TrevorR

Some great openings already... Here are a few more of mine... Now that I've met you, would you object to never seeing each other again? Aimee Mann, Deathly Why must you record my phone calls? Are you planning a bootleg LP? The Specials, Gangsters When I passed you in the doorway, you took me with a glance. I should've took the last bus home but I asked you for a dance. Thin Lizzy, Dancing In the Moonlight Fergus sings the blues. In bars of twelve or less. Deacon Blue I turn my back to the wind. To catch my breath before I start off again. Rush, Time Stand Still. I understand that the first line of the chorus is rather good too...

I do love Lizzy and Lynott but I'd have to concede that his solo output had a few "that really made it past the demo , did it?" moments. For every King's Call there is a Talk In 79 (oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...). Was listening to a Grand Slam song the other day and it was just pitiful... He'll still always be my fave bassist and Lizzy will still be my fave band, though...

I think the KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach really applies here. What you are gaining here isn't about bass lines, scales, and the type of stuff you'll have been studying for grades, it's about the experience being in front of (a friendly and supportive) audience and the experience of playing with other musicians. This will stretch you but the stretch won't be in the baselines, it will be in locking in with other players and dealing with the adrenaline from playing in a gig. So, if all you do is plod along playing root notes on a simple 4 chord tune but do so solidly and with feel then that is an achievement. Impress them by locking in and being solid rather than by trying to play something complex. I'd agree with others. Get the set list from your friend (and then post it here so others can advise). Pick a simple tune that they are familiar with so that they can carry the song and you can lock in with that. There's little point throwing in suggestions for songs if they aren't ones that the band does so use that as a starting point and go from there. Then try to relax, have fun and enjoy it. There is nothing quite like playing in front of an audience. Oh, and here's a little muso mind game to be aware and wary of... After you've played there's a chance you will over analyse every note you played and presume that any you didn't feel you got 100% will have chimed out like huge ear grating clangers... Here's the thing... No one else will have even noticed them. I can recall with horror pretty much every bum note I've ever played and that's even though I know nobody but me even noticed them when they happened. The little games we play on ourselves, eh? Above all, just enjoy the opportunity!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1442910680' post='2870353'] No - clean note execution. If Al Di Meola plays sixteenth notes, you can hear every one. If Howe plays anything 'fast', it generally sounds scrappy as f***. It has it's own personality, though, whereas Al Di Meola can sound overly clinical. [/quote] I think that some of the charm of Howe's playing for me is that "electric guitar line falling down the stairs" element to the way in which he plays. it certainly adds an air of excitement and energy into his playing. Also, I'll bet that's how he intends it to sound and plays it accordingly rather than just being "scrappy".

What he said... ^

OK, so I'll jump straight in with a controversial (or is it) suggestion. An up and coming young lad called Paul (Macca) McCArtney. It's been interesting to watch his progress from the point where he kinda got too big for anyone to say to him, "Paul, really...?" For me I'd musically put that some time soon after the "Give My Regards to Broad Street" album. I reckon that's the last album I've heard of his full of cracking songs. I've always thought he benefits from a strong co-writer/collaborator - Lennon (adding the cynicism back into his music*) or George Martin, Denny Laine or, on "BrRoad Street", Eric Stewart of 10CC fame IRRC. * The story of "Getting Better All The Time" as told by George Martin is a great example of this where Lennon's interjected "...counld't get much worse..." saves it from just being a twee syurpy tune.

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1442841835' post='2869899'] Got any examples of this? [/quote] Well, his playing is always great but he should never be allowed to write a song without some editing, assistance, collaboration or co-arrangement... there are a few Howe only Asia B-sides whci could REALLY benefit from the help of a co-writer to season the cheesy choruses and middle eights. "Lyin' to Yourself" springs to mind. Plus some of his solo album stuff is beautifully played by a wee bit cheesily written nonetheless.

