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Maybe if you've had a couple of million selling albums, then you can afford to try lay down the law about how your audience should behave... I realise perfectly well that at the majority of gigs I play, my band are probably not the one most people have come primarily to see, and therefore it is unrealistic for me to expect them to shut up and attentively watch/dance (as appropriate for the music I'm playing). I'll settle for them not leaving while we are on and hopefully by the end of our set we'll have made some new fans. Also at the sorts of gigs I do anyone with their phone out is just as likely to be taking photos and/or video which will be posted on social media, hopefully with a few kind words about how much they enjoyed the band, as they are to be scrolling through Facebook. Many of the live shots I post in the "How was your gig last night?" thread are courtesy of someone in our audience who happened to think the band worth worth photographing and then posting and tagging. I'm not complaining.

Small update to the mini/practice board.

Maple Road This Saturday! 9/16/23 Baraboo WI 4:30-6:30 JOIN US FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL BARABLUES, AN AMAZING AFTERNOON OF LIVE MUSIC, GREAT FOOD AND ADULT BEVERAGES ON THE SPACIOUS LAWN OF THE RINGLING HOUSE B&B IN BARABOO! JUST $5 (OR A NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEM FOR THE BARABOO AREA FOOD PANTRY) GETS YOU IN. THERE WILL BE A CASH BAR PLUS FOOD TRUCKS ON SITE. BRING A LAWN CHAIR AND STAKE OUT YOUR SPOT FOR AN AMAZING AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF LIVE MUSIC! PARTY STARTS AT 2PM! This was initially presented to us as a theatre show. Turns out it's going to be a tent show. " Hey guys! Let's plan to meet up at the park and ride in West Bend by Menards at 12:30 Saturday. That will give us the space and time to load the van and get out to Baraboo without stress:)" This gig should be interesting. We've rented a new Econoline Van, we're all traveling together. I'll let you know how it goes. Blue

Board version #1282651876.1 Added the jive at the end of my chain, but before my preamp. Makes my synths sound bigger and my octaves sound filthy...takes away a bit of this je ne sais quoi mid punch my jazz and sandberg have both got, but it adds a weight and depth that works better in the mix... Thinking a compressor at the beginning may be the final piece of the puzzle 🤔. Would love a wireless midi controller for my C4 and ultrawave, but that seems to be a logistical nightmare...

Amazon made me do it 😅😅

That was pretty much me since the age of 17. Although, on certain work, I would say, I wasn't always 'first call'. It started back in the early/mid 70's and ended during Lockdown. I'm now 66 and receiving my state pension plus a private pension I had going for 25 years. I don't do anymore live work on Bass, although I'm still involved in library music, some transcribing and scoring for acts, and more recently, some engraving as well. Along with PRS payments and some occasional PPL, this all brings in modest amounts every quarter. My house is now paid for, we have no debts, I have two boys in their late teens and my wife has various small jobs and projects on the go. She had been in the entertainment business as well. Me and my wife have been together since 1985, so I have somehow managed to juggle a very good family life while working as a full time musician. I set out to be just that, a full time working musician and I had no real interest in 'making it'. As in being in some pop band or getting record deals. I had various family musicians who went down the 'working musician' route and earned a decent living, so it was easier for me because I already had some contacts through them and a good insight into what was needed. My first 'pro' work was playing on Cruise ships all over the place. That's where I really got my reading and busking chops together. Then it was Hotels overseas, and tours around various army/air force bases, both in the UK and in Europe. All this work led me to meeting many of other musicians/md's and I ended up doing Theatre work (resident and touring). Once again I met new MD's, who would then call me or get the fixer to call me for various well known TV personality acts and celebrities, a few old time entertainers plus a few other novelties thrown in. I've worked on West End Shows, shows in Japan, Middle East and Europe etc. All through this I still did the usual West End function band stuff as well (mainly when in between shows or tours). Throw in some decent sessions and cast albums/DVD's, a small amount of TV and Radio, along with a couple of films, has all left me with a CV that me and my family are pretty proud of. All in all, I have pretty much done all that I set out to do musically, made good contacts and formed quite a few lifelong friendships and working relationships along the way. Have I been lucky? Almost certainly. Definitely a case of 'right time and right place' etc... But, I did put a lot of hard work in. I can honestly say I have mostly enjoyed the work and styles of music I have been involved in. That hasn't always been because the quality of work, but quite often, the very excellent musicians, singers and producers I have had the the privilage to work with.

same here, got contacted asking if a band (from Sweden I believe) could record one of my songs, never heard anymore, guess they had no more success with it than we did 😂 Last year we did get a royalty payment for £40 for plays of one of our songs on Norwegian Radio, guess we ought to organise a Scandinavian tour 😀

