gjones

I suppose it makes it unique. If it ever gets nicked, it would be easy to spot.

I bought my Fender Precision elite, new, from Guitar Guitar. The fretboard is ebony (there was a ban on rosewood for a while) and it has swirly pinkish grain through it. I thought about sending it back, because it bugged me (I expected ebony to be black all the way up the fretboard) but when I took it out to play with my band, people said they liked it. I suppose it's different strokes for different folks.

You could make your own home made one with some masking tape and a felt tip. No need to thank me....

I dislike fake encores. The last gig I was at, where there was a fake encore, was at a Garbage gig In Edinburgh, about 3 years ago. It was the first gig of the tour and there were a few hiccups. After the last song ended and the band left the stage, the crowd clapped unenthusiastically for an encore. Their heart just wasn't in it, andJust as the applause dwindled away to nothing (which didn't take long) and the audience were about to go home for a cup of tea and a digestive, Garbage dragged themselves back onstage. Neither the band nor the audience really wanted to be there and it all seemed a bit of a chore for both parties. If you're a band, always leave them wanting more and never outstay your welcome.

I just bought a Markbass CMD 121P. I've got a gig this weekend and I'll be taking it with me. I've got an amp stand which will tip the speaker up towards my ears to help clarity. I've used one before, that was supplied at a gig, and really liked the sound. We'll see how the gig goes and then I'll report back.

Primal Scream are huge Rolling Stones fans. Riot City Blues is the best Rolling Stones album ever in my opinion.

Oooooooooooh! 😫

No but my friends have a band called the Moaning Bones

I tend to think that the Fender Custom Shop is aimed at 'Blues Lawyers', who are more interested in the look of an instrument, than it's sound or playability. I have an American FSR 75 reissue Jazz, which I bought secondhand, that would have cost the original owner about £2.5k. After spending all that money they obviously weren't very impressed when they got it home, because the first thing they did was whack a set of Lindy Fralins into it and a John East J-retro pre amp (which, frankly, would make the cheapest Squier sound pretty good). I ended up buying it for about the same price as a new Fender Professional (with £350 worth of pickups and pre amp included).

I had one of those moments at the start of a song we'd played a million times. My mind went completely blank and I ended up just playing root notes. I was afraid I was having a 'senior moment' but it's never happened since, so I'm pretty sure it's not early onset alzheimer's . Ummmm, sorry what was the question......???

First gig I've had, since March 2020, was supposed to be on today but got cancelled when the sound engineer got a positive test result (everybody had to be tested on the day of the gig), which means the whole tech crew has now to self isolate. Rescheduled for 20/6/21.........watch this space.

I used to occasionally play with a young drummer, who would dep for our usual drummer, when he couldn't make it. A couple of years ago he travelled over to Nashville, to try and make it as a session player. When he came back to Scotland, for a brief visit, he played a few gigs with us. Although his timing was excellent, he insisted on using a click track, as a lot of the gigs he was doing in Nashville incorporated backing tracks and sequencers and he needed the practice.

Turned up in a taxi, at the venue this morning, with all my gear. As I was standing outside I got a call from the guitarist. 'Filming is off! Sound engineer has had a positive covid test and he and the whole tech crew have to self isolate for the next 2 weeks'. Rescheduled for a week on Sunday....apparently. Well look on the bright side, we can have another rehearsal. Hopefully with the bloody drummer this time.

Had the rehearsal tonight, the drummer didn't turn up. Got a text to say he's fallen asleep on the couch. FFS!

We'll see. It sounds a ridiculously short time if you ask me but I'm not in charge. There'll have to be a lot of waffle between songs,

P basses sound good recorded and live out of backline but I've rarely heard a good sounding P bass, if it's put through a desk and into a PA. Sound engineers tend to emphasise the bottom end too much and make them mushy.

The only gig I have on the horizon is this Thursday. My band will be filmed, playing a 40 min set live, which will be streamed in July for The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. We have a 2 hr rehearsal tonight to get us up to speed, after 15 months inactivity 😲 We also have to use IEMs for the first time, which I'm not looking forward to. But it will be good to get together again and get the place rockin.

I've mostly played in 3 piece bands, over the years. Dynamics help give the impression that the energy of the song has gone up instead of down. Bing the volume level down before the solo starts and then bring it up when the guitarist goes into the solo. Another trick is for the band to stop for a couple of bars, just before the solo, then when the band come back in and the guitarist starts his solo, it gives the impression that you've gone up a gear rather than down a gear.

Yes, Fender didn't have it for long. Within about about 3 years, they reverted to the previous type.

Back in 2018 I bought an Fender Elite Precision, from Guitar Guitar. It was in a sealed box, straight from the factory. When I removed it from the box the setup was fine and because of the little Musicman like truss rod wheel, at the end of the neck, the action was really simple to adjust. I'll get me coat......

I take spare batteries and spare strings, which have come in handy. I have started taking a spare amp head to gigs, after one of my heads went a bit weird on me at a rehearsal. But, at the level I play at, it's just too much hassle to take two basses to a gig. Edit: Although you jinxed me now haven't you? My bass will probably explode in flames at my next gig

Out of the blue my band have been asked to play a gig for The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. It will be filmed in June and streamed in July. No audience, unfortunately, but I'm thrilled to be back playing with the guys.

Heft Quilter amps GR cabs are the new 'craze'.

What's good to one person might not be good for another but if you're after loud and light, you can't go wrong. As a one cab solution to gigging, a secondhand 10 year old Barefaced compact (about £300) might be all you need.

She's not singing out of tune, she's 'Jazz Singing'.