Leaderboard

I left the last group because I asked them what chords they were playing and they couldn't answer me.

If you rehearse in a small room, in a circle, with amps pointing at each other and at gig volumes, then I'm afraid you don't understand the purpose of a rehearsal and you''ll always cause/have problems. However you set up in a rehearsal room turn the volume down (because this isn't a gig) and you'll a be able to work on the detail of the songs. This is where the selfish and incompetent hide behind the 2 great excuses. . . . the drummer has to play that loud and I need to play this loud to get my sound. Anyone who is so inadequate that they resort to using these 2 cop outs should be fired forthwith.

Hopefully we will have a great 'special guest' chat/clinic to announce shortly - just firming it up!

The biggest problem with pretty much every rehearsal room I've been in is volume. You have a room roughly the same size as a single garage and you fill it with stacks by Marshall and Ashdown, plus a PA that could handle the main stage at Glastonbury, and then the band plays at gig volume. Well gig volume only works at a gig, in a decent-sized room with carpets and furniture and stuff, and above all with dozens (perhaps hundreds) of bodies absorbing the sound. I've never understood why so many bands are so stupid about this. The only thing that gig volume is good for at a rehearsal is hiding the mistakes ... so why bother rehearsing? Grumpyguts, try insisting (just once) that the whole band turns down to a sensible level. Turn the singer down on the PA to the point where he's at home stereo level, you take the bass down to match, force the guitarist(s) to follow suit, and then the drummer has no choice. I believe that you'll be very pleasantly surprised at the result. And your ears won't be ringing the next morning.

I have plenty of time to play now as my boys are in their twenties. Cherish the time with your kids Your time will come

Yep, we`ve been together for almost 5 years now, have released 3 albums, 3 eps/singles, played festivals, done overseas gigs/tours, and it`s all still incredibly good fun. I think a lot of it is to do with age, similarly we are all 40s/50s with no illusions of being stars. As such with the ego malarkey out of the way this is the most successful any of us have ever been, probably due to it being a hobby, albeit a very time-consuming one, and primarily done for fun/the love of it. We don`t take any money from the band, it all goes back in to the pot to pay for recording, flights, ferries, hotels, more merch etc. This coming week we`ll rehearse Mon, then got gigs on Tue/Wed/Thu in Bristol, Manchester and London respectively. Later on this month we have another 3 gigs in 3 days, Stockton On Tees, Edinburgh & Doncaster. That`s off the back of releasing an EP at the start of this month, at The Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. Were I to be in my 20s doing this I don`t think I would have appreciated it at all, probably would have just got riotously drunk at all the gigs (which is what I did in fact do at the smaller gigs I did back then) whereas I realise now that I`m incredibly fortunate to have my hobby enabling me to do all of the above. I reckon being able to do all of this in my 50s has made me appreciate it all the more.

I haven't said 'Yes' yet mate ...

Just got the Zenith back. All I can say is OMG. It's gorgeous. Simon at GUS has managed to fit a 22 fret 5 string neck to a 21 fret 4 string bass and you'd never know. The passive EMG's and greasebucket tone mod sound lush with a threeway switch and wired in series and parallel. The piezo only has a volume pot but it's got a hidden secret. Instead of being battery run it's powered by a capacitor that takes only 1 minute to charge and this will last 16 hours. I've put the original brass bridge logo on the headstock instead of where it should be. In my opinion it just looks better on the headstock (it looked good on the original rosewood bridge but now that has been made larger it looked out of proportion and 'wrong'). Anyway, I know I didn't do anything to convert it (unlike some of the skilled people on BC I would have just ruined something that, in my eyes, is probably one of the best looking basses I've ever laid eyes on), but I knew what I wanted and luckily had one of the finest luthiers on the planet just down the road from me who managed to transform my thoughts into a work of art

Always fancied the idea of trying Thunderbird pickups, so when a coupla chinese clones came up for sale, I did this, with some bits I had lying around . I really, really like it. Great punch.

I just can't deal with loud rehearsal. It seems like such an antiquated way of working. We use a decent electronic kit, amp modelling and in ears to rehearse. The clarity is awesome and by plugging a laptop into the mixer we can record the whole session. At gigs the only difference is an acoustic kit instead of electronic and a pa speakers so no boomy wall of sound there either.

