Cat Burrito

Practice. Having started on the double bass recently chords on a bass guitar are now like a walk in the park. When I first started on the double bass I couldn't play for more than a song and a half without getting major hand cramps. I got a powerball and practiced every day. Job done. My chords used to sound rubbish now they are really smooth. Not that I use them that much.

[quote name='Stag' post='616124' date='Oct 3 2009, 11:18 PM']a Les Paul Standard case?[/quote] No, just a regular bog standard case that would fit a Jazz or a P-bass. Nothing flash or fancy

Several & hopefully more still to come but the big highlights in no order are; Playing the Marquee Club in London back in the early 90s Being hotly tipped by Vanessa Warwick on MTV as "mostly likely to make it" - she was wrong! Releasing a vinyl record back in the mid 90s Backing childhood hero ex-Dogs D'Amour frontman Tyla on guitar at a gig last year in Swindon Playing my first gig on double bass this year. None of it is big league but it meant a lot to me

Try playing in a Glam / punk band in the early 90s! We played a Skinhead pub in Brockworth in Glocs back in 94 and were literally chased out of town. They threw a bar stool at us and everything. A real chicken wire situation. We did 2 encores because we were so universally hated! I have to say these days gigging is a much more sedate affair.

I have mine in a standard bass case and it fits ok. It's not a shaped bass case but it fits ok

I can see your point but having recently been playing lead guitar too it's nice to go through the solos with a backing. One way around this is to have the rhythm guitarist get together with the lead guitarist away from rehearsal so he can get his chops down tighter. As a bass player who now plays guitar as well, this is what I did for my solos - so as not to lose the interest of the singer. I do find it usually the singer and the lead guitarist who tend to cause problems as a rule.

I agree with the general view - this is a communciation problem. Always best just to double check with the owner of the gear. We always do & it saves any arguments. Not the end of the world but probably a small error on your part. I haven't fallen out with a band since December 1994 (100s of gigs ago!) & that was over kit share. It's easily done if you aren't careful. I always try to make contact with bands on the bill before we play & match up drummers with drummers and guitarists with guitarists etc.

Oh & the bass rig...

[quote name='WarPig' post='614601' date='Oct 2 2009, 10:34 AM']Deleted my comment because it was incorrect. I tried searching for serial numbers for you to no avail. Have you tried emailing Ampeg?[/quote] I appreciate the effort. Thanks. I took your advice and emailed Ampeg... to my surprise they got back to me inside of 6hrs to confirm 1996. However they didn't comment on the "E" part of the serial number. I was surprised at the speed of their reply - especially as I hadn't bought from new.

My 1978 Fender Bassman 135 head running through an Ampeg SVT Classic 115E cab. Retro heaven. And pictured at the car park at work not plugged in, just in case anybody wondered what a bass rig might look like in that setting!?!

I also recommend the shadow - great tone & dead easy to install.

It looks great and I was admiring it myself. However I don't think Fender is exactly the leader when it comes to acoustic instruments. I've owned a Fender mandolin which was ok until I started playing other similar priced mandolins. Equally I've tried their acoustics and banjos - similar story. I love Fender basses, I love teles, I love Fender tube amps, I am a fan of strats but I do have my doubts on their acoustic range. Perhaps I've not yet played a good one?

[quote name='WarPig' post='614377' date='Oct 1 2009, 11:34 PM']E doesnt mean Europe, most likely Enclosure or something [url="http://www.ampeg.com/products/classic/index.html"]http://www.ampeg.com/products/classic/index.html[/url][/quote] Yep, that makes sense as it is that model. Therefore the serial number doesn't fit the theory on serial numbers as it doesn't list a country of manufactor as the fourth digit so I wonder if it's pre-84 or how I can guess the age. Any ideas anyone?

I think it's fair to say we have some seriously good players on this forum! So it's only fair that my mediocre offerings reflect the many of us who would otherwise be too scared to post. I play Americana so it's fair to say the root, the fifth and the odd little run are covered here. I don't come in for nearly a minute so please feel free to grab a quick drink or go for a loo break! The backline was provided so it's not *my* exact tone but I managed to get what I could out of the Laney combo. This line up had only managed 2 full rehearsals but I think it has a good vibe to it. Just a shame the bunting kills our bad boy rockers image...

