Conan

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='770371' date='Mar 10 2010, 01:45 PM']I would say don't be too afraid to make songs your own! In my band, we often arrange or rework the songs to fit us and very rarely do a straight interpretation. This is good on many levels: it stops you getting bored with the song, the songs will be recognisable but will sound fresh and original to the crowd, it gives the crowd something to remember you by and will make the band stand out.[/quote] Hmmm. Not sure about this. Depends on your audience and how long you've been playing. In some venues this might be taken as arrogance and possibly rudeness, as some punters expect to hear the track as they know it.... IME that is!

Which band is it Gareth? I might try to get out one night and see you! It's strange with a covers band I feel. You are playing for the audience rather than them coming to see you. I know that sounds like the same thing, but the emphasis is slightly different with an originals band... Also, rather than having your own travelling crowd (which [i]can[/i] happen with a covers band), you will tend to be playing to different audiences at each venue. You have to please that particular crowd, so as someone else said, the singer has to be up to the job! Often, there will be few musoes in the crowd so its a waste of time being too technical or flash - nobody will get it! Look good, sound good, play good. Simple is better than complicated (although obviously it depends what genre of covers you play!). The best way to get a crowd onside is to look like you are enjoying yourself - even if you aren't! If you can't stand the drummer and you are really pissed off with the singer (as if!?) you mustn't let it show! That turns audiences off faster than a few mistakes that even the musoes will generally miss! Levels are important too. Obviously you need to be audible, but too much volume can drive punters away too. Basically its about providing a service. Yes, you get paid, but you need to EARN that cash if you want any repeat gigs. Word soon gets round if you are disappointing or difficult for any reason! Enjoy yourselves! There is nothing like the feeling of playing well in a great band to a great audience! OK, there are - but I cant mention any of them on here!

That's great man! Cheers

[quote name='martthebass' post='769183' date='Mar 9 2010, 01:22 PM'].......all I do know is that I need to get out of this phase before I do something silly like sell my perfectly good basses to fund a potential 'dog'.[/quote] That sounds like damn good advice!!

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='769006' date='Mar 9 2010, 11:12 AM']Turning up with a 1974 Fender P-bass removes pretty much all questions of judgment or taste from the situation. No one ever sneered at an old P-bass, no one ever winced at the tone of an old P-bass, no one ever asked "[i]Why did you bring THAT then?".[/i] It's the musical equivalent of wearing a pair of comfortable Levi's and some Adidas trainers ... people take one look at them and then focus instead on the person wearing them.[/quote] That's a fascinating insight! Thanks for that. I'd never thought about it, but I know exactly what you mean!

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='768948' date='Mar 9 2010, 10:15 AM']and are a far better investment (not really subjective).[/quote] Does there come a point where buying them does NOT make financial sense though? Will they continue to appreciate indefinitely or have some of them actually reached their peak value already? Your point about leaving your guitars to your daughter is one of the causes of my shift in position, y' bastaad!!

[quote name='chris_b' post='768929' date='Mar 9 2010, 09:58 AM']Everyone should own a Fender at sometime. They are the original, the start of it all. Most music hasn't moved far from the rock and roll years so the original equipment can still cut it in most situations. If I hadn't moved to a 5 string I'd still be happily playing my Precision.[/quote] Yeah, I think that's what has got me thinking. All these boutique/handmade/custom basses around. They look beautiful and sound amazing, but often they can tend to disappear into the mix in a band situation - especially live (IMO). The Fender guitars, and especially the P, just seem to sit better in the mix! Its as if they were designed to specifically fit into a certain frequency range that no other instrument can fill. By accident or design? I dunno - but they certainly do. Many "star" musicians, who could have their pick of instruments are still using Fender basses. Steve Harris? Geddy Lee? Duck Dunn? OK, they have endorsement deals but surely they could afford to use their instrument of choice? OK, I'm just thinking out loud here. I'm also starting to convince myself that Fender is the way to go!!

[quote name='smurfitt' post='768329' date='Mar 8 2010, 06:49 PM']Be gentle on me, I am female, blonde, already have decent earplugs and am new to bass gear.[/quote] I like this! Subtle dig about the earplugs...! The "female" bit is kinda relevant due to the weight issue (although some girls are very strong and some guys are wimps!). Not sure what your hair colour has to do with it though? Although its interesting how the tone of the replies has been influenced by this info.... Bit of the old "girl stops by the side of the road in her short skirt and dozens of male motorists pull up to help" kind of scenario possibly? BTW, no offence intended, I am speaking purely from a social commentary viewpoint!