I know there will be recommendations that this or that 212 will outperform a 610, but I`m yet to have the experience of one that does. Sure they`ll go loud, most possibly louder, but that huge all enveloping sound you get from a 610 imo is due to the amount of speakers all going together. Again I reckon that there will be disputes on that based on science/technology/efficiency etc, but I know that of the high-end 212s I've had they didn`t give that same all enveloping sound. However they did deliver on the low-end punch, no loss of that - they were Neos as well.

Tsk! Pah! Far too late to complain about lack of time now. One has to commit either to being a good bass player and keeping one's pants on, OR banging it on the table and rogering anyone within grappling distance at every opportunity. Unfortunately I did neither.

Maybe. I have a day job tho which brings in most of my income, so I don't need to stay in a band with a##eholes just for money. That's why playing solo works well for me - I can be an a##ehole all by myself then!

Same as Blue: never quit until you have something else (hopefully better) to go to and don't do "personality clashes". They are a pointless waste of time. I have just one bottom line, I'm in bands so I can gig. It's always a bonus if the band is made up of good players but as long as the gigs are good then I have no problem playing with anyone. I mostly play with great guys anyway, but over the years there have been a few very unpleasant people. I make sure I''m friendly with everyone. I treat everyone in every band and every gig with a "professional" attitude. It helps that most of the guys I play with are professionals, either making a living from gigging or teaching their instruments, so I see very few personality problems. Most ex-bands have folded and just broken up, so how to leave wasn't an issue. I've been fired a few times, usually so the band leader can get in one of his mates. C'est la vie. I've left a few to join a better band. Twice I left because I just didn't have enough time to juggle the number of bands I was in with a young family and a job. I've only quit one band, that I can recall, about 10 years ago, because the band leader started messing me about, ie cancelling gigs and not telling me. I emailed him after the second time and told him where he shove his band.

Funnily enough, nor is mine!

18 at the moment: Aria SB700 (1981) Aria SB1000 (1984) Aria RSB Deluxe II (1986) Aria SB Black ‘n’ Gold I (1984) Aria SB1000JT (2006) Peavey Cirrus USA 4 (2002) Fender Jazz Geddy Lee MIJ Fender Precision 1962 replica Fender Jazz Bass Special (1986) Fender Jazz Bass Special (1987) Fender Jazz Bass Special (1993) Philip Kubicki Ex Factor 4 (1988) Yamaha BB1024X Yamaha BB1025X Shuker Custom Sandberg VM4 HCA Warmoth Fender Jazz Maruszczyk Elwood Custom

1st pickup template done, I am pretty happy with the design although will tweak the top curve to better follow the body.

Watched a Rush documentary last night about their last tour (think it was called ‘Time Stands Still’) The overriding impression was that they’re phenomenal musicians, and I can’t wait for Geddy Lee’s bass book - he had some beautiful gear on stage, All custom colour Fenders, a Zematis, a Thunderbird and of course a Ric or 2 (a 4005 in fireglo was a pleasant surprise!)

I liked DuranDuran. The songs were good, the singist can sing, the bassist played some fantastic basslines & the keys guy made me want things I couldn't afford (hence taking up bass). I've always loved synths & synth bands. I don't know how any of Depeche Mode would fare against a good pianist, but that's not what synths are about. It's sound creation.

Whilst I have my wonderful ‘71 Precision, I wanted a Lakland P to go with my 44-94 & 55-01. So I put feelers out, and just so happened that Walshy of this shire has one coming to him on a part ex. Next day, deal done and it’s now with me. 2008 Skyline Bob Glaub (so pre the current 44-64 model, same thing though): Cleaned up, and setup with some La Bella flats and we’re good to go for gigs this weekend This is what I was looking around for a tort plate for. However the stock plate is quite cool, it looks more white in photos, but is actually a nice vintagey mint green! Si

Now you’re talking!

My local shop to work is bass gallery. So all good. I don't buy brand new basses, only really vintage now, so a great environment and stock. I do make a point of buying my strings there also. I know I could pay a little less, but I value the facility, advice & service so I see no reason to quibble. I don't ever try gear in a shop then buy it online. If you are happy to buy without trying first, you have earned the discount.

This was my original plan as well! But BC would not let me mutilate my AVRI..... (just kidding). Very nice!

