JTUK

You could tell them that you weren't happy with the recording and then let them have the tape and see what they say about it. I don't see that you have to protect them from a bad performance ..I think you could be doing them a favour in the long run to let them hear how they may sound.

I had to sift through a lot of Weather Report to get something I liked... I far preferred him as a sideman... as with a lot of solo players as it happens, AFAIAC I like his work on Dreamland by Michel Colombier.. where he was excellent throughout, IMV.

My mate is having some time off from a tribute band and he misses it terribly. They go everywhere and he is gutted he is missing tours to Auz, Brazil, Ukraine etc .. They seem to do things well, so all most of us want is a nice gig, be appreciated and be looked after. Best of luck with it.

Another thing is that it is such a slow moving forum, IMO..so you may post something and it stays there for ages.. and then you forget about any follow up.

Providing your home life can support it, then give it a go. If you commit to the project well and see through your contract time, or whatever, then no one will/should blame you if you have to leave for personal reasons. Not quite so sure you should just do it to get out of a financial hole, but if you act properly and all parties are pragmatic and professional about it, then it could work out. Explain to your current band what you have to do...if they are mates, they may be sorry, but should understand.

Dodgy ground. If you try and be subjective and shoot down someone's hobby horse....what good comes of that? Not really a place I delve into, that often.

[quote name='Truckstop' post='1156874' date='Mar 10 2011, 04:53 PM']Can I just ask what everyone means by 'charts'? Is that the proper music, or just notes as to how the song progresses? Like chord changes and drum fills etc? Truckstop[/quote] Can be all or any of those things. It is just notes as in prompts, that you need, IME.

[quote name='crez5150' post='1153654' date='Mar 8 2011, 12:12 PM']I've been using Neutrik, Klotz and VDC cables for years and have never had a failure[/quote] My local studio makes these up for me ..so I take that hint. Cable life is garuanteed, IIRC but with a little care, you aren't going to need that. If I didn't support this source, people say good things about Obbm.

[quote name='endorka' post='1156352' date='Mar 10 2011, 10:46 AM']I concur that it would be a good idea to book a gig, and see if it sharpens them up. Be prepared to test this theory to destruction, however. Quite often in these situations you find out that some people don't really want to gig, for whatever reason. Jennifer[/quote] True, I would go with this. Also, have little meets around a house to thrash out some of the general stuff like chord charts. We have a problem getting everyone together at any one time so we do a lot without the drummer in these meets. To be fair to him, he is never cold in the rehearsal..so this saves a lot of time..and money .. I guess the crux is you need to know what the commitment is..who can afford to commit what and when..and the upshot of that should be that time together is maximised. Players not being upto it is another thing... so put a time limit on this to achieve something and then walk away with the remants that you want to keep. We actually booked our 1st gig before the first full rehearsal as the 4 minus a drummer had a evening around a house and just knew it would work..The rest was time and effort but there was never the doubt there in the 1st place once we had that 1st meet. I knew all the guys prior to that meet anyway ..bar the drummer..so it was just whether we were all on the same page. We discussed types of song, types of gig and how often per month we would gig..etc etc ..

I'd go for more seperation in the kit, but guess you can't do that. It gets buried under the gtr, IMV Vocals down a touch. Bass with a tad more low end and gtrs down in the main track. Not sure what to do with the gtr solo. Lots of good energy which comes through so it is only the mix, really... and how subjective that is... listened to on my PC speakers which is about par or less for a radio type mix

Wow..these guys really put you through a hoop.

Rehearsals are so hard to get everyone togther for..at least in our case, that we have to have done all the homework before we go in... That way.. a run through at the beginning and end of the session should put it in a good enough state to gig. You might still need a chart as you may forget this sound patch or that sequence etc etc .. but you should be able to get through 4 new numbers in one 3 hrs session, inc BV's which are always the last thing to sort. Then you use a few gigs to play them in or realsise that they don't work after all. We really only use rehearsals to top and tail songs as all the real work is done in our own time. You just want to see how it all fits together. Wasting rehearsal time is a real drain on the band ..at least if they are pretty productive then you don't mind doing them.

Trace Elliot....?? Bomb-proof gear of yester year. Make sure it hasn't been hammered as most will likely have been around for a while and done a decent shift Not my sound but then I am not buying. If you like the sound then this route is probably one of the best for bangs for buck. Or a Markbass Sa450/LMll/lll for around £400 and if you spend £400 you should get a very good 4x10. There was a SWR610 here for that sort of money.

