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Showing content with the highest reputation on 17/05/18 in all areas

  1. I've been trying to get a Spinal Tap tribute band together for years, but can't find a drummer.
    8 points
  2. Never seen the words 'stunning' and 'Bongo' in the same sentence before. However that does look rather pretty. The headstock shape does still remind me of Peppa Pig's head, though.
    6 points
  3. This whole tribute act argument bores me to death, what's the problem? If you don't like it move on to something you do like; if I stopped to add comment to everything I didn't like I'd be typing for the rest of my like and never get off page one, the sooner you grow up and get on with life the better. We're all different, accept it, don't make yourself look inadequate by trashing everything you don't like. Like it or lump it, the market for bands is driven by audience demand, if they don't want to see it they won't pay and hence you don't get the booking. The universal truth for any group of musicians is; if you want to get on you have to give the audience want to hear what you have to offer or make the audience want to hear what you have to offer and no amount of whining or whinging will ever change that Very sorry about that, one of the few things that annoy me are people who like to put others down in any way, why not try and make them smile for a change?
    6 points
  4. Thank you, Christine. You have been on the forum for 2 days and this is the most eloquent and sensible thing I read read on the tribute band subject and in response to this ridiculous post.
    5 points
  5. I've worked for the last 20 years in a show featuring imitators of everything from Elvis to Edith Piaf. In that time, there have been lots of funny and bizarre stories, but the oddness of one has always pleased me. We have a Ray Charles impersonator who is an old white gentleman who uses black make-up on stage. This already feels a bit sticky and I'm not sure how I feel about it, but..., anyway my black colleagues have never commented one way or the other, so I don't know what they think about it. There is a shared dressing-room for the male acts and one for the female acts. Some years ago I walked past the mens dressing room and the door was open. There I saw, sat directly next to each other, the white guy putting on his black make-up and seated next to him a Michael Jackson impersonator, who is black, putting on his white make-up to do MJ. The irony (if that's the right word) of the situation didn't seem to have struck any of those present. I just kept walking and felt like an extra in a Jim Jarmusch film.
    5 points
  6. Here’s my 4 HCA Sandy’s Umbo, TSBS, 48, TM2
    5 points
  7. A House In The Boonies / S13 Ep4 / Wales Final Broadcast Transcript Run Time 29’:22” Pre Creds: Presenter (Wendy) to camera “This week we’re in Wales helping Ron and Marjorie to find … A House In The Boonies” Opening Creds – Theme Music: ‘Plinketty Plonk’ Scene 1 – Establishing segment Wendy to camera: "Ron and Marjorie Blart currently live in a poky, condemned one bedroom flat in London but hope to exchange it for a gigantic mansion in Wales possibly with turrets. Ron’s a retired astrophysicist and Marjorie’s a lion-tamer so they need some land for Ron’s collection of radio telescopes and an enclosure for Marjorie’s pride of lions” Shot of lions ripping zebra to shreds – Incidental Music: ‘Banjo Breakdown’ Wendy smarming to camera: "So how did you two love-birds come to be married?" Ron and Marjorie to camera, holding hands: Incidental music: ‘Disco Love Theme for Ukulele” Ron: “We met when Marjorie’s circus came to perform at Jodrell Bank. It was love at first sight” Marjorie: “I’d never seen a little man with such a huge telescope” Music stab: ‘Trombone Wah-wah-wah descending’ Wendy: So what’s the most important feature you’re looking for in your new House In The Boonies? Marjorie: The master bedchamber must have have lots of light. And I want a snug little room somewhere to do colonic irrigation. It's a hobby of mine. Ron: I’d need an absolutely stable gravitational environment with no electro-magnetic eddies… Wendy: Right… Ron: … but it’s not a big issue as long as Marjorie’s lions are happy. Particularly Rex… Marjorie: Yes, Rex. Rex is a bit picky. Wendy: (simpers) Well, we’ll be looking at three luvlay generous properties after the break Break Bumper Music: ‘Pizzicato Plonketty Plink Plinketty Plinketty Plonk’
    5 points
  8. Terrible when that happens, it's the bitterest pill, you might as well light your funeral pyre and all around the world, in a strange town, a town called malice in fact , this English rose and the man in the corner shop along with Smithers-Jones will write to the news of the world for publication in the city but not pretty green fields filled with carnations How terrible is that?
