Huge Hands

[quote name='Thunderthumbs' post='117959' date='Jan 10 2008, 04:40 PM']In all seriousness, probably not [b]most[/b] that dismiss it, but yes, a lot of people have a "Fast Show" opinion of jazz. Whether it was formed before or after seeing the Fast Show is a different matter. I'm not blaming The Fast Show for it, I'm just saying it exists. Obviously that opinion is out there otherwise the whole Jazz Club sketch wouldn't exist. Hence things like Chops' "Beret and beard" comment (no offence taken or meant).[/quote]

I can remember visiting a jazz club a few times in Newcastle in the 90's at the far end of the quayside next to the law courts (was it the Little Theatre? Help me, fellow north-easterners!).

This was when I was a teenager and in my "I must like jazz" phase. I remember this was before the Fast Show sketch, but if you'd have asked me, I'd have thought they'd have been in there the same nights as me!

I loved the music, but there were some definite stereotypes in there.

I remember one band saying "Look, this is our last number. We can't be bothered with all that clapping and coming back on stuff. This will be it".

As soon as they walked offstage, a drunken woman and bearded man (both had no shoes on if I remember correctly) walked up the the front of stage and were shouting things like "Getcha goddamn asses back on the goddamn stage" in faux American-mixed-with-Geordie accents.

Nice!

[quote name='StevieC' post='160205' date='Mar 19 2008, 12:43 PM']Not wishing to name drop, I was chatting to one of the Greggs brothers the other day (long story) and he said
the only 'standard' product they make is the sausage roll. Greggs operates nationally because they keep on buying up other businesses so everything else is made to suit the local tastes. It might therefore be a bit of an uphill struggle to persuade the 'powers that be' that the southern softies can handle a stottie. (LOL)[/quote]

Ha ha, so they'll try Paddy McGuinness out with an atomic mouth burning pastie, but not stottie!

I'd love to hear that long story sometime. It's good to hear that fellow members are well connected.

[quote name='paul, the' post='159818' date='Mar 18 2008, 06:27 PM']I can't think of a more beautiful inanimate thing to have in a home.[/quote]

No need to talk about the missus like that

Just thought, what about "Twang" from Animal Kwackers? Rory the Lion was one scary blue dude.

I was a bit young for this, but my older brother had a record they'd done and I seem to remember playing it non-stop and then scribbling all over it in pen. Anyway, enough about last year

In case I get done for copyright, I borrowed the picture from this site : [url="http://www.thechestnut.com/kwackers.htm"]http://www.thechestnut.com/kwackers.htm[/url]

[quote name='owen' post='159447' date='Mar 18 2008, 10:28 AM']No, not me, but if I had been there you would have been welcome to have a go [/quote]

Shame, I'd love to thank him (and I'm sure the wife would love to kill him for causing us to have a big chunk of wood taking up space!)

I also try to let people just have a shot when they come round, spread the word in the same way. It's especially fun to watch when mates/family bring their kids round and they are amazed by it and it's size. If I can trigger a musical desire (not just necessarily bass) in any of them, then it's a job well done. I don't even mind the sticky fingers, which I know I would be paranoid about and a lot more grumpy with them if I'd blown a fortune on one.

I'm much more protective of my guitars which is weird, because none of them set me back much more than the upright!

Not "dissing" the expensive stuff, I'd love to have the money, talent and regular requirement to justify buying one - oh and a house with more space and bigger doorways so I didn't keep dinging it everytime I moved it!

Here's mine (the order changes daily):

1. Russell Jackson (BB King)
2. Joseph "Lucky" Scott (Curtis Mayfield)
3. Lequient "Duke" Jobe (Rose Royce)
4. Aston "Family Man" Barrett (Bob Marley)
5. Willie Weeks (Donny Hathaway)

And of course, Mr James Jamerson, who was still recording some good stuff in this decade. He goes without saying, in my opinion.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='159290' date='Mar 17 2008, 10:57 PM']Disagree!!!! thats not the half of it.

Who the f*** are this idiot bastard no excuse f*** wits who give out such sh*t advice. As you can tell I'm seriously pissed off about this, For f***s Sake, Jamerson made the use of open strings an art form in its own right, they are sonically a variant to stopped notes and they give a rhyhmic articulation that is simply not available when playing two notes on the same string eg 9ths.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!

Huge Hands please don't take my vitriol personally I just can't contain my rage when people attempt to limit the freedom that should be available to all players[/quote]

Whoa, well and truly flamed

None taken! I agree that Jamerson used open strings for good effect especially due to his upright experience, and as I fumble on with my badly made cheapy upright, I am starting to use them more and more while I try and find the next position!

