Leaderboard

Feeling a tad chuffed with myself tonight so I thought I'd post on here (because my wife doesn't really care). I got a call from a guitarist I knew yesterday asking me if I'd stand in as bassist at a jazz jam night he was going to this evening. I've never really played Jazz in a band setting before, though I've been listening to a lot of contempory stuff lately so I thought why not. This is very much out of character for me, I'm normally pretty introverted - shy and reserved and dont do anything unless I'm well prepared / rehearsed. No idea why I agreed to this. Anyway, already feeling way out of my comfort zone I rock up tonight and get informed by aforementioned guitarist these guys used to be the house band for a local Jazz club. Anxiety levels shoot through the roof, here am I this imposter who's been playing for just 4 or 5 years or so in low key rock cover bands now having to hold my own with these guys at 24 hours notice and no practice time. I set up and they throw me a book of what must have been 100+ numbered chord charts and started calling out numbers. And that was it, we were playing, no prep and no song played twice. 2.5 hours later we finish up, I lost track of how many tuned we actually played but I was exhausted. I've not had to work that hard in a long time!! I had to keep things really simple just sticking to roots or basic arpeggios. If I tried anything more complex I'd lose myself on the charts but I survived it and it was an amazing experience. The guys were a really lovely bunch, really warm and welcoming and no judgement on my playing and numerous mistakes. The drummer even commented on how much he liked my tone :).

50 years ago today, heavy metal started, with rain and a bell

10 years ago, my brother and I did this: We participated in a Dutch TV quiz. While driving to the final round in my Fiat Panda, we fantasized about what we would do with the prize money. My brother (a drummer) said he'd have a drum kit built, and I said I'd buy a vintage Fender bass. Not long before that I was at Paul's Bass Matters here in NL to have some coffee and drool over vintage Fenders, as I did pretty often back then because I lived very close to his shop. That specific time, I played on a 1966 Jazz that was absolutely perfect for me. It had everything. The colour was right, dots & binding on the neck, sound, feel, the lot. But then there was the price. The 19-year-old me thought he'd never be able to afford this kind of bass. And then we won. The prize money was more or less exactly the price of that bass. I don't recall it exactly but I think I sent Paul an e-mail that very day stating "please hold the bass for me, I'm coming for it". And so, a day before my 20th birthday, exactly 10 years ago, I drove to Nijmegen to pick up my favourite bass of all time. I take it to pretty much every recording session I do, and especially since it got some new frets last year, it's seeing more stages again. What a bass. Everything is absolutely perfect.

My current ladies on the settee. 62 Gibson EB3, 86 Fender American Custom Shop Jazz, 80 Rick 4001, 2000 Warwick Streamer Stage 1, 2010 Lakland 55-94, Fender Acoustic.

At 9.30pm and 2am Classic Albums - Songs From the Big Chair and at midnight their live show at the Beeb from a couple of years ago.

Spent most of the day on the fretboard. First job was to plane the sides straight and level. Panga panga really is very wenge-like : There is a mystique about multi-scales but the only complicated bit (unless you have some VERY fancy kit) is that you have to cut the frets the 'old fashioned' way - that is, with a perpendicular block, some clamps and a fret saw. This is because at the angles you need to get to, you generally can't use a standard carpenters or luthier mitre-block. Basically, you mark out the fret positions of the longer scale at one side of the board, mark up the fret positions of the shorter scale on the other side of the board and just cut your slots between each pair of marks So first I stick a long steel rule to the fretboard with 2-sided tape, and use the Stewmac calculator to give me each position relative to the nut and then press a tiny indent into the board with a sharp-ended punch: I then reposition the rule to the other side of the board, inset it by an inch and repeat using the fret spacings of the smaller scale Next, I clamp a perpendicular block with it's square face lining up with each pair of indents, ensuring that the sawblade, when pressed against the block face EXACTLY bisects each indent: I start off the slot gently, holding the saw blade against the wood block. Once I have the start of a slot - enough to hold the blade in position, I can be a bit more energetic. The perpendicular block has been cut to a height so that the spine of my saw rides along it once I've reached the depth of slot I'm planning to go to: Then I unclamp, move the fretboard forward, align the block between the next pair of indents, reclamp and repeat. Three done, 21 to do And continue until they are all done! And by the magic of mathematics, if the fret positions either side are correct, then the fret positions of anywhere across the fretboard are going to be correct, whether that is 4 strings, 5 strings or 6

I used to put 2 SC's side by side, with a ABM1000 on top, always like how that looked:

Paid gigs.

