JTUK

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1335394532' post='1630575'] My guess is that pub congregations are not too different from the punters in church, so here goes: As a former church organist and classical musician, my attitude was (almost?) that even my very best wasn't enough. During performances this attitude meant that I always hoped for that one listener who would "get it" more than the rest of the audience. I only needed one, but feel sure I sometimes reached nobody on that level. However, having played in church services for decades, at one point I found out the punters were far happier with me when I played extremely easy stuff rather than Bach or romantic organ concerts. This led to a period of giving them what they liked. That automatically meant that I didn't stretch for the best possible performance (in my view), but just relaxed and gave them what they wanted. bert [/quote] Yep accept that people are happy with what they know.... but we pick songs that we like 95% of the time over and above what the accepted typical set might be. And if it doesn't sound too arrogant, we play the songs well.. Does crowd pleaser trump good playing...?? yep..it does..but I don't get that either :lol;

[quote name='rOB' timestamp='1335374476' post='1630171'] personally? I'd put as much work in as I could without compromising the rest of my life. [/quote] I accept this..... as mentioned a few of the guys have varying problems at home etc..and I am the most understanding about this... The one thing I never pick a fight with is coming between families... we never have flares ups about someone being late to a gig...if they are late, they let everyone know and we accept there is a last minute hitch.. The last thing you do is make someone choose ..in this situation, and to be fair, a band can be a pleasant distraction from some stuff... I don't question the commitment either... if they say they can do something, they do it.. Keeness is not an issue either, the band is decent. yep..reads like a power struggle to me..

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1335379912' post='1630288'] This is always a problem when different members have different expectations and maybe different reasons for actually being in a band. You'll either have to find like minded players or go with the flow. [/quote] I kind of picked all the guys and I found the drummer ( who wasn't known to me play-wise ) so in that sense, it was my band that was put together. I don't consider myself the leader though and have always wanted consensus on everything and in the beginning everything was agreed and we were on the same page. Now in our third year, we are fragmenting in the choice or material and what gigs to take. I maintain that pub gigs are the shop window and we should still do them ..altho we do pick and choose. The upside of this is that they are the better places to play - for us-..the downside, being that lhe less you get out and about, the longer a slog it is. We seem to be in a transitional stage whereas we can charge good prices for ticketed affairs but not do quite so well at the pubs..which is VERY strange. The playing in itself is not really the problem, it is the direction. If we intend to play better stages, we need to be just that bit up on our game as othewise it is the same show as a pub. It is not as though I am talking about blocked rehearsals to get to a level... we just need a few hours to 'produce'; the tracks so we get a chance to showcase a bit more but I am in the minority of one...mostly. I can't ask for silly commitment as 3 of the guys have bigger personal issues to deal with atm...but they will agree to rehearse an original set..?? The one glaring thing/problem with this band is that we play to an audience rather than for it... so picking popular numbers over playing numbers is getting the votes atm... By 'playing numbers' I mean songs that fit the band rather than a very popular audience track I've come to the conclusion that this is a type of power struggle between members but this is not open war-fare ..........yet.. And yep....probably thinking too much..!!

Use a screened lead only. lead cables for signal, speaker leads for cabs

yes..have to say this is a wasted oppoertunity from my POV. I am not asking for that much in terms of time, I just want us to produce the tracks a bit more as to what works and what is pants..collectively,as some so called inspirational ideas on the hoof don't always come off...and they are the ones, I'd want to say...'don't go down that road etc' Others, we could quite happily say..fine..lets have more of that. Other case in point.. we have lost the plot on 'Superstition', IMV as it is supposed to be a dancey groove and we have lost that, I think. If it isn't that, then there is no point to us playing it for the dancey sets... By the same token, the much derided 'Mustang Sally' works great as both are throw-away numbers we have added belatedly to do a dance set at a function. We couldn't have put less time in if we tried.. but one needs fixing from my POV..and the other is more than fine. Arrgg it drives me mad..!! I take the point about collective majority vote etc etc ... but this could be the beginning of the end of this band for me... which would be a real shame as we have done pretty well in a short space of time... I

Thats fair...but we rehearse maybe 6 times a year max. We are very tight, IMHO, but I just think all we needed to do..and said and much..is to book 3 hours whilst the singer is away and focus on what we want to achieve with the track...and could in effect jam out certain sections on a brief of this direction..So we only needed to run through something once or so..decide that is what we are going for and then leave it open to run on the gig... I suggested this approach as that is how a lot of the tracks evloved/came together pretty quickly. No re-formats of songs, just a discussion and run through to our collective liking and store it for the gigs. As opposed to trying something on a gig and we don't like it..which sounds a more iffy way to go to me.