The thread was about how we all play, and that's what has made me comfortable (and probably lazy) over the years. The guy who taught me was a gigging muso doing it as a bit of side cash (probably not the most legit teacher), but I admired the way he played and the consistent tone he always seemed to get. If you asked him, he'd probably say that he didn't mean it like that? It's how I interpreted it at the time, anyway!

Note: I only went t him for a couple of years, and have been playing small gigs/in the bedroom for about 16. I have had many other influences since then!

Cheers,

I have the same Ashdown setup, except my amp head and 210 are a combo. I seem to remember it was cheaper that way....

They get the vote from me, very happy. I rarely need the 115 bin in the small pub gigs I seem to always get, but it's great to have the backup when I need it.

Good luck in your quest to sell.

Drums, and trombone (at school).

I was always more interested in being able to sit in any vacant seat in a band rather than being a master at anything. I know a lot of you will disagree with that philosophy - my brother went mad when I told him I was going to give up some of my concentration on keeping his band tight (drums) to learn the bass! I can fumble chords on a piano and aim to have a go at guitar next - I'm just trying to find a gullible mate who'll permanently loan me an acoustic.

However, I always gravitate back at the bass. I don't claim to be a master of anything!

[quote name='TheBrokenDoor' post='159239' date='Mar 17 2008, 09:33 PM']I should add that only the audio signal cuts out (the digital effect led stays lit), bookended by a very slight clicking sound, not unlike a switch!!!!

Dan[/quote]

Beginning to sound like a relay to me. Either the relay is bad, or the circuit switching it is.

Unless you have electronics fiddling experience, I'd get it into a shop for repair.

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='159233' date='Mar 17 2008, 09:22 PM']That does sound tasty! "Shadows" is my favourite rockumentary. I'll look out for Huge Hands.[/quote]

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standing-Shadows-Motown-Legendary-Jamerson/dp/0881888826/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205790385&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Standing-Shadows-M...0385&sr=8-1[/url]

I'm sure I got my copy from here for about £12 a couple of years ago.

Have also read recently:

Erc Clapton: agree with The Burpster. All about his addictions.
Guy Pratt: Seems to mainly glorify his substance abuse?
Horace Panter: Seems more of a normal bloke than I thought he'd be. Good read.

I think that's it. There's also loads of biogs on the net. Not as comprehensive as a book, but type your favourite player into Google, and hit "go". It's amazing what you can find!

Try James Jamerson's biography (or is it autobiography) by Allan "Dr Licks" Slutsky.

Was written in about 1985 and was a precursor to the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" film which is about Jamerson and the other Funk Brothers - the musos behind the Motown sound.

The book comes with half biog, half demo scores with 2 CDs to listen to, with other greats doing the playing.

This guy was an originator!

Here's my experience and ten pence worth:

About four years ago, while at a wedding in Derby, the function band bass player let me have a shot of his upright at the end of the night. I was cr*p, but hooked immediately. It had a furry leopard skin cover, so may have been you Owen? I went home and decided to buy an upright. It was mainly for messing around with in the house, and I didn't want to spend a fortune.

I am also into James Jamerson, and had fantasy ideas of playing so often that I would strengthen my (huge) hands, so felt that whatever I bought, and no matter how hard to play, if I mastered it, I would be brilliant when it came to playing well setup ones. That was my theory, anyway.....

With this in mind, I bought a new 3/4 from Gear 4 Music for about £300 as mentioned by Owen. It did come with a massive polystyrene case which made a good sledge one year(!) but the soft case is the one I use. The big case is in the loft acting as a bridge between the joists!

It turned up without a bridge which I had to scream about to get another one, and I snapped two G strings trying to set it up.

It's side seam split after a couple of years which, against all advice, I used standard wood glue to fix.

Do you see what I'm trying to say? For next to no money you can buy a crap one to mess about with. If you break it, you've only lost £300. I have no intention of ever giving it to a luthier, so wood glue is fine. The seam will never need to be reopened, so another horse is safe for a while!

I was bought a Bob Golihur K&K pickup set for it, and once the Customs man got a hold of it, it was nearly worth more than the bass! I had no problem messing about with sandpaper and a file on the bridge wing trying to make it fit, because I wouldn't be busting a several grand instrument if it went wrong!

I'm just showing my experience of it. Not much spent, loads of fun messing about with it and learning how to repair stuff (badly), getting my fingers around something that seems to make an ok sound, and yet STILL being able to pretend I'm in the elite bunch that calls themselves an upright player! I haven't a clue what to do with the bow!

