The Admiral

Picked this up yesterday : £2.99 at Aldi Just the thing for holding pots, sockets and pickups for soldering. Not the worlds finest piece of engineering, but for £3.00 - very useful.

Linseed oil on this then? [url="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/turquoisemoleeater/guitars/cricketbat.jpg"][/url]

Currently enjoying BC from a sunbed in Majorca, and following the Covers band top ten with interest. Some kids a few beds down started shouting, so i stuck the iPod on, and hit shuffle..... which gave me the idea for a combination thread. Could you get an interesting covers set out of the first ten tracks on your MP3 players shuffle function? Mine 1. Shaking the tree : Peter Gabriel 2. Hangnail : Nickelback 3. Warsaw : Them Crooked Vultures 4. Don't get around much anymore : Rod Stewart 5. Starlings : Elbow 6. West End Girls : Pet Shop Boys 7. Don't lie to me : Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan 8. Travelling Riverside Blues : Robert Johnson 9. Gimme Three Steps : Lynyrd Skynyrd 10. Desert Rose : Sting Well, it beats Mustang Sally and Alright Now I think!!

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1350817536' post='1843707'] Fantastic! Took me several seconds to reconduct this to Nessun Dorma... I resisted the temptation to Google it [/quote] I believe it translates as 'None shall convert their loft'

Jake Brown, with Lemmy : 'Motorhead - in the studio' This is a bit of a cut and paste from Lemmy's autobiography and there is a lot taken from interviews given by the band to fansites etc - but.... there is some great stuff in there for bass players and those with an interest in the studio environment/engineering/production. The author has tracked down a good number of Motorhead's past producers and engineers, and, as well as the lowdown on how they arrived at the sounds on record (Lemmy's basses, amp types & settings, microphones used, eq etc - studio nerd central!), you also get an insight into how tough they are to produce, with very little compromise countenanced on how they want to do it. That said, everyone who has worked with them is glad they did, and most freely admit to having learned a great deal through the experience. it's about £5.99 on Amazon I think and would make a good Boxing day read. Enjoy.....

I was in Newport, Rhode Island and NY last year, and all around there and into the Boston area, 80s synth/new romantic/new wave bands were doing great business in all the bars - which made a nice change from 2 years prior, when it was either really bad Stevie Ray wannabees or Bruce/Bon Jovi 'Joisey' bands. Some had made the effort to get all the right gear too : Yamaha DX7 keys, a Simmons kit and a fretless Ibanez musician, pointy guitars etc. plus suitably 80s haircuts and suits. Also, one had the best name I've ever seen for a 'genre tribute band' : seen on a poster in a bar in RI ; Ladies and Gentlemen .............................. 'A Flock of Assholes'..... genius!

I don't know if anyone alse has picked this up from ITunes, but it's a really good free podcast from a couple of scouse guys - regarding the art of songwriting, and the latest one features Mark King. They've had some really interesting guests on, many ringing in from the USA, including Mike Batt, Andy Partridge, Jimmy Webb, Todd Rundgren, Albert Hammond and Nik Kershaw. You might not necessarily like all that they write, but it's fascinating listen with some great stories (including The Wombles - in the case of Mike Batt). The fact that some of these 'names' are prepared to take the time out just goes to demonstrate the generosity of good musicians/artists. Found here : [url="http://sodajerker.com/podcast/"]http://sodajerker.com/podcast/[/url]

Apologies if this is already covered somewhere, but I'm putting together (finally) a 'bitsa' P bass, using an eBay cheapy as the base, and I can't decide whether to leave the original name on the headstock or try removing it and putting on a 'Faker' or similar one - custom made for the bass. My dilemma is really around whether it will come off without leaving a 'shadow' and I wondered if anyone had any experience of this or any top tips - for example - a chemical remover, or sand it off? The bass is a Westfield - like this one : [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westfield-Classic-Style-Precision-Bass-Guitar-Black-Brand-New-/200660457447?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D310439205129%26ps%3D54"]http://www.ebay.co.u...05129%26ps%3D54[/url] All donations of intel appreciated! Cheers A