What.........???????????????????

I am known for being pretty picky in my number 1 band so I pointed out a few ways I thought we could up our game. I have to say I was a bit surprised when I got 2 mails from 2 members who did not see the point I was making and said essentially that as a predominately pub band that made x amount of £'s on a gig, they weren't going to put any more effort in as we were as good as we needed to be. I could have replied..that is why we are just a pub band but have resisted so far. So, the question is, would you want to be as good as you could be with a reasonable amount of work, or would you say you are good enough for the local standard and that will do...??

ha ha ..Dave, after all this..I was poodling around today and find that I hardly use the palm as it is too restrictive as far as I am concerned...I use the lower arm. It is good for a double bass type sound and the nail and thumb together is great for that 70's pron movies musac. It is funny how threads like these wake you up to make you look at what you actually do as opposed to what you think you do..

this one has the nail to add attack at around 3:50 [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSJMUsk-x_o"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSJMUsk-x_o[/url]

was looking for something with a bit more attack on it..but a good start. You might see a few people add a finger in there for a bit of speed and nuance...without losing the dampening effect [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYceQadUXTI&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYceQadUXTI&feature=related[/url]

Palm mute and thumb nail would be my take on getting that 70's movie score sound..but you'd have to throw the pick away. If you use a pick you can still use the palm... you can get to the same place/sound or if you want the speed of the pick you will need to damp the notes with the left hand. Depends how often you want to use it... if it is a whole sound/technique thing then you can go with the foam or mutes idea..but if you want to go back to a normal sound for other songs, you'll need to be able to switch between sounds quickly ..or basses. If you are using mutes or foam...then you still need a lot of attack or you are in dub-land. Live, you might have a lot of problems having to use so much bass in differcult rooms/stages..

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1335213045' post='1627476'] It did take me a minute to get used to the Glockenklang preamps. They are so transparent, subtle and emphasise just the right frequencies, that it is easy to think that they're not doing enough. If you want very extreme eq controls, then I guess you might need to swap it out. Personally, I've found that my Sandbergs sit in a band mix superbly well, and never seem to be lacking any guts. Just thinking, if you haven't had the bass long it might be worth just living with it for a bit before ditching the pre. Hope this helps [/quote] This............... The thing about pre amps...some think they don't work unless you can see/hear MAJOR tone shaping..and the East is certainly capable of that, but tbh, the extreme ranges aren't that useable IMV.. Same with MM... you can get really horrible noises from them if you add/boost everything. I'd work on what you have for a while...settle on a passive sound if you have that option, and then switch in the pre to just liven it up a tad...that way you will have better projection live but still not be fighting the inherrent sound of the bass. Of course, if you don't like the core sound, then the bass isn't the one for you anyway..thats my take..!!

I was always in the maple camp but I have both and the maple is very pretty with birds-eye but I have to say I prefer a good hardwood and my next choice will be Rosewood. I like the more woody sound and it is more subtle, I feel. I've tried more exotic woods like ebony and still like RW. Add a nice pre amp and you have the RW vibe PLUS you can get it to really jump out if you need to. I am working both basses ( maple and RW ) passive at the moment and just add the pre for live projection..but it is no disaster by any means to run passive all the time. So, Rosewood for me.

I am always sceptical of bass into cabs..and the handling specs. I reckon I could blow most cabs/speakers with a 500w amp... and so I am always expecting to do so..so therefore run as conservatively as I can.. But when things are loud and you need a bit more...and then you can't hear as well as you might like..these are the dangerous times. So, yes, fine in theory, but less so in practice...the 210 will be the the weak link

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1335181790' post='1626740'] Far better than the ones you play regularly is the answer to that! Don't subscribe to that at all. How does not playing an instrument worsen its ability to be played. I have a bass that i play all the time, and its constantly needing attention and tweaks, the ones i play less frequently need nothing. You think John Entwistle played all of his on a daily basis? The point is owning the things you want, and having them there for when you want to play them, if thats your interest. I think you're confusing this with how many do you 'need', in which case the answer is one. Do people who have a collection of 100 Toby jugs have to drink beer out of them everyday to justify owning them? No. [/quote] Not mine... I play them and use them..that is what they are there for. I am not confusing anything..just don't subscribe the whole deal about not playing them or not getting out and playing. Entwhistle needed just one decent sounding bass and maybe he was looking for one. If you are a player, then you play them..if you are a collector, then collect, thats fine

Too many is when you don't play them. If you can't put serious time into one of them, then I don't see the point. Also, if you don't touch one from one month to the next, what sort of playing condition is that going to be in anyway.

