thumperbob 2002

I once was in a band that used drums on tape. Our drummer left and we couldnt find another one so ( this was the 80s ) as I had my own studio we had a pal of mine come in ( real good drummer- later had massive success in a band as a singer ) and put down the tracks. Done- we had a drummer for that period where we had loads of gigs so could sort the gigs without panicking about a drummer. One night- might have been the first gig- on the encore " the sun aint gonna shine anymore"Walker bros-- the tape machine f**ked up. So I had to play drums and bass. Bum,bum bum- crack- bum,bum bum-crack......" loneliness- is a " It was a first for me and I still laugh about it now.

Good ones always will listen to the bands ideas of what they should sound like- really dislike anyone not being prepared to have an open mind. I think that is what got me so mad with this guy.

Yeah- agree with Silddx- whilst his tone is very defined I think it is a little scooped- bit more low mid and its there. A lot better than the normal muddy tone you hear though. Blame the soundmen methinks- was at the Garmisch festival with BMW Motorrad this year and at the after gig party there was a band playing and whilst their sound was powerful it was simply too bassy for the covers they were playing. On asking the soundman to boost the low mids and reduce the lows he just looked at me as though I was daft. Youngsters eh??

Loved it- thought the bassline was pretty good, just because there are no amazing runs at lightspeed, the song still grooved.

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1348642272' post='1816214'] Regarding the open not being a very good player... just get yourself 3 lessons from a good teacher and learn some basic theory. With that base knowledge song like this take about 5 minutes to learn. Then you realise how most rock/pop/blues all take about 5 minutes to learn! Saves loads and loads of time if you put some effort in up front. [/quote] +1 I remember the days when you had to use a record to work basslines out- now with Youtube and the internet most people dont need ears at all. Think I did this one for my first gig- think I was about 14 and had to learn 20 songs in a couple of weeks, and this one I had to sing too. Could probably do this in a day now. I still think it is great practice to learn these types of song note for note. It may be difficult at the start but do this regularly and it becomes easier and easier. Only if you are having dificulty should you refer to Youtube etc- Most Tab is terrible and hardly ever right.Or start taking lessons and your teacher should show you how to work something like this out. Giving you the tools for the job so to speak.

I have an LM2 and also a Hartke lh1000. I think both amps can be pretty clean (uncoloured ) but using the EQ etc can also be particularly coloured too. Its ok talking about these points in a studio environment ( Hartke too noisy for that )- but for Live use, once you add a cab and god forbid people in a strange sized room ( Venue ) - forget about uncoloured tone - sometimes its jsut a battle to get a good sound and to be heard above the band.

Bought a hartke 4x10 off Pablo. Great guy to deal with. Item exactly a described very very well packed.

VLE on full? Wont this scoop your tone in like a massive way. I use my LM2 more or less flat with just a little VLE ( as the cab is really quite middy.) No doubt will sound good at home but on a gig..........

My band are so busy I have another bass player depping- he does about 3 gigs per month- I do the other 3. All function work- couple of residencies too. Time to cater for what the audience want? ( within what is reasonable- as in- songs all the band like and are funky )

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1337162810' post='1656329'] I've had tinnitus for a while now. In fact, I've probably had it far longer than I realise, because I didn't get it from music ... I got it from spending far too much time riding very loud motorbikes (Buells with Vance & Hines or Screaming Eagles pipes, KTMs fitted with Akropovic systems, etc.). It was only getting back into music that led to me realising how much damage I'd done. I now routinely wear ER15s when playing or ER25s at other people's gigs, and that's stopping the damage getting any (much?) worse, but as I understand it I have little chance of getting rid of it. On a side note, I have a full medical every year, including a proper hearing test. My hearing is near perfect, the only issue being a dip in the right ear's sensitivity at one frequency, which was apparently caused by being in the shooting team at school - in those days, ear defenders were for wimps. Allegedly. So tinnitus doesn't necessarily degrade your hearing, it can just irritate the hell out of you instead. [/quote] I too ride loud bikes but its not the pipe that does it- it is wind noise- I always wear earplugs on my bikes. I have had the odd occasion on a gig where afterwards I would have ringing in my ears. Never wear earplugs for a gig, but always try to get the band to play in a controlled manner ( eg For F*%ks sake turn it down!! )- luckily no loud geeetars in the band.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1345014450' post='1772235'] Getting gigs is easy if your band is any good. I'd say the hardest thing is to get all the band members to pull in roughly the same direction. [/quote] This most definitely.

I thought getting rid of the bass solo in that one kept the audience interested and was the right thing to do. Entwistle used to change it all the time ( boredom I suppose ) Can you imagine a cover band doing that- to cater to their audience.

[quote name='Grant' timestamp='1344872761' post='1770439'] We've been there. But it takes more than you've mentioned. You have to be a certain type of individual to have the confidence to front a band. If it was just about technique and being able to hold a tune then I'm sure a lot more musicians would be doing it. I get your point though. Although i disagree with your idea that this is "another pointless thread". It's neither "pointless" or "another". It's mine. [/quote] Anyone can front a band- all it takes ( at the start ) is a person who is comfortable being out of their comfort zone. Very easy to get into. I used to front a band or two, whilst playing bass simply because the singer we had wouldnt do anything interesting, and also kept losing their voices on the day of a gig. Its just practice, like anything. Would never class myself as a real singer though. They are a different breed.

Yep- the most common problem with live bass sound. Best thing to do is have a pair of Subs- or one is better than none. However on a wedding gig, in a small venue this should not be a problem- have a discussion with your bandmates and agree to turn down a little. Then enhance the lower mids- 250 boosted and turn up a little. A bass amp of 300w should be able to deal with 100 punters- no problem. You will find that once you get a few bodies in- these people will effectively act as a buffer and will help the bass no end. If only a few punters- very difficult in a bad room. If your sound is at all scooped- you have had it. Boosting the mids on stage will sound a little strange at first but it is always better to be heard.

Send it back. Unless you are driving it too much.

In my opinion most amps can sound much like another, if you know what you are doing. The main thing for me is the features, reliability and weight. I have had them all - would I swap my ( very cheap ) pf500 or mark bass lm 2 fir my old ampeg v4' fender bass man, Marshall Vba 400. Probably not. At the moment we are in bass player heaven with so many great, affordable products on the market. Just try some that you like.

Not many people are tone deaf. Can he tell the difference between a barking dog or a twittering bird? If not it can be worked on. Tell him to try earplugs - bit like putting your fingers in your ears. In my experience ts really about monitoring. If not, just practice. It's true there is a massive difference between good and bad singers but I think anyone who wants to put a bit of time in can become ok.