uk_lefty

Electrical tape. Wickes.

I answered an ad to audition for a funk band with two female singers, one of which was an ex pro on the cabaret type circuit. I turn up and it's all being run by a guitarist, let's call him the band leader. He seems like a nice guy and we get on well. I'm the only bassist. A drummer turns up but he's not very good and anyway he plays stuff like system of a down... No idea why he was invited/ asked to go. Guitarists come and go. None of which are "good enough", i.e. one of them was proper rubbish and another was excellent but I think the band leader felt threatened and didn't want him. Anyway I get on well with everyone, they seem to like me and we meet up a few more weeks. We get a keyboardist. He's bludy awful. Throws in the odd chord here and there but really can't play for toffee. It would be like giving me a go at it. He made loads of noise while setting up about playing festivals and how this festival didn't have some technical piece of kit so it was too amateur etc. Etc. But the guy just really couldn't play. Add to this he had never heard of any popular music from any era. It was hard work. After a second session he was let go. Anyway, the bad band mate turned out to be the band leader. We had two awesome female singers. I thought I was joining a funk band. What songs worked was 80's power ballads like Heart's "Alone". It felt to me like a direction worth pursuing. The band leader likes stereophonics and while it's early days I'm ok playing easy songs we all know just to bash through. But we ended up adding more and more of these stereophonics songs. For a funk band. With female singers. Who sound awesome doing power ballads. He hands out a CD for people to pick songs off. Early 90's rock and indie. Doesn't fit the vision of the band I was sold (jamiroquai etc) or the style of the muso's in the project. He gets abusive when I suggest songs like "I think we're alone now" which would have worked. Proper abusive, like would deserve a punch in the mouth if he was stood in front of you. Weird. Also his tactics for getting rid of people were a bit shoddy. The keyboardist was terrible, we should have just hit him with a shovel and buried him out the back, but instead it was "pack up all your gear, and when he's gone get it all out again". Childish, cowardly, and ridiculous. A waste of time and just stupid. I packed up and just said "nah, it's late. I'm off". The band ended over email. Arguments over song choices and direction. The arguments got silly and I am not to be taken at face value often saying things tongue in cheek, but again got more abuse. Me, the rhythm guitarist and drummer had one jam together, with me filling in on vocals until we could find someone. They wanted me to sing Aerosmith and were annoyed I couldn't do it. I made it clear I'm not a very good singer, perhaps Aerosmith is a bit ambitious? Never saw them again. No idea if the band went anywhere. It's a shame as the girls were awesome singers and worked so well together. I'd have loved to have had a proper band with them in it.

I liked the video. Good for a refresher of what we should be doing. Gave me the idea to work specifically on fills with the drummer so that we are more in sync. We both like to chuck in fills here and there but we need to be doing it together and also being more coordinated about what we play and what feel we create. Good video, right length for getting the point across. Thank you!

The Phil Jones stuff does sound like a great piece of kit but we'll out of my price range I'm afraid! Have ended up buying a Fender rumble 15 off BC marketplace but now am considering getting an electric guitar in the next few months so might be looking at the Blackstar Beam again!!

I was in a similar position in December! An unexpected tax rebate, a trip down Denmark street and most unusual the approval of the wife... Brand new stingray. I went for it in natural but only cos I'm a lefty and I fell in love with the one in the shop. Natural ash body, rosewood board. You can see where your money goes. My other basses at the time were a cheap Kramer, MIM Jazz, MIJ Precision and a Sire Jazz fiver. The Stingray is pretty much the only bass that gets played now. Once I have a drop D tuner on it the Sire will be gone. I traded my MiM jazz in for the Stingray abd while I often think I would like a jazz for balance and having a two pickup option I just can't see past the Stingray for playing live. I get so much big, thick, bassy, tone it's just ideal for belting out 80's covers for people to dance to. The only thing it is not is a fretless. Not sure if the classic is two or three band EQ. Mine is three band and while a lot of people prefer the two band I have never used it so don't have the frame of reference. I think the three band is great. The treble can be a bit wild so I'm glad I've got the rosewood board to keep it a little calmer than a maple board would. Overall, you just can't beat a Stingray for playing live. I had a go on a new MIA jazz and if I was recording or playing a style where the nuances of the bass tone were more important I'd have saved some cash and got the jazz but the Stingray for me is the bass for gigging. Hope that helps. I bang on a lot more about it in the NBD thread I did a short while back. Overall I don't think you'll regret any Stingray.