Just been watching the Scorcese film - as Mrs A has taken up the 1 month free offer on her iPad, and I've found that I can pipe it onto the TV through the Wii/broadband. What a great band, and what a really unusual and innovative style Rick Danko had - great player, and I now want a Gibson Ripper (with Jazz pickup fitted apparently)!!! Really interesting feature from Bass Musician on his style here : [url="http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2012/04/how-to-danko-a-lesson-in-the-style-of-rick-danko-by-rob-collier/"]http://bassmusicianm...by-rob-collier/[/url] and the man himself on youtube : [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3gNkixsLaM[/media] A

I have been having a clear out at home : we've had a big building project done, and we had to store a load of stuff in a unit, and consequently its really brought home how little I've used some stuff, espacially pedals - so they went on eBay. I always make a point of checking what stuff is going for on completed auctions, and to my amazement, discovered that an old Ibanez compressor I had owned since 1982 is now a very sought after item - as David Gilmour from the Floyd uses one, and they are really rare. It had been boxed, no battery, on a shelf for 20 years! They had been completing for about £120 - so I thought "great" and listed it. Well, 2 guys got into a bidding war, and it finished at well over £200. That said, I was also going to list an early 80's Korean Squier Strat in Cherry red, which is all original and immaculate : a fantastic guitar, and I reckoned should fetch £150 - £200, but one just like it, in equal condition just finished at £80, so that's staying under the bed in it's case. Just supply and demand I suppose, as always. A

Many thanks for the input guys. The room size seems to be a constant theme, but I'm keen to understand what 'a good size' is? Clearly, the smaller you go per room, the more rooms you can squeeze in, but what is the optimum for a 4 piece band for example : 5m x 5m? Larger? There is also some question over what gear is necessary : combos don't appear to be popular, but another post quite reasonably ponders the wisdom a 4 x 12 guitar rig in a small rehearsal space! Would an AC30/Fender twin type amp etc cut it perhaps? Cheers A

I'm looking for a bit of input from BC'ers re the above. I have been talking for years with an old friend about doing something together , and we'd always thought of a recoding studio. However, given the ability of the world and his wife to record to a computer these days - the funky little 8 track/16 track studios of our youth - which we always liked the idea of emulating, is an idea who's time has gone - so we've been looking at maybe opening a rehearsal facility. We have looked at a couple of spaces, and whilst they will both require a bit of work - to get stud walls and soundproofing/electrics in - we can't agree on what good looks like. On our list so far is (amongst many other things) : 1. giving people good 'house' gear (in the hope that they'll appreciate it and exercise some care!). 2. being pretty selective (as much as possible) about who books in - mindful of long term security and treatment of the gear etc. 3. offering deals on block bookings - 8 hours for the price of 7 etc if you book in a block and pay monthly in advance by ddm. Loads more thought needed, and any input gratefully received. One thing we've considered is : Could we offer a 'Band HQ' facility - where you have keys to an exclusive room of your own and can come and go as you like, in opening hours? What I'd love to know is - what works for you at your rehearsal rooms and - how much are you paying? Cheers A

Simple news item - of interest to those who play a bit of guitar perhaps. FYI - Popped into my local Dawsons on Saturday to pick up some new strings for my Tele, and they have D'Addario's on 'buy one' get one free' - so, 2 sets of XL's for six and a half quid. That'll do. I also noticed a very spartan bass section - a lot of the Redwood brand, couple of Squiers - including a Bronco, an Ibanez and a Jaguar - but thats it. Have they stopped with the 'own brand' Farida's now, as they had none out? A