So I've heard 🤣

I realised it in 1973. I was playing in Pubs and Working Mens Clubs with a bunch of mates, and making pretty decent money. In the space of a month, I was approached by 3 different (Local but Signed) Bands, wanting me to tour with them, and all that it entailed. On 3 separate occasions, I went along, aced the 'Auditions' and was offered the Gig. To celebrate, we went for a couple of Beers and a chat in the Local Hostelry, round the corner from the Rehearsal Studios. During the three separate chats with the Bands in question, the subject of respective ages came up, only to leave the Members of the Bands non-plussed. Different ways of saying it, but they all said the same thing. "Sorry, we'll have to let you go, you're too old" I had just had my 21st Birthday... 🙄 After the third occasion, I realised that lots of 'Musicians' were (insert derogatory word here) so I decided I didn't WANT to "Make It" if that was the stamp of person I would have to engage with. I stuck to playing with mates for the next 49 years, and had a bloody good time of it. (Yes, I paid Tax, and my Accountant made sure it remained reasonable)😋 Bought my House and Boat, numerous Cars, Basses and Musical Gear, got Married and had brilliant Kids, and would have still been doing it, if Arthritis hadn't kicked in with a vengeance. It probably won't mean a lot, if you're not from this area, but I even played Newcastle City Hall, (brilliant to hear your name shouted from the Audience) and appeared on Telly a couple of times. Over the years, I've met a LOT of 'famous folk' who acted exactly the same as those first 3 bands, telling me I was "getting on a bit" which reinforced my early decision, and I haven't regretted it once. 😉

Getting there on the set neck. Happy with the basic shape I think. Just a million hours of sanding to do.

I never wanted the fame and fortune but I wanted to play music and make a living out of it. When I was 9 in 1979 and at school, I told my teacher I wanted to play the trombone so they gave me a test and then told my parents I will never make a musician as I don't have a musical bone in my body. Then skip to 1985 and I saw U2 at Live Aid and saw Adam Clayton strutting around the stage looking like the coolest dude on the planet and I wanted some of that. Went to college and met some friends and got myself a guitar and my friend got a bass. I wanted to play bass and he wanted to play guitar so we swapped but he gave up and I stuck with it. I then spent two years learning to play and then joined a band and gigged lots but this ended after a few years. I then formed another band that eventually got signed in 1996 and actually did really well. We went on tour, photoshoots, recorded two John Peel sessions, did a Radio 1 roadshow, a live Virgin radio session and recorded an album with Mark Wallis who produced the It Bites album, Travis albums, U2 and many others. We released 4 singles, got lots of airplay including TV and cinema adverts. We made it, were signed, getting paid and living the dream but I was still not interested in any fame or fortune despite some of that coming my way. All I ever wanted was to have a song played on the radio, record an album and go on TOTP's. Now, my perception of making it is different but I still don't want the fame or fortune and if anything, even less so than before, I just want to play music and making it is all about how much you play and how much you can live from the income it brings rather than being famous. A few years ago I was playing in a club band that was earning great money and gigging pretty much every weekend. It was supplementing my day job income enough for me to buy a car from earnings and to be fairly comfortable so I considered myself to be semi-pro during that period as apposed to being pro when I was signed and it was my only income. If I look back over the 37 years of playing, I have been amateur, semi-pro and pro and I look at the wall with the albums I have played on and think that I have spent more of my days gigging, touring, recording and playing music that I have working for someone else so for me, despite being an unknown, but known to my friends and family as a musician, I identify myself as a musician more than anything else and to me that is making it.

It's the whole "going to something you don't really want to be at, in order to be seen to be there" thing that really has me scratching my head.

Maybe you've just been in the wrong bands? For me over the last 20 years the band I've been in that has had the poorest audience reaction was the dad rock covers band, who should in theory have had the audience eating out of our hands. In practice for the most part all the originals bands I've been in have gone down better. The last two gigs I've done, there have been people down the front dancing from the first song and even singing along! That's all to music I've written. Maybe there are some people who don't like it. Who cares? There's plenty of people who do, and they are the ones that count. You can't please everyone and you'd be stupid to try and do so. That way leads to madness. Embrace the good, ignore the crap and get on with entertaining those who want to be entertained.

Replacing drivers is both a science and an art, and if you don't know what you're doing you shouldn't attempt it. For instance, the 250 watt rating of your cab is thermal. In most cases what limits a cab's output isn't the thermal rating, it's the mechanical rating. You could load it with a pair of 300 watt drivers that have no more mechanical capacity than what you have now. How would you know? You have to be an expert to make that determination. IMO if you want to get the most possible from a 2x10 and you're not an expert spend the money and get a Barefaced. They have the highest mechanical capacity available.

