Funkmaster

I've got 3 thumbs, a fretted 4er and 5er and a fretless Jack Bruce limited edition spesh. Not to mention a Warwick Triumph upright too. And they get me through R&B, church and ceilidh music! Just stunning and versatile instruments - all of 'em. David

Hi Nick I had exactly the same problem with my Rickenbacker back in the 70s, when I was a pick player too. A sweat band did the trick perfectly. (Although a guitarist mate of mine who still uses one says that they are getting difficult to find - but managed to track down some new Nike ones in the last few weeks.) Somehow the Rickenbacker never seemed to work finger style for me - and infact it was a good 20 years later that I began playing fingerstyle in ernest anyway, when I switched to Warwicks (and proper book learning!) Hope you find a solution that works for you. David

Supported Marmalade when they were in the top 10 with 'Falling apart at the seams' - must have been 1976. Supported Dr Feelgood a couple of times and played on a recording that Skin from Skunk Anansie sang on. Other than that - blissful obscurity for me!

[quote name='EntropicLqd' post='50415' date='Aug 24 2007, 10:20 PM']Likewise. It was a most pleasant suprise. It's looking like I'll be going down to Jon's on Thursday afternoon so I'll definately give you a call when I leave. Wouldn't mind checking out that upright of yours [/quote] Good stuff Darren - should be home around about 5:30 - 6 ish tomorrow. Hope that fits in with your timings. Looking forward to seeing your new Shuker beaut! David

Good to see you last night Darren! And looking forward to having a shufty at the Shuker next Thursday if it works out for you to call in. The before pictures look really interesting and you know that the finished article from Jon will be stunning! Cheers Dave

Just a heads-up for this weekend's festival where there are usually one or two basschatters about. The Welsh T Band will be at: Friday 9PM - North Valley Hotel Saturday 1:30PM - Conservative Club Saturday 11PM - Union Exchange Sunday 2PM - Jovial Hatters Sunday 10:30PM - Union Exchange Monday 2PM - Jovial Hatters Monday 8PM - Union Exchange Then we've got a couple of days off! More info at www.welsh-t.co.uk and www.bluesfestival.co.uk If you're going - pop in and say hello! David

Hi Rufus From another oldie... Dave

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='41788' date='Aug 6 2007, 07:53 AM']I was reminded of a mellower version of Skin... ...maybe its just the shaved head.[/quote] Talking of Skin... One of the high points of my 'career' was doing a bit of recording on some tracks for a film in preproduction. The singer on the tracks was Skin - what a great voice. Didn't meet her of course. She did her bits in her house in Ibiza and I did my bits in a dingy bedroom in Leeds. The film never got made... Funny old world isn't it. Still I've got a very rare Skin track on CD somewhere - might be worth a bob or two! David

My Warwick Thumb Jack Bruce sig fretless came from Bass Central - a completely hassle-free purchase. Bass Central's Beaver Felton gave me my first bit of fretless playing advice too, when I mentioned that it would be my first experience of playting fretless. He told me, 'At all times, Dave, [i]think [/i][b]fretless[/b]' Priceless. David

[quote name='ped' post='34657' date='Jul 20 2007, 02:11 PM']Cheers for the comments. Might save some ink if I repeated the top logo at the bottom, too. Any more ideas? Kiwi is going to let us know the font type when he can have alook at home.[/quote] Hi Ped Just the kind of thing I was thinking about, that. I'd put 'vibrant, helpful community' right at the top of your bullet list - 'completely free' next then 'meet-ups and offer' (But I accept that these kinds of thoughts on design are completely subjective....) David

Just a thought I suppose this... I went to a gig at 'the cockpit' in Leeds last night, a rare night off for me and a rare chance to see other bass players. And I saw a couple of really good bass players from the Leeds indie scene. When bands have finished their set the last thing the bass player probably wants is someone saying 'I'm on a great bass players forum called basschat.co.uk, you should join up!' But if there was a little flyer/business card on the site, with the basschat address on, that we could print off ourselves it would easier to pass on. Like I said - just a thought! David

