oldbass

The band will probably enjoy a drink or two, or three, beforehand (been there got the shirt etc)...make sure you don't try and keep up...make a joke of it etc and have a weak half and make it last. It'll be a blast..

Even if u dont like it..try listening to some Motown and listen carefully to the bass lines.Thats what I did after decades of doing the same old stuff....it was a light bulb moment. 0.2$

Agree with all the above though not my cuppa etc.....but try playing and singing Rabbit the way he does...incredible musician.

Poptastic, and from an age when a catchy pop song was a very, very clever animal indeed, most of which I think were written by the Chinny Chap super duo... Great image, great tunes.

Oh yes..that signature chord sound he gets and Dewars vocals..utterly unique.

[quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1503657125' post='3359997'] I don't like them either - it was suggested as an addition to our set for last NYE and was turned down flat by me. Thee are plenty of other better Stones songs. [/quote] Not saying BS is the be all and end all of classic tunes but original R&R is edgy and difficult thats why its so brilliant. Everything today has to be safe, careful, and risk averse....

[quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1503655032' post='3359960'] What Brown Sugar so often lacks (apart from the sax) is acoustic guitar. [/quote] Your right...it needs it to fill in the spaces.Our guy does it just right.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1503654621' post='3359948'] Our female singer didn't like the lyrics to BS so it got binned before it started! [/quote] Yep heard that before...never really listened closely to the lyrics but no doubt none of it will be acceptable in the crazy PC world we now all in habit...

On off functions band I dep with now and again sent round an updated list couple of weeks back with one new additon, "Brown Sugar"....for the love of G not again I thinks. (have played it on and off for decades and it never once sounded right) Get to the practise room and I see another bod standing there with yep a saxophone in hand, hes a friend of the bands..ok great. Cathedral organist had that honky piano tone dialled into perfection and he aint afraid to pound the keys plus everyone else nailed their tones timing etc... It really was amazing, best version I'd ever played, in fact rarely do I get choked but it sounded so darn good I couldnt beleive it. A Stones epifany?...not quite but bloody close and amazing that its taken 40 odd years. Anyone else have a similiar experience with other tunes etc.

Dont have kids so Im wondering from all the dads on here. What do 11 yr old kids think when you put on Dark Side Of The Moon?.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1503321508' post='3357180'] Relax. It's just a flag. They're not holding a rally and making hate speeches. What a load of nonsense. [/quote] No way is this meant to sound like a troll etc and I'll admit I'm no scholar on the subject but......would you say the same thing re the "Swastika". Within months of WW2 breaking out the horrendous meaning behind that flag was very soon realised yet the Confederate flag which does to some extent represent the political ideology of the time, and yes of course I'm not trying to make a direct like for like comparison, has been allowed up until now to happily continue in American society with few questions asked. Now those q's are being put to the test and the answers are coming back thick and fast with it seems only one conclusion. Sounds bout right to me.

P bass straight into Ampeg 2x10 combo...surprisingly punchy.....perfect.

[quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1502185615' post='3349788'] If you are not at the same skill level (and I have had this situation) you need to have musicians that can compliment the shortfall. In my case it helped make the sound! [/quote] Absolutely. We comprise a virtually silent drummer who might as well not be there (he places his indexes on top of the sticks?..eh)....a lead guitarist who is only a smidge better..and then the keys who is a cathedral organist (incredible musician, without him, well I dread to think), a rythmn twelve string/vox who's not bad, and lead vox who's okayish and me. To say its me and the brill keys guy holding it together would be an inderstatement yet somehow this hotchpotch of talent appears to work....weird!

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1502033236' post='3348859'] Funny you should say that - it was one of the main reasons I fell out of love with the P bass in the early 70s - modern amplification has helped a lot though. I think you'll find that's the main reason why basses like Alembics, Musicman and all the others were invented (I.e. active basses). [/quote] Fair point but in some sort of defence...I play a Squier P with an SPB-1 PU and a light touch. Through my little Ampeg rig, fingers over the PU I can make it sound distinctly activish using little more than technique and the bass rolled off on the amp. But last nite I could almost feel what the sound guy was up to...yep to much bass..bass everywhere...would love to have sneaked up on the desk and tweaked the EQ...on pain of death of course!