I'm in Friskney (about 10 miles south of Skeg). Having moved here from Blackpool, where pretty much everybody I knew was either in a band or knew somebody who was in a band, hence it was easy to make those contacts, I've found the Lincolnshire music scene challenging to say the least - I guess the fact it's a helluva big area with a shonky road network doesn't help matters. Anyway, since we moved here a couple of years ago I've had a few false starts after responding to ads on JMB - one for a band in Lincoln (that was before I realised just how long it would actually take me to get to Lincoln and back!!!) and another couple in Boston led to nothing more than a series of messages being exchanged and then it all going quiet, while I did get as far as going to see and having a natter with a band from up your way (Chapel / Sutton) but that came to nowt as they were after somebody a bit more adept / experienced than me who could just step in straight away. I did eventually get involved with a Spilsby-based outfit, though we never actually reached the gigging stage and split up a few months ago for reasons I still don't fully understand! As for the ads I've placed on JMB myself, I got no responses at all to the first, but did get a couple of replies to the second. One of these was from a guy in Boston who was actually looking for a rhythm guitarist (nope, sorry, I don't play rhythm guitar... ), while the second was from a couple of chaps up in Huttoft. Now, I've seen your ads on JMB - I don't know whether they have or not, but if things don't seem to be working out after our first rehearsal (scheduled for a couple of weeks time), I'll point them in your direction! 👍

Let's be clear. I KNOW that Jazz standards are a bit stinky poo and if I had to never play another one it would be fine by me. But playing Jazz standards is completely different to reproducing a Rush set. When I play Autumn Leave (which I try REALLY hard not to), I am not thinking 'what did Miles play'?, 'have I got the right gear'? 'is my hair 'authentic'? The only 'tribute' is to the concept of playing Jazz standards (which I refer to as 'the increasingly tedious American Songbook') and the tune's core chord sequence. Everything else is up for grabs (actually, thinking about it, even the chord sequence sometimes! A passing reference to the melody is all you need really ). Why? That's easy. Because most Jazz 'bands' are scratch bands made up of people who have never met before let alone rehearsed so it's a means of getting a credible set together without the need to read or rehearse. When players know each other and can play together a lot, the standards quickly ebb away in favour of more and more eclectic stuff. The concept of Jazz standards is, for me, a manifestation of the chronic unpopularity of Jazz and the impossibility of funding anything in the way of a rehearsal or composition (one guitarist friend of mine once said 'I like Jazz but it's just not worth the amount of work involved'. If you do it for the money, you don't do it. It's not often that three player who have never met before turn up and say 'does anyone know La Villa Strangiato'?

If its a small rehearsal room you want a volume that you can talk over (maybe talking loudly) but not to the point you need earplugs in. The lower you can get your volume within reason keeping in mind the drummer has a minimum level on a standard kit the tighter your sound will be at rehearsals. You don't need excessive volumes to be good and especially at rehearsals. At a gig let the PA do the work for you and keep your stage sound low enough to be heard over the drums on stage. Dave

I saw Dead Kennedys on Thursday, excellent show and Iron Maiden (with Killswitch Engage) on Saturday.

If I did that, then two of the three bands I play in would be reduced to a solo bass act!

I'm amazed by this post. In all my yeas of playing, I've only ever had time to change my shirt once from the clothes I arrived in. By the time the PA is lugged there, set up and everything sound checked, there's only a few minutes before we go on. All the others are shining like new pins and I'm the scruffy silly billy with jeans and a black shirt on!

^ I would have thought. Use the edge of a credit card or similar as a rocker to bridge across the 9th 10th and 11th frets and check if it 'see-saws' on a high 10th on the A string. If so just use a fine flat needle file in that area to take the high spot off (until it doesn't rock - don't overdo it) and polish it up with very fine wet & dry or micro-web to polish out any scratches. For a single high spot you can do this with the strings still on.

