Huge Hands

ARGH, I expect I'm going to get flamed for this, but I am geniunely interested in the answer to this question:

Do you think it could be your attitude?

I'm just wondering that if you've had so many problems with bands in the last few months, you may have become so upset about it all that you are struggling to see the wood from the trees and when you show up to auditions this rubs off and comes across as being difficult to other band members?

It is just kind of reminding me of that other Off Topic thread about people applying for jobs that they are too qualified for.

Do you think that perhaps you are giving off an air of arrogance to these bands that you are too good to be playing their original stuff? I know you've disagreed about this but turning up with a 9, 7 or whatever string can give them the impression you are a widdler and will overplay on their stuff. I've had grief about having a 5 string before. I've said this many times, but I once got kicked out of a blues band and one of the reasons was because I refused to do what they wanted and use my 4 string JV Jazz instead of my 5 string which they reckoned was too modern looking for their image. This was not a signed band by any means and they played a mix of covers and originals (if you can call a 12 bar blues with different lyrics an original (oops - another flame heading my way!!!)). I love blues music by the way.

Perhaps they assume you are going to want to quit after 3 months and join a band with better musos?

I don't know you, so please understand I'm not accusing you of anything. However, from your posts, you do seem a bit depressed and almost paranoid about what your other band members are saying about you. Perhaps they think you are always moaning, and a bit of a volatile angry man. I am speaking from experience here, I have been accused of this myself.

In my experience, the band can only be as big as the bloke or blokes (or women!) who started it want it to be. If you turn up and start trampling over their ideas, they think they are starting to lose control and the problems start.

Oh, and another point to mention, I am under no illusions that as a 6'3 fat ginger bloke with glasses, I have missed out on the opportunity of joining several bands, even though they thought I was a good bass player. No matter how wide the stereotypical trilby hat and long jacket, it's not easy to look cool.

I guess I'm just lucky I have found a few mates in various bands over the years who have become a core group that we can form, with the addition or replacement of the odd member, into something different. We play covers and the odd original, and I love playing both! It's also good that they know me so well they will put up with my occasional rants and outbursts. I am not excusing that behaviour by the way!

The 2 pole sockets are keyed to stop you inserting a 4-pole plug.

However, 2 pole plugs should fit into a 4-pole socket.

If the OP is only buying cables with the plugs on, he should be ok with 2-pole.

Are we allowed War of The Worlds by Jeff Wayne?

Not originally a soundtrack to a [b][/b][i][/i]film[i][/i][b][/b] but a soundtrack all the same.

[quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='239541' date='Jul 14 2008, 09:33 PM']Erm, well...I suppose I could...Howzabout a swap?


I'll getcha a brand spanking new SR5 HH, in ANY COLOUR YOU WANT if you deposit approximately £30,000 in a high-interest, tax free, off-shore bank account in my name, and send me all the associated documentation?


Whatcha recon?


...shake on it? [/quote]

Done. Send me the bass (crimson?) and I'll let you know the bank details......honest!

Huge Hands is my pseudonym. My real name is Mr Lord Lucan.

Reading your topic title, I hoped you meant you were asking whether to give it to me or not.

You can if you want, I don't mind!

I just tried to look at the link and it looks like it's been pulled.

The biggest problem will be for your drummer. Unlike someone said, you don't want click coming through the stage moinitors, as it will be heard FOH. The drummer will need to wear headphones of some sort, but then the problem for him may be volume.

A lot of bands I used to work with used to use all manner of playback. For example, a stereo device such as a DAT ot Minidisc player would do, with L going to the drummer, and R going to the mixing desk, but this would mean that you would be unable to mix the various tracked instruments, so the recorded mix would have to be good.

Some bands would just use the headphone socket on the playback device, but often the click volume wouldn't be loud enough for the drummer on loud stages, especially if there was no pan function for the headphones and he was also getting backing track as well.. Remember, impedance of headphones in this respect can be just as critical as bass cabs!

You will probably need to give your drummer plenty of practice with the click tracks if he's never used click before.

This is my experience (as a former drummer): The first time I tried it, I thought I wouuld want the click thumping into my eardrums to make sure I was hearing it. I kept asking for more volume and couldn't understand why my timing was getting worse.