Hope this reads as the daft, one man perspective it was meant to.

P.S. Owen, if that was you, thanks man. I don't remember the name of the band, but they had a sax player called Mad Mick. Classic!

A good PA is the key. I used to run a 1200 seat venue with 4x dual 18" subs per side. I could get that sound easily in certain areas of the venue (acoustics of the room were crap) and was too easy to create standing waves that just rattled the foundations but didn't sound good.

The band is usually the last to hear the good sound (that is reserved for the audience!)

In my opinion, the last thing you or the band want is to hear that on stage, it just overwhelms everything, causes kick drum feedback and everyone starts wanting their monitors turned up....

As for getting the sound out front, most of the reasons have been covered in various posts.

One thing I'd think of requesting is: a good sound man who understands the sound you want. They are rarer than you think, lots of enthusiasts, but few with a good grounding of the theoretical side that know how to get what you want out of their gear, or can explain why that isn't possible...probably for hours on end!

I once worked with a reggae engineer who came in and just cranked all my graphics up full at 80Hz to get that thumpy bass sound. I sh*t myself for my amps' sake during the gig! It was what they wanted, but not good for my gear!

Hope this helps, I have several years experience as an FOH and monitor engineer, but not with the big names you mention....

Male, 30, been playing for around 16 years, regular gigging for the last four, mainly blues, soul, funk and easy jazz.

I am obsessed with James Jamerson, but when I try and play like him I usually get lost and f**k things up, so I have developed my own "Basic Jamerson" style (poor man's easier version that isn't as busy but has a couple of his moves in it!)

I started on drums, so for me, locking in with the drummer and "keeping the pocket" is key rather than showing off. Thats what singers and guitarists are for (I'm too shy!) I only started on bass because when I was a drummer, I could never find a decent bass player to jam with!

I prefer 5 strings for the following reasons: I like the rumbly low notes (into Nu-Soul type slow groove stuff) and also it means I can play standard scale shapes in E and Eb without having to use open strings or go up the neck. I used to have a bass teacher for a few years when I first started who advised (I'm sure others will disagree) to always try and play fretted notes rather than open strings and try and stay as low down the neck as much as possible. It kinda stuck with me and I subconsciously always follow those rules, whether right or wrong (plus my brain is lazy!)

Finally, always fingered, never picked (oo-er!). Just my preference, (and lack of ability!)

I know I'm new here, but was wondering if the north-east conglomerate has enough muscle to persuade Greggs to start selling stottie in all its national shops?

Even you locals must fancy a bit when you saunter outside the area?

Bit like eating fish and chips in Spain, granted, but.....

I think the nation doesn't know what it's missing. Every "foreigner" I have introduced it to (including the missus) has loved it, so I've even done some unofficial market research....

Washed down with a bottle of "dog", there's nothing better! (Especially at making your gut feel like a lead weight!)

What do you all reckon?

The Stottie Monster".

[quote name='stevebasshead' post='157629' date='Mar 14 2008, 06:17 PM']If it doesn't work, I've just received the weekly Sound Control email where they've an offer on [i]this weekend only [/i]on the Tapco (Mackie's cheaper range) Blend 6 mixer. RRP is £89, but they're selling them for just £19.99...[/quote]

Wow, cheap! I'd agree with the mixer theory. Just one of those mini "notebook" style ones could probably do the trick for what you need, such as the one mentioned or the one that B*hringer does for about £40?

Just a question: If youre handy with a soldering iron, could you not tack a temporary "flying tail" jack socket onto the broken bits of the original jack socket until you can get it fixed? Obviously watch out for shorts on the damaged socket. I have said this without seeing the problem, so don't know feasible it is given the space and parts involved. It was just an even cheaper thought.

[quote name='clauster' post='158975' date='Mar 17 2008, 03:02 PM']Just keeping my eyes peeled for an 8 aux send desk that's not too expensive now.[/quote]

IMHO, (get me with the acronyms!) there is nothing as versatile or reliable as Allen and Heath for the money (no I don't work for them!).

I used to find the GL range reasonably priced, and easy to maintain (usually faders that died that could be swapped out in a few hours as long as it was all unplugged).

Their new posh stuff that I think is mass produced in China is not so reliable, but I reckon if something pre-2002 pops up on e-bay it will be reasonable money and quality gear.

If you're running that many monitor mixes, then I would have thought having as much input gain control before distortion and control of EQ per channel is vital. These are the first things that suffer on the cheaper desks.

