Truckstop

I was listening to Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs earlier today and once again fell in love with the gorgeous tones of a pedal steel guitar. Never seen or heard one in person. How do they work? Anyone play in a band with one? Anyone play? Anyone know where to get one? Truckstop

If you don't actually need to sell, then don't! Truckstop

Yeah lemon oils are best for fretboards I'd say. Better cleaning power and leaves a nice sheen to finish. Apply a small amount using a rag, leave to settle for a few minutes and then wipe off using a different rag. Use the wiping motion a few times in case there's any stubborn bits of grime on there. If you're looking to make an actual finish on the fretboard, then I'd use beeswax. Hardwearing, easy to clean and leaves a lovely finish after a few applications. Truckstop

Sash!, System F, Azzido Da Bass and one offs like 'The Launch' and 'All I Want To Do Is Do It (big girl)' would be awesome. I think if you track all the keys and keep a live drummer, guitarist and bassist playing to a click along with the track it'll sound great and you'll look like a conventional band. Give it a few years and there'll be a massive demand for 00's house/garage/club covers in holiday parks, functions and cruises. Truckstop

I've actually been quite lucky when it comes to sh*t basses. I've owned a few that haven't really suited me, but actual 'bad' instruments? Only 2: 1) Some of you may remember a DeArmond Jetstar I owned for a day or two then sold for £10? That is the worst piece of junk I've ever clapped eyes on. Horrible, uncomfortable body shape made it impossible to play (sitting or standing). Terrible balance. Looked like a schoolboys doodle. Dreadful microphonic pickups, somehow a neck that felt too chunky AND too narrow. Sometimes I feel like I actually ripped off the dude that paid a tenner for it. Oh well. 2) Musicman Stingray 5. Too light, IMO shoddily put together, blemishes in the finish, weak output and generally felt a bit toy-like. I really don't know why I didn't get on with it but it just felt alien to play; it was a single H version and was impossible to play comfortably. The body was too big and I couldn't get set on it no matter the strap height and sitting with it caused my right wrist to cramp after 5 minutes of playing. Dreadful thing. Vastly overrated in my opinion. I sold it making a profit of £200 so it wasn't all bad I suppose. Truckstop

Sometimes it's nice to let a professional look after things for you. I clean my own car, but sometimes for a treat I'll blow £40 and get it completely cleaned out by some polish dudes in the next village. Engine bay, boot...everything! Same for set-ups. I know how to change strings and set string height and intonation, but a pro knows all the little things that makes a bass a wonderful thing to play and sometimes it's nice to give the instrument you love a treat. Truckstop

I think the 'floppy' B string is something that you need to get used to for a few weeks. Personally I like .125 because the .130 feels far too fat for me. I've never played a 5er that has had a similar tautness to an E for example. I found I had to adjust my playing style slightly to get used to the extra play you get from a longer, less taut string. Truckstop

Nambucca is a cracking venue these days. If memory serves it burnt down a few years ago and got revamped and its a great place to play. Great sound, lovely gear and a good size. And yes, I get the OP big time! What I don't get is how you have a great rehearsal and then a terrible gig or a terrible rehearsal and then a stinking show. Truckstop

I love Marshall effects and have never paid more than £32 for one. I've got nearly all of them now; Guv'nors, Jackhammers, chorus, trem (Supervibe), reflector, blues breaker etc etc. most work just fine on bass as well as guitar. Very well built, sound great and are simple to use. You might not get the functionality you'll get with more boutique-y effects but they're cheap! Truckstop

Yeah, Alt-Rock. I think if you used 'blues' it'd be a bit misleading. Good tunes by the way!! Truckstop