[quote] Imagine covering a motown gig in a room where a P bass is just giving a floppy, droning 'boom' instead of the tight, middy punch of the original record. The professional musician must think on their feet and adapt to the room. Play closer the bridge, cut back some low frequencies, whatever it takes.[/quote] Was working at the Wickham Festival in Hants last nite (media drone!) and as always I'm keen to "assess" the bass tone for a couple of bands...well the two mid evening bands played P's and to say they sounded bloated and indistinct would be an understatement....why do we bother discussing this and that piece of gear etc. Maybe we should discuss individual sound guys....ha

[quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1497106989' post='3315910'] Jive Talkin [/quote] Wasnt sure if I ought to mention the bros Gibb on here but seeing as you have (bravo) I'll venture to include just about any bassline in any of their tunes...cant think of another combo that use musical basslines the way they do...immense.

I can think of only a handful of different bass tones that the public might notice. a, Jaco type burp b, Pino type wah c, P with fresh rounds thu an SVT with a pick. (ala The Damned etc) For everything else a P played with a light touch with the low end rolled off a bit will make all but the most evil audience smile with delight...in other words it dont really matter as out there in audience land as long as they sense some sort of low down drone they'll be happy.

Bit of honesty here. I can be a bit unreliable but only when others don't get their stuff together. The covers band I'm working with now take ages to learn new tunes....drives me nuts... I've got no time for any of it and often have to make an excuse to get out of driving the 20 miles to a rehearsal when I know most of the time they will chatting rather than playing. I guess Its the price I have pay for finding a band that don't take things too seriously, only do functions and play some nice stuff, cause when we do gig its actually pretty good fun and no pressure.

Id be tempted to change the thread title to the more pertinent "...dont hear much original melody anymore"

Fascinating thread even though it appears to have drifted a bit... I did all this when I was a wet behind the years oik with too much talent and no sense whatsoever, out 7 nights a week year in year out ....but could I do it now...not for a million quid, (hats off to the OP), but when I do have a go I still get nervous and cringe terribly if I drop a clanger which sadly can be more often than not. But I still practise like mad and learn new ways of playing every day....I love it cause I still beleive the audience deserve the best that I can do.... Think Ive gone of piste a bit but u get the drift.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1500180775' post='3336050'] Over time, I've tried to stop fretting about it. Particularly in a live situation. Yesterday I payed at a festival with an active Precision through a Trace Elloitt combo. I didn't like the tone I was hearing on stage at all, but the people out front said it sounded just dandy. [/quote] This is kinda why the term "my tone" doesn't really make much sense cause 9 times out of ten if its sweet deep and lush on stage its gonna sound like mud in the crowd...thin and crap on stage usually sounds goodly in the pit.

Had to sell my vintage bass for the money so went out and looked for a replacement. Guy at PMT took down a box with a VM P in it. I was surprised. Weight is 7 3/4 pounds with perfect balance, its nicely made and sounds very good and I'm a tweaker so I rolled the fret board, fitted a vintage RI bridge and PU's though it didnt really need it. I now have a very giggable lightweight keeper. Its also worth remembering that the VM range are made from Basswood which is softer than Alder but no probs so far.

The usual then..... Kick drum and vox at ten with everything else at two....and like the op said all of it through the highest tech money can buy....dear oh dear. [size=4]Also I have never understood the term ..."our own sound guy"....how difficult is it for the guy at the desk to eyeball the instruments on stage, then eyeball the channels and then loose the mud and get it all crisp and shiny....99% of bands sound roughly the same anyway cause they play the same instruments.[/size] [size=4]I stand to be enlightened of course.[/size]

Seeing as no-one will give me silly money for my el cheapo VM P bass then I guess it has to be that. Owned a hand full of "money" basses over the decades but this thing is just right...7 3/4 Ibs, a slim neck and in pretty LPB with a cream pickguard and a Duncan SPB-1 PU....goes from a soft pillow to a barky growl when I need it so I don't think it will be going anywhere soon.