With my Ashdown Rootmaster I find bypassing the EQ for active basses works best. Having a footswitch in for the overdrive is really useful, but kore useful on the Rootmaster where you can fit a two button switch and do the sub harmonics by footswitch too.

It's one of the only things I can cook that doesn't involve pasta. Ok I'll tell you. Carbonara should never be made with cream. No. The sauce is made of EGGS, pecarino cheese and a splash of water from cooking the pasta. And cubes of bacon. That's it. I don't think I have any other egg recipes, sorry.

For my two penn'orth on the subject... I do enjoy cooking chopped chorizo in a pan to the point the oil leaks from them, throw in some onion and chilli too... Then scramble some eggs in it. Delicious. Top with fresh basil or rocket and get it down yer neck.

It's just a poor attitude. I don't mind if someone says "I've had a listen but not and chance to play it yet" (for a practice, for a audition I'd take a different view!!!) and then they have a go, but to refuse and to not even have a listen and try is poor. Our singer sometimes stops and asks someone more familiar with a new cover what the timing is for coming back in etc. It's fine, it shows he wants to get it right

It's the cost of being in a band. Even if he was note perfect I wouldn't want to gig with a stranger. Sounds like an entitled, deluded so and so... Which is like every keys player I've met.

Jeez how much do your rehearsals cost if he is so out of pocket he needs a gig to cover it?

Simple. String one bass flat, round, flat round and the other round, flat, round, flat.

As if by magic the PC read the device today without me having to reinstall the drivers. However! I'm yet to be able to get the software to do anything with the device but didn't really have time to try. Baby steps! But I know that the pedal and the pc do now connect.

"we should get a keys player!" Me: "I quit." Context: have never met a keys player who isn't some weird sociopath who probably has bodies under their patio. And have never met one who can actually play their instrument.

There's four whole pages of patches... Not included in the 158 page manual. Some really good useable sensible bass tones. There's a fretless patch that is ace for fretless bass, called 80's British Pop or something! There's a 24 Level patch that's good for slap tones... Loads. The Ampeg simulation is good for rock tone. Then there's a load of weird sh!t nobody should ever need to hear, but that's standard with multi FX!

"Ok I'll do it then. Will give them the price and ask whether we need to provide PA, etc." "NO!! I'm in charge of the email. I'll do it" Months pass by...

"have you replied to that enquiry for the gig in June yet?" "No, I don't know him/ her". Great. Three years on we can keep hoping the same handful of people book us for the same events...

If I was recording or playing in a way where every nuance of my sound was important I'd go jazz. However for knocking out 80's rock and pop covers in pubs and at festivals it has to be the Precision (or since December it is the Stingray). The gutsier tone of the precision is what I prefer live.

Don't re spray it but add mini cooper racing stripes!

Truly awful mate. Hope the poor girl isn't left with a scar.

I've got a Fender MIJ 1970 Precision reissue (alder bodied). It's a cracking bass that I really enjoy playing. It currently has a Steve Harris signature pickup that I really like and appreciate however I wouldn't mind getting it closer to the authentic sound for the year. Question is, which pickup would give me that tone? I've had a look at Fender and Seymour Duncan but suspect there are others out there.... Unless this was an era of "generic p bass tone" rather than anything distinct!

That's the one. Looks amazing and I want to use it... Will try faffing about with the drivers again when I get chance.