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Showing content with the highest reputation on 28/08/22 in all areas
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Been looking for a bass for our son who got diagnosed with M.S. a year ago. Well, anything to keep his stress levels down so started looking on here and Facebook for something cheap and local. Had one on Face book lined up to view about 8 miles away, a Squier VM jazz at just a little suspiciously too cheap. Checked out the main profile, nothing music related whatsoever, just two pictures of a dog on a beach. Can I come to his friend's house? Blew that one out. Found another (see pic) 30 mins away. It's a bitsa, Wilkinson bridge and pickups, possibly Gotoh gold tuners, and an old logo'd up 37mm nut neck. Apparently, all on an MIM refinished body. It was playable, but needed 20 mins of graft to improve it. We agreed on £180 before viewing. Over the years, I've had a total of 5 USA jazz basses including one custom luthier built instrument with the best of everything on it. Although this doesn't compare with the custom one, it knocks the stock Fenders into a corner for playability. A neck oil, a quick tweak on the saddles and a slight recut of the E nut slot and this is up there with any US Fender I've owned. Going to be hard to give this away.12 points
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If it is what the music calls for, it is precisely that. Being a musician is all about making the right choices - what to play, when to play it, how much or little to play and so on. All the technique in the world does not make anyone a good musician and especially not a good band player. A band is a team, or should be. The whole should be greater than the sum of its parts. If you view a band purely as a vehicle to enable you indulge yourself, you are unlikely to fit in well.8 points
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There are a thousand, maybe more, reasons why folk don't get the gig or the place in the band, just like going for a job interview. One may tick all of the boxes, but there's more than competence or professionalism (although that helps, obviously, for most situations...). Don't get hung up about the gear; it's only one tiny factor in a complex equation. Maybe they don't like suede shoes, or curly hair, a squeeky voice or a limp handshake. There are no rules, really; each meet-up is different, so just go in with a positive attitude and a smile. If it's meant to be, it will be.8 points
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Depends entirely on the music. Do you want to play music or do you want to show off your skills? Just before the pandemic we tried to set a new band with a few members from an existing one and we needed a guitarist. The guy who could shred and tap and all that was not the guy that impressed us. The guy who impressed us was the guy who listened and played what was appropriate for the song. It turns out he can shred with the best, but he knows when to and when not to.7 points
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Good gig last night for my indie rock band. Weird donkey venue mind, it's a posh restaurant in a strip mall that turns into a rock bar at night. There's always a crowd of middle aged women in dresses who are unaware of this and are halfway through their quinoa when the band starts. Oh well. I'm also fairly sure that it's still reverberating in there, the whole venue is flat wood and glass, you've got to be whisper quiet or it turns into a stoner rock gig. However, crowd and management were extremely pleased and it was a return to form for our singer who was a bit ropey last week. Also, I love love love venues with a barrier around the stage where one doesn't have to tidy cables, although our singer did tape those ones that run across the stage down. Most importantly I got a bar maid's number. Unsolicited, but I've clearly still got it. 😁7 points
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Few minutes before set starting with 'cowboy song' Thin Lizzy , and then it went on ... People out dansing and were wild ..... ( Not the bassman , but the band ) 😁7 points
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Now sold - cheers!6 points -
First you serve the song. You don’t need to show everybody all your skilz or everything you know in one song. That’s showboating , not being a musician. Musicianship is all about ensemble playing, and working together.6 points
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It is if it's what is required to get the gig.6 points
