thebrig

I think the fact that it's a 20 fret neck and the fretboard overhangs the heel would mean that it takes it closer to the bridge, therefore measuring 16" from the bridge to the 12th fret. That's the only way I can think of it being able to work.

Thanks for the info, it's very useful.

Has anyone ever fitted a 'Medium Scale Bass Conversion Neck' to your long scale P or J bass body, and does it really work as claimed? This what said about these necks: Medium Scale Conversion Neck to Fit Fender Spec Pockets. For Players who find larger basses cumbersome. Select Canadian Maple and Rosewood Fingerboard. Jazz Bass Nut width (38mm). Bone nut. Flawless Natural Satin Finish. Jazz Bass profile. 14mm/11/16" tuner hole size. Perfect fit on Fender Bodies. Sounds the same as a Full Size Bass. It's not necessary to relocate the bridge.

That might be a good idea to mention that I have local contacts for possible gigs in and around my own area.

In one of the bands I was in a few years ago, I got every single booking except one, which was a birthday party for the guitarists mate, and it turned out that it was his mate who asked our guitarist if we could do it, not our guitarist suggesting that we could do it even though he knew his mate was thinking about hiring a band. With all the bookings that I did get, I emailed and sent FB messages to all the venues that I knew hired live bands, I contacted a total of 125 venues, I still have a register of them all in my band folder, I think got about two from them, the rest I got from actually going into pubs and venues, having a drink and befriending the band hirer in the hope of getting a gig, and because I was actually going into venues, most of the gigs I got were within a 10 mile radius of where I lived, and believe it or not, the rest of band had the cheek to complain that all the gigs were near me, and yet I'd been forever asking them to do the same as what I do in their own areas, but not one of them made the effort. So like you, I thought I am not getting involved anymore, and not long after, the gigs dried up and the band came to an end. After that, I vowed to leave everything to the band leader in any new venture I got into, but I always found that if I don't do anything, no-one else will, so I still end up being the most proactive member. Now after five years of not being in a band, I would happily do all the work again.😉

Yes, you could be right, I do it because I thought it to be a tongue-in-cheek way of saying I'm a bit older, but I will leave them out in future.

Just to be clear, when I've been in a band, I've always been very proactive in finding gigs, arranging rehearsals, etc, and I even rehearsed on our anniversary because I didn't want to let the guys down, luckily for me, I have a very understanding wife.😉 As far as my adverts go, this is a typical example of what I've been posting over the past five years: Experienced, Reliable, 'Mature' Bass Player Available. I've played mainly Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Blues Rock, and Pub Rock in recent years, but I've also spent some time in a function band covering all styles from Motown, Soul, Soft Rock, and Pop, so I'm open to all genres. I have top quality gear and transport, I'm prepared to travel for the right band, and I am happy to put the work in at home learning the songs properly, so that I'm fully prepared for rehearsal and gigs. I have no other band commitments. I have links to my playing if required. Please contact me if you think I might be what you're looking for.

I'm not worried about it, just a bit surprised by it, lol

Not sure what this has to do me my struggles in finding a band, but I suppose if I owned it, I would be very much in demand.👍😉

I always make it very clear what I'm after in my adverts, but maybe that might work against me because I do favour classic rock and pub rock (Dr Feelgood, Nine below Zero, The Pirates, etc), but I am open to other genres, but because I usually state my preferences, then maybe that might make people think that I'm not genuinely into anything else. As for start ups/new bands? I've spent the past five years trying to get bands together, but unfortunately, I've found that there so many people out there who like responding to ads but have no intention of carrying out what they say to you, and over the years I've noticed that on sites like JMB and BandMix, I seem to see the same people advertising, or responding to my ads over and over again. I agree that I should try networking more in an attempt to meet the right people for me. Cheers.

Thanks, I already feel a bit more positive, it's amazing what this great community can do, I think I got into a bit of a rut having not been in a band for five years, but I'm determined to put a lot of all the great advice into practise.👍

Thanks again for all the sound advice, I've taken everything on board and I'm going to restructure the way I go about finding a band. I'm going to frequent open mic/jam sessions regularly, and I'm going to watch more live bands and get talking to them, not in an attempt to immediately replace their bass player, but to casually let them know that I'm a bass player and enjoy what they play, which might prompt them to ask me if I would be interested in joining them if ever their bass player did leave for whatever reason. I do get see a lot of really good older bands where the members are even older than me, so I know that all is not lost yet, so I will stay positive.👍

I think you are probably right, but I'm referring to replies or responses where they start off "Hey! can I ask how old are you?", which suggests to me that they are probably from younger people who are concerned about the image of the band, which is fair enough if image is important to them, but it does tell me that there's a good chance I won't fit in with that particular band.

Yes, that's usually how I describe myself in adverts, "Mature, Experienced, Bass Player".

Thanks for the compliment Dave, I do think that I look a bit younger in real life than I do in photos and videos, but I'm realistic enough and realise that many people are ageist, and I often get replies on JMB from people asking how old I am? I usually reply, "if you need to know how old I am, then you, or your band is not right for me".

I've always been prepared to travel a fair distance, when I first moved to Bridgnorth ten years ago, I used do nearly a four hour round trip for weekly rehearsals, although I have to admit that as I've got older, I don't enjoy long journeys anymore, especially at night, I would say 45 minutes to an hour each way is about my limit nowadays.

Yes, I regularly check out West Midlands Bands and Musicians and the Telford and Shropshire Musicians one as well, I think I will probably have more of a chance on these than on JMB and BandMix/ Thanks

Thanks Phil, you talk a lot of sense and I will take a lot of it on board. I am open to trying other genres and will give anything a go, providing I can play it adequately of course. For a small market town, Bridgnorth does have a lively music scene but the problem I'm finding is that lots a local musicians are in multiple bands, so if just one local bass player is in three or four different bands, that means that those three or four bands already have a bass player. making it harder for someone like me to find a band.

That's my problem, I can't sing at all.

Yep, I think you are right.

I know these are a bit genre specific being old-school RnB/pub-rock, but would I be better off using these videos as demos? The audio isn't great, but at least they do show me playing in a "live" environment, warts and all. I'm open to playing most styles, but I can't find any live footage of myself playing other genres. Pack, Fair, and Square.mp4 She Does It Right Stupidity mp4.mp4 STUPIDITY live at The George, Bridgnorth August 2019.mp4

Thanks again for the comments, and I have to admit that some of you have confirmed what I have suspected all along, and that is: Age has finally caught up with me and I now look old and tired, which is probably putting people off. My videos are uninspiring, and that sitting down whilst playing isn't helping, but the problem I have is that I don't have much footage of me playing live, and those that I do have are mainly of my last band Stupidity, which specialised in old school pub-rock, which is my favourite genre, I also like classic rock a lot too, but I am open to playing most styles. I did find this video of me at a jam a few years ago, but I have to admit that I was extremely nervous because I had only just learn't the song a couple of hours before the session, so I didn't really know it that well and my playing isn't great. Cowboy Song (Swedes).mp4

Of course, I look on JMB every day and I'm always applying to ads that appeal to me, but quite often they don't even reply, or if they do, they then take days, sometimes weeks to get back to me.