dmccombe7

Nice but what happens when you get GAS and want a change. I still think the cheap stick-on ones are a better option for us whimps who are scared of pain. Definately one of the better tatoos i've seen. Well done. Cheers Dave

I personally would rather watch him playing simply because his technique fascinates me. Take away the VID and it could be a number of very competent bassists playing the same piece. However when Michael plays it he produces a visual show and IMO its the 2 together that make it interesting for me. I wouldn't say I was a huge fan but what he does is so different from anyone else it prays on my mind trying to figure out how he does it and how he is able to come up with so many unusual techniques and ideas. That again is pushing the boundaries of bass playing. Like others have stated I don't want to play like him or copy everything he does but it stimulates the mind to try different approaches, to pick out the odd phrase that i am able to play and use it within my own style. That is learning and i enjoy it. Dave

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1329237115' post='1539349'] Going to watch it tonight or tomorrow - I also saw him at a local venue( Chequers Niteclub) my memory was that it was the drummer from Blondie who played with him then - I reckon it was the early '80's too. he was making jokes about California - The Sunshine Village -an ex mining village closeby!! [/quote] Donnyboy, Check Jack's website and select the tours where he has a "past tours" section with all his dates and who played then. 1983 was the year and as you say Falkirk was same tour as Heathery Bar. Drummer was Bruce Gary who played with The Knack. Remember My Sharona. This site is worth looking through -= when you see the number of tours and gigs done in his early days no wonder he was so fantastic live. Dave

Yep I'm not gonna miss this. I'm a huge fan of Mr Bruce. Saw him play at my local in 80's. Absolutely huge sound enough so that for the first time the police dropped in to tell him to restrict the volume. It could be heard 0.5mile away at the police station apparently. Of course it was a very sunny hot night and all the venue windows were wide open. Yes we do get the occasional hot day up here in sunny scotland. From memory i think Clem Clempson on guitar and Simon Kirke i think on drums circa 82'. Probably one of the reasons i bought my Thumb NT in 89' when Jack was endorsing them. Still couldn't play like him and he sings too. Aaah the good old days. Dave

Not able to see any attachments at work but will get a look at home tonight. 51m0n - i haven't seen Michael play a "normal" bass that i can remember however i've only been following him in past few yrs when i was bemused and amazed at his style and technique with his Zon bass. I'll need to check for some of his older material using a standard bass. Thanks Dave

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1329054011' post='1536495'] Pleasure meeting with you Dave (and many thanks again for bringing the desk in person). Does the rack tray idea look like it will work for you? [/quote] Hi John Not had a chance to look at the rack tray as yet. I had to leave the house 10:30 this morning to get to Studio in Glasgow. Will get a better look tomorrow night after work but it does look promising. Thanks for the tray. It's very much appreciated. All best Dave

Just sold a Yamaha mixing desk to John. Very nice guy and so easy to talk to. Great communication and very upfront and honest. What a collection of basses - Whow !!! Liked the Parker. Would highly recommend John to anyone. Thanks and good luck with the new project. Hamer 12 string bass required me thinks. Dave

Whow Steve Hillage. Blast from the past. Haven't heard this since - 1979 Think this one is John McKenzie on bass. Saw him live at Glasgow Apollo around that time. Brilliant band. Little weird at times musically but bass was always pretty impressive to say the least. Thanks for posting that - many fond memories of Steve Hillage. Try some of earlier Phil Collins solo tracks - i think it was Mo Foster and John Giblin who played on them. Both outstanding players and some relatively easy but nice fretless parts. Looking at Face Value, No Jacket Required era. Cheers Dave

[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1328811972' post='1533120'] Brand X? I thought the guy who started this thread was just getting to grips with a fretless??!! Percy Jones.....!! [/quote] Aim for the top achieve the middle - works for me. I aimed for the bottom and achieved my goal easily. Agree probably a bit too much at this stage. When i started with my first fretless i learned some easier tracks but always listened to the difficult stuff just to push myself and give me something to aim for. Without a target you lose focus. Dave

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1328816569' post='1533228'] Good call, Dave. I have always called it Nobody but you are correct. What a kernnob. Interestingly, whoever posted this on youtube made the same mistake...(it wasn't me). [/quote] Oddly enough "Nobody goes to Sweden" made more sense but i guess Brand X were always a little bit "out there". Could never fathom out where they got their song titles from. Although Percy Jones was / is pretty unbelievable he did do some simpler lines on fretless which were pretty easy to follow even for a beginner as i was in them there days of long ago. One i liked was WAL to WAL can't remember what album it was on but I'm sure Phill Collins did some singing on the album as well as drums. Dave

