Jacqueslemac

You could try the Warwick style strap locks. instead of having cup on the strap, there's a prong that fits into a hole in the end of the button that sits in the bass.

I used to find that my Schaller locks would rotate (on the strap), so that they ended upside down. They never came off the bass, but felt vulnerable, as the cup wasn't underneath the button on the bass, if you can see what I mean.

Hang on to that email!

I reckon it's even more uniquer than very unique, though.

On reflection, it may be difficult, but not impossible.

I'm sure people with far more musical knowledge than me could point to the influences, but have a listen to:
UFOs by Amplifier
Geneva by Russian Circles

Where did those come from?

And how about Talking Pipes by Magnum 500? It's clearly "surf" but wouldn't have been created without borrowing heavily from other sources.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1361869173' post='1992014']
Old people have been asking that since the late '70s. Has all the music since then been valueless?
[/quote]

Value is in the hands of whoever is listening to it.

What I meant is that it's difficult to write something that's clearly different from what's gone before. Everyone who writes music has been exposed to so much variety, it must be very difficult to write something that hasn't been done before in some shape or form. We're all influenced by what's gone before, whether or not we know it.
For example, listen to Paradise by Dr Feelgood and then listen to Curfew by Jags/Steve Carl, recorded 20 years before. Did Wilko do it on purpose or was the melody just lodged in his brain somewhere?

The first person to decide to use a guitar, drums and bass in a band had nothing to act as a point of reference. I remember Jack White insisting on keeping the White Stripes as a two-piece so that he had to explore new ways of creating music within that parameter. he felt that if he added another guitar, the music would end up sounding like too many other twin-guitar bands.

How much of the new music that's being created now is truly new, as in innovative? There is so much that has already been produced, it must be very hard to create something that isn't just a slight tweaking on what's gone before. (I watched the documentary about modernism in music last night, which demonstrated how music that was very different from what came before - and ignored the "rules" - was too uncomfortable to listen to that it's pretty much disappeared.)

My stepdaughter works in the fashion industry and complains that there's nothing really new being created in that industry. It's all re-hashing of what's gone before, with a slight twist so it feels fresh to consumers.

As a consumer, I never listen to the radio. I do listen to a lot of music, but it's often as a result of an interview, or book I've read. I find myself travelling down alleyways from music I know, so rarely have any idea when the music that's new to me was first recorded. For example, when my band wanted to play Alive by Pearl Jam, it wasn't until I saw the video on YouTube that I realised it hadn't been written just a couple of years ago.

I've recently been exploring Rockabilly from the 1950s. It's mostly new and fresh to me.

We play it. We usually carry on straight into Everlong by the Foo Fighters or Growing on Me by Darkness.

I can't say it gets people dancing, but heads do usually nod along in time and we get a good round of applause.

We used to open our set with it, but I need time for my fingers to warm up! We also play less heavy stuff (Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, T.Rex).

Yeah, I know what you mean. Trouble is, we have a few gigs coming up, have learned quite a few songs together, have even developed a few of our own arrangements (our versions of Toxic and Genie in a Bottle go down well and are fun to play) and the annoyances of rehearsal nights seem to fade away when we're actually performing. And I have a one-quarter share in the PA.

Doesn't stop me keeping an eye open for another band more aligned to what I'm after, mind.

[quote name='onemanband' timestamp='1361319827' post='1984679']
and here's the problem..........the drummer and I just do not get on, both musically and [b]personally, [/b]and I don't think we will.
As this has also resulted in the musical direction moving away from the original project I have decided to walk away.....so, has this ever happened to you??
[/quote]


Late last year the drummer in our band walked. We used a couple of deps for two gigs we had booked and I offered up the names of two other drummers I've played with.

Unfortunately, lead guitar decided to shoehorn in one of his mates (who also knows Guitar No2), without an audition.

Since then, his chosen drummer has improved a lot (he needed to and is obviously putting the effort in) and we've done a couple of gigs without too many cock-ups. Trouble is, he doesn't listen to a thing anyone else is playing (and often we finish the song a couple of bars before he notices).

So, I find I don't get on with him musically at all (our band doesn't have a rhythm section at all, at the moment, just two people doing something similar) and I find him an arrogant self-important little idiot.

I've not walked yet, but I don't find it anywhere as much fun as when I had a drummer I could really lock in with (even if she did come up with some fills that walked all over mine!).

...and don't get me started on his choice of songs to cover!

