Happy Jack
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Everything posted by Happy Jack
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Ah yes, the point at which Casio first made a serious attempt to distinguish themselves from Bon Tempi and cheap calculators by moving upmarket with their keyboards. I'll bet that array of on-board speakers sounds pretty damned good? Makes it bloody heavy, mind. 🙄 I always thought Casio piano sounds were good and string sounds were excellent, but their brass was disappointing.
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Hofner Beatle basses - so bloody many in the range!
Happy Jack replied to tredders's topic in Bass Guitars
There are basically TWO types of Hofner Beatle bass ... the ones built in Germany (bloody expensive but the real deal) and the ones built under licence in China (relatively cheap and no real indicator of what Macca actually played). Apart from the quality of the components and the different type of finish (you really want nitro) by far the most obvious difference is that cheap copies - including the made-under-licence versions - have a "central sustain block". Trans: Instead of being hollow-bodied and made using traditional violin-building techniques and bracing, they have a bloody great lump of 4x2 running down the middle onto which everything else is glued & screwed. What this means is that the cheapo versions weigh substantially more, have a completely different balance to them, and because of the plasticky finish and cheap knobs have a completely different feel to them. Does any of this matter? The Ignition and the Contemporary are both fine basses, play well and sound good. Yes, I've owned both. Above all, to the ignorant audience they LOOK like a Beatle bass. If I was asked to join a Beatles tribute, I would have no hesitation in buying one of these and doing the usual substitute-the-teacup-knobs thing. But if what you want is to know how it felt for Macca to play this bass then you should avoid the cheapo jobbies like the plague. The instant you pick up a genuine German-made Hofner it's totally obvious that they're chalk & cheese. I've had several, including the 1963 RI, and I have a genuine 1964 hanging on the wall next to me as I write this. These are quality instruments and a piece of true craftsmanship, but that costs. -
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CASIO ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD WK-7600, good condition but not perfect, works absolutely fine in every regard, selling as I have now upgraded to a Korg Kross. https://www.casio.com/intl/electronic-musical-instruments/product.WK-7600/ BAD BITS: (1) There's a hairline crack in the casing at front right (see photo). You can only see it if you go looking for it, but I should mention it. (2) There seems to be a loose piece of plastic inside the keyboard, which you can hear if you pick the keyboard up so as to (for example) lean against a wall. It's been there for years and has no effect whatsoever, but again I should mention it. (3) The knob-tip for the smallest (1') drawbar is missing. The drawbar itself works fine without the tip, and I sometimes wonder if the missing tip is the piece of plastic inside the casing! GOOD BITS: (1) This is a real go-anywhere keyboard, operates off mains or batteries, has on-board speakers significantly better than you'd expect at this price point. (2) The range of sounds is good, but the piano is way better than you'd expect from a Casio and the strings are superb. (3) The drawbar organ is a very neat touch (the original reason I bought this model - I now have a Hammond) and with a bit of practice allows you to 'fake it' with real style. (4) The Transpose function is quick and simple, very handy in a live-on-stage situation. (5) Speaking of which, those bold letters are Dymo tape stuck to electrical tape (so very easily removed), making it far easier to hit the right button on a dark stage. (6) Similarly, the red and green electrical tape makes it easier to plug in a 1/4" lead and the power supply when setting up on a dark stage. HANDOVER: Sticking a fairly large impact-moulded plastic keyboard in a cardboard box and hoping that ParcelFarce won't break it seems like a bad idea to me. Much better either to collect from Harrow HA1, but I'm also happy to drive up to 30 miles to 'meet in the middle' for a handover if that works better for you. Handover in person has to be a better idea because that way you can test the keyboard before handing over your hard-earned readies. This keyboard is currently (28 Nov) listed on eBay with a start price of £99 so you may prefer to bid there and see if you can land a serious bargain, but these keyboards tend to sell in the £180-£200 range. -
Now that really IS brave! 😂
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Genuinely don't think that any NS will cut it at a country/americana gig. Not only is the sound almost guaranteed to be "too modern" but far more importantly the LOOK is all wrong. I've played in country bands and americana bands and IME the audience listens as much with their eyes as their ears. If you look the part then nobody will notice your tone or your note choices. If you DON'T look the part, they'll be frowning. If you can't bring a DB or a faux DB like a KK (had one for years, loved it) then IMHO you're better off sticking to a Precision throughout.
