scalpy

First gigging rig 1993 Encore PB3 (I know, plush with 2 pups) Laney Linebacker 100 into a HH 215. I've made my disgust about this cab known on the recent HH thread, and it was replaced by an original Hartke 410XL, much, much better. I changed to a Silver Series Squier Jazz and Hartke 1400 head, then the tobacco sunburst ASAT and most recently the rig in my signature. It doesn't mention the boss tweed finish of the cabs though. This set up is going to be around a while.

My bass is pretty heavy for a four string, and I'm bit of a racing snake, but I like it so much I'll live with it. Given up on carrying a 4 10 around though!

Your tone does matter, it's pretentious but it's your voice. I can sing Nessun Dorma at the right pitch and right words and rhythm, but I sound like a dysfunctional foghorn and nobody wants to hear it, quite rightly. Playing in covers bands and doing pit-work new strings and a scooped middle don't sound or feel right. I need strings with the edge just taken off them and a nice fat sound to provide something for the punters to feel and recognise as bass. Choosing gear and having something I feel is special to me is one is a massive pleasure I really enjoy. I'm sure millions of musicians feel the same. The marketeers can supply loads of gear with only tiny differences (look at the mark bass range of heads for the love of pete) because there is a demand. Some basses and rigs don't do it for me, but I really enjoy my new rig and how it brings out aspects of my playing my previous and perfectly decent rig didn't. I've also seen an upturn in studio bookings as the engineer likes it so much.

Aaargh GAS

For me it would be decided by the drummer. If I got to stand next to the likes of Willie Hall or Steve Ferrone I'd play an old tune to just say I'd done it!

Maybe I'm not the right person to be wading in about old kit. Seeing as I had the honour of playing through two vintage B15s, and was really disappointed when these feature on about half of my favourite recordings, I'll bow out and wish you luck with HH!

My first cab was a HH with 2 15s. Make no mistake, it was dreadful. Weighed a ton, just wooly rumble. I put different speakers(Celestions) in it with only minimal improvement. The only thing it was good for was turning at my Halls of Residence for the first time and watching the look of horror on my new neighbours faces! It finally died at a gig in Nottingham and I remember chucking it in the skip at the dump and driving off seeing it sticking out of the top in my rear view mirror. Good riddance. Came across plenty of pubs and village halls with HH amps as well at the time. Rubbish. Don't let time fool you- they're terrible.

The Tributes share the pickups with the USA range, as well as the pre-amp, but uses lower quality switches and pots. Great instruments, but a USA just has that special feel the tributes don't generate for me. Tragic re-sale value so get yourself a bargain.

Midnight Mover- Wilson Pickett Right Place Wrong Time- Dr John Here Come The Girls- Ernie K Doe

Old Brown Shoe I spend the whole song waiting for the last 20 seconds where it all drops and gallops off for the horizon.

Not my thread but loving the positivity! The late stuff is great of course but what about Eight Days a Week? Motors on through!

Damn straight! Thought I'd get that in before the detractors start circling.

Why would you marry a non-musician?

I've never had to tell a pupil that they were wasting their time. These things seem to come to a natural conclusion if things aren't progressing. There can be problems with delusions of grandeur, or not being able to listen etc etc but the longer I do this the more I realise that I as an educator (what was that about delusions of grandeur?) have very little effect on a pupil's progress. The only thing they need is motivation. It is true that some learners have potential and aptitude, musical intelligence is a plus of course, whatever that is but it appears in the text books so I'll acknowledge it here. Whilst finding appropriate methods and musical choices as teaching tools play a huge part in being encouraging as does a patient and kind relationship, no educator can do the task for the pupil. I have been teaching classroom music for ten years and with the benefit of hindsight could not say with any certainty that any pupils who had the motivation have ever gone on to be a hopeless case.

I do read by intervals most of the time, but once into 3+ ledger lines and key signatures are taken into account my brain's starting to melt! Stupid thing is above the stave is no problem, but there's not much call for that.

For a number of years now I've been doing pit work for various local theatre groups or sitting in with revue style bands with charts. I normally get given a piano part to read but try as I might I can't get used to all the ledger lines, especially below the stave. Piano players are often reading 3 staves as they support the melody and I'm sweating away trying transpose up and down octaves trying to create a line that makes sense before I run out of neck or frets. Then the song will modulate into Gb major! Does this do anyone else's nut? (Treble clef, no worries by the way, so I don't know why practice isn't making perfect.)

Those things the guy from Asian Dub Foundation used to play, Steinbergers was it? And Bongos.

Are G&L being endorsed by the Westlife band?

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='947365' date='Sep 6 2010, 04:28 PM']I was only ever in a Section 4 band, with correspondingly fairly easy test pieces, but I loved hearing the absolute brain-f***ers the Championship Section guys had to play in the big contests. Hats off to you. (Just as a slight derailment... what instrument?)[/quote] Cornet. I was blagging my way the whole time whilst studying Music at Uni. The test pieces were great, but the one that I never mastered was Riverdance. Die, Flatley die.

The above listening tips are fantastic, but as a further exercise break up the bar into sections. Get the hang of reliably finding "one" and then divide the rest of the bar into groups of two or three. A bar of seven typically goes ONE two three FOUR five SIX seven although 2+3+2 and other combinations are obviously possible. Only tap your foot or aim to feel the first of the sections and it's surprising how the divisions and any syncopation drop into place. Playing Take Five I'd only tap to beats 1 and 4 for example. If you're reading another tip is to take a tricky section and just draw a triangle over groups of 3, and a vertical lines over any 2s. I break down four quavers into 2 pairs in this instance. This helps working out the rhythm and when you're up to speed helps keep you on track. When I used to play test pieces with championship section brass bands (in another life) this was invaluable, as they try to melt your brain on purpose!

[quote name='P-punk' post='943834' date='Sep 2 2010, 07:40 PM']Import it yourself from the US. A lot cheaper (even including postage & VAT). You can even have it "custom built". Check the prices and options here: [url="http://www.guitarasylum.com/product_pages/gandl/g&l-jb.html"]G&L JB[/url][/quote] Ah, man, I've got one of these and this is giving me GAS. Flake finish semi-hollow!

I too am a gear stalker, although any festival coverage on the TV has me squinting as well. You may think of a witticism if you wish!

[quote name='the_skezz' post='938276' date='Aug 27 2010, 05:22 PM']Thing is, I get attached to things too easily, I've got three basses and I'd miss any one of them if I chose to sell it. Plus, every now and again, one of my mates will be interested in borrowing one, so it's good to have a spare to lend.[/quote] Just the one bass for me, and I've got a major love affair going with her. Since joining basschat the GAS has hit for a new rig, dealt with, but just confirms my deep and undying attachment for Edith. I didn't name her.