hiram.k.hackenbacker

I doubt that would have been 1979.

That is Max Reebo I believe.

If you’re editing for spelling, it’s Charing Cross not Charring Cross 😂

I guess we all experienced what it would be like not to gig for an extended period of time courtesy of Lockdown #1. Personally, it turned out to be the creation of another new band for me and we’re really enjoying it. We rehearsed ourselves to gig readiness on JamKazam and were ready to go by the time restrictions were lifted. Glad to hear there’s lots of positivity for gigging. I do have an occasional worry about how long I have left as a gigging musician, but if the gigs keep coming in, I’ll keep turning up.

Yes, balance is very important. I've had some killer drives already this year, but the reception at the other end of them made it all worth it. We stayed over on one a few weeks back and we had another gig on home turf the following night. So I had a long drive home on Saturday, quick change and out again for another 6/7 hours. I felt that one 😂.

Yes, it's really weird that this year is busier than the few years immediately before the Big C. I'm also getting a fair bit of dep work as well. I'm not quite sure why this is happening, but I have gigs with 3 new bands I've not played with this year, plus some Ska dates. I have by no means gone out of my way to seek these out, they've just fallen in my lap, so I guess quite a lot of bands are busy. Either that or a lot of bass players have given up gigging 🤷‍♂️

Created as a contrast to the 'I Hate Gigging' thread, in which some of the comments I find utterly depressing, I would like to think that the majority of Basschatters do actually enjoy the gigging experience. I get that there are some that cannot deal with getting up in front of a crowd or prefer to make music behind closed doors and that's fine, but let's leave the hate out of it. I for one certainly wouldn't do a single gig that I wasn't looking forward to. I don't understand why people would, unless of course they have to for financial reasons. Through 40 years of gigging, I cannot recall a single date that I haven't looked forward to. There have been a few that I've been a bit nervous about for one reason or another, but in the main, those days are long gone. There have also been a few gigs that once I've arrived at the venue, it has become clear that it was not what any of the band were expecting which can be a bit of a buzz kill, but I think we've all had a few of them. For me, gigging is about putting smiles on people faces and getting them moving. I don't do it for the money (although it's a nice bi-product) and I certainly do it for any kind of adoration; it's just a great thing to be able to make people happy and then leave feeling like they've been entertained for an evening. I'm not saying I wouldn't find it a strain, but I would be out every night if I could. Let's hear it for the love of gigging.

I did kind of have that in mind when I posted my first response. It's a good book that. I think I might give it another read.

I don’t know, is she renowned as being such? Could she have been having a bad week? I’ve crossed paths with a few celebs in my musical travels and there are a few that stand out as behaving like complete tools. Two in particular stand out but I’ve not read or heard a bad word about them anywhere else, so maybe my experience was exceptional? Unless we really know these people, how can we tell? I’d like to think Kate is actually a nice person, but sometimes those with an abundance of talent don’t handle it well all of the time, especially in the company of fools. I’ll stop rambling. I enjoyed the OP though. Thanks again for sharing.

Yes, I'm in an 80's tribute as well and whilst we don't do 'Don't Look Down',we occasionally perform 'We Close Our Eyes' which is another cracker. Definitely a mistake going for the #1's. I think #2's of the 80's make a better list: Golden Brown, Kids in America, Save a Prayer, Mirror Man, Temptation, Sweet Dreams, China Girl, Gold etc etc One of my favourite bands of the 80's hasn't been mentioned, so I'll name check them: Prefab Sprout - those first two albums.

I'm holding out for the Joe Dart IV which will have no control knobs and a piezo pick up only.

Nice! I look forward to seeing the finished article.

Thanks for posting. I shall give that a watch later.

Oooh! A new Ritter?

Same here. Love my Bass Buddy. It’s been rock solid since I bought it when they first came out. Fantastic piece of kit.

My one has a jazz neck on it. I like lollipops too, but on a vintage jazz. You won’t like the Shuker. You’ll need to pass it on to me when it’s finished 😂. Seriously though, I’ve gigged it twice and it’s a cracker.

Hi @Pan, This is a common issue I encountered some years ago. All great advice above, but I thought I would share my solution which are these non-slip musical instrument mats. They are excellent. https://www.dv247.com/en_GB/GBP/Stage-Works-2-Pedal-Mats/art-ACC0003320-000?campaign=GShopping/GB&ProgramUUID=HADAqJarPzAAAAFlea9yjI.G&gclid=CjwKCAjwgr6TBhAGEiwA3aVuIbTFjbokHbyqaSacGhVY-u6-4ftCIC4AupJY9bF42rmAoTJtma37URoC3nAQAvD_BwE

Sounds like a clone of mine which I received last week.

Yeah, I can’t see them going backwards. 2112 was an appropriate place to start with these expanded editions. Next up….Signals.

Mrs.H ordered this for me for my birthday many months ago and it's just arrived. It's by far the largest set out of all the Super Deluxe Editions so far. Agreed with all the comments about regarding the live set. A worthy edition to any fan's collection. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with the drum sticks though 😂.

I think we must have been separated at birth @molan. I don't see myself as a collector, but have definitely accumulated. Some while ago, probably years now, I set a cap on how many basses I'm allowed to have at any one time. That has definitely helped. It forced me to put serious thought into what I want out of a bass in order to keep it and I've stuck to it. I know I physically cannot resist the urge to look at what's available and there's in harm in window shopping right? I'm currently two under my cap, but I've just put my name against one which probably won't be a bass until late 2023, so I'm all good for now. It's great that you play all of yours. There's a couple I have that are not operational. One I could get sorted quite easily, but one continues to be a source of frustration as I wouldn't know where to start to get it playable (electronic issues). I think in our cases, the time to stop buying is the time when you stop playing. Hope you're well.

I took this nearly 5 years ago and he was using his signature bass then. I don't recall seeing him use much else since, certainly not for gigs anyway.

Love or hate the Joe Dart Bass Series, they sell, so it's a no brainer for Music Man. The thing I don't get is that Music Man were heavily criticised for not having signature basses. Now they are and they're selling well, they still get stick 🤷‍♂️ Nobody is forcing you to buy them. For what it's worth, I played one of the earlier models at the weekend and I really wanted to like it, but I didn't.