stewblack

[quote name='Bidd' post='71499' date='Oct 9 2007, 12:17 PM']After a new lineup (different drummer (who is absolfrickinlutely amazing), one guitarist instead of two, and no keys/sax) my band (The Gravel Shifters) have decided to change band name, as our musical style has changed from Chicago/Texas style gritty blues to a more audience appealing "Funky-Blues-Rock-Latino" quartet. Problem is we can't think of a name, and I've wondered if any of you have been in the same situation By the way we're going to play songs like: David Bowie - Let's Dance Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground (I have a cool effect through my Boss GT-6B) Santana - Black Magic Woman (Funkier with a Latino style jam ending) James Brown - Play That Funky Music Gary Moore - Oh Pretty Woman (Funkier version)[/quote] We've got a perfectly good name but other members of the band don't like it so we're all coming up with ideas, putting our favourites on a list and having a vote. At the end of the day once a name is used often enough even a really bad one sounds ok. look at Oasis. Dreadful name conjuring up all sorts of naff and cheezy conotations but no one notices now.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='70479' date='Oct 7 2007, 12:06 AM']NiMH batteries have significantly MORE capacity than alkalines under heavy load. However the majority of NiMH batteries have a high self-discharge rate which makes them unsuitable for low load environments (like in active bass electronics). NiMH are far better than alkalines in digital cameras etc. Alex[/quote] I was thinking rather for the wireless transmitter than for the active bass electronics - the duracell in there lasts for ever - is the wireless transmitter low or high load?

Thanks guys/gals - great advice as ever!

Having had my wireless go down on me at the last gig I decided to take the bull by the horns and organise my battery situation once and for all. I've been reliably informed that rechargeable batteries are much better these days, holding power longer and delivering more oomph to where it's needed. So I thought I'd go for a charger that did four 9V batteries simultaneously (I use them elsewhere too) and a tester to make sure the thing is up to speed before every gig and with a spare waiting in the wings I'd be well prepared. Then last night I'm collecting PA bits from our hire guy and he says 'Oh no mate, rechargeables are hopeless for that kind of use. They never charge up enough you won't drain them sufficiently by use in a wireless and they learn to only work on half charge' I of course smiled and edged away as one will in the presence of dangerous mad men - but did he actually have some kind of point? Would I be wasting my time and hard earned? It's just with Duracells up at an exorbitant price it would be nice to sort this out.

[quote name='neepheid' post='68001' date='Oct 1 2007, 09:30 AM']I think he means that zero feedback types will still have their bids removed, even if [i]they[/i] bid in the last five seconds. I think people with OK feedback will be fine.[/quote] Ah I see.

[quote name='metaltime' post='67522' date='Sep 29 2007, 10:34 PM']stewblack Having looked through a few musicman ads on ebay alot of them say musicman/olp as a brand, i guess it must be a standard thing. Also what i think he means is he dosnt want people with no feedback or low feedback to bid so he is saying thay cant try to bid in the last few seconds so he has to sell it to them. Thats how i read it anyway its a weird one but i would want to no whats under the leather.[/quote] A bit odd though - if I was selling an original Music Man I wouldn't want people to thing it was just an OLP. I understand the zero feedback bit but it's the no winning bids in the last 5 seconds part that seemed a tad pointless. If I was going to snipe with 4 seconds to go - well all I now need to do is do it with 9 seconds to go.

[quote name='ZPQ' post='67472' date='Sep 29 2007, 07:46 PM']Anyone seen anything like this before? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ernie-Ball-Musicman-Stingray-Bass-Guitar-Fretless_W0QQitemZ250170683987QQihZ015QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ernie-Ball-Musicman-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] Not sure if it's hideous or cool.... new stratchplate will help. I wonder what is under the leather. Cheers John[/quote] 2 interesting things - why is it listed music man / olp? and why don't you win in the last 5 seconds? All that does is shorten the auction by 5 seconds! Now 6 to go = 1 to go. (Oh and it's bloody odd isn't it btw)