Geezer, what a player. I strongly recomend both Ozzy and Black Sabbath (Symptom of the universe) biographies, highly entertaining. Also, tomorrow night there's an event in London to celebrate the anniversary of this album, it should be good fun with bands playing, but I could not find any friend to go with, and unfortunately my girlfriend is not really into Sabbath. If any of you from London were interested, let's meet there for a toast to Geezer and the boys from B'ham. 🖤

The drum kit in question.

Black sabbath changed my life. if those three notes hadn’t happened, heavy metal would not have been born. I probably wouldn’t have been drawn away from the cello to play bass. thank you Tony, Geezer, Bill and Ozzy

I’m on my way back to the airport to fly home, having come over to Brum to celebrate the anniversary yesterday. Zakk played like a fella who got paid by the note, the Buzz Lightyear of guitar solos. I really thought they were poor, to be honest. Great setlist, wakk execution. I still enjoyed the night though, I got to meet an old friend who lives over here. We redeemed the situation by heading down to Mapledurham Mill this morning for the obligatory picture opportunity. We met another Sabbath fan there who had the same idea, all trying to figure out a way to sneak in 🙂 As for that album, it’s timeless. It still sounds vital and fresh today and is just as relevant now as it was 50 years ago.

Age only matters if you (and the others in your band) let it matter. Having similar musical influences and ambitions (however big or small) are far more important. In The Terrortones I was by far the oldest member of the band (in my 50s) and by contrast one of our many drummers was only 17 when he joined the band, but we all wanted to play the same kind of music and be out there every weekend gigging so the difference in ages didn't matter. Same with my two current bands, although we are mostly much closer in ages we share a love of the same kind of music and want to be creative and gig.

Yes, if I get the opportunity I'd love to give it another go. They asked for my number, I know they have a regular bassist and a few on rotation so I'm sure I'll be down the list but I hope they call. More promisingly the guitarist suggested we get together sometime to jam, he also plays in another jazz band that occassionaly need a dep. So opportunities there - what I need to do is focus some practice.

There's a certain irony in the Trickfish pedal calling itself a "minnow" on that board 😄

I'd go further and say that on the rare occasion I've bought new I've got rid shortly after - no personality, and they just seemed 'dead' in my hands. This is the only factor that lies between me and the commissioning of a new £12000 Fodera.

Root. Octave. Flat fifth Three notes, two of them C and fifty years later still the greatest riff ever written

I must go & see this before it ends in April. Its good to see that Paul's bass is resting on a nice padded cushion to prevent it from getting damaged.

It's probably very good for fracking.

Since I've written 2 books in which you could be forgiven for thinking I just contantly ridiculy cover bands I felt it was time to write something about my actual ever-abiding love for them It's here and contains plenty of video evidence of me playing in various covery situations TLDR: Cover bands are amazing and neccessary and I will fight anyone who says otherwise https://davedoesntwriteanythingever.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-mysterious-allure-of-cover-band.html

Ok - (had to go desktop to post this, as my mobile was being annoying) Lookit - new '51 P Bass model in 32” scale announced from the ever inventive @Chownybass Reading further: Retrovibe will offer a Custom version too. This could be very GAS-inducing!

