OldGit

[quote name='mcgraham' post='772509' date='Mar 12 2010, 10:02 AM']How dare you.... guess it's my fault for wearing a low-cut top. I'd offer another lift, but I think the number of basses we're taking might make this not so feasible. Mark[/quote] oooh. Great stuff.

Our old house overlooked the house of one of Massive Attack...

[quote name='51m0n' post='772462' date='Mar 12 2010, 09:19 AM']Is there such a thing as gig envy? I'd have loved the chance to tour America in a 10 piece funk band!!! Biggest band I was in was a 19 piece funk band at college, we only did a couple of gigs for charidee mate, but they were awesome (we even had dancers on top of that). Just superb fun![/quote] I play baritone sax in an occasional mixed abled/disabled funk outfit that raises money for a single local charity that we are all involved in. 80% of the 8 or 9 horn players are beginners or born again players but the bass and drums are right on the money, male singer is a mad maelstrom of James Brown and Bootsie in Lycra and hair, Tenor player has his own proper funk outfit and the rest of us struggle on as best we can. It's a lot of fun but there's a clear divide between the well known funk tunes like Sex machine and I feel good and the more obscure "classics" like Shack Up when it comes to audience reaction. Funk pop like Crez 'Lurve Machine' 5150's band's set list is great but the obscure James Brown, album filler, "let's just play and see where this goes" hard core stuff is pretty boring for civilians after the first 5 minutes, even if you are dancing.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='772432' date='Mar 12 2010, 09:03 AM']I stood in with my mate's band last night, a charity event at a local pub. One hour set consisting of Dr Feelgood covers and other blues-rock numbers. Great fun, and as far as you can get from my usual gig. Made a nice change, and I got to play my new 79 Jazz, to boot. [/quote] Oooh love that stuff. Were you Norm for the night? Did you wear fake eye bags? I dep a bit and really like the different ones though the work needed can be a bit daunting and drives the family a bit bonkers sometimes

[quote name='WarPig' post='771487' date='Mar 11 2010, 12:25 PM']Havnt learnt anything new for a while. Not much point without a band.[/quote] Au contraire, mon brave! Not having a band, and thus a set to learn, means you are free to spend your time learning anything from any genre.. Luxury!

[quote name='crez5150' post='772216' date='Mar 11 2010, 10:37 PM']Indeed .... that's just some of them...... we do a great segway of Groove is in the heart and Last night a DJ saved My life with all of the samples played in... don't diss the Lurve Machine![/quote] Oh no Diss intended! More like Re-spect!

"Jay 'Lurve Machine' Cresswell" A lot of the numbers in your set list are common in pub bands ...

[quote name='Geek99' post='771245' date='Mar 11 2010, 08:36 AM']No, small baby to consider. I have stuff, what I need is time.[/quote] Yeah My GAS is now Gig Acquisition Syndrome, mostly

I've played orginal tunes mixed in with a covers set. Just don't tell the audience. First time they may look puzzled but by the time they have seen you do it three time (assuming it's good) they are singing along with the choruses.... You have to be very clear about your quality control.

[quote name='Geek99' post='771208' date='Mar 11 2010, 06:28 AM']Top chap to deal with - I bought his 62 reiisue jazz bass. May just make it to the bass bash on 18th[/quote] Be good to see you, mind you you may find the GAS irresistible

[quote name='whimsy23' post='770705' date='Mar 10 2010, 05:58 PM']Fantastic advice there! I've been looking to join a covers/function band, doesn't seem to be much around the Midlands so far. But me and a friend are thinking of starting our own, and what you've said should come in handy![/quote] Big long helpful thread on covers/function bands [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=5436&st=0&p=56924&#entry56924"]here[/url]

Functions John? Yeah I ask sometimes. Mostly to make sure our fees are in the right ball park. I also ask the people that do book us why they did so, what "worked" about our marketing and stuff. Usually after the gig when they have already sent a "ta you were great" note. We put our fees up a bit too far one year and had a very clear and obvious drop in conversions from enquiry to booking and so had to revise things. Generally if they don't book us after being obviously keen they will tell us they wanted a different style of band, a DJ or that their finances changed, or the fiancee changed :~) Hard to tell what the truth is though...

[quote name='throwoff' post='770466' date='Mar 10 2010, 02:46 PM']Nothing wrong with a discount but sometimes you feel its more that they are bored of looking at it and by marking it as 'ex demo' it alows them to go lower than others just to shift it. Please don't take offence, nothing wrong with retailers knocking a bit off but strikes me that using ex demo is not a great way of doing it And anyway my point is more about the terminology than trying to cause debate about discount culture in modern MI stores. Ill edit my first post accordingly[/quote] I'm not offended I just didn't understand why a shop would need to defend its discounts (unless the suplier was shirty about it) I like ex-demo stuff

[quote name='throwoff' post='770256' date='Mar 10 2010, 12:22 PM']Strikes me as an incredibly cynical way to get away with bigger discounts.[/quote] Er what does that mean? Why should the store need to "get away with" a bigger discount?

