Dr.Dave

I don't think there's such a thing as too old , although if you want to do originals and have success with them it'll be far , far harder than it is for a younger person. If you find it frustrating - pack it in. Life's too short. It may be that after a break you find different ways to make music that make you happy. If that doesn't happen - fine. Other interests will take it's place. I stopped trying to 'make it' at an early age. All I ever wanted to do was write songs and make a living at it. I had enough knock backs to change my mind. I took to playing bass in rock covers and blues bands because it's dead easy , makes a bit of beer money and there's always lots of gags and laughter. I don't even consider the two things linked. I gave up trying to be a songwriter and became a covers bass player. I could just as easily have become a mountain biker or restored an old car or whatever it is people do. That's how I see it. I'm retired now. As a volunteer I drive trip narrowboats , steward at a WW2 Bomber base visitor centre , survey headstones for the commonwealth war graves commission , check and maintain a bunch of defibs in nearby villages , stand outside covid jab centres in the pouring rain telling people where to park while trying not to punch those who abuse me and I'm on the Parish Council. I enjoy all of those things. I'm also in a reforming rock covers band. It's just part of my life , not a definitive. Do what makes you happy even if that means putting the bass up in the loft.

I'm quite happy with the My Generation type solo - more of a musical break I suppose - but all this barclay's banking twaddle leaves me cold. Exactly who do you think is entertained by it ?? Not me - I'm away to the bar , let me know when you're done. For a long time I used to start the encore early and go through a verse of Ilkley Moor bah tat before the band kicked in on the last note but that was more a few seconds of fun than a solo. I stopped it because Williams would come up and say 'Yer effing great you are chief yer can play ilkley moor an that that were brilliant that ' etc etc. I'd look at them and know they hadn't a clue what else I'd done for the past hour and a half. Nowadays the tricks and gags are in the songs. If audience are too thick to pick them up , and most of them are , tough.

Mrs Doc does love to sip a tasty cocktail in an exotic location from time to time so she knows better than to give me grief for buying the tools that earn me the money to provide her with such luxury.

I step onto a stage and I can actually feel my self relax. Like being out working all day then sitting back in your chair with a brew. I wasn't born to perform - that stuff's all cobblers , bit I've done it so often and for so long that being on stage feels like my domain. Just as the Williams don't belong on my stage , I just don't belong in the audience with them. You ever want to see a bloke feeling uncomfortable - just come and watch me in an audience. Up on stage I never worry about the mistakes I know I'll make - I just deal with them. That's what experience brings. Playing a gig takes more than musicianship. My attitude is 'Im good at this and anybody who thinks otherwise is plain wrong'. The odd heckler - who cares. They want to share my adulation for a moment but they can't , it's just jealousy. As I always ask them over the mic - ' do I come to where you work and tell you how to flip burgers?'.

Funny - I worked out 2112 note for note and thought that meant I was as good as Geddy. By the time I bought Moving Pictures I'd figured out that I wasn't because he thought of it.

Slade all the way , mate. Massive fan , always have been. Got to share a stage with the Dave and Don version a few years back. Huge day for me.

TOTP. I wasn't that interested. Loads of pretty people making bland sounding noises. I watched it so I could join in conversations at school but I preferred my Dad's Black and White Minstrel LPs. One day in 1972 - I was 10 - on come 4 ugly blokes dressed up as circus clowns making a big guitar noise. Huge rough voice. Tune I could remember etc. Having a ball , they were. I wanted a piece of that , pure and simple. I'm sure most of you don't need telling who I'd seen !

Do we need a bass player ?? Well , I'm a fan of songs first and foremost and my definition of a decent song would be one that you can sing while strumming an acoustic but still sounds good. So - no , we don't need bass players. As a result , I try to make sure that any bass part I play brings something to the table in order to earn it's keep.

I find people from all walks of life are basically fin de cloches who get on my thre'pennies so I can't hate gigging for that. In fact I don't hate gigging at all but I do find one huge disadvantage of being a player is that can't just sit back and enjoy music anymore. I have to pick it apart etc etc. It seems to be my nature , though , to be creator rather than consumer so I suppose it was inevitable.

How about this offering from ' we're not trying to be steely Dan , honest gov ' jazzers , Jango. https://youtu.be/_m_hCKPnzKs

I haven't done a gig in over two years since I took my early work pension and moved to the sticks , before that I was a regular 50 gigs a year. Here in rural Notts it's not easy to find players like it was in a Yorkshire city but I have teamed up with a reforming rock covers band of similar ancientness to me so I'll be gigging again later this year. Can't sing anymore though. My ears are so shot that I can't hear to pitch properly .... so I've done the obvious thing to protect them and joined a noisy two guitar rock band !! I lowered the action on one of my basses for it while my hands get up to speed as I'd barely picked up a bass during my time off. Wasted my time - like falling off a log. Couple of days noodling and the coordination came straight back. My timings still bang on , my chops are still there where they should be. Guess I'm lucky not to have lost anything. Must be ready for it as I've found myself performing at rehearsals ! Interesting reading comments re rehearsals. I'm not used to rehearsal at all. Same band for 20 years etc. We rehearsed by chatting in the car on the way to gigs !