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Last night was a return to a popular seaside venue, The Smuggler's Beach in Port Eynon. New band (we'd only played together in that line-up for a 2 hour rehearsal on Wednesday, but all experienced from previous line-ups), new set (finalised at the same rehearsal). Parking was a lottery as the village was never designed for vehicles and has a large caravan park nearby. Quietish first 30 minutes followed by a steady build up of folks until by the middle of the 2nd set they were dancing beyond the stage area into the back of the venue. Great atmosphere and band-friendly staff, including the rare 'drinks for the band on the house' service. About half of my other band (a big 13 piece) were in the audience and they were all up front. Great feedback from them. On paper this should have been a car-crash gig. About three weeks ago we didn't have a singer and the guitarist and I had been preparing to cover the vocals ourselves (if I have to sing, it's definitely an emergency). Then we had found a singer prepared to stand in for the gig. Two weeks ago we found a 'permenant' singer for the band and a few days later he pulled out. So on the night we had another new singer (and we'd modified the set to include a number of her songs). The guitarist and I took a few songs as well. I was pleased with my version of 'Bad is Bad' but 'I'm a Believer' - well, I think 'tries hard but could do better' is the correct phrase. 😀 First proper outing at volume for my mini rig- Trace Elliott 1x10, Warwick 1x10 and Peavey Minimax head. I was really happy with the punchy sound.6 points
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Here is the rig I used tonight/last night. Sounded fantastic (to me!)6 points
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Would consider trades for a short-scale or fretless 4 string of similar value NOW SOLD This is the hybrid FET version with the tube or FET pre-amp options and solid state power amp. Price is now £450 --- PRICE DROP £400 ONO spec Power RMS 650 Watts Inputs1x Jack (With 10db Pad Switch) Channels Fet & Tube Equalisation: Bass & Treble shelving controls, Hi & Lo Para Mid, and 6 Band Graphic EQ Master Presence Control Yes, Active Power Stage Feedback Control Preamp Valves 2x ECC83 Output Valves: No Class: Class A/B Link Jack Yes (Line Level Slave) Line In Power Amp In Footswitch Yes (Included) Speaker connections 2x Speakons FX Loop(s)Send & Return Jacks (post EQ, pre Master Volume) Impedance Minimum 4Ω Cabinet Design Marine Grade plywood cabinet with large grip handles Compressor Single Control for threshold & range with auto level adjust (footswitchable) DI Socket Male XLR (Balanced & Switchable Pre/Post EQ) Tuner Output Socke t1x Jack (direct from input, still active when amp muted) Dimensions: 524 x 218 x 400 [mm]. Weight 27 [kg]. Comes with the original footswitch which allows you to turn stuff on and off.....with your foot! Although it weighs a bit (ok a lot - 27kg) it's actually a reasonable lift due to the big handles on either side of the head. New Roqsolid cover and I have the original box so can ship. I've had this fully serviced after the valve pre-amp circuit failed mid-gig - saved by switching to the FET preamp circuit. My amp tech test ran the amp for a week just to be sure after fixing the fault which turned out to be a dry joint. Through my Barefaced super twin it sounds epic, a lovely deep round tone, with plenty of shaping options with all the graphic EQ available. Worth pointing out that you can blend the tube and FET pre-amps, adding an extra level of tone options I can ship at cost but expect it to be £40 insured vis UPS - I do have the original box so it will be very well protected. I can do a meet up if it's within 50 miles from Nottingham I can take more pics and if you collect you can give it a test drive before handing over your cash. Payment by PPG or bank transfer or cash if pickup/meet up Trades added5 points -
It's been over twelve months since I posted my board so I thought an update was due. There have been a couple of small changes, but the core remains the same. Main shifts: Darkglass is gone (forever - there was always something 'lacking' with the DG pedals for me) and the SA Aftershock rocks. I upgraded my modulation hub from the Terraform to a Synesthesia, replaced a Nemesis Delay with a second Collider (allowing me stack 4 delays or 4 reverbs or any combination as needed) and my 'spare slot' changed from the Matryoshka to the Fwonkbeta. Though the Fwonk plays very well with the dirt section for some synth tones, it's a bit too 'funk' and the filters in the Synesthesia do a decent job for synthy tones as well, so I'm considering replacing this for something else in the same enclosure width - not sure what yet; probably a C4 or a Catalinbread CSIDMAN (if I can find one!). Signal chain for those that like that kind of thing... Input -> Boss OC-5 Octave -> Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler -> Source Audio Aftershock -> Red Panda Bitmap 2 -> Mr. Black Fwonkbeta -> GFI System Synesthesia -> Iron Ether Xerograph Deluxe (+ Moog EP-3 Expression Pedal) -> Digitech Whammy Ricochet -> Source Audio Collider Delay + Reverb (1) -> Source Audio Collider Delay + Reverb (2) -> TC Electronics Polytune 2 Mini -> Output Everything is powered by a Cioks DC7 (which hasn't even hit the 40% load light yet - what a power supply!) and cabled with EBS gold flat patch cables. All mounted to a Pedaltrain Classic2.5 points
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You are JTUK and I claim my 5 pounds.5 points
