'] Why is it presumed anyone in a covers band can only play covers? [/quote] It's the internet Pete. There's only one way, the right way, my way, everyone else is wrong. I've been in many originals bands and as I've said before there's too many bands trying to be too original and sacrificing melody, lyrics and form just to be seen as different. I'll hasten to add, in all the originals bands I've been in I only fitted a bass line to melody and lyrics that someone else has written. I've even been in a band where the guy doing the writing wasn't even in the band!

Wow. Stick that infront of your class D and Bareface and it's back to 80s slap heaven... ... or not...

Learn your scales.

[quote name='The59Sound' timestamp='1502010156' post='3348696'] Yet the pub name isn't being bought up still. [/quote] What would that achieve? Have you read the rest of the thread at all?

The thing is you're never going to A/B the band against the record at a gig or even against another band. In addition, what you hear as a bass player when you are playing is absolutely nothing like what the audience are hearing. In fact what each individual person hears in a track, is different as well due to the way each of our own bodies have grown and how each of us interprets what each instrument is playing. Getting into arguments with a band member because you haven't got enough 5kz on your bass tone? That way lies madness. I've had enough of a struggle trying to get guitarists to understand that just because their bottom note is an E doesn't mean I'm supposed to be playing an E as well. Sure if you enjoy spending hours obsessing over kit then that's fine but personally I want to learn a track and get out and play the thing live to an audience. YMMV.

Like all my posts. It's just advice.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1501861757' post='3347890'] I had an SMX preamp as part of my rig many years ago, and loved it. The flexibility was great and the dual band compressor was an excellent feature. If Trace were to build the SMX preamp features (or some of them at least) into a lightweight Class D head, I would definitely be in the market for one. [/quote] I think there are circuit diagrams on the web. It shouldn't be too hard to knock a preamp up in a stomp box. .

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1501866229' post='3347938'] Bit over the top to stay steer clear ? I think any band who says their goal is to play it straight is aware it won't be to the mm [/quote] You'd be surprised at how controlling some musicians can be about how close everyone else in the band has to play to the original. I'm all for a Guitarist pointing out the original bass line is different to what I'm playing, but I draw the line when they try to teach it to me note for note (especially when what they're teaching isn't the original bass line either. ) As I say there's close and there's exact. Stay clear of the latter. They're often deluded.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1501781304' post='3347347'] It seems that around here, 85-90% of bands do covers, young, old, inbetween, mostly covers. There's a few bands playing their own songs, but not many unfortunately. Personally, I've always found doing covers a bit boring, because "you've got to play it like the original", some of the best covers I've heard have been a bands interpretation of a song, played in their style. I remember being "berated" by the guitarist of a band I was in, because I wasn't playing the song right. "Which bit", asks I, "the pauses in the bit there are out, you aren't playing it like the original". Pretty much sums up my experience of doing covers "You're not playing it right", sorry, but I bet the band that recorded the song originally never quite play it "right" either. [/quote] 10 times out of 10 the bands that think they're playing it exactly like the original, aren't. Steer clear of musicians who think that way.

More about it here. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-west-files-10-million-lawsuit-against-tour-insurers-w495435

We had something similar when a new landlord took over a regular pub in Hitchin that's been doing music for years. It had closed for a while and was going to be converted to flats. The locals had disappeared to be replaced with a new smaller group. He really wasn't interested in us playing, hadn't bothered to contact us, told us on no uncertain terms that we weren't the type of music he would book, even if he was intending on booking bands again. I don't know if he is still there.

If people witnessed him taking drugs before behaving erratically that's all the evidence they need. Would you expect your holiday insurance to pay up if they wouldn't let you on the flight because you were drunk? The insurance company would also have acress to his medical records. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-wests-hospital-stay-rappers-troubled-recent-weeks-w453465

The problems I hear with many originals bands is they're trying too hard to be original and many of them don't understand song structure. Playing covers gives you a base to build from and learn. If a lot more originals bands didn't have the "We're an originals band, we don't do covers" attitude, they'd get a lot further. We play a few originals in our cover band, its the way to test them in front of an audience. If you play a two hour set of covers and pop in 8 originals you can play the normal pub circuit and get your songs tested and out there, have fun and get paid. It's easier and more rewarding than trying to sell yourself to a bunch of people only there to see their mates band who disappear once they've finished playing.

It's the weight of the combo. I took the amp out once and it's got a huge toroidal transformer in it. The 15" combo weighs 35kg. My 210pro weighs 25kg and the amp is separate but may weigh 10kg, so may weigh the same combined. It's just easier to throw around like that.

