Dave Vader

[quote name='Marvin' post='976560' date='Oct 3 2010, 11:27 PM']We must of bumped into each other. I used to go to Sweet Thangs gigs religiously. I only ever saw the Cult Maniax when they became the Vibe Tribe. Did you attend the live performance given by Papa Brittel at the Anchor? It was truly superb. Bl00dy good times.[/quote] Yep, I was there, good night that was. I was (and still am) pretty good mates with Nick who played rhythm guitar in the Thangs. Still run into Andy sometimes as well (lead guitar). I also recall Chumbawamba being very exciting in there, and TV Smith being a little disappointing.

[quote name='Marvin' post='974400' date='Oct 1 2010, 06:15 PM']I'll vouch for what Dave Vader has said about Devon. The venues that used to book originals simply aren't there anymore, my old favourite was demolished some time ago (FWIW The Anchor in Westward Ho! - good times). The venues booking covers bands, I can't ever remember booking originals when I used to go to gigs to see for example these guys [url="http://www.myspace.com/cultmaniax"]Cult Maniax[/url], especially The Black Horse in Great Torrington [/quote] Slight derail, but I used to play the Anchor a fair bit back in the day, good times, never got paid, played a lot of originals, and followed Big Al from the Cult Maniax everywhere (though they were the Sweet Thangs by then). Must have run into each other at some point Marv.

I love those aluminium Kramer necks, they were fantastic. Sadly if you tried to do that in wood you wood end up with a few shards of broken wood. Black Eagle would have been cool as well... oh well.

[quote name='truckstop' post='974309' date='Oct 1 2010, 04:30 PM']I picked up bass because I wanted to be a bass player. I can play guitar, drums and piano too, but my love is bass. If I can get myself a gig where i'm playing bass live once or twice a week, I could fake my own death happy. Truckstop[/quote] [quote name='crez5150' post='974309' date='Oct 1 2010, 04:30 PM']You could join a covers band...... [/quote] worked for me, only faked my own death 3 times this year (tax purposes)

[quote name='paul h' post='974182' date='Oct 1 2010, 03:28 PM']I can only speak for myself but I play bass, guitar, I program, I compose in all sorts of genres and when I am in an original band I have a HUGE creative input because that, for me, is the point. And I bet I'm not the only one either. Show of hands?[/quote] Hand here Paul. I mostly confine my original efforts to my home studio now, occasional one off shows at local hippy-love-in-student-fest things. Used to be guitar/keys/vocals guy in a few original bands, got fed up of arguing with other musicians at how I wanted it to sound, they either didn't want to put in any input or they wanted to totally rewrite my precious songs. Easier to hide at home, and sometimes let loose on the dual ouput tenor with combined scary fx unit orchestra in public. Wanted to make some extra money so I could feed the family despite having a sh*te job. Grab bass, join covers band (bass is the one instrument I can play where I don't give a flying fcuk what song I'm playing, I'll enjoy it). Works for me AND THEREFORE MUST FOR EVERYONE!!!

[quote name='Twigman' post='973844' date='Oct 1 2010, 12:46 PM']And we have the luxury of most of our gigs being fly aways to the Med for a Fri/Sat show, so we get a weekend away with the lads with someone else footing the bill and come back with more cash than we left with - could you do that with a covers band?[/quote] Not always, but we do get the odd one (specialist 80s, more tribute than covers really, certainly no artistic integrity, but we do charge through the nose for one like this).

[quote name='Twigman' post='973822' date='Oct 1 2010, 12:32 PM']Same here. So what's your point?[/quote] Out here in the sticks of Devon, people don't like things they don't know. While I appreciate that original material is far better, and I used to love doing it, really, still do when I get the chance, realistically unless I were to move to a decent sized city (London etc.) I am not going to get gigs that pay and have audiences with original material. I am very jealous that you are btw. Once I got past 30 I realised I was unlikely to get many more chances to make money playing my own music, so I picked up my bass and answered some adverts, now I do alright. Don't have the time or the energy outside of work/family life to build up a decent following for an originals band now, plus being over 30 means it's only folk or jazz left to me

[quote name='Twigman' post='973812' date='Oct 1 2010, 12:26 PM']What is the appeal of playing in a covers band? I've never understood it.[/quote] You get paid, and people come and see you. And not just musos staring at your fingers and calling your gear sh*t, women, women who dance, and wear skimpy clothes.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='973153' date='Sep 30 2010, 08:24 PM']Of course you could end the debate [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Black-Licensed-headless-bass-guitar-bridge-B47-/130436531745?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1e5e9f8621"]here[/url] [/quote] I tried one of them headless things once, spent the whole gig 4 frets higher than I should have been, damn peripheral vision, imagining heads.... I hacked it last night, it is 3+1, looks more like a spade than a stingray. I also discovered that my 5/8" drill bit, is the wrong size for an 18mm ferrule. Cue hours with files, sandpaper, stanley knife clamps and manual fun with smaller drill bits to get the hole to work. Swear? Me? f**k yeah, loads.... Wish I'd used the 19mm and wrapped some veneer round the ferrule now, would have been a lot quicker... Will get pics next week, off to Oxford for the weekend straight after work tonight.

