Maverick

I've essentially had this conversation (albeit somewhat paraphrased here) several times over the last two years with my guitarist: Me: "Shall we do some recording?" Him: "Yes!" Me: "Shall we go in a studio?" Him: "No, let's do it all ourselves!" Me: "Okay, are you any good with recording and producing? Because I'm not, and I don't think the other two are." Him: "No, but let's give it a try anyway." Me: "Well, erm, okay, we can give it a go I suppose." ..... [About a year on, some very ropily recorded drumtracks and one track fully done to a very poor standard that we hence have no intention of actually releasing] Me: "So, it's not that great is it?" Him: "No, not really." Me: "Okay, shall we try a studio now?" Him: "No! Let's do it all ourselves!" Me: "But we've tried that and it didn't really go very well. I think we should give a studio a go now..." Him: "No! Let's do it all ourselves!" Me: "But..." Him: "No! Let's do it all ourselves!" Me: *headdesk*

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1330989738' post='1566085'] I had the first inkling that I'd missed an important snippet of information when, before playing, I was asked if I would like to lead the prayer... [/quote] "Hail satan, lord of darkness.... sorry, what do you mean I haven't got the job?"

I found that just larking about and having a bit of banter with bandmates in rehearsal made me feel a lot more at ease on stage. Our rehearsals do on rare occasions just degenerate into "Who can do the daftest thing" competitions though.

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1330385227' post='1556772'] I dunno to Drummers buy drums so they cut through the mix??? [/quote] Cymbals certainly, and snares as well. [quote] But if everyone is buying gear and setting up so they cut through the mix doesn't that mean that we're back to square one anyway?? [/quote] Not necessarily, I think it's mostly possible for everyone to set up in a way such that you're not all fighting for the same sonic frequencies. It's fairly subjective as to what cutting through really means, I don't think it's just about pure loudness either. Obviously, it becomes a problem where you've got guitars and bass directly competing against each other, ie really bass heavy guitars or a really twangy bass sound, which is when it can just become a loudness war. My guitarist is quite obsessed with my "note definition" even though he's got a really bassy, fairly muddy guitar sound for the style we play.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1329818918' post='1547697'] Its a shame i never really got on with mine when i had it, i do now regret selling it. Not keen on the Skyline colours though, i still prefer the Black sparkle [/quote] I think I remember ogling this one in the for sale section for a while. Hubba.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1329842499' post='1548345'] decent nut and a shedload of wd-40 over the strings. keeps any trem in tune. (oh and set the thing up properly as well) Bugger locking trems, had one once, and never left the lock on it. he needs one with a pushy d-tuner like Eddie has. [/quote] I had a jam with a guitarist once who refused to lock the nut on his, as apparently it kept going out of tune. It kept going out of tune anyway, about every 2-3 minutes. Fairly sure he just hadn't stretched his strings in but he wouldn't listen to me. Needless to say, didn't jam with him again (he wasn't very good either, which didn't help).

I don't think I ever actually use the very top frets, but I'm just much more comfortable on a 24 than a 21.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1329218240' post='1538856'] I've kept mine just as it is. It could be a very rare beast in years to come. Jokes aside, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the tuners. It may be just mine, but I think they are one of the weak points of the Squier VM Jazz. Still, a lovely instrument. Probably the best £170 I ever spent. [/quote] Definitely on my VMJ FL. Just have to look at them funny to go out of tune (nothing to do with my terrible intonation on the fretless, honest). Thinking of doing some upgrades and this is the first thing I'm looking at.

45-105s work for me. There are some tension calculators kicking around the web that tell you what gauge you need to maintain the tension you're used to in standard tuning in a new tuning, which is where in theory you might want to start. However, I found that I didn't like the feel of a heavier set - I'd usually use 45-105 in standard but was quite happy with them being a bit slacker in a lower tuning as well. Maybe I'm just weird.

Bit of a mixed one. It was a really good lineup of metal rather than some uncomfortable juxtaposition of different styles you often get, so that was nice, and the other two bands were really good. I think we played quite well but we had a bit of a disaster with our drummer's snare going kaput about half-way through, which led to a 5 minute break in the set whilst I sent someone to hunt down the other drummer so we could borrow his snare, which he was kind enough to lend us. Cue me having to ad-lib through 5 minutes of silence, told a few jokes, funny story about how one of my mates in the crowd became a minor celebrity in a small Belgian town and did the thank-yous, a little bit of crowd interaction etc by which time we were just about ready to go again. Just before the last song, I was doing one more round of thank-yous when a guy jumped on stage left and started looking around for something in the corner, so I just automatically added "and thank-you that guy, whoever that is" - as I genuinely didn't see who it was (nor was I particularly happy with someone jumping on stage whilst we were still on but I decided not to make an issue of it). Well, it turned out it was the (stand-in) guitarist from the first band (who was the only member of that band I hadn't met during the evening - all the others were really great guys though), and he took offence at this, came over to the mic and started giving it large about how "these guys might be good but my band's been in 'Classic Rock' etc etc" - clearly got it in his head that I'd meant to be disrespectful and was getting a bit angry. Calmed him down and got him to bugger off so we could finish the set. Upsides, I think I engaged with the crowd the best of any of the frontmen (although the others were stronger vocally tbf), and I think we played pretty well. The other bands were great and it was a good choice of lineup I'd say. Downsides, the above two incidents spoilt things a bit (they're all I can really remember at the moment) and I was told afterwards that the vocals were way too low.

