chris_b

Why spend any money on a fake? That's £230 not going towards a proper bass. So, no, it's not worth a punt at £5 let alone £230.

The subject of deps or subs only come up because you'll need someone to do one of the gigs when you're off doing the other, ie both bands gigging on the same night.

The guys who are playing in multiple bands are telling you that organising the diary and getting agreement is critical. As I said there has to be a pecking order. Obviously there will be limited success if you join two bands playing every Friday and Saturday. The only sensible solution to getting fired, when you don't want to be fired, because you've joined a second band. . . is. . . don't join the second band. Easy. Deps and multiple bands doesn't bother most of the guys I play with because they are all working musicians and none of them are selfish enough to make a professional player turn down work and sit at home on a gig night, just in case they have a gig come in. These guys have their diaries worked out many months in advance, so there are no surprises and there is always a solution to line up problems. If you can't put a dep in for the first band, put a dep in for the second bands gig. Easy. I understand we are in different musical worlds, but a dog in the manger approach doesn't go down well with anyone I know.

Why get a 5 string version of your 4 string? If it's too heavy, definitely don't buy it! Again, 5 string bass necks will be about 19mm wider. Unless you haven't bought a very good one that doesn't make them bulkier. Also, as I say, if you play them right you will not notice the extra width.

Bulkier? My Lakland had a very easy neck to play. So do my Lull and Sadowsky basses. No bulkiness there. Less comfortable to play? Not if you have a good technique. Most players are not versatile because of limitations in the way they play. Improve yourself don't blame your tools. Typically heavier? Again look up the numbers. There are a lot of 8.5 - 9.5 5 string basses out there. Buy these and leave the rest to the Charles Atlas school of bass playing.

You're pushing the strings into the fret board. You don't have to press down that hard on the string to make the notes.

It can be if you know good players. We used a dep drummer yesterday and he was better than the regular guy.

I have a Precision and a Jazz. That's enough variety for me.

A little goes a long way with Sadowsky pre amp adjustments. Last year I had 6 basses and I was able to compare 2 Lulls, 1 Fender, 2 Laklands and a Sadowsky. The Sadowsky sound came out on top for me.

+1 on the Punk sound. Unless you are trying to redefine the sound of Punk bass I'd stick with rounds.

You had a 5 string bass for "maybe" 3 days and sold it. You only "sort of" miss it. You don't know what the advantages of a 5 string bass are. If you were a 5 string player you wouldn't need us to explain it to you. I'd say you are better sticking with your 4 string basses.

After Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen covered the Meters song Mo Hipper, Art Neville said he wished their song, the original, had sounded more like Cleary's version. PS Just looking through the songs and it was Just Kissed My Baby, not Mo Hippa, duh!!

I saw JB in 1971, with Bootsy Collins, and again some time in the early 90's. Those performances were chalk and cheese, sublime to the ridiculous. Throw his later career in the bin but he was at his peak and world class for about 25 years. James Brown's career was a story of 2 halves. In the first he certainly was The Hardest Working Man In Show Business. In the second, when he was gigging into 70's and with his many addictions he was way past his best. But in the 60's and 70's there was no one who could beat him. He was the guy who inspired every one. There wouldn't be Funk without JB or Hip Hop. Don't write off a whole career based on some of his later, woeful, performances? When he was in his prime he was a unique and original talent, a force of nature even.

That's him. Good isn't he? We're not really a tribute band. Just come together and have some fun jamming through a set of Allman Brothers songs. If you've seen the videos, it's pretty loose!

One of the best and the most original cover I've heard was Joe Cocker's version of With A Little Help From My Friends.

I'm not big on labels. They just cause endless hair splitting, as we are doing in this thread, but Soul in the 60's was a thing. With many influences and a level of creativity seldom seen since. Aretha was the best in that genre and for many since. I've seen Anita Baker described as R&B and Urban Soul. Not labels I know very well but I guess that's not the same thing. In reality both singers deserve as many superlatives as we can come up with.

I hope no one's recording this!!

Surely I can't be the first person to mention Anita's older sister. . . Hylda Baker?

Might be!! There is a mighty Jules on one of the guitars. In fact the band is based around him.

I play in an Allman Brothers band, only 2 gigs a year mind. I never liked them back in the day. Endless guitar solos never did much for me! In this band we've got 2 very good guitarists which is fun. I still doze off in E Reed though.

My main strap is a Harvest leather strap. Very comfortable. http://www.harvest-guitar.com/en/Buffalo-Silverado-oxid-11.html

If they say that then you have a choice. Either tell them you'll always put their gigs first, or you've changed your mind and won't now join the other band, or you can tell them they're a bunch of selfish gits and they can shove their band. Maybe you could tell the second band that the first band takes precedence and forget to tell the first band about the second band. Who knows. . the second band might fold after a few rehearsals, or they might fire you in a week! Don't let yourself end up without a band at all!

For most of my playing life I've been in at least 2 bands and for the last 20 years I've been depping. Bands in the area I live in don't expect exclusivity and don't demand it. If they need a dsep there are some great players to call on. My rule of thumb is: There has to be a pecking order. Whether it's first in the diary get your time or you have a main band, whose gigs take preference over a second band. Everyone has to know about the order of priority and agree to it. You will have clashes so make sure you give people enough time to get deps. Some bands leave it up to you to get a dep, others want to do it themselves and some don't want deps at all. It's all down to negotiating and whether they are willing to share you. Rule 2: pro bands take preference over semi pro bands, working bands take preference over bands who just rehearse and gigs take preference over a rehearsal.

Aretha Franklin's R.E.S.P.E.C.T and I Say A Little Prayer are all you need to know about covers.

I used an Ampeg SVT3 PRO for 10 years through Mesa Boogie 210 & 115 EV cabs. A great room shaking sound every time. I tried a BB800 through a Barefaced SC and liked it, a lot, but not enough to make me sell my Aguilar AG700. No accounting for taste.