How was your gig last night?

[Stub Mandrel]

21 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Yep some of them just look so nice while others not so much even tho they are all sunburst. Yours has it. Lovely.

Is it a wide nut. ? that's what puts me off some P basses.

Dave

 

43.2mm C-section neck, feels pretty chunky to me.

 

The weak point is the 'clay' markers on the side of the neck are pretty much invisible under some stage lighting with the yellow lacquer.  "Why do I suddenly sound out of tune? Oh..."

[Richard R]

32 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

  "Why do I suddenly sound out of tune? Oh..."

You have no idea how much that sentence has cheered me up, knowing it's not just me. Half an inch out isn't a big deal on laying a lawn -  it sure is on a fretboard 😁

[neepheid]

56 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

43.2mm C-section neck, feels pretty chunky to me.

 

The weak point is the 'clay' markers on the side of the neck are pretty much invisible under some stage lighting with the yellow lacquer.  "Why do I suddenly sound out of tune? Oh..."

 

Too posh to push?

 

I'll get my coat.

[gafbass02]

Private function for us, the lady of the hour insisting on a pic with the band. You can tell how live the room is just from looking at the pics 🤣

[dirgefornovember]

Final show of the year (and indeed our second ever show!) was at Heartbreakers in Southampton, opening the show.

 

We had some technical issues with our previous gig (venue's bass head and cab didn't work 5 mins before we were due to start...) and, while it was overall really enjoyable, I wasn't too happy with the sound on-stage. This show was miles ahead sound-wise, and that's because we managed to have a proper 30-40 minute soundcheck before doors. Big shout out to the sound guy Izaak - we're a loud band, so it really helped to have an outside ear to keep us all sounding even and ensure we had enough coming through the monitors so we could hear ourselves properly.

 

The sound guy took the DI from my Darkglass Element to the PA, and I used the venue's (or maybe the other bands? didn't check!) 210 Ashdown combo for stage monitoring. Sounded great and most importantly I could really hear myself, which felt like a world away from the other show. It's made me think I should invest in some kind of lightweight head/cab/combo for stage monitoring in the future. Done a few hours research and I have complete option paralysis, but that's maybe for another thread...

 

I genuinely thought we'd be playing to about 3 people as this was a paid event very close to Xmas, so was pleasantly surprised to see a good 25-ish people there. A great local show by Psych Ltd and v well-organised, I'd play again in a heartbeat.

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by dirgefornovember

[Mickeyboro]

1 hour ago, dirgefornovember said:

Final show of the year (and indeed our second ever show!) was at Heartbreakers in Southampton, opening the show.

 

We had some technical issues with our previous gig (venue's bass head and cab didn't work 5 mins before we were due to start...) and, while it was overall really enjoyable, I wasn't too happy with the sound on-stage. This show was miles ahead sound-wise, and that's because we managed to have a proper 30-40 minute soundcheck before doors. Big shout out to the sound guy Izaak - we're a loud band, so it really helped to have an outside ear to keep us all sounding even and ensure we had enough coming through the monitors so we could hear ourselves properly.

 

The sound guy took the DI from my Darkglass Element to the PA, and I used the venue's (or maybe the other bands? didn't check!) 210 Ashdown combo for stage monitoring. Sounded great and most importantly I could really hear myself, which felt like a world away from the other show. It's made me think I should invest in some kind of lightweight head/cab/combo for stage monitoring in the future. Done a few hours research and I have complete option paralysis, but that's maybe for another thread...

 

I genuinely thought we'd be playing to about 3 people as this was a paid event very close to Xmas, so was pleasantly surprised to see a good 25-ish people there. A great local show by Psych Ltd and v well-organised, I'd play again in a heartbeat.

 

What’s your band and who did you open for?

Edited December 22, 2023 by Mickeyboro

[dirgefornovember]

8 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

What’s your band and who did you open for?

My band is called Wooed and we opened for Ma.Da.Sa, also a new-ish band but a bit of a 'supergroup' from other Southampton bands. Good local crowd.

