borisbrain

[i]The Big Wheel [/i]is bassman Bruce Thomas' collection of anecdotes from his time with Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Legend has it that it was this book that got him fired from the band, but by his own admission this was a legend which he himself conjured up in order to stoke up sales. There's nothing particularly bad said about EC, though the anecdotes are sometimes a little on the dour side. Others are quite hilarious. Certainly worth a read. IIRC, a copy of [i]TBW [/i]changes hands quite frequently in the Recycling section of the BC marketplace. BB

I recently asked Bruce Thomas (of Elvis Costello's Attractions) about his signature sound on classic early LPs and he was kind enough to give some detailed and useful advice on guitars, amps, speakers, effects, EQ settings and more. BT has set up a blogging website at www.brucethomas.co.uk and he is known to get quite chatty with some of his correspondents, along with posting some general interest or nostalgic morsels. Still not much love lost between him and EC though... BB

Greetings fellow lefty. Bestaluck, BB

Welcome. Don't worry about lack of funds - most of us are skint here! Just keep playing along to your favourite tunes, or YouTube vids, and you'll pick up an awful lot. Bestaluck, BB

Pick, pluck, slap, anything but head-butt... Have fun, BB

Greetings - have fun. BB

I'm forever having to remind our guitarists what the chords are... BB

You could probably fit our typical audience on the [i]stage. [/i]Sigh... Bestaluck, BB

A very warm welcome to ya... BB

Funny, I was having this conversation earlier this evening when I was asked what punk was by a lad of 21 or so. I felt like I'd been asked the facts of life... All I could really say was that it depends on whose version you want to believe, as some people can get really picky about this sort of thing. There are those who say it was born from a DIY sense of fashion and clothing, hence all the ripped tights and safety pins - they generally held people's clothes together rather than any great statement of fashion. This developed into a DIY approach to music, as bands with little or no musical training pushed aside all the dreadfully boring prog rock bands of the time, when it was [i]de rigeur [/i]to watch Rick Wakeman play a 45 minute solo across 8 different keyboards, or all the pomp and posturing of glam rock. In this version of punk history, the key bands were Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, even Joy Division. There are others who proclaim that punk was born in New York in the mid 70s with the likes of The Ramones, Iggy & The Stooges, and Blondie at CBGBs. Others trace it back to bands like The Kinks. I have no strong opinions, but I'm glad that it all happened. Keeps me out of mischief nowadays... BB

Nah. If the sound doesn't displace the internal organs, it ain't worth playin'... BB

http://www.thomann.de/gb/pro_snake_bassamp_speakercable_15_m.htm BB

There are of course many BCers with many tastes - I can only speak for myself. I have only two basses - both Fenders, but neither are American (a MiM Jazz and a CiJ Precision which serve me well). I've only ever owned two other basses - a Westone Thunder 1A (hear that? A collective BC pang of nostalgia...) and an Ibanez Musician (a lesser groan of "damn, he's as old as me..."). Amps? I've used HH, Laney, Line 6, Trace Elliot and Ampeg. I like what I've got, but I'm not slavish to any brands. It's always horses for courses. My current Ampeg rig has a lovely tone, but at 45 I hate carrying the bloody thing around. My P bass is a recent addition, more for authenticity of sound in the punk band I'm in, but the pickup is underpowered. If I went back to playing pop or - gulp - slap, then I'd probably get a Warwick. I can't really afford to be gregarious with brands - it's always horses for courses. Bit like owning a car I guess - people will always defend and recommend what they have, but there are always better ones out there. Like I said - this is just me. There are some members here with 10 or 15 different P Basses. Nothing wrong with that all, and as with all things, it's a matter of how they make you feel. My first ever eleccy guitar of any kind was a nasty Kay guitar from Woolworths, and I felt like a king when I first got that... BB

With the exception of Robert Fripp (who was boring to the point of respiratory failure - I actually fell asleep), I can't recall any other gigs I've seen where a guitarist played sitting down. Drummers and some keyboard/piano players have a fair enough excuse, but to me anybody else needs to be upright. Unless you're in an orchestra... BB

