casapete

After being in bands where the mixer was always running with every channel in use, I went over to always sourcing one that had enough spare channels for future changes. Also always handy to have spare channels in case one of the others does n't work etc. May seem an unnecessary expense but well worth it in my experience. Just sayin....

Use a GK 1001RB with my Compact, and it rocks!

We have two cellists in our band. Love the sound of them although never had a try at playing one. There again, as I'm dangerous on fret less bass I somehow can't see it being a good idea.....

Great article,thanks for posting. Wichita Lineman is still one of my favourites songs. We do it occasionally in my band and the audience love it too. IMO Jiimmy Webb wrote some killer tunes. He toured here recently but unfortunately I couldn't get to see him. Like Burt Bacharach he's not considered a great singer but nevertheless can just make his songs 'happen' in concert. Jimmy's songs and Glen Campbell's voice for me remains a classic combination.

Great stuff. Going to see Gladys at the end of June, hoping she has a bassist who can recreate the wonderful feel of her amazing catalogue of material.

Had a 410TX for a few years. Great sounding cab,stupid value for the money etc just felt like it was bolted to the floor. Used it with a Trace 500 and it never struggled at all. I can never understand how some companies can charge so much for a cabinet that has say Eminence speakers in it, however 'special' the design. Think Peavey made their own drivers so I guess it could have been economy of scale and bargain chipboard! Even so, think mine was £219 new, when others with not dissimilar specs were three or four times the price. Crazy.

Danelectro Longhorn unsurprisingly works for me.....

In my experience of singers in a function band, both band members and deps, I can't recall working with one who could read music. (In fact one or two struggled with reading...). Why is this I wonder?

I've always used Duracell Procells in my basses, never ever had any problems. These have now been replaced with the yellow and black Duracell 'Industrial' range, again still good. Have a dig around on ebay and you can find 10 packs of them for around £8 delivered, job done.

Looks like the great Waddy Wachtel on guitar next to Leland too.....

And not a bad amp too as I recall - plenty of volume, graphic eq and made in England!

In 1974 when I was around 15 years old, my pal John and me ventured down to London on the train and went round all the guitar shops in the West End. He finally bought one of these SG copies new from a shop on Shaftesbury Ave for around £35 if I remember correctly. His first electric guitar, it was a bugger to tune with a dubious neck joint that would creak and flex rather a lot. Pretty much like my black Avon Les Paul copy around the same time too! We both thought we were so cool with them, had hours of fun trying to learn Wishbone Ash tunes! Glad to see some have survived, it looks a fine example.

Saw BB at Manchester Apollo in the late 70's. Band came on and did a couple of instrumentals, swinging like hell. During the third, BB walks on with his guitar on and lead in his hand, plugs it into his amp (Twin or Lab series L5, I forget) and plays one note.....the audience goes ape. Pure class! Great gig a true legend. Lets hope he pulls through.

Loved his voice. The album he made with The Average White Band, 'Benny and us' is one of my all time favourites, as well as all the early classics too. A sad loss.

I'm in The ELO Experience, a pro band that plays predominantly theatre shows throughout the UK. Possibility of future tours in Europe and the US too. I really enjoy it, largely down to working with great people ( both band and crew ) which makes it a lot of fun. www.eloexperience.com

Great basses still very much undervalued IMO. Had to sell mine as it was too heavy for my ageing shoulder, but for anyone looking for a proper MM on a tight budget they are fantastic. Good buy!

In the late 80's I played in a resident band at a local nightclub, backing mostly name acts doing the cabaret circuit. My then wife had just got our first microwave,and used it to do a delicious coq au vin for dinner before I set off to my gig. Our band went on to do the first set around 9pm before then introducing the 'star' act around 10. About halfway through the first part of our set, I suddenly realised I needed to throw up and dumping my guitar ran offstage mid song into the adjacent dressing room where I projectile vomited into the shower cubicle, narrowly missing the evening's act, then comedian Shane Richie! Got back onstage, and did the same thing again 2 songs later. Mr Richie was very decent about the whole thing, and didn't even mention it in his act either. I somehow made it through the rest of the gig, got home to find my wife had been just as bad. When I woke next morning, I had vomited so badly that I'd burst lots of blood vessels in my eyes and face and ended up looking like an extra from a horror movie for days. Needless to say coq au vin still not one of my first choices even now.

Boils down to who you listen to - the booker or the venue manager. When this used to happen in my old band, we would suggest the two parties thrashed it out,leaving us to concentrate on our job of entertaining the punters. Inevitably the person paying for the event won any dispute, although you had to sympathise with venue managers if there had previously been noise issues that threatened their business / licence etc. Personally I used to quite enjoy there being a limit on levels, gave me a break from the usual drum / guitard thrash that so often got out of hand. And even without mics, brass sections can be heard very well.....

Just heard this on Radio 2, never realised the horns were out of tune before - they just sound so right. And love the organ part, played I believe by the great Spooner Oldham. Wonderful stuff.

Agreed. I play most of my gigs on a standard Fender bass with 34" scale. However at my weekly pub residency I use a Danelectro Longhorn with a short scale and both feel right for their respective jobs,with no problem making the change either way. Guess the real tester though would be to try swapping basses around, using them on the 'wrong' gigs and see what happens.....

Excellent stuff. Willie's playing with Chuck Berry probably is the reason I started getting into bass and music in general. Legend.

Recently got the Rick and Squier books, both great reads. Also a fab drum book with lots of vintage stuff from the same shop. Believe they have copies of all in most branches.