phil.c60

+1 from me. I really enjoyed it and didn't see it the first time around. I'll also be forwarding it to my guitarist: I want to record with my band soon, and I've recorded before "all in the room" - it worked out well and we got a really nice "Live" feel. I'd like to do it that way again, but he want's to layer it all track by track......which I think for a blues band will be a bit tedious and unnecessary. Thanks, Jack.

[quote name='binky_bass' timestamp='1494445925' post='3296104'] Handbags it is... I'm going with my Radley, what's your weapon? [/quote] [quote name='skb558' timestamp='1494446200' post='3296110'] Nice choice [/quote] I think you'll find that the handbag du jour is a Longchamp.....don't ask me why I know this, I just do!

So your Scottish, Mixed Race and look like Pamela Anderson. Man, that's either terrific or very weird.......

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1492850182' post='3283604'] this feels like taking my clothes off in public but if like me you are an 'intermediate' player you'll be very depressed by some of these answers, it takes me longer than this and from some of the conversations I have with other bassists and gigging bands I'm not totally alone in this. To give some context I've been involved in three start up bands and I'd reckon to learn three or four songs a week depending upon complexity spending about two or three hours most evenings working on them. They'll be all I listen to in the car whilst I'm learning them and I'll use every cheat I can (You Tube, tab,etc.) to get there. Like all the pro's here I won't gig unless I'm 100%. In all I've found it takes about twelve weeks to get a two hour set together from scratch. The other thing no one has mentioned is genre. So far I've played modern pop, indie, 70's Rock, glam rock, 80's rock, each tends to have its own little tricks and it can take a while to get your head round new stylistic things. That slows you down, or maybe it's just me Apart from that the pattern is pretty much what other people describe, breaking it down into parts, concentrating on structure and listen listen listen. No song has beaten me yet but I've taken a month to learn the more stretching ones and as soon as you get quicker at learning you inevitably end up being given something even more challenging to learn. [/quote] +1. You are not alone.....

All of the above. I learn songs pretty thoroughly before rehearsals so that I've got the structure nailed down, even if I can't get all the frilly bits. The others do the same working from an agreed version or youtube clip. If we then decide to change things, ie add a harp solo or extend a guitar solo, at least we're all starting fro the same point otherwise it's just chaos and a lot of wasted time. As for ends - if a song ends with a fade we're never going to do that, so we sort that part out after the first run through the main parts. We record the rehearsals, I edit them and send mp3s so that we've all got the final version with the structure and end we want for the next rehearsal or gig. Works well for us. Drummer does sometimes make notes and bring them, but I just learn it. Saves me needing a music stand at a gig.

Rotosound SM77 Monel flats on my P/J Hot Rod bass. Quite expensive, but they've been on there for ever...... I do find them a little stiff, and am thinking of giving the Thomastik IF a go on my spare P Bass as lots of folks seem to like them!

Guitar work by Chris Spedding, IIRC. And also IIRC , Herbie was the only person allowed to use any of the music or reference to War of the Worlds in his own shows. Just shows how highly Jeff Wayne rated him.

Bought an EBS Octabass from Lee: great comms, packed well, arrived in double quick time and was exactly as described. Buy from him with confidence.

Keep and eye on the for sale sections on here - I bought mine, a VT bass which does the job perfectly from Colgraf (RIP) for £90 in it's original tin via an ad in the "effects for sale" section.

Or get yourself a Sansamp DI and carry that instead so you can play through the PA. Even if it's just a small vocal PA as long as you keep the volume sensible you'll be fine, and even if you can't eq like you might like it will get you out of a hole and keep your gig going. Had to do this when had issues with my LM3 (which turned out to be a cable issue, now solved by buying some lovely cables from the previous poster - thanks Dave!), and could get going again in about 30 seconds with the kit to hand. Don't go anywhere without mine now.

Dakota raises another point. The Stereophonics vocal is (to me) rather good: he's a great performer and he really lifts the song above it's basic (very) format. How many covers bands achieve that - not many, probably, and certainly not the guy who sang when I played it last. But....to the audience, when they hear it they recall the original, and that's what's in their heads, so as long as you get somewhere close, they react exactly as if they were hearing the original and come over all emotional. Or they're just pissed.

Which reminds me: we played a successful gig (like FinnDave we're a Blues-ish band also stuck with a harmonica player, but he's rather good so its a from me!) and the landlord said "Go and see my mate at The "insert pub name here" and tell him I sent you. They love a good band. And if he's unsure, tell him to call me" Great, I thought, and duly beetled off there midweek. "Fine" says LL. "If he says you're OK, I'll give you a go" Marvellous, I thought, what an easy sell. And it looks like a great place to play, too. "There's only one thing" he says "You HAVE to play Sex On Fire, it's like the pub anthem. All bands have to, play it how you like, we had a folk band do it last week, whatever style, up to you, but you have to play it". Promised to get back to him, guitar player and harmonica player and drummer all said no. Really no. No, No, No. So I never called him, we never played there, I've never played it. I have played Molly's Chambers though, and quite enjoyed it.

Our usual dep drummer doesn't drive, so when we use him I pick him up and drop him off. With his kit. I do this because he's a great drummer and a great guy, and because he helps us out when we need him. Would I have him in the band permanently and do this for every gig? No. When he gigs with other people he only gigs locally to him and goes by taxi. With his kit. Works for him. Would it work for us? No. When we need him it's usually because we have a Friday and a Saturday night gig, we don't want to turn one down and our regular drummer can't usually do both in the same week. Regular guy does the one furthest away from where the dep lives.

