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I miss my old EH PolyFlange...It did really cool things to the bass sound. Sold it because I needed the cash. Hated to part with it, but....

Same here. The band I'm in now (and have been for 10 years) had an original they had been working on for years. It was a tune that had the potential to be a cool, funky groove, but it was way too busy. I couldn't get a handle on a bass line that would fit. It seemed like each of the other...

I haven't used any pedals in a long time. Back in the 80s, I used a Poly-Flange occasionally, but then I decided I didn't really need it. My current setup is a Tobias Toby Deluxe 4 string, into a Mark Bass head (I forget which one), driving a fEARful 15/6. 500 watts of power, which covers any...

Speaking as someone who built his own 15/6 last year, it will be a noticeable improvement in a gig situation. In my case, I got remarks from people in the audience, as well as band members, about how clear, tight, and full it sounded. The consensus was that it actually improved the sound of...

APC doesn't build cheap junk. I have a Furman, and it has performed flawlessly since I bought it. I run into low voltage a lot. My Furman tells me what the incoming voltage is, and very often i see voltage in the 100 volt to 105 volt range. Clubs aren't usually too aware of the state of...

A power conditioner might help, but your best bet for consistent power is a power regulator. You can get an APC Line-R 1200va from Walmart for around $52. It will correct over and under voltage. I have a Furman regulator that I've had for some time now, and use it with my Markbass LM800 Tube...

True, but with the right guitar player and drummer in a trio, it's possible to pull off arrangements of songs that you wouldn't ordinarily think a trio could pull off. I know, I've done it with a band I used to front. Sometimes the bass winds up playing the guitar hook, and sometimes, you just...

For most of my life, I've played in trios, i.e. 1 guitar, 1 bass, and 1 drummer. I did play in a trio with a keyboard player, a drummer, and myself, and occasionally switched to guitar for a few songs, and let the keyboard player cover the bottom end. My current band is 2 guitars, a drummer...

When we play a Beatles song, our keyboard player usually says "We wrote that song a long time ago, and some group of Brits stole it..." He usually introduces the band as "Hi, we're Back On Earth. We're from France"... And, every once in a while, some drunk yob yells from the back of the room...

I bought a used GK 800RB back in the early 90s, and used it extensively through a Peavey 1810 cabinet (18" Black Widow and 2- 10" Scorpion speakers). One night, the amp quit in the middle of a song, with the accompanying burnt electronics smell. Turns out, The 18" Black Widow speaker just...

Who died and made him the boss?

The store is smaller looking than you'd expect, but the vibe inside is awesome! It's a toy store for bass players, and you'll want to hang out there all day. And, you never know who will walk through the door! Beaver and Grasshopper are two truly great guys, very knowledgeable, and super...

Playing in a Classic Rock band (8+ years). We play out approximately once a month. Actually starting to look for a side gig with another band, and/or sub as needed. Not wanting to play every weekend, but a little more than I have been. Still having fun with my current band, we get along...

Bought my Lightwave Saber SL4 from them. Great people, great customer service, very reputable. Buy with confidence!

Please add me, nobodysfool. I have 1 fEARful cabinet, a 15/6. Just finished it 2 weeks ago. Used on 2 gigs already, and I'm in Heaven! Obligatory pic to follow...

I'm 60, and have been playing since 1967. I've worked my way up through the ranks locally, and have been blessed to have been in some really good bands, one of which I fronted. Right now, I'm playing in a band I used to dream of playing with. Most of my playing life, I played in trios, with...

When you spend a day with him in his living room, playing music, you learn some stuff. Besides, he has played bass on a lot of his solo work. In my opinion, he qualifies as one of the greatest unknown bassists. He plays imaginative, interesting lines that will challenge, and open up new ways...

Excellent! I had heard that he was quite the gentleman, and in some circles, that would be said in a rather snarky way, as though such an attitude was proof that he really wasn't worthy of consideration as a talent. I have never met him, but I am definitely aware of his talent. Great story...

I never knew those tracks were out there. Thanks for the links, which will lead me to many more from what I can see. If you had been able to interview Paul, that would have been a great read! He's someone I would really love to meet. Paul and I have a mutual friend in common, but that's...

And thank you for the compliment. I wasn't fishing for one (in case anyone else thought otherwise), I was genuinely wondering about the arthritis issue. When you said you had quit playing because of the arthritis, it hit close to home, given my own issues with joint damage in my hands. I was...

