thebrig

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1510320437' post='3405567'] Over the years ive ended pu buying quite a few bits and pieces for my band. Two of them had a 'lets make do if its working' attitude. While this was true me and the drummer could see where things needed to be improved (mic leads, stands etc) and would occasionally just buy them ourselves for the band. It was my hobby after all and i wanted to enjoy it, so didnt mind the few £ every now and then. Same thing when the band split and we got new members in. Me and the singer brought the new active speakers. My reasoning was that if the band didnt work out i would still have a nice combo to use if i needed it, and secondly if we got rid of anyone or someone left it was less messy. In fact i use one of the speakers all the time at home now. Im not saying this is ideal for everyone, but i could afford it, so i didnt mind, and in return we sound much better. [size=4][/quote][color=#000000]I’ve thought about going down this route, and I suppose if I went second-hand, then at least if I was to sell it on, the chances are I would get most of my money back.[/color][/size]

[size=4]OP here, thanks for all the tips and advice so far, but s[/size]ince I started this thread, a couple of the band members are now saying that they don't think it is worthwhile upgrading our rubbish PA system to something half-decent, their reasoning is because they don't think we get enough gigs to warrant the expense. [size=4]Now this has really wound me up, and if you take a look at my thread, [/size][color=#323232][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][size=4][color=#323232][font=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][b]How does your band go about getting gigs?[/b] you will probably understand why I'm so cheesed off. [/font][/color][/size] http://basschat.co.uk/topic/314932-how-does-your-band-go-about-getting-gigs/

All the members in my band have more or less the same musical tastes, so generally speaking, we like all the songs we play, but after playing these songs over and over again, I find that I actually go off them and hardly ever listen to them again.

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1510231685' post='3404799'] Just explain to your mates that they don't hacve to close deals, just go in a local pub with live music for a pint and talk to landlord saying they're playing wit band X and they would like the have the contact so that somebodyelse can call at a certain time for a bit of a talk about prices and conditons. [/quote]TBH, that's what I've been saying to them for three years, and it's getting to the point where I can see that it annoys them by me keep mentioning it. I often go into a pub even when I don't really fancy a pint (although that's not very often) just to ask the landlord for a gig

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1510231358' post='3404791'] This is pretty much the way it is in all the bands I have played in over a considerable number of years. Some people are good at finding gigs and selling the band others aren't. With the current band it is myself and the singer who get all the gigs. Even if the other members get wind of a gig or are approached, it is inevitably passed to me to seal the deal. Sometimes I actually think I enjoy the thrill of the chase more than the actual gig. Any of the agencies we work for come to me as well. [/quote]I wouldn't mind making the actual enquiry if a band member gave me the details of a venue they think might give us a gig, but they just don't get round to it

[size=4]We are a five piece band that plays pubs and small clubs, and we have all agreed that one or two gigs a month is all we want because we all have family commitments, the thing that is bugging me is the fact that no one can be bothered to seek gigs, it's all left to me, and if I mention about others looking for gigs as well, it’s always, “[i]yeah ok[/i]”, and months pass by until I mention it again and then they’ll say, “[i]we’ve been too busy[/i]” or “[i]I will have a look next week[/i]”, but nothing ever happens and this has been going on for three years now.[/size] [size=4]I moved up to Shropshire from Hertfordshire just over three year’s ago, so my knowledge of the local music scene is limited to my local area, whereas, the rest of guys in the band have lived in the area all their lives and have gigged regularly around the area, so they know the area much better than me, but despite this, I have got at least 95% of all the gigs we have played so far.[/size] [size=4]Because of this, the gigs we have played have been mostly around my area because I’ve actually done the leg work by going into the venues that I know have live bands, now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind doing the lion’s share, but a little bit of help would be welcome because there are only so many gigs that I can get on my own, especially with my limited knowledge of the area, I have tried emailing and sending FaceBook messages to music venues I have found via Google, but most of them don’t bother replying, and I have mentioned to the guys that if we all managed to get just four or five gigs each in our own areas, then that would be our calendar filled for a year seeing that we only want one or two gigs a month.[/size] [size=4]To make matters worse, one member actually complained about nearly all the gigs being over my way, well you should have seen the look I got when I said, “[i]well you know what the answer is, go out and get some gigs in your area and I will happily travel to them[/i]”.[/size] [size=4]They are all decent enough guys, but it is getting to the point where I am thinking of either packing it in altogether, or try and find a band where most of the members are a bit more proactive.[/size] [size=4]But before I make a decision, I would like to know:[/size] [b][size=4]Is it this the norm in bands where most members can’t be bothered and just leave it to the person who is bothered?[/size] [size=4]And how do your bands go about getting gigs?[/size][/b]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1510062752' post='3403638'] Pet hate is a drummer that very slowly and deliberately takes at least an hour to set up his kit. WTF?? I wouldn't mind so much, but it's inevitably impossible to set up yourself as he will also strew his cases and boxes over the WHOLE stage area. [/quote]This is why I like to get there early and set my gear up, I then stay well away from all the drum cases until the drummers ready.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1510059925' post='3403595'] See the drummer taking 30+ minutes to set up his kit seems pretty standard and generally tolerated. I don't understand! If I have to stand there waiting for them it's a real wind up. Thankfully there's normally a pub I can escape to [/quote]I usually get to the venue first to set my rig up, then sit and have a pint while I wait for the drummer to set up. But whats even more annoying than our drummer taking ages to set up, he is always late, the last gig we arranged to be there and set up at 7.30pm for a 9.15pm start, he turned up 8.25pm which left us very little time to do a sound check.