Been a huge fan of Gordon's guitar playing for longer than I care to remenber. Such a great guitarist and such a lovely, self effacing guy (and a collector of amazing rhythm sections over the years given that they have included the bass players John Gustafson, John G Perry and Steve Anderson (of Threshold) and drummers Simon Phillips, Ian Mosely (of Marillion), Gerry Conway and Johanne James (also Threshold).). So sad to see this news flash on his website this morning. Positive thoughts, prayers and hopes for a speedy, complete recovery beaming his way from this quarter... "[size=3]Hello Everyone.[/size] [size=3]I thought I should let friends and followers of my music know that on the 11[sup]th[/sup] of June this year I was diagnosed with a rare cancer called a[b] GIST[/b], which stands for [b]Gastro Intestinal Stromal Tumour[/b].[/size] [size=3]Fortunately for me it is not at this time life threatening and hopefully will be sorted by surgery either later this year or early next. After surgery I will require at least a three month recovery period.[/size] [size=3]This news has of course been life changing for Hilary and I, and I have just been put on a three to six month course of tablets to shrink the tumour to help make surgery less invasive. The tumour at the moment is basically the size of a small melon.[/size] [size=3]To that end I have decided, for the time being at least not to accept any more engagements for 2016. Fortunately I have been able to continue with the engagements already in the book, however to all intents and purposes I have (for now) retired from the live arena.[/size] [size=3]I’m going public with this not to elicit sympathy but to really let you know how things stand at the moment and why there are no bookings being arranged. As I mentioned earlier, fortunately what I have is not life threatening and I consider myself very fortunate indeed that it has been detected.[/size] [size=3]Because of the present situation, Hilary and I are taking things a week or so at a time, making it incredibly difficult to make any long term plans.[/size] [size=3]I hope you will understand that if you are moved to send a message (which of course will be gratefully received) I won’t be able to reply to everyone. You can leave any messages on my Forum page at [url="http://giltrap.co.uk/discussion/viewforum.php?f=13"]http://giltrap.co.uk/discussion/viewforum.php?f=13[/url] on the [b]Newsflash[/b] section - you will need to register if you have not already done so."[/size]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1442643471' post='2868368'] ... I know its silly but I genuinely care about this bass and really believe in what Paul is doing down in that tiny workshop in Cobham... Can't wait to see what they thought [/quote] +1 from me on that count. Paul's done a great job bringing back the brand he cut his luthiers skills with from a very uncertain future. I don't recall seeing a previous Herman era review in a major mag so can't wait to read it!

It's looking like a properly good issue from a look at that cover... Mr Lawson supported by Messrs Taylor, Bailey, Pomeroy and Hungate with a side order of Wal bass review (am I biased? Yes, of course!)

My rig is a Little Mark II with a compact 2x10 and compact 1x15 as in the avatar <-. I like the flexibility it gives. The 2x10 for rehearsals, coffee bar gigs etc (which it give more than enough vol and bass for) and the two cabs for bigger gigs or vocal/acoustic only PA covers gigs (pubs, weddings, functions etc). The LMII is light and in a rucksack case. The LMII and the 2x10 seems more back friendly to me than the equivalent Markbass combo. I love the Markbass stuff but you could get a similar result with lots of other lightweight brands.

[quote name='Firey Jack' timestamp='1442406741' post='2866709'] I used the 12 in an old Ashdown combo. I've got a TC RS112 on order which will be here for next gig week on Sat - excited about that! Still using the 2 x 8 - hoping to replace this with another RS112 eventually - costs permitting [/quote] Before you dole out shed loads of cash you might find that having adjusted your tone and raised the cabs off the floor that the 15and 8s combination works just fine...

[quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1442303294' post='2865799'] PS Trev, belated welcome to Basschat! [/quote] Ta, Gareth! Nice to finally be here. What on earth took me so long?

[quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1442339658' post='2866229'] Why not? [/quote] [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1442333156' post='2866136'] Different things require different gear. Recording is about the best possible sound, and the best possible version of you playing. People can and will pick your parts out of the mix and listen to them intensely. The same problem isn't faced in a local pub cover band. [/quote] I'd be willing to bet that Jon's "Why not?" was, more precisely, "Why wouldn't you want the audience at a local pub gig to have the best possible version of you playing live to them as well?" It's a sentiment which also rings true to me.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1442342154' post='2866256'] You mean why don't the audience at the Washboard & Fiddle give specific instruments as much scrutiny as somebody who buys and album and devotes time to listen to it? Because they're different audiences. They want different things. The people in the local pub aren't interested in how much a bass costs, or what kind of music it's tone suits. They want to hear the classics that every band plays there every weekend, so they can stumble around, singing the wrong lyrics completely out of tune, and have a blast doing it. [/quote] Interesting that we are back here again... "Why play a nice instrument when the audience don't care/aren't equipped to appreciate that it's a nice instrument?" Numerous posters has stated clearly that in their opinion this question is based on an incorrect postulate, i.e. That instrument choice is in any way related to what a particular audience might think of it. I really really doubt that anyone really chooses an instrument to buy or to play at a gig on that basis. As others have said, 99% of any audience are likely to know the difference between a Dingwall bass and a Shine bass, or indeed care. What the will want is a good gig. Pure and simple, even though they are unlikely to be able to quantify what makes up a good gig. We choose instruments to fit our own unique set of criteria - economic, ergonomic, aesthetic, pragmatic , prejudiced (e.g. I just don't like the look of Laklands or Warwicks and wouldn't play one no mTter what however "good" or VFM they are) and so on. So, whether I play at the Whippet & Bludgeon, a corporate function, or the Albert Hall I take my two Wals because that's what works for me irrespective of venue, they are my basses, they are what I play and that is it. Others choose differently and that is fine because that is what works for them. Any consideration of who the audience would be doesn't begin to factor in that choice. Wherever I am playing! Whatever the make up of the audience, I want to play to the best of my meagre abilities and those are the basses I feel most comfy on and which help me do that.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441296630' post='2857719'] No, just interested to know why cheaper gear isn't good enough for many "weekend warriors". [/quote] [quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441403715' post='2858739'] ...It isn't that I think that expensive gear is bought to impress an audience for local pub covers bands, more that it simply doesn't impress the audience, because it's only musicians who get so into the detail of such a thing, and that's just another reason as to why it's not required to have flashy gear. And it's not even that I'm saying that certain venues require certain gear, as somebody suggested earlier - utter hogwash. Simply that really expensive and boutique instruments simply aren't required in that setting. [/quote] I'm still fascinated to know why you make the various correlations which you have... Between gig setting and expense of gear, between a notional level of "requirement" and level of gig. I'm not entirely sure you've unpacked the thinking and/or justification behind these statements. It seems to imply a level of correlation behind venue quality and your gear choices (in terms of quality and price). How do you see that working? For instance, what IS the top level of what is "required" for that playing setting... And who decides. Or is it simply that you are wondering why people who will never play Wembley (and only ever play or aspire to play in journeyman settings) ever buy expensive, hand-built or boutique gear as opposed to buying a MIM Frender and being happy with that. If it is the latter I suspect it is just that the choices/thought processes involved are so more complex and human than some sliding scale of gear price appropriateness vs status within the music industry. I think all of the range of answers to that complex thought process have been alluded to... From "yes, I'm quite content playing my Squier" to "because I've always fancied an [insert expensive bass name here] and now I can afford it" via "well, playing a bass that I love and that speaks to me gives me more confidence as a player and so I play better" and "I reckon that it's going to sound 'better' and be more reliable than a cheapie'". Ultimately, don't they all validly answer the question which you've posed. And since they are all purely personal choices aren't they all valid. You are happy with your Faith acoustic (they are great little guitars), others are happy with their Gibsons, Taylor's, Martins, Froggy Bottoms and Olsens irrespective of how much money they will ever earn them.

Rob, was planning to arrange one for this autmn but family stuff and being asked to chat about Wals at the SE Bass Bash in a couple of weeks kinda sidelined that. We should do one in the new year some time. There are a number of rehearsal studios we could hire near me which are very convenient for M25/M3/M4/London trains...

Yes, Dave Bainbridge is great! Been a huge fan for years from back when he was working for Adrian Snell. Remember seeing Iona's (something like) second ever gig at Greenbelt. Sitting on the grass right in front of Nick Begg's rig not knowing who to spend more time watching, Nick's stick playing or Dave's guitar... Always catch Iona live when I can.

Just a little shot of my modest collection... [i][b]HA! YEAH, I WISH!!!!! [/b][/i]This was from a "Wal Fest" gathering in 2006 in Woking... some fine instruments in that collection. Spot the double necked midi bass and the Pro IIE on which Too Shy was recorded!

