gjones

I'm astounded that there are any session bass players left. Guy Pratt had to become a stand up comedian, when all the work dried up, 20 years ago.

Unless my band was a ironic tribute to that genre (such as Young Gun Silver Fox) , I wouldn't want my music to be classed as 'Yacht Rock' which is seen as pretty lightweight vacuous stuff. Steely Dan certainly isn't lightweight or vacuous and Donald Fagen obviously shares my opinion.

Well, at the beginning of 2024 the drummer, singer and guitarist of the band I'd been playing with for 20 years, told me they'd be doing a few gigs with a band formed by a sax player and a bassist they knew. They said it was going to be a Rockabilly band and they'd be doing Rock & Roll festivals around the UK. I'm not particularly into Rockabilly, so wished them luck in their new venture. The problem was they started playing venues that the old band was playing, which I thought was odd as they were supposed to be playing festivals. What was even odder was that a guy, who videos bands as a hobby, put the videos of their full set up on Youtube and it was exactly the same set as the old band I was a member of. I, as most bassists would, started to get paranoid and suspected they wanted to get rid of me and this was their way of doing it. I got quite wound up about it and was very close to quitting. Weirdly, they kept on moaning to me about the sax player and the bassist but continued to gig with the new band, sometimes 4 or 5 times a month. With gritted teeth I played with them in the old band (we had at the most 1 gig a month at that stage) and then out of the blue, after 10 months, the new band folded as mysteriously as it had started. I've never raised the subject about what the deal was all about and it's good that I didn't quit. But you do have to wonder, why start a new band that plays an identical set to your old band, at the same venues and has virtually the same band members, where the only difference is that new the band has a different name to the old band? I still have no idea?

Luckily, if I can't make a gig, the deps who cover for me usually have pretty horrendous depping skills, or have serious personality flaws 🤣🤣🤣 When I play the next gig the band members are really grateful that I'm back. Thankfully, I don't book the deps I leave that to the band leader, because I'd make the mistake of choosing a good solid bassist, with a pleasant personality.

It's worth at least a fiver.

I wouldn't know. It sounds like a P bass with flats, or old roundwounds on, going through an amp with the gain turned up a smidge. Frankly I was amazed that it wasn't a live bassist playing the part. It sounds very human and a bit sloppy (in a good way). The Producer who played it on a keyboard isn't even a bassist. This is a quote from the wikipedia page for the song. Ian Kirpatrick recorded the track.... 'Although the bassline of "Don't Start Now" sounds live, Ian Kirkpatrick created it with MIDI. It was influenced by similar basslines the Bee Gees and Daft Punk used in their music that he had listened to in his youth. Kirkpatrick used a Scarbee MM-Bass plug-in for the leading bass sound and played it on a keyboard before modifying it.'

I've been in a band, with a couple in it, for the last 22 years and that works fine (an occasional domestic on stage between them both in the early days but not so much now). The wife is the singer the husband is the guitarist and the band is named after the wife. The arrangement is, the singer makes all decisions on what songs we play, and everybody else does as they're told. This arrangement works fine, as I don't think I should pressurise the singer in any band I'm in, to sing a song they don't want to sing.

Successful bands are never democracies. If a charismatic and talented singer/front person is good at what they do, then the band revolves around them. All the successful bands I've ever been in have revolved around the singer/frontperson. Play what they want you to play and things will go smoothly, think you or any other band member has a say in the set and suddenly you no longer have a singer/front person.

Drummers don't have the right to be opinionated, they're just drummers after all. Stewart Copeland never figured that out.

Their first cab was a 1x15 called The Compact. I still have mine and it is very loud and definitely capable of keeping up with loud drummers. They are about £350 used if you can find one.

All the celebrity musicians are lining up to appear in it, which worries me. I'm pretty sure most of them couldn't act their way out of a wet paper bag.

