dmccombe7

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1461828978' post='3037890'] That's a fair trek for your first gig! We have to go to Dingwall now and again and it's a bugger getting across from Forth. (especially with the A706 being closed at Breich. We ought to see if there's any other bassist withing 10 miles or so and have a mini bass bash. There's some instruments in your sig that I'd quite like to see. [/quote] Any time you want to try Jacko let me know and i'll try and make one of your gigs with bass of your choice. I wasn't aware Breich was closed altogether and bit of a pain right enough. It turned out the type of gigs were probably a good choice as i had no band rehearsals. Few mistakes but no-one noticed not even my wife who was out front. Some of the band noticed odd little things that i managed to cover up tho. Singer has a bad habit of ignoring the set list and just randomly playing songs from it. Its really his band but when he doesn't announce the song and i've only been learning them for 3 weeks it meant i missed the start of one song and had to basically jam to beginning of Steelers Wheel until i realised what it was he was playing and that has a catchy bass riff too that i like. Think that was the worst blooper. Rest were missing a riff to end an occasional song the way bands do but didn't know how they ended them so had to more or less just ad-lib on root note to until final chord. Pretty simple and not really mistakes as such. Some photos as requested. [attachment=218320:DSCN0722.JPG][attachment=218319:Hot Love #3.JPG][attachment=218318:Hot Love #5.JPG] Dave

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1461761930' post='3037385'] Where's the gig dave? [/quote] 1st gig is in Nairn on Fri and then Sat night in Dornoch both Holiday Parks. The band have played them before and said the audiences in Holiday parks are easy to play for and always up for a laugh. Compared to a pub gig in Glasgow where you get the note perfect guys who like to point out you missed a note somewhere. Managed a set run thru last night with singer guitarist and keys player (no drums) and both were very relaxed and said good things about how i played them and by far the best versions they have heard. Good job we ran thru them tho as they had neglected to mention a few of their key changes that i'll have to finish off today. All good tho and feeling a bit more relaxed about it now. That's 1st time i've met any of them since the audition but very pleased so far. Dave

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1461702579' post='3036989'] How can a man about to go on stage wearing satin flares fear anything ? [/quote] [quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1461707878' post='3037084'] How can a man about to go on stage wearing satin flares 'butch it out'? Hope it goes well for you Dave. [/quote] PMSL those comments nearly brought a tear to my eye and not because of the tight satin flares either. Brilliant thanks guys. Dave

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1461678875' post='3036669'] Just focus on the look ... loons and glitter, platform boots, no spandex ... the music will take care of itself. [/quote] [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1461690394' post='3036847'] This. I trust you will be dressing appropriately? [/quote] Singer / guitarist offered some gear to wear but i did actually buy some gear just for this band. No spandex or platform boots tho. Singer guitarist is spitting image Marc Bolan which helps. Dave

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1461676913' post='3036651'] Looking confident is half the battle, even if you're not. If you can have the set list in advance, maybe just right the key centers of each song next to them, so if you do get lost you can hopefully find your way back with a quick glance at it. Good luck!! Let us know how you get off [/quote] Yep got set list and usually have some sort of crib notes nearby just in case. At the stage where i can play thru the set without notes but nerves can sometimes throw you a wobbler LOL Thanks for the advice Dave

Cheers Simon sound check with this band will be short. They set up in 30mins and stated they wanted to keep it that way. They've been together for 8-10yrs doing this material but not all bad as the fact they know it inside out they said they can usually cover most things and get around any slight mistakes by covering up. They've gone thru 15-17 bass players in 10 yrs does make you wonder why. They all seem like nice enough guys and friends that know them said they are all spot on guys. Loking forward to it even tho its scary. They cover everyone from Bowie, T.Rex, Sweet, Cockney Rebel, Roxy Music, ELO with a few other old classics thrown in to the mix. Dave

Auditioned for a T.Rex tribute / Glam Rock band that do a tribute set and a seperate mixed Glam set depending on the gig. Passed the audition with flying colours 3 weeks ago (6 bass players selected for the audition) Scary part is that i had 34 songs to learn from scratch and the planned rehearsals with the band last week had to be cancelled when singer / guitarists dad sadly passed away. Without meaning to sound harsh it means i go into the 1st gig on Fri night and the 2nd on Sat night less than 4 weeks after the audition. I've only met the band at the audition altho I'm pretty confident as i know majority of the songs from my younger days which made learning the bass parts a lot easier. All a bit nerve racking and must be the scariest gig i've ever had to play. Normally i would have a minimum of 3 or 4 up to maybe 10 or 12 rehearsals with a band before gigging. Anyway here's hoping. Dave

