bassace

Sorry scalpy, it's an old musicians' joke.

Wasn't there the instance of the percussionist who went to sleep during a five minute rest in a long piece. He then woke up, disoriented and hit the first thing he could find which was a large gong. Which brought the whole orchestra to a stop. So he turned to the audience, bowed and solemnly announced, 'Dinner is served'.

So how much higher do you want you riser to be.

He's very good at singing other people's (mainly Guy Cambers) songs, much like eg Susan Boyle. So no icon. But his concert last night was great, especially the drummer. So busy I was initially thinking there were two kits.

Michael Stipe's appearance on The One Show was one of those TV moments to treasure. He really didn't want to be there.

Misuse of the word 'epicentre'. Plus, what's the point of this nonsense anyway? Bah humbug.

I don't know what all the fuss is about. I thought Tapestry was very good.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1479497278' post='3177072'] I would bet there are a lot of musicians from that golden era that are all approaching 75. Some we know very well most we've never heard of. Blue [/quote] Well, I'm in the latter category, Blue. And I'm 75. So I'd better be very careful on my way to the gig tomorrow. Stratford on Avon if anyone's interested.

My T&G Martin double bass is up for sale. I've had an enquiry from a Levent Suer. Does anyone know him? All info gratefully received.

Could have been Georgie Fame's favourite uncle.

Careful. The Remic Studio mic is liked by the TB guys but this live version less so. I've no first hand experience but our friends across the pond are just that bit ahead of the curve and their opinions are worth taking seriously.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1478546609' post='3169812'] Well I've got a Schaller as has Bassace (Roger, a wiser man than me), we both like them and people have fitted them without drilling using various contraptions. I've drilled mine though [/quote] Not sure about the wise, Pete.

Yes, my Kolstein is very unbalanced across the strings - loud on the E going to quiet on the G - and this is picked up with a piezo. After I saw and heard Pete's Schiller I fitted one and it sorted the imbalance, made the rig feedback free and it cuts through the mix in the band. So much so that I get plenty of compliments from the musos - somewhat to my surprise, may I add. I still prefer a Piezo on my better basses but the mag should certainly not be discounted. And I was quite happy to drill pilot holes for the screws into the fingerboard. They're very small diameter screws.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1478267728' post='3168045'] Bryn Terfel is for the Cheltenham music festival, not the Cheltenham jazz festival. [/quote] Sorry, my big mistake. Note to self: engage brain before operating iPad.

Bryan Terfel - WTF? But Chick Corea with Eddie Gomez will definitely be worth a punt.

Was that their tour bus?

His back catalogue is a lot ballsier than D O'D.

Too bloody right! Probably more important than musicality is a muso's integrity. In over fifty years of playing I've never been let down. Mind you, way back I had a gig on a frosty night 60 miles away and my brother's band were supporting the Stones locally. I was all for going to brother's gig until my Dad gave me the biggest 'lecture' of my life. I've never forgotten that lesson. Ever.

In pre-Internet times I played in a big band. The man had to make a minimum of 54 phone calls per gig. 18x3.

I own both a Crazy8 (compo) and a OneTen. The Ten kicks a serious amount of butt and I have used it on several outdoor gigs to great effect during the year. Also a lot of loud indoor gigs. But I've found that it's quite a dark speaker and I find myself losing mid articulation. If I'm not seeking a lot of volume I prefer the 8 for its tonal range. Tomorrow I have a gig in a carpeted room that will really soak up the mids so I'm going to try a Wizzy 10. Might put the 8 in the motor just in case tho'.

Remember, all those great bass sounds that you hear and strive to emulate have come to you from the studio, either live or recorded, via some high end equipment and in good acoustics. Getting your sound out in a live situation involves a whole load of compromises, not least the way you get your instrument to cut through the sounds put out by the other instruments. Drums and keys will provide the biggest challenges and you will find yourself using more mids than you might normally prefer. Get a sound that works and above all enjoy your music. MBOL is seldom achieved on the stage.

That sounds very encouraging and hope it works well live. In my experience mid-range honk from piezos is often exaggerated. It can always be taken down with some mid reduction, that's when you hear it at home. But you might find that on a gig you need that mid back again and surprisingly you don't notice the honk. Funny that. The J Tone seems like a winner, especially now the Underwood seems to be difficult if not impossible to find these days.

Smashing! Thanks Sylvia.