Stub Mandrel

Just plugged straight into the trace Eliot, set the gain and got going!

Jamming with James Oliver at the Earl Haig open mic yesterday.

It's the only kind I'll get now! I'll settle for it 😁

He's much better now, although he got hit hard by a virus a few weeks ago. Played standing up and was on top form.

Went to the Earl Haig jam night and did a few songs with James Oliver, none of which I had heard before. "Do you know Nadine?" "Never met her!" I have jammed with him before, but still a bit intimidating as in the last month he's done gigs with Horace Panter and Norman Watt-Roy on bass 😱 Went ok though!

Bongos are lovely. Except white ones with black scratchplates. Boggos.

Vox Starstream (especially the silly feet). Any Alembic with stupid pointy bits or too many controls (but not sensible ones). In fact any bass with a gimmicky appearance (e.g. rudely shaped metal tubes around the body, wearable basses, etc.)

At HB prices? Low risk. If you don't like it Thomann will refund. If you decide to keep it, then change your mind then resale value will be low but the low purchase price minimises the hit. And with their reputation you'll probably decide it's worth keeping.

Music up to 1973-4 school year, when I turned 11.

This was the setup for Saturday. My first time setting up a full pa.

But 10-1 is still a lot of basses for something that was only getting going in the 80s. My ratio is 3:14, or about 3:11 if you count strings...

That said, kit still doesn't explain why so many are on sale second hand. Oh... another observation- they used to be very expensive but the premium on an extra string is now quite modest.

I was hoping this wouldn't degenerate into a 4 vs 5 debate, I don't think it has. Although there's been plenty of levity I think there's also been lots of evidence that five strings are now not exceptional. A significant number of us are using them as gigging instruments rather than a 'special effect' or curiosity.

Wouldn't it be incredible to have a Basschat Fest...

Just a reminder that there's a world of difference between knowing musical theory and sight reading. Just as you can have a detailed understanding of grammar and be functionally illiterate.

No, but it might have helped some of his subscribers...

I just have it about 7 o'clock. But I use a headstock hanger stand.

Oi! NILO! NO!

Oi! NILO! NO!

That's not a bass. It's either a zither or a skateboard.

Good idea 💡

I'm getting increasingly comfortable on a 5, but can get lost if playing songs learnt on a 4 that involve fast multi-string/position riffs. Definitely prefer the feel if a 4, though. For now I'm swapping between a 4 & 5 with a muting neutrik jack it only takes a few seconds.

Last night we played a 'night club', basically a big room with a bar at the back of a pub. We were to do 3 sets and somehow stretch thus from 8:30 to 'as near to one as you can get'. Thus was first time for me using my brother's old PA. Plenty of room to set up. I got quite stressed by issues like a non-functional speakon on a PA cab and a monitor that had its power lead unplugged. Managed to set up four vocal mics with kick, snare and two overheads on the kit. Sound was rough we thought but was ok at front. We negotiated a start at 9:10 and final set to start at 12:00. Place was weird with only 3 stools and a few tables. Had a modest number of people in by the time we started, say 35-40, and unashamedly went straight into Dakota which filled the dancefloor. Followed by White Room which still kept people going! That said as we went on some people left and others came in. What is and what should never be killed the atmosphere a bit... but we recovered. We ended up doing 50 minutes and audience seemed happy. By the time we took a 35 minute break, we left with a fair number of people danving to a playlist through the pa, but came back in and the room was empty. Totally! Apparently the pub half had emptied too. We played a half a dozen songs to six people who came back in from outside, but no-one was coming in at all. Barman said this was only second time they had opened the back bar and the same thing had happened before. Also, their other pub, expected to empty about 11 and people move across - was virtually empty too. Basically it seems like there was hardly anyone about, although I think that not having any seating is a challenge if you want people to hang round for 4 ½ hours... I think they really need a dj if they are going to spread band sets out so much. And let the band go on much later. We cut the second set, got paid and packed up just over two hours early. Only three punters wandered in while we were packing up and the streets were virtually empty. On the plus side we got a paid rehearsaland learned an awful lot about our kit, some songs to lose and some things to work on, and I got home by just after 1 instead of nearly 3. But still not a great experience.

Not in my day. Most teachers were interested in cultivating ability which just entrenched the differences. But that was how education worked in the 70s, it was all rooted in streaming.

Thought I'd posted this...