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='33225' date='Jul 17 2007, 07:24 PM']Welsh T himself will only have 75% of your worries, the great man being ...er....digitally challenged!!! I'll give you a 10 min break on Sun aft. you poor old soul , so long as you put some chalk marks on the triumph!![/quote] Cheers Dave! Probably won't be the Triumph on Sunday - but might be the fretless! Nice bright LEDs to show me where to put my fingers! Strangely it's the ceilidh bookings that'll do for my fingers - there's 5 over the next couple of weeks - usually about 3 hours of playing on the Triumph that I'm not really up to 'match fitness' on yet - but will be by the end of next week! See you Sunday. Looking forward to it! Dave

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='33065' date='Jul 17 2007, 02:41 PM'] - looking forward to finally seeing the Welsh T Band at Colne, and hopefully Doctor Dave's lot too. I think Wayne58's band Slingshot are doing it too, can't wait. Oh and good luck with the fingers Dave.[/quote] It would be great to see you at Colne Homer! Welsh T's got 7 gigs booked at Colne - so plenty of opportunity there! Saw the first half of Dr Dave in Dr Blue on Sunday night - as enjoyable as ever - and will see him with ZZ Eliminator on Sunday this weekend when we are both on at the magnificent Clarence Festival in Wakefield. Might be time to get the Colne 2007 thread going so we can see who'll be there that weekend. David

Thanks all for your replies - Homer's suggstion made me splutter tea all over my keyboard! It'll be good training for the Colne blues weekend anyway. David

I've got the most intense playing week (and a half) that I've ever had coming up - 12 bookings in 10 days - starts Friday, culminating in the last day where I'm playing in a church in the morning, then in Whitby in the afternoon, then Wigan in the evening. I'm looking forward to finding out if my finger ends survive. To be honest - I'm looking forward to seeing if I survive! David

QUOTE(dlloyd @ Jul 1 2007, 10:59 AM) Maggie May... parts are good, but the remainder suggests drunkeness... [quote name='artisan' post='25875' date='Jul 2 2007, 09:26 AM']+1 i think this is some of the worst bass playing i've ever heard.[/quote] Is this where the Funkmaster gets controversial in his old age?!! (Or just recognises a certain curmudgeonly 'grumpty old man' aspect to himself for the first time!) I think Maggie May's bassline is genius! Yes it suggests drunkeness, it also suggests lack of knowledge about 'where the song goes next' but it's an integral part of a great performance from a band who were at the top of their game at the time. And to do justice to the song, if you cover it you have to get some of those 'mistakes' in to give the song the right feel. If I could point at one bass-line that is the reason for me being a bass player Maggie May would be it. It's pure rock'n''roll to me. Someone once said - there's two types of music. I think it was in the context of... good music and bad music. But I've always reckoned it should be - music you like and music you don't. At the end of the day it's all subjective. David

