Gust0o

Guys, bizarre question - I've played a few Spectors, and am a happy owner of one. I've been offered a Warwick in a trade. Visually they look similar, but where do the similarities end? Would like to hear more about the neck - width and feel, and string spacing. I'll admit I'm curious.

Would have preferred the Ripper, but am still keen!

Pop open battery compartments. Why people are still insisting I need to unscrew the control cavity is beyond me. I don't think we need major new guitars, just people nailing the basics down - at least from the majors. For everything else there's a wealth of smaller houses, custom shops and luthiers to meet specific needs.

[quote name='Mike' timestamp='1317628558' post='1392363'] Hi all - yes, you're all absolutely right, but I don't think I've been clear. I always, as a matter of course, have my phone or airplane mode. The problem is that I'm picking up signals from other people's phones within about 5 metres, so on any functions or gigs I always have to get people to turn their phones off - and sometimes it's not possible, practical or polite to doublecheck everybody! The thing is, it seems my Sadowsky is FAR worse than ANY other bass I've had at picking up this signal - none of my other basses are remotely as bad. And the problem is that it's by far my favourite bass, and I don't want to sell it [/quote] You'll have to watch out for this mate, you'll get chucked out of Spinal Tap if it goes on! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8JiQCIzCZA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8JiQCIzCZA[/url]

I've nothing additional to add. Aeroplane mode cuts the interruption for me; and Vodafone are absolutely sh*te.

I was in Banks in town on Friday, ostensibly taking the guitarist for a quick shop... I'm not sure I'll be satisfying much Gibson GAS at the new prices! £2799 for a custom Les Paul (admittedly, a guitar), which the shop chappy managed to point out had the same electronics as the studio LP at £599. Blimey O'Reilly! No Gibson basses, sadly, but did manage a quick tonk on an Eb3... cool, but didn't get to test the neck dive, not with the shop chap still watching

You know, I always wondered if the neck was chrome also... I think I'm pleased it isn't, as the contrast works well; but a full chromic would have brought on the disco. I like it a lot, Nige. I could never pull it off, but am glad someone, somewhere, can

Funny things these bands... The lads had some good tips in my thread, which probably carry over here... I guess, if you've been playing for a while, you might not want to quit outright; but you could always look for another gig. I think that would be a good tip. See if anyone else is playing locally and join on in - you get to keep your hand in, without needing to do anything too firm with your current band. You never know, it could sharpen some pencils!

Spector not good for metal? I guffaw at your delightful jest, sir

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1316945698' post='1384552'] Hey Merello, Pray tell - how have you posted that picture? It's almost 3D to me, the head even sticks out over the 2 borders of the forum page. I don't know if it looks the same to everyone? Cheerz, John[/quote] I can see it too!

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1317382034' post='1390095'] Responded to my ad for a BC rich body with one 'in good working condition and in perfect order', didn't really think that through. [/quote] The never-been-seen-before BC Rich body in perfect order? Wow, he's not even a clever scammer I won't comment on the working condition of his body

Oh, I should say I'm fully amateur... in the respect that I don't do it to earn my keep. I'm just not amateur in my approach, however. Whilst I'm never going to be a musical theorist, I have some minimum standards - of which the above suggests simply practicing is definitely one! Going to take onboard some of the above. I think we need to break the songwriting out of the rehearsals - either I'll do it; or I'll try and get me and the guitarist in the same room. But I want new ideas to now come into rehearsals with at least the skeleton in place, about which it will be easier to have some discipline. I'm also going to pitch the idea of another guitarist, thinking mainly of the lead parts. Try and ease the burden on the current one, but insisting we all up our game and make the effort in our own time; including upping the rehearsals... it's once a fortnight on average now, and that's not working at all (was once a week)! I'll let you know how I get on, but this has been a great thread full of ideas - I think I need to take charge more and start steering this thing.