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1330636383' post='1560917'] When people get sniffy about Mustang Sally, I assume they haven't heard this [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TYWYDqr-TA&feature=related[/media] or [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8M_3JTwtPg&feature=related[/media] [/quote] It isn't the tune so much as the lame way that so so so many bands play it.

I think we have used the ESYS rig and something like the Actor or Elias. I know we have used two models as they have upgraded from one to another HK rig and one is new this year. All I can say is that my heart doesn't sink when I see an HK P.A provided on the basis of using either I do like the seperation and power that can be achieved by HK bins and tops in a 500 capacity room. There is PLENTY there, for sure. I must take more note of this stuff as I'll be interested in their floor monitors.

We use them in a few places but can't be sure exactly which cabs and bins as they are hired in. They are generally pretty good quality mid level stuff upwards and I'd buy it if we didn't already use Martin. I am on the look out for decent subs and a [b]very [/b]decent pr of front monitors and they are definitely in the frame for that. I have heard of a couple of returns through failure though, which nobody wants..and my mates bands run his rig with monitors which can double as tops. I am not sure he is being prudent as anyone should be, or isn't that sure of the quality...?? I do not know which models he uses..will try and find out.. and/or whether HK have two sorts of lines..top level pro and a cheaper line..? I suspect that might be the case...

[size=5][sup]If you are thinking clean and light rig..then what about the AE212 FS on here..?[/sup][/size] [size=5][sup]or if you want a bit of depth...the Epi UL212..?[/sup][/size]

[quote name='ziggydolphinboy' timestamp='1335029890' post='1625027'] My full rig (which i will be using on the next gig!!! ill power each cab separately with the two heads!!! happy days!! [attachment=105657:IMG_0001.jpg][attachment=105658:IMG_0002.JPG][attachment=105659:IMG_0003.JPG][attachment=105660:IMG_0004.jpg] [/quote] excellent..

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1334995501' post='1624425'] Well, after five years the main band I play in seems to have fallen apart. The guitarist left at the end of last year and we've never really recovered. It's a shame because we have some really great players (mostly ex-pro types fallen on harder times) but there just doesn't seem to be the will to get up and carry on. I was easily the least experienced (good for me). The other band I play in is full of enthusiasm but we seem to sound better separately than together. I don't know that I've got any right to say this, having been playing little more than ten years myself (and now pushing 50), but they just don't seem to get that it's competitive out there in the covers scene and you have to be really spot-on these days. Gigs are getting really hard to find. Pubs and clubs are very cautious now and are reluctant to give unknown bands a try. Even in the few years I have been gigging I've watched this get pretty bad. Having said all that, I hate letting people down... I don't want to make a career out of it. I just want to play a gig once a month or so. How hard can it be? [/quote] Understand this... it is tough for venues and they need to be persuaded to take a chance on new bands,..but then that is also an opportunity as that can in effect, be the weeding out process. There is no substitute for hard yards in some games though, so making yourself known and putting in the calls is what brings about the gigs. Make sure they have nothing to knock you back on. I would stick with the old stagers if they can play as that is one thing you can't really graft onto your band..the ability to put up... Maybe you need to establish roles for everyone and if some are happy to take a back seat, make sure they don't p*** you about too much whilst you do most of it,. Get regular updated acceptance of what you are all willing to do... but if some people's attitude is dragging things down, then you have to consider cutting them loose.. Explain all things..the work involved in getting gigs and make sure they know they have to contribute something else other than a few licks.. That isn't really a feasible band for the long term otherwise.

I always try and get my sound to be very pleasing to my ears in isolation... I can't stand it sounding crap and hoping everything else will make it either acceptable or cover it up ha ha !!