    4 points
  9. In fact, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra dresses up like Mozart (see post above) and performs only his work. The Bach Ensemble was formed in 1978 by the esteemed Joshua Rifkin, plays Bach almost exclusively and has recorded only the works of Bach. Indeed, in the geographic home of the tribute act The Haydn Orchestra of Australia hews pretty closely to his works but occasionally chucks in stuff like Boccherini to sweeten the pot. The list goes on... In fact, it's a pretty established tradition among jobbing classical musos to form scratch bands with rotating personnel and to name the aggregation after certain well-known composers; to begin by performing a mixture of that composer's faves and rarities and then - when the steam starts to go out of it or they've made their name - to start throwing in music by the composer's contemporaries. On the other hand, you get outfits like the Bach & Beethoven Ensemble of Chicago who go off the rails and don't perform anywhere near as much of the eponymous composers' work as one might expect but instead branch off into commissioning new stuff and generally being a bit arty-farty in the community (the better to score donations from charities, quangos, philanthropists, I suppose). So - within classical music - there's a clear and living distinction between 'function bands' that play a mix of well-known covers (the LSO, The Berlin Phil) and sort-of-tribute bands such as those mentioned above. Then there are era-bands like the Academy of Ancient Music or The Consort of Musicke or The Tallis Scholars who roughly equate to I ♥ the 80's acts. New original music is regarded as terribly worthy but not as good at putting bums on seats as a programme of old chestnuts, unless it's ghastly pabulum by the likes of Einaudi and Karl Jenkins as hawked by Classic FM in between the good stuff. In fact, the more one thinks about it, the more the classical world and the pub music market come to resemble each other with the financially-driven need to pull audiences in with the offer of familiarity and / or focus.
    3 points
  10. Yeah.... that's what the JAM tribute say....
    3 points
  11. I would phone you and talk you through this... but I suspect you wouldn't be able to hear me over your tinnitus.
    3 points
  12. Bass Guitar Magazine has been raising funds for pro bassist and staff writer Ellen O'Reilly, who has been diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and is undergoing all sorts of unpleasant chemotherapy, keeping her off work until she is better. LBGS exhibitor Strings&Things donated this bass with a view to getting it signed by as many stars as possible and then auctioning it for Ellen. This is the link, in case any of you would like to own the bass, and help. Many thanks from all at BGM! (Yes, I have Ped's permission to post this.) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Totally-Unique-Sterling-By-Musicman-SUB-Series-Bass-Guitar-See-Description/222980908977
    2 points
  13. When Later first aired over 25yrs ago (pre-internet/YouTube etc for most of us at the time), for me, it was like a breath of fresh air in terms of being able to see live bands on the telly. It gave music fans the opportunity to see bands/performances that we wouldn't otherwise have access to. So, in the spirit of the above here's something that blew me away when I first saw it in summer 1993, and still does, in fact... At the time I think it was one of her first live appearances after Debut came out. I love the song, but this version, to my ears at least, is the best live version I've heard to this day. Captures the original and adds that little bit more. And I was (and still am) intrigued by the bass/guitar (?) that is used as a percussion instrument by one of the keyboard players. Anyone else got any standout moments from Later?
    2 points
  14. Could be worse, could be me waving my Beef Bag under your nose
    2 points
  15. I reckon that north of 90% of the acts on Later have not been to my taste. That doesn't make Later a bad show. Later is a good show because it features live music. Why anyone would want to take it off the air just because they don't like the acts beats me. What these people should be moaning about is that lack of alternative music shows on TV. With more choice, maybe, people would stop bleating on about Later.
    2 points
  16. Acme do cabs that go down to -6 dB at 31 Hz. They need a LOT of power to drive though. With bass cabs, you can get them to go deep, be small, or be loud... pick any two! Al, get some 18" subs for your next gig, get Cuzzie to lend you his Beefbag and we'll all turn up to experience the true meaning of heft. Of course nobody will be able to hear the other instruments or even focus their vision due to their retinas vibrating, but they are but minor drawbacks to an otherwise excellent plan.
    2 points
  17. I actually started to get trolley GAS ... no, seriously, stop laughing ... and came up with https://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/clarke-cst12-industrial-sack-truck-oclarke_6500185?paid=googlepaidproducts&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0PTXBRCGARIsAKNYfG15YVWAjE6e5U9jhnKD4qWopfRbEjIUDHizjKwf5HHJoH089U7QP2UaAjCeEALw_wcB Luckily, I had the sense to ask what the (unladen) trolley weighed before I bought it. 21Kg. Ah, right, so now I need a trolley to move around my trolley ... perhaps not.