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Creating a monster (lead singer problem)
Happy Jack replied to Mickeyboro's topic in General Discussion
If you want to give me his mobile, I can happily text him the gist of this thread, start the ball rolling so to speak? 😂 -
Creating a monster (lead singer problem)
Happy Jack replied to Mickeyboro's topic in General Discussion
Life's too short, move on. Granted it will be a complete PITA having to wade through all the flakes and fantasists who answer your advert on JoinMyBand (or similar) but eventually you'll find someone who reminds you why you started playing in bands in the first place. Keep an open mind. Instead of trying to "replace" the existing clown on a one-for-one basis, just see who's out there ... male or female, same age as you or just out of uni. From everything I've seen over the last few months, 2023 is going to be a complete shower of 5h1t when it comes to gigging, so you may as well take it as a 'band re-build' year and start thinking about 2024. -
WTF happened at 1:09? 😉 Your 2-camera edit gives a glimpse of what can be achieved - and easily too - but wait until you start using four cameras. It's a whole nother thang. @Silvia Bluejay sets them up at each gig while the band is setting up the PA & backline, so there's no extra time involved. She now has it to a fine enough art that we routinely do a 4-camera shoot even at one-hour festival slots, without ticking off the stage managers.
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Start checking the For Sale listings on Talkbass.
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Ronaldo is still thin but, in truth, he's past it. The more he tries to hang on to the image, the more it tarnishes ...
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Official Solution = sing verse #1 again. Always.
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Once it's finished making the weird noise, test the battery to see whether there's any charge left. If the weird noise is draining a brand new 9V battery, then that could be a clue as to where the problem lies ...
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That just makes it worse. I'd feel bad getting paid £300 to perform (that's for the whole band, not just me) if I couldn't remember the words. I suspect that Dolly Parton wasn't playing for an equal share of £300? Just because a famous celeb does something, that don't make it right. See: Kanye West.
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How many basses? I suppose I could find out, if I thought it important. 🤨
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Bands with 2 (or more) bass players
Happy Jack replied to mario_buoninfante's topic in General Discussion
I've been in a couple of bands with two bassists. In The Junkyard Dogs @mcdaddy played lead guitar while I played bass. In The Soul Seniors @songofthewind plays bass while I play keyboards (although @mcdaddy depped on bass for a couple of gigs too). Don't think that's what the OP had in mind, though ... -
It seems to be targeted at left-handed players who like an ultra-long fretless Jazz ... a bit niche for my tastes. 🙄
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Drummers are surrounded by so many stands and so much hardware that she could probably get away with a 34" flat-screen TV without the audience noticing.
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In all fairness, having FX would allow you to put Delay and Distortion on the IEMs. Just saying ...
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Few things annoy me more than mono IEMs. 😡
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Absolutely true if you're talking about big studio consoles, not so much if you're talking about "compact mixing desks" (i.e. the subject of this topic). Pretty much all modern electronics follow the 90/10 Rule (I can do 90% of what I want using just 10% of the tools available) although in truth I think it's now far more of a 95/5 Rule. If I was to be designing a compact mixing desk for use in the sort of situations where a compact mixing desk would be useful, then I certainly would not include a myriad of knobs, switches, dials and functions. I'd identify what it is that people actually use (or at least are most likely to use) and pare the system down to those. Keep It Simple, Stupid. 🙂
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Tell your drummer he's just an attention seeker! 😉
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This works well: https://www.gak.co.uk/en/tiger-imca2-tablet-mount-black/950894?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiA37KbBhDgARIsAIzce14vbp_hdlhvK3D-TMWzTDIKfIaG9kgqVDbIoGqQaaTmALgXlr31-CcaAtbMEALw_wcB Rather flimsy plastic construction, so handle gently, but it certainly does the job if you have an old mic stand lying around. And which of us can truly say he doesn't? 🤨
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Pubs are run by publicans, clubs are run by amateurs/volunteers, you do the math. Any band that relies on the venue to do the marketing (with a very few honorable exceptions) is on a hiding to nothing.
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*** GONE *** Moody Blues tribute in formation in NW London
Happy Jack replied to Happy Jack's topic in Bassists Wanted
Only just seen this ... yes thanks, the BL found a guy with some pretty serious tribute band experience and he came along. Only problem is that he doesn't seem to drive and, while he's a bit closer than Lewisham (Hackney) it's really not a great journey by public transport for him. -
I bloody HATE it when people sing from any sort of lyric sheet. If you don't know the words, what are you doing performing (and in my case for money) in front of an audience? When playing keys on stage, I use a tablet (10" Samsung Galaxy) in a Tiger tablet holder on an old mic stand. I need it for all the different keyboard settings, not for the lyrics, but the audience don't know that. 🙄 I make a point of having the stand at least 45 degrees to my left, 90 degrees if I can, so that the tablet is out of my sightline most of the time that I'm playing, but a quick glance to my left will remind me of what patch is coming up in two bars. If I was to use the tablet to remind me of the lyrics (never, damn you, NEVER!) I would do the same. Out of the sightline, but available in a hurry in a genuine emergency.
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