Bump for metal. (is that a Manowar song?)

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1322606259' post='1453586'] It was great - the scale patterns just open up underneath your fingers, which makes soloing so much easier once you get used to it. The downside is that you have to forget most of what you knew about chords (which is a big deal for a lot of guitarists). [/quote] I think may favourite tuning on guitar is Open C (or you could use any open tuning really), really opens up some interesting chord voicings that would be difficult or impossible to use in standard. I know some people think that drop tunings are cheating, so I'd love to hear what they have to say about opten tunings, but they're really not all about the one finger power chords that some people make out (although that's part of the fun ).

One for the headbangers here; Inescapable Fate (featuring moi) are playing at The Fiddler's Elbow on Sunday 11th December. Headlining are a bunch of thrashers by the name of Hybris, and also appearing are (I'm-not-sure-what-subgenre-to-put-them-in) Manfected, plus one other TBC. Should be a great night of metal madness, I hear headbanging and mosh pits are great ways to stay warm on these cold wintry nights, and I know there are a few metalheads on BC so it'd be great to see some of you! Here's a (very) short taster of the 'Fate in action live to whet your appetites (or put you off your dinner, one of the two): [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCxpHSRAbVw[/media] Cheers! [url="http://www.thefiddlerselbow.co.uk/gig_guide_dec.php"]http://www.thefiddle...g_guide_dec.php[/url] [url="http://www.facebook.com/events/238849119509433/"]http://www.facebook....38849119509433/[/url]

Bounce by Mathew Syed is a very interesting read on this question.

Thanks for the replies guys. Guess I'll avoid the Blue Steels then. Will have a look into the other sets suggested. [quote name='danhkr' timestamp='1319105248' post='1409871'] Also it's well worth improving the life of your strings by getting into the habit of cleaning them after use (takes less than a minute to give them a rub down with fast fret). [/quote] I do try to give strings a wipe down with a cloth, but I hate the feel of strings after using Fast Fret, horrible stuff!

Hi all, In my metal band we tune down to C#, and a 45-105 set is just not quite doing it for me. I'm currently using a set of Elixirs, which I really like otherwise, but that seems to be their heaviest gauge. One option I can think of are DR strings. Now, I've tried the Black Beauties before and I have to be honest, I wasn't that keen (besides the novelty factor), I thought the tone was fairly dull and they didn't last as long as I'd hoped, both factors I thought the Elixirs beat them on. But, they do make them in a 50-110 set. There are also the Bootzillas in a 50-110 which I've never tried before so opinions (particularly comparative to the Black Beauties or Elixirs) would be greatly appreciated. Also, I've just discovered Dean Markley Blue Steels, so opinions on those likewise sought. Are there other options I'm missing? I'm very much a roundwound kind of guy and I'd prefer to stick with coated strings as my hands seem to become death, the destroyer of worlds to ordinary strings (my guitarist complained that I'd dullened his strings after just 5 minutes on his guitar ), but if there are some better wearing non-coated strings out there then they'd be worth a look too. Cheers!

Have to send my apologies for not making it along today despite having my name down - it seemed as if something pressing had come up at the last minute last night but it turns out it wasn't as urgent as I'd thought and I'm now sat at home twiddling my thumbs. Huzzah. Hope you're all having a great bash!

