dmccombe7

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1478430889' post='3168966'] I have the ACS Pro 17s and love them too. I used Thunderplug Pros for a while which did the job but weren't very comfortable. I even wear my ACS plugs in the cinema now after finding some films intensely loud and researching to find that the volume levels regularly exceed 90db (which is dangerous when exposed to for long periods of time) and as a regular cinema-goer, this caused me just as much concern as rehearsing/gigging! [/quote] Have to say i've not been to cinema since ET movie came out. LOL Dave

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1478429908' post='3168958'] You're most welcome, and the Road King is a great bike. I've got a Wide Glide now (95th anniversary edition) but haven't ridden it yet as still recovering from an accident last year, but will have the earplugs in under my Davida when I do! [/quote] I had the Davida helmet and altho well made was very tight fit and kept most of the noise out. Think i remember your posts from last year when you had the accident. Well i think it was you. My Road King is the 2003 anniversary model. I just bought new Shark Classic open face helmet with the drop down "pilots" visor and its so light compared to the Davida. Has to be the best fit helmet i've ever tried on to be honest. Dave

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1478422079' post='3168903'] Nobody mentioned THE white boy who sing de blooze? DELBERT [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7tFeVLNH5E"]https://www.youtube....h?v=q7tFeVLNH5E[/url] [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU1qxGEtdzs"]https://www.youtube....h?v=hU1qxGEtdzs[/url] I never heard this genre referred to as funk blues before, but I`ve been playing it and writing it for donkeys years. Welcome to the club! Also Tony Joe White. A lot of Ry Cooders stuff. [/quote] Some of the suggestions i feel are either more rock, blues or country. The funk-blues is really a title to capture a couple of styles rather than a particular one off style. The funk for me is the Robert Cray style or the Doobies Long Train Runnin where the bass (for me) has a nice groove feel to it. The Bonnie Rait material i have heard is more country feel to me altho i have heard some songs from her that had that funky groove type bass. I'm not sure its everyone's interpretation of funk blues and that could be another topic for discussion and could or would make an interesting topic i think. Its a kinda hard thing to describe the difference as many styles or bands seem to cross over between all of them at times depending on thge song they are playing. Dave

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1478421805' post='3168900'] Which ones did you get? I have the pro 17s and they made a big difference on the bike - I collected them ACS on my Super Glide and they suggested using them, the ride home was a revelation, I could hear the bike and other traffic but the wind noise was almost zero. I really ought to get a second pair, I dread getting to a gig and finding my plugs are still at home, in my riding jacket pocket! [/quote] The 17's too and i ride a Road King Classic. Great to get some feedback on using with a Harley as the open face helmets can be a bit noisy at times. Will need to keep it in mind not to leave them in my bike jacket Thanks for that. Dave

Just got my ACS ones delivered and can't believe how clear things sound with them in. Great fit. Will try them at next rehearsal to see how good they work. All in all so far i'm pretty pleased with the service. Bad news is the reason i bought them was the drummer in new band was loud but his snare is apparently tuned high and it was this singular drum that was painful at times has now been sacked for not showing up at rehearsals. He had a history of this before i joined. Good news is that the new drummer is far more technical than loud and the full band now plays at a more respectable volume that doesn't really need earplugs for rehearsals anyway. Still i can use them on the Harley Dave

Would seem a bit odd that you are getting lights on with the battery connected but just not working. Can't see it being a bad battery cable connection and sounds like its more to do with the circuit board. Some units the power socket disconnects the battery supply and might be a bit of dirt on the power socket internal connections. Out of curiousity have you tried it with the battery again since using the power supply ? Dave

I've only failed one that i can remember for a gaelic folk band that i wasn't really sure suited me. There were 3-4 bassists auditioning for it. When i arrived and was setting up the females in the band were discussing openly in front of me how the guy before me was ideal for the band. Kind of deflates you a bit but i carried on regardless. Got on well with the songs but as expected didn't get it. The guy before me got the gig. A year later the band had the audacity to tell me he had left and would i be interested in auditioning again. I said no and told them my reasons from previous audition and that i did not appreciate them discussing how well suited the previous bassist was for the band while i was standing there. Discourtious and disrespectful and i wouldn't work with people who had that attitude. I've had loads of auditions since restarting bands at age 50 after 25yrs lapse. They vary from hard rock to Glam, tribute, Blues, Prog and currently doing a Funk Blues band with guys who are older than me but are so relaxed its just great fun and no added pressure from ego maniacs. That and the fact the bass lines are brilliant. I don't do backing vocals either and its never been an issue for most bands but that would depend on type of band i guess. Dave

Dr John ...... a classic. That will be a def i think. Chris Duarte is pretty good. not heard of him before. Albert Collins seems to be a popular choice too. Will sit down and make a list from all the suggestions and go thru them. I honestly can't believe the number of suggestions i've had and the interest in this style of music is quite refreshing and good to know people out there want to hear bands do it. The replies are coming in faster than i can listen to them all Thanks again everyone Dave