[quote name='OldGit' post='58917' date='Sep 11 2007, 07:32 PM']so ... do two verses and the middle bit and then morph it into something else like Play that Funky Music and it will work a lot better... OG[/quote] Uncanny - our weddings/party band did it's second wedding gig last weekend (they've both been for mates from our local boozer so virtually the same crowd both times) and we did exactly that played Superstition in E up to end of second chorusy bit then solos then when we came out of the solos presto! and we were playing Funky Music - worked a treat, back to Superstition for a rousing finale. Lots of good points here, I've e-mailed this thread to the band. The one idea we had which works a treat is get the b&g to nominate a few fave songs prior to the do and we learn one each for them both and that's the final encore. Groom chose In A Rut and bride chose Superstition, first wedding it was Fireball XL5 and Brimful Of Asha !! This meant they remembered us doing their special faves at the end and were filled with love for the band. Next wedding we've got isn't mates and we're breaking so many rules. No 1 our drummer is in Greece so we've got an old mate depping, only time for two practices with him, which suggests we'll be flying a little close to the wind, however as we are a last minute stand in for their first choice we're doing them a bit of a favour.

[quote name='The_D' post='65962' date='Sep 26 2007, 04:28 PM']This is a better version [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfDE-ZvfOwU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfDE-ZvfOwU[/url] I think the overall sound is much better. John stands out in the mix like he should lol[/quote] I say - that's rather good isn't it?

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='65148' date='Sep 25 2007, 07:01 AM']If we are going to get that sort of snobbery towards hobby bassists, I personally will stop contributing to this forum. That's the sort of condescending attitude i'd expect a guitarist to make towards a bass player [/quote] Whilst I have always played in gigging bands, though many didn't gig that regularly and certainly not well paid or prestigious gigs, and I love the buzz that I get when I connect with another musician , I utterly support you in your post. The attitude to which you refer is some kind of rank snobbery and best ignored. Your posts, your experience and your ideas are as valuable on this forum as would be those of a professional musician gigging 300 times a year. One of the bands I'm in hardly ever gigs and to be honest we don't care the most important thing for us is songwriting and recording. So please don't stop posting, I've always found the majority of people here helpful, wise, funny and without a grain of the patronising attitude which irked you so much.

I'm sure I'll get used to it, and it wasn't a favourite bass but I am going to notice it every time I pick it up and of course it reduces resaleability. Not to worry - I'll get over it.

Can't talk about reliability having only had mine since the summer but I can recommend the fantastic sound. I use the 2X10 either on it's own or as part of a stereo set up, it's truly lovely.

How easy / recommendable is repairing a ding to the neck of a bass? I've had one returned from a 'mate' without a word to say "Oh by the way I've put a sodding great dent into the top edge of the neck between the dots on the first and second fret. You can't miss it, you'll see it every time you pick the thing up and play it." So any ideas (apart from the obvious - he's never going to pay for it or repair it or even admit knowledge of it. Lesson learned suffice it to say).

I certainly didn't mean to imply they aren't value for money - there's a couple of stingray 5's on the bay and I could have bought 4 of my olp's for the same money! This is a great bass to try and see if you get on with a five and like the stingray shape.

[quote name='gilmour' post='60429' date='Sep 14 2007, 03:08 PM']Sorry I have a reall Nooby question - What does GAS stand for? I see it all the time here, I think it's something to do with wanting to buy new kit? Also slightly less nooby. What sort of quality is the OLP kit, I've seen some fiarly decent looking OLP stingray 5's. DO they even begin to compare to the real MM?[/quote] I play one - it's revolting to look at but that's just the colour and all the frets were falling out when i got it which was a pain but not a common complaint I hear. It has a very punchy powerful output I can't begin to play this at full volume without a growl which some like - i don't. great versatility of sound, plays well and looks like a stingray... but. I will one day buy a stingray 5 and replace it. Now I'm the last person you'd call a gear snob, happily own and use a bit of Behringer kit because frankly it's loads better than most people think and very reasonably priced and if this was as good as a 'ray I'd stick with it. But compared with my stingray 4 it's just not quite there. Hard to put your finger on it but it's somehow a blunter object, harder around the edges in an almost indefinable way. When you hold a 'Ray you go mmmmmm when you hold an OLP you go mm hmm. Not bad at all but not great. Watch out where sub's are concerned I've seen them going for silly prices. People making a deal of the fact that they're not made any more so are collectable. I saw a second hand one on the bay for more than I paid for my second hand stingray!

