chris_b

Another reason US instruments were few and far between in the UK back then. . . was price. I bought my Fender Precision in 1969 for just over £90. I was living in Brussels and they gave me a discount price because I was a pro musician. The UK didn't give discounts on musical instruments. Others were allowed reduced tax on "tools of the trade" like cameras but musicians had to pay full whack. So my £90 was actually about £122 in the UK and that would have been about £1900 in today's money. Very few working musicians in the UK could afford that, which why so many were using Framus, Hofner, Burns, Kay etc.

Sounded pretty good to me. Everyone seems on top form, hit their marks played everything right. Why the negativity? Vocals and vocalists are usually overrated and Mick Fleetwood can never be too loud.

. . . . then Albert King put out Born Under A Bad Sign on Stax and everything changed again!

The rhythm players I knew back then were all into the likes of Ray Charles and the brass players were all over John Coltrane. Then BB King Live At The Regal came along closely followed by Blues Is King and everything changed.

Louis Cennamo. What a great player.

My heroes started before 1967. There was Bill Wyman, John Stax and Chas Chandler. John McVie is the guy I saw live the most times. I used to see Jack Bruce a lot but never tried to play like him. Phil Chen with Jimmy James, John Roberts with Geno and the guy who played with Zoot Money. Alex Dmochowski with the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, Ronnie Wood with Jeff Beck and Binky McKenzie with Alexis Korner. US favourites were Duck Dunn, Willie Dixon and the guy I now know is Tommy Cogbill. Then there was Rick Danko with the Band and Bernard Odum with James Brown. Magic times.

+1 on the 80's drum sound.

Isn't Math Metal the definition of overplaying?

Then there's Robbie at Rim http://www.rimcustomguitars.com/Home_Page.html

I think we're all working to different definitions, but in my dictionary overplaying = inappropriate playing. Some players make busy work, ie James Jamerson, even Jerry Barnes (mostly!) so busy is good or bad depending on what you're playing but to me overplaying is a negative term and is rarely good.

I don't have a backup amp. I have 2 amps and I can use either on any gig.

When I get a new bass I'll have it fret stoned (if required) and set up, usually by the Gallery. After that I'll adjust the bridge if the action needs fine tuning. I don't know what they charge. I can afford it and they give me back a stonking instrument. IMO worth every penny.

Pino gets gigs and sessions even though he can't read. So did Glen Campbell. So did Joe Osborne, but when he discovered he could get even more gigs by reading. . . he learnt to read. Reading is fine. Not reading is only fine if you don't need to. I do quite a lot of deps but with some bands there can be long gaps between calls. I chart everything and make notes of rhythms, runs and riffs. When I get the next call I can be up to speed in no time. It's surprising how little band sets can change over the years.

Overplaying is a negative term so it is never right. Busy or complicated paying can be appropriate, depending on the piece, but if you are overplaying you are doing something wrong.

I grew up listening to the Stax, Atlantic, American and Fame studio guys. There's not an ounce of fat on any of those songs from any musician.

It doesn't. But knowing theory, and having the notes under your fingers enables you to play by ear and jam much more effectively.

I know it was a fact of life in the early days that "producers" thought band members were dispensable and disposable, but I totally disagree with the arrogance of the likes of Toni Visconti and others who seem to think a record being made by a band isn't about capturing the sound and chemistry of the members of that band. They'd have to be paying me millions to make me accept that the band thought I was good enough for the gig but not good enough for the records.

Yes. Very much.

Understanding music theory benefits every player. Being able to read is a skill that can be useful in many playing and learning situations.

When you've checked out everything else, look at the Overwater J and Hybrid series. Theses are great sounding instruments.

Your singer needs sorting out?

I can vouch for Sadowsky and Lull Jazz basses. IMO they're just a class above all other J basses I've tried. Sadowsky now have the Satin series which is a lower cost NYC bass. Lower cost only because of the reduced options available. They also have the new Metro Express range which is their first factory bass and made in Japan. You could check out Moon, Moollon, Atelier, Suhr, Low End and all the European basses, the list is endless. Everyone's got a J bass in their catalogue.

Just worked for me. £7.70 off a 5 string set of NYXL's. Put the code in in lower case.

With the offer these are £3 cheaper than the cheapest set I could find two days ago. If the code starts to work it might be worth getting a couple of sets for later.

Julian, have some lessons. If, like me, you find it difficult to achieve results on your own, having to face someone and tell them you couldn't do it might make you try that bit harder and achieve your results. I know that with the hints and examples my tutor gave me I turned a corner. I also made sure I played everything he asked me to, when I'd have stopped if I was on my own.