James Bay live. Hmm.

Philly_Q · April 2016

Wow. Not as edgy as Ellie Goulding. That's a sad indictment of 21st-century "guitar music".

ICBM · April 2016

I find Ellie Goulding quite contrived sounding, whereas James Bay is more natural - to me, anyway.

He looks a lot better without the hat, and comes across as thoughtful and intelligent there. And he plays a bit like me when he's using just his fingers

.

That Epiphone Century really does sound very special too - I'm genuinely interested in the reissue. Being tuned down to D and with heavier strings with a wound 3rd probably helps. I do hope they put the narrow headstock on it, like him I really don't like the wider ones.

I also want a Gibson 330...

thecolourbox · April 2016

Philly_Q;1043496" said:
Wow. Not as edgy as Ellie Goulding. That's a sad indictment of 21st-century "guitar music".

ICBM;1043991" said:
I find Ellie Goulding quite contrived sounding,

That was pretty much my point

lustycourtier · April 2016

Ellie Goulding. Sounds and looks like a personal trainer who's been given a mic.

PC_Dave · April 2016

thecolourbox said:

I too am a little unsure of my overall opinion - I don't usually care that much whether the artists are nice guys who give good interviews, if they are interesting that's a bonus but I prefer to find that out once I've got into the music first. Like others have said I find him a bit safe, a bit like a sunday roast dinner, perfectly fine and enjoyable in the right situation but lacking that bit of excitement or variety. I also get what somebody has said about him looking and acting like he wants to be something his music doesn't seem to be backing up. I do like his song Let It Go, but pretty much the whole album are just pop songs with a band playing, though he seems to want to convey he's a moody rocker. On the flipside, I think the moments in the music where he does do that show the most promise!

I bought his album from Sainbury's for the car, and at the same time bought my girlfriend the Ellie Goulding CD so we can swap over and it's fair. The Ellie Goulding one gets much more time in the CD player, and not just out of the girlfriend's choice. I just find it much edgier, much more personality, and hides the polished elements better somehow. I think because she seems more comfortable with how the music is portraying what she wants it to

What's a "CD"?

thecolourbox · April 2016

PC_Dave;1044422" said:
thecolourbox said:

I too am a little unsure of my overall opinion - I don't usually care that much whether the artists are nice guys who give good interviews, if they are interesting that's a bonus but I prefer to find that out once I've got into the music first. Like others have said I find him a bit safe, a bit like a sunday roast dinner, perfectly fine and enjoyable in the right situation but lacking that bit of excitement or variety. I also get what somebody has said about him looking and acting like he wants to be something his music doesn't seem to be backing up. I do like his song Let It Go, but pretty much the whole album are just pop songs with a band playing, though he seems to want to convey he's a moody rocker. On the flipside, I think the moments in the music where he does do that show the most promise!

I bought his album from Sainbury's for the car, and at the same time bought my girlfriend the Ellie Goulding CD so we can swap over and it's fair. The Ellie Goulding one gets much more time in the CD player, and not just out of the girlfriend's choice. I just find it much edgier, much more personality, and hides the polished elements better somehow. I think because she seems more comfortable with how the music is portraying what she wants it to

What's a "CD"?

It's a music format you can sell on or donate to a charity shop if you don't like it

Philly_Q · April 2016

lustycourtier said:

Ellie Goulding. Sounds and looks like a personal trainer who's been given a mic.

I know what you mean, but local council leisure centre rather than personal trainer to the stars.

ICBM · April 2016

thecolourbox said:

PC_Dave said:
What's a "CD"?
It's a music format you can sell on or donate to a charity shop if you don't like it

Or pass on to your kids or friends, copy it onto multiple devices and listen to it as and where you want (shhhh, this is technically illegal at the moment, even for personal use), without needing to "re-licence" it, pay another subscription or with the risk it may be deleted from some distant server you have no control over. You *own* it.

earwighoney · April 2016

ICBM said:

That Epiphone Century really does sound very special too - I'm genuinely interested in the reissue. Being tuned down to D and with heavier strings with a wound 3rd probably helps. I do hope they put the narrow headstock on it, like him I really don't like the wider ones.