[Stub Mandrel]

My partner was feeling a bit rough this afternoon so we decided not to go out.

 

An hour or so later, a band I'm going to dep for in late January got in touch - could I help them out tonight. With the warning that I'd be busking a lot I decided to go for it.

 

Got to the basement club. First hour super loud dj playing rock music with awful disco beats over the top. Later he just played very loud rock.

 

We went on at 9:30 and finished at 11:30 with a brief break. Straight in with Psycho Killer - a nice gentle start fortunately I know it well! Audience was mostly young, enthusiastic and enjoyed a mix of standard covers plus  paranoid, queen, jeff beck. Go Ypur Own Way went down particularly well, I've always wanted to play it and enjoyed blasting away at that great chorus. Had a request for metallica so 'learned' Enter Sandman in the break. Mostly went well, lot of rough edges and a few pink torpedo ups.  They were grateful as it saved the gig.

 

Downside- an hour's drive each way... that's me wound down. Goodnight owls!

 

 

[Devers95]

My tribute band has it's debut gig tonight. I'm just about to set off for a last minute rehearsal/soundcheck at the venue our manager owns. 

 

It's an unusual one, we're a tribute act to Post Malone called 'Almost Malone'. Not something I ever thought I'd get involved in but, judging by ticket sales, we reckon we may have discovered a niche. Just hope the stormy weather doesn't put people off! Will let ya know how it goes later. It's the first time for all of us using iems to a click track live. 

 

My part is easy, the bass is ridiculously simple. Just gotta hope our Post Malone can remember the lyrics to 21 rap songs! Haha

 

 

[asingardenof]

6 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

My partner was feeling a bit rough this afternoon so we decided not to go out.

 

An hour or so later, a band I'm going to dep for in late January got in touch - could I help them out tonight. With the warning that I'd be busking a lot I decided to go for it.

 

Got to the basement club. First hour super loud dj playing rock music with awful disco beats over the top. Later he just played very loud rock.

 

We went on at 9:30 and finished at 11:30 with a brief break. Straight in with Psycho Killer - a nice gentle start fortunately I know it well! Audience was mostly young, enthusiastic and enjoyed a mix of standard covers plus  paranoid, queen, jeff beck. Go Ypur Own Way went down particularly well, I've always wanted to play it and enjoyed blasting away at that great chorus. Had a request for metallica so 'learned' Enter Sandman in the break. Mostly went well, lot of rough edges and a few pink torpedo ups.  They were grateful as it saved the gig.

 

Downside- an hour's drive each way... that's me wound down. Goodnight owls!

 

 

Nice one. I've always wanted to play GYOW with a live band, that chorus is still my all time favourite bassline to play.

[mep]

GYOW is in our set an is a great gun to play. The chorus is a fantastic bassline.

[dmccombe7]

I used to play GYOW in a band too and 100% on that amazing bassline.

Dave 

[mep]

Even our guitarist loves it when GYOW gets to the chorus because of the bassline!

[dmccombe7]

Last night was a new venue for us with our BLOCKBUSTARZ Xmas show and WOW what a fantastic night in Cambusnethan Miners Social Club in Wishaw. Its where we had our wedding reception in 1995. 

200 tickets sold and a sell out.

Dance floor was busy from the word go.

The organiser came backstage before we started and said he was going to pay us £50 more than agreed because the tickets sold so fast without them getting a chance to advertise the gig and they were so surprised and never seen that kind of response before. At the half time break he paid us another £25 on top of that as he said the feedback was unbelievable. Everyone was talking about the band. Apparently someone said to him that this was a proper band where everything was played live with no backing tracks (i think they normally get singers in with backing tracks) They want us back next year but are fully booked on Sat nights and asked if we could do a Fri night and another Sun afternoon for same money.

Lots of photos at the end too.

 

NOW THE NEGATIVES.

An a**h**e decided to go onto the stage after we finished and getting changed when we heard my wife throwing a rage and shouting at him to get off the stage so our singer was fully clothed ran thru and the guy had staggered and knocked my bass over and he dragged him off the stage by and he then fell across 2-3 tables. Committee members then grabbed him and told him to leave. Luckily my wife who is normally very very shy and quiet was ok and when i checked the bass at home there was no damage.