    2 points
  18. Copied to BC Famous Quotes thread. Laydeez'n'Gemmun, we have a new record for fastest newb into FQ's. Kudos.
    2 points
  19. Ped, can we ban Christine please?
    2 points
  20. Edit, edit LOL I was just typing the same, Going underground now LOL
    2 points
  21. Al, you've spent the last 6 months raving about high pass filters, now you want to evacuate everyone's bowels by reproducing notes at 20Hz. Get a grip man! Psycho-acoustics is a complex field, your piano test doesn't quite take all factors into account. You could roll off everything under 100Hz and still be able to tell the difference between the low E on your bass and 7th fret on the A string. Your brain knows what a bass guitar or piano sound like and the typical ratios between the various harmonics that give it it's unique timbre, so it's very good at detecting the difference between two notes an octave apart when the fundamental is chopped off. However where it gets interesting though is that musician's brains are better at this than the general population - with enough low end rolled off, some people might perceive a step from 7th fret on the A string to 1st fret on the E string as a step up in pitch rather than a step down. The Wikipedia link posted earlier goes into this.
    2 points
  22. I put some sadowsky knobs on my PM5 last week. I can now tell what the settings are without touching them!
    2 points
  23. I was a founding member, and spent 26 years, with a KISS tribute band. We wore the full outfits and boots (custom made and VERY expensive), had custom guitars made (and existing guitars customised) and took the musical/vocal/arrangement accuracy very seriously. To me, that's what makes a 'tribute' band, rather than a 'cover' band. I even went as far as to learn firebreathing and we filled our performances with the expected pyrotechnics too.... It all paid off though... We were the first KISS tribute to perform all over Europe & Scandinavia and played numerous international fan conventions too. Over the years we played with, played for and/or appeared with almost all original and latter members of KISS as well as appearing on both of Gene Simmons worldwide TV shows. We performed for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Def Leppard, headlined festivals and launched products (Volvo etc). We also performed at music 'trade shows', played Halloween at the Cafe De Paris in Monaco and toured Japan with The Bootleg Beatles, Counterfeit Stones, T-Rextasy and Royal Family (Queen show), gaining endorsements from Washburn, Ibanez, Cort and Spector along the way.... We even discovered that KISS were keeping up date with our performances and later found that a mid song breakdown/arrangement I had created had been adopted by KISS themselves in their live show! It was very hard work, but great fun and gave me life experiences that will stay with me forever. I also spent spare time in originals bands and cover bands over the years so have seen both sides.... Tribute haters gonna hate...... usually from their bedrooms...... but I guarantee I worked 10 times harder during every 2hr tribute show than haters ever have onstage....
    2 points
  24. I'm still in two minds about this as it was my dream instrument several years ago that I spent considerable amounts of time and money on. The aim was to have an instrument that would have the range of a guitar and with tapping / touchstyle potential, but with a manageable string spacing for my smaller hands. The base is a Conklin Groove Tools 7-string that I had imported from the States. Swamp ash back and thick figured maple top, purpleheart fingerboard and incredibly stable yet thin 7-piece wenge / purpleheart laminate neck. Bartolini pickups and active preamp. Hipshot made me a custom 8-string bridge with 14mm string spacing, and I added an eighth tuning machine and had a new nut cut. Custom Newtone stainless steel strings brought the thing to life. Just to push it over the top, I had SIMS Custom add LEDs, including a butterfly inlay at the headstock (easily covered if not to your taste) and edge dots that act as front or side dots. These can be switched on or off via a toggle switch on the front. Will take some better photos, but these give you an idea. The 14mm spacing sounds very narrow for a bass, but it means that the B string is still reached relatively easily for an 8-string. Slapping is possible, albeit requiring some adjustment. I currently have it tuned to BEADGCEA, but it could easily be tuned in 4ths (BEADGCFBb). I know some people have tuned them with a low F# instead. Interested in trades for: - Sadowsky 5-strings, particularly NYC ones (can add a little cash as appropriate) - high-end relics e.g. Fender Custom Shop, MJT, Bravewood - ... try me? (but I'm sure you'll understand that not everything may be to my taste)
    1 point
  25. Sorry to butt in to this but I can confirm that my mighty LM3 with 2 X 10 Markbass Traveller cabinet handles my MM Bongo 5 (which incidentally has a hugely powerful onboard EQ) perfectly well. The whole process produces a tight and focussed sound (bass and amp set flat). With a Markbass 2 x 10 HF as well it's even better and obviously louder as you're getting the 4 ohm output. How do I know? I've stood at the back during sound check and listened. Whilst all of the technical talk in this thread about theoretical speaker performance, frequencies and characteristics of the human ear - and much as I'm a fan of Barefaced cabinets, the Markbass and Bongo 5 (or SR5) simply works in my band situation - without cutting bass frequencies.
    1 point
  26. wow! fantastic basses you have. revolver is also nice =) pleased to meet you!
    1 point
  27. I have a passive millennium. (The one in my profile pic) It’s really nice: mine is barely 8lbs, good tonal variation from the J pickups. Neck is slim; Ibanez-like, and smooth. Made in Vietnam i believe. Tuning holds fine, metalwork good and a decent range of finishes. I got it new for £180 (i think).
