jmstone

I've got a really nice Ibanez Blazer I picked up recently on ebay. It's in pretty good nick - lovely tone and weight. At some point, someone seems to have thought it was a good idea to spray paint the bridge in gold metalic paint, and the pickguard in silver! It looks OK and is not a major issue - has been done reasonably well, but I would prefer the look of tarnished brass personally. Any thoughts on whether it's worth removing this - and if so, how? Or should I just put up with it?

Sounds a bit of a mess. Break it up and start again with whoever you want to play with from the original bands? Try to get band 2 to meet more regularly and drop band 1? I don't really like it when people start openly criticising other band members - usually it seems to be the beginning of the end!

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1318582792' post='1403905'] Promoting any band is a real slog and you need something to set you apart. Bands are two a penny and there is only so many times you can hassle your mates to turn up. Sooner or later, you'll have to have a compelling reason why people will come out and support you. Had a very good laugh recently when a local band wrote up their own press review... it was truly stuff of delusion..but the point is, they have to go and deliver against that...and that is where it all becomes obvious. Mates will only trawl round the pay to plays a few times. [/quote] Yeh - I totally get that.. But perhaps you could expand a bit more on the promotion side apart from "it's an incredible slog", which I kind of guessed? For instance - do you think getting a decent recording is the best approach? Playing lots of gigs? (this seems problematic in view of the "getting friends along" problem you allude to). Trying to get podcast/blog/radio exposure? Publicity stunts??? Something else? J

I know that there is another thread about social media, but this question is more general - what do you think are the most important steps in getting an originals band (who are reasonably well rehearsed and ready to play good songs) up to the point of having "proper" fans (i.e. not just friends and relatives) coming to gigs, with a mid-term goal of getting some reasonable gigs supporting semi-famous indie bands? We have some nice songs (IMO - I didn't write them, so I guess I am able to say that?). So far, the demos have been done on the computer - so drums are from a machine, most of the parts are not played by current members of the band, but the songs still sound fairly polished (probably not up to the standard that you would shell out money for tho?): [url="http://facebook.com/riverfury"]http://facebook.com/riverfury[/url] Clearly the FB page needs a lot of work. Maybe we need to record as a band? Single? EP? Maybe we need to hand out flyers to get people to come to gigs? Get podcasts? Create merchandise?? Get an agent/management? Get a producer? Get signed?? I guess there is no simple solution to it, but I would really appreciate your thoughts about what the most important steps are, and what can be left til later. As I see it, the most important first step is getting some "real" fans - but how to get to that point seems a little unclear! James

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1318349683' post='1401004'] I might still have the interview on tape somewhere; if so I'll digitise and upload it - there are a few gems in there for the Bjork fans among us. [/quote] Wow! I would so love to hear that! J

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1318286772' post='1400220'] For once BB5 our musical tastes have intersected. Here's one of my favourite Bjork (Sugarcubes) performances... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLRSR-VZ9gE&feature=related[/media] [/quote] Wow! Superb! What a voice! Sugarcubes were the first band I ever saw - 1991 at Brixton Academy.. Bjork was so completely amazing - totally blew me away (and I was also completely in love with her!) I guess it was this tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpFblO6Z3uU I haven't been quite so into her solo stuff TBH.

Bass is a bit low in the mix in some of the tracks, but I can hear it fine. Nice playing. It does seem to "pump" in a rather disconcerting way in "Bond" like it's being compressed too much - or maybe the bass and the kick are both going through the same compressor??? How did your friend record the drums by the way - sound pretty good for a low-budget/bedroom attempt.

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1317714051' post='1393471'] There's a rather nice one here:- [url="http://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/basses/ibanezroadsterbass.htm"]http://classicandcoo...oadsterbass.htm[/url] [/quote] Yes - really lovely - an RS900 I think. Love the finish!

.. Oh and if you wanted to hear what my one sounds like, it's in this video: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbt60pf02ks"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbt60pf02ks[/url] Sound was just taken straight from the rehearsal shown (no post-processing etc.)