Artimus Piledriver - Artimus Pyledriver

Sounds good

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1317301164' post='1389239'] If it is not working, then wind it up. [/quote] The one thing I'm reluctant to do, for all my whinging. I like the drummer, really like the drummer - we get things done! As there are three of us, all founding members, it does make it harder... unless I just quit. But then am not sure where I would go and who would have me

Glad to hear you're in the mend, Flanker! I quite like the old rock, and some of the AC/DC and ZZ Top lines look very straightforward - something like Thunderstruck has very little fretting hand action, but a nice beat which might be good to get to grips with - and it's a totally boss song, of course!

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1317295913' post='1389121'] Is your guitarist coming up with these riffs on the spot, or has he thought them up at home, but just isn't very organised about presenting it to the band in a way that encourages you all to write around it? [/quote] I would almost say it's a combination - they're not very well worked, so I'll find he's not fluent playing them; so we take a moment for him to work it out; and then some more time for me and the drummer to work out what we should be doing. I'd love to show a clip, but it's embarassing. He shouldn't be so f***ing amateurish at this point. Thinking back to last night, when it became apparent his first riff idea would need some more work he just moved on to the next; and the next; so I think we left with five-or-so new riffs, none of which were recorded, and none of which he'll remember. Two of which I'm going to keep for myself and work on, as I think they could go somewhere with some effort. I think there's a learn in there for me - as I could have said something more productive; but chose to simply tell him I wasn't playing certain parts. Need to kick myself in the ass for that one, instead of taking charge I took a sulk! In terms of writing, it's me and him - and that's not necessairly the two of us together. He's quite hard to pin down, so if I have an idea I'll just write the whole thing and bring it along when it's complete... at least complete in the sense that it's structured, has all the constituent parts, and I know it fluently. We're, almost unintentionally, trying to conflate song-writing with general band rehearsals - the exact things you chaps are keeping separate! That could be a practical idea - though if he's still hard to pin down, is there much point? On the subject of people not liking, we're usually pretty robust. The guitarist is probably the more precious of the bunch, but if we don't like we normally say. I think we, because we were trying new stuff, we weren't really feeding back whilst we tried to work out what it should sound like - very hard to comment if half built! Also, I think we might have some divergent ideas on what we should sound like - guitarist is happy with everything, he sees no limits; but I'd be happier if we said "we sound like this, this is us" until we get more established. Am not beyond failings myself, I should point out.

Chaps, I'm sure this is all buried away in other topics, but I'm back on the question of rehearsal - particularly the rehearsal of original songs. I've been critical of my guitarist before on these forums. He has some reasonable skill, and he's a good contributor of riffs... but only riffs. Last night things almost came to a head, after a particularly awful rehearsal, where it was apparent that: [list] [*]Neither he nor the drummer are actively rehearsing individually, despite our recording every session as a "play along"; the resulting play was sloppy and the structure of some of the originals can shift depending on what the guitarist remembers. [*]Throwing out new riffs all the time is distracting - they take up too much attention and focus and don't leave the room as finished product; I don't mind the odd jam, but three hours of jam to get nothing is a f***ing wind up [/list] I'm worried I'm becoming the stereotypical bass player - the nit-picker, talking another technical language, and generally being un-rock-and-roll. I practice maybe 4hrs a week, or so, sitting down and listening to what we have and genuinely practicing the specifics. I will then noodle another few hours, since I always have a bass to hand, either coming up with new stuff or just mucking about. It pays dividends in rehearsal, as I'm not stood about trying to work out what I want to play - I know already. Am wondering what the balance is - how long people generally rehearse... and how people encourage their bandmates to practice also, so when we all come together we're just ironing out the creases of putting all the various bits back together. I'm just not sure I can be going on like this. I wanted to thump the guitarist last night after the second hour of f***-all and fannying about - especially when I had the wife at home, about to jet off, and it would have been nice to have had some time with her before she went! Thoughts, people?

Agree on Paul - I think a lot of people still labour under the misapprehension that he simply banged out open notes at lightspeed! I would also add: Rex Brown - Pantera... what a total monster! All those little runs, and a really good control of the ryhthmn.