Use a mic stand drinks holder ( drum accessory ) because if you don't I guarantee it'll go on top of your amp at some point. If you make a mistake , don't react. Folk will think it was deliberate , so do it again in the next verse to make sure ! Take no notice of praise from punters. If you do you'll take notice of criticism too. They are nought but ants designed to dance to your tune. You are the creator - they the lowly consumer - entertain them for your own amusement then disregard them. If you've run a 20ft cable , the 12 ft cable in your bag is not a spare. Find an exit sign or clock or something on the far wall. Perform to it like it's a person. Every one in the audience will think they're getting a low level of eye contact but none will find it threatening - particularly the pond dwelling worthy with more kids than teeth that'll otherwise accuse you of staring at his creature's thre'pennies. Always carry a chip fork.

Wow - at least 5 names on this old thread that I met up with but they don't seem to be on here anymore. Hope yuz are all good , folks

It's obviously dependant on whether your bass is a bolt-on or not but on the few occasions I've flown with a bass I whipped the neck off my precision and stuck both bits in my little wheely suitcase along with my socks and undercrackers etc. and took it on as hand luggage. 10 mins to take down or reassemble. Once my guitarist pal insisted on taking a Gibson explorer in a very expensive flight case as hold luggage , in fact I think he paid extra for it to be looked after or something , and when we collected it on landing in Portugal a corner of the case was crushed. No damage to the explorer but still.

Just reading that as of today slug pellets are banned in the UK. We may do well to get stocked up on the stick backed copper tape before the price goes up. Don't waste any you have in the garden shed . Crushed egg shells around the stems keep slugs off plants just as well - perhaps not so good at shielding !

Sorted. Also my 54 blue flower jap re-ish.

We had to have some celeb toss fest on ice on the telly last night so I did these. I used two sheets of stiff printer paper joined together as a backing. The flags are a vinyl sticker , couple of quid on ebay. A4 size so had to join it. The other is beer bottle labels , stuck on with watered down pva. Put the new clear pickguard on top and cut round it with a scalpel. I'll post another pic when it's on the bass.

I've only done this on basses with a metal control panel - a Ray and a slab P. If you're talking about a more modern P design with the controls mounted through the pickguard it has a shielding strip on the back which is also earthing the pots . In that case you need to recreate it on the back side of the cardboard cut out under the clear pick guard. I asked a Q in technical a few weeks back and everyone seemed to suggest self adhesive copper strip from B and Q type places which is sold as a slug repellant ! Couple of quid for a metre on ebay. Anyway - I bought some because I'm about to do the clear pickguard/cardboard trick on a dimension. Had an email today that the pickguard is on it's way so when I've done it I'll report back on the shielding strip issue.

Do what I do. Buy a clear pickguard and have any design you want on a piece of card under it. Something printed... Beer bottle labels ( copyright DrD) ......green shield stamps.... Anything. Then change it when you get bored.

Take from this what you will but I can't wait to get on stage. I feel at home there , far more so than being in an audience. I feel like an outsider in an audience. In pretty much all parts of my life I'm a better creator than I am a consumer so it's not surprising I'm more comfortable on stage . No fear of performing to any size crowd - slight anxiety of letting fellow players down but it's negligible to be honest.

How much better does that look !! I bought the dimension because I was looking for something cheap to stick a fretless Fender Jazz licenced neck on. Went and tried my mate's dimension and only at that point did it click that it's a 21 fret neck so that idea was off the cards. I was so impressed with the squier though I came home and bought myself one that same day.

Be a few weeks but I'll post pics of it finished. It's already got dice knobs and my signature second string guide. No practical use at all but 40 odd years ago I was too green to string it properly and a second string guide helped. Sort of a trademark now ! I've got a couple of telecaster guitar decals kicking about somewhere too so it might say it's a Fender in the pics !

Wouldn't work if it was already shielded . I've ordered a clear plate because I like to have a cardboard template underneath with weird stuff stuck on it. Beer bottle labels - green shield stamps ( under 40 - ask ! ) anything daft. The shielding needs to be on the underside of the cardboard template. Anyway , the clear guard is still on order but I got some of the slug killer stuff and feeling in fettling mood I swapped out the brown tort guard on my old precision for a redder tort guard which is a WD product and shielded but because I've had it on and off for years the shielding's torn up a bit by the serrated pot washers so I refreshed it with the slug tape. Glad to say it works fine. The dimension ( Yes , a 4 ) .. I'm stunned at how good it is. Got it from Bassbros for about ten bob - cracking player.

Slade in Flame's been a fave of mine since I first saw it at the flix and How does it Feel which was the theme tune is a fantastic song. Probably a few parallels in it for many of us. Does 40% of Spandau Ballet in the Krays count ?