From what I can gather, Post-1984 The modern Ampegs of the St. Louis Music era were all made after 1985. The amps made since 1988 have a 10-digit serial number which is encoded for model, country, date, and year. The serial number can be broken down as follows: Digits 1, 2, 3 = Model Digit 4 = Country Code where: U = U.K. D = domestic U.S. W = worldwide Y = Europe Digit 5 = Year where: A = 1988 B = 1989 C = 1990 D = 1991 E = 1992 F = 1993 G = 1994 H=1995 I=1996 J=1997 K=1998 L=1999 M=2000 N=2001 etc Digit 6 = Month where: 1 through 9 = January through September 0 = October A = November B = December Digits 7, 8, 9, 10 = serial number [b]SO[/b] my question relates to a 1x15 cab that I picked up off Zombywoof from these pages. The serial number starts 115EI4**** which in my reckoning means the 115 reflects the model. The E is what? A variation on Europe? And is this an April 1996 model? Any pointers gratefully received.

and my unusual wildcard bass that comes via Houston, Texas - the resonator bass. This has a seriously good tone. Cheap as anything so I hope it lasts but it has a really good vibe to it. And FINALLY, there is my double bass which is the best instrument I've ever owned. Pictured here with a small Ampeg combo

As we all love a bit of show & tell, here's my collection of basses; I'll start left to right with my Fender 50s RI MIJ Precision bass that is 20yrs old. Pretty battle scarred now but this saw active service throughout the 90s. I try to use it less now as it harks back to the days when I didn't look after my gear. It now has a Seymour Duncan SPB-1 pickup in it. It looks more like a 62RI as it also has a CIJ 62RI neck now! Next up is my 51RI MIJ Fender Precision bass with white pickguard and Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickup. In the middle is my Fender Precision USA 2006 bass that I've strung with Rotosound TruBass strings for a double bass vibe. This is great for when I need portability but want a good vibe for roots style playing. I have really only used this for recording. To it's right is my bitsa bass. It's got the neck off my 50s RI with a 70s USA Fender body and a Wizard pickup. This is my main live bass. I stripped it myself, sanded it down and it now smells of lavender due to the wax I use. Finally we have my pride & joy - My 1978 Fender Precision in immaculate condition. I have the original receipt, original strings and have had it properly varified. It's 100% all original. Here's a better picture Away from the P-basses....

Welcome Mark - I did some work with Andy Lewis about 10yrs ago & used his Danelectro longhorn for recording. I was stoked when I heard he was playing with Weller. Anyhow, enjoy the forum

On tour with SkinTrade back in the early 90s we played Lincoln, travelling up from Bath at 7am. We were drinking Special Brew from then. By the time we came to go on they had to prop me up against the fire exit. I recall Tony crawling around onstage on his hands & knees because he'd dropped a pick! We were awful but sold a lot of merchandise that night because the audience were under the misguided impression we were like the Sex Pistols and the Who rolled into one. We weren't the new messiah, we were very naughty boys! That was the worst although I fell off stage in Nottingham Dec '94 through drink. I tend to do drunken gigs far less now but certainly had my fair share back in the day.

I picked it up today, nice to see Sami Yaffa in there. A blast from my past!

[quote name='bassatnight' post='612806' date='Sep 30 2009, 10:25 AM']Why is bedders never interviewed in Bass guitar mags!?[/quote] Funnily enough when I saw this thread I was immediately reminded of a 90s interview in the sadly defunct Bassist magazine with him. The quote that always stood out in my mind was him saying that he had to try and make all his basslines sound a bit funny.

As nobody has put the link here - [url="http://www.rockabillybass.com/"]http://www.rockabillybass.com/[/url] I thought I'd share it. Looks interesting...

I'd not heard of it but will be checking it out now... once things are in order, of course!

Great song! I like the root-fifth thing on this tune. And it's great to see Wikipedia get something right!