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1337876' date='Aug 12 2011, 04:44 PM']When you place something for sale through the ebay auction medium you are by definition entering into a contract with the buyer as per ebay's T&C. Failure to complete the sale is breaking that contract (which by the act of signing up to ebay you have agreed to); it is then a contract as per any contract that you either agree to in writing or verbally and there is a civil case for the breaking of that contract. However, the onus is on the buyer to initiate any proceedings as ebay will not act. Do you know otherwise?[/quote] Yes, I think so, although it's over a year since I did contract law so I may be a bit rusty. It's not exactly a clear area though. For starters, eBay's user agreement doesn't expressly state precisely when a contract is formed. Even if it did, the UA is part of a contract between you and eBay and isn't necessarily enforceable by a third party (it is possible, but I don't think that it would be here), only by eBay themselves, which is what eBay's complaints procedure is there for, it doesn't necessarily reflect the actual legal position. The general position of the law on both auctions and goods offered online is that they're invitations to treat, and that the buyer makes the offer by bidding/clicking the buy button. In an auction, the auctioneer has the authority to accept the offer, and so a contract may be formed as the hammer falls. Online, the contract isn't actually formed until the seller accepts it, either expressly (note that an email confirmation that your order has been received probably isn't enough) or by their actions in undertaking to provide the goods or services advertised, otherwise they may reject the offer and return your payment. Now, there are exceptions to both of these general positions, but they usually require that the seller make it clear that their listing is intended as a legal offer (not necessarily with those words, but on a reasonable reading), so it's possible that if you worded an eBay listing carefully you could make it an offer but I wouldn't be entirely certain of this. In theory then, it is for the seller to accept the offer made by the buyer and then a contract will be formed. It is a bit of a grey area and I don't think there's any authoritative case law dealing directly with eBay (although I haven't studied cyberlaw, I can't find any in my contract casebooks or on westlaw), and with a quick search I can only find a few forum posts about eBay small claims cases, none of which have any real details to them. Personally, I'd question whether the ebay listing (in the case of an auction at least) itself has anything to do with the formation of the contract, rather I'd say it's more about the dealings afterwards. If a buyer proffers payment and the seller accepts it, then you clearly have a contract formed which in the case of a failure to supply the goods would then be enforceable, and possibly a criminal matter also. Short of that, it'd depend on the communication between the two parties and would likely be difficult to prove that a contract has been formed. I may be wrong with this, but in practice it's certainly the only point you can be absolutely certain that a contract exists. However, even if it is a contract, there's another sting in the tail and that is in the remedies available for breach of contract. Usually (supposedly), courts are quite reticent to enforce a contract through specific performance where one party is unwilling, except in special circumstances -ie, if the item is a total one off. More usual would be damages, which would be intended to be sufficient for you to obtain a like for like replacement, which would essentially be a refund (if the buyer has refused to return your money) and possibly the increased cost in securing a like for like replacement. Now, given the costs (although they may be covered if you're successful) and hassle involved, if you've got your money back then it's unlikely to be worth it.

[quote name='neepheid' post='1337481' date='Aug 12 2011, 12:10 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.com/140591040751"]http://cgi.ebay.com/140591040751[/url] Ouch. Anyone need some spare Grabber parts? [/quote] Funnily enough, I'm sure there was a Grabber body/neck posted the other week with no electronics or hardware, or something like that. EDIT: Indeed there was - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=147769&hl=grabber"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...&hl=grabber[/url] Not sure how good value the two together would have been like. I like the look & sound of Grabbers but I'm hardly an expert on them.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='1329817' date='Aug 6 2011, 12:23 PM']... but I resolutely stood my ground and explained that he had entered into a contract ..[/quote] Just checking, but you do know that this probably isn't actually true right?

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1327320' date='Aug 4 2011, 04:27 PM']If you want to buy a really expensive bass then go for it IMO. While spending $5000 on a bass might not immediately make you a better player, if that means that you now own the bass that you really want then I believe that over time the extra playing that you do because the bass inspires you to play more than you would have done.[/quote] He only says it doesn't [b]have[/b] to cost $5000, not that you shouldn't spend what you like on a bass. On the other hand, some people might be a little intimidated or wary of playing a bass they'd spent that much on and feel much more comfortable on a $100 bass, I know I would.

[quote name='Wil' post='1317511' date='Jul 26 2011, 07:25 PM']The best musicians can make you weep with one note - it has to be the right note, played in the right place, the right time and with the right feel, of course.[/quote] The worst musicians can make you weep with one note - it has to be the wrong note, played in the wrong place, the wrong time and with the wrong feel, of course.

She's clearly talented and she's got plenty of time on her side. Her solo stuff so far doesn't do it for me though. She's clearly had some big gigs, but barring her solo work I don't think she's really had a gig she could really call her own yet, and it'll be interesting to see if she does find one. Obvious possibility, but I expect we'll hear some music from her and Orianthi together.

Nope, always made strings feel far too slick for my liking. A decent wipe down with an ordinary cloth does the job better for my liking. Also, as someone mentioned lemon oil, there's a job I hate doing as well. No matter how careful I am I somehow always end up with it irritating my fingers. Glad it doesn't need doing very often.

Yeah, ask a bass forum if you should buy a new bass or not. That'll be a balanced discussion. Honest opinion: I think you've already got some very nice basses that cover a lot of ground style and sound wise, and you say yourself you don't need anything, so I'd rule out any serious purchases (ie >c£250) unless you're shifting one out first. A bitsa perhaps, or something around that area, or how about an effects pedal or two? Personally, if that kind of money dropped in my lap right now I'd consider either a holiday or even just a nice meal and save the rest. Hey, I like good food.