solo4652

WHAT!?? You mean it's not really a 1970's Fender Precision!!!? Steve

Here's my No. 3 bass. Bought recently for £75. I've added a brass nut, and I've shielded the cavities with best-quality maxi-turkey foil (on offer at local Co-op). Bit of spraying of pots to get rid of some minor crackling. Bass looks like it's had a fair bit of use - see mojo on body, neck and headstock. Plays really well - very clear, deep lows - just like a classic P-bass. Tone full-on gives a surprising amount of top, and rolling it off a little gives a very satisfying, smooth funk tone without being indistinct or blurred. Tell me what you think: [attachment=26770:Blondie_1.JPG] [attachment=26771:Blondie_3.JPG] [attachment=26772:Blondie_4.JPG] [attachment=26773:Blondie_5.JPG] Steve

Hi, Took delivery of my "new" Stingray today. It was made in February 2000 and remained hanging up in the Bass World shop in Kent until Friday, when I bought it. Pearl Lavender body, and rosewood fingerboard. However, when I unpacked it - SHOCK - no frets! Not even lines. Gulp. I emailed the serial number to Musicman and they confirmed the manufacture date. They also said that "It's quite possible this is the only one like this (Fretless, Pearl Lavender, Rosewood) we ever made". The colour was discontinued in 2002. So, possibly a unique, unused bass that's already 9 years old! Off to the instrument Tech. today for a set-up. Pictures: [attachment=26764:Stingray_1.JPG] [attachment=26765:Stingray_2.JPG] [attachment=26766:Stingray_4.JPG] Steve

Nothing to do with me. Thought somebody might be intersted in it. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-V940-ACTIVE-BASS-BUBINGA-SAH-260_W0QQitemZ350208882091QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item518a1375ab&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-V940-ACTIVE-...%3A1%7C294%3A30[/url]

I'm flying back from holiday late on Saturday, but should be able to come along. I can bring: G&L Tribute L-2000, 1987 Peavey Fury (For Sale) and an interesting, fake-aged, fake-Fender Vintage V4. Could you send me details please? Thanks, Steve

[quote name='tayste_2000' post='504567' date='Jun 3 2009, 11:51 AM']All sounds good, if you ever want to meet up I can give you a lot of advice for live playing, I'm planning a little basschat gathering in Stockport in the next few weeks, where no doubt Monz will be. If these are classic motown songs then I'd get the set list and go search the net for chords and tabs to save time and sit down and find a happy medium in your ability of what you want to play and what you don't feel comfortable with yet. Interms of gear you just need to put flats on the basses you're using, you can then get away with 1 bass as I've never seen anyone EVER break a flatwound string [/quote] Let me know about the Stockport basschat gathering. Would there be the chance to try each others' basses? That'd be good. I'm thinking about throwing some flatwounds onto my Vintage V4 beater bass. However, I'm totally convinced I'll just [i]have[/i] to buy a MIA P-bass...

[quote name='BassBunny' post='504343' date='Jun 2 2009, 11:25 PM']Hi Steve, What happened to the band John F was trying to put together? Did his colourful language get the better of you. The Soul/Motown gig sounds a cracker. As you know that is my favourite music. Do you know who it is by any chance, cause I might. All the advice above is spot on and I can't add anything other than managing the singers expectations. Not of YOUR playing, but the band in general. If he is used to singing to professionally recorded backing tracks, everything will be there. Strings, Brass, and all the Bells and Whistles. If it is a large backing band, (8-10 people), you stand a chance of getting near the backing tracks, but if it a 5 piece, there is likely to be something missing. Have been through a similar scenario and we got there in the end, but after some tantrums from the singer. Good Luck mate and you always know where I am.[/quote] Hello mate, Never did get to jam with John because - well, I think you've worked it out already. The soul singer is Matt Philips. See: [url="http://www.melodypop.co.uk/mattphilips/"]http://www.melodypop.co.uk/mattphilips/[/url] He's a friendly, approachable chap. Great soul singer too. This project has only just got started. Matt's manager is putting the band together. She envisages a 5-piece. [b]DRUMMER, LEAD GUITAR, KEYBOARD PLAYER STILL NEEDED.[/b] Like you, I'm wondering how we'll manage all the brass, sax, strings etc of the wall of sound. I wonder if some of that will still have to be on backing tracks, but I don't know. My reservations are giving way to excitement now. Today's job: The bassline on "You're the first, last..." by Barry White. I may very well be in touch for some advice about kit - I'm going to have to upgrade the combo and I'll [i]definitely[/i] have to buy another bass - no question about that at all! Cheers, Steve

