uk_lefty

Drummer from my first ever band was taught by the drummer from the crazy world of Arthur Brown (I am the God of hellfire!). And my drummer in that band was ridiculously good. That same band went on stage for our first ever gig immediately following a band who had ex Seahorses bassist on bass. I didn't get to speak to him and all these years later can't remember his name.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1504480153' post='3365190'] I didn't even bother to cut the one I used on a Stingray a few years back - it was one of those scourers with sponge one side and a thin scourer layer on the top - worked a treat stuffed between the pick up and bridge - and it was blue (rather than the yellow and green ones you often see on the supermarket shelves!!) - matched the colour of the bass.... Great for playing early Elvis stuff like My Baby Left Me and Blue Moon of Kentucky. [/quote] I do the same with my precision, a dish sponge does the job perfectly

I don't have two of the same bass, all four of my basses are very different. I often take two basses because I will use both in the gig, not just to have a backup. My wife already can't get her head around why I have four different basses, to add a fifth that was a backup identical to say my p bass would be ridiculous for me, nevermind convincing the wife. With regards a backup for my amp I'd just di from my preamp pedal.

[quote name='LITTLEWING' timestamp='1495786706' post='3306511'] After last night's gig, I think me and the drummer need to get at least a small combo run from the mixer to have at ear height or angled on the floor. The keys (far right) hit the button for a pre-programmed song and by the time we all kicked in, drummer lost the rhythm a smidge and I was trying to keep somewhere in the middle to keep it all kinda sensible. Couldn't wait to get to the end of that number! [/quote] My drummer has a behringer keyboard combo amp placed next to him at his head height giving him a mix from the desk. We use lots of wedges which seem ok but our guitarist is a pa geek and wants to use side fills instead. I trust him that he is right, he was a soundman for touring function bands for a few years.

I'm more worried about theft than damage though the old "my mate wants to have a go on your guitar" is often a fear. I don't trust my home insurance to cover it but have not yet looked in to instrument insurance. I often look at expensive gear and think it would be great if I had time to play and nurture it at home or recording but I would be concerned about taking say a vintage fender to any gig just from the risk of my drummer knocking it off the stage in to a wall or whatever. If I was genuinely worried about the security of a venue I think I'd be di'ing out of a very old zoom pedal and taking my MIM jazz bass which would be worth next to nothing second hand and has plenty of scars already, though I would be very annoyed of beer was spilled on the electrics or the neck was cracked by someone being an idiot.

Nothing to do with money but it annoys me that my band still has photos of the previous bass player and rhythm guitarist prominent on Facebook and our site. I think we should push these to the back to keep things up to date and keep us recognisable. Nothing against either previous member of the band, just about keeping everything relevant

Went for just over five hundred. More than I could justify but hopefully a real bargain for someone

Don't know about good condition, yes the body looks nice but don't these have a habit of the pup dying and they're incredibly hard to replace?

[quote name='squire5' timestamp='1503492138' post='3358662'] Ever do a song and get 1 person clap and then stop very quickly when he realises hes the only one? Our response to that is "Thank you for the clap!" [/quote] I have once said: Don't clap on your own, someone will throw fish for you! Premeditated jokes... Not sure I always like them

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1503339345' post='3357402'] While I wait for mine to get through Customs here in UK here is another one. https://reverb.com/item/5812929-steinberger-xl2-ll-1988-newburgh-left-handed-5999 [/quote] Hefty price tag!! Worth it for sound quality, or just rareness?

That's completely nuts! Would love to see/ hear in action

Gallien Krueger backlines are excellent little amps, older hartke kickbacks, vox are nice too but dated and silly prices. I'd just trawl gumtree or the ads here to find something cheap and local

Superb! Thanks

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1502446859' post='3351477'] I think it's the Sub [/quote] Are you sure? I hope it's the sub but the sub has no "on/off" button on the front of the head which makes me sceptical. It's something that's nice to have for some passages but not permanently on. Just don't want to buy a new footswitch if it's for mute or pre shape..

If you don't like it as is then why not have a go? As long as you don't butcher it then re fretting could be your next project! I imagine a fretless Beatle bass would sound quite good. It's not like you're devaluing a classic original 60's hofner, I say do it.

I've got an ashdown RM 500 head which is great for what I need. I notice it can take an FS-02 footswitch. I have a single button footswitch, not a double, so a single footswitch controls the drive only... Does anyone know what a second button on a footswitch would control? Mute? Pre-shape? Sub? Praying it's sub but suspect it's the pre shape that I never ever use! Would like to know before making a purchase that could be useless! Thank you

Yes! Had a kickback with fifteen inch speaker, excellent amp and they're great value on the second hand market! Not sure about their new stuff though.

We play nutbush city limits because we can stretch out the intro to chat with the audience a bit, it's dead easy to play as a warm up and we can soundcheck during the song if needed, and the intro is layered in terms of who comes in when and how intensely we want to play. Once when the support band let us down we stretched out the intro and I chatted to the audience and introduced the singer who appeared on stage to start the song. We tried everything to stretch out and fill up time

Our drummer this weekend said he was at a middle aged party and the playlist was basically our set list. It's no bad thing, middle aged people can pay bands for their fiftieth, cricket club dinner, etc. Young people stream music for free and face in to the highest cost of living and worst job markets in modern times. I know which market I want to appeal to!

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1502143016' post='3349634'] You bury your kids..? [/quote] hahahahahaha

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1502149763' post='3349656'] It's all about attitude. Every gig I play I make sure I have a blast. It's about having fun and not taking yourself or your band to seriously. We're not that important. Blue [/quote] Couldn't agree more!! All we are is dust in the wind, after all.

I had a Brice Six string years back and didn't get on with it. They're very cheap and you can get some interesting designs but I found them lacking in almost every respect. The body was far too thick and heavy, the neck was not easy to get around and the overall quality of components was not up to standard. The issues with the body meant it wasn't a candidate for upgrades. I would personally avoid these, though in the years that have passed (ten maybe?) I would hope they have improved somewhat. It hasn't put me off six strings but I would definitely want a good trial with one before buying, considering I am not used to six strings.

Amazing what people try to get away with. Years back I used to book the band's for a pub I worked in. Booked a threepiece one night but I wasn't on shift. Two of the guys couldn't play but the main man was a very highly regarded solo act so he took on the gig solo and did fantastic, brought his following too. Bharat manager for the night cut the fee from a hundred quid to thirty because "a hundred for three people, just one guy is thirty". I didn't enjoy handling the phone calls on that one!! Last month played a party for a guy who tried to knock fifty quid off the agreed fee because we were getting "exposure". Exposure for a long established band by playing a private party in an area where 80% of our bookings are... A private party where half the guests were from another country... Unbelievable. Some written log of what was agreed is essential, whether a formal contract or not.

Steve Harris signature pickups. Im not a maiden fan and don't play that kind of music with my band but this pickup, especially with flatwounds (and the signature flatwounds) gives a huge full sound with loads of clarity and presence. It's not old school thump but it is punchy, it's not bright and zingy but it gets your treble out, it's an all-rounder but the main characteristics for me are the sheer power, presence and clarity through this pickup.

Have often thought of it, the wife has even suggested it, but I wouldn't know where to start! Fretted or fretless, or fretless with a brass slap plate... Can't even get past that never mind four or five strings