I had no idea i would get so many suggestions guys. Its gonna take me a while to get thru listening to them all. Some i've had a quick listen to and think maybe a little too extreme one way or another but majority are spot on and i'm really getting into a style of music i've never really given much thought to. Cheers guys and all very much appreciated the effort some have put in to their reply by adding youtube links. Basschat is def a great place to be when you need help. Dave

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1478286833' post='3168245'] Meteors or Neville Bros... or pick Yellow Moon or something which was a collaboration... but if you are trying to go funky, make sure you can groove and don't do poor man's rock/funk as there is nothing worse.. [/quote] That was my biggest concern when i was asked to join. I'm not generally a funk or groove player with nearest i've played would be some Glenn Hughes funk rock where i really enjoyed the feel he had when playing even with Deep Purple. It has taken me 3-4 rehearsals with the band to really get into the groove feel. Basslines are not very difficult to play but that groove thing was the hard part. Some of the songs i had played years ago within a rock blues set but to play a full set really is quite different. I must admit that playing this style of funk blues has been far more satisfying and enjoyable than any other style i've played before. I actually feel this is what i should have been doing over the years rather than heavy rock. To be honest many of these songs are the ones i used when i was learning bass and trying to improve on my technique along with Jack Bruce, Andy Farser, Glenn Hughes etc. I would hate to sound like an amatuer playing songs without feeling the rythmn of the song. That would be my worse nightmare. Hopefully i'm doing a good job. The other band members seem to think i've more than nailed the songs and they all have many many yrs experience playing this style of music. Dave

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1478276317' post='3168129'] I have a strong hunch that Hendrix had his tongue very much in his cheek when he wrote that one. In one of my bands, whenever we got heckled by the type of 12-bar blues evangelists who wouldn't know the real thing if it jumped up and bit them on the arse, we used to respond with a piss-take that our drummer made up at some point (knowing him, it was probably something he lifted from Zappa). It was basically Red House with replacement lyrics as typified by the first verse: "Woke up this mornin', dreamt a chicken walked across my face; (repeat); and then I realised - it was only my wife Grace (but that's all right cos I still got my guitar)" - cue 15-min lead break. We would watch the punters in gleeful amusement to see who 'got it' and who was swallowing it hook, line and sinker. [/quote] Now that appeals to my sense of humour.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1478247314' post='3167781'] To me, that completely misses the point of playing blues. It is a simple musical form that gives the performers plenty of room to express themselves. Playing someone else's lines is like wearing their dirty underwear. It has to be about your feelings, your blues, no matter who wrote or performed the song. Make them your own. [/quote] Its only on certain songs like Cold Sweat where he wants me to keep the walking bass line simple rather than ad additional fills. I kinda see where he's coming from whereas other songs i have a fee hand to play whatever i feel is right so its a bit swings and roundabouts. Not realll a big deal. I've been used to bands where i had to play exactly what they wanted. I def like to put my own feel on a song as i do tend to have a slightly more aggressive feel than a lot of bassists i know. I use finger style with my nails clipping the strings but also play quite hard which gives me quite a powerful sound when i need it. Saying that i back off on many songs to just using my fingers without nail clipping the strings to get that smoother feel. Dave

Just had a listen to Tommy Bolin album Teaser for first time and that's pretty impressive album. Liking it a lot. Dave

Climax Blues Band i haven't heard of them in many years. Well worth a listen. Deep Purple early albums i wouldn't even have given them a thought but that would work for me as i played in a Deep Purple tribute few yrs back altho more rock than funk blues but still another good choice. Lie the idea of adapting some classic blues songs only prob with that is one of the guitarists is a Blues fanatic and will only play a blues song as it sounds by the artist. He doesn't even like me to play ad-libs on certain songs. Likes to keep it simple blues bass lines. Like the Luther Allison song and the Johnny Guitar Watson and they could work for us. Allison one might be a little too funk for some of the band right enough but again we could dampen it down to a more blues feel funk. Liking the suggestions so far tho. Dave

1st bass was a Columbas Jazz copy in mid 70's and my mate still has it and his daughter learned bass with it and has now moved onto Overwater.

My 1st ever single was EP called All My Loving in 1963 when i was only 3 yrs old. I still have that single and altho i've never been a huge fan i always enjoy hearing them. Was at a 60th birthday sat night and the band was a tribute band called Thee Beatles and they were all in early to mid 20's but exceptional good and the bass player had an original Hofner bass and was left handed too. Dave

Just joined an easy going band who are covering a style that i can only describe as a sort of Funk / Blues. Only just got together before i joined so its all at an early stage. They are covering songs like :- Because of You - Robert Cray Magic has Gone - Joe Cocker All Your Love - John Mayall Big Change - Peter Green Hard To Handle - Commitments Tightrope - Stevie Ray Vaughan Long Train Running - Doobies Its not my usual style of music but i'm really enjoying the feel of it. I don't have a great knowledge of bands doing this kind of material so was looking for some other ideas for songs that would suit the above style. Any suggestions or ideas welcome ? Dave

