Japhet

Never really got U2. Bit too sincere for me.

Just put a 2 band John East preamp in my 1995 Stingray 4. Used it at rehearsal last night and am utterly blown away with it. Sounds fabulous and I would seriously recommend it to anyone wanting to beef up the sound on their Ray.

I've found that some of the most talented musicians are also some of the biggest pricks I've ever been associated with. However, my current band has a bunch of guys ranging from pretty good to bloody fantastic and we all get along really well. Everybody pitches in with setting up and carting the gear and we don't have any prima donnas which is crucial. I play for the fun of it - always have, and I feel very privileged to be in with a bunch f good blokes who enjoy what we do.

I've never played with a pick and don't like the sound much either, so songs played that way can be a bit challenging. I also find the transition from finger style to slap a bit tricky (other people make it look effortless). Also not a major problem since I'll usually only play a few bars of slap here and there in an entire gig.

Thanks for the info Doddy. Never thought of it from a writing perspective but that now makes complete sense.

Saw him at Hammersmith too with Richard Cousins playing a Danelectro Longhorn if I remember correctly. My overriding feeling though was that it was identical to the studio albums and I might as well have just listened to them. Very proficient but also very sterile.

Yep, I understand this. What I don't understand is when 'proper' musos tell me that the key of Ab is different to G#.

Spacey,good job you didn't use matey's rig. Can't imagine the sh*t storm if it had gone up in smoke when you were using it!

There's loads, but at the moment I'd love to have a bash at Pump it Up by Elvis Costello. Really good fun to play and the sort of gigs we play I think it would go down a storm.

Damn! Got a gig that night.

In my opinion, it's companies like Lakland and Yamaha (and many more) who keep Fender on their toes. Fender have gone though numerous periods of poor quality but their history and loyal followers keep coming to the rescue.

Rikki Lee Jones. Fabulous album. Bought it the week it came out and never get tired of it.

You might have been better with a GK MB Fusion. I wouldn't rule out Tecamp either (Puma 900 head in the FS section which is nothing to do with me). Have only gone through Markbass amps a couple of times but thought they were a bit bland.

I've always used my thumb (mostly on the bottom string) and 2 fingers. Using my thumb gives a nice meaty thump and I find it keeps the time keeping nice and tight.

Genz Streamliner heads are very cheap used now and would fit the bill if you can find one.

Do you rehearse at gig volume?

Playing in pubs there will always be constraints. In my experience, an un-miked drumkit is plenty loud enough and levels get set accordingly. A bit of kick drum through the PA can help. Good sound separation only happens when band members listen to each other and are sympathetic. As stated before, if you don't have a sound man out front I can't see the point in all going through the PA and it seems like a bit of a modern fad. We normally get a couple of our trusted punters to give us a bit of input as to what the sound is like out front.

Thanks for the input Howie - I'll give the shielding a whirl.

I'm using a Lakland Skyline 55-01 and during gigs if I turn towards my amp it starts to buzz. Turning bass to Passive reduces it somewhat. Have read that these basses have a noisy preamp and I'm considering putting a John East one in it. Anyone got any thoughts? Should I put some shielding in the cavity and if so what should I use? All the leads are good by the way.

Green River is a favourite of mine.

Currently listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers new one, Hypnotic Eye. Stonking stuff and highly recommended if you like TP.

Was going to say Schroeder too.