dc2009

For most of us, basses are not our living and therefore are a luxury item - the vast majority of us never 'need' a new bass, which is why people don't like paying over the odds for one, obviously the more you watch the market the better an idea you probably have of what is over the odds and what is a bargain. In terms of second hand sales, basses seem to be fashionable at some times and unfashionable at others, at least in terms of popularity. In addition, I do understand makers like warwick driving their prices up, in the hope that their RockBass and Pro models will get a better hold on the cheap market, but they are still pitching those instruments at too high a price for people who are feeling the pinch to some extent. I feel Fender is the same with their prices rising too, and having had a spate of some very solid Chinese and Korean basses recently, I really would not be inclined to buy a new 'respected brand name' bass with the current market situation.

[quote name='Davo-London' timestamp='1334415519' post='1615949'] Bonham has an incredible following amongst pro drummers. Peart doesn't. Davo [/quote] Depends which drummers you mean. Peart has influenced many drummers of today, it just depends who you mean and what you listen to.

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1334350528' post='1615161'] Poor oul Neil is getting a rough ride, I actually like his playing a lot, he's nowhere near as busy as a lot of those he influenced. The guy's got good musical sense and knows when to take it easy. My point was more that a lot of drummers who worship him tend to overlook his overall musicality and focus on doing huge rolls and trying to be more clever than they actually are. Neil's ok though. As for Yngwie, I can't listen to his albums but I went to see him play and was thoroughly entertained for 90 minutes. The guy knows how to put on a show, that much is for sure [/quote] I love the switching of the Fender for a cheap strat just before he bashes the thing up!

Golden Square or somewhere similar is the definition of central, green and picnic worthy, and proximate enough to some of the suggested pubs on the list.

I'm keen for this. The dates suggested are after my upcoming exams which suits. Somewhere not too pricey would also be on my ideal list - somewhere such as Chandos (a Sam Smith's place) is a personal favourite for sensibly priced beverages and a cosy atmosphere, just off Trafalgar Square, unless anyone would be averse to such a venue.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1333609448' post='1604058'] I have done plenty over the years - From the West End to Tokyo and in between. A lot of the time you could just be using headphones and no amp, playing to clicks [from a couple a show to nearly the whole show] Plenty of sight reading, but you can get a good run of rehearsals before preview night. Like Doddy says, depping is down to the MD and fixers views on this. But it is usually ok and you would have a small pool of deps [MD/fixer approved] Money is good and depending on the length of run will include holiday pay every 13 weeks. Bigger shows have spin off's, like cast album CD's and DVD's to record [more money] So in short if you are a full time player they are great gigs money wise. You need to be all ears & eyes, and have good discipline and concentration levels. It can become a bit of a bore, so its good to dep out for other gigs when you get the chance [and most do] Garry [/quote] Sounds like good fun if you ask me!

I loved the marshall I had for a while, even if I did think it was so heavy it was going to go through the floorboards... RIP

My band will have a few beers at a practice these days, no more than 3 over a four hour period, usually only two. It's pleasant and chills us out after a long day/week of work etc and helps everyone change into a more 'downtime' mood which makes it a bit more relaxed. I think if it harmed anyone's playing, I'd start to have a problem with it however. My previous band, we would only go out to get the beers etc once we'd finished practicing (used to be a Friday night practice), and admittedly then get hammered, but at least the music was kept separate!

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1333588707' post='1604029'] I've done a bunch of shows on both electric and/or upright. I find them really good fun.You get to work with some really good musicians and read charts too..it's great. It's a totally different gig from playing with a band because not only are you reading,but you have to follow the conductor/MD and make the music groove...sometimes you may be on click too. I find it a very satisfying situation to be in. [/quote] It seemed to be that kind of case from the very limited view I had. I should also add that the trumpet and sax were on one side of the stage, and the other members of the band (of which there had to be keys, bass, drums and at least one guitar) were on the other. I'm not entirely sure what view they would have had of each other so perhaps there were clicks employed. The playing was absolutely top notch, and the guitar tone was about as good as I've ever heard on some of the solo parts. So how does it work Doddy? I mean I was under the impression that what with understudies and all, an actor/actress won't necessarily do all of the ridiculous number of shows scheduled to be performed, is it the same case with the musos?

So my ma took me along to see my first West end stage show this eve, Blood Brothers at the Phoenix theatre, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Anyhow, it was only three songs in that I realised that it wasn't just a CD track playing the backing music! I was highly impressed by the musos throughout the show, and it seemed like mightily fun stuff to play. On that note, I basically wondered if anyone on here has played or plays for similar sorts of productions, and what their general opinion of that type of employment is like, as well as any particularly great (or terrible) memories from such an environment. Dan

Ooooh, not bad value for the full subscription. Tempted

If you're exclusively after pubs then perhaps the north is best as in London it seems you have to be most Landlord's/promotor's bitch when you play for them. I would say that there's probably quite a lot in the way of weddings and similar functions going around London, but almost certainly towards the leafier parts and the southern counties. Hiring a venue in London is more expensive than outside, and many people prefer rural for weddings etc, so I'd imagine everywhere from Berkshire round to Kent would have a lot on offer.

Curiously, I think people playing each will change parameters on their rig to make each sound better, i.e. an EQ for one is not necessarily the best for both

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1327789635' post='1516944'] You may be right. To this end I'm having a custom P built, which I'm hoping will be more Fender than Fender... Edit: Not by Fodera, I may add! [/quote] Quite. I said Fodera because they were the OP's choice, but the same could be said for any custom luthier who has sufficient skill/experience/access to rare timbers.

On the basis that Fodera, like any custom shop can source any old Fender part from old instruments/ebay, I'd get Fodera to build me a custom bass, with the nicest bits off the nicest Fenders (and other brands) I could find. I reckon Fodera could build a Fender better than Fender ever could anyway, unless you think certain build imperfections are part of the 'charm,' in which case you could just get Fodera to build those in deliberately through master craftsmanship, rather than get Fender to build it accidentally through incompetence.

I normally advocate my Hartke for any job, but I don't actually like the sound of my T-bird through it compared to some other amps, it sounded better through my old trace imho.

[quote name='Phil-osopher10' timestamp='1327502266' post='1512427'] Hi, Looking over at TB There is a lot of love for Sadowsky's and I read that review in BGM about the will lee model. Now I have a little Gas, but £2000+ for a bass is a lot of money (maybe one day). so my question is this, If I got a say £200 pound squier or something that played well, could I upgrade the pickups and pre amp and have basically a sadowsky? or is there a lot more to it than that? [/quote] You might love the sound, and preamp, but you can't seriously gauge the playability from an article. Find a cheapish bass that plays as nicely as you are willing to spend on it, and then drop the different electronics into it if you prefer them.

He plays it well, and seems like a seriously cool guy to boot.