In the "Sliding Doors" universe where my band got signed rather than Wham! after our single (minor) hit the next time you would have seen me would have been in the Identity Parade on Never Mind The Buzzcocks...

I never wanted to become rich and famous, but a little recognition would have been nice. Over the years, I watched people with far less musical ability become household names while I was left wondering why it was. When I was about 30 years old, I realised that talent and ability are not enough. People really don't care how much musical talent you have or how hard you work, they want something else. Call it the X factor or charisma. Whatever it is, I don't have it and the penny finally dropped: I realised that the world didn't want me. It would have been very easy to become bitter about the situation but I didn't. At 74 years of age, I am still playing in a working band and will continue to do it for as long as I can. I don't care that the world doesn't want me - I don't really want the world.

"three guiding principles... need to be inscribed on the wall of every live venue: 1. Shut Up. 2. Put Your Phone Away. 3. Don’t Be a Richard." Amen to that. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/14/behaviour-music-gigs-live-shows?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1Xr7PF_feLvx8VI4eE7eg1rR5V2BxVtOigsvCxFuKg5VPkg2r7CU6Rf4M

I need to set up a band called ADULT BEVERAGES

Just added a Boss DD200... lovely creative box. Everything snuggly fits on a metro 16 Amazingly (Messy wiring)

Took the Euro LT to a rehearsal last night. I absolutely love this bass. The tone is really growly, seems to sit perfectly with just a small boost of treble and bass. Compared to my Warwicks the Spector just has a bit more bite and attitude to the sound. The way it responds to your playing and just the way it feels to play, I found myself suddenly doing some doug wimbish type techniques 🤣😅. It's like like it pushes back against you in a really good, satisfying way! So happy.

Jam them where exactly? I have ideas on that.

We once played a gig to a cardboard cutout of Marc Bolan... The sound man had gone into the bar next door, which is where the barpeeps were. To be fair, the other band came in about 1/2 way through which added 4. But that's what happens on a rainy winter night in Abertillary!

Today I again had been contacted by the person behind this online shop. As always communication was a bit weird as he tries to present himself as a private person looking for a sharp deal while I know he's a dealer. I decided to do the Google his shop again and saw this not totally true claim on his website (it's presented as a company, but it's actually a one person shop afaik). "All instruments and accessories on offer are handpicked by us in the USA, and then transported to Poland, where they are once again carefully checked by experts" It's far from true. He sources many, many basses on the European bass-sites and marketplaces and has them shipped. They are not all from the us, and not handpicked. Why lie about this, I don't get it? It's so obvious as this guy is everywhere where a vintage Fender or Music Man is for sale. I doubt the expert claim too tbh, given I've seen unmentioned exchanged parts on several occasions. Also I had a weird personal experience with this seller. I was looking for a 65/66 jazz at the time. And he said he had one that he was selling for a friend. I recognized the pictures he sent me from a reverb listing. He took that pictures and used them for his own potential business. At that moment, this bass was for sale at a French store. When I contacted the store about this "friend", they didn't know what I was talking about. So stupid, like there wasn't a chance that I have seen that bass on reverb myself. I am aware that this rant is not really friendly. But imo when you want to play pro bass-shop, you can't just lie obviously and I think it's okay.

I’d looked at this auction beforehand and whilst I didn’t see anything I would bid on, this 57 P Bass caught my eye. I went back just now to check what happened and the hammer price was £8.5k. With buyers premium and VAT that’s just shy of £10,750. Not too bad on face of it and part of me now regret not having a pop at it. https://www.guitar-auctions.co.uk/sale/198/21/1957-Fender-Precision-Bass-guitar-made-in-USA

We're obviously going to get the attendance we need to go ahead so I'll PM payment details to those of you who have confirmed you're happy to pay up front. Thanks everybody!!

Somewhere in a 'sliding doors' parallel universe there's a version of me that is slim and handsome

That’s an important point… If you read Frank Bellos’ book, he points out that while Anthrax were touring and recording those early albums, he was still going to work in his uncles deli in NY just to make some money! Just shows, fame doesn’t pay the bills.

Back in the early 90s our band was doing pretty well - we were headlining the Marquee and all the Mean Fiddler venues, we were touring with Carter USM and Gaye Bykers, we'd had bands like Bolt thrower supporting us... So our keys and guitar player decided our fame was imminent and jacked in their jobs. the rest of us felt it best to hold onto our employment for just a bit longer. As it turns out we were right! We just drifted along until we could no longer be bothered.

I'd need a shower afterwards !

