BassBomber414

Plus one for the Yamaha BB414 I did lots of research before I bought mine, a real classic, plays easy and has a very good sound. GAK will do you one for £199. Don't be put off by the price , I tried Basses around £200 -£400 , this was the best I tried. Check out the reviews on Harmony Central.

It's a fact that some drum kits are a lot louder than others. I think they call them 'projection kits' When they hit a drum and it's like the stick has just been pushed through your ear it's time to get another drummer.

Getting back to the start of the thread - Thomann are a cut above for customer service. They shipped a 32kg Warwick combo from East Germany to the U.K. for six quid- savings £175 on UK prices. Took 7 days including sourcing the Amp in from Warwick. My bank actually stopped the card transaction as the transaction showed up as 'stage equipment from East Germany' A call to the card company and a call to the English speaking contact at Thomann had it sorted quickly - Thomann even provide a named contact for you , including their photo.No recorded messages - dealt with by one named person who could not have been more helpful. When I found I couldn't get a Warwick cover for the amp I ordered that from them.They kindly contacted me to check it was o.k. - Did I realise they had to charge me £6 postage ? Bless. I have to say GAK should not be compacent.

[quote name='jwbassman' date='Feb 2 2008, 12:12 AM' post='132337'] I'm sure it'll be fine - hopefully get to have a proper look over it on Sunday... One of my favourite tracks we play is another Rory Gallagher - For The Last Time, so simple but just brilliant, do you know it? No I don't know it, but I'll mention it to our guitarist , although he's a fuzz nutted kid he's a bit of a Rory fan and will no doubt know it.

Thanks Jw Bassman , I've tried playing Tattoed all ways and I found the way that suits us and sounds best , is to to play a very very even,smooth bassy tone with a plectrum providing just a little attack,but making minimal movement, just drive it along nice 'n smooth underneath at eight notes to the bar.I give a little emphasis on the changes and subdue it 1 notch during the guitar solos. You get a chance to shine in the chorus which is actually simple to play but the timing is quite critical, guitar bass and drums have to be right on the money. Nail it and it sounds brilliant , anything short will sound a real shambles. You'll see! Good luck with it , it wasn't one of my favourites at first but it's grown on me.

Thanks for the words of encouragment. Well our first gig went reasonably well , a few mistakes which i thought we played through pretty well. Wasn't nervous once we started and we got another booking out of it , so it couldn't have been too bad.This was our short set - WAITING FOR THE BUS - ZZ TOP JESUS JUST LEFT CHICHAGO - ZZ TOP TATTOOED LADY - GALLAGHER IM A MOVER - FREE FIRE AND WATER - FREE RIDING ON A PONY - FREE ALL RIGHT NOW- FREE BADGE - CREAM DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART - CREAM CROSSROADS - CREAM WHITE ROOM - CREAM Out of that lot only one 'bombed' and that was All Right Now - never liked it anyway - does not fit in well with the rest of the set.

Well the car is packed and it's only 1600, I've spent a couple of hours in practice this morning and this is it folks... our first gig of any sort. Just a little private club one of the band is connected to . A small freebie gig of about an hour to see how we do 'live' before we try a full set in the wide world. So why am I so nervous ?

Welcome aboard,nice to have some more grown ups on the forum ! I think the song on Planet Rock was Rivers Run Dry - lyrics Roger Chapman of Family. I also have 'the gift of time'(52) and took up the Bass from scratch in April, got my first warm up gig at an open mike next week.Having played a bit of acoustic guitar and keyboard over the years I just wish I had taken up Bass and playing in a band earlier.good luck with your playing - there are actually lots of mature players on the forum and loads of help and advice will come your way, if you care to ask. Below are the lyrics .... Rivers Run Dry Well 1 bin took, yes, I got hooked Bin hung up down & out and that's tough Yes I looked down on a dark street crying I guess all of my Rivers have run dry I bin beat, that ain't so sweet Bin shook up, picked up shaking for lying thief Yes I spent nights where the sun don’t shine I guess all of my Rivers have run dry Well there ain't no hungrier howl Than an empty man with an empty smile Got some hole in the wall Just some hell where you're tired you fall You can't tell the difference Between night or day no more Lookout Oh there were times, that weren't so mean I had a wife and a kids and a job and a money In the pockets of my jeans Now I’m alone got a mind to dying I guess all of my Rivers have run dry All of my rivers run dry words & music: Chapman

Guitar Glen has a lot of useful gigging/band/promotion advice see [url="http://www.angelfire.com/music2/guitarglen/gig.htm"]http://www.angelfire.com/music2/guitarglen/gig.htm[/url] Click on the heading links on left margin.

Jack Bruce - 64 -not in the best of health for sure , but hey , he plays and sings better than ever.

