Len_derby

Not a bass, but the longest journey I’ve taken is to collect a bass speaker cabinet that a member* generously donated for a teenager jam-night I was hosting. It was a twisty, spectacular drive into the beautiful heart of Wales. I also have a cautionary tale about the trip. Having looked up the specification of the cab I carefully measured the inside of my hatchback Hyundai. It was going to fit, just. However, I didn’t check whether any casters had been fitted to the bottom of the cab. They had……🤭. Got it home Ok. *I can’t remember the user name of the kind member. He lives, or lived, inland of Aberystwyth. It was a few years ago and it’s no longer possible to see the messages we exchanged.

You haven’t mentioned his age but I was just thinking that given the demographic of Basschatters and their bands, his hearing could be somewhere on the cream-crackered spectrum.

Perhaps he can’t actually hear it, or not to the extent you can?

Yesterday I bought a Squier Jaguar off Ian. Everything went smoothly with great communication throughout. I can recommend Ian as a good man to do business with.

NBD. A short-scale Squier Jaguar, purchased from our own @Ian Somerville at the lovely Trowell Services on the M1. After giving my HB shorty P to a charity I’d been looking for a backup to my Fender Mustang. Plus, I’ve never had a red bass before.

My advice is to get out there in the real world. Open-mics, jam nights, local gigs. Talk to strangers. Offer your services to solo performers. Let people know that you’re looking for a band opportunity. Good luck!

Berry and the Cakemakers.

Transitioning Vamp

Are you persevering with the JMJs Loz? I remember reading you were finding the neck uncomfortable to play.

Phew, glad it’s just not me.

Good book! I’ve read mine a couple of times. You don’t have to know him or his music to get things from it. In fact, I bought a second copy and gave it to the guitarist I mentioned in my previous post.

Welcome back. Are you working on any books at the moment? I enjoyed this one very much and often dip into it when listening to relevant cds.

Seven years ago I had an attack of Bell’s Palsy (facial paralysis), my vision was affected to the extent of not being able to drive or cross a busy street safely. To keep me going a generous guitarist friend came around to my house once a week and we played away acoustically, or quietly plugged-in, for a couple of hours. We even had a go at writing songs for the first time. I really looked forward to the sessions and they kept me going, musically, until my recovery. I hope you’ve got some pals like that. Good luck with the recovery and keep on rockin’ !

One thing I’m noticing is that the newer generation of pub landlords reflect, as you’d expect, the preferences of their own age-group. Music doesn’t play as big a part in their lives as it used to for older people and going to see live music, apart from maybe a festival, just isn’t on the radar and never has been. A case in point is the pub we played last Saturday. The bar manager is in his thirties and runs the pub for his mum, who’s the licensee. He’s a lovely fella and runs a good pub, but he doesn’t know his Chuck Berry from his Chuck Norris.

In principle, I’d be supportive of the idea but it would depend on the venue. Are they genuine supporters of live music who deserve to carry on? Sometimes venues fail because they’re rubbish and badly run. I guess the fact that bands have already signed-up indicates the former.