[quote name='Musicman20' post='770321' date='Mar 10 2010, 01:04 PM']So far the practices with the new band has gone down really well, but does anyone have any tips?[/quote] Sounds good. Tips in what respect? Your own performance, integrating with northerners? or the band or the booking and management, getting gigs, etc, etc, etc. i liked the ex bass player's mutton chops (well i assume that's the ex and not you as he has the aforementioned 8x10...)

Check the sticky in the technical bit: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=248"]Recommended spare parts suppliers + guides/diagrams [/url]

Classy.. White, maple/blocks and white perloid is such a good combination.

[quote name='yorick' post='768870' date='Mar 9 2010, 09:12 AM']Shall try to get down. Can someone PM me the address, ta.[/quote] Post #1 [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=77176&view=findpost&p=743827"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=743827[/url]

[quote name='bassbluestew' post='768859' date='Mar 9 2010, 09:02 AM']Many years back I played in a band called Big Vern 'n' the Shootahs who made a lot of effort and paid a lot of dosh to have cool suits handmade - as there was 9 of us at the time having suits made was a considerable outlay. So we got two each, as you do. Home strip, and away kit !! Anyway, I no longer play with them, but still have the suits - one of which I wear on stage to this day !! It's black with oversized white pinstripes with black and white tartan sleeves. I wear a black shirt with either a red, white or black tie ( I often look at the gig and see if theres a colour theme and try to match a tie to it - always goes down really well with the client ! ) and have a pair of black and white Zebra skin brothel creepers. Oh and shades and a hat. Sometimes I feel a little overdressed but I ALWAYS get complements and very,very often people ask to have their photo taken with me which is kinda cool too !! I'm 6ft 1 and 18 stone so I'm hard to miss !! The rest of the band tend to wear variations on a black theme, so it works well. ! There you go, I guess what I'm saying is it's worth making the effort. S[/quote] Pictures!!!

[quote name='Pkomor' post='768708' date='Mar 8 2010, 11:49 PM']Ive been meaning to bring this topic up recently, my band played a battle of the bands in December, and got through to the final, but one thing the judges commented on was our style or 'image' . This has come up at a few events we've played so I was going to start a thread asking for advice, but i mays as well do it here, here is our website: [url="http://www.myspace.com/offsetonthenet"]Offset[/url] and heres a couple of photos from said gig... whats wrong? [/quote] [size=4][b]What were the winners wearing?[/b][/size] [quote][/quote] Well that guitar strap's dangerously twisted [quote][/quote] What's that white thing ? [quote][/quote] Pants on the ground ... Yeah I know, I'm old and I don't understand the attraction but, hey, if the women your age like it ... Mind you I also don't "get" that contemporary comb-over look your singer has, but then again I'm not a 17 year old girl. Overall the problem is you look polite and safe, like you mums would approve. You are also dressed exactly the same as a million other kids on any given Saturday in any city centre in the UK. If you want to convince your audience you are potentially this town's next big thing you have to look and act the part ... it's supposed to be dangerous.... you want your mum and dad to say "you arn't going out like[b] that [/b]are you?" Easiest and cheapest change would be traditional black jeans and various tee shirts, accessories and some hair gunk. Go for cliche until you find yoru own style. Oh and look at your audience, not your fret boards, and cop a rock star pose... Acting and looking like you are stars is half the battle at battle of the bands.. Playing well is decidedly secondary..

Bump

A little update. I've now played one of each of my types of regular gigs: Rocky barn dance with my band and deps with an acoustic barn dance band and a rocky covers band. The Ergon is great in all three. I guess it's Precision bass genes show through. I believe a P bass can manage 90% of bass jobs, with a decent amp and the right EQ, and the Ergon has the woods, structure and electronics of a classic Precision with the added J pickup for bark. I'm getting the hang of it and what the J pickup can add and things are looking very good. The photographer at the last dep wedding gig I played asked me what it was. Turned out to be yet another bass player (3 in the room that I knew about, including the guy I was depping for ^_^ ). The snapper had a Ric at home and I'm off to see him play in a few weeks I'll be going back to my Shuker 5 string for my band's gigs as I missed the B string on that gig but the W&T will be out for the deps and jams. So, very happy chappy here.. Also a reminder for the W&T minibash at Bassdirect in April. Link below.

Ha ha I think I know that guy but he plays drums now ...

[quote name='henry norton' post='668609' date='Nov 28 2009, 06:57 PM']If it's just a split Precision pickup the coils [i]can[/i] be wired 'in phase by mistake', which will lead to single coil-esque humming with no apparent change to the tone or output. It's a peculiarity of split coils.[/quote] Just fitted a Dimarzio pup to mine and it hummed loudly through someone elses's amp last week. It doesn't hum at home (Roland Cube) I suspect I may have wired the two halves together incorrectly. What's the right way? Thanks

Some ideas here