SteveK

Don't know about the internet, but probably one of the most misattributed tunes ever is The James Bond theme. Most think it's John Barry... in fact, even John Barry thinks it's John Barry

Checked or hand luggage? Shouldn't be a problem either way. Having said that, I would opt for hand luggage. When they ask you to remove any laptop you might have, that would be the time to mention your pedal.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1346918642' post='1794726'] My first (only?) Elvis impersonator gig is in nine days' time ... ulp! Incidentally, [b]shouldn't there be a genre/category for bands who wear hats?[/b] [/quote]Er...NO! Are you taking the p**s? [url="http://www.musikear.com/imageficha/the-rubettes/the-rubettes-greatest-hits.jpg"]http://www.musikear....eatest-hits.jpg[/url] Devilishly handsome young man, bottom left, though.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1346851459' post='1794034'] Think we've already opened that can of worms, a very grey area, just to confuse things even more the band I'm in do mostly punky covers but probably do one of our own tunes about every 3rd song, don't know how you would classify that, but it gets us gigs in pubs we wouldn't normally get one. [/quote] I'd probably classify that as, 'Punky covers band with a few of our own thrown in for good measure' Not really confusing! That's how a great many bands evolve/have evolved.

Some posters here seem to be confusing the whole "Covers Band" "Tribute Band" thing.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1346842021' post='1793842'] What's the difference between a tribute band and another production of Macbeth ? [/quote] See post #148

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1346772354' post='1792995'] What's being proposed is that someone playing a song that [i]they[/i] wrote is 'good' but if somone else plays it that's [i]bad[/i] because they're not the person who wrote it. [/quote] With respect Skank, that's [b]not[/b] what is being proposed. It's nothing to do with who wrote the song, it's about slavishly copying a version made popular by someone else, regardless of the composer. FWIW I've spent all my life doing other peoples songs. As for the [i]"What's wrong with tribute acts? We're all quite happy to watch movies/plays where people are pretending to be someone else."[/i] argument. The fact is, with movies we're watching [b]actors[/b] act. With tribute bands we're watching [b]musicians[/b] act...and we all know that has never worked!

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1346759921' post='1792719'] ^This^ Hells Bells (AC/DC tribute) are playing locally soon, and I'll certainly be getting tickets. I've seen them a couple of times before and they have been excellent.[b] I'm unlikely to get the same 'intimate' experience from the real thing,[/b] assuming they are touring anywhere near the UK in the forseeable future. I think there's a certain amount of snobbery in some of the responses to this thread. Yes, probably all of us would like to be in a top original band - however the majority of us will probably never reach those heights. I have a feeling that some of the site members here are in tribute or covers bands, and other members could perhaps be a little more supportive. However the occasional negative sentiments do not reflect the overall positive vibe of basschat. There are good & bad tribute acts, the same as there are good and bad bands of all genres. <Puts tin hat on ready for flaming> [/quote] Of course, if it's an intimate experience, then a half decent tribute is fine...but, if the band are slavishly copying the original, then you won't get the same [b]musical[/b] experience. When I hear music I want to hear something personal, I want to hear the musician reveal himself . [quote name='Norris' timestamp='1346761959' post='1792758'] So here's a question - if there's only one or two of the original members left, is it still the original band or a tribute act? (Especially if the gig is primarily made up of their old 'classics' & little/no new material) [/quote]I guess I kind of fall into that category, although we do a lot of newer material. The band is well known (amongst its half dozen fans) for completely stripping back and rearranging the songs, no 2 nights are the same. Each member adapts/changes parts on a fairly regular basis. Basically, even songs we've been playing for 20 + years are still "work in progress". The band may not be the "original" lineup, but it's certainly not a "tribute" either.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1346684985' post='1791898'] [b]Sure bass guitar in rock music is often just a thickening effect underneath the guitars, but that's just rock music.[/b] There's other music. [/quote]Eh???