Not that I'm greedy or anything! There's a Fender bug around. I'm not sure it's actually bitten me yet, but it is circling in a slightly menacing way and eyeing me with intent... So just what is it about these old Fenders? Why is it that guys who flogged their Ps and Js ten years ago are now regretting it or trying to buy then back for three times as much? Is it the quality? In which case why did they sell them?! Or is it that as they get older (the basses that is!) their value (or at least their [b]perceived[/b] value) increases?! The ones that are for sale at £1500 plus... are they all good? And the old "all original" chestnut. What exactly are you "allowed" to do to your bass before you ruin its "vintage" value? And is it jusr Fenders? Will my 1986 Status, for example, be worth thousands in ten years or so? And if not, why not? What I'm basically saying here is "is it worth me selling/trading a bass I love in order to finance the purchase of an (I suspect) inferior guitar that might be worth lots of money in the future?" Your thoughts. Give them to me!

[quote name='Musicman20' post='747320' date='Feb 16 2010, 03:15 PM']This is basically it. But, those craving HUGE low end and quite a high treble extension would love it. They have apparently changed all the preset centres and the tubetone/compressor.[/quote] That makes sense, but still doesn't account for the fairly large price difference! Possibly cheaper to fly Rocco over and get him to set up your RH450 to his preferences?!

This is not an argument, it's a contradiction! No it isn't....

[quote name='dood' post='767879' date='Mar 8 2010, 01:00 PM']if you looked at the trade prices Vs the retail prices of musical intrument products across the board, you'd probably have a heart attack.[/quote] I won't then!

[quote name='lozbass' post='767874' date='Mar 8 2010, 12:58 PM']Good point - and not too easy for me to comment as I gave up gigging almost 20 years ago (and so, have largely forgotten). That said, the circuit in Alembics is much more powerful/versatile/complicated than any other I've used (and trust me, I've used a lot) and small tweaks can make a significant difference. As a result of the (relatively) complicated nature of the filter circuit and control layout, it's good to be able to see where you're up to (fairly quickly and clearly) if you want to dial-in a particular tone for a specific passage of music. Being 20 degrees out on the filters can be a big deal. You'll see SC himself doing a fair bit of messing about with filters and volumes in a live setting (and sometimes, he appears to look rather than just listen - I could be wrong of course).[/quote] I stand corrected! Good answer!

[quote name='Toasted' post='767790' date='Mar 8 2010, 12:13 PM']I love my IP112ER and EX112ER. They sound great. Not cheap tho.[/quote] That's an understatement! I've been looking at these out of interest and can't understand why they are so expensive. A wooden box, a single 12" speaker and a power amp. Where does the price come from? Don't these list at around fifteen hundred quid?

[quote name='lozbass' post='767836' date='Mar 8 2010, 12:42 PM']it's easy to see what you're doing (even in a gig setting)[/quote] I understand that. But in reality, how many times do you [b]really[/b] need to [b]look[/b] at the knobs on your bass to see what your settings are?

Well, it's looking increasingly like the band I have been trying to get off the ground for the last six months is going to disappear up it's own anus without so much as a gig played! So I guess I'm back in the market for a band! I've been playing for about 30 years and have played many different types of music - jazz/funk, blues, pop, heavy rock, prog... and am happy to do so again! My style is predominantly fingerstyle and quite aggressive, but I occasionally use a pick and can slap pretty well when called for... Previous band of any note - The Lounge Lizards (Newcastle-based blues band), which I left in 2006. Good gear and transport. I also offer backing vocals. I am not looking to make a profession out of this, as I already have a full-time job and a young family. Rehearsals once or twice a week and probably gigging no more than twice a month is about what I would expect. Based in [b]Newcastle upon Tyne [/b]and not looking to travel very far (obviously gigs are different!) so would prefer North and South Tyneside, Newcastle or South Northumberland. I am not an age-fascist, but obviously if you are a band of 19 year olds you may want someone a bit younger than me! Thanks for taking the time to read this. Cheers, Geoff.

[quote name='mr.sibs' post='767701' date='Mar 8 2010, 10:47 AM']interesting idea - will the sound of a pa monitor be suitable as a bass cab? any idea the most suitable if such a thing exists??[/quote] Remember that many PA cabs/ monitors are designed for the bass drum to go through. If they can handle that, most things we do on bass should be OK. Anything with EV or JBL speakers in for example should be up to the task...

Beautiful! All except for those horrible cheap-looking plastic control knobs!