In another IMHO, Behringer stuff is dead cheap, snorted on by the pro snobs (I'm proud to be one!) and quite unreliable. I used to use their outboard gear such as quad gates and compressors, because forking out £90 ish every time one died wasn't too much of a problem. When they did work, you got a lot for £90, but expect them to be throwaway.

With this in mind, this is why I wouldn't rely on one as the hub of my PA if I was a regular gigging band with a tight budget.

My final piece of advice: If your band is as above and you do buy a mixer that has a separate, external power supply, it would be worth finding and spending a bit more on a spare unit as a backup. In dodgy venues with even dodgier electrics, it can be one of the first things to die, or get upset. Worth shutting the gig down for 20 mins to swap, rather than cancelling completely. Some mixers had management units that allowed you to run two at the same time in case this happened, but that's probably overkill.

I would like to add that I've now been out of the live event game for about 4 years, so things may have moved on. Apologies if I've upset any manufacturers with my opinions, which are indeed my own!

Don't know if this is too late, but here's my go:

I used to run a venue on a tight budget, and our FOH/monitor desks both received the signal via a simple parallel Y-split on each multicore channel. I know this, because I soldered a lot of them myself!

Although it may not be "electronic theory" correct, it works and is actually common practice in a lot of PA gear. In my experience it's only those with big budgets (and a deisre to hear no noise in a venue that has a background noise floor of at least 80dBSPL!) that go for proper transformered splits.

I think you could have done this without forking out for an annoyingly complicated 110V mixer, although Peavey stuff is usually compatible or switchable to 230V?

Th only other thing to note is that we made sure that one engineer knew never to switch the phantom "on" on his desk. In our case it was FOH who ran phantom as we often ran the venue without the monitor desk for simple stuff.

The only ever time we ran into problems was when bands insisted on using weird homemade electronic gear, such as a guitarist who once blew a bank of desk channels with his own effects unit thing he was proud of. We also had a keyboard player who insisted on using his own Canford audio XLR passive splits (on top of our own) to give him a kick drum feed to his own monitor setup. I felt it just drained the life out of the signal to our desks, so I banned him from using them. That went down like lead balloon, I can tell you!

The joys of a sound man! Who'd be one????

As I always used to say, "People only notice the sound man if they're cr*p"!

I own a Cort C5, which is similar looking to the one you mention, but not as flashy a colour scheme.

Once I sorted a bad solder joint, the electrics are good, and I can get a good warm tone.

My only real criticisms are:

The neck is really flexible and suffers from temperature changes really badly. I have read other reviews and they tend to agree - you do seem to be forever needing to mess about with the trussing on it, or if you're lazy like me, you live with it and deal with however it is when it comes out of the case!
I have found that I can actually bend the neck with my hand with little pressure which is worrying.

Secondly, and this may only be applicable to the 5 string, but the strings are too close together. This was a plus point and the main reason why I bought it, so that I could get my fingers around a 5 string, but now it's beginning to p*** me off and I'm looking for something new.

I would like to add that I've owned it for about 4 years now and played many gigs with it. Apart from when it had the bad solder joint, it's been very reliable and as I am used to it, the above are only really niggles rather than actual hates. Brand new, I reckon you could do a lot worse for under £300.

It is also worth noting that I used to be in a blues band that had the major hump with me because this bass looked "too modern". They were more concerned with that than the music. Glad I'm out of it!

I really like Terry Tribett who played with Jill Scott in the early noughties, part of her backing group "Fatback Taffy". His cousin (I think) Erik Tibett is a mentally amazing drummer too.

I think they come from the Gospel scene. There are a load of unknown greats on the Philadelpia Nu-Soul scene, as far as I can tell.

The hoodie guy in The Roots as well?

Just my opinion.

Me as well, been living away from the area for over 12 years now.

Say hello to the homeland for me! I just wish the Greggs' down here did stottie cake!

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='157382' date='Mar 14 2008, 01:20 PM']Welcome fellow southerner[/quote]

Sorry, I'm not really. I'm an exiled Geordie who moved down here for the job and the woman. Enjoying all three!!

Hello to Chardbass. I did pick the right one!!

Would you sell it outright? How much for?

Just interested.....

[quote name='neepheid' post='156690' date='Mar 13 2008, 01:10 PM']Welcome aboard. Do you really have large hands?[/quote]

Ummm - yes. I probably won't win any World Records, but it always seems to be a talking point in the pub with "normal people".

I don't think it helps me play bass that much though - I think those with long slender fingers would be better off. I've got big banana fingers (or so a previous singer used to always introduce me!)