TrevorR

1 hour ago, Jerry_B said:

I'm on holiday and so have been giving this 1985 Aria Pro II Laser Electric 'Heritage' a bit of an overhaul. Despite playing around with the pickup height I still can't seem to get the bridge pickup to sound less thin and reedy. The neck pickup is really good, but when the two are combined the bass sounds a bit compressed. Anyway, aside from that, this is a very nice bass.

 

 

Oooooh, lovely!

12 hours ago, SimonK said:

 

Yes... but... she has one of these: https://empresseffects.com/products/zoia

 

I've just spent the last hour going down the rabbit hole of how this is the only path to happiness...

Aaaah, so that’s what that is… cool. Beyond the limits of my feeble, aged musical brain, though.
 

Though, TBH, I didn’t really see what that synth bass added to the arrangement that you couldn’t have achieved just as well by switching to a clean bass tone and playing sustained notes. Never seen the attraction of doubling on synth bass. In my old church, when we did EDM type worship songs a bass and some well chosen OD, filter and modulation pedals worked perfectly well for me.  I guess that a Sub-Phatty has never been lurking in my future…

10 hours ago, SimonK said:

 

I thought it was an excellent example of really professional playing, managing a lot of things going on at once in a format that was both rehearsed but also flexible in terms of where the music was going at any point. All in front of a lot of people and being streamed/recorded. I also believe she is only in her early twenties so her grasp of both the music and technology is impressive.

 

I play with some pretty good musicians and while granted we seldom rehearse, we don't get close to the complexity of the arrangements shown in the videos.

Yes, I watched some of her vids where you can hear her talkback feed. A lot of US churches I see bass cams from seem to simply programme the songs into Ableton (or similar) and just follow the robot voice and click track. It’s clear from those vids that she’s actively MDing a live band, calling repeats and transitions, calling dynamics, controlling some sort of tech with those buttons to her left… all very impressive.  And so it’s music with the ability to flow as needed rather than just follow the pre-programmed, rigid karaoke track. Watched one where the voice was more audible than on the Revelation Song video above and she was giving instructions along similar lines of, “…repeat that section… …again… …OK, take it to the one chord and hold… …build… …c’mon, build… …chorus, two, three, four…” I love the organic nature of that band leading and the flexibility it gives to work a tight arrangement but allow some spontaneity.  And yes, only 24 years old 😮

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

 

She's scary good - and a pretty accomplished lead guitarist as well. I keep getting her videos in one of my feeds.

That is a great bass tone. Lovely and clanky! Darned good playing. I must confess I was fascinated by all her MDing chat through the video - would have loved to,have heard what was going on across the talkback channel.

On 24/06/2025 at 09:57, HeadlessBassist said:

I run both passive and active basses, and I have to say, even after thirty-five years of playing active basses, setting up passive basses has taught me how to eq my sound into an amplifier a lot more. So that's where I start - I set 'my' sound on the amplifier, then adjust the gain between passive and active instruments. On an active bass like my Elite Jazz, I'll only add a smidge of boost above centre on the treble and bass on the preamp, leaving the mids centered.

 

You really only need to play with preamp mids if the mids are missing from your sound. If you've ever played on a Sire bass, the sound is almost too 'scooped', so the cure is to boost the mids just a touch and do the opposite with the mids frequency. Very small adjustments can make a significant difference to your sound. Remember, adding mids can make it easier for you to hear yourself, but the more mids you add, the harsher it sounds to the audience.

 

And as Jolltax mentioned, it's all academic anyway, because once you've added two singers, two acoustic guitars, a digital piano, an electric guitar and drums, your sound is buried anyway, so it really doesn't matter! Also, ask even the most experienced pro performer in your band/show about your sound who's not a bass player and you'll always get the answer, "it sounds like a bass."

That’s pretty much my approach. Set the EQ on the bass at flat, dial in a standard “core tone” on the amp and then tweak slightly from there on the bass EQ as necessary using the minimum amount of cut or boost to achieve the desired sound.

If I’m honest, on a 2 or 3 band EQ it’s rare for the tone knobs to be boosted at all or if they are only to around 2 at most on a “-5-0-+5” cut and boost control. Hard to think of a circumstance where I’d boost or cut all the way. I think most of my on the fly tone shaping is probably done with the pickup blend control and changing how/where I pluck the strings. Nice to have the EQ there for times when it’s needed. I never get sucked into endless EQ fiddling but end up with 3 or 4 particular fave tone settings for different types of song across a set. A punchy/rocky one, a mellow one, a funky one…

I’ve also never felt the need for sweepable mid controls in a bass - too much room for error and dialling in a bad tone. A simple, well designed, fixed centre mid control gives me more than enough of a “punch” control in 99.9% of circumstances.

This resurrection inspired me to have a browse on Google Maps for the Addlestone ABC. Earliest it goes back to is 2008 when the building was already boarded up. Now redeveloped into some flats.

Down near the station was The Guitar Gallery an independent little shop where I got my Wal Pro 2E back around 2001 after 18 months haggling the owner down to a sensible price! Now a letting agents. 
 

