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Played at an arts centre in Petersfield on Friday night with Leather & Lace. Venue wasn't great for onstage sound but apparently it was fine out front and the audience loved it! Personal highlight was the sound tech who said my bass sound was best he's ever worked with live! Splendid 💜😎

Final gig of 2023 last night. No2 Baker Street in Stirling Town with an intimate, chilled out and appreciative crowd. Very warm atmosphere and the band played well. Only issue bass wise was a seamless switch over from my main bass playing finger to the backup finger mid tune towards the end of the third set when a touch of cramp set in during Go Buddy Go. Apart from that one issue, a very enjoyable end of year gig was had by all and very well paid as the accumulated wealth in the band gigging bank account was cleared out end of year and distributed between the band members. Bass rig on the night was my trusty lefty MIM P-bass into a GEB-7 with an accentuated 120Hz boost, an LMB-3 and same as it ever was via a TC Poly Tune. Amp wise was my Ashdown Labs MK500 and trusty 1980s Musicman RH115 cab sporting a recently installed Lavoce Neo high performance 15" driver. Sounded immense and super heavy on the low end. A wee video clip from the drummerist video cam set about two foot back on a shelf behind our drummer and looking towards the audience. Taken with a mobile phone camera. Merry Christmas Bass Chatters 🎄 My Movie 7.mp4

Nice little jaunt into Dronfield last night, great club with a nice clientele and atmosphere. The Christmas songs got their 3rd play of the season and spirit is still sufficient that no one is groaning yet. Audience decided they wanted us to stay up all night but after 6 encore numbers we were released and even managed to get in just before 1.

Two very different gigs this weekend... Friday was the 4 piece rock band at the Murderer's Arms (?) somewhere in Derbyshire - Sabbath, Pistols, Motorhead, AC/DC, Zeppelin, Metallica type stuff. After the soundcheck, a woman asked "Are you going to be that loud all night?" and a bloke said "You starting at 9? We'll be leaving at 5 past" Not many in, those that were there seemed to enjoy it, bit of good-natured heckling and one of my jokes even got a laugh (first time for everything). We played pretty well, couple of rough edges as usual - I think we rehearsed twice about 9 months ago when I joined. StingRay -> Small board (Bass soul food, One Control green bass machine, MXR chorus) -> Sansamp programmable BDDI -> Mark CMD 121P. Great setup for rock stuff, love the different crunch/distortion/fuzz options. Good laugh, got paid. Saturday was the Jones Jazz Orchestra's 5th birthday/Christmas bash in Coleshill. 20-odd piece big band with 4 vocalists. Nice varied setlist, A few Michael Buble ones (MD is a big Buble fan), Live and let die, Fantasy (Earth, Wind and Fire), a few jazz standards, Gershwin, L-O-V-E, a few christmas numbers in the second set.. bit of everything. It's fantastic playing in a big band, such a different vibe to 'normal' 4/5/6 piece pop/rock/indie bands. I was wedged in between the drummer and the trumpets, thank god I had my earplugs. Really nice to hear the different stuff the trumpets get up to - usually I only hear the loud high bits, but being next to them meant I got to hear all the quieter/subtle bits that I don't normally hear. Highlights were the Trombone solo in Flip, Flop & Fly and the Trombone intro to Live & let die - our 1st Trombonist has got such a sweet, gorgeous tone that just sits beautifully on top of the band when she's giving it some. Good audience, a lovely bunch of decent musicians, we sounded really good, a real pleasure to play with. Unpaid as all the money raised goes back into the band, happy to do it for the fun of it. StingRay -> Thumpinator -> VTDI (set to Fliptop) -> MarkBass 802. And two Lucky Chops tunes on the Sousaphone for good measure. A good weekend!

In Isolation played at The Sal in Nottingham on Friday. Unfortunately it wasn't the greatest night - the gig clashed with New Model Army at Rock City and as a result was fairly poorly attended, and only a handful of people took advantage of the half-price entry for those coming from the NMA gig. It wasn't helped by Discord & Rhyme having to cancel at the last minute due to their singer loosing her voice. On the upside we played well and those that had come to see us were most appreciative. The new songs went down well as did out cover of "I Believe In Father Christmas" and we sold some copies of the single afterwards. Last gig of the year for me will be on Friday 22nd at The Fiddler's Elbow in London.

