rushbo

Adam Clayton is guilty of playing really simple lines in a successful band. Mark King is guilty of playing complicated lines in a successful band. These things seem to annoy people. I don't know why. They both seem to fit beautifully into their bands. Everyone is braver and louder and more forthright on the internet than they are in person.

Didn't Carol Kaye play them all?

Do I get a balloon if I get the answer right?

I don't get the hatred...I think it's ok. I've played it a few times with big bands and small ensembles and always enjoyed it. I've listened to the original version and I don't find the bass part particularly offensive. I guess it's one of those tunes that's only popular with the public...

I found it really difficult to get through. In an attempt to reinterpret the songs, it seems the arrangers bypassed the essence of the material - the stuff that makes a song great. The Kronos Quartet are great at this sort of thing - their version of Televisions "Marquee Moon" is stunning - but a lot of this Proms performance was wide of the mark. Vocally, it wasn't great - Laura Mvula mangling "Fame", I found quite painful. I did feel for Marc Almond, having to pitch against an off-kilter version of "Life on Mars", but having said that, it was not a good night for him. Even Paul Buchanan seemed lacklustre and I'm a massive Blue Nile fan. Without a doubt, there was some incredible talent on stage last night, but lots of it was aimed at self gratification rather than creating a fitting tribute. ...but what do I know, I'm just a bassist in an R&B band...

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1469641806' post='3100007'] Best suggestion yet. I'll have a 99, but only if it's a proper original Cadbury's flake [/quote] No, sadly not. It's a 98 - a sort of cover version of Cadbury's Flake. Very similar - a lot of fun to eat, but some say they have a slightly disappointing aftertaste. They're a bit like the ones you get at weddings, but they're quite a bit cheaper. Not to be confused with a 98.9 which is a tribute to a Cadburys Flake. That comes in very similar packaging to a real one and there's loads more of them than there used to be. Not everyone likes them, but some are better than the original 99's, especially if the original 99's are a bit old and tired. I like them all. I've never worried too much about debating the intricacies of each variety. Maybe I should. But I wont.

Hey everybody, it's a nice sunny day and as we've been stuck in here for ages, how about we go down to the park! I've got a football and a couple of Frisbees! Later, we could get ice cream!

It looks like it has mumps.

Peavey TNT. Mine was gigged regularly throughout the 90's and never let me down.

I'm still looking for someone who'll buy my reg which starts SM57....

Just taken delivery of a rather lovely southpaw Jazz Bass neck from Alan. Great communication all the way - buy and sell with confidence. Rushbo

Oh how the nights must fly by at Tim's place.... But seriously, that looks like a lot of fun. And I love the fact that it looks like a 15th century kitchen implement. Well done Tim, you're a nice man.

I'm delighted to say that Chris at Smooth Hound went the extra mile and a half to sort this for me and it now works brilliantly with my Zoom. I don't know what he did, but I'm glad that he did it. Absolutely first class customer service and a first class product.

Chris from Smooth Hound is on the case with a possible solution...I'm pretty sure it's pilot error on my part. Expect a "d'oh!" themed post any time soon...

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1468309436' post='3089933'] Is one balanced and one not? [/quote] Just regular Jack to Jack leads...I did cut down one of the leads that worked best but the noise returned.

[quote name='DanOwens' timestamp='1468256344' post='3089628'] In Wigan I tried to climb up to the stage by placing my foot on a monitor wedge, which promptly flipped over and I fell onto the floor. I was probably only a foot off the ground, fell backwards and I landed on my right arm. It hurt, and caused the band much mirth. Over the next 2 hours it started to swell but I restrung a few guitars (rotating it repeatedly), played the gig, loaded afterwards, drove home and unloaded. I couldn't sleep because of the pain so caught a cab to the hospital... broken elbow. [/quote] I feel your pain...I did something similar recently - 20 minutes before stagetime, I was hanging our backdrop up and standing on a small barstool. I overbalanced and landed on my arm. Much shame and soreness. Did the gig, loaded up drove home, considering popping in to A&E. "It'll be better in the morning", I thought -I took a couple of paracetamol and went to bed. In the morning it wasn't better - off to the hospital I went. Yup...cracked bone just below my elbow. Plaster for a week and not able to turn my wrist without nasty twinges. Fortunately I was able to play Bass once the plaster was off and no problems driving, so I only missed one gig. I'm still a bit sore over a month later, but it's getting better every day - just not fast enough!

OK...after a lot of trial and error, I've identified the source of my noise problem.... I use my Smooth Hound on a board with just my Zoom B3 - both with their own PSU's. If I use a patch lead to connect them (or a hard connector) I get massive noise, unless I use the active setting and whack on the noise reduction. If I use a long (20ft) lead to join the Smooth Hound to the Zoom, the signal is clear with no noise on any setting! I've tried it with the shortest lead I have - about 6ft - and I get a little noise. It seems the shorter the lead, the louder the noise. All my connectors are decent quality, so it's not them that are responsible for the noise. Am I doing something daft or do I have to use a 20ft cable as a patch lead to get a clean signal?

Bought a couple of bargainous sets of strings from Iain - posted quickly and great comms all the way. He's a gent. Buy and sell with confidence. Rushbo

It's a massively broad, intimidating back catalogue. I started with Sheik Yerbouti...a great combination of accessible Rock tunes and otherworldly weirdness. That's a good place to start, along with Overnite Sensation, One Size Fits All and Zoot Allures.

Blimey, if that caught fire, it would burn for days...

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1465726683' post='3070469'] I don't hear a lot of coherent musical criticism in Buddy's rants, more non-specific impotent rage. More targeted criticism would make it clear exactly what parts of the set needed work, but I don't think that's what he was going for. To me the tape sounded like an insecure individual attempting to establish a pecking order, and nothing to do with the quality of the performances. He's not whipping them into shape, but beating them down for his own satisfaction. If more people are more inclined to question that kind of behaviour now, I'm happy about that. [/quote] Exactly this. Very nicely put. Rich's rant says more about his state of mind than the performance of the band. If you have to rule by fear and intimidation then you need to look at yourself, your self esteem and your insecurities very seriously.

Superb. Thanks for sharing that.

A well done relic - ie with a sensible amount of realistic wear and not rotary sanded, set on fire or depth charged - can look superb. After all, it's just another finish option. And it's your choice. If you buy a second hand instrument with a few dings and scratches, do you immediately get them repaired as it's not "your" wear and tear? It's a cosmetic thing, pure and simple. To me, it's just the same as a sunburst, natural or coloured paintjob on an instrument. Make sure it's done convincingly (Limelights are a great example...) and enjoy your bass. If the way it looks makes you want to play it more, then that can only be a good thing.