OldGit

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='759602' date='Feb 28 2010, 09:52 AM']Struggling with this one, Si. Or do you mean "camera left" as opposed to "stage left"? As a right-handed player, I prefer to stand stage right because then my headstock is pointing at the drummer and when I look at my fretboard I'm also looking at the drummer and (beyond him) at the keyboard player. Swing my eyes slightly to the right and there are the guitarists. Since my drummer is also right-handed, he has his hi-hat to his left which means I can hear better when I stand stage left. Logically, what I really need is a left-handed drummer. Either that, or to learn to play bass properly.[/quote] Yeah I mean stage left ie when viewed from the dance floor I'm to the left of the drummer bass neck pointing his way. I know it means we are not on the Hihat side and thus the potential for eye contact with the drummer is less (as they tend to look towards their Hihat side) However on balance I think it's better and easier than playing on the other side. Over there looking at your fretboard means looking away from the drummer and anyway. Oh, and playing without looking is largely about knowing your parts well and being confident. It's also about not worrying too much about the odd jazz note. For non jazz gig, in a room with 100 people in it only one or possibly two percent of the people there will notice or give a damn about duff notes. If one of those is your guitarist and he gives you the death stare when you make an error, sort that out first. For non-looking practicing play in the dark or watch telly with the sound down... Try this a bit and you'll find that it's not that hard for normal stuff. If you have to look because you don't know the part well enough then work on that. If you have to look because you are playing complex and interesting parts all over the neck then your audience probably won't mind or need eye contact to relate to you.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='759310' date='Feb 27 2010, 06:28 PM'][attachment=43709:sleep_bass.jpg][/quote] Hey hang on ...

[quote name='Doddy' post='759121' date='Feb 27 2010, 02:17 PM']As I've said before,I don't think that consciously avoiding looking at the 'board is a good idea-you are really just limiting yourself. As you play more you will naturally become more aware of the 'board and stop looking at it as much-it comes with familiarity. Everyone looks as the 'board at times. Purposely looking away is just another variable that you don't need.[/quote] It depends.... You are there to entertain. What passes for entertainment in your genre may determine whether shoe/board gazing is considered the height of cool or totally detaches you from your audience. Eye contact (ad relating to your audience members) is generally much more important than flash licks but, hey, look at yoru neck for the flash stuff and then lift your eyes when you are plying something easier. Old Git's Top Tip: For right handed players, stand to the left of the drummer. Look at your neck then look up a bit and there's the front person and the drummer and, just beyond the front person there's the audience.. Just a little change in your angle of looking and you can chack your fingers on your board too..

[quote name='leonshelley01' post='759010' date='Feb 27 2010, 12:10 PM']It's something I'm working on as I look ridiculous trying to do backing vocals while looking at my fretboard![/quote] probably singing off mic too

Ha ha Beware of that one now you are no longer staring at your fretboard ... Look for the biggest/meanest bloke in the room. He'll be her big brother/partner/minder/father/pimp/all of the above. Imagine him customising your bass with his boot, or your head .... Look somewhere in the crowd (bearing the above advise in mind) or the exit sign at the back of the venue or the heads of the bar staff ... The more you look towards the audience the better your band will look

Deppin' pop, rock and blues band Drummer was a dep too and hilarious. Popped my cap on, and backwards, to lock in with his headware Turned what is usually a dreary favour for mates into a fun gig. Between us we were rather irrelevant to the band [attachment=43659:SAM_0020.JPG]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='757884' date='Feb 26 2010, 09:09 AM']I would reply with "can I have a go on your missus?", I don't hold my bass in that high esteem but it's worth a try.[/quote] You and 5 other slappers on this thread ..

[quote name='wolldav' post='757106' date='Feb 25 2010, 02:26 PM']I usually NEVER let any one play my bass. I play in a Gospel church band so its real hard to tell folks no. Myself and another bass player had a 4 day convention to play at. He did a couple days and i did the other. We both practiced the song sets together, he had his bass and i had mine. Day before the convention started he called to say his bass is acting up and if he could use mine. I felt a way but i told his yes. I was there at the days that i wasn't playing and he treated my bass with respect. He plays a Bass Collection and i play a Ken Smith, hence the nervousness. Another time recently i bought the New Shuttle 9.0 Genz. I was in church playing and after church the band usually jams, one of the drummers that weren't playing came up and said WOW thats a small amp but yet so power full... As i was jamming with the band he bends down and starts to turn buttons, volume, bass, treble, etc. he then started to puss of the 3 buttons to the right.... My blood was boiling because i was in a church setting i could'nt re-act in an inapporiate way... I then stopped playing, packed up my stuff and went home. My head is sweating now just thinking about it..... Now, i would not lend out my gear or let anyone play my bass unless i was 100% sure that they could afford to replace it.[/quote] You could consider Palms 112:5 "It is well with the man who deals generously and lends. " However I'd be tempted to quote Proverbs 2:22 "the borrower is the slave of the lender" and ask if they'd like to be my slave.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='756201' date='Feb 24 2010, 04:10 PM']As a point of interest Freewebs lets you host your own site and you can build it up with little to no computer skills. The problem is you then need to get your url out there or nobody will know the page exists. I'd also add that as MySpace's popularity is starting to die, Facebook finally seem to be getting their act together a bit more for musicians. A situation that I can only imagine will get better[/quote] Once you've got the contet sorted out you can use it on Myspace and Facebook (and anywhere else) Free website space is usually not free at all. You pay for the freeness by having crap search engine performance and adverts all over teh site that make you look cheap. Real webspace is very inexpensive these days anyway.