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1317565921' post='1391795'] Yes it was one of those. Passive with one pickup near the bridge. I'd buy this one if I could justify owning another bass. Edit - In fact I think the one above on Ebay and the one in this thread are one and the same [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/45076-ibanez-roadster-valuation/"]http://basschat.co.u...ster-valuation/[/url] Reading his latest thread about a noisey pickup I don't think I'll bother bidding on it after all. [/quote] Ha! Yep - it is mine.. The pickup is noisy, but no more than the guitarist's brand new fender tele, so I don't think it's particularly the pickups at fault.. Probably more the electrical interference in our rehearsal space combined with the fact they are vintage single coil pups. However, I can't be 100% sure. Reason I'm selling on the bay rather than here is there wasn't much interest last time I put it here, and I didn't want it hanging around too long (in case I change my mind about selling it!) It wasn't the pickups that made me sell it - just the fact I've picked up an Ibby Blazer which suits my sound better (and is significantly lighter!). ATB James

I think it's done with "Paint Swirling" - looks like a tricky business. There's lots of examples on youtube, but none look as nice as this one. I guess it could be some kind of photo veneer tho.. James

Looks like he's dropped the price. Could probably import to UK for 300-350 all in. Almost worth that for the swirl finish!

Really nice finish IMHO http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/81-Ibanez-Blazer-JAPAN-P-Bass-Rare-Swirl-Finish-VERY-CLEAN-/200657915494?pt=Guitar&hash=item2eb824ce66 Probably not worth the hassle of shipping it from USA tho!

A friend of mine kindly volunteered to do some videos for my new band - River Fury. The sound was from one of our rehearsals, and the footage is mixed between the rehearsal and our first gig. He's just sent the rough-cuts. I think they've come out pretty well (apart from me looking pretty gormless throughout). Would be interested to hear your feedback! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7F0g6XqjiE[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbt60pf02ks[/media] James P.S. - We're playing at the Good Ship in Kilburn on Oct 7th 9:30 in case any of you want to come and hear us live.

[quote name='casapete' post='1285895' date='Jun 28 2011, 11:32 PM']FWIW maybe it was some kind of thing about/against Fender, as the guitarist with the 335 was using a Fender amp (poss a 65 Twin Reissue) with the logo blanked off on the speaker cloth and also on the front panel. Strange.......[/quote] From a random selection of videos, there seemed to be a general dearth of Fenders in most of the bands at Glasto compared to my expectations - Was that a Les Paul Bass in White Lies? ... Probably not appropriate for a bass forum, but The Kills sounded excellent!

Hi there, I do like the sound of my 1979 Ibby RS800, but have been getting some serious hum/interference problems with it. I have shielded the inside with copper, but the problem persists. It doesn't change in intensity when I touch different bits of the guitar so I don't think it's a ground problem. I'm guessing the culprit is probably the pickups which are original and unshielded. I'm thinking that maybe the best solution is to just leave as is.. However it can be a bit embarrassing in rehearsal when the bass amp is pumping out masses of noise in between songs. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of replacement pickups that might fit - and might solve this problem.. Or if anyone has any other ideas that would be fantastic too!