Played a fantastic venue last night in the middle of Bromsgrove for a private Christmas party. Gig went brilliantly, hired a pro sound engineer for our front of house and on stage sound and he’ll 100% be getting calls in the future for our other gigs. Crowd were really involved, atmosphere was great. The only downside being I have only just bought a brand new Sire V7 5 string for the Christmas shows but at sound check I really really wasn’t feeling it, so out came the Squier P Bass and boom, there’s the tone I want there’s the feel I needed. I see a return on the horizon for the Sire.

This has been a revelation… No arguing, no fussing, no let downs. No Egos. weird, was about to give up completely. 2024 looking good. I auditioned and got the “job” with 3 other bands - but this just felt right. So I let the other bands know and off I went - one set of responses from a particular band were reassuringly horrific…glad I didn’t join that particular band.

Lydney Town Hall last night with the Soul Destroyers... tickets sold out a week ago and they were a great crowd, especially after they'd availed themselves of the bar... it was our first time with this promoter and I think they liked us... In the interval between sets, they asked if we could play next year's NYE. I played in an am-dram pantomime pit band some years back in Chippenham, it was a great time. Did three years with them, it's an experience I'd instantly recommend to anyone. "Oh no you wouldn't!" Oh yes I would. Etc.

Can I ask... for a friend. It was OK in the 1980's to put an XR3i badge on a 1300 Escort wasn't it?

Played with The 77s at Drakes Cork & Cask in Maidstone on Saturday. Brilliant gig which was very well attended by regulars of the pub, and various groups of Xmas parties coming in and out. We added in a few songs that we had not done for ages, as we need to extend our set list for our NYE gig. We hadn’t rehearsed them all together so they were a bit rusty, but on the whole OK. Ended up doing two extra encores which we hadn’t planned on, but we were happy to keep playing. Played my Duff McKagen Jazz Bass Special, Darkglass AO 500 and Orange cab. They asked us to go back next year which was a nice bonus.

Bandwidth (not my idea!) did a little 45 minute support slot for the After Hours Band at Blakeney Harbour Room yesterday evening. I didn’t get off to a good start having had to do a massive detour on the way to the gig because of an accident blocking the road. I had set out with a low charge in the car (it wasn’t far) and the detour used up all my contingency, so I was worried I wouldn’t make it home afterwards. We set up on the floor in front of the stage, so as not to interfere with the main band’s set up. As ever I was pushed into a square foot right on top of my amp and I share my monitor with the drummer, so we both end up not being able to hear it 😏. We use minimum stage volume (drummer uses an electronic kit) and we all DI but we always have a struggle setting up the PA. The lead guitarist has a digital mixer, which should be great but I think the technology has defeated him and we seem to go round the same issues every time. We took about 1 1/2 hours to set up, whereas the main act was done in the time it took them to assemble the gear on stage and very impressive it was. My little Peavey Max 150 combo (running at 8 o’clock on Main) was dwarfed by their bassist’s stack of two Aguilar SL 4x10s in beautiful ivory tolex, with I think a 750 watt Tone Hammer sitting on that - sounded massive. I felt uncomfortable throughout the gig, like me and the drummer were chasing the beat, rather than setting it. Not helped by not being able to hear the guitars and keys but the punters seemed to enjoy it. We got plenty of compliments afterwards. We then managed to break down and clear our gear in less than 20 minutes, only to find After Hours didn’t start for another 25 minutes. I stayed to listen to them for an hour afterwards and they were amazing. Really tight, with excellent dual guitar work (a touch of the Wishbone Ash in parts) and fantastic bass. Worth catching if they come your way. On the good side, I made it home through the raging storm (branches flying across the road, etc), with about 5% charge left on arrival.

I’ve got a potential new band, at a mates 40th birthday party last week a few of us were asked to do a few classic rock covers. We did a 45min set, went down really well and lots of the people there said they didn’t know we had a band. When we said we didn’t and that we’d only had 2 rehearsals (and only 1 with the drummer) they said we def should keep it going, so in all likelihood we will, just get Xmas out of the way. So we never know what’s round the corner or what opportunities will come our way. Gotta take them though.