Sorry, but no TE thread is complete without this guy. In case you have no idea he's from this classic thread: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/200307-mystery-bassist-solved/page__fromsearch__1

Maybe the neck was swapped for a Jazz? What a great story.

I picked up a 715 300W combo. I'm pretty sure it was lead lined and probably nuclear powered. It used to demolish door frames and take chunks of plaster off the walls at home. Sounded good but I went for a pair of Warwick cabs and a 500W Pro FET to replace it as it was getting very old and unreliable. Bought 'second hand' for £300 played for 10 years sold 'second hand' for £300. It owed me nothing I must have earned 000s with it. Although it probably cost me 000s in wasted fuel and building repairs.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1501606435' post='3345886'] I'm quite well organised, and worry a lot. I think I'd get into the habit of recharging them all every night before a gig. It just seems a wast of money throwing stuff away, when I can use re-chargeables, but it's not too environmentally friendly. [/quote] The energiser ones come charged and once charged hold their charge, unlike the old ni-cads. All you need to do is charge one up when it comes out of your bass. And remember to take it out of the charger once it's fully charged, it's no good if you've left it at home.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1501536864' post='3345414'] Unless, heaven forbid, you actually [i]enjoy[/i] the process of trying to replicate the original tones? [/quote] I had one of the early zoom multiFX units the 9000s. Sounded great in headphones or solo at home. As soon as I played it in a band situation it was impossible to for it to sound right. I guess things have moved on technology wise but I don't think my band would appreciate me fiddling around and trying different settings during each song. Life is too short. It depends what your band is about. For a covers band I just don't see the need. If you're a tribute act then it's easy, every song will have the same sound. So if original bands keep the same tone, why don't cover bands? We are a band who cover songs using our own sounds. We sound like us. The Guitarist does change sounds for each song, but he's limited by the guitar he has, the amp and cab he has, and even the make of effects he purchased.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1501144410' post='3342755'] I think tone is all part of being a musician, be it a good, average or poor one. I think most of us strive to be above average at least, if not much better than that. Not worrying about tone and how the bass contributes (in the case of a cover song, contributed) to the tone and feel of the song to me is accepting approximation which may spoil some listener's experience. Each to their own view but I don't subscribe to the view that the bass sound is not important to a piece - it's actually quite fundamental in my view. Level 42 without a Prophet 5 or something which can emulate it pretty accurately, for me as a fan of their music, would be a washout. As would Mark King playing a Precision, in terms of the affect on the sound of the band. I think it all depends, as a musician, how much you accept approximations. I've played in bands where arrangements of songs have been performed which [b] miss out fundamental hooks (note hooks can be bass hooks), use inaccurate and less effective chord voicings etc etc. [/b] No doubt the band sounded competent but is this good musicianship - depends on your viewpoint but my view is it's not. My view is you need to have a bass which has a range of potential sounds as well as being a reasonably flexible and skilled musician to do cover work well. [/quote] You must get those things right. Copying the sound is completely irrelevant and pointless. I would much rather listen to a band that are playing using different sounds than a band who are trying too hard to copy the sound exactly, missing and sounding plastic. So much so that when I played in a cover band I asked the keyboards player to pick one of the 3 authentic keyboard sounds he had on his keyboard for all the songs; strings, piano, or Hammond, rather than use some poor approximation to copy the original. Our singer was not an impressionist, why should the bass player be? What happens when you cover a song with two guitarists with multiple overlays, or backing brass and strings, multiple vocal overdubs and a backing choir, when you only have one guitarist and one singer?

[quote name='archie_the_cat' timestamp='1501357780' post='3344273'] OK, so that’s the first thing then - it’s fretless and played slap. But I’m assuming that’s not the clean sound, straight out the guitar. How is it processed? [/quote] They recorded it and then it's played backwards. Just the break. You can't really replicate it.

There are at least three examples where the band has done the gig against their better judgement and the result has been as expected. I know at least three band leaders who ask some very detailed questions before agreeing to do weddings. Where is the bar? If there is a large room with a bar adjoing the dance room, then it's a no no. What age group are they playing to? If it's a summer wedding at a hotel with a large seating area outside, can the band set up in a marquee? I've played at a couple of weddings where the band have been playing to a hot sweaty empty room with the doors closed due to noise limitations, while everyone else is outside. These are all things that can be avoided and are part of the musicians armoury and control.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1501353191' post='3344247'] /\ This. You can not always know what audience will turn up, no matter how pro you are. [/quote] That's beside the point. I agree it happens once in a while but there are things you can do to avoid it happening. If it's happening regularly then it's not the audience.