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Well, we've tried to explain it to you, but you won't have it. We understand that rejection can be hurtful. You've been turned down by a band and you're not happy about it. However, you will do yourself no favours if you continue to insist that the problem lies with others and not with you. You went to an audition, had an argument with the other musicians, tried to impose your way of doing things on them and they turned you down. No surprises there. You need to be able to get on with your band mates. Anyone who looks like being trouble is not even going to get the gig in the first place. So you post on here and complain how unfair it is, claim that you're some kind of musical genius and slag off other bass players? I think I can safely say that none of us would hire you, based on what you have said today, even if you were as good as you claim, because you would be difficult to get along with personally. Based on the sample of your playing that you provided, I would be wary about claiming you are an "advanced" player. I don't expect you will listen to any of this. Your pride will not allow you to consider the fact that you have shortcomings, personally or as a player. It's rather sad.5 points
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The best thing to do is to leave your ego at the door and listen to what the band needs you to play, rather than just playing complex for the sake of playing complex. If you genuinely are 'better' than the other players, it will be obvious even if you are playing simple lines.5 points
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Sometimes you can't. Sometimes being better doesn't matter to a bandleader. There are many other reasons that guys are asked to join bands. Sometime you can the the best player in town and you still won't get the gig. If no one wants to use you, then you have to look very hard at your situation. Maybe you smell, turn up late, don't buy a round, have a nasty attitude or reputation. Or maybe you really aren't as good as you think you are. Or maybe it's none of those. I got kicked out of a band so the bandleader could get his mate in. His mate was nothing special, other than being a a mate! Being a mate is a surprisingly common reason for someone to be given the gig. I see guys getting gigs I can do, and many that I could do better. So why aren't I getting those phone calls? Becoming prominent in a local scene can take hard work, it can take time and sometimes it never happens. All you can do is be the best you can be. If that still gets you nowhere, the only thing you can do is start your own band.5 points
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The elephant in the room has finally escaped 👍5 points
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Then let them choose one of the other players who is obviously better for the gig than you are. Do you think I play all my jazz chops when I'm playing a punk/new wave gig? No. I take out a Precision bass and play what I'm required to play to make the band sound great and keep the gig.5 points
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Ouch.... Well I wouldn't hire you for your attitude, and neither would many r not most of the bands I've worked with, irrespective of your undoubted skills. I stepped off bass about 10 years ago with the intention of playing another instrument in the band, and the guys auditioned several bass players, some of them (then) members on this forum (I did not attend the auditions). Their summary was that all of the candidates played too much, some of them played way way way too much, and some of them didn't seem to realise there were other musicians in the room at all. The guys had assumed that finding a bassist who could do what I do, support the song, would be easy. But no, they couldn't find a bass player to fill my shoes, which is kinda funny 'cos I'm pretty crap. But I know what to play and when, I listen to the whole mix not just me, I look at the other musicians, I look at the audience, and there are all the clues I need. Just occasionally I get the chance to shine, for example on Diamonds, and then I shine(ish). But otherwise, I'm happy to play three notes if that's what the song and the band needs, because the oldest rule in the book is that it's not the notes you play, it's how you play them.5 points
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Pretty cool last night. In that weird sort of way that can happen at wedding gigs. We were at the Cheltenham ladies college in a lovely hall. Nice enough, went down well, trialled some new songs and ended up not playing that much due to some interesting traditional dancing thing that went on for ages! Still, paid well and looks like we’ve plenty more gigs coming out of it Local festival later. IMG_6611.MOV5 points