This is a new fairly new board for me, graduating from a Orange Bass Butler > Way Huge Swollen Pickle > DOD Rubberneck > Element to what you see above. Chain is Tuner > Beta > Jam Rattler > Demhe > SY300 > EQD Afterneath clone > Element. Only had one rehearsal with it so far (context: I play in a loud rock/psych/post-hardcore band) but pleasantly surprised by the Beta V, which has not made me miss the Bass Butler that much. I'm still to learn the full capability of the LPF - in fact our drummer said having the switch to 1 sounded like I was playing in the other room - so still trying to find my way with that one. Keeping it neutral on 0 felt like the best place so far. The pedal I thought would be a slam dunk but has left me a touch disappointed is the Rattler. Done a fair bit of knob-twiddling with the blend but still getting a bit lost in the mix. However I love the secondary switch to go full-gain for those heavier parts, so will be staying in the board for now. Quite easy to accidentally engage that switch, mind.. Enjoying the Demhe, it's a bit more velcro-y than the Swollen Pickle, which I did really like but there is only really one setting for that and it is big booming bassy fuzz. So needed something a little more versatile. Boss SY300 is brand new so haven't had the chance to get it in the rehearsal room yet. But mainly looking to use it as a multi-fx and an all-round ambience creator than a straight synth. Sounds good so far, and have been able to make just simple chorus / flanger / phaser patches (after some YouTube tutorials). Afterneath clone is great (bought from a DIY pedal maker on The Fretboard). Had the real thing before and this sounds just as good. For me, Afterneath is the best reverb on bass. Element is the Element, had it for ages now and don't see myself ever getting rid of it. Cab sim, headphone out, DI out for live performance, and plug it into the laptop to record straight into a DAW. Brilliant tool.

This weekend's rig of choice... At the end of this year, i'll have been using my 80s Musicman cab as my go to cab for ten years. Believe it or not, its a one handed lift. Actually it only has one handle on it 😉 To celebrate this milestone its just recently had a really nice spec Lavoce Neo driver installed which is warmer sounding that the previous more hi fi Faital Pro 15PR400. Sounded immense with my trusty MIM P-bass and a rather wonderful Ashdown Labs MK500 circa 2008 providing the oomph. Forgot to bring a back up amp to the gig but really, with Ashdown kit, i've never needed one.

Picked this up for £100. Only tried it for 5 minutes but it’s nice to play. ✌️

I think that as soon as it gets to the songs that they need their phones for I’d pack my gear up leaving my share of the fee up until that time, saying rehearsals are for rehearsing and not learning. Do it a couple of times and it might sink in, hitting peoples pockets often does.

Turn, Turn, Turn - The Byrds

The band sounds great. I'm surprised you'd all call it a day when you sound so good together. Any particular reason ? Pretty sure you'd find another band. You sound competent and you do backing vocals so that's a good plus. Good luck for whatever you decide to do but it would be a waste of talent if you don't get back out there. Dave

Simple answer is NO. I just couldn't work with people like that. You either want to be in a working band or you don't. If you can't commit then step aside and allow the others in the band to move forward is how i view things. That's just a joke and if that happened at a rehearsal i'd walk out. New members being brought in is a band decision and should have been discussed and agreed before a rehearsal and what's the point if he can only stay for an hour. I'm retired so its easier for me on the food front but when i'm gigging my main meal / dinner is a Tesco meal deal taken after sound check. Occasionally i get takeaway food for a change. That kinda goes with the territory i'm afraid. Our rehearsals used to be a Sun from 12-6 with and hours drive each way and we would take sandwiches to that as well. As you say if everyone is singing from the same page you do accept some uncomfortable issues like no hot meals that day but you need to see a return on that sacrifice with the band moving forward. I was in a blues-funk band for a spell and it turned out the BL only wanted to rehearse. I was driving country roads for over an hour each way thru winter conditions to get there and back and found out he didn't want to gig much maybe once or twice a year. I left when i found this out from another band member. The annoying part was the band was pretty darn good and i was enjoying the music. I really feel for you there @Marvin. It wouldn't be me. I'd move on and look for something else. Dave

Well done @Lozz196 sometimes it just happens. Its funny how we never rate ourselves as being the "better" musician in the band. I'm much the same. At the moment i believe both my bands have people that are equally matched. If i take any one individual, in either band, i could quite easily highlight their strong points and why i think they are the better musicians in the band. I'm not sure how others in a band judge the bass player ? Is it his technical ability, timing, reliability, commitment and effort he puts in, i honestly don't know. My drummer has stated a few times that its my commitment to playing exactly note for note in the songs that makes it easier for him to follow as he always knows i'm there. Guitarist reckons same as in one particular Xmas song in over 30+ yrs playing same song i'm the only bassist to play it correctly and he didn't need to show me how. Comments over the years have been based on the fact a song gets mentioned and i've nailed it for the next rehearsal. No song seems to be an issue for me. I think many bassists are in a similar position. We simply do our job because we are committed and want a band to work. We're not technically brilliant solo bassists but solid capable players that want any band to succeed. Here's hoping for Xmas that we all find that particular band mix that works for us. Dave

The primary problem today why nothing ever seems to get going is the phone...Nothing worse than standing around a space with other musicians and then one gets the phone out and starts fiddling.....