Two coming up for us. 27th September in Leek and 17th October in Manchester (supporting The Long Ryders)

My first pedalboard... It's taken me 23 years of playing, but I finally decided to make the jump. For the first 10 years I went straight into the amp, but since then I've had a Zoom B2.1, B9.1 and B3, the Headrush Gigboard plus a Boss ME-50B which I didn't really like. Most of which was used for a couple of core tones, plus the odd effect when needed, so a pedal board makes more sense. I was going to try the Laney Digbeth as my preamp until the Joyo Monomyth was available for half the price. That's at the end of the chain so I can use the DI, and has a Joyo Scylla and Korg Pitch-black before it. Powered by an Anker power bank and Li'l moXie 9v converter, which works very well and makes this board very portable - no more searching for sockets at the front of the stage! Ive used a Pedaltrain Metro 16. I was going to go for a Nano+, but they're similarly priced and this gives me an extra row if it's ever needed. I've left room for an octave pedal, and I might add a mini chorus to the top row. I'm very happy with it so far, and it's got it's first gig on Saturday!

How do you find out how heavy a red hot chilli pepper is? Give it a weigh, give it a weigh, give it a weigh now.

So seven years on I've stumbled across Born Fighters, which is a bloody good watch, and also possibly the earliest (1979) recorded use of 'wasp in a jam jar' to describe a guitar's tone.

Strangest time I was recognised was at Hamburg Airport, by The Macc Lads of all people - we were playing the same venue that evening.

LPB with blocks and binding. Restrung with Dunlop Flatwounds.

May be interesting for some. https://www.proavl-asia.com/details/73643-b-c-speakers-acquires-eminence-speaker

Tomorrow I'm supposed to receive a package from Precision Vintage Blonde. I sold the Gold Edition LPB, it was great, but it was the VB that charmed me

Nope. Long scale only. Multi scale is getting more popular for metal and metal musicians will buy anything black so it would make sense.

For me I made it,get to play music I like with band mates that are friends.We also get paid for doing something we enjoy without to much hassle.I’ve a very contented home life with a wonderful wife of 35 yrs and son I’m very proud of.With experience of making a living from something else I had great interest in and growing to hate it in later life. I am great full that I still get exited to day as much as I did when I first started many years ago. I suspect a lot of the (stars) today have lost that feeling . The ones that have truly made it are the ones who still love what they do having been very successful and also have a great home life.This industry can give great rewards and fame but also be one of the cruelest mistresses or what ever the correct pro noun is these days.

Offer the Mustang Bass (by you-know-who) as a lefty. I would be perfectly happy with a lefty version of the Squier CV too. And real, Canadian-made Dingwalls, I would love me an Afterburner II with an all-wenge neck. I really appreciate they've given us left Combustions and NG's, but I feel they're incredibly overpriced for something made in China and I don't like their looks as much.

I suppose there must be some degree of attrition; basses lost to theft and damage need to be replaced. That surely can't account for all of it. There must be some people out there with more than just a bass and a spare 🤔

I was playing in very decent originals bands well into my early 40s - didn’t have the aim of “making it” but they did have great songs and I did believe we might go somewhere. Alas like most bands they folded. I’ve always held down a job while playing - something I thought was holding me back from being a “proper musician.” But I now realise that I’d have to say yes to all kinds of gigs I didn’t like if I was trying to make a living from music. So I’m glad I do it for pocket money and enjoyment.

I second what @Frank Blank says! Just think, you can try out the new Trace head if you come along..

Do it anyway!

Nope its always been a hobby for me. As long as people enjoyed the gigs i've played then i'm happy and successful. Always had a good paying job that i used to enjoy when i was younger so giving that up was a no brainer for me. Had the opportunities in 80's to take things up a notch but said no as it meant giving up my job and moving South to either Midlands or London areas and i kept my sensible head on. The bands that made the offers never amounted to much more than i have now. At the moment i'm where i want to be in life. Retired on my 56th birthday and enjoying both bands and getting more than enough gigs throughout the year. I get sell out gigs so must be doing something right No regrets. Dave

I'll add my name to the "sometimes gets recognised" list that a few of you are on. When I met my missus again (we were at school together in the 80s), we went on a mini break down to the coast and I was stopped for being the bassist of the band I was in at that time. We'd not been together long and she was really impressed. I was recently having coffee with my Dad and I was approached again. I like it because it's not a regular inconvenience and when it does happen, it gives the day a bit of a lift. Admittedly it is rare that they know my name but it's fun.

Just to add, my 40th Anniversary Precision in Satin Dakota Red has just arrived and it is incredible. An absolute dream to play and is actually set up really nicely. It also sounds brilliant and despite not liking satin necks as I prefer gloss necks, it feels really really nice. The only other satin neck I've ever liked was my fretless Stingray which was the nicest neck I've ever played but this also feels really good. The vintage look is also really nice. So I am super happy and the best £250 I've spent on a bass and will tide me over as the only fretted bass in my collection 😜