[list] [*]We're a blues based band and we spend quite a long time trying to find entertaining songs that no-one does to death (Johnny Paycheck, anyone?). We have two original songs that our front man wrote or co-wrote a few years ago, and they go down really well. One in particular is one of our most popular songs. We do the occasional gig for a guy who runs small festival type multi band events (don't worry, we get paid) and told him we had a couple of originals in our set and challenged him to pick them out: he couldn't. So either we're truly bad so everything sounds dreadful, or the songs are great and work really well for us. I'd like to think it's the latter, so I'd also like to think that as there are bass players a lot better than me, and bands that my be better than ours, out there playing covers of various genres a couple of decent well written originals could be slipped in without a problem thus satisfying both angles. I like most of the songs we play, am not so keen on a couple, but really enjoy the originals as I get an even better buzz when the audience clap/cheer/throw rotten fruit/whatever after we play them. [/list]

It was the same or me a few years ago when I left a band for very good reasons. It probably won't be long before you're feverishly scanning the "Musicians Wanted" ads.......and so to now, when I am getting slightly peeved with the guitarist/vocalist in my current band. Previous experience has taught me that finding a good band takes a lot of time and effort with many false starts, so keeping this one together ( it's two years in it's current lineup, I've been it it for four and a half and it's become mine and the Harmonica players band as the personnel have changed) at the expense of what are really minor irritations is worthwhile. For me, at least.

Following this topic starting, I emailed him yesterday because as usual I'm late to the party. I would really like a relic '63 P and left handed at that. I had just got around to a bit of serious research and his name came up. I got a very nice replay this morning to say that he is moving to another part of the country so is only working on projects he already has in hand in order to finish them before he moves. It was unclear whether he will start again once he has moved, but as he suggested he was moving his workshop too it seems likely. I've asked him to let me know when he is in a position to take fresh orders, but I fear this may be a while away.

Long post, apologies in advance. I'm in the same boat - my Blues Band is going along nicely, but not quite as busy as I would like due to other members commitments so I answered an ad just before Christmas from a covers band with an interesting set list (to me, at any rate). Told me they had gigs in the pipeline, were ready to go until the last guy left, all the right things. We've rehearsed pretty much weekly for 3 months, sent me stuff to look at, I pick four or five, turn up for rehearsal and get "Oooh, we've not done that for a while, and I'm not sure we know that one too well...." - why send it to me then? Bite my lip, we muddle on, they get a gig, Hurrah! Then a change to the set list with 5 days to go but only one or two so it's OK, and we'd fiddled around with the new ones anyway, turn up on the night to find the set is the same songs but in a completely new order, not an issue but a bit strange as we'd discussed the whole "Open with this, close first set with that...etc.". Gig goes OK, a bit better than that really, actually quite well. People enjoy it. They have a sound guy as they don't have a PA "At the moment...." He earns more than we do as he's on a flat fee. It's a fee plus a jug (let's not get into that again) - I can see and lip read the singer's wife asking why people (her friends) have to cough up. Not a good sign. She's ignored me all night and I haven't been introduced. Starts to smell a bit really. Sent a message today asking how they propose to move on, have they found any more gigs, what's happening etc. and get the Dear John.... they are "taking a breather to work things out" and feel there are "musical differences". They compliment me on my playing, tell me I'm the best bass player they've had (and I quote: "We've had quite a few...") but think they will look for someone else. They have no gigs. Or any prospective gigs.They are clearly a rehearsal band. I thought I'd asked all the right questions at the audition and afterwards when they called, but clearly not. It strikes me that you've got to question people like a fanatical Gestapo interrogator to get all the answers which is not exactly the best way to start off on a "relationship" is it? Why can't people just be honest? Or are they just dreamers? Time to start looking all over again..........

The same HotRod Precision that I gig with now, straight into an Ampeg B200R Rocket Bass combo which I still own but don't use because it's too heavy. I still play through it at home when no-ones in and it sounds great. I keep intending to drag it out to a gig with an easy load in, but then pick up the LM3 and change my mind.

Very, very simple setup for me: Fender HotRod Precision from about 1999 or std. 96 Precision both with Rotosound Monel flats. Both left handed. OBBM cables Korg Pitchblack Tuner, Samsamp VT bass just for emergencies so I can play through the PA if necessary. Little Mark 3 Barefaced Gen 2 Compact. Thats all, folks

PM sent.

Check the string is wound on properly at the tuning peg - I cut a string too short on a Jazz (schoolboy error) and the break angle wasn't enough as the string wasn't far enough down the peg when tuned. Silly me.

[quote name='steantval' timestamp='1487293303' post='3238777'] Two bands come to mind from the 70's who I really liked. Sassafras Snafu [/quote] I'm fortunate to know the drummer from SNAFU, Terry Popple. A great player and a really lovely guy. I've been fortunate to play with him a couple of times and he's always been very kind about my very average abilities! He also played with Van Morrison. As for bands, how about the Decemberists, and Cake. Both American indie bands, Decemberists a bit more folky.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1487267579' post='3238527'] Under red stage lights it's red. Under blue stage lights it's blue. Under orange stage lights ...etc. Cool, huh..? [/quote] But in the cold light of day it's still........white!