I have been playing bass for 32 years ( I’m sure loads have done it for longer ) I was blessed to be in a great band for 10 years , a few other stints in good bands for 5 years or so , so I consider my success rate about 50% . I have been in countless projects / start ups / get togethers that don’t go anywhere , you put the effort in , learn the songs just to watch the guitarist or drummer fumble around at at rehearsal. Being in a good band with all the musicians of equal skill and motivation is akin to the aligning of the planets , happens once in a blue moon .

Uh... Don't want to jump the gun, but it seems like I might actually be in a band now 🤣 We'd been in touch and they'd sent me some material. I'd listened to it twice that evening, then they sprang an audition opportunity on me at 2hrs notice on the following day. I said I'd go, but not to expect miracles. Hardest 4½ hours of bass playing I've ever done, but I think I left a good impression as they're straight back into wanting another rehearsal next week... (Edit- And another rehearsal next week, plus I get to leave my amp/cab at the rehearsal space...) And then today, out of the blue, another band contacted me to say they wanted my services. It never rains but it pours.

From my experience with Fender basses, it would be quite easy to spot the difference between the fake and the real thing. The fake is almost certainly going to be better made.

I worked with Laurel in the late 60s - I had a brand-new lurex suit (made by me mum) & a week later Melody Maker (I think) reported that Laurel had turned up for a gig in a lurex suit - happy days. 😎

Definitely not, if they want to get anywhere. I sympathise - I wouldn't last long in a band like that. Bringing someone else along and expecting them to be allowed to play without asking beforehand is downright rude. We use phones in both bands I'm in, but only for recording the sessions and playing back cover songs through the PA that we're having difficulty getting right. The Ultimate Guitar thing sounds bizarre, too. I'd be embarrassed at having to do that - I normally learn songs by making a paper chart and getting to the stage where I only need it as an aide-memoire rather than reading to the exclusion of everything else. It's easier to annotate a paper chart, too. But don't be disheartened - you came into the band with the right attitude and if you keep looking, you'll find the right people eventually.

This morning's earworm, straight outta nowhere. Haven't listened to it for years. As earworms go, this is proper lush.

We've just had to change our drummer, as Jim*, our original drummer, was really struggling to get to rehearsals and gigs. He's a lovely lad and a very feel-oriented drummer, and I really enjoyed playing with him. He, the singer and myself have known each other since we were 13 and Jim's lack of availability was starting to cause some pretty serious friction, even between the three of us, who have always been tight. Add into this his poor mental health (which we'd spoken to him about and he wasn't ready to acknowledge as a problem), his two jobs, other band, fraught family circumstances and an over-reliance on alcohol and it all became a bit much. We'd have band discussions regarding what songs we were going to learn, and he'd agree one week and then adamantly refuse them the next, saying he'd never heard of them or didn't like them. There would be discussions about when a gig was booked for and he'd agree to the gig, we'd book it and then he'd cancel, saying that he had other commitments - but only after we'd said yes to the gig. I spoke to him one night after practice about his mental health and his circumstances, and told him that if something had to give, he could leave the band with our blessing, as he was my friend first and my drummer second, but he insisted that all was fine and that he was on top of it all. Rehearsals were getting pretty fraught, and as the de facto BL I was constantly trying to give everyone their say and at the same time keep it all from going bang. The band Whatsapp group was becoming a bit of a minefield, especially when he'd been drinking. Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't all down to Jim - the rest of us have families, jobs etc, and they all make demands on our time.We all have stress and problems in our lives, too, so he wasn't alone in that. I think the main issue was that the band wasn't as much of a priority for Jim as it was for the rest of us, but he didn't see it that way. To cut a long story short, after declaring that he wouldn't be available for a fortnight (not in a "Lads, things are a bit busy so I'm going to need a couple of weeks off" kind of way, more of a "You lot will have to wait" kind of way, there were.... words between Jim and the singer, which culminated in him saying he was leaving the band. I phoned him a day or so later and said that as much as I didn't want him to go, it was probably for the best. I think he was hoping we'd have him back, but I said that the rest of us were in agreement that it was best that he left. It was a hard call and a bit of a balancing act, but he and I are still firm friends and we message each other almost daily. As I said, friend first, drummer second. Almost immediately we put out an advert for another bin-hitter, and had three firm responses and a couple of less firm ones. We went with Phil, the first guy we tried out, because he was a perfect fit. He just clicked. A superb drummer whom we had all seen in action before, an easygoing attitude and able to say exactly when he could and couldn't rehearse. It's taking a while for things to settle down, as changing a drummer is a big upheaval, but Phil is keen and is learning the set at a very pleasing rate. TL:DR: Sometimes you have to replace a band member or two to make things come together. *Not his real name.

