risingson

[quote name='Doddy' post='1154337' date='Mar 8 2011, 07:30 PM']Plus,Manchester is only half an hour away where even more gigs await.[/quote] Precisely! I never got the attitude that if you're stuck in an area with not much going on that it somehow becomes impossible to get a gig. It's not, it's just a case of a.) being able to travel a small distance with your gear b.) being outgoing and asking for the gigs in the first place and c.) turning up, being professional, play a set to the best of your abilities and maybe you'll find that doors start to open to you other places as well. Once you've done a few gigs things tend to snowball, but you'll never get anywhere if you approach the whole thing with a negative outlook on it, it's all about being outgoing.

[quote name='JellyKnees' post='1154273' date='Mar 8 2011, 06:59 PM']That may be true to some extent (I think the Biscuits did quite a few local gigs in the early days), but I was really arguing against your suggestion that Wirral has zero musical backbone.[/quote] In terms of venues it is pretty much true. I wasn't referring to the artists that have come from the area. You said it yourself, most places are only interested in cover band material. [quote]I didn't claim there was a 'golden age' of local live music on Wirral, only that there used to be more and now there is less (in terms of original stuff). Liverpool has always had a fairly healthy musical scene...nothing has really 'shifted' as you put it. That's a fairly bizzare thing to say. Yes I have. We have had a couple of gigs in Liverpool and couple that fell through. The opportunities seems fairly sporadic to me, unless you are playing metal or indie rock. But I obviously don't know as much about it as you.[/quote] With the greatest of respect, you're either not looking or asking hard enough, or you've not been speaking to the right people. Getting a gig in Liverpool couldn't be easier. I've seen some excellent bands play round town and I've seen some equally terrible bands play, so unless you're really, really out there with what you're playing music wise then I'd recommend maybe exploring some more opportunities. You know as well as anyone that lives on the peninsula that the Wirral is not the shining beacon of live music and there's nothing to be gained from playing original material because there is simply no demand for such, with the possible exception of Pacific Rd that regularly host all sorts of stuff. If people want to see live music then they go to Liverpool, it's really simple. The Wirral isn't and never will be the right area to host live original music unless something drastically changes.

[quote name='JellyKnees' post='1154200' date='Mar 8 2011, 06:12 PM']No discernible musical backbone....ever heard of Half Man Half Biscuit? Elvis Costello? OMD? The Coral? Never mind...[/quote] None of the people you've just mentioned made a big name for themselves by playing pubs and clubs on the Wirral, they just happened to be from the area. Your argument seems to lack credibility. The only thing that's changed since the 'golden years' of live music if it indeed existed (I'm skeptical) on the Wirral is the geographical locality, which has shifted to literally 5 minutes from where you live. [quote]And zero desire? Are you sure? Regarding Liverpool, there are a hell of a lot of bands chasing a relatively small number of gigs. Many of the gigs are also pay to play.[/quote] Yes. If people want to see original bands play round here then go to Liverpool, it really couldn't be easier. It's obviously something you don't have much experience with because there's plenty of gigs to be had on a regular, weekly basis. Some gigs might have a pay to play scheme but there are plenty that don't, so again, I'll ask... have you ever tried Liverpool?

Haven't been overly impressed tonally with a lot of the Sadowskys I've played well built etc. but not what I was expecting them to sound like although I can't help feeling like if I owned one I'd probably end up loving it. I tried a MTD in NYC which really underwhelmed me considering the price.

[quote name='JellyKnees' post='1153886' date='Mar 8 2011, 02:47 PM']20 odd years ago there were loads of pubs and a couple of clubs in Wirral that put original bands on. Now there are bugger all, but there are loads that put covers and tribute bands on. Some of them are the very same venues. Maybe it's different in other areas, but I can only go on my own experience of the local music scene. Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be...[/quote] You ever tried going to Liverpool? Be realistic, the Wirral is mostly residential with no discernible musical backbone, where as 5 minutes across the water from you there's a wealth of live original music every night, just go to The Shipping Forecast, The Zanzibar, The Picket, The Masque, Bumper, The Magnet, The Static Gallery, Envi any night of the week and those really are just for starters. Tribute and cover bands might provide some brief flash in the pan entertainment in a lot of the live music venues on the Wirral, but they certainly don't kill off the desire for original live music (that's complete rubbish), and besides which there is near enough zero demand for it on the Wirral anyway.