I think the MB 102 combo is a great little combo. I am not sure how hard I would want to push in a loud band setting as most 1x 2x10's might begin to complain. Of course, it all depends on loud but I would be happier in a medium sized pub with a considerate band playing, it would be fine. If you have to compete with LOUD drums and gtrs then an extra cab would be advisable, IMV. Add another 2x10 or 1x15 for those louder gigs in pubs and clubs and I can't see you needing anything else. So yes..a 500watt amp..which is often the norm in nominal power ratings, and a cab that can take 600watts should suit you fine. Nobody has to use all that power but it is good to have it all in hand, IMO.

Yes, I'd expect it to sound mid peaky ..as even the 2x10's can do... but not fuzzy in any respect. Also, if the are PAS type chassis' then getting hold of replacement cones is very hard in the UK..if at all possible, and new speakers would introduce a whole new dynamic to the cab..IMV so I would indeed be walking away.

And bin the yellow bumble bee look..!!

My fave Boogie cab was the 1516..but I wouldn't want to move it around. Not that keen on the look of them...they look what they are..big and sturdy, IMV I think the 400 and 1516 rig is a good rental option and I would prefer it to the Ampeg type equivalent.but I wouldn't own one

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1155839' date='Mar 9 2011, 08:57 PM']Our singer sounds nothing like Donald Fagen. It gives a slightly different take on the songs. Just thought I'd mention, a fair few people that have been to SD gigs have not been happy with the different arrangements of their classic songs: Reelin' In The Years being a prime example. But they wrote them, so they can mess with them, I suppose.[/quote] I certainly wouldn't want to hear SD rip the record..I'd like to see them do something different. With the studio craft they employed it would be impossible anyway.. I don't get people who want note for note...you might just as well play the CD Besides, Pete, if you play in a SD type tribute act... then it is a given that you can play...and considering that SD used to hire triple scale Session guys, it will be a tough gig anyway which ever way you handle it....IMV.

[quote name='cetera' post='1155472' date='Mar 9 2011, 03:44 PM']+1 to ^this. If the original writer of a piece of music is the only person who can play it with feel or conviction then every other musician might as well not bother...[/quote] I didn't say that the only person who has that conviction can be the originator..I think everyone should approach playing like this. Take a bit, steal a bit elsewhere and conjure up something that will enhance or complement the bands playing of the song. But you have to be aware of what works in the context of your band playing it ...as opposed to getting your line right and everyone else is floundering...it isn't always going to work just because the gtr or whoever has his bit right...IMV. It is quite possible that a cover/tribute band are trying to rip some pretty ropery playing from an original source..so I wouldn't advocate that either..AT ALL..!!

Personally, I like to see someone play with originality..so they can take a part and hopefully enhance it or do something with a song, rather than cop note for note. (When you set up a song, you should be looking to get at the thing that makes it work, rather than get your part down and wonder why the version isn't great/working as the drummer/gtr etc etc cannot do the same with theirs) By that stretch, I am not too fussed about cover bands who try and play the original as is...so it figures that I am not that great on tribute bands who try and do the same thing. It is kind of like..has that player got something to say or is he is just spewing out someone elses line as close as he can technically get..with no soul or thought there at all, then I can give that take a miss.

I am very picky about feel and spacing and stuff. It took me many months to get really really comfortable. But I knew it something I had to do. I kept the 4's for a few months but they weren't getting played, so I sold them and there was no turning back..and neither did I consider it.

Don't know the Orange amps well these days... but Ashdown is often provided as an alternative in just a big top and 8x10 config. I'd go Aguilar DB751 and Ag 8x10...or 2 DB4x10 myself. But you could maybe stick with big Valves and use the MesaB 400 types. I am assuming you'll have decent on-stage mixes and decent foldback/side fills anyway

I think the Mesa Boogie 1516 is a much better cab than the Ampeg 8x10 myself. Do you want that one piece type of cab? Other makers of 8x10's include Aguilar, Mesa and Ashdown but we are talking the UK marker here. Where is the tour...as sometimes you get what is more readily available rather than a proper choice?

I think it will slay your Ampeg rig, but as the above poster says... it is not that forgiving of poor input and I am not that fussed about the design of the cabs but it is quality kit. I like the amps more than the cabs which remind of Boogie in terms of looks. The 4x10 and the 2x10 sounds a better bet to me than having the 1x15 but a 4x10 and 1x15 is a tight sound, IMO. Full and rich, is how I was describe the sound...but more articulate than a typical Ampeg, IMV.