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1370542736' post='2102497'] Right.....time for spot the technophobe !! I don't understand, full stop, how do these things work, what are they trying to achieve, is the idea that I plug my bass into a laptop, output the laptop into a power amp and then on to a "lightweight" Ampeg 8x10 cab if that the idea doesn't the weight of the 8x10 cab somewhat outweigh (if you'll pardon the pun) the saving of not carrying the genuine head to the gig? Is this just a recording tool, in which case I can understand its usage? Spare a dime for the technophobe guv!! [/quote] Your ten cents, good sir. It is indeed a digital recording plug-in for the likes of ProTools or Logic Pro (computer-based music recording/mixing software). Once your bassline is digitally recorded, it can be sent to this adjustable Ampeg emulator. It's one of many amp emulator plug-ins around - they don't affect your original recording, they just add emulation effects in the mix. Having said that, there's nothing to stop you using it as an in-line effect on stage, via a laptop or iPad, or iPad-hybrid stomp box. It means you can emulate the Ampeg sound (amp and speakers) through a lesser rig. Quite handy if you don't want to carry around an 8x10 Ampeg cabinet that feels like it's full of bricks... Hope this helps, BB

[quote name='iceonaboy' timestamp='1370527946' post='2102246'] My gripe is noise between songs. Our guitarist has some kind of compulsory disorder where , even after hours of exhausting rehearsals, he still has to play parts of the song before we start, giving away whats coming and sounding dreadfully unprofessional. Our drummer also has some kind of urge to rehearse triplets in between songs. This turns into a cacophony of mess, which annoys the f*** out of me. You never hear a professional band doing this and its the biggest disappointment I have with my band [/quote] Ooh, this is awful. Would it jeopardise your position in the band if you were to give one or both of 'em a slap?! BB

Welcome Magne (albeit a little belated). Good to have a cosmopolitan crowd here - I guess you're pretty much on top of the world. Say hello to Lyra when you see her next... Stay groovy, BB

+1 for the Precision (!) but if I had to choose, I'd go for the Ibanez. I used to have a Musician back in the day, which had some great tone. In the end I found it too heavy and traded it in for a MiM Jazz which I still have (now, [i]there's[/i] another thought...), and I recently bought Jap Precision which I also love. I guess a lot will depend on the style of music you're gonna be playing. For rock, I'd head for the P-Bass or the Yammy. For pop I'd head towards the Ibanez or the Jazz. But that's just me. Keep GASing, BB

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1370463455' post='2101462'] I can recommend internet dating. It does work. You need to fish though a few "frogs", but there are nice ladies out there. Trust me, I was 50 when I became single again. You can also look out for people's interests, and declare your interest in playing music. If they don't like it, avoid them. There IS someone out there who'll love you for it. That's that way I met my Mrs G who's with me now. Rich [/quote] Thanks Rich, I may give it a whirl BB

Yup, all of this has a familiar ring. Recently split up after 10 years with the other half. She would tolerate the gigs but there was clearly resentment. And when there was nothing left in common at all, we ended up going our separate ways. Singledom in yer mid 40s ain't fun... BB

I occasionally feel it in my shoulders if I've done consecutive gigs on Friday and Saturday nights. What's worse is the backline. I love the tone, but sometimes the thought of lugging that Ampeg rig around gives me the shivers... BB

I'm not a fan of stage clutter - it doesn't do much to convey professionalism. And as for bands, I always think it's a shame when players look disinterested. I saw a pub band the other day - musically very competent, but neither guitarist took their eyes off floor or fretboard for the entire evening, remaining rooted to the spot. The singer looked bored all the way through, and occasionally sang whilst reading from a pocket book of lyrics. I'm not sure she made any eye contact with the audience at all, and frequently walked off stage for a drink during a guitar solo. I understand that some bands don't like to prostitute themselves to the trappings of the business, but this was a pub band in Bromsgrove. Even a little stagecraft goes a long way... BB

It's hard, but it comes with time and practice. I already sing lead vox on about a quarter of the set anyway, and occasionally have had to sing all of it. If you're looking at doing more Bvox, then the main focus will still be on your lead singer anyway so your main focus should still be the bass. If you're looking at doing lead vox, then as others have said - simplify the bass if necessary and concentrate on projecting the voice. Eyes on the crowd at all times. Bestaluck. BB