    1 point
  28. 1 point
  29. Hi Following on from @Phil Starr 's post, I'm one of the regular forum modder / builders he refers to and certainly my personal view is that for a 'standard' 2k finish there would be no perceptable sound difference (assuming the finisher put the pickups back at exactly the same heights as before). There would, however, be a change in the value - modding guitars and basses almost always result in a drop of value even when the mods are clearly improvements. I say that not to put you off doing it, but it needs to be a keeper to warrant making the change. Hope this helps.
    1 point
  30. Pity the audience is looking the wrong way!
    1 point
  31. The clip-on tuners are great and I use them extensively ... but not at gigs! They disappear way too easily ("disappear" as in go walkies and never come back) and they look ugly as sin. My Korg DTR2000 on the other hand looks really cool, and with a fly lead left dangling from it, can also be used by the guitarists in the band. Where space is short, or there's no need for me to bring that particular rack case, I always use a pedal tuner. First choice is the Pitchblack, but increasingly the only pedal I take to gigs is my Valetone Dapper.
    1 point
  32. I had the Korg Pitch Black but the power lead connection kept breaking which was very annoying. I now have the Behringer which is very good and has a very decent rack light in it.
    1 point
  33. I am sure all those Beatles tributes playing to packed theatres, year in - year out would have trouble with that statement. T.Rextasy are the best tribute band I have ever seen. They are busier than practically anybody. There is a demand for most of the acts who put the effort in to reproduce the sounds and look of those we have lost. I am waiting for an opportunity to catch the 'Purple Rain' Price tribute, when I can. It may not interest Dan Dare, but the rest of us are not Dan Dare (nor a tribute to him).
    1 point
  34. This app used to be £35 but is now free. I actually paid for it a while back as I found the sound quality of the time stretching to be superior to the other options I tried at the time. Worth checking out if you need to slow down tunes to learn them anyway! https://pro.riffstation.com/download/
    1 point
  35. Love the Seafoam green ones.... However the thing that brought me here was the thread title - it's been driving me (and my OCD/Pedantry) crazy for days..."Sandberg appreciation scociety" Please, please, please amend the spelling...
    1 point
  36. Just use the alien sound, and say you're playing that lesser-known variation, Abducts, Probes and Partially Wipes Your Memory Like Jagger
    1 point
  37. There are obviously two distinct camps here, neither of which are likely to be swayed in their opinion. Fair enough, horses for courses etc. Personally, I've played in pub bands for, oh, 30 years or so now. It's only in the last 5-10 years that I've noticed it becoming acceptable for singers to have a folder of words on a music stand at gigs (I'm talking pub-level rock covers here). Previously, a band would have been instantly laughed out of town for the singer not knowing the words, or at least being able to make some up on the hoof that fitted the song if he forgot them - which, let's face it, most punters would never notice if done with a straight face. Being a reasonably mobile bass player, I think a fairly clear stage area is a must - and my pet hate is music stands. I've seen shows being interrupted for several minutes when the singer's words get punted across the pub by some drunk guy. There's also the fact that you can't get a decent live photo of the whole band without making it entirely obvious that the singer doesn't know the words - most unprofessional. An iPad quietly mounted to the mic stand is about as much as I'll tolerate. Teleprompters are a whole different story for persons with larger budgets, and they tend to blend in with the stage furniture anyway. Fact is, I have to learn 30-40 songs on the bass. Why in the name of dog shouldn't the singer be able to learn 30-40 sets of words? Particularly when the chances are that the only piece of kit he's actually had to fork out for is a microphone and a stand (yeah, yeah, irrelevant, I know).
    1 point
  38. Hey, thats entertainment!
    1 point
  39. Interesting stuff - my Stingray was £350 new in 1980 - without hard shell case or gig bag!! The arrangement from 1976 until 1979/80 was that CLF produced the instruments under contract to Musicman - part of the cause of the breakdown of relationships between them was the failure of manufactured instruments to pass Musicman's quality requirements. There's a guy who has the production records up to 1979 or so - a number of instruments were factory refinished owing to the quality issue.
    1 point
  40. I got the Sire V3 that was up last month and as far as I can see there is nothing wrong with it 🤔
    1 point
  41. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson - both did some great tunes which don't get the recognition they deserve.
    1 point
  42. How true. The Academy of Ancient Music are bad enough with their baroque re-treads (shudder) but the London Mozart Players take the absolute biscuit for nonsensical sadness.
    1 point
  43. A knee! Or one of these if you can find one. (skip to about 90 seconds in where she plays in front of the window if you don't like the song!)
    1 point
  44. 1 point
  45. Also known as The DFA Filter ...
    1 point
  46. Worth considering a joint venture? Maybe as 'the Disappearing'?
    1 point
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