ubit

Also all too frequently we have started the night only to find the sound has changed dramatically because of people coming in and I can't hear a thing from the rest of the band. It's a most annoying phenomenon that only seems to happen at big prestigious events . We sventually realised that monitors were essential !

It's a good song anyway.

It's got to be fake cos look at how much the audience is getting into it, plus the guy would never work again if he done that to someone!

Thanks for all the pointers to spot fakes. To be honest, I would have thought twice about this. It's not even close to looking like the real deal. I really feel sorry for the person who has bought this in good faith. I mean it might be someone buying it as a Christmas present for someone. I think too much, but I just hate to see people ripping off others!

It's not always that easy. Our guitarist is also my mate. We have played together forever but he still annoys me with his insistence that the guitar is the be all and end all of the songs!

Exactly, how can anyone say that? I mean you play the music you like at least you try to!

Once years ago, we were playing at a 21st and I completely forgot the first song, lyrics, what key, even the melody went right out my head. I wanted to die. A few years later we had an experience playing at a wedding. We turned up and there was another band playing who had taken all the available space. We set up best we could and had to play with absolutely no sound check, monitors, nothing. It was a disaster and made me realise never pander to people. Set up and play when you are ready and happy with everything

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1414066334' post='2585375'] It's all about promotion. You've gotta be identified. You must stand out. Do something completely off the scale at your gigs that will get people talkin. Social media is key these days. You need to get people communicating about your band on social media. Do something like an ice bucket challenge for all the band but one of the guys is wearing baggy trousers and they fall down when he gets iced. That's a silly example off the top of my head but something like that will get your name in people's faces. Oh yeah.... Be nice. [/quote] Couldn't agree more. It's all about social media these days. Get some performances up on you tube and then you have something to show a venue. Then again, we had a guy in a bar saying he'd seen us on YouTube and was looking forward to the gig. Great gig, they were delighted and we've heard nothing since, so it's not an exact science. We are lucky one local bar likes us and gives us regular gigs but it's nice to play different venues sometimes. Good luck anyway but remember places are not keen on new acts they have no clue about

That's a lovely colour of a P you have there mate. Love the pick guard. How did you do it?

What a refreshingly honest description. The guy doesn't hold back on giving it warts n all ! I'm even tempted to put in a bid coz he's such a good guy......nah, maybe not

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1414055322' post='2585165'] Fit & finish on the Euros is good but not as good as the US. Mostly tiny details really. I've found Euros to sound a little antiseptic & bland compared tot he US models. I used to use an NS5 as my regular gigging bass and wanted a lower cost option as a backup and bought a Euro. It seemed to lack the bottom end oomph that my US had and the top end was harsher and not as sweet as the US [/quote] The American bass must indeed be a beast if you say the Euro has a lack of bottom end and a harsh top end because ime the Euro is a lovely bass with a superb range of tones. I've never even tried one but am happy enough with the Euro. Maybe I'll take the plunge someday if I can find a decent pre owned one

That's why I can't understand the price because the Euro is an amazing , well built, beautifully finished guitar and I cannot see just how much better, to justify about 5 and a half grand, the NS2 is!

Mate, they are £4000 MORE than the Euro which is about £1500 ! Just checked Thomann £4904.30 for an NS2

I always used to try to get the action as low as possible, but nowadays , I like it a little bit higher to avoid clicks. I still try to get it as low as I can before the clicking appears. I play with my fingers mainly and am quite aggressive ,so clicking was a problem.

[quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1413995883' post='2584631' Nice! - you must be a fun band mate [size=4] [/size] [/quote] Nah, I'm actually ok, I wouldn't really resort to violence, only a dirty look

I have in my possession a beautiful Spector Euro4LX which is an incredible piece of workmanship with an amazing tone. I was just wondering, when I see the price of the American made NS2, I am gobsmacked because it's a full 4 faasand quid more!!! I don't doubt the NS2 is a lovely guitar, but is it 4 grand better than the extremely well made Euro? I struggle to think how it could be so much better than what is, to my mind, a pretty perfect bass. I would love to hear from anyone who has experience with both or one or the other to give me their views 😉

