Nicko

I actually saw someone do a couple of passable covers of Royal Blood using nothing more than a Stingray and a Boss Octave pedal (not sure which model). The signal was split to take the dry signal to a bass amp and the high octave to an overdriven guitar amp. Personally I prefer to let the guitarist do the guitar bits and I'll play the bass lines.

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1450398333' post='2932507'] And here is a wonderful example of that experience for everyone to enjoy [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcibYABRm9E[/media] [/quote] To be fair, the bass player is not really making a case for bass being harder! Why would anyone put something that bad on yootoob?

Although SV wasn't very good, a decent bass player would have ruined most of the Pistols sound. Can you imagine what Bootsy would have played under Anarchy?

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1450359643' post='2932009'] Guitarists it seems can get away with a bit of slop. Bass players can't, timing and note length are critical to getting a tight sound - if that is what you are after. So that makes Bass a more exact science than flapping around playing chords. Am I wrong? [/quote] I think you are half right but it largely depends on what you are playing. Timing is not so critical on the guitar but the feel of the song will suffer if its wrong. If you think you can get away with duff notes you have obviously never been in a band where the guitarist has cocked up the intro to Sweet Child. As a very bad guitarist myself I have to say I find playing bass much easier but that might just be the way I'm made.

[quote name='randythoades' timestamp='1450371083' post='2932151'] I always thought that the bass players of the bands I liked looked cooler than everyone else... Lemmy, Gene Simmons, Duff McKagen. I always found myself gravitating towards those sounds and harmonies, vocal and instrumentation. I did do the guitar thing though and played lead guitar in heavy rock bands for years but still played bass on and off in bands.Then at one jam night with a load of muso friends, was the only half decent bass player in amongst 20 or so guitarists so managed to play all night instead of taking turns. Really enjoyed it an realised there could be mileage in doing it again. Quit my band and went back to bass properly after a 15 year break and not looked back. Using my guitar knowledge too helps me pre-empt what the guitarist will play and adjust accordingly which is always appreciated by other band members. [/quote] Have you already got one? [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dicky-Ticker-Guitar-Cooler-T-shirt/dp/B015L5RI6M"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dicky-Ticker-Guitar-Cooler-T-shirt/dp/B015L5RI6M[/url]

Converted from playing 6 string when I offered to dep for a band. I was living in a portacabin with nothing much else to do on my day off, or for that matter any other evening of the week. I realised I was a far more competent as a bass player than I am a guitarist and it kinda stuck.

We have been together a while now, and have had a few gigs, but are struggling to expand the number of venues. A lot of LLs want to hear what we sound like before booking us - which I guess is fair enough. Although we have a few videos we are seriously thinking of recording a demo CD. I assume if we give this away for the purpose of securing bookings there's no issue with copyright/royalties etc,? It seems there's plenty of bands posting recordings of covers on yootoob and their own websites - is there a difference?

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1450229666' post='2930841'] Agreed 100%. Thing is,it seems like a lot of guys don't want a lot of work. I see more often then not." We only want to gig once or twice a month" Blue [/quote] As you say, we only want maybe one gig a month - there's nothing wrong with that. We are amateurs holding down proper day jobs that sometimes involve long hours so we are playing for fun. The gigs are only really there because it adds a bit of direction and variety. I think we all enjoy gigging but really wouldn't want to gig every week.

Ah, take the Me First and The Gimme Gimmes approach? It has been considered

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1450191682' post='2930414'] The trouble with covers is you have to play what the punters want to hear, or you end up with no work. How busy are you? You could stay in this band and join another playing songs you prefer... or join an originals band. Or form your own band... It's probably not a mid-life crisis unless you've already woken up naked in a skip. [/quote] I agree you have to play what the punters will like, but there must be something better than Rocks (Primal Scream), How You Remind Me (Nickleback) or Are you Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz) to fill a set list.. I don't really have the time for another band. I never woke up naked in a skip, but I did once wake up with my head in a KFC Bargain bucket.

I'm becoming a little bit bored with the setlist. I like a lot of the songs on the our list to listen to and despise a few. Theres a few classic tracks too that are really not what I want to play but the punters seem to like them. I'm not sure whether I'm just bored with the list because I've been playing it a while now or whether I really want to try something new. We started off as a "post punk" band, quickly descended into indie and alternative due to lack of recognisable material. I think the drummer is a hard rock fan, the guittard is a blues player who has little musical knowledge outside that genre (except that he doesn't like britpop). Choosing new songs is a real chore because someone either hates the suggestions or most of the band have no idea what is being suggested. Surely the 90s and later indie and alternative that the audience is likely to recognise is a wide enough genre? Is this a mid life crisis, or do we really need to expand the list to keep it fresh? ps this is not a euphamism - it really is about the set list.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1450106943' post='2929626'] And unsurprisingly AFAIAC the Telecaster is the most boring guitar in the world ;-) Having played nothing but relatively high-end guitars for the last 20 years I recently tried some Fenders belonging to a friend. I couldn't believe how chunky and horrible the necks felt. I suppose it all depends on what you are used to! [/quote] I prefer to think of them as everything you need and nothing you don't. But, my Tele is my second guitar and my main is a similarly basic Patrick Eggle NY with 'buckers fore and aft. The neck profiles vary according to vintage btw.