Chris, I put the 'please delete' thing because I'd seen quite a few other people do it recently. I haven't done it on any other items I've sold in the past but this was purely by chance, nothing sinister involved, however I do feel like I should clarify this point seeing as you were 'suspicious' of what was going on having trawled through my earlier FS threads. What I will say was perhaps on some level I wanted to see the back of my FS thread as it had been a bit of a nightmare, though it still wouldn't have made a difference to me whether the thread was deleted or not, not even the slightest. I was simply following the example of what others were doing, figured it could be a space saving exercise but I guess not. Anyway, enough. We've discussed the ins and outs of my for sale thread and I think it's best left there, so I won't go into details (I didn't PM you back last night after my initial message not because I was ignoring you, I don't ignore PMs, but I didn't really think there was anything left to say seeing as the bass was sold and it wasn't to you). Once again, if I'd known it would have kicked up such a big fuss then I wouldn't have bothered, believe me, and there really isn't much more to say on the subject.

Didn't Will Lee have the pleasure of playing with Sir Paul himself? Most Beatles cover bands from my area (Liverpool, and there's a lot) don't get that sort of privilege.

[quote name='Fat Rich' post='1150421' date='Mar 5 2011, 11:41 AM']Wading straight into a lot of theory can be off-putting to beginners, it's good to get some instant gratification from learning to play an instrument. But I think once you've got past that stage it's time to start learning properly.[/quote] I've said it before, a young person taking up bass isn't interested in theory 90% of the time, they're interested in just playing their instrument as fast as they can and getting in a band so they can get some girls! I was like this until I was given lessons two or 3 years into playing my instrument. There needs to be that initial emotional connection with your instrument on the most base level before you go about tackling the theoretical side of things with a teen.

[quote name='bubinga5' post='1150181' date='Mar 5 2011, 12:56 AM']i know i was in shock.. very lucky. i think its time to A, get a brain, B find some sort of hard case/bag for it... any ideas...Dont Aggy do a single rack case of sorts?[/quote] Just buy a cheapish rackcase and rack ears for it BB, check out the flightcase warehouse. Brands are overrated in the flightcase field IMO, you don't want to be paying over the odds for something that does exactly the same for half the price. You might even find one cheap second hand.

[quote name='chris_b' post='1150061' date='Mar 4 2011, 10:31 PM']I'm playing this one tomorrow night for the first time! It's a great bass line, Nate Watts doesn't let up for a moment! [/quote] I absolutely love that bass line, it's one of my all time favourites.

There was an advert that Eden did a few years back, a guy's studio had gone up in flames along with all of his gear, including his WT800 head. The thing had been totally grilled; it was badly charred, and the knobs on the amp face had melted. Apparently though (according to the advert) the amp worked perfectly when he switched it back on, no problems. It's just got to be a testament to Aguilar's build quality that you didn't completely mince it underneath your car!

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1146936' date='Mar 2 2011, 11:38 AM']But manufacturers like Lakland, Sadowsky et al are simply Fenders for people who don't want "Fender" on the Headstock, but do want something better in terms of QC.[/quote] Dolphin Liverpool and Dawsons are high street music stores, and it's been proven that Lakland didn't sell in either store because the majority of people haven't heard of them, quality control doesn't really come into it because whilst you or I might know these brands to be better in terms of QC, a lot of other people don't and want a brand they are familiar with, i.e. Fender.

Agreed. A basic musical knowledge is incredibly important, why shun it? It's like shooting yourself in the foot.

He is an incredible player.

[quote name='MythSte' post='1145768' date='Mar 1 2011, 02:14 PM']I was in Dawsons the other day and I had a go on the new Fender American Special Jazz they had in there. Lovely bass it was as well! I asked them what the best price they could do it for would be and the guy said he couldnt move on Fenders as they made so little money on them, the only reason they stocked them was so that people would take them seriously because "everyone wants a Fender". Is there any truth in this do you think? He was a nice chap otherwise and I dont think he was being a douche![/quote] Dolphin across the road will tell you the same thing! I don't think everyone wants a Fender (otherwise brands like Lakland wouldn't exist in the world of bass) but it's certainly true that Fender sells because it's a household name and I'm sure that Dawsons and Dolphin will show a high ratio of Fender/Squier sales in direct comparison to other brands, thus making up a lot of the respective shop's turnovers.

Have been listening to The Detroit Spinner's 'It's a Shame' recent. It's a hell of a bass line from Jamerson and a complete bastard to get right!