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1346681476' post='1791860'] So why is it perfectly OK for guitarists and keyboard players to use completely different sounds on different songs or even in different parts of the same song, but it's not OK for bass payers? If the tonal balance of the band changes because the main instrument changes shouldn't adjust their sounds to match? [/quote] Never said it wasn't OK, just highlighting the potential pitfalls. In any case, generally speaking, the bass has a specific and important role, if it's missing in the mix it's all too evident. Whereas guitars and keyboards temporarily missing will have less impact. Unfortunately for the keyboard player there is far greater demand on him, he can be expected to play: Piano, organ, strings, voices, glockenspiel, tubular bells, bagpipes etc. with a the different levels that entails. I play with a keyboard player who was well respected in his day, known for being one of the first users of the Mellotron and Moog synthesizers (he's been doing it a while ) . Believe me, after every gig there is invariably a big discussion between him and the FOH engineer about levels between the different keyboards, and levels of different sounds within the same keyboard. But somehow as long as the drums and bass are there it seems less of a problem .

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1346676272' post='1791774'] Sometimes I'll have one sound for a whole song, [b]but more often than not I like a different tone for each section of an arrangement.[/b] Hopefully it compliments the vocal and guitar rather than getting in the way. [/quote]Streuth! I've no idea of the type of music your playing, your level of experience or how extreme your tone changes are, but it sounds to me that you're a FOH engineers nightmare . I don't mean to be patronising, but, unless you have a really good handle on EQs, levels etc. your sound guy will be spending all his time worrying about where the bass is in the mix, and not much else.

The only time that I'll change my tone/sound is when a song or section of a song where the bass takes a more 'up front' role or the mood of the song is vastly different This is done by jumping on my box and selecting a (well honed after many gigs) preset. This may include EQ, octaver, chorus etc. The idea that EQ should be changed for every song is, IMV, ridiculous. The live gig and studio situations are totally different. In a studio an engineer/producer can take as long as it takes to get the bass sounding right in a mix. On a gig you might have a few seconds, and how do you know that you are actually improving things? Standing off centre, between drums and keyboards, guitar opposite side of the stage, vocal monitors a few feet in front, is far from the ideal place to judge how you're 'sitting' in a mix.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1345979582' post='1783697'] When they come out of Berklee / GIT / whatever they merely leave having mastered the language. Doesn't mean their first attempt at a novel will be worth reading. That needs time. [/quote]True! Unfortunately, it often appears that many think chops and theory are the be-all and end-all. I can learn all the intricacies of MS Word, learn how to punctuate, study literary theory and composition...I'd still be a million miles away from Shakespeare. Whether literature or music, learning/studying all this stuff is obviously a significant step in the right direction, but... it is only one step of many required to be a truly great writer or musician.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1345915777' post='1783132'] I've noticed most young(ish) virtuosos I've seen seem to sound pretty much the same. I think it's all these Berklee grads and whathaveyou learning from the same sheets and tutors and influences. [/quote] This has long been the view of many musicians that I've met and worked with (over many years) who have learnt their craft doing it the old fashioned way, ie. locking themselves away in their bedroom and eventually joining a band and honing their skills on the road in seedy pubs and clubs. Generally speaking, those that didn't have much to say or felt that they were not listened to would fall by the wayside. Those that had something different to say and were applauded would often go on to be innovators. Many of those from the colleges, while being virtuosos (in asmuch as they know their way around their instrument and more theory than I'll ever know), simply don't have anything different to say. Of course, there will always be the exception.

[quote name='LITTLEWING' timestamp='1344896034' post='1770931'] Okay, here's a daft one, but it might make all the long-term difference. After a gig/rehearsal/home run-through, blah, blah, you lovingly put your baby back in it's case after wiping down the strings etc, etc. Now....is it best to stand the case up against a wall, lay it on it's side, or lay it on it's back? Discuss. [/quote]Providing you've got a half decent case, then the orientation of the bass/case makes not a jot of difference.

D'ya know? My little boy (6years old) asked me that exact question today after just getting back from Germany, Without really thinking, I told him, "Thousands". To be slightly more accurate I guess I have averaged about 2 a week for forty years... Last week was above average, this week was below average and next week will be the exact average