1st band: We became very popular very quickly and it soon became apparent that we were gigging so much we didn't have time for rehearsing new songs. When the singer and drummer (who were an item) decided they wanted to go out as an acoustic duo with the drummer playing guitar, the rest of us questioned how this was possible when they couldn't find time for new songs with our full band. Cue massive argument outside a venue on a Sunday night and dummies spat all round. I still regret it to this day. Band 2: Played with this lot for around 7 years, great bunch of guys, we played rock covers but the singer and lead guitarist wanted to do originals and push it to the point of getting into a studio and trying to get "famous". We managed to come up with two original songs which were absolute dog 5h1t and used to go down like a knackered lift when we played them in front of an audience. I've never wanted to write original songs within a band setting and have always enjoyed playing covers, so this push to become something we were incapable of was the tipping point for me, along with the increasing ego of the singer. Band 3: Rock covers again, very busy but the singer/guitarist had various issues including turning up late for gigs and leaving the rest of us to set up his PA system while he tuned his arsenal of guitars, changing guitars for nearly every song which would kill any momentum we had managed to build up with an audience - they would go and sit down while he checked his tuning on his newly chosen instrument, and his inability to recognise the fact that his volume knob on his amp could actually be turned anti clockwise. Incredibly loud and the reason we lost a couple of venues because of the volume. 3 years of this and I was done, and so was my hearing. Band 4: An originals band (yes, I know what i said about band 2...) but these guys were serious and the songs were already written, I was replacing their previous bassist who had "commitment issues", I was told there was gigs coming up plus recording sessions at the singer's studio (which was an apple Mac set up in his bedroom). The gigs booked were all weekday evening gigs, unpaid and unattended. I was getting pushed to commit to gigs at the last minute when my day job were in the middle of changing my shift pattern so I couldn't say yes to anything until that was sorted. I sensed the leader was getting frustrated so I suggested that they would be better off finding someone who could commit the time and effort required. My name was swiftly (within the hour) removed from all social media pages, ads etc. and they got the guy I replaced back in. Currently with two bands; one is a function style group playing regular pub and function gigs, quite eclectic and very good musicians. Good fun. The other is a jazz style band playing some standards and pop-jazz (think Caro Emerald) but this one is all rehearsals and no gigs apart from two paid ones that I organised, and some freebie parties. This one might be coming to an end for me, as no-one else seems that bothered about playing regular gigs. I had a message last week about joining a new britpop covers band, which I'm considering.... 😁

lucky pants. Definitely.👍

Considered it but the site relies on a number of customisations which wouldn't work correctly in Tapatalk (it's also an outdated and clunky system IMHO)

I don't have any opinions about people who are entertained by Rush tribute bands. My point was simply that, whilst I can accept the amount of work involved to achieve the result and accept there is a lot of skill involved, I cannot but wonder what that amount of effort may have achieved were it focussed on something original instead of a tribute. I think it's like these pencil drawings that look like black and white photos. Superb technique but why?

The pickup looks to be in the right place, from the images I've seen... so it will probably have a Stingray-type kind of sound. It's a different pickup though so that accounts for some of the sound too. The preamp is not that important. A 100% passive Stingray has an unmistakeable Stingray sound. The preamp only allows to to 'access' other Stingray sounds. If you really want a good Stingray equivalent without the price tag... look for a USA made MusicMan SUB, the ones made between 2003-2006. The range of finishes is limited among other things, but they are true Stingrays in anything but name. Around £400 for an excellent condition used one, and they're not hard to find. I have a white one as well as a 'proper' Stingray, and it's not going anywhere.

I've straightened a few necks and never failed. Also, the first step to levelling frets is to get a slotted straight edge and check the wood part of the neck is totally flat. If the wood isn't flat the frets will, naturally be at different heights. You can send me the neck and I'll be happy to give it a go. If it fails you'll only have lost the cost of postage. If it works, you'll have a good neck. It's your choice. But what do I know? I'm not on TB so I must be an idiot.

No excuse not to get one now since I’ve been seeking the dUg tone since 1989!

I had one of these! It was my first gigging amp and I bought it new for the princely sum of 400 pounds in 1995. It was heavy but really loud! More than capable of holding its own in pub gigs on its own or combined with an ashdown 1x15 compact! I wish I'd never got rid of it. 130 watts old school = 500 watts class D. Easily. As an aside, I was playing a charity gig the other week and the backline was some old school 150 watt peavey head. It was ferociously loud using my big baby II and it was only on about 3 on the master out. I've tried loads of class D heads and they just don't have the slam of these old amps!

@kodiakblair, and @cetera between them have certainly given my other half a sense of perspective!

People who deride electronic musicians / synth players as button pushers clearly think it's all about those cheap Casios you used to get in Dixon's. Wrong! I'd like to leave them for a couple of hours with a drum computer, a sampler, some high end sequencers, a MIDI system and a polyphonic synth and see what they come up with. Bet they'd still be trying to figure out where all the wires go by the end.