Not a huge fan of Flea but i appreciate he is good at what he does with RHCP but he should stick to pop slap material. IMHO that was an insult to any national anthem. Sounded like a new kid just learning bass. Nope not for me at all Dave

Columbus Jazz from mail order catalogue in 1976. Upgraded to an Aria SB1000 so defretted it to see what a fretless was like. Left it with a mate in circa 81 and he still has it altho he refretted it and his daughter used it to learn on. She now has an Overwater and the Columbus is still with him. Dave

I have a Geddy Lee jazz. I am a Geddy fan since 76 but i bought it mainly because it was in a sale and compared to other Jazz basses it was the better bargain. It has a better neck than my previous Jazz basses from 80's and its my goto bass. It just suits me. Yes i have to admit i like the idea of Geddy signature on it but no-one sees it on the back of the headstock anyway so normally its only me that knows its a signature bass. Its one of my cheaper basses too so jst shows that price dorsn't really matter. Its what feels best to play. Dave

He was using a white Fender Precision. Here's a short Vid of them. https://youtu.be/XJgGUn1agrU

Is that the same for ebay as well. ? I nearly always pay with Paypal for ebay items but i've never bought or sold via Gumtree. I've sold things on ebay and been paid with Paypal without issue. Maybe i live a sheltered life or i'm a bit niave but I had no idea Paypal was so risky for a seller. Few lessons learned for me here guys !!! Dave

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1460328687' post='3024762'] Good man..! Don't rush things; slow is the new fast. Don't forget to breath (more important than one imagines, and a permanent problem of mine since infancy...) Take breaks; I recommend Earl Grey and Rich Tea or Digestive biscuits, but a glass of milk is fine, too. Every hour of practise, take a walk around the house (yes, outside...) for 5 minutes. Raining..? Pah..! It's only water; it'll wash off. As you were; carry on... [/quote] Excellent advice. I'm learning 34 songs in 3 weeks for a new band i've joined and i take regular hourly breaks, coffee, tea etc and its coming along pretty good. Pressure for me is when i'm gigging in 2 weeks with this band without a reahearsal and i don't know these guys apart from passing the audition. Starting slow and just stick to the basic notes until you get more confident to add the fill ins is how i always start with a band rehearsal. I remember doing Crossroads years ago with a new band (2nd gig) and the guys thought it funny to stop playing in crossroads without telling me upfront and let me do a bass solo. That's scary altho i did keep it simple and threw in some bass chords along with some minor runs. Got a round of applause after it so must have been ok. I stuck to the standard structure with some variations of a theme. Well done for getting yourself out there. Pretty sure the other guys at the jam were aware of your initiation and nerves and its accepted that not everyone at a jam seesion will be at same level of experience so very well done sir. I admire you for it. Keep at it. It just gets better and better from here. All the very best Dave

I've bought quite a bit of gear from Mark over past few years. 2 Berg cabs, a class D amp, Jaydee bass and a few other bits and bobs. Last year i decided on a decent 5 stringer. Drove down (round trip of circa 500 miles) Was made very welcome given the Sandberg bass i was interested in and then 2 off Dingwalls and a Spector they thought i might like. Settled on Dingwalls but not sure. They left me alone to try them via Vanderkley amp. No pressure but some good advice and opinions on what each bass might be better suited to. I settled on the Dingwall NG2. All in all i can't fault the service i've had both on-line and in shop. I never had any pressure put on me to buy any specific item and was more than pleased with Marks help, guidance or suggestions. My opinion is that suggestion, guidance or advice is there for exactly that. You don't need to accept it but use it to your advantage. Can't fault the shop at all. Dave

Fully Comp or 3rd party only Dave

Not sure if one hit wonders but :- January - Pilot Dave

Lot of good points and coming from both sides too 1. go for it cause they are gonna replace them anyways and might as well be me 2. Going behind the existing members backs without agreement kinda thing makes you uncomfortable. I'm seeing from both these oints of view but gonna go for learning the set and if it happens it happens. The choice of songs is pretty good and they have a pretty solid gig list for 2016 from Glasgow to Isle of Arran to Sutherland in North of Scotland. Haven't met the guys yet but i think i'll like playing the songs as there are some good classic rock songs in there too like Hush, Born To Be Wild and few Queen songs. A pretty good mix to be honest. I've always put 110% into playing whatever it is i'm doing. I like putting aggression into the rock songs and balance that with the mellow style for slower ballad style songs. Will see how it pans out tho. They're not great at communication and takes them days / week to reply to messages and it gives me some doubts as to their commitment to the change. Dave

An older Wal bass cause i just like them. My wife bought me my Overwater Custom fretless 6 string for my 50th. Maybe a fretted version would be nice Also fancy a Ric again. This could go on and on and on Dave