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1346962827' post='1795495'] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/170887-venue-reference-guide"]http://basschat.co.u...reference-guide[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/162394-venue-review-wiki-whats-your-next-gig-going-to-be-like"]http://basschat.co.u...oing-to-be-like[/url] [/quote] Hmmm - they are actually both aiming at a different question in my view. The first is broadly looking at the issue of reviews of venues and the second also had a review element, but was primarily aimed at the gear/load in etc. Both good ideas - but with their challenges. By contrast, (and again, not without it's challenges) I was suggesting that members might post up details of venues which were good to play - as in they had a good audience and were payers - in order that other forum members might approach them for a gig. More specifically, I had in mind a situation where forums members might work cooperatively with others, to spread the reach of their own band to venues that were known to other members, and then receive the same guidance and help in return. If this were done effectively, one could have a situation where 8 -10 bands circulated around a network of 8 - 10 venues over a 3 month period (depending on frequency of the venues gig schedule of course) - and all of these could have BC forum members in the bands - cooperating to help each other secure the gigs. There is no libel issue for the forum I would have thought if this is done on a private message basis, kicked of from a 'classified ad'. For example : "Manchester band seeking gigs within 50 miles : Liverpool/Preston/Leeds etc we play - Rock/Punk covers. We can put you in touch with our regular venues in return. Please PM and we can see if we can help each other". Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but this just seems to me a simple case of cooperating for mutual benefit, but 30 views and 3 votes suggests otherwise! Oh well.

For those of you you may have missed it, there has been a thread running (started by The Dark Lord), talking about his second set being cancelled at a recent gig, due to no-one in the pub. You can catch up here : [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/185735-tonights-second-set-cancelled-nobody-in-the-pub/"]http://basschat.co.u...ody-in-the-pub/[/url] There has been a lot of chat in that thread about how pubs etc aren't what they used to be crowd wise since the smoking ban etc, and some general gloom about how hard a good gig is to find. This has been punctuated by a few posts from people with no such problem - all good where they play, etc. I made the point on that thread in an earlier post today that in summary, the prevailing themes coming through seemed to be : 1. Good places to play are hard to find, and 2. Some people seem to have a circuit of good gigs, whilst others are struggling.... So, on to my suggestion - and your chance to vote : How about we take the 'community' aspect of BC seriously and share some intelligence on the good venues - and the not so good? I appreciate that in the way that Carp anglers jealously guard their 'secret pools', we may have some members who are reluctant to share details of their good gigs, but - in the weeks when your band isn't playing at your full up and firing on all cylinders venue, somebody else will be, and surely you would rather it's another BC'er than not? Or is it me? By instigating a 'Good gig guide' thread, where you can share details of your good venues/landlords/promoters etc, other members can use it to make contact with either other BC'ers, or venues. It will mean that everyone on here has an increased chance of a good gig and a big crowd. That said, if there are concerns about giving out information too freely, it could work on an 'area - contact me' classified ads type basis. For example "Pub in Oxfordshire : Rock covers/some originals/no tributes - good landlord and circa 75 - 100 in on a Saturday" contact (member name) by PM if you are interested". Control then stays with the member who has the details, and can 'vet' the band of their fellow BC member by exchange of MP3 s etc if that's their bag. Also, the word will get around BC immediately if anyone starts trying to stiff the band etc or the punters start taking a turn for the rougher/less numerous. Equally - from gig to gig - the band playing this time can be bigging up the next band, because they know how great they are - from BC! ie ; "We'll be back in 4 weeks, but make sure you come in next Saturday, because (insert name of band) are on and I can tell you, they're a great night out" etc It would also mean that a circuit of good gigs could be built where 'out of town' bands could be brought in, perhaps making up a nice little week long tour in a different part of the country for them - in venues they know will at the least be OK, and they'll get paid. Needs to go in a thread which isn't available to non members too! So - cast your votes - and maybe the 'community' can really begin to share the love! A

