KevB

I'd happily consider a move to lightweight gear in the future too but why does it all have to be so damned expensive? Is the density of my Trace combo really that integral to the sound? Maybe it wouldn't be so bombproof though so I guess its swings and roundabouts... I had to give up my trace 4x10 cab on the grounds it was steadily driving me to the chiropractor though. Still in my shed iirc, probably stuff living in it by now.

I've often mused about the 'accessibility' of music acts now compared with yesteryear. I'm sure many bands in the past had a bigger impact not just because of the (in some cases) very 'new' music they were playing but also because apart from occasional articles in the music or national press and later TV you wouldn't really see anything of them until you went to see a live show. That in itself gains a certain mystique. In some ways there's too much exposure now. Internet, social media etc. Half the time now if you are going to see an act in the evening you could get on youtube and find some footage of the previous night's show already posted if you were so inclined. The genie's out of the bottle and there's no going back but i wonder if youngsters now get the same 'wow' factor that audience members perceived 40, 50 or more years ago.

Brings back memories of early days. Long before I was gigging, just noodling around trying to teach my self the basics in the 80's, I couldn't afford an amp and used an old hi-fi radio tuner amp I'd had kicking about from who knows when. I wired the output from that into some colossal old Selmer 1x15 cab I'd picked up for next to nothing (the space around the speaker was vast so even though it was only 1x15 the outer dimensions of the cab meant it would have been ungiggable even if I'd had a car). The speaker cone started to split at one point and all i could do to keep it in place was stick a big G-clamp on the outer edge to avoid some of the vibration. It was the most amateurish heath-robinson affair you could think of but it got me by to hear what I was playing through the £30 Columbus jazz I'd bought of an old schoolmate before moving to Nottingham to start higher education. I'm not reccommending anyone buy junk but the concept that you need several grandsworth of gear just to get a good sound and be accepted into a band is thankfully well off the mark.

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1407773688' post='2523860'] Last gig my amp head died so I am currently trawling the web looking for cheap second hand heads which I know is a false economy as they probably wont last five minutes. [/quote] I'm still using the same combo I bought 10 years ago on eBay and haven't had it serviced during that time either. Hardly any of my gear was bought new and some of the cables have been given to me as birthday or xmas presents. Of my whole rig the only thing of any real value that I personally bought new is the bassattack pedal and I've had that a few years now.

Yes I'd forgotten the first albums were actually late 60's. Used to work with a guy who was Living in Leicester in the late 60's and I think he and his wife knew a few of the band, Whitney perhaps.

Can't take photos or record audio with my archaic phone so it stays in the pocket all through the gig. I very occasionally take a camera if I think I'lll be close enough but then it's a couple of quick snaps (a minute at most) and I'm done for the gig. The constant sea of smartphones is becoming tiresome at concerts these days.

Chapman's voice is always going to be something of an 'acquired taste' but they did some good stuff in the 70's, I have a couple of Family/Chapamn related compliations on mp3 and a few family stand alone albums. I recall Fish on his radio show years back enthusing about when he eventually got to meet Chapman and was uncharacteristically starstruck having been a big fan.

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1407602703' post='2522255'] Anyhow back to the topic A good example of not having good skills but being able to do what is needed is Sharon Finn. She's been bass playing for her husband Neil (of crowded house fame). Her skills were dreadful, but nobody apart from any bassist in the crowd would have noticed. She had good timing and sounded good in the mix. Everyone enjoyed the gig and nobody would have noticed. So in my mind, was a good bass performance if you only used your ears! [/quote] I'd forgotten about Mrs Finn. Only seen the band on Later but it was probably a fair representation of what they do live generally. I didn't know who she was until he mentioned it in a chat with Jools. Though from what I recall most of the band is made up of family members anyway so it's one of those nepotism projects you see from time to time in music (think Glen Campbell was doing the same thing toward the end of his career). I see what you mean, she was doing her job but looked very awkward and out of place, bit like she'd wandered in from a Sunday afternoon jam session. Probably doesn't matter as long as she can play what hubby writes. What happens if he fancies doing something complex in the bass dept that he knows she probably can't handle? does he compromise the song or get someone else in and cause ructions at Finn manor?