It wasn't until a few years later, working as a sound man with various cabaret acts that use click all the time - that I had a sneaky shot on the drummer's gear and found that the secret was (for him and me anyway) to have the click at lower level so that you subliminally get used to it and don't really notice it - you only would start to hear it if you were going off time.

We played at a wedding last night. We decided to keep "St James' Infirmiary" off the setlist...

Who played on the Bee Gees disco stuff? Was it actually Maurice? I always assumed he didn't do the recordings, and just stood with a bass on stage to cover shyness or something. I know I probably would!

Sorry NJ, I have to disagree. I love the Precision shape, but for me my regular gigging bass HAS to be five strings.

With this in mind, and the fact that I don't have the spare cash to fork out on a new Fender or Lakland similie, I have just bought a second hand Squier Precision V.

It has Jazz pickups, but for me it's the neck feel (I like cricket bats!) and look of the guitar that gets me. I am just waiting for the postman to deliver my custom build 5 string Wizard 84's for it. One day I might take a chisel to it and fit a proper split coil precision style pick up, but I'm not brave enough just yet!

I completely see what you're saying, but it appears there will alway be a niche market for Fender to exploit with traditionalists like me.

It's not just us bass players though, I once played in a blues band who kept pressuring me to change my Cort (Ibanez lookalike) because it was "too modern looking".

I used to use the Csx800 amps that Ironside 1966 attached a few years ago, but with a separate crossover.

I have never used the internal one. It looks to me by looking at the connectors on the photo, that to use that properly, you would need to go from your mixer into the jack inputs on the crossover section, and then put a jack to jack patch lead from the relevant crossover output (high or low) to the amplifier channel input.
You would then output from the amplified output section (binding posts or jack). I think the output from the Hi and Low jacks are at line level, not amplified.

I would prefer to see the diagram on the top of the amp before I said that was definite.

IIRC, the Bose 802 crossover is a passive unit that confusingly is all jack inputs and outputs. The amount of "engineers" I have seen plug that up AFTER the signal has been amplified is untrue. And that's from people who claim to know what they're doing!

Oh wow!

If I had the money, I would be straight on a PM to you.

Have a frustrated, envious bump on me!

I've got it on again now. I think it must have been recorded to promote that album because most of the stuff is off there and the crowd don't really seem to clap in anticipation when Ben Folds introduces them, although they do when the first album tunes are called.

I agree, they wrote some very good stuff. All three appear to be doing some really good 3-part harmony vocals as well.

Yesterday, in HMV, I found a DVD of Ben Folds Five "Live Sessions at West 54th". I think it was recorded mid-late nineties (sorry can't be @rsed to look at the box!).

Anyway, I've had it on full blast all night while Mrs HH has been out. I had forgotten how much of an influence Robert Sledge was on me when I was first playing, not that I play anything like him.

I'm now even thinking of getting a distortion pedal to blend with clean signal to fatten out our band sound!

Classic.

For you gearheads, looks like he's playing an Epiphone Les Paul and an upright (on one song). I can see a Marshall head and a Marshall and an Orange cab.

Quality! A one for the "Underrated Bass Players" thread if ever I saw one.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Cheers!

Just purchased some "bling" gold straplocks from John. Not exactly a Warwick Thumb I know, but I'm excited anyway.

Quality service, and a canny blurke to boot. Arrived very quickly.

Just waiting to take him up on the offer of a cuppa (and stottie sandwich) one day!

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='233249' date='Jul 5 2008, 05:40 PM']I have a large holdall for carrying cables and the like to gigs. It got wee'd on by one of our cats.[/quote]

One of our cats is kind of bulimic - he wolfs his food down which upsets his stomach and then he throws it all back up. While you're on your hands and knees trying to clean it up, he's usually whingeing for the next course. We have to feed him half a packet at a time to stop him overeating - but it means he's always asking for food!

He once climbed up on top of my Ashdown rig (I have no covers) and barfed on the top edge so it then slid over the side. It took ages to get the furry coating on the amp clean.

Good job he's got one of those "I'm innocent" type faces. You can't dislike him for long......

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='233198' date='Jul 5 2008, 04:03 PM']Fold it inside out and stick in on the washing line for a few days.[/quote]

Erm, I assume you mean the gigbag and not the guitar!