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1360938276' post='1978684']
That's exactly what's happened. You've raised a good point about yhe guarantee. I thought that , once you left the shop, headphones were 'non replaceable'.
[/quote]

I think they're non-returnable as in you can't take them back if you don't find them comfortable.
If they break, then that's a different matter entirely. The cheap Maxell ones I'm just about to return have "2 years warranty" printed on the box.

I always keep the receipt and the box. The ones I buy have a two year guarantee and break after about a year. Like you've found, it's the wires that go (I reckon where they exit the reinforcing collar near the jack) and the volume on one side goes.

I get two pairs for the price of one. Still annoying that they're treated like a consumable.

Off topic, sorry, but the violin was the first musical instrument I tried. I found one in the attic and as the teacher who was teaching my sister clarinet also taught violin, I asked if I could have lessons.

The violin turned out to belong to my dad's grandmother (and I doubt it was new when she bought it):


I never got very good at it and gave it up partly because it wasn't electric and I couldn't find any bands I liked with a violin in them (this was the mid-1970s). I decided I wanted to play bass instead (same number of strings, see).

So, back on topic - you may never have to think about resale value!

My copy of the latest issue arrived at the weekend.

I've flicked through and only read a couple of articles so far, but... I haven't found a single typo yet. If the rest of the mag has been as well proof-read as the bits I've read, then that's a big step forward for me.

I've flicked through my copy and only read a couple of articles but I haven't found a single typo yet. If the rest of the mag has been as well proof-read as the bits I've read, then that's a big step forward for me.

This has been a very useful thread, thanks.

I've decided I no longer want to do the wedding gig we've been half-promised. I don't think the extra money is worth having to play those songs!

We're going to add White Wedding by Billy Idol for a wedding we should be doing in June.

We already do:
Sex on Fire (which we mostly hate doing too)
Chasing Cars (which we never practice because none of us like it any more either)
Living on a Prayer

We also do
You Give Love a Bad Name
Grounds for Divorce

and our singer wants to sing Hard to Handle to the bride (he hasn't seen her yet, mind).

Oddly enough, the only problem I've ever had on here was when I was buying. It was only for a small item. I agreed to pay the asking price and asked how much it would cost to post. The seller asked for a figure I thought was a bit out of proportion, given the size and weight of it. I offered half that and said I'd happily transfer the funds the same day.

I heard nothing for a couple of days and when I checked the PM thread found out he had "withdrawn from the conversation" (or some such computer-speak). I sent a note saying that I'd take his lack of response as a "thanks, but no thanks".

Is a little courtesy too much to ask?

Bought a couple of pickups from Josh. He must have sent them within a few hours of me transferring the money. They arrived very well packed and ready to be installed.

Buy from Josh with confidence.

Guess this one's gone AWOL then!

Anyone?

When we recruited a new singer we had to drop a fair few numbers because they didn't suit the new guy's voice.

However, he didn't just slap down a list of songs he wanted to do. It was much more democratic.

I'm not sure about the novelty value getting you any extra gigs, unless you really work it by putting her at the front or buying her a Perspex kit or something.

We had a girl drummer. Not a lot of people took that much notice of her, as she was stuck at the back anyway (except when she swapped places with the singer for Highway to Hell.


She ended up having an affair with one of the guitarists so the whole thing went sour!

Go with the one that fits best with whatever your plans for the band are.

A couple of years ago we were on the search for a singer. One duly turned up, but it very soon became apparent that he thought he'd recruited us as his backing band, rather than him joining our band.

We parted company very soon after we realised his delusion!

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1359381257' post='1953796']
Sell it, buy a Jazz, never look back
[/quote]

Got a couple already - the one I use most is a USA Deluxe with one of the nicest necks I've ever played.

The Corvette is just so good to look at (particularly the natural one), and the body is so small and light, while the angled tuners make so much sense.

Yes, I know I'm sounding shallow!

My Warwicks are my bass of choice, but I swap to the Jazz every now and again and - infuriatingly - I then get compliments about the tone (last Saturday's gig was one such time)!

The Jazz is a lot easier to play (forgiving?) than the Warwicks to me, but it looks just too conventional. I also have a Hipshot d-tuner installed, which does make retuning for our drop D songs a lot easier, but...

Any tips on how to make a Corvette $$ sound like a Jazz?

When we play at a venue with its own sound man/woman, I'm always told how good the Orange Bass Terror is, no matter who sets up the sound.

And they always use the DI.