Thank you to all the above for your help and encouragement. Interestingly, nobody has said "Don't do it". So, I've asked for the chord charts and I'm going to start slowly, keep it simple to begin with and see how well I can do.

Thanks to the messages of support so far. Yes, 'm lacking in some confidence, but I'm very willing to put in lots of time and effort to do the best I can. Of course, there's one good thing to look forward to - I just [i]have [/i] to buy a new bass...

The indie-folk duo came to nothing - they backed out before the first jam session, despite all the time I'd put in writing basslines for their songs. I've been invited to be part of a backing band for a professional soul/motown singer. Gulp. He performs 2 - 3 times a week already, using backing tracks, and he's very good. The target is playing 3 songs at a big showcase event in Coventry in November where the audience will be loads of agents and bookers for holiday parks, club chains, cruises etc. To prepare the band for that, the singer's manager has said she will organise some "taster" gigs for us in local clubs, hotels and charity events. After that November showcase, it could become 3 - 4 gigs a week to audiences of 200 - 300. The thing is, this is semi-pro stuff and I'm scared. I've never played live, and I've only been playing bass at all for a little over a year. I'm just wondering if this is running before walking. I could say now that It's a bit too much too soon, but you've got to start somewhere, and I've already said "Thanks but no thanks" to 3 other bassist "vacancies" because I didn't think they were right for me. How long can you go on being picky and choosy? I've discussed my (in)experience with the singer's agent and the response was "That's OK. We'll take our time and get it right. We like your attitude and your honesty" I'm in a bit of a spin here so any helpful thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Steve

[quote name='clauster' post='500551' date='May 29 2009, 07:11 AM']Yorick, get yourself on Bandmix and Musofinder and you'll have a steady stream of requests from bands interested in your services. Today is the first day of the rest of your bass playing life![/quote] There are opportunities out there, especially if you have previous band experience - which clearly you do. I've had the most responses from ads I placed on Gumtree and Partysounds, with very little coming back from Musofinder. Good luck to you - I've been trying to find the "right" band for months now and it's far more time-consuming, exhausting, irritating and political than I had even begun to realise.

As an Occupational Psychologist, I used to work in management consultancy and I collected these sorts of euphemisms. We've all heard of rightsizing, downsizing, rebalancing, restructuring and re-engineering. However, my favourite was "No, we're not making people redundant at all - we're in a transitional phase of ongoing negative recruitment". This sort of hiding behind word-nonsense was one of the reasons why I left the whole field of work. I just didn't feel I was being open and honest - and that's one of the things we were exhorting our clients to be with their staff! On the band front, I've recently decided to leave a band because it wasn't for me. Took some doing, but honesty was the best route - be true to yourself because you have to live with yourself in the future. Yes, I could have said I'd found another band or something, but I preferred to be straight and honest about my thoughts, while preserving my and others' dignity. I did have a giggle about some of the ideas for getting rid of somebody! However, I'm fairly certain that some people might actually seriously consider these suggestions about splitting bands and reforming without somebody, suggesting to another band that they pinch somebody from yours, deliberately antagonising somebody so they leave, forcing them to listen to somebody who's better than them to embarrass them into leaving. These are all perfectly awful, aren't they? I wouldn't want any of that to happen to me, so I'm certainly not going to do it to somebody else. Be true to yourself and treat others how you'd like to be treated. Then you'll be able to hold your head up high. Sorry. I'll shut up now. Steve

I was getting excited there - right age group, right sort of music, right sort of venues - this is it, I thought! Then I saw it was in East Anglia. I live in Manchester. Ho hum - back to checking Partysounds daily. Steve

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