Just deciding what hat to wear for a dep pub rock gig tomorrow .. Harder to decide than which bass and rig to take

[quote name='artisan' post='756211' date='Feb 24 2010, 04:16 PM']not in the slightest,i just had to spend a couple of hours cleaning & restringing it but it was worth it just to watch Norm playing it.[/quote] Pictures? I'd love Norm to sweat all over mine. I wonder if he offers that as a service? Herbie Flowers once played a P bass I owned (I was playing his famour blue jazz at the time)

He has a nice P too [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1966-Fender-Precision-Bass-Olympic-White-66-65-Vintage_W0QQitemZ270535945156QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item3efd32ebc4"]66 P bass[/url]

[quote name='artisan' post='756140' date='Feb 24 2010, 03:00 PM']LOL that exact thing happened to me a few years ago but the cheeky little f***er was none other than Norman Watt Roy we were supporting Wilco Johnson at Fibbers in York when Norman broke a string & sent the big ugly mofo guarding the dressing room to fetch my P bass. it was a laugh to watch his first couple on notes though as we were tuned down a half step mind he played like a demon all night without retuning my bass & i got a nice big thank you from him & Wilco over the p.a. plus a good chat afterwards,bloody nice blokes the pair of them. my bass was a real sweaty mess when i got it back though,ive never seen anyone sweat so much.[/quote] Did it play differently after that? John Dankworth used to tell a tale of lending his sax to Charlie Parker who had turned up to play wthout his as he'd hocked it ... he said it was totally different ever after...

Or buy a book MySpace for Musicians (Paperback) ~ Frances Vincent (Author) [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/MySpace-Musicians-Book-Fran-Vincent/dp/1598633597/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267011253&sr=8-2"]Amazon link[/url]

[quote name='ednaplate' post='755821' date='Feb 24 2010, 09:22 AM']I wonder if it's anyone on here who's put a bid. I spotted this just now. I don't know what prices vintage Precisions fetch but this one is a year older and looks like it has been in a few abusive relationships. I also noticed there is no 'L' in the serial number. I don't know the significance of this. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-1962-PRECISION-BASS_W0QQitemZ390158657869QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item5ad744a94d#ht_757wt_941"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-1962-PRECISIO...4d#ht_757wt_941[/url][/quote] That's a dealer of vintage guitars though.. No mention of Uncles loft and all the relevant bits are shown and clearly known about. You'd also get a cirtificate of authenticity from them. 62's also have a certain cache about them. That's why the Pino CS and all those re-issue are 62's. Different kettle of drum really...

[quote name='3V17C' post='755584' date='Feb 23 2010, 10:16 PM']OK so I'm looking to get into some new projects and really want to get a reasonable 'online presence' / CV to point [b]interested people[/b] to.[/quote] Myspace is still the default as far as I can see. Generally "interested people" will know what Myspace is and how to use it (a task in itself!) as so many bands and musicians are already there. As well as the image, tune and video capabilities it also has plenty of link up potential. It's a case of customising it well and using it's full potential. Then use all the other social media "Facebook" and "musicians available" sites to direct people there. I'd also add Gumtree to that list.

[quote name='HeavyJay' post='755806' date='Feb 24 2010, 08:53 AM']Heretic! [/quote] Hey hang on .. He may have just jumped up on stage in teh break and "borrowed" a guitar from some random band that was playing at a wedding he attended......

[quote name='OldGit' post='744917' date='Feb 14 2010, 04:11 PM']No name hand painted (Humbrol paints usually used on my Airfix kits ) 335 style semi acoustic with the pickup and controls on a kind of floating scratchplate thing .... Loudness was provided by a "Baker" kit-built 30 watt valve head into a home made 1x15 cab lined with very scratchy loft insulation.[/quote] Forgot part 2 "What I use now" Shuker P5 and Wood & Tronics Ergon through a Markbass LMK head and 2 Bergantino 1x12's for posh gigs Stagg upright through Roland Cube for some deps I do... Japanese P bass through Series One Peavey Combo 300 1x15 BW (circa 1980) for rough gigs. Peavey 1x15 combos seem to feature in a lot of people's early gear list. I had to wait for them to be invented but had one as soon as they did. Great amps!

Yup, Anything will sell at the right price...

Someone's jumped ...

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='755602' date='Feb 23 2010, 10:30 PM']Sorry Si, the joke was a bit too tempting. Will try to be seeryarse in future.[/quote] Ha ha Ok, you wags... In the end I took the combo head apart and had a look see.. Dunno if I was pos or neg to the tip but I did it the same as the ext speaker socket.

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='755432' date='Feb 23 2010, 08:23 PM']I would simply add that you must take care about exactly what kind of wires you attach to either your tip or your ring.[/quote] Care to elucidate, Howard? I was planning to use speaker wire, as in a piece from a speaker jack to jack I've got...

[quote name='obbm' post='755328' date='Feb 23 2010, 07:06 PM']I would suggest +ve to the tip however if it is only one speaker and one head then it doesn't matter. If you have more than one speaker then they need to be wired the same to be in phase (but then you knew that). [/quote] Yeah I knew that.. I just wondered if there was a "standard" way of wiring cabs. I assumed there was or else when you use two from different makers you could have them out of phase

I'm adding a jack and socket connection in a combo so I can use the speaker from another head if needed. The question is: which side of the socket has the wire that connects to the speaker positive terminal? The tip or ring? Thanks

[quote name='Stan_da_man' post='755188' date='Feb 23 2010, 04:55 PM']I'm not in the house band though! I was just a muso attending with my bass. And before you ask it isn't a Squier. [/quote] Oh sure.. I was referring to the chap who was surprised that someone would go to a jam without an instrument.. That's just normal. You then use the house jam bass .. Asking to use yours is unusual though