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1442219313' post='2865139'] ... I would imagine OGWT would have attracted those people who were interested in the music and a team developed... [/quote] You'd have thought so however, if you listen to any of Mark Ellen and David Hepworth's reminiscences of the Whistle Test days it was clear that (outside the key production crew) the crews were simply assigned by rota and would frankly rather have been doing the Cilla Black show or Panorama. That is to say, "proper" BBC TV shows. Not what they considered to be ridiculous fluff with no lasting merit. Funny how perspectives on rock music have changed over time...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1441951728' post='2863149'] Everything by Kate Bush. [/quote] To quote Not The Nine OClock News... "...you only buy my latest hits, because you like my latex t*ts..."

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1442210755' post='2865085'] I always carry spare heads!! [/quote]

[quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1442187798' post='2865060'] Reading some of the comments in the thread, some felt that there was no need to strive for good sound in the pub, because the audience wouldn't notice anyway. This seems a little contemptuous to me, but if it's a justification for not taking the gear you believe will deliver the best sound, then to me that reads as not being that fussed about how you sound. If we all do care about our sound, then the original question is answered - we discuss what gear we might use in the pub and take the best equipment we have available because we want to achieve the best sound possible, whatever our budget might be. Of course best might not be most expensive, but there is still a decision being made out of a desire to give the best one can. It was suggested that this wasn't required down the pub. [/quote] For me this is the interesting question which hasn't been addressed in this thread. The implication that different venues warrant/require/deserve different quality of gear. The logical corollary to that is that the Whippet & Snorkel only warrants a Squier, a wedding gig warrants a MIM Fender, a theatre gig warrants a U.S. standard and the Royal Albert Hall warrants a U.S. Custom Shop model. It has been stated as an assertion but there hasn't been any unpacking of the reasoning behind it. For me that type of thinking is wrongheaded and, frankly, irrelevant to my world. Any and all audiences deserve the best performance I can give. For that reason I've never had a problem playing "cheesy" crowd pleasing songs... because they please the crowd and for me that has been at the core of the job of any band I've played in. I personally own 4 electric basses. Two are (I suppose) vintage boutique types, one is the first bass I ever got (and still a cracking bass to play), the other is a Frankenjazz project bass. I play all of them because I love them. They are my basses. They are the ones I play. End of. I don't rank them against each other (although for, say, a 60s theme night I might use the Jazz for purely aesthetic reasons). When I gig I always take two basses, as insurance against a failure (the fact that in 25 years of playing I've only had a ,problem materialise twice - once with a bass, once with an amp - is neither here nor there). The show must go on. The fact that since I then have 2 basses I can swap different basses for different songs is a) a personal indulgence and b ) a personal artistic choice. Sure I can play any song with any of my basses but to my ears A Town Called Malice sounds so right on my Pro bass and Lady Marmalade or Babylon sounds so nice on my MK 1 Custom. Do the audience notice... Consciously almost certainly not but if I give a better performance for a load of indefinable mojo related reasons they will on a subconscious level (and their feet will hopefully notice too).

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1442174806' post='2864931'] I have a hunch that any deficiencies were down to the cabs more than the amps, as a decent old valve 100 watter through modern speakers is a joy to play through IMO. [/quote] Interestingly, when Wal introduced their Mk2 5 string bass they added a low pass filter to the preamp specifically for those players whose speakers couldn't cope with the lower frequencies being produced by the low B string. Such were the average speakers which were more common back then. I suspect, though that the target deficient amps they were thinking of were rather more Laney Linebacker than Ampeg 8x10! :-)

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1442180605' post='2865010'] And also bare in mind, the sound of these shows were mixed to suit the sound of your average 1970's Ferguson mono telly speaker. They didnt know that in the future we would be watching these shows on our state of the art - hi def - nicam -surround sound tellys. [/quote] That was what sprung to mind for me. As others have said, I suspect that the mixing and mastering was more about a sound that pretty low quality 4" oval TV speaker could cope with (and that wasn't deep rounded bass). Again, hence the In Concert approach of a broadcasting some concerns on BBC2 with the soundtrack broadcast on Radio 1 for much higher (mono, AM radio!!!) sound quality.