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1413986151' post='2584428'] Are you certain of that..? I have evidenced (too many times..!) folks singing along horribly, clapping off-time, mass slaughter of even such well-known ditties as the National Anthem (never heard football or rugby teams before an international match..?), and that's just vocal..! Our 2nd guitar only plays by ear, but boy, does he struggle to 'capture' the tonality of a piece..! It's not uncommon to be 1 fret away, for a whole solo, or to confuse a major with a minor. No, imo not everyone is gifted with an ear for music; in fact I'd say quite the opposite. Most folks will bugger it up. Sad..? Certainly. [size=4] [/size] [/quote] Perhaps I've been locked in a cocoon for years whereby I've only ever encountered half decent musos. To be honest I've never come across another musician who didn't have the ability to pick stuff up by ear. It's just the way of the world in my experience. I don't doubt what you are saying is true, it's just I've never had the misfortune to have to listen to a total tone struggler. It must be horrific to rehearse with this 2 nd guitarist, I would be forced to administer a few hefty slaps to get them strumming in the right place. Good luck man!

This has been three pages discussing a skill that more or less anyone has. The ability to play along with a piece of music you haven't been taught. Obviously this depends a great deal on the difficulty of said piece, but most people are going to get at least the gist of a piece, ie. The key it's in and basic root notes, so what is the real argument here? No one is arguing that being able to read music is going to hinder you or affect your ability to improvise. There is however an opinion that not being able to read music, is going to stop you getting a decent job in the music business. Whilst I agree that some venues will be snobbish enough to insist on this skill as a minimum, I also think that many places will book artists on their pedigree and word of mouth. It's all down to the particular venue and the particular artist. I can't read music and have no intention of learning, so I'm just gonna keep learning by ear. It's done me for a good few years with no problem, although I've never tried for a cruise ship or west end show. Dog and duck it is then !

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1413966368' post='2584033'] That's only ever going to work in a pre rehearsed situation though, it's still noodling he's just good at noodling that's all. Noodling won't get you a Broadway or west end show gig, your going to say he doesn't want that I know but the point is he WOULD be missing out on potential work. Of course this is tosh anyway because your girlfriends brother could be professional but is in fact not. [/quote] Yeah I understand what you are saying but what I'm saying is, you are unlikely to be asked to play in a band at a high end gig using just music notes. Even the best musicians like rehearsal. Some musicians can and do, improvise on the spot and do a great job. Alls im saying is reading music, whilst it undoubtedly helps, is not the be all and end all if the musician is good enough and has a reputation that precedes him/ her, then top end gigs are available if you move in the right circles

No, he said you can't get these gigs if you can't read music

I always thought music was never bad as long as someone liked it. I mean music is all down to taste. Lots of people like Lou Reed, but I think he's sh*t. That doesn't mean he is sh*t, just that I don't like his material. Likewise, royal blood. Not everyone likes them. I do

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1413932251' post='2583897'] The point is that there are plenty of incredible musicians who can’t read a note (Jeff Beck, Billy Sheehan, etc, etc). But unfortunately these guys never get to play the cruise ships! Of course if you do want those types of gigs you do need to be able to read. However, if I was to be a bit contentious, I would suggest that the best musicians who can read tend to be those who learnt to play first then learnt to read afterwards. IME some guys who learnt to play by reading tend not to develop their ear as well as those who did not start off by reading notation… [/quote] You quoted me but clearly didn't read my post. My girlfriends brother gets MANY really high end gigs just because people know he is amazing. He has turned down the chance to be a pro on so many occasions. He just likes his family life too much to make the leap. He is well known in the right circles and people never ask him, can you read music? He can get a tune out of any stringed instrument with absolutely no formal training whatsoever. So, I reiterate, if you are good enough, you don't need to read music!

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1413907588' post='2583455'] But you'll never get offered those gigs if you can't do both. [/quote] Sorry mate but that's a load of tosh. My girlfriends brother can't read music but is an absolutely amazing guitarist. He plays with really high standard musicians who all get annoyed at him because he just plays by ear. They have to study their parts and he just turns up and plugs in and away he goes. I, to a much lesser extent, do the same when I'm playing in my pub band. I think venues couldn't give a rats whether you can read music as long as you can make a nice noise!

That's how I learned to play. I used to listen to the records, in them days, and work it out. Yoofs of today have it easier with facetube and such to help them!

It can also depend on where you hear a cab. I've tried cabs in one venue that sounded amazing , but then in another , sounded muddy. Quite often a cab at lower volume doesn't sound as good when it's really working. Echoey places can really spoil the sound of what would be a good cab. I would just take that into consideration when deciding