scalpy

Just set up for tonight's gig. Sound guy insisted on DI box. Basschat version of commentators curse!

I ask the sound guy if he'll try the bass sound post di first. Always nice about it and happy to push the button if necessary. Only one guy has asked, bass has always sounded good on playback at the very least. Recording, one producer I work with absolutely insists on post eq.

What's better? Finishing the gig and getting your bass under lock and key in the vehicle straightaway (what I try and do) or leaving it, let's be honest, partially attended as the singer watches over it whilst 'networking'?

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1464256235' post='3057900'] We were doing Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols last night. Its the first time I have played the song with this band. I'm pretty sure its in open G tuning, that's how they got the Stones rip off element just right. So I mentioned this to the guitarists as they were just doing it in standard tuning and it sounded 'off'. The reply? "I'm not tuning to open G, it takes too long". Apparently though, endless faffing around with pedal settings between songs is ok. I'm out. [/quote] On a similar note, my wife left a band because the bassist changed basses between every song. Her pet hate was to the fretless, when his intonation was woeful.

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1464095131' post='3056503'] It's more the bags and crap left lying around at set up and break down that's more of a problem with my bloody lot! The drummer unpacks his snare/toms and leaves the bags all over what little stage we have, the guitard and singer (an item so arrive together) put PA speakers and bags/guitar cases haphazardly rather than putting them near where they would go. I've stepped away from my gear to set my pedal board up and come back to find a kit bag on top of my amp and an empty cymbal case leaning against my speaker. Removed these, put my pedal board down and connected up, turned round to adjust something on amp and keys puts a bag between me and pedals which I nearly trip over!! They're a bloody liability!!! [/quote] This! It's taken a little while but we've just about managed to train our drummer to set-up on the dance floor and then move into place once we've sorted out all the power and lights etc, which invariably are at the back. This simple step has reduced our set-up time by half, seems like more work but is actually more time efficient.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1464028012' post='3055927'] The best one about stage space was a few years back, in an old band I was in. We set up, and once the singer/guitarist was happy with his sound, he put his guitar right in front of my amp. I should mention that he didn`t play guitar on all the songs, prob 6 out of 40. So I moved said guitar in front of his amp. To which I was told harshly, "that`ll block the sound, no-one will be able to hear me". Trying hard to diplomatically avoid telling him he was a retard, I replied "it won`t be there when you`re playing it". "Aaaargggh", and an exit from the stage was the response I received. [/quote] Love it!

Rehearse to a click? I hate playing with unfunky drummers but it does happen. Even turned up to one rehearsal and the guy laid all the parts of his kit on the floor. Scratched his head and said, 'Let's see if I can remember how this goes together.'

Set up for last weekends gig at 2:30pm, we were on at 11. Not a great start, then we had to mix ourselves off stage, provide our own monitoring, (this is a corporate do for 500 people, events company were quids in) then after the soundcheck we had to clear off all our stuff, although we did persuade them to leave the kit. Had 5 minutes to get it all back on stage ready for our slot. Took half an hour of playing to relax and feel like we were actually doing a gig not a logistical endurance exercise.

[quote name='louisthebass' timestamp='1463214219' post='3049527'] Probably a very predictable choice - this is one of his great lines: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRuLc2d5x5g You can hear a lot of stuff in here that JP used on his version of Pee Wee Ellis' "The Chicken". Love it! [/quote] Man when those horns come in! I love this music and this is version I hadn't heard before. Thanks for posting.

A student of mine owns a really nice Les Paul heritage. He bought it when he could barely play Satisfaction, and did have similar qualms about whether he was worthy, for want of a better expression, of owning it. He has got better, but now really enjoys appreciating it from a technical perspective, it's a beautiful thing, plays really well, sounds great, and when he does have those breakthrough moments when a new phrase starts to sound really comfortable he's not left thinking, 'if only I had a nice guitar and that would have been really special'. His viewpoint is that his musical journey is a relationship between him and that instrument and although that's hard to qualify, for him it's a beautiful thing.

We do a mash up of Hit the Road Jack, Happy and Whole Lotta Love. Proper mash up too, not a medley. It's called Jack My Happy Love Whole.

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1462825257' post='3046105'] 18 in total over many bands, and just one currently but it's the most ubiquitous one I'm afraid! [/quote] Pretty much ditto!

About 4 or 5 years ago I was booked to play on a session for the princes of Lichtenstein's stag do. The best man, a classic Ferrari dealer as it happened, thought the two could play a bit, guitar and drums and would like to record an album as part of the big day. We all thought this was more than an little optimistic but I learnt about 15 of their favourite songs in a week, including roundabout by Yes and other proggy classics. We had a turbo run through of as much as possible before, but they could hardly play and it descended into endless soloing by the two of the them and guest keys player on wild thing and Johnny b Goode. Then they hoofed it without paying up and it took months for the studio owner to cough up as it turned out it was all his idea in the first place.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1462574826' post='3044193'] I was working as a roadie for a band recording at Rockfield studios and staying at their accommodation up the hill opposite. These two guys appeared and came in for a cup of tea and we sat and chatted for ages. Nothing embarrassing was said and it was all cool but I had no idea until I was later told that I was talking to half of Hawkwind (Huw Lloyd Langton and the then bass player who I still cannot name). [/quote] In fairness these things happen at Rockfield quite a lot!

Not me but my mum. She was at dartington college in the late sixties. A nice Indian gentleman used to give her a lift home in his white rolls Royce. She later realised this was Ravi Shankar. She then went to the guildhall and used to hang around this dingy jazz club. She got chatting to this nice couple, very unusual for the time she thought, one of them was black and the other white. Cleo lane and Jonny dankworth at Ronnie Scott's. Clueless!

Dance week indeed!

Being band less for a while I found a pub rock covers band in the deepest darkest depths of the Forest of Dean. They were nice guys and played well but they hadn't completely decided on dropping their friend as a bassist, so he'd come to watch rehearsals whilst they told them that's how it should be done, which made me look a right pratt. And after a few rehearsals conversation was starting to dry up and there wasn't a lot of common ground, so in an effort to keep things moving I pointed to one the guitarists many amplifiers (they rehearsed in his basement) saying 'I used to have an HH amp a bit like that'. He said 'You'll never guess who that belonged to?' I really couldn't think of a band who did, so he told me. 'Fred West' Did one gig with them.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fpvA3Jfzcjw You may have already seen this but it's great, I think. What Scott doesn't explain though is Joe's tone, which slightly hot to me but I can't work of its gain or compression.

Vernon and Doug: an hour to basically scratch the surface. Interviewer: what did you use with Jimi? Billy Cox: Marshalls.

The only bass I own....

I love that clip! Master songsmith, performer and player.

If you have an Apple device get the iReal Pro app. £10 but thousands of standards and it plays them in the key you want, with tolerable genre impressions. Edit: whoops- coffee hasn't kicked in, missed this point in above post.

The tunes will look easy but they whip by, and because they are so reliant on D G A it can take a bit of concentration to keep your place. Then, when you least expect, when you're just starting to look up and watch the bridesmaids, there will a Bm and it will be- the hardest chord in the world!!!

Got to admit the aesthetics of Aguilar cabs did sway my current choice and I was very keen to have tweed too. So yes the looks are important to me, but I've got to say that purchasing those cabs has made my work go up threefold. Firstly, it really helps with trying to look professional (emphasis on trying!) secondly, clients aren't bricking it like they used to when I heaved in a 410. They'd assume it was too loud before I plugged in.

The only bass I own! (G&L ASAT)