The Two Pigs at Pickwick (A4) Corsham has live bands on Monday nights. And you never know, Floyd's Nick Mason lives 200 yards away, might pop in.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='90378' date='Nov 18 2007, 06:14 PM']Robin Trowers too Rolling stoned is a great track to do, i wish i was in that kind of band. lucky sod! [/quote] Beerdragon , The Robin Trowers we have agreed on are - Alethea (Live version ) Little Bit of Sympathy Further Up the Road Daydream

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='90561' date='Nov 18 2007, 10:18 PM']woah... 21st Century Schizoid Man... that's some serious Jazz there... needs good horn section... my favourite version of that is on the "Earthbound" album... (such a pity that album was recorded on an ordinary cassette recorder in the first place though...) Faith Healer... fantastic song... I was lucky to catch them live back in 75 when they did the tour that ended up on the "Live" album... Burlesque - Family... needs the voice to carry that one off... distinctive bassline as well. "In My Own Time" was their other big hit for me... nice rollicking romp of a song with a strong bass line... here's In My Own Time: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGF2e5JFdRI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGF2e5JFdRI[/url] and Burlesque: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1VX7kvu2s"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1VX7kvu2s[/url] that one's just audio weirdly... Oh, here's another I'd forgotten... Blackfoot Sue - Standing In The Road... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GjEWmyFSc0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GjEWmyFSc0[/url] nice Rickenbacker there... from the amazing era when electric guitars mysteriously worked without having to plug them in... they also carried on playing when you stopped to clap your hands together...[/quote] Waaahay... saw Family around 1972/3 at Chelsea village Bournemouth - must buy an Album.Nice Bass line in Burlesque. The vocalist in Blackfoot Sue reminds me a bit of Noddy Holder (and they were cracking live before the teeny following) check out Slade Alive - track 'In Like A Shot From My Gun.'

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='90392' date='Nov 18 2007, 06:44 PM']It's a great song, but only when it's done right. Most times I've watched a band do this they just steamroller right across it. Awful. A couple of friends of mine are in a blues-based trio. They play some off-the-wall stuff, including... Blister On The Moon - Taste Hold Your Head Up - Argent Natural Born Bugie - Humble Pie When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson Smokin' In The Boys Room - Brownsville Station The Faith Healer - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Better By You Better Than Me - Spooky Tooth Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo - Johnny Winter Burlesque - Family[/quote] WaterofTyne , Some nice stuff there , I suggested Burlesque - Family - trouble is the guitarist is a young hotdog who has never heard of Family and frankly, I don't think our vocals are up to it.Nat Born and Hold Your Head Up are worth exploring though , thanks.

[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='90218' date='Nov 18 2007, 12:36 PM']I'd be tempted to reduce the Cream content and serve up more hard on blues boogie that the crowd would recognise... ZZ Top's "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" come to mind... Also check out SRV tracks... the guitarists might shrink in total fear at being asked to cover his work...[/quote] Paul , 'Gimme All Your Lovin' is a good suggestion, don't know the others but I'll have a listen , thanks.

[quote name='jwbassman' post='90157' date='Nov 18 2007, 11:22 AM']I'd say that's a pretty cool set list - not a million miles away from what my blues/rock trio would be playing... Our set would contain a few originals as well, but as mentioned you need a couple of reasonably well known ones to keep the punters happy. Good to see you've got a bit of Rory in there - we do For the Last Time which is one of my favourites to play and the guitarist is keen to do Tattooed Lady We also do Black Magic Woman in a kind of cross between the Peter Green and Santana versions, always went down well... It's been a few years since we'vew gigged (but we've now got a new drummer on board so hopefully out again soon) we used to find that providing you make a pretty good fist of it everyone is happy. We decided (as it sounds you have) not to do all the really obvious stuff - just make a good listenable noise and you'll be fine - the mix is the key thing and try not to get carried away and stick everything on 10...[/quote] JW Bassman , thanks for the advice. Yeah would love to do the early Fleetwood Mac stuff. I used to go to their gigs with my older sister and brother in law , before Albatross , the American tour , and the Orange Amps - only saw them once more at our local dive then - they got too big.A dangerous love for me - I was a crombie wearing suede head at the time and much of Mac's early punters were Greasers and Angels ! I remember how Jigsaw Puzzle Blues used to rock the house up - and Jeremy Spencer doing his Elvis voice on 'Someones Going To Get Their Head Kicked in Tonight'.The Guitarist may let me do 'Without You' but only because it's in my vocal range, he's not keen on Mac. Tattoo bass part is a cinch and has some nice breaks in it, reccomend it.