When the committee guy came backstage to talk to us i angrily explained  that particular bass is worth approx £2k and if its damaged i wont be covering the cost of repairs or replacement and he agreed and said to let him know if any damage and the club would cover all costs. I was fuming the rest of the night and struggled to get to sleep last night. Told him the guy should be barred and if we come back he better not be in or the band would pack up and leave. They are checking to see if he's a club member and if he is they will remove his membership. He had been trying to lift props off the stage thru the night and kept shouting for Gary Glitter until guitarist said over the mic that this was an Adults Only show and maybe he should be at a different show. Our guitarist is an ex Royal Marine Instructor and generally doesn't get phased by anyone for obvious reasons. Always one TW*T and the club have been very apologetic and embarrassed that they weren't aware he had been heckling the band all night.

 

Anyways tonight is our last Xmas show at our fav venue in The Dreadnought in Bathgate. Fantastic venue, great staff, great owner and just a venue that knows what they are doing when it comes to organising bands. This is the highlight of our year as singer lives in Bathgate and its her local venue for all sorts of bands. At least PA and lights are all supplied with a great Sound guy too.

 

Dave

 

[grapefruitmoon]

10 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Last night was a new venue for us with our BLOCKBUSTARZ Xmas show and WOW what a fantastic night in Cambusnethan Miners Social Club in Wishaw. Its where we had our wedding reception in 1995. 

 

 

A blast from the past for me! Had many a great night in there in the mid-90s. Hope your bass and gear is all ok, what a shame that idiot had to ruin a good night.

[dmccombe7]

59 minutes ago, grapefruitmoon said:

 

A blast from the past for me! Had many a great night in there in the mid-90s. Hope your bass and gear is all ok, what a shame that idiot had to ruin a good night.

Checked this morning and bass is fine. Have to say its a fair size club with few different halls / rooms etc.

I trust you were a local to the area. ?

My wife's aunt was bar manageress back in 90's so we got the hall cheap for our wedding reception. My wife is originally from Newmains area too and used to work part time behind the bar in mid 80's.

Dave

 

[dmccombe7]

Wee vid from last nights show.

http://www.facebook.com/100079944291714/videos/25433903599533850

[tubbybloke68]

Amazing how quickly the time flies round every year, so again last night was the first of a double header we always do with the Phil Collins tribute ‘NO JACKET REQUIRED’ at a place called TRADING BOUNDARIES in Sussex just before Christmas. Very nice venue, punters have a sit down meal then we come on afterwards and do two sets.Always sells out for us and a very receptive audience albeit generally older (like us🤣) Decided to use my Wal Mach ll that I’ve had since new, brought from Wapping years ago. She’s a boat anchor for sure but THAT SOUND!! creamy, fat, and the ‘weight’ behind every note you play, and using a wide strap I find it absolutely fine really. So, yes a great gig and a luxury to be able to leave all the back line/drums etc set up for tonight’s show,(certainly don’t leave my basses there) too. Looking forward to more of the same tonight, hopefully!! 
Merry Crimbo everyone and my best wishes, Jeff x 

Edited December 23, 2023 by tubbybloke68

[Devers95]

20 minutes ago, tubbybloke68 said:

Amazing how quickly the time flies round every year, so again last night was the first of a double header we always do with the Phil Collins tribute ‘NO JACKET REQUIRED’ at a place called TRADING BOUNDARIES in Sussex just before Christmas. Very nice venue, punters have a sit down meal then we come on afterwards and do two sets.Always sells out for us and a very receptive audience albeit generally older (like us🤣) Decided to use my Wal Mach ll that I’ve had since new, brought from Wapping years ago. She’s a boat anchor for sure but THAT SOUND!! creamy, fat, and the ‘weight’ behind every note you play, and using a wide strap I find it absolutely fine really. So, yes a great gig and a luxury to be able to leave all the back line/drums etc set up for tonight’s show,(certainly don’t leave my basses there) too. Looking forward to more of the same tonight, hopefully!! 
Merry Crimbo everyone and my best wishes, Jeff x 

Beautiful Wal! Im quite close to the front of the waiting list to finally place an order (I think) and Id been dead set on a 5 string mk3. Then a 4 string mk1. The more I see Mk2 5 strings though the more I start to want that now instead....