The Epiphone Century reissue is at Thomann, priced at €566, or £450.

ICBM · April 2016

earwighoney said:
The Epiphone Century reissue is at Thomann, priced at €566, or £450.

You mean this one

.

http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_century_ch.htm

It does look nice. It has the right neck spec for me, too.

I'll wait until I can play one over here first though. Or to be really stingy, until someone else buys one and decides they don't like it

.

dindude · April 2016

earwighoney said:

ICBM said:

That Epiphone Century really does sound very special too - I'm genuinely interested in the reissue. Being tuned down to D and with heavier strings with a wound 3rd probably helps. I do hope they put the narrow headstock on it, like him I really don't like the wider ones.

The Epiphone Century reissue is at Thomann, priced at €566, or £450.

Interesting. I wonder how it compares to one of these

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=09032510253638&gclid=CIDjuOq-ncwCFcFAGwod9h4Ltw

Epiphone must be loving it right now, what with James Bay pulling the Century from obscurity and Gary Clark Jr giving a bit of new found cool to the Casino. In an era of the Guitar taking a back seat, it's about as good as it's going to get for a manufacturer.

thecolourbox · April 2016

ICBM;1044792" said:
earwighoney said:The Epiphone Century reissue is at Thoma's, priced at €566, or £450.

You mean this one .

http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_century_ch.htm

It does look nice. It has the right neck spec for me, too.

I'll wait until I can play one over here first though. Or to be really stingy, until someone else buys one and decides they don't like it .

I'd wait until one turns up on James eBay

benmurray85 · April 2016

I really like that epi but now you're saddled with the JB association. It puts me off

Placidcasual79 · April 2016

I doubt James Bay has anything other than a token say in his artistic output. I am sure his a & r/record company consult him, then do as they please.

To launch a 'star' like James Bay, requires an enormous investment on the record companies behalf. Financial pressures being what they are, the record company seeks to collect on its investment and in doing so tries to make a product that appeals to many and offends few - this is how lowest common denominator, middle of the road sh*te like James' music comes to occupy cultural centre ground. He is given the marketing trimmings of an alternative star simply because that is the group of consumers the record company have chosen to target to recoup their investment.

Its possible that there is an artistic talent in there somewhere or maybe a fine songwriter. But he'll have to wrestle control of his career, likely at the cost of record sales, to follow that path.

earwighoney · April 2016

ICBM said:
You mean this one .

http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_century_ch.htm

It does look nice. It has the right neck spec for me, too.

Yeah it does look very nice. Quite a bit like the Guild T-50, which is a far chunk more.

ICBM · April 2016

dindude said:
Interesting. I wonder how it compares to one of these
http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=09032510253638&gclid=CIDjuOq-ncwCFcFAGwod9h4Ltw

I've tried those more than once and hated them. Middy and nasal sounding, and with a wide/thin neck I don't like. I also heard someone using one recently and getting the worst electric guitar tone I've heard in a long time - although to be fair to the guitar, he was using an Epiphone Valve Junior

. But it was just a ratty, muddy mess of a sound.

Even on record and in that interview clip you can tell Bay's old Century sounds *far* better. Hopefully the reissue will be at least similar - but that remains to be seen.

benmurray85 said:

I really like that epi but now you're saddled with the JB association. It puts me off

To be honest if they made it in black I'd like it even better, I think. I don't like it at all in sunburst though.

JohnPerry · April 2016

Thomann can't say when they'll actually deliver it. And surely to God it should come with a hat

XWulfhere · April 2016

I saw Ellie Goulding doing "got you on my mind" live on X factor last year, and between the song and the performance I wondered if the whole act was some kind of elaborate joke