I owned a 2015 Fender Deluxe Jazz. It was lovely bass with a great neck and build quality.The pre amp wasn't as versatile as a John East J Retro but it wasn't bad. I'd buy one again if it was black with a maple neck.

I had a random guy (a bassist obviously) come up to me after I'd played a very badly paid gig and accuse me of taking a Pino Pallidino custom shop Precision to play in a shithole. He was quite upset. I had to explain to him it was secondhand Squier, not a £3000 custom shop, that just so happened to be red.

I've owned Musicman and Fender basses which don't play as good as much cheaper instruments I own/have owned. A Jazz I have plays superbly, it's body is from a Squier 70s Classic Vibe and the neck is from an old Korean Squier from the 90s. The trick is to play the bass before you buy, especially if it's an expensive purchase, as not all expensive basses play great right out of the box. Of course this is easier said than done, as physical music shops, that carry decent stock, are difficult to find these days.

I was in an originals band, back in the 80s, and in 2019 I got a message on Facebook that the rest of the band wanted a reunion. My initial thoughts were that we weren't that good back then, so why get back together? Who would bother to turn up to see four, 50 something guys, make a fool of ourselves? Was I supposed to put money up front to book a venue? The others hadn't being playing continuously since the 80s, like I had, would they be able to hack it musically? The drummer lives in the North of Scotland, when would he get time to rehearse? I was sure it would be a total pointless exercise but, due to the boundless enthusiasm of the others, I felt I would be a party pooper if I didn't say yes. ......and then along came COVID Phew!!!!

High Fade come from Edinburgh and have been playing pubs here for a year or two. They also used to busk in the middle of the town during the Summer. Recently they've been touring around the UK and also the USA. They are incredibly proficient musicians and tight as a ducks arse. I hope they get the success they deserve. I think the bassist plays a Sire.

Of course, if you see Hannibal Lecter in the audience it's probably best to just make your excuses and go home. Maybe hide under the bed. Get a flight to Brazil. Get a sex change. Maybe all 3.

I played a whole song once in the key of C. It should have been played in the key of B. Nobody noticed (not even me). Although the drummer did give me a funny look.

Last day I'll own this lovely MIJ Precision. Thirty years young and going to new owner today.

I'm hoping to grab a black, sparkly, Sire Z3 when some random Basschatter, who grabbed one when they first came out, gets bored with it and decides to flog it.

I owned it's big brother, the TV15, and it sounded great and I loved the look but was very large, heavy and awkward (I lived in a flat 3 floors up). Guitarists used to hover around it salivating, as it looked very like an original 4x10 Bassman. I always wondered if I should have bought the TV 12 instead?

I firstly go for looks (I know, I'm shallow), then I go for sound, then playability/feel. I really like the look and sound of Stingrays but I never liked the playability/feel of the neck of the USA built ones. I have a Sterling SUB Ray4 which has a Jazz type neck and I do like that. I now have a bit of a thing about the new sparkly black Sire Z3s. I love the look of them and the sound but, although the roasted neck look great, I don't know if I'd get on with it. If they came with Jazz style necks, I'd nab one in an instant.

My brother in law bought a Fender Blues jnr combo at his local cash converters, this week, and they threw a Jet Telecaster JT-350 in for £100. He really likes it and he knows his guitars, as he's been playing professionally for years. I played it and it is very nice but I don't like the the logo on the headstock, it just looks like a splodge of paint or something.

That GK MB800 head and Barefaced Compact set up can really shift some air, I know because, up until I got my Markbass combo, I was using the same setup. I've got friends who use the Rumble 500 and it's loud, very light and sounds pretty good. It's also easy to get a second 2x10 rumble cab secondhand, if you need it, as there's plenty about.

The Sterling Ray4 (the cheapest version of a Stingray) has a Jazz Style neck. I've owned a USA Stingray SUB, a USA Standard Stingray and now own a Sterling Ray4. The Ray4 has the best neck if you like Jazz Bass style necks.