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Riverside Bar in Dumfries last night. Love this venue, great crowd, great owner and staff. Play there around 4-5 times a year. Unfortunately after many years putting Sat live bands on, an elderly neighbour that has been there for many years has now decided to complain about noise levels. Unfortunately his wife passed away and the guys having some mental issues trying to cope with his loss. Its a shame all round. No winners and i do have sympathy for the poor guy. Bands used to play in the large conservatory they have but have now moved bands into bar area which is smaller plus we were asked to keep our punk covers band quiet. It was so quiet i could clearly hear people talking louder than the band.because the cabs just weren't doing anything. Bass sounded muffled. I actually practice louder at home. As it got busier once we started we did turn up slightly and just enough to get the speakers working and give a little bit of energy in the overall sound. It was like playing punk covers in a club band at the start. At the end of the day we still got paid and i had no issue with noise affecting my hearing 😂 Bar is literally where the camera is. Decided to try the P bass for the first set and it sounded ok but went back to my Marlowe for 2nd set and the change was amazing. P bass had lots of warmth in its tone but because volumes were so low it lacked clarity. Marlowe just brought things back to life and i could hear every note i was playing. Maybe helped by the fact we notched up the volume a little for the 2nd set. Dave5 points
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It took well over a year for my last band to realise that I played fretless. I've never been turned down from a band because I played it.5 points
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Just back from a loud, rowdy pub gig looking after the bass seat for @Graham again. Got to use my newly acquired Two10S (thanks again @RickW!) with the other already in my possession. Sounded marvellous! Crowd were great (especially the lovely lady dancing right in front of me, ahem) and the dude who took this pic - a fellow bassist who was probably horrified at my sloppy playing 😀5 points
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This is the second Ashula I've owned; they're just a wonderful instrument. Full specs are on this page: https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/SRAS7 This is a 2018 model. It's in immaculate condition, living in it's own custom hard case. Annoyingly, it does have one small scratch (pictured, image 13). I have it strung with D'Addario piccolo's, tuned D G C F (fretless side G C F). This gives a really great contrast between the crisp fretted notes and the soft bloom of the fretless. Works great for ambient stuff. The piccolo's accept a wide tuning range; I have had it tuned in fifths all the way through. This made 10th chords sound awesome (for example). I will include the (unused) D'Addario 'nomal' strings in the sale. The preamp is very flexible- turning down the bass on the fretted side can give an 8 string doubling kind of sound. Bad explanation there. Short version is, it really rewards experimentation. The Aerosilk piezo system is one of Ibanez's greatest achievements, in my opinion. (My Portamento and Aerium basses are just fantastic). And the purpleheart fingerboard works really well with it. TRADE OFFER: any 1982 bass! Particularly interested in Ibanez Roadster, Peavey T40, G&L L2000, Aria, Westone... Enough marketing. Pictures:4 points -
***UPDATE: SOLD to Russ (@RJB280) a couple of weeks ago; sorry I've not got round to updating the thread sooner. (More info below)*** It breaks my heart to sell this, but I haven't gigged it in years, and that's not about to change any time soon. A Berg 2x12, 700 W @ 4 Ohms, with adjustable tweeter; 4 parallel inputs (2 jack, 2 speakon); comes with branded padded case. 79 x 46 x 38 cm, 20 kg. Two sturdy side handles. Above all else: incredible tone. Apart from a few very minor scuffs, it's in excellent condition. The case is a little crumpled, though that probably has as much to do with the cat trying to climb up it. Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Would prefer collection from KT1, as I don't have a car - though if you want to discuss courier options, drop me a line.4 points -
I don’t know if everyone’s aware, but solo bassist, educator and all round nice guy Steve Lawson is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. There’s a benefit concert for him taking place in California later today, featuring some absolutely stunning musicians, including Michael Manring. It’s going to be streamed live via this link here: https://bluejeans.com/558774000 Here’s a link to Steve’s Facebook page with more details on who’s playing and when etc: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0GuPo5GuFQtSEiMrq7sPtDuRLTNhRnGBs5Gv3ATAzXVjPhQNn9bj5Ssa2TvtUUF3Sl&id=6335714544 points
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Great fun gig at the Frocester beer festival in Gloucestershire last night. Crowd were well lubricated but the time we played at 7.30 and had a glorious sunset too. Well organised stage and good sound team and a very lively audience. Not the most complicated bass song below but who needs more than 4 notes anyway and its always a favourite! VID-20220827-WA0001.mp44 points
