scalpy

You caught me, bit of a racing snake. I’ll settle for Mesa Prodigy size and power (and weight)

Full valve head in a MB TTE size box and I’d be seriously tempted!

Apologies about talking about cheese graters but I had a lovely very early JJ jewel which I unfortunately snapped. It was too nice a guitar for use in a secondary school classroom so I got a Mexican tele, previously relic’d in a very amateurish fashion by the prior teenage owner. When one of my year groups left they clubbed together and bought me a set of bare knuckle pickups. Unfortunately we had to move quickly after some harassment from the neighbours and I needed to raise some cash. Sold it for what I bought it for, then it turns out it was a baja and worth twice what I sold it for. Face plant!

The lyrics to this are extraordinary, the bass sounds great too.

Have you tried playing jazz or classical? Because you have to and there’s something at stake? Because both were like that for me but getting involved and having to deliver for an audience really makes you appreciate what the attraction is for them.

Pablo Picasso said it took him a whole lifetime to paint like a child. Your Neil Peart’s of the world would be good for painting the Sistine Chapel, Ringo might drum like a cave painting but to me it says just as much. I’ve not had enough sleep by the way.

My pleasure to have done a load of work with this guy. Why he isn’t more well known is completely beyond me.

I’ve done loads of am dram pit gigs. Can be a snooze fest of root fifth root fifth (obligatory panic on the page turn to see a unison section with the brass) back to root fifth, or outright terrifying, see West Side Story or Sunset Boulevard, or pretty funky with some of the newer shows. Very dependant on the MD, and who is drumming. I’ve yet to hit the perfect show, funky pad, funky guitarist, funky drummer, although Made in Dagenham a few weeks ago got close.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1509312187' post='3398033'] Interesting. I was in Rockfield studio one for part of the time they were in there doing A farewell to Kings in the posh new studio. We commented several times that they were always out horse riding fishing et and NOT "recording all the time" like Geddy said in the interview. We had ten days to do an album. They had block booked for NINE months! Talk about how the other half records..... [/quote] Ten days at Rockfield? Luxury! We did an album in a day there once!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1510062752' post='3403638'] Pet hate is a drummer that very slowly and deliberately takes at least an hour to set up his kit. WTF?? I wouldn't mind so much, but it's inevitably impossible to set up yourself as he will also strew his cases and boxes over the WHOLE stage area. [/quote] We had to train ours to set up on the dance floor and then move his kit in once we’d finished plugging everything in. He marks his territory with his drum mat and we work round that. He grumbled about it to start but when we pointed out we weren’t pulling cables around his zildjians and bumping into his drums all the time he saw the positive. And it’s half an hour quicker for all of us.

His son certainly seems like a dude and man, how much do I want to try that P bass!

[quote name='goblin' timestamp='1508345064' post='3391550'] Well, I play for various people but my main gig at the moment is in my sig [/quote] Whoops, only basschat on the phone. Congratulations though, that is a great rig.

So am I the only one wondering how did you get an Aguilar endorsement and what band can we hear you with?

It’s all missing the point really, the really impressive thing is he’s playing crotchets pretty much throughout and the band is grooving it’s sweet behind off.

This one note is the one element of Duck’s playing I’ve most successfully emulated.

The guitarist doesn’t have to have a Marshall half stack for pub gigs. Drummers should spend more money on cymbals than drums. Singers should spend money on kit full stop.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1507452493' post='3385462'] I can listen to Larry Graham all day, Marcus Miller for 5 mins and Mark King for 10 seconds. IMO it's just one of the techniques we should all know in order to become better and more complete players. The best slap players use it sparingly and effectively, ie Chuck Rainey, Alex Al, Reggie McBride and Nathan East. I have several regrets in my bass playing life and one of them is that I never managed to learn to slap, but I'm in good company, ie Wilton Felder, Willie Weeks and Duck Dunn. [/quote] This all day long!

The Entertainer, Hereford 1994, 17. Encore PB3, laney linebacker 100w head and hh215 cab. Was surprised by the size of the crowd, thought we were rock stars. Transpired the drummer supplemented his income selling herbal refreshment, everyone was there to see him.

Well, I’ve done West Side as a trumpeter and as bass player and he would have been a joy to work with. Kudos.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1506872076' post='3381655'] Is there ever a verbal or written contract that would say; "the band will require entrance to the hall 1.5 hours prior to the performance to set up equipment" ? Blue [/quote] Yep, we have that. Mostly in place for weddings, when the organisers don’t realise they don’t need the guitarist running through his pedal settings during the father of the bride’s speech!

Always thought it was hogwash but now I try and make some time for it, particularly if I'm playing a show week. Just 5 minutes to run through the tricky bits, check repeats and page turns etc, go from day job mode, driver mode and into muso mode.

If you really push it and live in a densely populated area, you can do the am dram circuit. Will get you 7 days a week work, bump it up with a bit of teaching and just hope the MD is keen on keeping the same band once or twice a year. I've got a few friends who do it, but it's dependent on all sorts of variables and I don't fancy it myself.

I'm using the SA manta for this one. I'd love to describe how I've got it set up but I just end twirling the settings round and pushing buttons until it's vaguely right, something I'm guessing other manta users are familiar with!

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1505899026' post='3375012'] Sometimes it's just down to the mixing. A classic example is Layla by Derek and the Dominoes... original riff is D minor pentatonic, but sounds like Eb because it was sped up to give a bit more energy. [/quote] Doesn't matter speed you play it those slide guitars at the end are nowhere close to being in tune!

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1505327687' post='3371121'] Florence & The Machine. She has an immense voice, completely wasted in that messy, mimsy indie twaddle. [/quote] The reverse for me, the band are really interesting, the singing is woeful!