Just got the word my Engelhardt Swingmaster ES 9 will be ready for me to bring home from the luthier tomorrow. Among other things the bridge has been fitted with adjusters, the sound post has been moved quite a distance, and some work was done on the fingerboard. I have had it for over a year and a half now and have used it on a lot of gigs and decided it was time for someone to do some work on it. Unfortunately there is no one near me so I took it to Stand Up Guy Bass, a one man operation in Toronto which is a 4.5 hour trip each way from here. He sells and repairs basses only and seems to be reasonable person and didn't make any of the usual comments when I told him what kind of bass I had, saying if it works for me that's all that matters. So I'll be on the road early tomorrow and be back tomorrow evening to give it a workout and see what it sounds like through my own amp...pretty exciting stuff for an old guy.😊

What awful news. Today I was the lucky purchaser of @Happy Jack ‘s PT4 which should land with me early next week. Last night I was exchanging emails with the Lull company, asking questions about the model, YOM etc. 😪

I had this once , and noticed my fingertips were black after playing for a while, so I used some fine furniture cleaner and a very light coat of lemon oil and it was fine, the reason some water based stains smell odd is the water can go off in time 🙂

I think @Reggaebass is right, and yes, after having to wash my hands every 5 minutes while playing one of those basses, I decided to 'wash' the fretboards instead. They look even more luscious without that coating.

🤣Smells like fish drizzled with lemon now!

Back to the OP with some great tones...

Mr Tumble knows.

My interesting colored 81 Wal I had a few years back.

My Sterio rig for my old Rick.

Just roll it in glitter ...

I’m going to see Zakk Sabbath tonight in London! Should be a good gig and happy to hear they didn’t change much.

Went to a sort of celebration of the 50 years last night! Zakk Wylde’s “Zakk Sabbath” played in Birmingham. It was a blast, didn’t change much to the songs but just added his own flair. A fitting tribute to Brums finest!

Advanced apologies, this contains thoughts that sometimes drift into musings. All wise words here, thanks. Being a gentleman of leisure I have simply set aside some of my vast acreage of leisure time to playing bass every day. I think most of my negativity was coming from potentially being band-less, which would have been a first since the early nineties. However, my partner in the ‘acoustic’ duo has requested that I send her files of new bass lines I’ve been working on so she can put guitar and vocals to them between the demands of very recent twins and the guitarist I’m looking to start a new noisy project with is keen and has also found a drummer. Given these prospects now in the offing I have to look at my gear and think ‘You lucky sod’. When you have actual music to be getting on with suddenly the equipment in the tool box (fnar) is looking mighty fine. I am getting the short scale Recurve set up and restrung next weekend, that bass is already becoming the workhorse, there’s something very plain and utilitarian about it that very much appeals to me, it’s robust and business-like, if I clumped it or put a ding in it I think I’d just shrug, it’s a tool, granted an art tool, but a tool nonetheless. The Harlot remains the most beautiful bass I’ve ever seen, I’m very lucky to own it. I have been playing it a lot over the last few days and it’s access to the higher strings is a real bonus as I do a lot of writing around the 12th fret, I also love the asymmetric neck, it’s just so comfortable. But the biggie with the Harlot is that early preamp, the tonal range is bonkers. I miss that in the more recent Recurve, which has a narrower (and frankly more user friendly, sensible) range but then I’m hardly an expert yet. The Rob Allen Mouse is... well it’s just bliss with strings on. I'm kind of working this stuff out as I write trying to see why I felt the way I did and why I feel how I feel now, all pointless tosh no doubt but nonetheless I think it’s time to stop looking at basses for sale and actually consider the ones I own. I am not buying any more basses for the foreseeable. Now that’s a bold statement but it’s one I have to make in order to get out of the ‘there’s a better bass just around the corner’ limbo that I wallow in for too long. @skelf builds beautiful, unique basses and I very luckily own two, I should get on and play the bloody things. I have to say there are two caveats to the ‘no more bass buying’ statement, a) I think @Jabba_the_gut is still working on a bass for me, there’s a space in the rack for that if it’s still incoming and b) I am beginning to cobble together a few ideas for an ACG built to my spec, if I ever settle on a design I’m 100% happy with I’ll commission it. In the meantime I should just get on and play these three superb basses sitting not two feet away from me rather than the thrill of search and acquisition. No more bass buying.