Sorry, put this in the wrong forum. I can't see how to change it. Can the mods help?

This week, I have just purchased, for cheap, a second hand Squier Standard Precision V. My intention is to eventually mod it up and put new pickups/hardware on etc. I was also thinking of painting it, but the metallic green finish and white pickguard are really growing on me.

However it stinks! The guy I bought it from, although seemingly very nice, appeared to not be a regular washer, and I think he also smokes as well. "When I was a lad" we called his type "Crusties", but I assume that is not a politically correct term, and I apologise if I have upset anyone with that comment. I was just trying to put a picture in your heads.

I am left with a bass, gigbag and strap that all stink of nicotine and unwashed dreadlocks.

I can throw the strap away, but I'd like to keep the gigbag as it's not a bad one (for free). I have been spraying it with Febreeze, but now I am left with a gigbag that stinks of nicotine, unwashed dreadlocks and stale air freshener.

As it is in the "little room", I don't think Mrs HH has noticed the smell yet, so I haven't been ordered to get rid of it.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to get rid of the smell? It's really getting up my nose an p***ing me off!!!!

[quote name='yorks5stringer' post='233080' date='Jul 5 2008, 11:33 AM']PPS You're down as a 'SE'!![/quote]

Season ticket holder? You must be well paid......

As I have lived away from there for 13 years, and haven't been to visit for 3, I guess I can't argue with that.

I must have a trip up there soon, even if it's just for a Bimbi's paper with extra scranchins, a bottle of dog and a job lot of stottie!

The money should have just gone through, PM me again if you don't get it.

Good luck with the raffle!

I'll have a punt.

Sorry to mess your stats up though, this is one ex-pat geordie living down in Crawley. Can I be put down as both??

Let me know how you want the fiver.

[quote name='chris_b' post='228674' date='Jun 28 2008, 06:44 PM']I had this situation....soundman (with big ego); "I always use a DI box. I get a better sound"! Well... It's [b]my[/b] sound not his and everyone else gets a great sound out of the back of the amp so in my opinion it's not his choice. I prevailed!
Mostly I use 2 channels, a DI from the amp and a mike in front of the cab.[/quote]

Chris - I assume you're taking about studio recording here?

Believe me, in a big venue with a large PA, tightly packed stage with thundering drummers, vocalists insisting on loud monitors and suchlike, the last thing a soundman wants to do is mic a bass cab if he can help it.

As the previous poster said, you just get way to much spill, it adds to feedback rumbles and problems (and the soundman's headache). Being in a band is about working together with your "team" and making sure you all mix in well together, including not insisting on something that may b****r up your gig. I wish my band understood that, especially in regards to level of backline - we'd all have our hearing intact!

By all means insist on your own sound, but work with the soundman to get it. Some will be @rseholes and refuse to be accomodating whatsoever, that's just one of those things we have to deal with. Some will be happy to help as long as it's not going to cause major problems that neither of you have much chance of controlling.

I'd try tracing the cables to both drivers inside the cab. Hopefully, at some point, there will be a connector which means you can swap the feed between each driver with out having to use a soldering iron. Feed the signal intended for one into the other and vice versa, and see if the problem moves.

If not, then there's likely to be a problem wih the driver or the bit of cable up to the swap. What you described does sound like a knackered driver - does it move with the same amount of resistance to your push than the working one?

It could be a faulty connection between the voice coil and the cable terminals, which you could try and freshen with a soldering iron.

Otherwise it's probably a new driver or re-cone required.

All the best with it.

[quote name='misrule' post='226139' date='Jun 24 2008, 07:31 PM']That's fair enough -- he's the famous one.

What's his singing like?

Cheers

Mark[/quote]

Erm, I don't really want to comment too much on that really. He held a note well, was in tune, but I don't think he'll be worrying Amy any time soon.

He sang "That's Life" and "I'm in the Mood for Love" while struggling to read the words off a sheet on the table (he didn't have his "readers" with him).

He seemed like a thoroughly nice bloke so don't want to appear to slag him off. Fair dos to him for having a go.

Got a scan of the picture from the paper today (attached). If you look hard enough, you can just see my knee in the bottom left of the picture.

Now that has to be the worst claim to fame ever!

Remember, if we did get famous through this, you heard it here first!!!

I wouldn't hold your breath.....