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1328805098' post='1532953'] Nobody Goes To Sweden - Brand X. What? [/quote] "Noddy" Goes to Sweden - sorry to correct you there Bilbo but you had me racking my brains thinking i had got it wrong all those yrs. Brilliant Percy Jones stuff with his famous WAL bass sound. Great album. Dave

I'm happy, your happy. Great end to the day. Thanks Dave

Only concern here is that you've never noticed it before. Assuming bass set up hasn't changed and using same amp then apart from a dodgy string or not seated properly at bridge i'm a bit puzzled. Could it be you've now focused on something that probably no-one else notices. ? Are you standing in same position as previous rehearsals. One issue i had with my 6 string was the B string always sounded quieter and less attack. Couldn't quite nail it until i put on an Elixir tapered end on the B string and problem solved. Maybe try different strings. Dave

Agree - go for it and make it happen. It would be well worth it even for the experience alone of producing some excellent music. Keep us posted on how things turn out. Thankfully its all guys in our band so those kind of relationships aint gonna happen and if they do I'm outa there quick style Good luck and all the best Dave

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1328687679' post='1531032'] Really cool of whoever it was to lend them the gear they needed to finish their tour though! Goes to show there are some good eggs out there after all [/quote] Agree - good comment. Dave

I love listening to Michael Manring. As pointed out "man and bass in perfect harmony" I find him very entertaining as far as soloists go but the tunes he plays are also very melodic. I do sometimes wonder about all the tuning levers on his bass as RichF post shows a guy playing the same song on a standard fretted bass. I would say that IMO its not quite as fluid and melodic as Michael's but it is fairly if not very impressive. Surely Michael could do that. I would guess he is more than capable of playing the song on a standard bass so why use all the tuning levers ? No matter what he uses he still sounds unbelieveable and i can only dream of reaching that level of playing and performance. I do love that bass he uses but out of my price range. Dave

Hindsight is always a wonderful thing but with gear that expensive and rare it should have been insured. I know it doesn't bring back the sentimental value but it helps replace useable gear in the short term. Did the guys manage to complete the tour or did they have to call it a day. ? PS mine aint insured either at moment but after reading this thread and feeling bad for the guys it will be when gigging starts again end of the month hopefully. If nothing else it will open peoples eyes to a growing number of gear thefts across the UK Definately a lesson for me to learn. Good luck with the search. All the best Dave

What a bleedin shame. This is really good stuff. Can't quite say who it sounds like. Maybe its a totally original sound. Singer has a very likeable voice let alone her stunning looks. No matter what it sounds very impressive. No chance of a reformed band and push for fame and fortune ? Good luck with new projects whatever they are. Cheers Dave

Could it be the general acoustics of the room. Is it something you notice if you move to another part of the room ? I've noticed this when using an Ampeg 8x10 cab that some frequencies tend to sound quieter. Yet using my Bergs sited at same place as Ampeg its even across the board. Would a compressor maybe help. Dave

Mainly the tone that suits the music style. Fender Jazz seems to fit my classic rock band far better. My Warwick i love using for blues rock styles and music that needs a little more mid-range growl. My Overwater 6 fretless i love playing and its great for messing around with. My Overwater J4 can cover almost any style. All in all i tend to favour my Jazz - at the moment - could all change by Friday Dave

[quote name='perogato' timestamp='1328597189' post='1529599'] They were doing a short tour (3 days) as support of Alestorm. Before they could start with their first gig at Gasworks in Bradford, the trailer with all their gear in was stolen. It is a tough school, the school of hard knocks [/quote] Explains it - thought maybe leaving it stored at home type of thing on a regular basis. This was a chance opportunity by low life scum who would sell their own granny for a buck. Still doesn't help and i'm really sorry for whats happened. You are right they won't appreciate the gear and what its sentimental value is. They simply don't care. Hope the gear is all located and we see a happy ending. Insured by any chance ? Cheers Dave

Sorry to hear about this. It must be the worst thing that can happen to a musician losing their fav gear especially guitar / bass which are sometimes irreplaceable. That looks like some really good quality gear too. How / where did it happen. I'm guessing you didn't leave your gear in an unattended trailer for any length of time. Really sorry and hope it turns up and the gits involved jailed for a very long time. Dave