Maybe - but a good plan is to stuff any surplus clothing, outdoor wear etc.etc. in the empty case, double whammy, especialy if it's a muffle coat 😃

This is my take, as a total noob with no ability or experiwenc at all and after re-reading the OP with due care and attention Tribute - note perfect Cover - near enough Anyone else suit the band/occasion I mean a Lemmy style bass line isn't going to work at a Derby and Joan club do is it, unlikely to be enough defibrillators for a start experiwenc where the hell did that come from?

BBC radio 2 playing Do It Again by Steely Dan, fabulous timeless classic👍

I do one covers gig as much as a social thing as a professional one. I like the people. The pad is very basic charts with chords and no detail. I invariably don't know half the songs and may never even have heard the original version so I busk it. To date, nobody has died or complained. I did one gig once where I knew none of the tunes and hadn't played with the drummer or singer before. As we were walking to the stage, I was listening to the first tune on Spotify. The 'new' players looked at the guitarist who said 'it will be fine'. We knocked it out of the park and had one of the best gigs I can remember. Most pop songs are based on limited song forms that an educated player can find their way around without too much difficulty. It's a bit reckless if you don't know what you are doing but, if you do, it's fine.

I have, as requested, gotten on with it Weekend Rockstars 2: The Ballad Of Fat Labrador is very much available today Here's the paperback link, since amazon have failed to link it to the ebook https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weekend-Rockstars-Ballad-Fat-Labrador/dp/171256787X/ And here's your ebooks https://mybook.to/fatlabrador Thanks to all of you for your kindness and support - I put BC in the acknowledgements this time round.

Eighteen hundrit pund? Wow.

I had to read that twice - thought you went all Valentines there.

Further proof that all the best stories start with a Fiat Panda!

That is jazzers for you . They get together for the joy of play . A swinging rhythm section is more valuable than note choice " mistakes " . Good jazzers will welcome those note choices and play off them , they know that the bass player is the person behind the wheel of the bus and are grateful for a driver who takes them anywhere . Jazz = PLAY

You could look out for one of these: Aria STB-GT from about 12 years or so back. Not string-through but that would be a pretty simple mod.

The Hu at the Ritz in Manchester. Oh, my ears and whiskers, what a band they are...no pics, I'm afraid: like thankfully most of the audience, I was too busy grinning from ear to ear to be holding a phone up in everyone's way. Those low, low vocals (seven singers) through a big PA? Goosebumps. Ninety minutes of Mongolian lyrics, and they had five words of English between them*, but completely mesmerising. And not a single guitar solo all night...bonus... I've seen Rammstein, Manowar and Motorhead many times, but this was on another, different level. The bloke next to me turned to me and said "You can see how they conquered the world, can't you?", and he was right. If someone had stood up at the end and suggested we go and sack Wigan, we'd all have been halfway down the East Lancs before someone went 'Hang on a minute...' The support band suffered from a horrible sound, the usual cannon-kick, inaudible bass and massive mid-scoop that seems to pass for rock gig mixes these days, but the main boys sounded really, really good: despite two sets of drums (a conventional kit and a bloke hitting four huuuuuge toms with what looked like broom handles) the bottom end wasn't overpowering, and they were actually quieter than the support band; just goes to show you don't need bludgeoning volume to be powerful... Confirmed again the confidence in the Ritz to produce great sounds for bands - I've never heard headliners with a bad sound there, and that's why it's my favourite venue. I'd recommend them to anybody, whether a rock fan or not, because they're so different from so much that's out there that they're an experience all of their own. I spent a lot of the gig laughing out loud at the sheer energy of it all. You may walk out feeling a bit, erm, invadey, but that passes quite quickly... Oh, and I'd like to go to Mongolia now, please... 😃 * 'Next song'...'Thank You'..'Manchester' 😀

Looks like the two Thunderbirds are high fiving themselves.

Pure filth. In a good way. This is just stupendously wonderful.