As an 80s tribute band it has always been Planet Earth (Duran Duran) but is slowly coming round to New Life (Depeche Mode). Back in the day when I played guitar in punk bands, we always opened with a different comedy tune, once it was the theme to Taz-Mania, sometimes it was the A-Team, and occasionally a 2-unlimited number (it was the early 90s after all).

[quote name='misrule' post='972088' date='Sep 29 2010, 09:09 PM']Could you hack it into something like this? Cheers Mark[/quote] Not with my interesting sawing skills sadly. And the performer head is a little pointy for me elom, sadly, as I could probably do that very easily but you could have somebody's eye out with that.

[quote name='ahpook' post='972048' date='Sep 29 2010, 08:09 PM']how about the majestic sweep of the ibanez blazer ? [/quote] Was my first thought, but looks quite difficult for my cack handed jigsawing technique. Plus that big bottom chunk is a bit more than I've got to work with. If it weren't for trying to get that little point in above the tuners I might go for it (have already drawn a blazer outline on the back of the head, along with my 3+1 idea, which is growing on me).

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='971959' date='Sep 29 2010, 06:17 PM']I have those necks on a couple of my basses, branded Johnson. They are very thick, pretty much half a basesball bat. The notch and the end is good for pushing against you cab for low end feedback. Why not slice off the bottom paralell to the g string and add something instead?[/quote] It's a thought, don't use a lot of low end feedback in the 80s tribute band I'm playing in at the moment, I'll be honest. And I really hate that notch.... feels lovely though, looking forward to having some strings on it. I've drawn a 3+1 and a bit of a blazer/roadstar shape on it in pencil and am now gazing at it and trying to decide. Might wire up the body while I'm thinking, rather than going mental with a jigsaw and then changing my mind.

And I'm thinking a MuppetMan Sh!tray decal ought to finish it off. Will look ace next to the Rickenbastard

I have small Schaller type tuners hanging about waiting for a project (which is what made me think of going 2 x 2) and that looks quite nice. Also on that parker one, I'll have no string tree, and my g and d will pop like a poppy thing in the ad break between cheggers plays pop and top of the pops. Nice plan though, I was going to do sweepy curves through the top, bit like a Vigier... (mainly cos it might be easier than anything fiddly)

[quote name='maxrossell' post='971799' date='Sep 29 2010, 03:43 PM']How about something Parkerish like this? Very easy to do.[/quote] Nice idea, but not a fan, it won't sit well with the mahogany and black pearloid J-body it's going on. Also those are big tuners on the back, not much room for manouver. I had hoped to do a blazer on it, but it doesn't look like it will fit. (Had a killer decal planned for it, Imajazz Bass Copy, done in classic Ibby).

Yeah, but I've got an itchy jigsaw finger now... Might go 3 and 1, like an MM, could confuse the crowd a bit. "Is that a 5 string J?" "No it's an MM" "No, it's some piece of home-made sh!t with a dumb headstock...."

There is a reason for this, I just bought this on ebay for my cheap nasty bitsa Jazz copy [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300468131407&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_761wt_916"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...IT#ht_761wt_916[/url] I don't really like the headstock shape, and I can't really cut it to anything remotely fenderish, I was going to hack the top off and put some 2-a-side tuners on it. However, any other weird shapes you think could be done, feel free to put in your suggestions. Don't like pointy things however...

[quote name='ogrimark' post='964220' date='Sep 22 2010, 10:47 AM']like it, but i need more speaker height to annoy properly [/quote] Take 'em all, and only plug one extension in (I did that to annoy a guitar player once with my old PA speakers plus a 410 and my 1x15 combo on top, he didn't notice that I only had the combo and the 410 driving. Just got narky that mine was bigger than his. I am that childish.

CTS pots do have wider shafts than cheaper alternatives, go to WD music website, they have loads of knobs that will fit high quality pots. I drilled out the middle of a knob for a CTS pot on a strat once, it now spins uselessly round the shaft, doh! (edited cos I can't spell strat)

[quote name='Bottle' post='963379' date='Sep 21 2010, 03:04 PM']Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel[/quote] Really? With all the different lengths on the choruses? And all them Tony Levin madcap fills? I'm not so sure, and I've been gigging it regularly for the last year.

[quote name='lanark' post='963169' date='Sep 21 2010, 12:02 PM']So who takes a spare bass to every gig?[/quote] Me, had too many things explode on me not to.

[quote name='Marvin' post='963176' date='Sep 21 2010, 12:06 PM']CCR are good for the money. I've always liked Down on the Corner as well. Which oddly enough I think I suggested to a potential band last year and it went down well with them. Like Thunderbird13, I've always thought AC/DC (despite liking them) aren't really suited to the pubs around my way.[/quote] I live round your way, trust me, they are.

Whichever 1 is in one piece at the time, out of the 5 or 6 I own (depending on what counts as a whole bass) there's usually only 2 I'm not working on. They go in boxes and come to the gig.

I have officially sold out. I like getting paid. This is all (sad really )