If you are really keen you could PM our very own Bassassin (Jon) who's well up on all things Japanese 70's and 80's. He can probably tell you a likely year, factory it came from and what the workers had for lunch on the day it was made

I honestly can't recall whether I had a pick from the off or started with fingers and then started experimenting. I certainly don't recall a concious 'switching' point so I'm guessing I played around with both from the start and as I've never had a lesson there were no impositions of what was 'right' from an instructor. I'm equally bang average with either! I suppose if I do have a knack its that I have a pretty good gut feeling about which approach will suit which song the best and swap back and forth during a gig as fits.

Yes there should have been a smiley in there but the editor's gone squiffy and won't let me put them in for some reason.

Can't we just all agree on the fundamental truths and then move on. Bass playing is a mans job. Come on, had one or two of you going for a second there...

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1407318804' post='2519365'] do whatever suits the song. [/quote] This is pretty much my reply whenever this thread routinely surfaces

Indeed. If you are looking at this then you know what it does. If you don't you could go look at all the other ads for the same thing that have all cut and pasted the same description from the manufacturers web site anyway. Because I couldn't be bothered to even do that.

The only time I've picked up any interference from my phone through my amp was when I accidentally left it on top of the combo itself at a jam session once. I've never got a 'signal' to the amp from my phone when its in my pocket even when I've been standing quite close to it. Maybe no one has ever rung me during a gig? I'm not using wireless at the moment though.

I think I do now but it has taken a lot of projects with all sorts of people of varying degrees of delusions of grandeur and abilities to get here. As it happens I discount my current band as I never auditioned for them, just turned up to a paid gig with crossed fingers and having learned their set list. I still wonder if I had auditioned and been offered it would i have actually taken the job on!

I'm not sure, we did suspicious minds on sat and I tried to do as many daft fills as my ability allowed on the G's of the outtro (I'm no Jerry Scheff) and there were a couple of old boys at the front who seemed to be enjoying it enormously. I had them down as probable proper players who were pissing themselves at my cackhandedness though...

Ah, dear old Dakota. The modern Mustang Sally for the Oasis generation. Done it in at least 3 bands now. The problem with it is if you start messing about with it too much in an attempt to 'put your own stamp on it' it invariably ends up with embelishments and runs that aren't in the original and before you know it you're playing all over some of the subtleties of one of the guitar lines. The current band has its own way of doing it arrangement wise and it goes down well but I don't over-egg it too much basswise, it doesn't really work. It also seems to be favourite by leader to do as a soundcheck so I end up playing it twice every gig!

Agree that its a no no using them during a performance but its overkill not to take them to a gig at all. Theres always some downtime between soundcheck and the first set and then a break between sets. We've had people approach us about booking us for weddings during the break between sets so having a device at hand to immediately access the band online gig diary, swapping contact numbers etc, can be useful.

Might be, Ray, might be

Back from one of our regular bookings and my least fave of all the venues. Frequently seems to be a fight waiting to happen and I virtually ended up in the middle of one as I was taking my bass, ext lead and lights out to the car got sandwiched in the doorway as one drunk thug was trying to get back in whilst a second drunk thug was pushing me from behind so he could get out at the other one. Police were called eventually when the bouncers looked like they may be outnumbered. All back home in one piece and cash dutifully tucked away. Alternative Lidl trolley given a spin tonight, piled plenty of gear on it.

It did OK, did my load/unload in 2 rather than 3 trips but I don't think it will be able to cope with even a moderate kerb which my 2 wheeler can manage, decent at the price though. Doesn't take up a massive space in the car.

I already have a 2 wheel sack truck but at this price thought I'd pick one up to test it out at tonight's gig and compare. Just a quick note to anyone who goes in their local Lidl and can't find one, mine was the last in the store and they'd moved it to a back room to free up space. So if you don't see it ASK, there could be some knocking around that the public can't get at!

Not been in Music Inn for ages (does the miserable old bag still run it?) but as said before it's your nearest. They used to have about as much gear as anywhere else in city centre but that's not saying a lot these days. I recall I traded in a combo and a washburn there to get a cheapo semi acoustic I needed for a gig. On reflection I got a pretty lousy deal, only ever bought strings from them since and that must be 5 or 6 years ago at least.