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4 points
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You're asking the wrong crowd! Everyone here will massively undervalue it in the hope you do actually post it at that price, then snap it up. Not me though, you can trust me. I think £150 is a fair asking price.4 points
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This is really cheeky because it's not my rig, yet.......... I had the same cab with a 400+ about 10 years back. I do about two gigs per year on electric, but if you're gonna gig electric, bring out the big guns I say4 points
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Imo, being good isn’t always about how technical or how fast you can play, it’s about being able to hold down a groove , and more importantly keeping time4 points
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Not many people can actually play simple sounding parts with really solid consistent timing. Most people make the mistake when learning of equating complicated with good and neglect to ensure that their basic fundamentals are on point.4 points
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"Weak, smiling and slow bassists", huh? Well, you've forced my hand. A couple of people have alluded to what I'm about to say, but I'll give it to you straight. You uploaded a sample of your playing earlier. Being brutally honest, it consisted mainly of medium tempo, simple pentatonic clichés with occasionally slightly iffy timing. You may be the best or only bass player in your town, but you appear to have an unrealistic estimation of your abilities. Sorry to burst your bubble.4 points
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I don't think this is always a sad thing. The bass holds so much power, we can change the chord, and we can change the whole feel of the groove. To use a cheesy quote, "with great power comes great responsibility". This is very true of the bass guitars role in a band. When auditioning for a band it's important to know what they are looking for from a bassist. If they want some one to play the fundamentals and keep the band together, excellent there are plenty of bass players (including myself) who are more than happy to do that. If you want to play a different role in the band, adding more to the melody for example, it's important that the band know that, otherwise there's going to be a lot of frustration for all involved.4 points
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I think you spelt 'stupidity' wrong there. Same letters at the beginning, easy mistake to make! 🤪4 points
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Friday night - had to dash straight from work and fight with googles directions to get down to devon. Seriously, how do you tell Google to avoid roads where bushes scrape against both sides of your car at the same time? Anyway, this was a wedding for a friend of the rest of the band, ie, he was the previous bass player before I joined in 2016, I never actually met him. So they were doing it for free and I wasn't so it worked out well for him and us (well, at least me!). The place was a little village hall, great stage, all purpose built, who builds a stage that well, adds wings, stairs, curtains etc and puts 4 plug sockets in the whole thing, of which 2 are used by the stage lights? Luckily the was a door near the backstage part, and apart from some little stairs no real setup issues, or wouldn't be if I hadn't spilled a pint of coke next to all the power adapters! Cleaned that up, did a sound check, second gig with the RCF Evox 8 and during sound check I had to put my head right up to the Alto to see if it was actually doing anything. First gig playing the spector RST - so light and sounds great, fits well in the mix, seems a bit politer than the euro but just enough of a growl when you let it go. I had changed the overdrive patch in my HXFX to something softer as the previous rat distortion I had on it was over the top. Tried it, it made it sound much smoother so have to rethink that. Anyway, first half not much dancing (but that is our blues rock half anyway), lots of people outside catching up, second half (party stuff and it had got dark out) a lot of dancing and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Got to about 3 hours and the singer was starting to make lots of mistakes so we wrapped it up with the last song and then the one more song. A good night altogether, and the stupid devon / dorset roads are easier at night when you can see lights and there isn't much traffic!4 points
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Anyone who adder ‘eart. Our Cilla4 points