Thanks Dave. We're stopping for a couple of reasons. The drummer has moved to Coniston, a 4 hour round trip for gigs. The guitarist now really suffers the day after a gig, it pretty much a write off for him, so he fancies a break too. I'm hopeful for a new band, but it's one of a few hobbies for me, so I only gig once a month. Most of the bands I've had contact with want more than that. It's just a case of finding one where we're all on the same page.

That's a real shame, you all sounded fantastic.

Spent 30 minutes sanding the body today, it’s in better condition than I thought, just got thick paint on it. The wear/relic is mainly on the paint so there are only a couple of relic marks to fill. I did a test patch of primer last night to see if it would react, and it doesn’t, so that makes things easier. I couldn’t decide on a colour looking online, so I went for the one that jumped out on the shelf. It’s a gunmetal grey metallic, a bit brighter than the landrover colour if you’ve ever seen a Defender. Should look good, although I’m not sure if the tort pick guard would go?

I've used JMB, Bandmix and even Gumtree over the years and more recently we got our guitarist thru placing a FB advert. When i was younger i just wanted to play Prog Rock but thru the 80's the demand fell away and no-one wanted to watch that particular style so i adapted and played rock. As i got older and after a few yrs away due to work commitments around 2010 i took on any band i could get into just to get some experience again. I was in everything from pop, blues, funk, celtic rock, originals rock, Deep Purple tribute, 70's covers, originals Prog, indie originals and finally ended up with my current Glam covers band and classic punk covers band. My point being that if your music doesn't appeal to many then getting band members and subsequent gigs will be far more difficult and you may need to look further afield for gigs and even band members. What i would suggest is that as an interim measure until you can get the band and gigs you want then take on a different style of music that's a bit more popular to keep your hand in. Just a thought. Think its probably an age gap there as when i was young i definitely wouldn't have played in some of the band styles i listed above and nothing but Prog was ever gonna do it for me but i do wish you all the very best and hope Santa brings you the musicians and gigs you are looking for. Dave

My early Christmas gifts:

My favourite was a Rick copy that looked authentic, but up close the truss rod cover read "RonnieBarker".

Thank heavens for that! I thought we had some rival competition there for a minute.

Keep going until you find the right people.

I bought a licenced Mighty Mite neck from ebay to finish a bitsa that was otherwise either official Fender parts, or parts very obviously stamped otherwise. The neck was as-new in original packaging and had never been drilled/fitted, yet somebody (presumably the seller) had still put a Fender decal on it and over-sprayed it with lacquer. Because it was a Fender bass by weight and I didn't fancy making a mess of the headstock, I just left it as it was while I owned it. However, because it passed as a Fender bass if you didn't look too hard and I didn't want anyone to be fooled by it, I took a scouring pad and removed the decal before I sold it. I must admit, it was only after I took the fake decal off that it hit me how 'correct' it had looked before, and how much it now looked like the collection of parts it actually was. I just took that as further confirmation that it was the right thing to do.

I worked for a short time for the guy in the darker yellow T-shirt. He worked with Marley as promotions man at Island records. Not too envious...

I've been known to assemble the odd bitsa, I have put fender decals on some of them, not to fool anyone, or myself, but purely for the visual aesthetics, the fender logo is iconic and for me finishes of the overall look of the instrument. If I sell any of them I make it very clear it is a bitsa.

Since we on this Rhythm, have to throw in this one then:

Everton Blender, Ghetto People Song 💥

Think there are 2 camps on this… 1. Aspirational “wish I had a fender” - but can’t afford. My first bass was a Kay precision where someone prior to me had (hand painted) “Fender Precision Bass” on the headstock - and that was done in the 80’s 2. forgery. A whole other story.

Bands should not be a democracy. Someone should be leading, even if they're taking everyone's views into consideration, someone should be the overall director.

I've come to the conclusion there are two types of band members. Those who are in a band so they can tell their friends they're in a band. And those who are actually interested in working on playing good music. The trick is to work which is which very early on and move on.

@DGBass, that's a What's the name of the band? great-sounding band you've got there. Tight and loose in equal measure, absolutely rocking. What's the name of the band?

Small but perfectly formed for this evening in Bristol. Bruce Thomas Profile into Veyron M, two magical 10" Elves pumping into the room.