Bit of a rushed post as I'm at the office, but, given that the themes on this thread that are coming through for me are : 1. Good places to play are hard to find, and 2. Some people seem to have a circuit of good gigs, whilst others are struggling.... How about we take the 'community' aspect of BC seriously and share some intelligence on the good venues - and the others (as per the Chichester pub above)? I appreciate that in the way that Carp anglers jealously guard their 'secret pools', we may have some members who are reluctant to share details of their good gigs, but - in the weeks when your band isn't playing there, somebody else will be, and surely you would rather it's another BC'er than not? Or is it me? This also means that where we have an active 'good gig guide' thread, the word will get around immediately if anyone starts trying to stiff the band etc or the punters start taking a turn for the rougher/less numerous. Equally - from gig to gig - the band playing this time can be bigging up the next band, because they know how great they are - from BC! ie ; "We'll be back in 4 weeks, but make sure you come in next Saturday, because (insert name of band) are on and I can tell you, they're a great night out" etc It would also mean that a circuit of good gigs could be built where 'out of town' bands could be brought in, perhaps making up a nice little week long tour in a different part of the country for them - in venues they know will at the least be OK, and they'll get paid. Just a thought A .

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1346613386' post='1791253'] Nomination for the BC site motto! (translated into Latin anyone?) [/quote] Et si quidem musica semper vincere (No credit to me - just Mr Google and his translator)

If you don't have artistsic contacts, my Mrs found a great young (18) graphic arts student through Facebook, and paid her an 'all in' fee (Mrs A owns the artwork and the copyright) of £50. The artists was glad of the business, as it built her portfolio, and she provided a number of options in sketch form, before the final finished version. Just a thought.

Sorry to hear that.............................but more common than one might imagine I'd suspect. On an associated note : I spoke to a booking agent today who was teling me what a sh*te state the live scene is in currently. He handles some reasonably well known Americana and Folky acts - including US musicians who tour the UK regularly and you wolud hear on Bob Harris' show for example. I was trying to get him to take on a new band, and he's actually now closed his books, and is laying off some of the 'fringe' artists, as, not only is he finding it harder to actually achieve bookings for his 'marquee names', he is waiting longer to be paid by the venues, and has been gipped out of fees completely on more than one occasion recently. I'm confident this wasn't a 'fob off' - he sounded a weary and somewhat dissillusioned man - and he loves his music. A real out & out music fan. I can think of a number of places which have stopped live music locally, and if you can get a gig - it's a poor payer, and they probably only want tribute acts. I don't think the smoking ban has helped, particularly in less well heeled areas where the local was 'a pint and a fag at the bar'. Money is tighter, and why pay £3 for a pint - to stand in a smoking shelter, in the cold - when you can sit at home, or round your mates, with a case of beers from Sainsburys and watch live music on DVD/Sky Arts/BBC 3 etc? £200 is pretty good money at the moment up here - I hope they keep on booking! Good gig apart from the punters though I hope?!

I absolutely HATE karaoke, and I have this argument with my Mrs over the X factor 'auditions' for the same reasons. We all know its set up for TV and the lot we see have already been screened by teams of researchers to ensure a good mix of sob stories/nutters/people who can actually hold a note - but I can't bear to watch these talentless bufoons make a twat of themselves, as I find it just so embarrasing, by proxy. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, and I've been forced at school 35 years ago to try - in front of class mates, by evil bastard teachers who knew I was useless, and it just takes me back to standing in a room full of my peers, with them laughing their arses off at my deperate croaks and caterwauling. Deeply affecting when you are kid. Consequently, the whole 'let's laugh at the nutters and sh*t singers' bit feels a bit too close to the Victorian Londoners idea of a bit of post dinner fun, where they would pop down to the asylum at Bedlam, and have the staff poke the nutters with a stick - just for a laugh. Taking pleasure in other people's shortcomings is a pretty sh*tty thing to do in my view - and the kindest thing to do would of course be to filter these f*ckwits out at the research stage, but that wouldn't provide enough 'entertainment' I suppose. Bread and circuses.