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='26006' date='Jul 2 2007, 01:30 PM']It's 'stockings' - not socks - and I'll be wearing both! That , and 'I thank you' are in our set but we only have 45mins at Clarence and don't know if they'll both make it in. One of them hopefully. There's a bit of the former here - from our debut gig at the Clarence fundraiser last year. [url="http://www.eliminatoruk.net/media.html"]http://www.eliminatoruk.net/media.html[/url][/quote] Good work that, Dave! The Rooeters is a major scale blues version. Are you knocking a DVD out at gigs? Welsh T's one, also done at the Snooty sold well enough.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='25897' date='Jul 2 2007, 10:46 AM']Having watched you play , Dave - though only the once on the Triumph - you never strike me as 'heavy handed'. I'm not sure how your hands would take to upping the action. You mention how your approach to your basslines has changed with the EUB and I'd have thought any help from the instrument - like a low action - would be a help to you rather than a hinderance. Not sure you give the right impression describing yourself as no more than a bass line player. The lines I've stolen from you are hardly root note wonders!! I'll be coming to see you on the Sun aft at the Clarence Park Fest. If you stick around til early eve we're doing the ZZ trib there , where you'll see a bass player struggle with a dog of an instrument and sticking to root notes!!! Sadly the Explorer is hardly my Shuker or your Warwicks.[/quote] Hey-up Dave! Long time no see! Yeah - I think I'll keep the Triumph action where it is at the moment. You're right about me not being too much of a thumper! I'm gettiing to grips with note spacing a lot better since the last time you saw me play it - and I've added a Pickup Booster to the set up to deal with the low output issue. But especially the ceilidh stuff - it's pretty much root fifth all the way.... Looking forward to the beer tent at Clarence - lets hope for good weather! So far - I've nothing booked for the evening, so I'll definitely stay to watch your set. Is 'Fool for your socks' in the set? And 'I thank you'? The Roosters do them and I love playing both! See you soon Dave

Thanks for those replies guys! Very, very useful. I'm not really going for viruosity, the Stanley Clarke or eddie Gomez angle. 35 years of bass guitar playing has made me no more than a 'bass-line' player. On the DB, at the moment I'm definitely more of a 'thumper'. The DB is my full-time instrument in the ceilidh band I play for - fretless Thumb for back up, for when the hands ache! - so folkie use at the moment. I don't get much opportunity to play jazz - I'd love to do more. One of the things I'm really enjoying about using the DB is the way you have to [i]think[/i] about the notes you play so much more. The [i]'thought through to bassline'[/i] process that's been almost subconcious on the bass guitar for decades now takes real thought on the DB! Great fun! Thanks again for the info both. David

Since getting my Warwick Triumph EUB this New Year I've really enjoyed getting to grips with it, and with nearly 6 months under the belt now I feel as if I'm starting to get to know it. Well I feel like the bass doesn't 'have it in for me' [i]every [/i]time I get it out of the case at least! BUT... wandering round music shops I've been comparing the action/string height on my EUB (which is as delivered and fairly low) to the action / string height on accoustic double basses I see, which seems massive! Is there any mileage, do you think in hiking up the action on my EUB? Would it make it more playable? I'd be glad for any advice you've got for me on this. (I know, I know, I should get some lessons and that way my tutor aould be able to give me some advice on this too!) Cheers guys David

The Welsh T Band would be up for it I'm sure.

My fretless Jack Bruce Warwick spesh has red lights with green lights at the 12th and 24 fret position. Very useful. I don't go up the dusty end of the neck too often - but they did keep me going (while the rest of the band fell apart round me!) when the lights failed at a recent hotel gig! David

[quote name='MB1' post='6759' date='May 25 2007, 07:30 PM']MB1. charlie tumahai.be bop deluxe the first bassist i ever saw play and sing harmony/fender telecaster bass[/quote] [size=4]+1 for Charlie! [/size] And a lovely guy too - sadly now no longer with us. He always had a smile on his face when he played. David

Funkmaster will be 50 in a couple of weeks and has, scarily, been playing bass for 35 years now. Has a severe GAS problem, now having three Warwick NT Thumbs - 4-fretted, JB Spesh fretless, 5-fretted, a Warwick Triumph - EUB, and a, now retired, Rickenbacker 4001. Add to those 10 mainly Gibson and Fender gu*tars and mandolins, a Hammond L122 organ/147 Leslie, a Fender Rhodes piano and 4K's worth of PA. Funkmaster 'gets by' playing with The Welsh T Band, The Roosters, Dogsbody Ceilidh Band and the odd jazz & church gig and ought to be able to read better than he can!

Hello all Huge congrats to everyone who keeps making these moves happen. And doesn't the ambience of our new place feel much nicer now we are Gerrard-free. Keep up the good work. David