[tubbybloke68]

5 minutes ago, Devers95 said:

Beautiful Wal! Im quite close to the front of the waiting list to finally place an order (I think) and Id been dead set on a 5 string mk3. Then a 4 string mk1. The more I see Mk2 5 strings though the more I start to want that now instead....

Thanks very much, personally i think you’ll be better off sticking to a MK 3, I’ve never played one but they are slightly smaller body wise I believe and lighter.I’m lucky enough to have another mk2 that is quite a bit lighter than the pictured one and whilst it’s a beautiful bass of course I’m not quite sure its got the ‘authority’ to it as the above beaut for want of a better word? Maybe it is just the sheer weight of the thing that projects that across?? If you’re anywhere near Horsham West Sussex and you wanna  have try before you decide please feel free to contact me. 😊

[dmccombe7]

34 minutes ago, Devers95 said:

Beautiful Wal! Im quite close to the front of the waiting list to finally place an order (I think) and Id been dead set on a 5 string mk3. Then a 4 string mk1. The more I see Mk2 5 strings though the more I start to want that now instead....

Be very careful on what you go for. For my 50th i wanted a special bass and originally wanted a 6 string fretted but wasn't playing in any bands at the time and decided on an Overwater 6 string but thought i should push the boat out and get a fretless version. Gorgeous bass and beautiful to play and look at but now that i'm gigging again its not a practical bass for use in the bands i'm in and very rarely gets played.

I'm more comfortable with a 4 string fretted and now wish i had gone for a 4 string fretted version. 

My point is to ask yourself what you currently play most and settle on that and that way you should get more use out of an expensive bass like a WAL.

Have to admit i really do fancy another WAL myself but a 4 string fretted Mk1 or 2 for me.

Gorgeous basses altho i personally think overpriced these days but once your mind is made up nothing else will do. 

Dave 

Edited December 23, 2023 by dmccombe7

[grapefruitmoon]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Checked this morning and bass is fine. Have to say its a fair size club with few different halls / rooms etc.

I trust you were a local to the area. ?

My wife's aunt was bar manageress back in 90's so we got the hall cheap for our wedding reception. My wife is originally from Newmains area too and used to work part time behind the bar in mid 80's.

Dave

 

 

Yeah I'm from Carluke and most of my family are from (and still reside in) Wishaw & surrounding areas. I used to play for the Clydesdale Colts American football team and the player of the year do was always at Cambusnethan Miners. Pleased to hear its still going.

 

Glad the bass is ok. 

[dmccombe7]

1 hour ago, grapefruitmoon said:

 

Yeah I'm from Carluke and most of my family are from (and still reside in) Wishaw & surrounding areas. I used to play for the Clydesdale Colts American football team and the player of the year do was always at Cambusnethan Miners. Pleased to hear its still going.

 

Glad the bass is ok. 

The club are trying to get away from singers with backing tracks and back to proper bands and i think we were the deciding factor that people definitely prefer a live band. The attraction of many clubs was the cheaper drinks but these days they are pretty standard prices from what i'm told. I don't really drink these days.

My personal trainer plays for Glasgow Tigers American Football Team. 

Dave

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, Devers95 said:

 

My part is easy, the bass is ridiculously simple. Just gotta hope our Post Malone can remember the lyrics to 21 rap songs! Haha

 

 

 

Is he getting the tats? Or just five minutes with a Sharpie? 😁

[Stub Mandrel]

9 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

Always one TW*T and the club have been very apologetic and embarrassed that they weren't aware he had been heckling the band all night.

 

 

Shame when one idiot takes the shine off a great evening.