Jakester

I think people are misunderstanding the point of this thread. I have ALWAYS, ALWAYS, worn ear protection, right from being 16y/o in my first band. I wore them to nightclubs, when I worked behind the bar in clubs, on every gig if I was playing drums even if it was a light jazz gig. I know I have to protect my hearing, not least because my old man was a semi-pro drummer and now has serious hearing issues. I'm not asking for advice on whether or not to wear earplugs - I know I should and I do - every time. I'm just looking for advice as to which ones.

Thanks Dood, yep, I have thought about it but for my day job I have to be really careful as even a hint of any kind of misrepresentation could end up with me in real trouble, so it's not worth the risk.

Just noticed your reply Phil, sorry I missed it a few months back! I ended up getting a set of these: https://www.alpinehearingprotection.co.uk/earplugs/musicsafe-pro/ And they've been pretty good so far. Only annoyance is because of the interchangeable filters, the tether cord is a 'clip' which clips on to the back end of the plug. It's not only a bit uncomfortable unless you get it spot on, unless you get the removal angle just right the clip pings off leaving the plug still in your ear! I would glue the clip to the filter but I've been swapping between gold and silver depending on what instrument and ensemble I've been playing at the time. Still intending to eventually get some ACS customs but that's a way down the line. I do have a set of in-ears - Etymotic ER6s, actually, probably very archaic by today's standards but they work well enough for me - but the problem is that I can't use them for every gig - they just don't work in an orchestral setting when nothing else is mic'd up, or for quick short practices in rehearsal rooms where there's no chance of sorting out a monitor mix. For the rock band live, I'm slowly trying to edge people to IEMs but it's a long arduous process for some members!

Gotta be Stratus! Oh, and of course School Days too. We also used to do Contusion by Stevie Wonder too.

😅 TBH I didn’t like the Super Zyns either, but hope you like yours!

Ooh, Nick Van Gelder was selling a full set of Super Zyns today on that Buying and Selling Facebook page!

So, how's it sound?

Porkopolis - what a great (nick)name for a city! I'd definitely move there. Yum.

We had a corker a few years ago - I was playing drums with a covers band in Bristol, great gig, always a lively crowd, and even more so on this particular evening as all of the freshers were out as well. Anyway, gig all going well, crowd suitably lubricated, lots of dancing and singing along, until one young girl, obviously not realising there’s a low stage behind her, inadvertently launches herself backwards onto the stage and took out the entire right hand side of the drum kit - toms, cymbals, the works. I’m mid-fill at the time and end up flailing into space as she goes past, and she ended up in a heap to my right. Like the pro I am, I mouthed “are you okay?” and keep playing - she nodded, blearily, and we manage to finish the now truncated song before helping to extricate her from the tangle of pipe work. Amazingly she got up, downed a drink someone handed to her and continued to dance for the rest of the gig! Bet she ached the next morning, it really was some header she took.

I have the XR18, and although it's a bit of a learning curve, it's been great. However, and it's a big however, if you need mid-gig adjustments and you're playing continuously, it can be tricky. I've used it playing both bass and drums and if the singer suddenly decides to stand in front of the speakers resulting in howls of feedback there's no quick and easy way to just whip the faders down a touch. Likewise if something suddenly goes wrong (we were using ours in a band where I played drums, and the DI from the bass suddenly went mental - blasting through everything) it was VERY tricky while playing to try and mute a channel. I have picked up the XTouch control surface which has native control for the XR18, but once you've done that you might as well get a hardware mixer with the faders etc! Now it means I just have two things to carry to the gig, rather than one!

You’re welcome, by the way…

Have you tried Google? Third hit… http://topmusicsheet.com/queen-hammer-to-fall-accurate-bass-transcription-whit-tab/ Sixth hit: https://leftybassman.sellfy.store/p/queen-hammer-to-fall-bass-transcription-with-tabs-and-audio-track/

Sold a 3Leaf GR2 to Ian - a great transaction, highly recommended!

Yep, I do wonder what I’d make of it nowadays! I do remember the lack of forearm cutaway was annoying. I do think I’m going to have to reacquaint myself with a G&L soon…

Nice one Nick. I still pine for that orange 5er… I had a few 4er Tributes and never really got on with them, but I always think it’s an itch that needs scratching again!

Thanks for that @basstone- I don’t currently have the PA butbwhen I get it back I may well drop you a line.

Every big band I've ever played in (and there have been a few...) had a rotating pool of players who could cover whatever was needed.

My take on this (which has worked for 25+ years) is be upfront with each - whoever books it first gets it.

It's not a big band - unsure of exact line up but on the pics its rhythm + vox, plus sax, trumpet and bone. I think the Weds thing has been slightly blown out of proportion - the reason for rejection was "split loyalties", rather than unavailability, suggesting that they wouldn't take anyone with commitments to another band.

I've seen some Mackie SRM450's for sale nearby. They're the V1s (Italian made) ones. My band could do with some higher-powered tops (currently have some Thump 350 equivalents) but I'm loath to spend a flying fortune. I know there are better options out there and I know lots of people don't like Mackie - no need to tell me. We'd be using them for vox and support for guitars (both cabs mic'd), sometimes drums (we have a sub with crossover etc). These are up for around £300 for the pair. Provided they work, is it worth getting them?

Some of you may have seen my post Rejection Dejection, where I detail how I may have talked myself out of a great gig. Well, round two has arrived - this time, where I didn't even get to meet any of the band before not getting the gig! As the kindly souls in my first thread noted, often the first time rejections come back to you if their first choice doesn't work out. And so that has proved - there was an ad up a while back which was a swing band looking for a bassist. (I know that's totally different to the other band - what can I say? I love playing different styles of music). I dropped them a line but I was told that they'd found someone. However, it seems that person didn't work out so they dropped me a line to see if I was still interested? I said yes - I don't think their standard was particularly high, which suited me as I was looking to improve my EUB playing without much pressure. I knew I could play the parts on electric bass at worst. Anyway, I'd managed to build up a bit of rapport over email with the person doing the recruiting (the singer, I think), when matters came rather swiftly to a head. I'd already told them I play in another band. She said they rehearse on Wednesday nights, did that work. I said possibly, though the other band I play with also do Weds eves when we're rehearsing so I may have to do alternates. That put the cat right amongst the pigeons. The singer had to go and check with the band leader whether that would be okay, and the response came back "no - wouldn't work due to split loyalties". I was quite surprised at that - I've managed to successfully play in multiple ensembles for many many years, and IME it's better to actually have a player there than none at all. I'd have been happy to rock up and work out with them when they needed a bassist and when not. In all honesty, having listened to their recordings I do think I have dodged a fairly big bullet - anyone who can't really crack 'In The Mood' was probably not going to be much fun anyway! I get that they want someone committed but I find this "commit 100% only to our band" thing really odd. Variety is the spice of life - I'd go mad if I could only ever play one style of music. At this rate, I will getting bands I've never heard of get in touch to reject me before they even put up a 'bassist wanted' ad!

Our lot aren't this bad, but what REALLY gets my goat is checking that the patches are properly loaded by playing the riff to the next song - just before we play it. Now, I'm sure that our audience couldn't really give a hoot about what's coming next but having listened to some of the gig videos, it sounds like we're completely uncoordinated as the guitars start, then stop, and then the band starts. Widdling the riff inbetween tunes should be punishable by death IMHO.

Thanks Nick, very kind of you to say, and likewise!