On 23/06/2025 at 11:44, neepheid said:

I gig all my basses, regardless of how much they cost.  Instruments which don't get gigged get sold.

 

Edit: I'll expand upon my answer.  While none of my basses are truly "irreplaceable" I do own several which would be a monumental PITA to replace in terms of sourcing, plus any mods I've made to make them play/operate the way I want them to.  So while not strictly speaking "irreplaceable", I'd rather bloody not have to!

 

I own basses which make me happy, and I'm happiest when I'm playing them.  So they get played.  I take simple precautions when out and about - not leaving them unattended (there is at least one band member in the "stage" area at all times), using an appropriate stand for the bass (like not trying to precariously balance a T-bird on a mini stand for instance) and just taking the time and care to handle them properly.  Been gigging since 2009, and not once have I had a bass stolen, picked up and mucked about with, knocked over or damaged.  Not saying it's impossible, but with some simple safeguards, chances can be minimised.

I couldn’t have written that better myself. That’s my philosophy exactly. All of my basses get played out because I love playing all of them and I’ve always taken good care of them as you have. For example, this was my gigging set up for a decade playing in pub, function and wedding bands…

Never had a qualm about taking my Wals out and they never had any mishaps with due care and attention. OK, for an open air gig in dodgy weather I might take my Frankenjazz instead, or I might take it just coz I fancy playing it.

My most sentimental bass is my Aria SB700 - my first bass bought new as an 18th birthday pressie by my Mum and Dad. I’ll never part with it but, again, I’ll happily play it out (like at this 80s theme night from last year…)

18 hours ago, Minininjarob said:

Looks like a good setup there but I’m surprised you have a traditional piano still - we sold ours and got an electric one in a ‘fake’ piano case as the acoustic one was so expensive to keep in tune. 

Indeed. Though there is nothing quite like the sound of a proper grand!

11 hours ago, dmc79 said:

How did it go Trevor?

Well, that was a fun time (NB genuine mode not sarcasm mode - realised it could be read both ways).

In the end the guitar player and drummer couldn’t come - though another drummer stood in at the last minute. So it was just piano, bass drums and vocalists. I’ve always believed in just adapting your arrangements to what musos you have available, so that was perfectly fine. There was a nice “house” Warwick combo to use so it really was plug & play.
 

It was a nice service we had the following songs prepped:

• Open the eyes of my heart 
• Here for you 
• A thousand hallelujahs 
• Our Father (communion)
• Hallelujah anyway
• Praise 

We also had In Jesus Name prepped which was to be the response song before communion but the service was running long so we didn’t use it. It was fun playing in a stripped down format and the acoustics were such that it sounded good on stage with just a tine vocal-only monitor.  Here’s a piccie of the office:

The bass sounded nice on the stream as well which was encouraging too. It really is nice to be back playing in worship. Not sure when the next one will be. Looking forward to it, though!

It really is a bit of a brain-melt moment when you’re browsing through Amazon Prime for something to watch and you happen across a Jeff Beck live video with the guy you who hosts your jam night playing in the band - the amazing Nicolas Meier on guitar! Mind blowing stuff!

We joined a new church in January this year - our local Anglican Church (or at least one of them) - and been feeling increasingly at home there. It’s not been since the before pandemic that I’ve played in a service but I’ll be playing bass at the the church for the first time tomorrow, so this should be fun. It’s at the more relaxed evening service. The tone and approach to the music is a bit more mellow than I’ve previously been used to at previous churches, though it’s all the same sort of range of writers… Bethel, Brooke Ligertwood, Elevation, Rend Collective etc. Will be keys/piano leading plus bass, acoustic guitar, drums and vocals. Will be interesting to see how it goes. Very much looking forward to it. I’ll try to report back afterwards!

If I was in the market for a mid-priced P I would definitely be looking at the Bass Centre’s Bass Collection range. Some chums have them and they’re very impressive.

https://www.basscentre.com/bass-collection-power-bass.html

Mind you, this Neil Murray signature also looks sweet. A bit higher priced than the price range you’re looking at but still. Mmmmmm…

https://www.basscentre.com/british-bass-masters/bbm-snakebite.html

On 26/11/2024 at 16:14, Grooverjr said:

Veering off topic somewhat but speaking of men of their time, is that The Hairy Cornflake at the beginning of the 'My Generation' clip? I only remember him from his 80s iteration but he looks a bit more aggressive there. 

Certainly looks like it!

(Edit) According to Google…

Dave Lee Travis was a host of the German music show "Beat-Club" from 1966 to 1969. He replaced the original host, Gerhard Augustin, after eight episodes.In early 1969, Travis was replaced by Dave Dee, of the band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.

3 hours ago, Killerfridge said:

Like everyone else, not last night but Monday; first jam night since my first child was born (and probably further than that) at the Woking Monday Night Jam. Had a great time, ran into @TrevorR and got to experience his excellent playing (and the generally very high quality of players there).