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First gig with the new Verity (Argent) Bromham (Stray) band yesterday at The Colne Festival in the Municipal Theatre. Well organised apart from road access to the venue - “no you can’t drive down here straight to the venue, you’ll have to wind your way through that warren of backstreets where there’s hardly anywhere to park”! Once in organisation was great, sound guys knew their stuff and there was an SVT Pro and 8x10. I elected to use my own head (Bugera) with the house cab. We did a set of Classic Rock Covers - not really stuff I would’ve picked but the crowd loved it nonetheless. We were then entertained outside by a 16 year old lad chucking up into a biffa bin and a classy young lady being arrested by the feds for lamping someone. And this was at half five in the afternoon - dread to think what it’s like at chucking out time!. The day was ended with a visit to the best chippy in town and a long drive home. Oh yeah, had a dressing room visit from a chap who delivered a guitar to John Verity, turned out to be Trev Wilkinson of Wilkinson Pickups. For those who are into watches he was wearing a Daytona that he managed to get new from an AD who’s a mate of his, lucky git. He’s a smashing bloke by the way, really friendly!4 points
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So, you play the tuba..? ...4 points
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Near mint,in knuckle buster tweed case,a nice addition to my basses3 points
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A looper pedal?3 points
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I had two gigs this weekend, which is very rare for me, as I'm normally a two-a-month sort of person. Friday night was at The Stag in Ascot. I've played there a few times before with a previous band. It's always a bit quiet for the first set, but usually we get a fairly decent contingent of happy dancing punters for the second set. This time, they were much more restrained, and only really danced for the last couple of songs. Ah well, these things happen. I don't think it was through any fault of ours. The landlord did ask us to turn down a bit at half time, as they were struggling to hear orders at the bar, so I understand his concern. Second gig was this afternoon at Park Live. Haven't done an outdoor festival gig for a while! A fairly sedate and seated crowd who kept some distance from the stage, but we did get a gaggle of them up and dancing for a handful of songs, which was great. Having a dedicated sound engineer and monitor engineer was a luxury that I don't usually get, and it really does make a big difference. And I bumped into our own @Happy Jack who was also playing! S.P.3 points
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Did you win ?3 points
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That blast from the past just resulted on coffee all over my monitor3 points
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I learned a nice lesson from Howard aka the bass doctor on here; ahead of an audition put on some heavy strings and set high action, you have to think twice before you get flash because every time to get flash it hurts3 points
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So, you jammed with a band, complained openly about the drummer, then wondered why they didn't hire you? With regards to the instrument, not everyone wants a fretless. It will always sound different to a fretted bass because it has a different attack. Sometimes, a gig requires a different bass to your regular instrument, so you can either suck it up and play what's required or you can give the gig to someone who will.3 points
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Indeed. Fortune favours the brave it seems. His luck cant last though. The longer he carries on, the nearer he'll get to ripping off a psycho, and that will do what the police and FB failed to. In fact, i hope he does find that nutter. Sooner rather than later.3 points
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I would do it all the time if I had the coordination.3 points
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Played a pub gig with Franklin's Tower last night. It always interests me to see how the music of the Grateful Dead goes down to an audience unfamiliar with it. It was at my local pub, so there were quite a few people there who turned out to see me play (for some reason!), locals out for a meal and/or drink and one or two Deadheads who'd come just to see us. It was an outdoor gig in a marquee, which works well for us. We need to work on our set length, though - the first 'short' set lasted an hour and half, so break between sets was taken up deciding which songs to drop. We still managed nearly an hour and half for the second set, though. I was almost asleep by the end, running on automatic. People told us they'd enjoyed it, which was nice of them. The band usually plays for free or for a drink at most, so they were amazed that we were well paid. I'd arranged the gig, and I don't like playing for nothing unless it is for a genuine charity. Overall, a good start to the weekend. I have a gig in Swindon this afternoon with The Wirebirds, and another in Oxford tomorrow with Franklins Tower again. I am not planning to do very much on Monday!3 points
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