[quote name='BeLow' post='90156' date='Nov 18 2007, 11:20 AM']Possibly because it is such a 'standard' we tend to learn it at lowest common denominator standard? Probably true in my case - for me it is useful in filling out the set and being easy to play - even if we don't get everything out of it. Strange how something like SHA and Badge both are very evocative of their eras, but for me one feels painful and the other is intriguing, maybe it is because of reptition fatigue? That said I quite like playing Mustang Sally which others find hateful for probably the same reasons you mention on SHA Dave![/quote] BeLow , We put in the ZZ Tops because we could learn them a darn sight faster than Cream tracks.It is mind blowing the amount of practice that I've had to do - first picked a Bass up in April 2007 , although I've played acoustic 12 and 6 and keyboards - never in a band.I love Badge. First song I learnt on the Bass .

[quote name='obbm' post='90155' date='Nov 18 2007, 11:20 AM']Interesting list. Have you thought about who your target audience is? Age, etc.? We've found that occasionally our set list can empty a pub rather than fill it because of the age group we target. Are you aiming at Joe Public in general, the Musos of your area, the 50/60 somethings or are you just playing what you want to play because you like the numbers? We are always looking for songs that are not the obvious choice or which other bands do all do. For example we opted not to do All Right Now, only as a request, as everyone else does it and do Wishing Well instead.[/quote] Obbm , ' Our local gigiing pub has a Landlord who is a Blues Rock and Rory fan. My guitarist is an ex 'Genesis In The Cage' bass player and Bass pedal player,fanatical about every note in every lead now he is playing lead and , yes, we are really doing this stuff because we love it and we think there is a market for it - if played to a high standard.The pub is always packed with musos.My mate and I watch plenty of bands and have even done some concert promotion - same faces crop up all over the place - lots of players.

[quote name='The Burpster' post='90131' date='Nov 18 2007, 10:24 AM']Although it has a mind mumbing bass part I'd be inclined to throw "sweet home alabama" in there, and maybe "Freebird" and "All right now".as well... I have it on good authority (a colleague at work is a drummer in a curent "bike rally" band)that if the audience isnt "getting it" or doesnt know what your playing.... if you throw one of them in, it'll get 'em back on your side.... [/quote] Thanks Burpster , already doing All Right Now. It's funny, I can play the fancy stuff that Jack plays in White Room but the end solo where those little fill notes come in on the 17th and 19th fret, whilst playing the main bass part around the second fret kill me every time - probably written for a five string.I'm inclined to keep this one for requests. Will have to listen to SHA and Freebird.

I 'm in an embyro old boy's power trio aiming for pub gigs playing blues based rock of a certain era.None of us have done the pub circuit before - this is our proposed set list , most of it we have ready to go. I'd be interested in any feedback.We've tried to avoid Hit Parade stuff and we aim to play everything as close to original live versions as practicable - studio versions have been rearranged where more instruments were used. Cream White Room Badge Deserted Cities Of The Heart Crossroads Pressed Rat and Warthog Free I'm A Mover Fire and Water Ride On A Pony All Right Now Rory Gallagher Continental Op Tattooed Lady In Your Town Walk On Hot Coals ZZ Top Waiting For The Bus Jesus Just Left Chicago Joe Walsh Walk Away Life's Been Good Rocky Mountain Way Robin Trower Lady Love And about four more Robin Trower with a Hendrix flavour once we are 'out there'. What's the verdict ? Are we going to die out there without the hits ?

Nick , If Rennaisance grabs you ,you should check out a band called Magenta. I was involved in the staging of a Prog Rock festival a few years ago and these guys totally stole the show.A very Pro live act .They reminded me of Rennaisance and this is a common reaction by those of us old enough to remember the original band.Because of the comparisons with their singer Christina and Annie Haslam , Annie has sung with them and appeared on stage with them. [url="http://www.magenta-web.com/"]http://www.magenta-web.com/[/url]

Other = Yamaha BB414 BP , 4 string pj in black pearl finish.

I've got a Warwick CCL Combo, 15 inch speaker with horn,250RMS,300 W max, which I bought from Thomann for £328 delivered on a pallet from East Germany Check out this link [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ccl_nd_4.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ccl_nd_4.htm[/url] Thomann's price for a Sweet 25.1 is simaler to internet prices in Uk but the CL and CCL are very heavily discounted from Germany ,over here they cost around £485. I have also have use of a Blue Cab 60 for practice. The Warwick CCl is very well finished ,nice and portable with it's built in wheels and a trolly handle.A very quiet combo with more than enough wallop for small to medium gigs. It looks and sounds very impressive and every musician I've played with has complimented me on the sound.When I'm playing 'Badge ' I stick in the 'low boost ' switch.It is hard to believe the big ground hugging sound this amp produces. There are rave reviews of the Warwick Sweet 25.1 on Harmony Central Website.Check out this link for Warwick Amp reviews - [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Bass+Amp/brand/Warwick"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...p/brand/Warwick[/url] Good luck with your hunt for a combo.

My mate has a Warwick Blue Cab 60 bass amp which he uses for lead guitar. 1)The combo has an 'active in' and 'passive in' connection - if he uses an effects unit between his passive guitar and the combo , should he use the passive or active inputs ?