JPS

Three gigs this weekend. First at a "lively" town centre pub. Spent most of the evening pondering when the first fight woud break out. Eleven 'o' clock on cue two woman started taking lumps out of each other. Won't be back! Second yesterday charity fundraiser for Great Ormond's Street Hospital. Lovely day, three other bands and great crowd. Helped raise over £3,000. Finally today, outdoors at a local food festival on a proper stage with PA and backline supplied. Unfortunately, said PA cut out several times due to the generator playing up.

I think thodrik makes a fair point about the Ashdown probably being a warmer sounding amp with more natural grit.

I have used one for a number of years (bought it 2nd hand in 2005). It's certainly loud enough for most gigs, has a decent and flexible 12-band EQ and the compression is excellent. I normally engage one of the preset TE sounds, depending on venue/acoustics etc, and set the valve control at about halfway. No complaints, sure it's heavy but not ludicrously so. I have had to had it serviced once I think, which isn't bad considering it's age. Every band I've used it in have liked the sound.

Whether it will provide the "warm, deep sound" you are looking for I'm not sure as it's obviously quite subjective and I am no "expert", nor obsessive about a particular sound.

Congratulations! Will you get the chance to play Moondance?

Thanks for that Scott. I have just joined a new band and one of the things that struck me straight-away was how good the eye contact was between band members. Makes it so much easier to learn a new set, to get tight and, if appropriate, play around with arrangements a bit. BTW love those licks as the start of the video. Cracking stuff.

Thanks Phil, I'll try that. Do you engage the shape button and if so how do you tend to set it? I don't dial in a lot of bass, however, I do always use the shape button. My back may be really thankful!

I have used a Hartke Kickback 15" for a few years. Great amp when it's not being pushed, however, I've found that anywhere above about halfway and it struggles and the sound becomes overly harsh (perhaps it's the nature of the aluminium cone). I'm now back to lugging my Trace Elliott amp and Warwick cab/s around I'm afraid

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will check out the John Mayer. Got a few days off next week so going to be trying to cop a few licks from Willie Weeks via Donny Hathaway live.

Thanks guys for all the great suggestions. Transcribing it is then! Never consciously done it before, obviously copied and absorbed things over the years but never sat down and studied licks in this sense.

Love Pino's playing, however, not so familiar with his stuff with John Mayer. Any particular recommendations?

Thanks again.

I'm looking for a few new ideas for the odd run, or fill, to freshen up my bass playing. Over the years I have come to rely on a few tried (tired) and tested licks - i.e. the minor pentatonic, chromatic runs etc -but having just started gigging again I'm keen to develop a few new ones. Nothing overly long or elaborate, just something to throw into, ahem, Mustang Sally, or Superstition to keep things more interesting.

Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions, be it from a theory standpoint (e.g. new scales, or combinations of scales), or recommended listening, books, websites etc.

Cheers

JPS.

Probably a Fender BXR200 combo. Boxy, ludicrously heavy and lifeless, although reliable and sturdy in fairness.

Fantastic and inspiring post. Just reward for years of hard work and study and the sort of night that makes up for all the disappointments and frustrations of being a musician. Congratulations.

Thanks for posting that. Great tune and brilliant bass playing. Now I know what Santa can bring me for Christmas!

Good luck, if your playing is half as tasty as your basses you'll have no problem.

Trying, with limited success, to learn Erykah Badu's version of Boogie Nights/All Night Long. Hmmm, could take a while this one.

Southern Freeze by Freeze, We Can Work It Out by Chaka Khan and Saturday night by The Brand New Heavies.

Best of luck.

Thanks guys, it has got a few subleties that I need to work on. I need to spend a bit of time just listening and soaking it up as well.

Don't worry guys (not that you were obviously) I have managed to work it out pretty quickly. Fun to play, just got to work on playing it with a bit of "feel" now!

I have got a few songs I'm trying to learn by Friday for an audition one of which is Southern Freeze by Freeze. Just wondered if anyone knew of a decent transcription? Great line and only seems to have 2 main parts, I could just do with a few shortcuts. I am going to sit down now and try to work it out but any help/pointers much appreciated.

Cheers.

Inspired by this thread I've just fired up itunes - Cissy Strut, 9 til 5, Ease Back etc. Greasy funk heaven!!!

Yeah good luck. Some fantastic basslines and a cracking band.

A few months some friends and I auditioned a "drummer". Poor guy could barely keep time, only seemed to have one beat regardless of the song etc. Got worse when some weasel-faced, chavtastic mates of his turned up to support him and stood staring at us whilst drinking their cans of special brew or whatever. At the end of a very painful 30 minutes or so we made our excuses at which point he claimed to be Adrian Sherwood's regular drummer, to be recording an album with Skip McDonald in his own studio and to personal friends with the whole of the SugarHill gang.

I wouldn't mind but we are all in our 40s and live in Thanet on the Kent coast.

My last band used to normally start with Beautiful Day by the Levellers - unless it was a wedding and we had learnt a first dance. Always seemed to go down well and get us warmed up nicely.

Terrible loss, one of the true greats and one of the reasons I play bass. RIP DDD.