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Marching & Electric Bass


Wally Malone

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I've been asked to play electric bass and march in a 4th of July parade. Any ideas on how to pull this off? If memory serves me right I believe Jeremy may have done this with a bass marching band in Berkeley. The only way that I thought of was to get a battery powered amp and pull it in a wagon.

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
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Wally,

There were twelve bassplayers in the parade. The amp was in a car. The speakers were strapped to the roof of the car. In the first parade we trailed behind the car with long cords. In the second parade we all used wireless units. The cords worked better.

 

For your parade, maybe you could borrow a peavey battery powered amp and wear it in a backpack. A friend of mine has one, I could talk to him. You could also play an ABG and have fun in the parade (and forget about being heard).

 

Dragging a small amp, a car battery, and a voltage converter in a wagon might work, but it wouldn't be much fun.

 

I'm in the back on the right in the picture.

http://home.jps.net/~jeremy/band3.jpg

http://home.jps.net/~jeremy/band4.jpg

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Thanks all for the ideas. Jeremy, I guess I still do have some memory. I thought that was you that had done that. I'm going to talk to the referral service director at our office, he has a Carvin PA system that is battery powered with the amp in one of the speakers. Maybe if he would let me use it I could get someone else to pull it in a wagon. :idea:

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
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I've played gigs with the guy before. He does a combination of cajun, reggae, blues & rock. He plays guitar, fiddle and accordion. Not sure what he plans to do on this gig. He normally uses bass, keys and drums behind him but I understand he'll have eight pieces including himself. Should prove to be interesting. wager47, I've always thought about the tuba but it would take time away from the doublebass and my six-string which I've been putting in a lot of time on and still not where I want to be on them.

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
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The world's first All Electric Bass marching Band?

 

How come you guys get all the fun?

"Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread.

 

Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate.

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I've seen the battery-amp/backpack and battery/amp cart in parades in NYC (my kids' school does Columbus day every year). I haven't seen cables dragging from the car (I'd be the one with the cable wrappd around my leg, being dragged along, still playing). All Elecric Bass Marching Band - never thought of that - must have been wild :D:D

 

Wally - golf cart? You march, the amp rides, and Lady Bo drives (and waves to the crowd :wave: )? (shows what's really important - the amp gets the free ride).

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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Originally posted by Tom Capasso:

Wally - golf cart? You march, the amp rides, and Lady Bo drives (and waves to the crowd :wave: )? (shows what's really important - the amp gets the free ride).

 

Tom

Good thing you don't need a license to drive a golf cart. :D If I did that I'd make sure I marched behind the golf cart. :P

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
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Wally - what are you saying?

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dateline July 4, 2002

 

At today's Fourth of July parade, one of he bands had some non-traditional instruments. There was pandemonium when the bass player was run over by the person driving a golf cart carrying his amplifier. The crowd rioted when it was learned that the cart driver was both famous (having played guitar for Bo Diddley) and was also the bass players wife !!

 

After the bass player (Wally Malone) was struck and fell, his wife reached down and grabbed his bass (identified by someone in the crowd as a "Kubicki"), she was heard to scream "what are you playing !!! Give me that thing - I'll show you how to play !!". Leaving Mr. Malone prostrate on the street, "Lady Bo" drove off playing a wicked riff at twice the volume, and was last seen weaving in and out of the marchers' ranks at a high rate of speed. Mr. Malone was unable to move for two hours as parade officials were unwilling to stop the parade. Twelve high schools marched right over the former bass player, at which time the Emergency Medical team scraped him up with a spatula....

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

:D:eek::confused:

 

Send me the real clipping when you march.

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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Glad you enjoyed it...

 

While surfing over at SSS, they were talking about battery operated eqiupment. I didn't read it completely, and I'm not sure exactly what your current thoughts are, but click over and take a peak..

 

Click Here

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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Thanks Tom, I may have it worked out. Talked to the Referral Service Director out the office today and I'll probably be able to use his Carvin battery powered PA. It's actually fairly small and I'll only need the one side that has the power built in. It's probably what they were talking about over at the other forum.

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
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  • 3 months later...

The parade happened yesterday. I used the borrowed Carvin PA and my brother pulled it in a wagon. About 3/4's of the way the battery started to go, for the last section the sound was distorted and came in and out. We were backing Alligator who played accordion and did a Cajun groove the whole way through the parade. The other musicians included my wife, Lady Bo on electric guitar (she played through her very small Fender amp with a nine volt battery), a fiddle player (through a HoneyTone with a nine volt as well), a keyboard player who use a melodica, a snare drummer and a bass drum player. We had a blast and the crowd really dug it.

 

Wally

I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make!
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Wally,

 

Glad you had a good time and were well recieved.

 

I guess you need serious battery power - next year bring a spare battery. Did you at least give your brother some kind of percussion thing to make noise and be part of the gig? Did Lady Bo march straight, or was she all over the road?

 

I saw my daughter march in her last parade on Memorial Day. There is something so cool about marching, especially when the group is either marching well or playing well (our HS does both!). It (almost) makes me want to join a local marching group...

 

Thanks for the report, and for reviving one of my most creative threads !!!!

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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