I've used Thomann 4 or 5 times, and every time been staggered at the speed of delivery. BTW Never received a faulty product.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1343720337' post='1753992'] Why do you think.... Thomann are a competitor.... If you were in their shoes and your customer had bought some kit from your competitor and then came to you when it went tits up because you're local.... how would you feel? [/quote]If I offered a repair service in my shop, the more problems my competitors had with their products the happier I would be. Are you saying that shops are only happy to fix products sold by them? [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1343720999' post='1754000'] Sale of Goods Act states that the seller would be responsible for faulty goods sold. The customer would not go to the manufacturer unless it was purchased directly from them. You are covered for upto 6 years against any manufacturing defects (such as parts not suitable for the job) & would be entitled to a repair, replacement or partial refund. If it's within the first 6 months, then it's up to the seller to prove that it's not a manufacturing defect. [/quote]Yes, of course the seller is responsible, but IMO if a product is faulty, he is not to blame.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1343675124' post='1753591'] So who was the retailer that you took it too..... I visit on average 3-4 music retailers per day and I don't think I know one that would take in a repair that came from Thomann?? [/quote] Why on Earth would that be? Seems rather odd! [quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1343684571' post='1753782'] That is the bare minimum that is required of a remote seller under Directive 97/7/EC - the primary legislation for which the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000 No 2334) is the UK Parliament's implementation. A seller would have to be outperforming the minimum duty placed on it by law before I'd think about complimenting its customer service. [/quote]You may well be right...but, in this day of unanswered emails, phone calls and general feet-dragging by on-line retailers, prompt service and resolution is a result.

[quote name='seymourfluid' timestamp='1343680236' post='1753685'] [color=#222222]Just to clarify here, I wasn't actually having a go at Thomann. [/color] [/quote] No, that's clear. My post was more in response to the following... [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1343661858' post='1753293'] WTF is it with Thomann?! They seem to send out loads of dodgy gear. [/quote]

When there is a faulty product then, IMO, the blame is with the manufacturer... unless the suggestion is that Thomann are deliberately buying in cheaper, faulty products.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1343668980' post='1753439'] My reaction is that the responsible thing to do is to let someone else do it, put the work in for a future opportunity, and get a few lessons in the meantime so you get the correct techniques down. [/quote] Yeah, I agree. While I understand the 'Challenge', the[i] I'll never know till I try[/i] philosophy, I think it's pretty bad form to accept a gig for an instrument you've 'NEVER played'. It [i]may[/i] work out, but there is every possibility it will be a disaster.

[quote name='stefBclef' timestamp='1343410436' post='1750431'] I know there are gonna be exceptions (this is the arts we're talking about!), but do you [i]generally [/i]find: [b]Things always sound better when me and the drummer change with each other...if the drummer changes style / pattern I am gonna change too. [/b] [/quote]Absolutely YES...& NO! [quote name='stefBclef' timestamp='1343410436' post='1750431'] [b]OR[/b] [b]I find that sometimes, even though the drummer has changed his/her pattern things can sound better if I stay on the same groove.[/b] [/quote]Again, the answer is, absolutely YES... & NO! You seem to be asking if there is an unwritten rule in this regard...there is none. Yours ears and your band-mates should tell you what works and what doesn't.

It's another tool! It [b]will[/b] put musicians out of work...the question is: To what degree? Probably not to the degree that string players have suffered. As suggested, a large proportion of what we hear as strings/orchestras are, in fact, virtual instruments. Of course the main consideration here is cost. Imagine paying 50-100 musicians for a session. Drummers too have suffered to a degree, there are producers who like total control and the options that the likes of Superior Drummer provides. It's possible that Trilian will fall into this category. As for, "It won't sound real", or "It's about how you play them", you may be right, but many producers, music makers etc couldn't give a toss if it sounds real. They will likely do something quirky with it that will be all the rage for a couple of years, and we will all be pulling our hair out about it.

Just a little history: I started playing music about 1966 (aged 11 or 12), quit my day job at 19 to become a full time musician. With the exception of one or two short periods early on I've been a full time gigging musician ever since. I quit my job to fulfil my dream when I was young and irresponsible, without a wife and children to consider. I was living at home with my parents, so no bills to speak of - they supported/indulged me. I was enticed from my steady glassblowing job with the promise of £5 a week on the road - not a great amount, but enough nonetheless... Of course, the £5 a week never materialised, but I spent a great 5 or 6 years learning what life was like on the road sleeping on speaker cabs and bumming floors from punters for the night - I wouldn't change it for the world! Then in 1980 I was offered a gig that... blah! blah! blah! With all this experience I should be able to offer you shed-loads of advice...but, I can't! Y'know... as I type this, the only thing about your post that I'm remembering is the bit about "wife and children". I have 2 little ones (5 & 8) and I'm not sure that If I had them when I was 19 I would have made the same decisions. The kids are your biggest responsibility.