The one you pick up in the shop and can't resist taking to the counter. I like my US special because the neck profile suits me. I'm sure some would look don on a top loaded bridge and maple neck though.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1450093499' post='2929448'] Anything more than a Telecaster is just showing off. [/quote] I agree, preferably a thinline, with a 'bucker in the neck position. I'll get my coat.

[quote name='Mattpt85' timestamp='1449592115' post='2924966'] I find this with a lot of lines I'm trying to learn, get stuck and end up feeling a bit deflated then go back to it after it's had time to sink in mentally and I can usually do a lot better. I need the time to play it in my head first! [/quote] Its this exactly for me. I had more trouble with Under the Bridge than anything else. It just took me ages to be able to "hear" the lines in my head.

Came across this quote on t'net. [color=#252525][font=sans-serif] "I distinctly remember trying to play along to Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" – at first I just could not get it. I threw the guitar on my bed and walked out in a huff, but the next day I came back, picked it up and played it all the way through note-for-note! Once I got going, I started getting into bass-lines with a bit more subtlety to them...".[/font][/color] [color=#252525][font=sans-serif]None other than Steve Harris. I must say it took me more than a day to get it right though.[/font][/color]

Its not really the chord sequence, but at around 20 seconds into Hot Fuss the bass comes in to Jenny was Friend, and the album just gets better and better from there. For opening chords American Idiot (Greenday) or Highway to Hell (ACDC) are both great title tracks and openers and show exactly what you're gonna get.

I always start off playing as the original and only look to change if it sounds pants. Sometimes for some parts of songs in a 1 guitar band I feel there's too much space and use an octave pedal to fill the sound out a bit. Sometimes I will play extra notes.

I use a pedaltrain mini. Aside from a tuner I have compression, overdrive, octaver and eq.I use them sparingly but the board keeps the setup quick and simple. Are they worth it. No - they are far too expensive considering what they actually are - I was just too lazy to make my own..

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1448540774' post='2916251'] An acoustic guitar. Stuck alone on a desert island with an instrument that's only ever fun for me in a group environment would be cruel. [/quote] +1

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1448359123' post='2914646'] Maybe open your studio to rehearsal slots too? The place my band used to use was also a recording studio. Place had bands in every night; probably 2 nights a week recording, and the rest of the time rehearsals. Kept the money rolling in and because the bands that used it to rehearse in were familiar with it they would all record there aswell. [/quote] This for me. If you are used to the place and equipment and get to know the engineers why would you go anywhere else? We are a covers band and about to record some promo stuff. We're not looking anywhere except where we rehearse.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1448096412' post='2912970'] It sounds to me (after a few reads of the OP) like the grub screws are working loose and lowering the action on the E string. If so, a dab of nail varnish or Loctite should sort it. I'd be very surprised if the saddle was moving laterally as the break angle on the string down to the anchor point should prevent that [/quote] Yes, its this exactly, the saddle ends up on the base plate, affecting action. Sorry I should have been clearer in my first post that its action and vertical movement of the saddle not longitudinal movement. What I was looking for was some explanation or ideas about why ths is happening but you seem to agree a dab of something to hold it in position might be the immediate answer.

The technique is different but isn't that part of the slap sound? Can't see that it would damage anything.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1448039155' post='2912621'] Have you taken the bridge apart and checked the springs for their strength? Is this on all strings, or just 1 or 2? [/quote] Just the E string. I wasn't aware the springs were supposed to hold the saddle down as well as to maintain the intonation but I'll bear it in mind next time I take the strings off. I maybe should have mentioned its only a couple of years old and I only noticed it recently.

Last night everything was fine when I started and but 2 hours later the bass was unplayable because the saddle had moved all the way onto the backplate. This is the second time in about 4 months I've had the same thing happen I play a top loaded US special precision which has the traditional 4 saddle bridge, each with its own pair or grub screw adjusters. I'm assuming I can solve this by a dab of clear nail varnish or something, but I'm struggling to understand why this is happening. If I was paying really heavy strings I'd think it was because there was insufficient tension on the string to hold the saddle firmly enough and prevent the screws moving but I'm playing standard 105 gauge and only tuning to drop D for a couple of songs. Any ideas?