OK, finally got my list together....! So, here goes.....69 basses: (PRE-KRAMER) SPECTOR SB-1 USA 1976 (Walnut/Maple) (PRE-KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Cherry Sunburst) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Black) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Black) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Gloss White) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Tobacco Sunburst) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Red/Black Lava Crackle) - Ex-Barry Dunaway (Yngwie) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Red Stain) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2A (Gloss White) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2A (Black) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2A (Black) (KRAMER) SPECTOR NS-2A (Teal) SPECTOR NS-2 USA (Custom Holoflash Black & Abalone) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro CR (Holoflash Black) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro CRFM(Purple Stain) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro CRFM (Plum Stain) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro LX (Gloss White) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro LX (Red Flame) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro LX ‘Ian Hill’ (Black) SPECTOR NS-2 Euro LX ‘Doug Wimbish' (White) SPECTOR NS-2 JA-CR Euro RI (Gloss White) SPECTOR NS-2 JA-CR Euro RI (Black) SPECTOR NS2000/4 (Dark Grey Quilt) SPECTOR Legend 4X (Holoflash Black) SPECTOR Legend 4X (Black Stain) STUART SPECTOR DESIGN NS-4 Euro(Red Stain) DINGWALL NG-2 (Mopar Purple) DINGWALL D-Bird (Blue/Purple Colourflip) WAL Mk1 Fretless(Mahogany with Stained Maple facings) WAL Mk1 “Geddy Lee” (Black with Gold Hardware) FENDER Precision ‘70’s Jap RI “Phil Lynott” (Black/Mirror) FENDER Precision ’62 Jap RI (Vintage White/Red Tort) JACKSON "Kip Winger" Sig (Cherry Lacewood) JACKSON TBX-Pro ‘Jacksonbird’ 1 of 56 made (Black) JACKSON Ontario ‘Concert Bass’ (White) HAMER Impact USA (Black & Gold ‘Marble’) HAMER Impact USA (Red) HAMER Scarab USA ‘Rick Savage’ (White) KRAMER Forum I (Blue) KRAMER Ferrington Electro/Acoustic (Black) ESP Horizon II (Cherry Sunburst) ESP The Surveyor 1984 (Blue Stain with Blue fingerboard!) ESP PPJ-160 ‘Masayoshi Yamashita’ Sig Model (White) ESP/Zep-II PPJ-160 ‘Masayoshi Yamashita’ Sig (Black) PEAVEY RJ-IV “Randy Jackson” Sig Model (Red Sunburst) PEAVEY RJ-IV “Randy Jackson” Sig Model (Grey/Silverburst) PEAVEY “Rudy Sarzo” Sig Model (Dark Natural) TOKAI ‘Hard Puncher’ P (Black/Mirror) TOKAI ‘Hard Puncher’ P/J (Red all over) TOKAI Works TW801? (Black) FERNANDES MV-65NS “Nikki Sixx’ Non-Reverse Spectorbird (Black) FERNANDES MV-65NS “Nikki Sixx’ Non-Reverse Spectorbird (Black) FERNANDES MV-65NS “Nikki Sixx’ Non-Reverse Spectorbird (Black) FERNANDES TB Ltd Edition ‘Thunderbird’ (Off-White) FERNANDES PJ-50 Ltd Edition P/J (Red) YAMAHA BB3000 (Black Sparkle) HARTKE XK-4 Active (Black/Chrome) GUILD Pilot (Purple Burst) GUILD Pilot (Red) EPIPHONE Thunderbird Vintage Pro (Black) HOHNER B2A w/D-Tuner (Black) SIRE “Marcus Miller” V7 (Vintage White) FELINE/SPECTOR "Gene Simmons SB-1" Copy (Black) FELINE/KRAMER "Gene Simmons Axe" 1980 Hybrid (Black/Silver) PUNISHER "Gene Simmons" Ltd. Edition (Signed/#’d) (Black) AXE "Gene Simmons" Ltd Edt (Signed/#’d) (Black/Silver) CORT “Gene Simmons Axe-2” (Black/Silver) CORT “Punisher GS-2” (Black) STACCATO MG Active (22 of 34 made) (Black/Magnesium Alloy) I also have 10 'guitards'....

I always loved The Barony bar...particularly gigs by Bedford Falls .. .has jazz on now according to their Facebook page but I think that they still have bands on . The standard was always very high. http://whatpub.com/pubs/EDN/23/barony-bar-edinburgh

More my era of Rush, but this is terrific, too, especially the vocal: I've heard Geddy worse...

I have a bit of a thing for white Basses so when this arrived before Christmas for my 40'th it was clear the good lady had been paying attention My brand new Lakland.