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Gamble

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Posts posted by Gamble

    Shift work and bands

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I start a rotating shift pattern on Monday and I'm not happy about it, but I'm sure as hell not letting the bands down for work! We're going to have an official shift exchange scheme with forms to fill in and everything, and I might have just landed myself a job in a much smaller department - leaving about ONE person who I can actually ask to switch with me. I reckon it's going to be a chore, but I'm looking at it like this:

    It's only every other week, I still have every Saturday night free and I should be able to take holiday if I can't shift-swap.

    It wouldn't be such a bitter pill to swallow if we were getting a decent premium for working a rotating pattern, but we're getting stiffed with an extra 20% on any hours worked after 6pm (24 out of 78 hours). It's fkkking balls.

    *off topic rant over*

    It'll be alright Charic, as you've only just started gigging the band wont know it any other way so it shouldn't cause too much friction. Take the job, make all the time for the band that you can, and enjoy it! Good luck with it.

    low action basses

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='Alemboid' post='244905' date='Jul 21 2008, 10:50 PM'](have had two Zons, four Mods, three Stati, one Steiny, four Alembics, + the rest)[/quote]

    And judging by your avatar, a very cute kitten! awwwww........

    low action basses

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I had a thought about this.....

    When setting up my MIM Jazz 5 I can take all the height adjustment grub screws out of the bridge and it still has a higher action than I'd like. I don't think I've got the neck scooped to any great degree, although I might well buy a 24" steel rule to use as a straight-edge for setting up to soon. It seems almost as if the neck is set too far into the body. I've played around with trying to angle the neck by putting shim between it and the body at the join, but I think I've only ever tried that to raise the action (with the neck set straight) in the past. I did take it to a music shop (which has closed now) and ask to have the frets dressed, only to be told "Nah, probably just needs a bit more relief on the neck" then charged £15 to put on a set of strings I supplied.

    So what I'm thinking is:

    1. Make sure I've got the neck pretty damn straight (using a straight edge) and check for un-even frets.

    2. Put packing under the neck/body join, not to angle the neck but just to raise it up into the strings and more in line with the bridge saddles.

    Any thoughts/suggestions/recommendations?

    New String

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I usually only break my low B or E strings, but thats because the E gets all the use and I rest my fingers on the B!
    Like Waynepunkdude said, I doubt the public will know so try not to let it bother you.

    South East Bass Bash, Saturday 27th September: NEW INFO!

    in Events

    Posted

    Dagnammett, I might be in the studio that weekend!! Will have to check as I'm getting a bit confused by the whole affair at the moment - the drummer's organising it!!

    If I can make it I'll be happy to bring most of my gear, which consists of:

    Ampeg SVP Pro pre-amp with Harma and Philips valves
    Samson S1 compressor
    QSC power amp
    SWR Goliath Snr 6X10

    Warwick Thumb 5 custom (ovangkol body, ebony fretboard, drop tuned a tone and a half)
    Fender Mexico Jazz 5
    The list of basses goes on but none of them are anything special, I'll just bring something interesting.

    I've got a few stompboxes too, I don't know if that's what floats peoples boats but the don't take up much space.

    Must check if I'm free that day...................

    I need to be banned from guitar shops..

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Gamble

    When you need 2 or more credit cards to obtain it it's too much, what you've done there is perfectly acceptable. If I could find an explorer shaped fiver I'd be on the phone to my landlord making excuses in no time.

    Gather round my children and I shall tell you a story.....

    Once apon a time in the late 90's, my guit*rist at the time called me on the telephone - which was the communication device of choice at the time. He proceded to inform me that Academy of Sound (later to become Sound Control, then more recently fall on it's a*se) had a five (yes five!!) string Ibanez bass for £550 in stock. Now bear in mind that this was a simpler time, when Korn ruled the NuMetal airwaves and my beard was trying hard but not quite making the cut. I promptly got myself to the aforementioned music shop (if anyone here is familiar with the Norwich branch, this was when it was on the other side of Anglia Square - before it was a candle shop or whatever it is now!) and tried out their nice shiney Ibanez Ergodyne 5 string.
    As I mentioned earlier, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Coal Chamber and such bands were just beginning to take the heavy music scene in the death grip that they would hold for all of about ten minutes, and I was seventeen (give or take, my memory isn't what it used to be kids!), so the decision was pretty much made before I even entered the shop. I tried the bass on for size - it certainly did have five strings! I thought it best to consult the local cash machine for advice - IT WAS PAYDAY, so I could have the bass but wouldn't have a great deal of wedge to go out on the lash with until the same time a month later. This didn't matter as I'd have a brand spanking five string bass and therefore be the envy of at least half a dozen of my friends until that day.
    Job Jobbed - or so I thought until I'd gotten as far as the aforementioned Guit*rist's house on the way home. His mum asked if I was sure I could afford the bass I had in my (big, strong, masculine) arms and I explained the maths to her..... right up to the point where I remembered that being as it was infact the very day my paycheque had gone into my bank, my housekeeping for the coming month was yet to be payed to my own mothers bank account. *rses I thought.

    Here's the moral:

    I had a tenner to last me a month when I was a teenager - Ten years later and I've still got my first five string bass. Winner.

    Go for it Sarah.


    Tune in next week when I'll tell you all about how I promised to pay my mum back for my first proper bass (second one I was to own) and never did! (I pay my own way in life nowadays, honest!!!)

    p.s. I've got somewhere close to ten basses now (can't count properly 'cos I'm half cut) and I only play 2 plus 2 back-ups on a regular basis, and I'm just small fry on this forum!!!!

    London Guitar Show

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='paul, the' post='213440' date='Jun 5 2008, 07:55 PM']lol?[/quote]

    Yeah, lets re-word that.

    Peted is going, and if I get myself a ticket I'll be there with him.

    That definately sounds more like English, I must stop posting when I'm half asleep!

    is this wierd?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I hated playing 'Sit Down' by James for about 3 years after having to play it with pretty blistered fingers at the end of one of my first gigs with the covers band I used to be in. That, and it's a dull bassline!
    I used to get hard callouses, now I have thing skin on my fingertips but it's quite supple. I'm rather heavy-fingered with my playing when I'm rocking out.............

    How many of you play metal

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Gamble

    I do:
    www.myspace.com/draglineband

    And rock too!
    www.myspace.com/thestanton

    edited 'cos I reasised you actually asked another question!

    I pretty much take what the guitards are playing and put my own spin on it if there's room in the song, it can get a bit messy if you're not following the guit*ars when it's a riffy song though. I like bassists like Les Claypool and Tye Zamora, but my style is probably more like Sam Rivers and maybe Dirk Lance. Him off of Deftones is pretty cool too, but I don't know if my playing is anything like his.

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