Bassist for me but not fussed too much. Been called worse Dave

Been asked to learn set for a covers band who are looking to replace their existing drummer and bassist mid-April. Drummer not physically fit after heart issue and bassist doesn't want to lose him. Not sure about being underhand like that. If they can do it to original members then newbie will be easy prey. Blues Rock covers and afraid to say Mustang Sally is in there Not my usual kind of band but they have some really good gigs lined up for 2016. Any thoughts ? Should i just go for it and be cautious or give it a miss ?? Dave

"Play what the song needs and not what you want or can play" was a good piece of advice i got years ago. "always look as though you know what you are doing" "if you look confident when playing then even a mistake will pass unnoticed by an audience" Dave

BASSES Jazz Bass :- its my goto bass and can be used for most styles. It was in a sale and love the sound. Warwick Thumb :- was doing well both at work and in bands at the time in 1989 and this was my dream bass. (big Jack Bruce fan too) Overwater Custom 6er fretless :- 50th birthday present from my wife and my return to playing in bands again. Wanted to improve my technique and went the full hog with 6er and fretless. Overwater J4 Custom :- needed a modern back up for my jazz and got a great deal from Overwater on this one. Again another birthday pressie from my wfe. Jaydee fretless :- just wanted another 4 string fretless and Jaydee was always on my list over the years. Dingwall NG2 :- needed a good quality lightweight 5er for Prog project and this fitte all the boxes. My 2nd goto bass after Jazz. Peavey Cirrus 5 :- bought as a cheaper introduction to 5 strings for gigging. Epi Thunderbird :- got the chance of it for £100 and was a bargain. Like the shape but not for everyone tho. AMPS Markbass combo and ext cab :- portable, lightweight and great tone for most things. Gallien Krueger 1001RBii :- wanted a reliable quality amp for gigging. This was bought before my Markbass and just kept it. Using it at the moment. Gallien Krueger MB200 :- wanted a small portable back up amp for emergencies but liked so much i uesd it regularly for rehearsals. Ampeg SVT4 Pro :- Always wanted one and got it for £450 (US version @ 110V) had it converted for £200 and just love the sound from this with my Berg HT322. Bergantino HT322 cab :- This is a monstrous sounding cab that sounds great with any amp but the Ampeg using my Dingwall is just a wall of bassiness sound that can't be beaten. Did think of selling some of the amps but i like the variation i can get depending on what style of band or gig you do. Having nice basses is a bit of a hobby and justified because i don't generally waste money on alcohol, smoking or socialising nights out. Basses is my one and only vice Dave

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1455872159' post='2983066'] Wal Fretted 6 Wal Fretless 6 - Incoming Moollon Classic P - incoming Peterbuilt Fretless Jazz Modern 4 - not yet bought Glockenklang Blue Soul Berg CN210 Berg CN112 - not yet bought OK so after a recent flurry of buying, selling and ordering I've decided to try and justify to myself why I have/want the gear I've got already / the gear I have incoming... No real reason it just makes me feel better to pretend there is some reasoning behind it, rather than just buying shiny new bass gear to fill the void in my soul created by the hours I have to spend doing my unfalteringly s**t job. Wal fretted and fretless 6ers cover all my original band needs. I have the tone I want and the range I need for my various projects. I also however have need of traditional looking and sounding instruments for projects where I am a sideman to singer / songwriter types. I also may at some point be looking to escape the daily grind of my work and go part time and maybe earn a little bit on the side from music, pub covers, teaching etc. and the traditional looking and sounding P would stand me in good stead for this. I would also have the fretless Jazz should the need arise. This leaves me outstanding a modern sounding 4 for slappity tappity nonsense... I would like to get a G&L tribute L2000 to tide me over for the time being, but I will eventually get a luthier built modern fretted four... probably ACG. Amplification wise, I have settled on Glockenklang... It does everything I need at more volume than I could ever use... I have used the berg cn210 on it's own for rehearsals with a loud rock drummer and it was more than enough volume wise. I love the tone of this combination and I would like to add a cn112 (especially after the recent price drop) to give me the option of just using that for smaller acoustic type situations and adding it to the 210 if I ever need to gig without PA support. So there we go, that's me... and yes I am aware that all I really need is a Squier CV and a Fender rumble What's your excuse? [/quote] Could you post some pics of your basses. WAL basses are always nice but i've never heard of Peterbuilt basses. Know they make trucks tho. ? Dave

Arjen Lucassen Lost In The New Real is one of my fav concept albums at the moment. Then thre aeth classic Rush 2112. The Wall - Pink Floyd The Road of Bones by IQ has a very conceptual feel. Pallas XXV lesser known but great album

Modulus had a more even tonal range but the Warwick just sounded better to me. Would take either tho. Roscoe and the Specter just didn't do it for me at all. Dave