I'm a massive fan of The Downward Spiral/The Fragile (2nd and 3rd albums) period. Fuzzy, distorted, beautiful, mad, poetic, experimental and angry. Everything that's good about music exists on those two albums. All that is loud, quiet, fast, slow, ugly, pretty, happy and sad has a place here. Most of the songs are about drugs or shagging. After The Fragile it gets a bit less melodic and melancholy and gets more percussive, digital and electric. Pretty Hate Machine (the first album) is industrial rock and is probably the album that's easiest to listen to. The best thing to do would be to grab hold of '...and all that could have been'. A live album with material from the first 3 albums and an EP (Gave Up is a stunning track btw). It's a good mix and the engineering on the album is incredible, get the DVD or watch it on YouTube. Well worth watching! NIN is a journey you'll never tire of. Reznor is a genius! Truckstop

What happened to Charlie Clouser? Loved that guy! And I see on twitter that Trent has Robin Finck back in the band. Should be interesting to have such an old influence back in the fold. It's interesting how Trent Reznor and Marilyn Manson always seem to recruit musicians that barely seem to be able to function in day to day life but are capable of incredible artistry and musical foresight. Really very clever musicians! Truckstop

Yeah I was also going to suggest a Yamaha BB425(x)/BB1025(x). Excellent quality and great sounding basses. Truckstop

80's Ibanez Roadsters can be got for around £200. They're as close to a Stingray as I think you can get. You also have the kudos of owning a vintage Ibanez. Truckstop

Oh my f***ing god. That looks simply delicious! Alex

Siggery Roadbass! Shuker Jazz! British, hand-made, modern super-jazz, looks great, excellent value for money. Truckstop

I like passives because I'm a sort of 'set it and leave it' kind of guy. My main bass is a BB424x; I have the volume on full, the tone about halfway and both pups 'on'. Amp is flat. If I need to sound big and bassy I play near the neck. If I need bite I use a plectrum, i i need to sound bright ill play near the bridge and so on and so forth. I don't think I'd ever use a tone near the extremes of what active EQs are capable of. I once owned a Jazz with a John East J-retro and the vast majority of tones available to me were completely useless in a band or recording environment. Truckstop

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1379360073' post='2211820'] Wow, really sorry to hear that. It sounds like you're really making a sacrifice there. Good luck mate. Rich [/quote] Yeah, it blows It's a great gig to have. Apart from the frequency of gigs it's pretty casual and the guitarist really is a very special player. Alex

Hello all, Unfortunately due to work commitments I'm having to leave my position as the bassplayer for a decent rock n roll 4-piece. The band gig at least twice a week (fri-sat) with occasional Sundays and occasional 3 gig weekends. Money ranges from £50-75 a night. Pubs and clubs only, they're not looking to do functions or anything high profile. The band gig in beds, bucks and herts mainly. Once down in Surrey but then immediately decided that that's too far! Imagine a 50 mile radius around Luton, that's basically the catchment area. You'll need to be happy with travelling! Rehearse maybe once every two months in Luton to go through new numbers. You won't need particularly high end gear; most gigs I get by with my 80w SWR Workingman's 10. Sometimes I use an extension cab or another combo if its a larger club. You won't need to read or anything but you will need to be able to transpose keys as the singer's not got a massive range. Backing vocals are a MUST. Completely essential to anyone interested in the job. The band are 'mature'. Drummer's in his 40's, singer's 68 and guitarist's 72. I'm 26 and got on with them fabulously but you will need to be able to gloss over when they start moaning about something or other! It's a good opportunity for someone looking to work regularly with one band. They don't want a dep, they want someone to stay with them for a while. PM me for more details Alex

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1378945210' post='2206988'] As i said, i'd love to see one at the price you quoted. [/quote] And I just said I bought one for around that price and then sold it on at a loss. So that's at least two occasions I know of of a Musicmaster selling for £350. Both on eBay. Maybe you're not looking hard enough? Truckstop

When it comes back to London ill probably be able to collect it from someone and play it at one or more of my gigs in herts, beds and bucks! I gig at least twice a week over those three counties so I'll be able to get around a bit! Alex