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='57573' date='Sep 8 2007, 10:39 PM']Just finised working on "one of these nights" by The Eagles & "Dancing In The Moonlight" by Thin Lizzy. I seem to have hit a bit of a brickwall where my technique is rubbish but I can't seem to correct it. I know you shouldn't comapre yourself to other people but guys on Youtube etc seem to have brilliant hand shapes when they are fretting but mine still are a real struggle after a year[/quote] Never look at another bassist and compare yourself negatively, mate, that way lieth madness! There's no way to know how you look and sound to someone else - we can't be out of our bodies so to speak and switching off self criticism and self consciousness is downright impossible. If you've been playing for a year then give yourself a break, I wasn't playing Thin Lizzy basslines a year in. The ease with the instrument, the way other bass players look comes naturally with time but you won't see it anyway, that's for other people to notice I'm afraid. As far as songs go, it doesn't really matter how tough it is to play, it's the repetition and the attention to detail that will improve your technique. I could list songs but you might hate them! Pick stuff you like the sound of there's bound to be something you find difficult to play. then, once you've mastered it you've moved on. Even the simplest sounding bassline probably has some subtle nuance which is important to master. Also you can try finding other places on the fretboard to play the stuff you've learned - it stretches you physically and mentally and helps reinforce the different places different notes can be found. Hope that helps (I will try and come up with some song ideas)

[quote name='Deep Thought' post='57545' date='Sep 8 2007, 10:02 PM']How many of you folks have specific stuff to wear onstage, or do you just play in what you got out of bed in? Obviously tribute bands have to make some sort of effort to emulate those to whom they are paying tribute, but how many have proper stage clothing, and I suppose it would be remiss of me not to ask for photographs?[/quote] I got in the habit of wearing a suit when playing in a ska band and find I prefer it now. It helps me get into character so to speak. Even if I'm wearing a t shirt underneath I still like to wear a suit on stage. Having recently started a new job which demands I wear a suit and tie every day I'm wondering if the stage gear will now need to smarten down to compensate.

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='57466' date='Sep 8 2007, 06:42 PM']Hi Guys, I've gone beyond learning easy stuff and i'm looking for intermidiate bass lines to learn but i'm struggling for ideas....any suggestions?[/quote] Give us a few examples of what you've been learning - it'll be easier to judge what might represent a 'step up' from where you are.

I love when you post this kind of information Alex. You convey great knowledge in a clear understandable way. Not saying I clearly understand all of it but am sufficiently interested by your posts to investigate further where I may by unclear. Thank you.

Looks beautiful, congrats!

[quote name='OldGit' post='56711' date='Sep 6 2007, 09:47 PM']Aw ta mate .. could you arrange to be at every gig then? t'average punter only goes wow at the "training lights" on the side of the neck [/quote] Hey - some of us have an eye for quality and if you're really completely fed up with it and just couldn't be bothered to ask anyone for money I'd be prepared to take it off your hands. Shall we meet at Magor as per usual? No, no you don't need to thank me.

[quote name='OldGit' post='56447' date='Sep 6 2007, 12:28 PM']Number Two Shuker's on the way. Call me shallow but the public (and even bass players) don't look at the P5 and go "wow" ..[/quote] Have to say mate, even though I only saw it briefly in the boot of your car in a rainy car park - I definitely thought Wow!

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='55383' date='Sep 4 2007, 04:46 PM']I use the c-tech pocket rockit v2 [url="http://www.musicstreet.co.uk/ctechpocketrockitv2forguitar-p-1271.html?language=en&name=C-Tech%20Pocket%20Rockit%20V2%20for%20Guitar"]http://www.musicstreet.co.uk/ctechpocketro...%20for%20Guitar[/url] It's briliiant and has various diffrerent effects distortion / delay etc and a metronome as well as a line in and out socket so i can plug in my mp3 player in. I use nothing else to practice with.[/quote] They are excellent aren't they? I take my old version Rockit with me if I'm trying out a bass just because the sound is so true. In fact I just noticed I'm wearing it on my avatar!