Tonight was the Doug Wimbish gig at the Bass Centre – Doug always puts on a great show, and tonight was no different. He was in town for the launch of the new Trace Elliot range – Trace, now owned by Peavey (after having been run into the ground by Gibson), have redesigned and relaunched their stuff, which was sounding mighty fine.
Anyway, the amazing thing about tonight was realising how much I’d nicked from Doug the first time I saw him give a clinic, back in the mid-90s. That was at the old Bass Centre in Wapping, and he and Keith LeBlanc played to a packed room. Hearing him again today, using loads of tricks and techniques that are now a firm part of my musical arsenal, reminded me just how pivotal that first clinic was in me getting my sound together.
Which is why the Bass Centre putting on these clinics is such a fantastic addition to bass life in London – if you’re a bassist in London and you’re not yet going to these, YOU’RE MISSING OUT! These are free events, put on by the shop, where we get to see up close what these amazing musicians do, and then ask them questions about it. It doesn’t get much better than that, and there are few good reasons for not being there. That the building isn’t rammed to the ceiling with music students amazes me.
anyway, it was a good crowd, Doug played his arse off, and everyone went away happy.