Didn't see the illuminations, but I passed through there on the way back from a second division hoofball match the other Saturday. Having never been there on holiday, only to the Pleasure Beach during the day - and at the arse end of the holiday season too, I had no idea what to expect. It was an eye opener - I've never seen such a high mismatch between the acres of female flesh waddling along the mile, and the amount, and 'snugness', of material covering it. Plenty of what I would call 'Dracula girls', as in - they look in the mirror and can't possibly have seen their own reflection, or they wouldn't have gone out. One girl was wearing a pair of pvc jeans and they were so tight, and her cellulite so pronounced, that her thighs looked like someone had filled a coupe of bin liners with frog spawn, under pressure. And rough? Holy cow - the Badger's arse would have come a very poor last place in a 'relative coarseness' competition. I know that some of the outfits may have been 'ironic', for hen do's etc., but it was desperately sad to see groups of young girls where not one was 'height/weight' proportionate and heroically out on the piss too (shitfaced at 6 p.m.) No wonder statistics suggest that longevity is looking likely to take a fall, as this crop of twenty somethings age - due to liver and heart problems, caused by excessive boozing and crap diet. Don't get me wrong - I'm a fat b*stard, and I understand how hard it can be to lay off the pies, but I used to be the exception when I was 20 - not the common body shape. We seem to have a generation now - and particularly the girls, where the thin one is the odd one out! If they are happy - then good on them, but it just felt very sad to me - with too much vodka driven bravura masking some deeply unhappy souls.

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1345891757' post='1782785'] Caught this by accident, he's an interesting bloke. I'll have to read his autobiography. [/quote] Got it for Christmas from Mrs A : my post here - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/163475-nile-rodgers-autobiography-a-fantastic-read-and-very-interesting-re-his-relationship-with-bernard-edwards/page__p__1479847__hl__nile%20rodgers__fromsearch__1#entry1479847"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/163475-nile-rodgers-autobiography-a-fantastic-read-and-very-interesting-re-his-relationship-with-bernard-edwards/page__p__1479847__hl__nile%20rodgers__fromsearch__1#entry1479847[/url]

[quote name='Phantomnin' timestamp='1341000383' post='1712805'] Ditto for the Yamaha Stage Pass...classy, light and packs up neatly. [/quote] +1 for the Yammy - quailty bit of kit, dead easy to set up - has some nice built in reverb, and you can plug loads into it. You can also use this system as a monitor system for bigger gigs, as the speakers will sit back on the angle too. You need to buy some 'top hat' pole fixings, and generic stands, but they aren't expensive, and my top tip would be - even though it looks expensive for what it is, definitely buy the Yammy wheelie bag, it's well worth it for all the hassle it will save carrying this gear about and you can actually balance a mixer or cable case on it too when you wheel it about. Fits in an estate car really easily - and great for parties, bbqs etc too - just plug in your iPod. Carry case at GAK ; [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/yamaha-stagepas-300-carry-case/7665"]http://www.gak.co.uk...carry-case/7665[/url] and the Sound on Sound review : [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar06/articles/live_stagepas.htm"]http://www.soundonso...ve_stagepas.htm[/url]

What I love about this, and is frequently overlooked, is the amount of sound Bonham got out of a small kit : snare, bass, 1 tom and a floor tom - or sometimes 2. It just shows that if you can play - you don't need tons of kit, and have to beat the bejesus out of every single bit of it in one song, because the groove carries the whole thing. No-one plays that languid, funky rock beat like JB. And the boy Plant could sing a bit too......................... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byos2Tr5KrM[/media]

[url="http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Smart-And-Break-Band/dp/0979731305"]http://www.amazon.co...d/dp/0979731305[/url] Well worth a read and it's available in the UK I'm sure. I bought mine in Brooklyn NY, but the advice is equally valid for UK tours. Top tip 1 : The spreadsheet is your friend - if you aren't good on MS excel, find someone who is, or get on a 'basics' course at your local nightschool. You can put everything into it - mileage, cost per gallon, cost of shirts and CDs, merch sales by venue etc - and it will let you track exactly where the profit is (and more importantly isn't). Top tip 2 : If you are playing to an audience which has a remote chance of being a 'mixed age' crowd - e.g. : , rock, punk or metal, - don't just buy S,M,L t shirts. Get some XL, XXL and 'Meat Loaf' sized ones, as IME there are plenty of middle aged blokes who still like to see a live band, but 25 years of Guiness and curries has left them with a waist size that used to be their chest size - and older guys usually have jobs, and consequently - money. A