Horizontalste

4 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

You need to smoke ganja, man!

 

That be the only way!

 

No great reggae musician ever did not not smoke weed.

 

And to be honest seriously, unless you need to remember a lot of complicated stuff that'll expose a constant stress factor and pull you out of it you do play better when your stoned/high, much much easier to get into flow and 100% be in the music.

 

 

😂😂😂😂

I did that, for many a year but unfortunately my current employer doesn't think employing people who do is a suitable use of tax payers money! 

I shall have to explore reggae vibes without the boodah!

3 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

@Horizontalste not sure if you’ve tried this one, it’s a great song with a nice Bassline to play, and transcribed by ChrisDev 

https://basslessons.be/transcriptions.php?i=417

I haven't tried it but I really like it! The way the guitar follows the vocal melody makes it sound a bit more "fusion" (for want of a better word) & I really like that, damn cool video too!

I shall definitely give it my attention @Reggaebassbut I shall learn it by ear as I do. I can't read notation & tab reminds me of high school maths lessons (shudders)!

nice one!

@Reggaebass any recommendations of artists I should be paying attention to?

When I was much younger (& had discovered that you can smoke some plants) I listened to a hell of a lot of Bob Marley (even the early stuff) (I have the songs of freedom book set) but I'm shamed to say that's about as far as I've ventured.

I have consistently had my reggae phases, I'm having one now on this beautiful Saturday afternoon but I can't say that I've studied the genre musically.

& That'll be where the problem lies I'm sure.

But, on the plus side I've now got something to sink my teeth into in the practice room, aka our kitchen.

Let's get straight to the point, when I play reggae music I sound pants, totally unconvincing, flat, lifeless, I just don't tap into "the feel".

I've never consciously set out to work on technique, but I have invested lots of time & effort into improving my time over the years.

I can push, pull & sit right in the pocket, I can play fast music & slow music, I can make blues sound blue but reggae, man than vibe just evades me.

That's all, as you were.

I have to drive to work in my old HH VS because I can't afford petrol anymore & all my colleagues drive Audi's

How embarrassing!

13 minutes ago, paul_5 said:

Yeah, donepezil will do that.

Had to Google that one Paul 🤣

I'll be 60 when I retire so hopefully the only medication I'll be relying on will be Viagra 🤣

7 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

All of which rather begs the question...

 

Working shift's what..? 

 

15 years left Dad, then I'll be the one smiling 🤣

Cheers @hiram.k.hackenbacker I know you're right.

I love my shifts, my weeks are 8 days long now & have been for a very long time but outside of music & bands I have so much free time &I feel very lucky. My relationships with my kids is amazing because of the time my shift pattern has allowed me to invest.

I think when I started this thread I had noticed that I'd started to refrain from "putting myself out there" because there are quite a lot of people in my area like @Supernautwho are massively turned off by bass players who can't commit to the weekly Tues night rehearsals & every weekend gigs & that's fine, it really is.

But, to add another dimension to my perspective I've also committed myself in the past to startups that want to rehearse & gig often but fall apart rather quickly, sometimes before the first gig even & it was never my doing. I regularly met up with four guys every Sunday to rehearse about ten years ago & it went nowhere, but it was great fun & the rehearsal room cost us nothing so I kept going.

This topic has become shift work focused & that's great, I'm glad I'm not alone but I still wonder if there are other barriers that are stopping people for going for it, confidence, perceived ability, controlling wives/spouses/partners? 🤣

I had a BB614 that I put a 201 bridge on & it was ace, then I owned a 1024 & loved the standard Yamaha bridge so when I bought my 425 I wanted something similar to the Yamaha one, enter the Hipshot Vintage...........

36 minutes ago, colleya said:

This is exactly the approach my band has had for the last 12 years, which I think is the major contributing factor to it lasting. Reading some of the stories on here makes me appreciate just how lucky I've been.

 

We're not affected by shifts etc, but the drummer is moving further away and the guitarist is retiring at the end of 2023, so that will be it for us. I'll be back looking for a band with the same level of commitment and fun. No idea how that will go after so long, but at least I've got loads of notice.

I'm truly gutted that a band you've put 12 years into is coming to it's end & I hope your next endeavour is just as rewarding as the last one.

21 hours ago, Smanth said:

Hear you!

 

I'm an NHS critical care nurse.  The seemingly random shifts I work play havoc with rehearsals ... for gigs I have to book leave.

 

But playing (albeit badly) does feed my soul ... so I make it work.

 

S'manth x

@Smanth out of curiosity, do you also work on "the bank"?

& If you do would you take a low paid (sorry for being presumptuous)) gig over a (want to use the word "lucrative" but as a public sector worker I know better) NHS shift?

@Supernaut I started this thread to discuss something that I'd observed over the years that may have impacted other people too.

