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SPHDS

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Posts posted by SPHDS

  1. I have two.....one of which was my audition....!
    1) Around the time I'd just joined a band they were also looking for second guitarist, in comes one hopeful, Marshall 4x12 perched precariously on a skateboard.....he was clearly a bit nervous/unprepared.....and it showed.......so we had him back for another shot next practice, he'd clearly been working at it but was still not great,  halfway through a song he stopped playing, hefted the 4x12 onto the board, and teetered out going 'it's not really working is it......!?!' and disappeared.....
    2) I replied to an ad from a guitarist was trying to 'resurrect' his old 'rock covers' band.....but as no actual set list surfaced, I hedged my bets and went through some of my old set lists and gave them a bash......we arrange to meet up, the whole thing was basically back and forth - 
    Him - 'Can you play....?'
    Me - 'I played it about X-yrs ago.....forgotten most of it though, sorry'
    Me - 'What about....?'
    Him - 'Nah.....don't like it...'

    Frustratingly, I had played almost all the songs he suggested, but not in ages.....so even the ones I kind of remembered were rather ropey.....had he just given me a flipping list....who knows.....!?!

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  2. The drummer quit the band because our (first) gig was in BreaM, Gloucestershire, not BreaN, Somerset, and 'he wanted to take the family to the beach.....'
    (Our guitarist had got us a spot on a Summer Bank Holiday Festival local to him, and all was going well......until the drummer couldn't go to the seaside.....)
    The nail in the coffin was when drummer then coerced the singer to leave us to reform his old band.....!
    (Guitarist and I were the 'Founding members' (although the guitarist said it was my band.....he'd back me as long as I didn't suggest Kings of Leon......!), he found the singer, I found the drummer, via ads/connections)

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  3. Hello BC Gods,

     

    Was at a gig this weekend, bass player had a rather interesting bass (as well as a rather nice Ric!)
    I'm pretty sure I've seen pics of one like it on here......just can't find it.....!
    (Also like an idiot.....didn't manage to get a pic - phone died....!)
    So.....hopefully you can deduce what it was from a description....!
    - Body - Solid, Sort of Grabber/Ripper/EB-0/Punisher-ish ('plump' double cut)
    - Pickguard - Tort, fairly small, centre of the body, holds pickup but not controls
    - Headstock - 2+2 
    - Pickup - P type at the bridge (a la Vox Standard)

    It sounded monstrous......!

    Anyway.....any ideas?

  4. 4 hours ago, Doctor J said:


    That's not how I read it. It's 529 bands per million inhabitants. Iceland would have 529 metal bands were there one million inhabitants there. Since Iceland doesn't have one million inhabitants, it suggests there are about 196 metal bands in Iceland for a population of 370,000, no?

    Fair point.....oops.....'orry!
    (Blame being half asleep....)

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  5. 3 hours ago, LowB_FTW said:

    I'd say Iceland is doing very well considering there's only a population of around 370,000 or so.

     

    Mark


    Well.....yes
    (Adenoidal whine ensues.....)
    Technically, it's all a question of ratios...... 'per million' would mean there are over 1400 metal bands in Iceland (529bands per 0.37million)

  6. I had something similar a few years back, charming individual kept on trying to grab my mic, but due to the rat's nest of cables across the front of the (rather compact) stage, the PA speaker next to me would also try to make a bid for freedom....
    (The guitard had a moan at me afterwards 'oh just let him have the mic.......ignore him' until I pointed out that I'd prefer not to be sat on by the speaker, or for it to flatten anyone......)

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  7. I have 3 combos, an extension cab, a headphone amp and a guitar amp....


