SpondonBassed

Welcome WNY. I hope your covert operations are fruitful and that they do not involve violence, bestiality or swearing.

Welcome Mario.

Welcome.

I suppose naming and shaming is not an option for legal reasons but it is something I think I'd want to know about before coming across it in the manner you described. It's just plain mean.

I don't see age as a problem. Far from it, where else can you get first hand accounts of how music has developed other than those who have lived it? I am dead chuffed to get these responses as it confirms my own feeling that this would be a worthwhile project should I be invited to join.

Welcome Martenot. Good of you to join in.

Cheers chaps! Thanks for the encouragement.

Last night I went to a community centre not too far away in response to an ad in our local paper. I was the youngest there at 53! Three lads were looking for another three to fill out the band. I think they were all in their sixties and seventies so fifties music was the agenda. Lots of Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Buddy Holly, Elvis etc.

I don't know what audience still exists for this sort of thing but it looks like being a really good laff if nowt else. Of course there are others to be auditioned before I hear back. Good progress for me even if it goes nowhere. I'm having a crack at memorising a few off of their set anyhow. No harm to widen my repertoire.

I was dead surprised how little had changed from my memories of jamming in Dublin years ago. It was as if I had never stopped. Cracking! I even got compliments about my sound and the way that I was asking questions when in unfamiliar territory rather than just blagging it.

Time to hit the toob.

I think this is far too subjective a subject to attempt to comment on. The only thing I can take from this thread is that smilie faces are good for rock and frownie faces are good for metal!

I like it flat to start. Tweakage occurs during my warm up. Not a fan of presets.

[quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1460315413' post='3024619']
It's an RGB 400, I had the gain on 1.5 and the vol on 4.8.
[/quote]

My mistake, sorry. Crikey, your amp was barely above idle then. It's nice to know you aren't going to clip or distort unintentionally.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1460328687' post='3024762']
Don't forget to breath
[/quote]

Dad3353 is dead right on that one. I sometimes have to tell myself to relax and adopt a better posture so's I can breath naturally. There is a natural tendency to tense up when faced with these situations for the first (and possibly second or third for some) time(s). Yoga is a good way of "finding your centre" just before you go on. There are many other disciplines that can put you in the zone, as it were. This forum is a good place to start looking.

I am amazed that no-one has mentioned piano wound strings for bass. They used to be popular in the eighties.

Only the core wire passes over the saddle with these because the winding starts just a few mm the p'up side of the bridge. The string is just the same in tension. The difference in tone coming from the effectively super-light gauge at the bridge allowing for additional harmonics to come forward. More "ping" for your pluck, as I recall. The gauges are nominally the same for the most part of the string and they feel no different to play but they make funk and disco lines pop just a little more.

Not sure how easy they are to get now. Mine were DBEs

Well done Lardy. It sounds like you had a normal and healthy first jam. I am hoping you get some laffs from the whole thing next time because it's never worth beating yourself up just for being a beginner.

I am looking forward to one of my own on Tuesday. The first after being absent from ensembles for about thirty years. It will be interesting to see if I get that same newbie vibe once more.

You know when actors and actrusses say "Break a leg!"? Well I don't yet know what bassists say in the same circumstance but [i]that [/i]anyway. Enjoy.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1457427625' post='2998290']
Guess it sucks to watch your show if you are off centre of the stage.
[/quote]

Sounds like a hi-fi enthusiast I knew at college. He would invite us to his sitting room but we'd all have to be placed so that we got the full "benefit" of his sound system. He loved his tech so much I often wondered if he was interested in the music at all.

Welcome. I hope you find benefit from the exercise. I do.

There are some good instructional videos on whole body warm-ups for bassists. I have found a few just reading through the posts here.
John

Well worth the effort my friend. I enjoyed that clip.

Is that a Laney RB3 then? If so, had you got any head room with it at that venue or did you have to max it? Not used mine "in anger" yet.

A post elsewhere reminded me of a project my partner completed last year. He wanted to make his own ukulele having taken up the uke in his retirement.

We looked on the 'net and found a local supplier of kits and ukulele parts about 50 miles North of Derby. Jack rang and arranged for us to visit. These days, Kenneth Smith is a bassist and an excellent wood craftsman. In his retirement he has been making ukuleles and sourcing materials for his kits. We got a detailed tour of his workshop and were made to feel very welcome. Jack has built two kits of his. I can't remember what woods were chosen for each but they whole process was fascinating. The grains of the various timbers come to life as the finish is applied... and they are both playable.

If you're interested his YouTube presentation is here -
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upVWD74xbi0"]https://www.youtube....h?v=upVWD74xbi0[/url]

Ken if you're on this forum, hello and cheers!

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1460164259' post='3023274']
[url="http://aerodrums.com/aerodrums-product-page/"]Aerodrums...[/url]
[/quote]
[Spooky music]

Virtual drums? Cor! At last a means for Theremin players to branch out into more rhythmic styles.

[/Spooky music]

OP - I have a Roland TR606 for mucking about with. It's okay but it isn't a kit, it isn't digital nor is it particularly intuitive to use. You can't save patterns other than by leaving batteries in it and so forth. If I'd been thinking of recording the better choice would have been a TR808.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoiDs41Pr_0"]https://www.youtube....h?v=aoiDs41Pr_0[/url]

I'm not sure if they are prohibitively expensive these days but I know people refurbish them and retrofit them with blue LEDs and such. Roland do a current version of it, the TR8. I know nothing about it however.

I suppose it depends on whether you want to have the traditional feel of sitting at a kit or whether you are happier pushing buttons. If I had the room and was making the choice again I'd have a kit.

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1459935182' post='3020938']
Any other places I should be advertising?
[/quote]

Funnily enough the classified ads in our local paper (Derby Telegraph) came through for me recently when I answered a "Musicians Wanted" ad. Turns out we're all well on the road to becoming old f4rts however. Take what you want from this.

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1460017798' post='3021735']
I guess it's that cheap violin bass that has limited Macca's playing career
[/quote]

Oh man, think what it would've been like to hear him on a uBass with George on his uke too.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1459968133' post='3021405']
...All is good as long as the guy with his diamond encrusted unicorn hair bass doesn't get upset when a punter spills beer down it.
[/quote]

It's so funny when the bassist throws a hissy fit. I'm sure that's the only reason they put horns in bass cabs, so's the punters can have a good larf.

Welcome LD

I was intimidated by the Hash Pipe music vid. Far too much wobbling.

How many high performance motorcycles do you see where the tyres show no sign of being used in corners? When I think what we take for granted these days as being available, let alone affordable. I'm not sure it's fully appreciated just how well off we all are.

Very helpful. Ta.