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1218866' date='May 3 2011, 05:15 PM']As with all recommendations for live sound, as Wil said, each instrument is occupying a specific space, so competing doesn`t help. I`ve always gone with the "everything flat and adjust to what sounds right" approach. I`m not really fussed if it goes completely against theory, as long as it sounds right. And from what you`ve put, it seems that you`ve hit the right sound for your band. One thing I would point out though - if possible, try moving a good way out front, as what can sound perfect close-up, can really sound horrible out front. At a gig I did with my old band, I set up, great on-stage sound, plenty of lows, crystal clear highs, good mid presence, sorted! Went way out front for sound-check, as was a big venue, and all I could hear was a horrible booming sludge. Rapid re-adjustment to the old boosted mids theory, sounded dreadful on-stage, clanky, with no depth, but out front, was exactly right, fitted in perfectly.[/quote] Thanks for this.. very good point! At the moment, it's only been in a (relatively small) rehearsal space - so maybe the EQ needs to be quite significantly different there than at a gig.. I think small rooms can get standing waves so low frequencies are cancelled out?? I can imagine having to carefully tune the EQ depending on the shape of the room we are going to play in live - seems like a bit of a nightmare - but maybe not the main consideration compared to having good songs, playing tight etc.. I did once hear another band playing thru my rig live - it was a really amazing chunky cutting sound, with just a touch of grind.. I was straining to see what EQ settings he had it on - in the end I realised he had disabled the EQ and was just playing straight thru.. Maybe his nice Fender Jazz had something to do with it tho! J

Hi everyone! I have been messing with my EQ settings a bit in my new band (which is much more early 90's indie guitar sound than Kitten Cake) and I have found something rather unexpected. I am playing on my 1979 Ibanez Roadster RS800, which has a kind of punchy, but certainly not very HiFi kind of sound.. On the house Ashdown MAG300 4x10, I tried some EQ boosting of low-mids (660Hz+) and it certainly helps with hearing the bass notes in the band setting, but listening to everything playing together, it sounds rather boxy and lacking depth - seems to mask the guitars quite badly too. At our last rehearsal, I just boosted 100hz and 340Hz, cutting mids and treble and it actually sounded much better to my ears - mixing better with the guitars - than the more mid-boost approach that seems to be generally recommended.. So what's going on? Are my ears playing tricks on me? Is this some strange thing to do with my bass/amp setup? Ideas?

[quote name='Low End Bee' post='1152403' date='Mar 7 2011, 12:48 PM']Exactly. We understand we're only really there to help them shift booze. I haven't tried to sell us to landlords as anything other than a band who will get people in the door, be professional, punctual and create a good atmosphere. I have desisted from telling them about our musical influences and creative processes. The one pub we are perfect for locally is being a tough nut to crack. As I said a heavy rock covers band were playing to 15-20 when I spoke to him. I said we could expect a much greater turn out and were willing to do the first gig at a discount to tempt him. "I dunno. I only know the covers bands. I think you'd be too risky"[/quote] Well, how about offering to do the first gig for free? I think this sounds like an excellent venture - I would personally be much happier to see an originals band at a pub than a covers band... J

Warning: IANAS (stop sniggering at the back! I am not a sparks in case you were wondering!) I would have said there is almost definitely something wrong with the electrics in you house or maybe the amp - like a problem with the earth or something?? I think you can get an earth tester to find out.. Edit: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=4005"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=4005[/url] Edit 2: [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/PK-Green-Socket-Safety-Tester/dp/B003337BLM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298408039&sr=8-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/PK-Green-Socket-Sa...8039&sr=8-1[/url]

[quote name='Krysbass' post='1129596' date='Feb 16 2011, 01:25 PM']I was in a covers band doing exactly this sort of stuff, mostly playing pubs. Every gig we did we were getting repeat bookings straight away and out of that we even had one booking for a private party. We had plenty of positive comments from landlords and audiences alike, saying what we were doing was a welcome change from "the same old stuff". - But we were based in the mid-Cheshire area, so I can't say how well this formula might work in London. The band folded in June 2010, having to cancel a number of bookings - the problem was that our singer got Lead Singers Disease and went weird on us, so I guess the most important thing is to make sure everyone in your band is going to be committed to the type of music you are playing.[/quote] Wow! Didn't expect to hear this - very interesting! Did you have to buy your own PA etc. for these gigs? And how did you go about getting the gigs originally? James

Getting slightly tired of the originals circuit in London, and was thinking of setting up a band to play some 80s/90s Indie, a bit of Beefheart maybe, some Fall.. But my question is - is it possible to get gigs for such a band? Would anyone book us? Would anyone listen!!??