Happy Jack

MacDaddy (still "the new boy") on lead guitar and metal posing: [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1125exp2.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1125exp2.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Paul the Drums setting new standards for sartorial elegance: [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1170exp4.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1170exp4.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

The Xmas Gig at the George IV (Chiswick), 23rd December 2011: [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1154.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1154.jpg[/IMG][/URL] A bit of headless action: [url="http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Performance/111223%20George%20IV/TheJunkyardDogsTheGeorge23-12-1146exp1.jpg.html"][/url]

What they chiefly look is [i][b]young[/b][/i]! I'm older than the pair of them combined.

As the chief beneficiary of Silvia's camera-related talents, I can only endorse this idea. Every gig I play, with any of the bands in my sig, is captured through the lens so I'll need to spend some time picking out the Best Of Breed for publication.

Why thank'ee kindly, young master. Bought that waistcoat on Bleecker Street at Easter. The hat is Belgian silk, from Chalon-sur-Saone. Shoes? Don't get me started on shoes ...

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1381093888' post='2234363'] Thanks for the tip, Happy Jack. Do you know whether the Shelter Records period is to be avoided or good enough as to this aspect? [/quote] Hard to go wrong with this as a start-point: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Of-The-Blues/dp/B001JPUPCS/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381131249&sr=301-2"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Of-The-Blues/dp/B001JPUPCS/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381131249&sr=301-2[/url] EXCEPT that he was a prolific bluesman and even a double album won't necessarily have everything that's worth having. For what it's worth, my personal favourites by Freddie include: Someday After A While (You'll Be Sorry) The Stumble Hideaway Lonesome Whistle Blues Key To The Highway I'm Tore Down Going Down It's worth checking out who's playing bass on some of these. Freddie's version of [i]Key To The Highway[/i] is comfortably the best I've ever heard. I'd been playing along with it for years before I discovered it was Duck Dunn on bass ...

Good call, Rev. Your diagnosis was spot on. Five minutes with a few tools and a £200 pre-amp is salvaged. Scrumpy & Western Rules!!!

Start by buying a "Best Of" for Freddie King. Some of the finest and most varied basslines you'll hear in blues.

Please tell me that hammer was a visual gag ...

Just for those who never look at Repairs & Technical ... http://basschat.co.uk/topic/218807-plat-pro-woe-woe-and-thrice-woe/page__pid__2232348#entry2232348

I've been using a Fishman Platinum Pro which I bought new when I took up DB - maybe three years ago. It's been very well looked-after, done at most a couple of dozen gigs, and I check the on-board 9V battery frequently. Set up in a rush for a gig on Thursday, and there was a DI box already virtually hard-cabled in position so phantom power wasn't an option. No worries, I've got a 9V battery for that. Plugged in - nowt. No signal getting through the unit, not even as far as the Tuner Out, let alone to the board. On the other hand, I got that little flicker of the red Clip lamp as I plugged in which tells you that there's power present. Must be the cable. Tried another one - nowt. No signal getting through the unit, not even as far as the Tuner Out, let alone to the board. On the other hand, I got that little flicker of the red Clip lamp as I plugged in which tells you that there's power present. Must be the battery. Tried another one - nowt. No signal getting through the unit, not even as far as the Tuner Out, let alone to the board. On the other hand, I got that little flicker of the red Clip lamp as I plugged in which tells you that there's power present. Gave up, and played the gig without the Plat Pro. I've just been faffing around in my studio, and it's now definite that everything is hunky dory except that it simply won't run on a 9V battery. I didn't do anything silly at the gig, plug the wrong cable into the wrong socket, flick a switch I shouldn't have touched etc. It just won't work. Any suggestions?

I've been trying to do more with acoustic / semi-acoustic stuff for the last few years, getting involved with playing DB in the process. A couple of things I've discovered echo comments made by others (above). 1. The band frequently want a DB on stage at least as much for the look of the thing as the sound. I've tried using a Kala U-Bass and it sounded great, they're brilliant instruments, but in truth they do [u][b]look [/b][/u]like toys. That matters to some people. 2. Playing these gigs is an exercise in minimalism ... just how [i][b]few [/b][/i]notes can I play. As Bluejay puts it, it's about playing a small number of [i][b]important [/b][/i]notes. My rather laboured point is that - musically - Chris is bang on the money, it's not the instrument that matters (electric or acoustic) but what you do with it.

It's not a problem so long as you're a punk functions band, and they all sound the same. [size=5][i][b]ONE TWO THREE FOUR ...[/b][/i][/size]

I think we need to resolve this ...

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1380705202' post='2229109'] *The little lawyer on my shoulder told me to write the following statement: "I have no grounds to believe that Barefaced, or any of their employees would actually do anything even remotely scandalous" [/quote] Look at this photo and ask yourself how confident you are about that: [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Equipment%20and%20stuff%20CURRENT/VisittoBarefaced8_zps67f42db9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Equipment%20and%20stuff%20CURRENT/VisittoBarefaced8_zps67f42db9.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1380738282' post='2229861'] Do you think that means if its in a gig bag then its covered under the policy or would you have to put a blanket over the gig bag do you think? [/quote] I tried to cover mine under the policy, but the piece of paper wasn't big enough ...

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1380700893' post='2228998'] ... there is simply no denying that the DB sounds better than the KK under all circumstances, but on the other hand the KK has the DB beaten all hands down on gigging practicality. Manoevering my DB in a gigbag through and then out of The Troubadour last week took me and Bluejay working as a team, plus the cooperation of nearly half the people in the bloody place! ([i]Excuse me ... coming through ... watch that light fitting! ... mind your back please ... was that your foot? ... yes, if you could just move those stools ... oops, I'm sorry, shall I buy you another one?[/i]) [/quote] Just to add to this, I played The Catch in Shoreditch last night (uber-trendy 20-something place, daaaahling!). Never been there before (I'm not 20-something, daaaahling!) but I knew that parking around there is a nightmare so I took the BabyBass. I ended up having to dump Bluejay and the BabyBass at the front door while I went off to find parking. Silvie walked into the entrance carrying the bass only to find that the bands were playing upstairs. That would be the spiral staircase then. My DB is actually considerably bigger than Silvie. The concept of watching her trying to carry a DB up a spiral staircase is so absurd that it's really quite funny. Final Score: [size=5][b]DB 0 - 1 KK[/b][/size]

Someone can indeed help - his name is Alex Claber of Barefaced. Have you contacted him?

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1380725704' post='2229603'] ... the bloke in the gallery looked at me like I was a right wally... or wolly even... [/quote] Sounds like you have been Alex'd ...

I think some people rhyme WAL with Wally because the founder's name was Ian Waller, and I believe that's how he pronounced his own name. I tend to rhyme WAL with valley, because it works for me and (unfortunately) I never got to meet Ian Waller.

She's very keen on Heavy Medal ...