Think it would depend on the drummer involved. Some drummers can re-catch the beat on their own and others need the help of the band to adjust to them. It would also depend on length of the gap too. A very slight pace change is easy to sort but dropping a stick or mental pause can be bit longer and more difficult to hide. I've had to adapt to both and can't say its ever really bothered me too much. I've played with a lot of drummers over the years and like every band member they occasionally make the odd blooper but then again don't we all Dave

I was asked to learn that few yrs ago and got the basic feel of the song down first and then worked on the fills that Neil puts in. There is a live VID on youtube somewhere with Neil playing a Kramer and you can pick out the fills very clearly. Sometimes the studio versions can have the fills yet when the guys play live they miss out the very techy bits but not Mr Murray. He does it all live and sometimes adds little extra bits. I have to say i am a big fan of his and he was a huge influence for me along with Jack Bruce. I used the tabs that someone provided earlier in the post. The biggest prob i found was that the fills change through the song so its not easy to remember what fill goes where altho most people would never really notice. Even bassists probably wouldn't pick up on that if they were in the audience that night but def a great song to get right and i just loved playing it. Wishing you all the very best with it and hope it all eventually just falls into place for you. Dave

I had my custom done by Overwater and as previously stated they kept me updated with regular calls or emails and invited me to see the bass in progress as i'm only 1hr drive from them. Took almost exactly time they said it would and that's why i'm a bit confused and angered by Zon's lack of management in this. Whether or not he's a one man band which he obviously isn't as he has support staff like a sales manager there should be regular updates even if its only when requested. An email to them every 6 - 8 weeks is quite lax for me. I would be at them as a minimum monthly. Also i don't fully understand why a luthier cannot get the timescale correct for any bass. Maybe few weeks out but months is not acceptable. He should know exactly how long a bass will take to build. If there are delays from suppliers ie Bartolini or whatever then you should automatically be informed. If its a small business as people have mentioned then basses should be easy to track and customers kept updated. No company is that busy to avoid keeping their paying customers informed. I love the look of the Zon basses and is probably one i would still like to own but this kind of thing certainly puts me off buying new. If Zon want to keep their sales up then they need to conform to an acceptable level of customer service. They are a reputable company and i believe you will get your bass in the end but a few email updates from them would certainly help smooth things along and put their customers at ease. Pretty disappointed after readaing this. Dave

Agree with almost everything apart from volume issues. Some drummers just cannot control how hard they hit a drum yet others are far more versatile players and can adapt to a certain degree. I've just ordered set of ACS earplugs mainly because the drummers i currently play with are too loud. That's my only criticism really. As for helping set up and strip down and loading and unloading its always been all hands on deck and you lift whatever is needed to get the job done quickly. Usually the most experienced stays in van and does the packing where required and rest of band humph the gear. Dave

Probably quite a few but 2 that stand out for me is the bass riff from mid section of Tom Sawyer by Rush. Just a catchy little riff that sounds great at that particular section of the song and then there's the bass line from Elton Johns Nikita which just has a nice mid punch and gorgeous tone. Not even sure if it is a bass or a bass synth but i like it. Dave

I've just ordered a set of the Pro 17's. Appointment for impressions at Boots on Thu morning. ACS state the 17's are more suited to amplified music and have a flatter overall db cut but note that some of you guys have been using the 10's or 15's which show on their graphs as cutting more of the high end along with the overall reduction. Have i ordered the wrong thing ? At £139 i want to make sure i've bought the right filter. Dave

I've got the Gruvgear strap with the loop end to fit over the top horn. There are VIDS on youtube showing the cross strap. The straps are quite thick leather but think the cross strap is a thinner manufactured material. Not sure if you will get both straps over the standard pins. Try fitting both ends of your existing strap over the one pin. If doesn't fit then you would need to get the recomended strap pins that cater for thicker straps. Other than that the double strap works well. I only use it when my shoulder starts to ache. Most times i leave it hanging down the back. The other thing to note is that the standard strap supplied is pretty short and my bass was sitting far higher than i normally use. I like the centre line of my bass to sit approx just above waist or belt line. With the standard strap it was sitting more low chest level Mark King kinda thing. The extended strap and the cross strap are not available in UK as far as i could find and suppliers are waiting on stock from US. I used a cheap leather belt cut to an extended 4" to get my normal length making the holes identical distances to the original strap. Not sure if you can buy the strap as an extended strap direct from Gruv gear ?? One other thing i have found is that i was using a wider well known gel filled strap and was getting aches in my shoulder and chest area along with pins and needles in my arm at times of extended playing. When i started using the Gruvgear as a single strap i found the issues disappeared and have since started using my older standard width leather straps altho they are cushion filled and no more probs unless i'm standing for 3 hrs or more at rehearsals without break. Myabe worth some trials before spending that kind of money. Try using 2 cheap thin straps on same pins to see if it helps. Dave