chris_b

That was a lunchtime treat when I worked in Covent Garden.

I think Roger Sadowsky underestimated what was required to make a licencing deal perform to his very high standards. I would hope he's spitting fire at Warwick right now. My next Sadowsky, if that even happens, will be another Yoshi Metro.

I stood in the corner laughing while the sales guy was telling a couple that there were only 2 112 cabs made. Unsurprisingly, these were the 2 that the shop had in stock!! Having said that, I bought my Mesa Boogie RR115 EV from the Bass Cellar. They had very little to do with it. I went in, told them I was going to play it and then said I'll have it. I got no crap from any of them because I didn't give them the opportunity.

Yep. We signed up to play with musicians and a lot of them, at many levels, are exactly like this. If these situations get us down the only thing we can do is get better and make sure we move in circles with access to better players. Everything is a playing opportunity and I use these sessions as a workout for me. I've mostly played with good drummers so IME it's the guitarists, keys and singers who need the guide dogs. I can play all day with a good drummer.

I put one. In the early days I also taught myself to play a few tunes on guitar, piano and drums, but haven't played them for many, many years so I decided not to include those.

It's a long list, including Levon Helm, Zigaboo Modeliste, Jim Keltner, Steve Gadd, Ginger Baker, Jeffrey Jellybean Alexander, Al Jackson, Nikki Glaspie, Mick Fleetwood, Richie Hayward, Stanton Moore and Howard Lee Grimes. Fabulous drummers I did get to play with, Micky Waller, Glen LeFleur, Henry Spinetti, Graham Walker and for 2 songs, Kenny Jones.

I didn't see, "never forget to buy your round."

Exactly this. I've done deps when I didn't know what was coming next and been told by band members, "I was following you"!! Looking like you know what's happening seems to fool more people than you'd expect. After the first lockdown I started rehearsing with 3 others to put on a tribute show. Me and the drummer turned up knowing the songs and arrangements. . . . and had to spend the next 4 rehearsals teaching the other 2 (including the band leader) what they should already know. Why am I still getting involved in these situations?!

My first visit to a Maccari's was to their Wembley shop in the mid 60's. I encountered the older generation of Maccari but their intrusive "hard sell" methods didn't sit well with me back then. I just wanted to look around but got pressure and comments instead. I never went back.

+1 You've got to hit the ground running.

Lift your fingers off the strings, don't drag them.

Might be wind!

Bass is sounding good.

Both for me. I love holding and playing my basses but they are a means to an end, because I love playing with other musicians, more.

The neck on my Sadowsky is just a single piece of maple. It hasn't moved in the 4 years I've been playing it. Then again none of my basses have required any work on the neck since my Fender Precision needed a truss rod tweak in 1970.

For lockdown home playing I’m using my most powerful amp (800 watt Thunderfunk) through a BF One10 and my passive PJ5. This is the best low volume combination I’ve got. Sounds very good at no volume at all.

It’s a good sign when you find an amp that gets the sound you want with very little EQ fiddling.

Fantastic drumming. Damon Sawyer engineered several albums I did when he was in the Reading area.

I've got this. My Sadowsky Metro has a feel and a sound that just works for me. It's a little on the heavy side so I've tried several other Metros and even an NYC and none of them felt or sounded as good.

I agree. Many things that can lose you the gig. It's a fickle business. PS but why was Will Lee there in the first place?

I play 2 or 3 hours a day, 2 or 3 times a week. After 11 months, I should be a slap expert, but still haven't managed to get all the way through the first slap video I picked. I've kept my interest going by working on songs, ie choosing an artist and playing my way through their albums. First was Stevie Wonder, then Joni Mitchell, Bobby Bland, Kylie Minogue and others. Most recently I've gone through 15 of John Hiatt's 20 albums. Hiatt was easy to play but an emphasis on melodic playing rather than technique gave it it's own challenges. Next on the to-do list is Robben Ford, followed by Chic, some Motown and probably Daryl's House.

The point is, most bass players work within a narrow band of tone. Does the 80/20 rule fit here? It probably does, so 80% of the bass players (pro and semi-pro) are using 20% of the available tone. The differences in tone between these players is small but most are differentiated by what they play, not how they sound. Players like Chris Squire and JJ Burnell are in the 20%. They are way outside of the mainstream of bass players tones. Maybe that is what makes them stand out, but interestingly, their sound is not as widely copied as their popularity would suggest. There are bass players all over the world who got the gig because they were a mate, but I know of no bass players who get gigs just because they sound good. Good players get gigs, no matter how they sound, because of what and how they play.

I'd have preferred the dots to be scrolling across the screen rather than jumping from one side to the other. Made it pretty much unreadable for me.

The Gallery is a great place for a visit. I haven't bought much/enough there, but always get a "long lost friend" greeting from Martin. I still don't know if that is for me or whether he does that with everyone.