    - Kustom KLA10 - Buzzy little box that cost me £10....!
    - SoundCity SC50 - Not a bad amp, if rather basic, have gigged it a few times....
    - Ashdown MAG250-210 - Great amp, solid, reliable, although not that easy to manhandle up and down two flights of stairs......!
    - Ashdown MAG115 Deep - Bought soon after the MAG250, to add to the noise.......
    - Gallien Krueger Backline 112 - Really good amp, not the lightest, but far easier on the stairs! (Think I got it from someone on here, can't remember)
    - Donner Basement - Does what it needs to (allows me to play/practice without annoying the neighbours!), plus it is rechargable!

    Most are currently stacked in the corner of my bedroom whilst I look for a new band......!

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  8. Basically self taught....


    I am left handed, and had (classical) guitar lessons (LH) for a couple of months when I was about 8 (I got frustrated and gave up as my (still) best mate was (and still is) far better than me.....despite now deciding he is a pianist.....!) About 8yrs later I started (trying) to play my father's guitars (I thought I was being secretive.....he knew....) As a result I was now playing 'right handed' (not really thinking of flipping the guitar/playing 'upside down')

    I had stalled on guitar, so my father suggested I try bass, bought a Jazz copy (complete with hard case and strap!) from a fellow student whilst at uni, then basically went from there......I got a couple of tuition books, and I admit, got bored.....so just then just tried to learn by ear (with varying amounts of success) or looked for/working from TAB/chords (also....varying amounts of success.....!) Made my live debut on my 21st for the band I roadied for, and got my uni band our only gig....!

    I probably have a lot of bad habits, and find 'theory' rather confusing......but who cares.....just gotta find a band now (or rather, get better at herding drummers/singists......the pet guitarist is fairly obedient....!)

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  9. Two occurrences.....one was my band's gig, the other, a band I went to see....
    - Whilst camping in Cornwall my car got written off (some imbecile in a Chelsea tractor drove me into a ditch..), All good.....people I was with said they'd give me a lift to the station at the end of the week so I could catch a train home as I had a gig...on the day, they decided to go to the beach.....cue hurried taxi ride to Bodmin, late trains (someone assaulted the guard)....and frantic calls to my father.....! (during which my phone died....!)
    All was saved when he turned up, at the station, with his car loaded with all my gear.....made it to the gig, just in time (was a bit of a disaster.....but for other reasons...!)
    - Americana band I really enjoy seeing and tried to get my father along to see for ages but he's never made it due to 'other plans' etc......
    Finally secured a date he could make......at my local, and we were all set, then the gig was cancelled a few days before.....
    Pretty valid reason though.......The singer had died! 

  10. 45 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

    Are they mini humbuckers?  I like basses that are a bit different and that is defo on the tasteful side of different.


    I thought they were....but, apparently, they are covered single coils (not sure what type, mind......)

  11. As a fellow JetKing owner (Sunburst in my case), I can agree, they are remarkably good!
    Mine is a tad beaten up (pickguards have warped, and the finish has the odd ding), but was a hardworking main, then deputy gigging weapon for many a year.
    (Admittedly not played in a while...maybe it needs another run out....just need to get back to gigging.....!)
    I swapped the original Top Hats for silver knurls (from my No Name Jazz) after one got lost, the remaining two then went on my Squier Affinity P (in Silver Sparkle), whose Black Knurls are on the Jazz (whose neck volume pot snapped off, so permanently 'on')
    Enjoy the new bass!

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  12. Ha, Jezzaboy, All our drummer wanted to play was Oasis......!
    I totally accept I will have to play dross that gets the plebs up dancing, but my (and my guitarist's) philosophy was to chuck in a couple of 'unknown' and less common songs in - as a punter there have been loads of songs I've heard bands play that have made me go 'oooh......what was that.....!?!' and then discover a 'new' band or 'not heard that in bloody ages......!'

