Cat Burrito

I like country, soul, rock 'n' roll, Americana, pop, bluegrass, rock, early reggae, disco and punk but can probably think of examples of bands from all those genres that I don't personally like. I don't think that makes me a snob. And like the original post I try not to be snobby about music or gear as I hate being on the receiving end of it. My step daughter wanted some One Direction slippers and I think it's great she is getting into music. Equally I don't mind Bob the Builder and Mr. Tumble in the house either although I'll tell you for free avoid Mickey Mouse's Christmas Club if you are hungover!

I'd say so, yes, although it is different from school days where we used to hang out all the time as work / families / life gets in the way. You have to be able to at least get on as a minimum (even if you don't socialise much outside of the band) and I'd add a true friend would be able to take constructive criticism. Somebody who only speaks when you play badly isn't cool and I find if you mix the balance between "nice solo" and "not sure about that middle eight" it goes down a lot better.

I don't know about measurements but I don't like it too low so it rattles & buzzes; and I'm happy to dig in a little. I always whip off the stock strings and put flats on. And my main bass is my only bass guitar I gig with these days. I too opt for a fairly clean sound & I find I sound like me no matter what rig I go through.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1413980421' post='2584322'] Would it be possible to ask if you could name a couple of your personal favourites? [/quote] Anything by Eddie Cochran for sure. Some of the Elvis stuff too and of course a lot of the lead is chord based.

It was great up until 2007 / 2008 because such charges were minimal but now you get customs charges and Royal Mail handling charges so what starts out as a great deal actually becomes easier to order through a shop locally which defeats the whole point. It's worth googling the rules because even small orders over just a few dollars can create a whole load of additional costs. Thomann would get my vote here too.

A lot of those early rock 'n' roll records have great rhythm guitar tracks which are really simple.

[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1413884540' post='2583033']Madonna needs to.... its like watching your mom embarrasing herself [/quote] I guess there are a lots of artists you could post to further prove that point (Kiss?) but I actually think Madonna is doing OK on balance. Her target audience isn't the same age range as it was circa True Blue. I don't particularly care for Cher either but I guess she did the same thing. My Dad is in his 70s and will talk at length about older guys with pony tails, tattoos etc but let's face it, it isn't hurting anyone. Every fashion trend will have fans and haters so you may as well just do what you feel comfortable with.

I think the key is to feel comfortable. When I was growing up the music press was full of articles about the Rolling Stones, Traveling Wilburries etc and whether they were too old. Roy Orbison & George Harrison aside they are all still going strong and doing it and I am now in my early 40s (roughly the age they would have all been) and it is more acceptable to still play. I refuse to accept that I'll reach a magical age and I will need to suddenly start dressing like my Grandfather. I do think we tone it down a bit but there are still plenty of options out there. I have to add that in Blue's original post he mentions staying in shape and this really helps if you want to look good. I was certainly getting a bit out of shape in my mid 30s but I took control, dropped 4 stone and feel fitter, healthier and younger now then I did back then.

The only mods I have done to my 2 Squiers (bar strings) are purely cosmetic because they are actually just really nice basses as they are.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1413568969' post='2579749'] There is no "right" bass that will last you forever unless you have a fairly limited musical outlook.[/quote] That's a bit unfair on those players who buy an instrument and just play the same one throughout their career...which to be fair won't really apply to anyone on Basschat! Before I had the Internet I managed to play rock, punk, indie, soul, mod and country on the same bass. Obviously not at the same time.

It's been said before. I'm sure they'll be around for a good while yet.

Twincam's first link would suit the look of our band the best http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_pb_50_sb_vintage_series.htm but remind me & I'll lend you my 50s Squier on Monday.

The Ramones Museum is worth a look if you like punk. Club Bassy is cool if you like country / rockabilly stuff but I accept that is the minority of us on this forum. It's a great city, have fun.

Last time I lent a bass out to a support act in a similar predicament the bass player "I'm really a guitarist" (he told me after) critiqued what he thought was wrong with my bass and was so ungrateful I did consider letting him wear it as a hat (or stool!) It rather tainted my otherwise easy going nature so I now apply the aforementioned "prat" test.

Great bass but I'm put off by his slippers and incorrect reference to the Last Waltz

I would have thought that as so many members are in covers bands / bands that do covers, most of us would be doing the song we really liked? I can't narrow it down to one song but anything I grew up with is always a kick so playing that old rock n roll stuff like Eddie Cochran or Elvis is always a kick. In recent years I've really liked Lee Rocker's "Sometimes You Win" but can't find a band that want to do it.

Only in the sense that I stumbled across their FB page a few months ago & saw my guitarist had liked the page (he'd never mentioned them to me). They looked like good retro Fender copies but no idea on prices or playability etc.

First gig I ever went to had the bass player fall over. Make of that what you will. *Ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley at the Hammy Odeon in 1988

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1412441082' post='2568996'] Do I remember that you're using a Blues Junior though? I wonder if the master volume makes the difference, as the single volume control on the Princeton is rather like having the master volume stuck on 10 and adjusting the pre-volume.[/quote] I am indeed using a Blues Jr and again you're right. I set the break up with the volume and control the loudness with the Master control. It's the only amp I've used since I started taking guitar seriously although like Trigger's broom I've changed the speaker, the reverb tank and I am currently having a custom cabinet built for it. Good luck in your search to resolve this.

I think Open Mic is a great way of improving playing or road testing a new band. The danger often is expecting your band to then make the jump from performing there to paid gigs and I've had three bands that got stuck in that circuit initially. I agree some of them can be a bit clicky too but then that's just a case of doing the fun ones and being a bit more selective. On balance I'm a fan despite how this post reads back.

I'm with Kirky in that I don't think a new amp is the answer. My guitarist in my main band uses an attenuator and something like this http://www.gak.co.uk/en/thd-hot-plate/7081 would be a good investment. I play guitar in a band with a 15w tube amp and I have to say that I don't have the same problem and we're a pretty quiet band. This could be down to what pickups we use etc (I'm low output pickups on an archtop kind of player) or just the room etc.

We supported Wilco Johnson and Norman Watt-Roy was a real gent. When I met Al Gare (Imelda May's bassist) he came across as a really nice guy and just a massive music fan. Just two off the top of my head.