Everyone's input is valid, obviously & I'm very open minded & I know that there are always multiple perspectives on every topic & mine isn't always best/right.

With that said, I think that your "my band, my rules" philosophy could possibly put you in a position that limits your possibilities & takes away opportunities for creativity that could be amazing.

I have worked various shift systems for thirty years, & I have never, never, never ever cancelled a gig for any reason let alone day job commitments.

If I can't make it I know in advance & I won't commit to anything knowing that there's even the slightest chance of letting anyone down.

What I have absolutely experienced is many opportunities is to get together with other musicians, both in long term & short term projects & create music & entertain people.

& Isn't that why we do this?

Sure, some bands are more serious than others & what people want from bands differs, but, one constant remains in all situations & that is this.

We are musicians, we create music, we bounce off eachother harmonically & create sounds that make us & other people feel good.

I haven't spent more years than I care to count honing my skills to limit my opportunities. I will play with anyone, from the seasoned vets to the kids just starting out because I learn from them all.

Sure, constant BS & let downs is frustrating to everyone but give people the chance to let you down man. You never know, the best player you've ever played with, the one that really brings your sh*t alive might just be around the corner, & they might just be a shift worker.

Don't limit your possibilities because we all have to put food on the table, & that doesn't make us less loving of our craft or by any way automatically unreliable!

16 hours ago, Supernaut said:

Every shift worker I've played with has had to pull out of a gig last minute. 

You ever had this from a non shift worker? I have, but didn't change me playing with other non shift workers.

Sometimes life just gets in the way.

18 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Before I book, I make sure everyone can do the gig. 
 

Let's say the gig is booked two months in advance - those on shifts will have no idea what their hours are until the week of. Gig cancelled etc etc. 

Not necessarily, I know my shifts for the year in advance as do many shift workers.

8 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

My band, my rules. You miss a gig, you're done. Don't have time for those who can't commit. 

Are you flexible when booking gigs or do you book what you want to do & expect the rest of the band to accept your terms?

On 03/07/2022 at 10:14, mcnach said:

If, like me, you prefer lacquered necks... I had my Stingray neck cleaned and lacquered by David Wilson in Hexham... it didn't cost that much and it's much easier to keep clean now.

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002025970885

I had mine done by Mr Shuker, lovely high gloss vintage tint with stainless frets.

Pearl Blue with a neck that looks like a weathered fence just wouldn't do!

Edit* it's much less susceptible to movement now too, 

I had to unsubscribe Scott today, just way too many emails for my liking.

On 27/06/2022 at 20:41, Beedster said:

 

 

And don’t even ask about the Sonic Hammer 🤔

I've just gotta ask about the Sonic Hammer! I seem to remember talk of such a thing many years ago, maybe even "bassworld" days, & have heard nothing since.

Please enlighten me?

10 minutes ago, ebenezer said:

Just for info my sadowsky mv5 metroline had the same issue to a small degree ....(A) string off to the right side of the dots....neck joint was tight as a drum so I just lived with it.

I thought about living with it but then the OCD kicked in 🤣

I have just contacted Lakland directly just as a "let you know" because I'm guessing the big shop won't.

I really hope that they are unaware of these issues & this isn't a "that'll do" kinda business model they're running these days.

I'll report back but a quick image search of the Goog indicates there's a lot of Wonky Skylines out there.

16 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

Neck dots... what is 'out' dots on the fretboard or string/bridge alignment?

 

The Thru the Dot A string looks to change along the fretboard

 

It looks like the misaligned one, the outside of the strings have the same gap to the fretboard edge...

 

On the aligned one less gap on the B, looks like center of string to the fretboard edge is the 'measure'

 

String spacing, particularly at nut? Is it string center or between string edges?

Whats your take?

I've had an engineer's rule over both & it appears the dots are central & the nut measurements on both instruments are the same.

The neck pocket is actually really good with no wiggle room at all so I'm really not sure if the neck pocket is cut at the wrong degree or the bridge is on the pesh.

Either way it's gone back now!

4 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Don't know if it matters anymore, but these original Skylines were made by Cort in South-Korea rather than the current Indonesian production (still by Cort though). I don't know if they all still go through their Chicago workshop for QC and setup. There's also the Shoreline Series which is made by ESP in Japan and I think they're exclusively for the Japanese market - so I doubt these go through the US. 

This one has the Plek'd in Chicago label on so I can only assume they're still having the electrics added & final set up in the US&A.

On 11/06/2022 at 15:45, bubinga5 said:

The only thing that would bother me is the headstock. Pics of the gap.??

Actually doesn't look so bad in the photo but it's definitely more roomy around the pickup than on my other one.

49 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

The only thing that would bother me is the headstock. Pics of the gap.??

I didn't take a picture of the gap as if already decided to send it back but it's still here until Monday so if I get 5 I'll take it back out & grab a pic.