Stub Mandrel

Decent gig tonight in Blackwood. Took my Thunder 1 and used it for the first set. Was a biker pub so the blues rock went down well. We knew dj on later, and about 20 minutes after we finished the jukebox got cut off a short way into a Metallica song, and awful club music started. By the timecwe finished packing up the clientele were almost completely different.

I wore my Ryuk/Deathnote t-shirt I got sent from the USA which always gets more compliments than my playing!

5 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

by some obscure Canadian bands (s

Max Webster?

7 hours ago, peteb said:

 

The problem is that this isn't mainstream covers stuff that you could play down a pub. To get any audience, you have to be able to market it, which realistically means doing a tribute to one of the bigger prog bands. 

 

I'd enjoy being in a tribute to Gong or Soft Machine (early stuff only). 😁

Off to the New Foresters soon. Going to take the Thunder 1 I got from @stewblack of this parish. Just had a quick warm up and it is ridiculously gnarly, the hottest p-bass pickups I have ever come across.

Cafind a pic, so here's a gratuitous one of my brother with his Thunder 1A many years ago.

30 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

Thanks Keith. I’ll take flattery all day. Seriously, I have always been in awe of jazz musicians. At the risk of upsetting loads of fellow Bass Chatters, I see accomplished jazz musicians as the “true musicians” of the non-classical music world (I just opened a can of worms I’m sure). This is partly because I can’t do jazz, either on guitar, or bass. I love it but I just don’t get how to play it. Hence I always see blues and pub-rock as easier and not requiring the same level of musicianship. That’s not to say there aren’t loads of accomplished musicians who play these genres and (IMO) prog rock came close to matching jazz for musicianship.

 

Getting back to the point; there are some serious musicians around in our area who would like to do what you want to. I think you need a new band.

I was listening to Ten Years After at Reading 83 (I was there) and realised how much I owe to Leo Lyons, back when I was learning I used to play along to Watt and Ssssh back to back.

Leo was/is a serious jazz player, listen to Undead.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undead_(Ten_Years_After_album)

I used to use leads made up from two-core 13A mains lead (repurposed from a lawnmower). They are all still working 30+ years on!

Now I use speakon I'm happy to accept what comes as part of decent quality pre wired leads.

Great thing about an SM58 is that if you move on to more specialised recording gear,  you still have a vocal mike that will last a lifetime and you can use on any stage in the world without being criticised, with the added bonus that it will serve in almost any other role.

The advantage over the SM57 is the rubber capsule suspension which reduces handling noise and will also help if recording at home where you may have to deal with things like less than solid floors or stands.

Not many other mikes offer such flexibility.

Circa 1990, the band I was in practiced in a large room set up as rehearsal space by a band we knew. In one corner was what looked to be an odd-shaped, ancient and unloved bass coated in a thick layer of nicotine and with utterly dead strings.

I paid £80 for it in in instalments.

It was only about four or five years old! Now my precious Fender Performer which I gigged solidly for several years in the '90s and have since only gigged a handful of times. But definitely the easiest bass to play I have ever tried.

12 hours ago, leschirons said:

Firstly, it's not that Blues or pub rock is, nor has to be,  any less demanding for a bass player than any other genre

What I like about blues rock is the freedom to improvise within a structure. There's always new things to learn as well. Having a 'set of rules' isn't always limiting. One of my favourite live songs we do a long playout in Em where anying goes, sometimes Alex and I do simultaneous finger tapping 😁

3 hours ago, Mickeyboro said:

We are looking for ticketed gigs since we find people pay more attention to us when they e paid for the privilege!

Not ticketed, but aside from festivals our biggest crowds have been pay at the door events rather than free ones.

On 26/04/2024 at 18:59, dclaassen said:

Even though I almost exclusively use pj basses, I completely agree with you about the  weak bridge pickup sound…best it does is color the neck pickup tone

It's not really weedy, it's just that P and J pickups require different gain settings to perform at their best.

On 26/04/2024 at 18:21, Baloney Balderdash said:

A shame it was discontinued way too early

If you really want to own one, they are still available new.

Vox are even selling them via Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vox-Starstream-1H-Guitar-Humbucker/dp/B08N9Q27SX?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

(I now feel dirty for pimping these things...)

5 hours ago, casapete said:

Thanks, I hoped it hasn’t seemed like showboating though

Not at all!

8 hours ago, casapete said:

Saturday night I played at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham, which was my final gig with

The ELO Experience.

Must have been quite emotional Pete, always gobsmacked and a bit envious to see the glorious venues and crowds you've been playing to!

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

Who knows? I wasn't supposed to know but the venue owner paid me before we started. So now I know the total and how much we all got. 

I'll be looking for another job.

I would have feigned ignorance and split it evenly.

Hi Tom, where are these speakers?

AH.. GUISBOROUGH!

Any idea of postage cost?

Next Sunday.

8 hours ago, dodge_bass said:

Last night I was depping for a NE based big band - it was an absolute roast sight-reading these charts having never seen / heard them before! Still I managed to quite myself pretty well! 

Sight reading Sir Duke! respect!

Went to a private 'birthday party open mic' last night. Good idea for a party, my btother is planning something similar for his 60th.

Some friends debuted their new band with a few songs. I got asked to back a few people. A fun, mellow night.

30 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Enjoyed that. What bass and rig are you using ?

Dave

That was the AVII precision through the Orange Terror and GRBass at212 slim. 😁

Does this break some sort of record for longest time to sort a problem...?

I had a brother who died very young, from leukaemia. He loved 'Garold Glitter'.

I'll never forgive the bastard for betraying that memory.

The Bush in Cwmbran,  pretty compact but wonderful pub. Had a real blast. Sound was very boomyn asked sound to turn down my bottom end and he replied I have can you turn yours down and I said I have! Stone flag floor and stone wall behind rear ported cab...

I had to repair my finger with superglue after slicing the tip on Wednesday. Three layers lasted the night. My playing was a bit scatty on a couple of songs and the night seemed to suit sticking in some frills and whistles 😁 noone seemed to mind and we had a few musos in so that was ok.

Alex was trying out his new Gretsch Electromatic for the first time. I barely appear in the short vid below, but it gives an idea.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?id=100024370338008&story_fbid=1613621292793533

57 minutes ago, andytoad said:

21st birthday in a pub. 3 fights, finished at 22.00.😂

The youngsters need to be in bed early.

The basic shape is ugh... but then add two stumpy little feet...