 

Note for future me: when the crazy fusion guitarist running the jam asks you "do you know Spain?" the correct answer is not "uhh, yeah I think?", because that's how, 4 songs later, you find yourself frantically trying to fumble your way through it! Still, would probably do it again

 

It was fab to see you there, Dan. A good evening all round. And you did a darned sight better on Spain than I ever could have done. Nicks a crazy good guitarist (he was in Jeff Beck’s band for a few years 😲) but, as you’ll have seen a lovely chap. I do love the jam. Great playing and zero ego. Look forward to seeing you again some time and hopefully more chance to chat if I’m not babysitting a very nervous lad about to do his best Mick Jagger to Jennie’s Carly on You’re So Vaiin.

On 21/05/2025 at 22:49, Ian McFly said:

TWO. YEARS.

When I ordered my last Sandberg like 12 years ago, the wait time was 6 months. Even back then, I thought it was ridiculous, I get they're popular, but I don't know, hire more people? Expand? But it is now TWO YEARS? Who in their right mind has the patience to wait that long? My interest for it would fizzle out after 6 months of waiting... 
Like, I've got a Warmoth body on order that should be here in 3 months and I've already lost patience haha...

Yes, I was quoted 18 months to 2 years back in January - which was why I just got the one I’d tried in Wunjos that had inspired me to try and order.

Jocky Wilson Said - Denys Midnight Runners

*sorry, I mean “Jackie”

13 minutes ago, petebassist said:

Look what you've started mate! now listening to hours of Roxy Music and considering a new fretless....

Agree, the bass is sublime on this. Another thing about RM, they often had incredible intros, you just had to continue listening... Case in point, Avalon.

Cheers,

They weren’t too shabby in their choice of bass players in the 70s… John Gustafson, Alan Spenner, Gary Tibbs. Not a bad roster!

And don’t forget, he was the bass player in the punk/new wave band “Breaking Glass” with Jonathan Pryce on saxophone. 😉🤣

9 hours ago, RonC said:

I've thought about that too but not only the horns are cut off, the upper- and end part of the centre piece (below the armrest) is also partly cut off, that makes it difficult... i think you can only use is when the body is fully covered with lacquer.. so i think its easier to build an entire new body....

 

All just idle speculation on my part… I know that I have neither the tools nor the talent to build or rebuild a bass. Tools I could buy, talent not so much!! 🤣🤣🤣 Agreed, the new body route you took for your spare neck is the correct one.

Will be interesting to see if it does get resurrected. I must confess that every time it’s surfaced I have winced but wondered what I would do if I was any good with woodworking tools (which I absolutely am not). I’d be tempted to cut off the sides leaving a wide central rectangular core with the neck and pickup cavities. Then get some wings of a contrasting wood added - either something pale like a figured sycamore or dark like wenge or cocobolo. Make a kinda thru-neck plus wings kinda look.

Wonder if anyone will eventually manage to make something of it.

On 09/05/2025 at 15:46, visog said:

Gary Barlow on fine form last night in Manchester. Lee Pomeroy (just in shot on the right) appeared to have a ball. Also Milton McDonald on guitar left-front making a second Yes-related band member as he played with ABWH way back when they toured. Add to that Gary himself chose 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' on 'Desert Island Discs' as his wake-up call to step up the production for his music. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001h1p) However no prog last night, just Gary's solo and Take That bangers. Great show.

And my chum, Jo playing the acoustic guitar and keys behind Milton. Mike Stevens (MD - acoustic guitar, far right) has certainly gathered a fine collection of musicians around himself. Seeing most of this lot as Jeff Lynne’s ELO later in the year. If you get a chance to catch their side band “Big Horizon”… they’re fabulous.

9 hours ago, Alanko said:

Giltrap slightly too eager with his poodle mullet and 'I'm mates with John Entwistle, me!'

Given his brief will have been “engage John in conversation about his life, career and collection to give us material for an interesting video” and all he got back was monosyllabic or single sentence answers, no wonder he was trying to inject some energy into proceedings and feed him with leading questions. Feel a bit sorry for him trying to drag any kind of response out of Entwistle. I’ve interviewed a few people like that and it’s hard work to get any useful material.

I’ve used this one - AirTurn BT200 - for years…

https://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Airturn-2-Footswitch-Controller/4TIM?origin=product-ads&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_kjLQyRn_48VhlWsbHiz6Yp6vKc&gclid=Cj0KCQjww-HABhCGARIsALLO6Xz3aZcuZU21HsgPgx24XnfWMog9wZ6Q_ic4oNOhdKED6KVtP_dSUxEaAlVjEALw_wcB

6 hours ago, prowla said:

Two blokes having a chat.

Gordon Giltrap's Fear Of The Dark is a great album.

One of my all time faves!

A chum’s wife couldn’t make it to Postmodern Jukebox at G-Live so he offered me her ticket. I do love PMJ’s videos where they mash up modern hits with older musical styles. However, live they took it to another level. Such a fun, fun night out.

Not bad seats, either!!!