Dave Vader

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1174555' date='Mar 24 2011, 01:13 PM']Tuners go on the fritz too (arguable more frequently than you snap strings at gigs) yet I doubt anyone on here would look down their nose at you for not taking 2 tuners to a gig.[/quote] Yeah, but if my tuner dies I can always shout to someone else in the band to give me an E (only bought a tuner in the last 2 years, as people were sick of me making drug-related jokes at sound checks) and do the rest from there. Likewise if my amp fries I can plug in to the PA. However, if the instrument itself suffers a catastrophic failure all you can do is shrug and look sheepish, or maybe hum.... I can and do regularly finish the song with however many strings I have left, and then switch to the back up between songs, restring the casualty in the break and carry on stress free. Although that is when I'm playing guitar mind you... Broke a bass string once.

I do this, but without protecting anything, and with WD40. No it does not look pretty, but it does work. Spray the bugger, give it a wipe, and all good.

My 2 main basses get rotated depending on room/mood etc.. but always 2, unless it's so local I can walk and backline is provided. But a P-bass and a rickenfaker are nothing alike, so it really depends which sounds better when I'm tuning them up as to what I use. Mostly the ric sits on the side looking pretty. But without a backup I would panic. Probably all those years as a guitar player. And all them strings I have broke. Feel free to paste this into the other thread

Yeah, I was thinking I might have to lose a band. But which one? Would she rather see more of me? So keep the new originals one, as she'd love to go to more festivals, which we can't afford, so free entry with the band is a good thing. Or would she rather keep the extra dosh that the 80s tribute bring in? In which case, she's stuck with a miserable sour-faced husband who feels like a total sell-out. The other one doesn't come into it, as we're all in at least 2 other bands, so it won't gig often, and when it does it'll be more of a party atmosphere for all concerned I'd have thought. Her teacher training that I've been funding for the last 3 years is nearly up, so money shouldn't be an issue come september. I suspect she would rather have a happy husband, who is in a cool originals band and can get her into festivals for nowt than a bit of extra cash for a lot of hard work. Hmmm.... now to go start a new originals vs cover bands thread

[quote name='risingson' post='1173671' date='Mar 23 2011, 06:57 PM']But man, I couldn't imagine working with a drummer that can't sit in one spot for more than a few bars, I'd want to kill him![/quote] Would you say that that drummer was possibly at the wrong gig? cue youtube post that I can't bring myself to make....

[quote name='Marvin' post='1173591' date='Mar 23 2011, 05:50 PM']Well I shall endeavour to attend your next gig to determine what level of 'ashamedeness' you should be displaying There's not a cat in hells chance I'm putting up my band's gigs until I'm satisfied we don't look complete arses. If you hear of a bass player in a balaclava in north Devon that'll be me.[/quote] Excellent, balaclava bass, I should try that, better than "Shiny Suit and Tie and big 80s slappy thumb" bass, which I am heartily sick of. Oh, and Northam, saturday night, in the Kingsley if you're interested Rich.

Free stuff? I'll have some, even if it's Stagg and Behringer thanks.

Back when we were teenagers, me and my mates used to play through ghetto blasters to practice at home, and borrow practice room rigs when we had a loud drummer. We also used to be "that band" when we showed up for gigs, and borrowed amps for the price of a pint or two to the owner. Eventually we got our own rigs, but we just wanted to get out and play. Don't over think it, just do it.

Well, met up with a thoroughly decent chap last night in Exeter and decided to join his originals band, might end up travelling all over the country with them doing festivals and the like. All the things I meant to do 15 years ago but never quite got round to. However, my 80s tribute band is still limping along, I think it should be dead by the end of this summer, and I will be telling them they need to get a dep for me for one or two gigs anyway (long story, singer never cancelled a gig I told him I couldn't make ages ago and it's coming up now). Plus I agreed to go play guitar for some guys I know from ages ago back home in Bideford. Busy busy... Anyone else trying to juggle 3 bands at once, and keep a successful marriage? (The missus complains she doesn't see me enough already). I'm hoping to not need to play in the 80s tribute by September, as my financial situation should have improved enough to not need it anymore. But I don't want to upset the guys, we've had fun, so I need to be fair to them (except for one of them, who I would gladly kick in the tits)

As soon as I am playing in a band I am not ashamed to be seen with, I will gladly put some gigs up here.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1165899' date='Mar 17 2011, 03:42 PM']Oxymoron.[/quote] hydropillock... Oh, I see what you mean

No, is tasty Quorn based snack.

I like it when used tastefully, however, as I play in an 80s trib band, I rarely get the chance to use it tastefully, if you know what I mean.

and you said the argument was finished off in the other thread.....