No offense taken, and my post was not in response to Hell is in Los Angeles. It was just a question for its own sake. I'm OK with not being famous, and I've never toured with anyone, or done anything other than play in my local area. I'm a decent bassist, who used to be a little more...

Tom, if I may ask, what type of arthritis has affected you? I myself have issues with rheumatoid arthritis, in both of my hands, but somehow I can still play my bass, although on a 6 string guitar, it has pretty much become impossible for me to do anything more than a few chords, and I have...

Tom, thanks for filling in the blanks for us schlubs who aren't famous, and probably won't ever be famous, but still play for the sheer love of the music. I know I've read some of your articles in the past, but I haven't read the mag for a good number of years, because it HAS gone downhill. It...

I use Dava picks. Hard to find, but they have a good grip, and a graduated flex, depending on how you hold them. They're all I use, and I use a pick 90% of the time, due to RA in my right hand. I can use my fingers for slow songs, but anything fast and rockin' requires a pick, for me...

Set up to play, grabbed my bass to tune right before the set started, couldn't get the E string to come up to pitch. The tuning peg had broken, and I didn't have my other bass with me. Had to play the whole first set with no low E string, transposing on the fly up an octave, while also...

If you want to play, the 1099s are a sorry fact of life. Of course, if you know you're going to have to file a Schedule C, keep track of your expenses, including mileage. I've filed a Schedule C for years, as a "Musician for hire". Every year I show some income, but then also show expenses...

+1 The more people in the band, the less each one should play to keep it from turning into a wall of mud. Almost every guitarist I know overplays. In a 3 piece, you can get away with overplaying. A 4 piece (2 guitars) can work if they can work together and not try to do it all. With 3...

Closer to a McGyver solution, I'd say....Improvise with what you can find....I mean, we DO know how to improvise, don't we??? :)

and that is a problem, how? :)

We do What I Like About You/Cherry Cherry/Rockin' in the USA and back into What I Like. We do some other mash-ups, like Last Train To Clarksville with Are You Experienced in the middle, and we have the mother of all mash-ups, Pink Cadillac with bits of 9 other songs interspersed ( I think it's...

Duplicate post....sorry

Back in 2003, I was playing with a band that was booked every weekend, 2 nights, and after 16 months, I was exhausted! It came to a head in July, where we took the stage to start the night in a bar that I had played many times with another band, and before the first note, I remember thinking...

60, started playing at 15. Started learning guitar at about 12, didn't really click until I started on bass. Have played some guitar from time to time, but bass is still the instrument I don't have to think to play. Also learned drums before I learned bass, and have played drums on rare...

There's nothing like being on stage to get you to reach deeper and make it work. I'm in a band that has been together for 33 years in one form or another, and we still have that "oh crap!" moment when we play a song for the first time in front of people. It's the gigs that put the final polish...

++1 I am convinced that guitarists all have music systems at home that have no bass at all. When I first started playing with the band I'm with now, the guitarist I stand next to (we have two guitarists) kept telling me I was too loud, when his volume was practically taking my head off. I had...

Years ago, I went into a bar that I had played at a few times, and found the owner there, an older gentleman, who projected an attitude of distrust, kind of grumpy and the typical "old codger" attitude. We were alone in the bar, so I spent some time talking with him. Turned out, I knew some...

I sag backup vocals for years before the band I was playing in, in the early 90's, had a bit of a shock. Our lead male vocalist developed cancerous nodes on his vocal chords, so I had to step up to do the male lead vocals. I struggled a bit with it, lost my voice at one point, and had to learn...

1. I learned time from my band director in high school. He drilled us all on being in time, on the beat, knowing where the "1" was, and feeling it inside. 2. I work with the drummer to lock it up. Being a former drummer myself, I know how to work things out to lock us together. 3. I...

the Beatles got their start doing covers. Playing 6 to 8 hours a night in Hamburg, 7 nights a week, means you do a LOT of covers. They didn't have that many original songs in those days. Listen to the BBC recordings, the Decca audition recordings, their recordings with Tony Sheridan. They are...

My band is family friendly. We're all in our 50's, and married (although I'm soon to be single....again). We play about once a month, sometimes not even that much. We practice when we can. Our keyboard/guitarist is the owner of a funeral home, and a practicing mortician, our drummer is on...