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  13. Oh this all sounds very familiar....and I know I've mentioned it before (sorry...!)
    My last band was one I put together with a guitarist I had played with previously, when his then band split (due to the other guitarist never learning any new songs......), he said from the beginning, apart from a few 'no go's' he was happy to play anything, and it was 'my band'.....(I classed it as 'our's', but it was good to know he basically had my back....!)
    We recruited a drummer I had previously been in a band with a few years previously, found a singer, we all picked and agreed on a set.....
    Then COVID reared it's head......!
    We had a few practices between lockdowns and were getting on pretty well.....it then got to learning some of the songs lower down the list (bearing in mind these had all been agreed by the whole band before the pandemic hiatus.....)
    It soon became clear that the drummer basically only wanted to play his old band's setlist, the singer claimed he 'couldn't sing' anything he didn't like and there were a couple that they both shut down without even listening to them.....
    They then both quit a week before our first gig.....(a Summer Bank Holiday festival slot)
    Two weeks later.....the drummer's old band reformed......and they had a new singer......!
    I admit I do have a few songs I will flat out not play (doesn't everyone?), and a few I really struggle with, so prefer not to butcher, but will always give stuff a punt, even if I am not a fan....

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  14. Cheers KB, I had seen that one too.....was quite tempted by it, or the GS422B Plus
    My only worry was that the Explorer is pretty long (probably longer than a T-Bird due to the more 'extreme' body angles), although I did spot the Explorer on the tree there, so might be ok....!

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  15. I have had failures in the past, so have always taken a back up 'just in case', and they have always been different - 

    - No Name Jazz backing up a Ibanez JTKB200 JetKing
    - JetKing backing Epiphone Explorer
    - Explorer and Squier Affinity P (No real preference as to which is 'main' on the night)

    I now have another P, built by my father's bass player for my 40th, so that will probably become 'Main' with one of the others as 'Back Up', when I get back to gigging etc, so may have a foot in both camps!

  16. Apologies if done to death/wrong place on the forum....(move if need be!)

    What are peoples' views on the above......?
    I've never used them (but them never been asked to either.....)
    I totally understand if you are using backing tracks/lighting/effects etc, where they would be useful, but doesn't having a metronome clacking in your ear just ruin the 'vibe'......also, isn't there the danger of becoming too reliant......?
    (I know from jamming along to stuff on YouTube etc at home, I'm all well and good, but come play it in 'real life'........GULP!)

    I'd like to think that, whatever I'm playing, I can rely on the rest of the band to keep in time, (and to keep up with them.....) and not have that dictated by something in my ear

    (Or am I totally missing the point, need to get to sleep and forget about it.....?)

  17. The two best cars I've had for gear lugging were probably also the most troublesome as actual transport (one certainly was.....!)
    - Mk4 Astra 1.7DTi - could get all of the rig (at the time) into the boot easily, and it was pretty economical.......only problem was that it got to the point that my local garage refused to do any more work on it 'as it isn't fair on us, and it definitely isn't fair on you....' It did a headgasket (took that on the chin....), then proceeded to blow every water pipe on the engine, in series, and so overheated several times, then the turbo failed, followed by the headgasket, again.....!
    - Mk1 Suzuki Ignis - Bonkers little wagon, 90hp (yes ok, not Jaaaaaaag type figures, but going through those skinny little tyres....!) Eager little buzz box, and drop the seats and you have a 4' cube to load (again, not Volvo volumes, but for half the length of a 240.....) But then it started to randomly overheat/lose coolant/be incontinent.....no rhyme or reason, never did it for the garage......Radweld didn't work.....

  18. I was in a previous band with our current guitarist and we were playing his wife's 50th.......

    The Singer (with a history drug and alcohol problems) turned up and decided to get absolutely spifflicated on the Punch made for the party.... to the point he could barely stand up, spends most the evening stumbling around swearing and generally being a complete twonk...... (the other's guitarist's daughters (and several other guests left at this point......))

    Come the actual gig he gets about two songs in before smashes his guitar on the floor, rips the Floyd Rose bridge off, stamps on the guitar then wanders off and disappears, we ended up getting a friend up to finish singing the set......

    Needless to say he didn't last long after that......!

    (I also managed to fall in the pond, but that's another story......)

    • Haha 1
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