[quote name='thebrig' post='1163348' date='Mar 15 2011, 05:10 PM']Just wondering! If the band have asked you to do the sequencing, how come you have to fork out for the gear, why don't they [i][b]all [/b][/i]chip in?[/quote] Well, the actual paying for it hasn't been discussed yet. But I wanted to show them how hard it would be before we all fork out for something we possibly can't use. If it comes to it, I shall demand an extra share in all gig moneys, as I will have effectively replaced the keys player. This will hopefully also cause them to change their minds, and get me out of a long and tedious, and mostly thankless task.

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1163318' date='Mar 15 2011, 04:56 PM']Drummers who keep time with or without a click are highly prized and if I was to breed them, this would be my must-have quality. Dan PS. Yes I mentioned breeding drummers.[/quote] I wish to visit your drummer breeding farm. It sounds useful.

My initial plan was to throw down a load of audio files onto some kind of mp3 player, but then the midi click reared it's head, and I went all techy again. I suppose I can lose all the beautiful stereo sweeps for the sake of a hard-panned click track. Btw, we're an 80s electro/ new romantic tribute act (I know not cool, but pays well). So triggering loops just won't work. Need to fully backup every tune. Really need a keys player. Will run the tests with an mp3 player in the PA and if they work, will come up with plan B. And I've played with plenty of drummers who take their tempo from me, which gets annoying, cos I speed up like a total tosser.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1157215' date='Mar 10 2011, 09:05 PM']Cram loads of Vaseline around the gear and rack. Heh. Also, worth noting WD40 is for lubrication, is is for water displacement and penetrating seized components, it is too thin for a persistent lubricant.[/quote] Yeah, I discovered that a few days after ruining the poor thing. However, redemption has been achieved... I unscrewed the cable tie/ plastic ringy thing that pushes up against the rack, stuck it in a vice for an hour to push it back out, screwed it back on and voila. Sticking again, worth knowing I think. Still need to get another 100k pot for it, the 200k one I put in last year sounds horrid.

[quote name='JTUK' post='1163019' date='Mar 15 2011, 01:11 PM']We only run a few basic sequences as always use a keyboard player anyway. The key, as you know, is finding a drummer who can play reliably to click. They all think they can do it but few can carry it very far, IME...and that is ok..until you need to use it. If you have a drummer who can do it, then everyone just plays to him anyway. The kit to run the sequences is the least of it, IMV.[/quote] Yep, I figured that the kit would be the least of our problems, and was trying to find the cheapest way for us to find it out and either split up or decide not to do synth stuff anymore. Sonic Cell looks very cool Earbrass, but I have no funds for such a lovely looking thing. And still can't afford a Mac. But have high hopes for my linux setup which I can do for nowt, run it in the rehearsal room and find out that the drummer can't play along. Already know the singer has real trouble hitting cues, but he's promised to fix that if it comes to it. Really miss our old keys player, she was the best thing we had. Damn arthritis...

Yep, with our continuingly absent keyboard player, the gaps are starting to show. I have been tentatively asked if I would mind sequencing all the parts up with my ropey old gear. I have already told them I will need a new laptop to run the software off, and warned them that they might need in-ear monitors to run click tracks into. Anybody else working with sequencers out there with any more hints I can use to put them off Or hints as to how I can make it work without crashing endlessly. I was thinking of running either rosegarden or seq24 on an as yet undecided Linux distro, probably either studio64 or Jack. And then running that into my old Roland D110, Akai sampler and a Boss DR550 for the click. Does anybody have any experience with trying to run an entire set on sequencers? I'm worried that if I load the whole hour on at once that it will crash even the hardiest of systems. And no I can't afford a Mac.

Because they can? Certainly not because they're worth it. Mine isn't. +1 on John Hall suing them all as well.

[quote name='Earbrass' post='1156378' date='Mar 10 2011, 11:01 AM']Might one way round this be to use guitar-style fingerpicking, with the thumb plucking bass notes and the other fingers picking chords? (Painful till you get the thumb callouses though!)[/quote] Used to sort of do this on the end solos of Green Manalishi, whacking out solid bottom Es with my thumb (or index finger) while my other fingers yanked out the chords up above the 12th. Did the job quite well. And was fun.

Yep, bring on the flaccid, and viagra related jokes. This is not a euphemism. My beloved old Dunlop Wah no longer sticks where I leave it (now I know I use it for guitar, but you guys are nice right?) and thus I can't do the killer Zappa tones I used to with it. It is probably due to the enormous amount of wd-40 sprayed on it to kill the squeak it had. Anybody have any idea of what can make it stick again? Any help would be much appreciated. Nobody should have to live with a floppy wah....