scalpy

G&L l-series pre doesn't really seem to use any juice at all. I change mine once a year and it's hardly used, normally I whack it straight in the tuner where it lasts another few months!

I had a 30w BC Rich bass combo with 12 inch speaker. Inaudible in almost any practical application, which was probably a good thing considering my playing at the time. No love for the Hartke Kickback range? I've still got my head version of the 1400 series and it's bloomin' pokey. Didn't have graphic eq though so not cool enough.

Congratulations on an entire page about Adam Clayton's bass playing and no derogatory comments! Sun is shining, weather is sweet- yeah.

Steve Amadeo is Liverpool-ish way and I believe travels a bit. Great player and as I understand it a great teacher.

Love the bit in his recent rig rundown for premier guitar where he almost knocks over the interviewer demonstrating the volume he plays at.

Nice to see drummers like Roger Hawkins and Hal Blaine getting some recognition. Must be recent documentaries gaining them some credit because not so long ago they were pretty much forgotten, which is ludicrous considering some of the records they've made.

[quote name='luckydog' timestamp='1467993739' post='3087945'] Hopefully mic on the cab too...... if not, well worth asking for it. Sound off the cab is less safe, less control for engineers. But the option for at least some of cab sound worked in there makes for good sound. LD [/quote] No mic on cab, but the broadcast feed seemed to sound ok, nothing more. I did say try the amp DI first but he said he'd given up using those as they're so varied and can be noisy. I replied that mine is fine but got the 'you don't know what it's like out front' response. Well, I do actually and it's great, was more than adequate for him last time we played there and instead I've got that cold, sterile generic sound again that flattens the whole performance. It was a really weird atmosphere as the venue go out of their way to be accommodating to the acts, free coffee and a great meal but when it came to being onstage we were told to f-off by the sound engineer so he could set up, and we had to do 2 and a half soundchecks. 1 normal, then a soundcheck video, then another 40 minutes before going onstage after the owner of the venue had waved his finger at us saying 'you mustn't turn up' in a rather stern headmastery fashion. We don't, the drummer with this band is a top flight pro with an international cv (he always gets complimented for playing the correct volume for the space everywhere we play) but it appeared Mr Owner had had enough of bands just getting louder and louder and assumed we'd be the same. He then couldn't figure out the drummer was using a chain on one of his rides and had a major go at mr sticks for causing him problems. Well, how was the drummer meant to know if you couldn't figure it out until 3 songs in, mr big shot? It really gets my goat when engineers treat musicians as problems to be solved and work against us, especially if it only sounds clinical as an end result.

LED lights can be ridiculous, especially if they're moving, but I don't miss old fashioned par cans blazing away. I remember one small stage and I felt like my head was literally blistering.

Amp and pedals, leads etc all go in a admittedly stuffed soft laptop bag. I used to worry that the laptop bag would attractive to scallies but i think that's less of a problem now, but it also looks decent enough to arrive at smart venues and not look a compete chancer.

One guy I play with turned up to a session at AIR, set up and thought....hmmm, something's wrong. Forgotten his snare drums. All 4 he usually takes to a session.

I do about 8 or 9 am-dram shows a year. I di out of the back of my MB head and try and play at a complementary volume to the acoustic musicians. Horns and strings still want to have a live vibe in my experience, particularly the ones who regularly play in good quality orchestras.

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!