For me, apart from the hanging around, I generally didn't like the type of songs we had to play at weddings/functions, admittedly, we played them quite well, especially as our keyboard player was exceptionally good, we could knock out Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down" or any other songs with quite large arrangements, and they would always be well received, but deep down, I love the rockier side of music which is why I left the band. I'm happier now playing in a rock band for just £50 a man, and I'm sure the bass player who replaced me in the function band is happy spending more time at gigs to earn maybe £250 a man. It's definitely horses for courses, methinks.

I'm sure some do, but I haven't played with any drummers who don't take at least 30 minutes to set up, and the current one takes about 45 minutes. Me? about 5 minutes.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1510053272' post='3403514'] Good grief. The crap you put up with is really par for the course (mostly). But £250?? I'm not surprised you left. A pro function gig like that should be charged at around five big ones. And I bet QW got even more than that. [/quote]I would bet that he DEFINITELY did!!! A few week's earlier, I had secured a wedding booking for the band for a £1,000 which we were all pleased about at the time, but the thought of all the possible hassle involved put me off, so I left before we did it, I did offer to play the gig if they couldn't find a replacement bass player in time, but fortunately they did. I left on good terms and I have depped for them, but weddings and functions was not what I wanted to do on a regular basis. I've played in rock bands since then and I really enjoy playing to an appreciative audience on the pub and club circuit, and although we don't get paid so much, the hourly rate probably works out more most of the time.

[size=2][size=4]Worst gig I ever played was a few years ago at the Woburn Abbey Estate, it was a very high-end works dinner party for the company our keyboard player worked for, and because he was quite high up in the company, he was there as a guest, so after setting up, that was the last we saw of him until we were due to play.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]It was a SIX course dinner which was due to start at 5pm so we had to be there around 2pm to set up and sound check, and because it was a Thursday, the rest of us had to take a day off work to do the gig.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]When we arrived we were told to go through the back entrance next to the kitchen so as not to disturb all the posh guests who were busy drinking and chatting in the marble halls etc..[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]Once we had done the soundcheck, we were then asked to leave, again through the back entrance and not to come back until 9.45pm, we were due to play at 10pm.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]As we all lived too far away to go home and come back, we spent around SEVEN hours in a local pub trying not to get so drunk that we couldn’t play.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]Quentin Willson, the Top Gear presenter was booked to do the after-dinner speech, but he went on and on and didn’t finish until 11.15pm, in the meantime we had spent another hour and a half waiting in a small room next to the kitchen until we got the call.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]When we finally took to the stage, the manageress of the venue told us we must finish at 11.55pm sharp, or she will switch off the electricity supply to the stage, and then after playing for just 25 minutes, we were told we had to hang around until all the guests had left before we could start packing away.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]To sum up, we took a day off work, we left home midday to get to the venue, got home at 3am the following morning, meaning we had spent 15 hours in total plus a 100 mile round trip in our cars, doing this gig.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]It was our first function gig, and naively, we agreed to do it for just [b]£250[/b] because we were told other gigs would come our way from the company on a regular basis, the rest of the guys thought it was good for our CV doing a real “posh” gig like this, but I was the odd one out and left the band a few days later because I just didn’t want to do any more gigs like this.[/size][/size] [size=2][size=4]BTW, I always wondered how much Quentin Willson got paid. [/size] [color=#222222] [/color][/size]

Judging by all the mixed comments, I think it's definitely a MARMITE bass!!!

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1509636474' post='3400510'] It wasn't my OP lol, but thank you for this one as it's making interesting reading too! [/quote]Whoops! sorry, I should have given the credit to The Greek

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1509631292' post='3400444'] I'm with you mate - I love it! You certainly can't ignore it [/quote]But I DON'T like it! Or DO I?

Why do I keep coming back to have a look at this? I don't even like anything glittery and sparkly, and I absolutely hate GREEN!!! [url="https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-51-PRECISION-BASS/192346430543?hash=item2cc8bd9c4f:g:wiQAAOSwtxpZ4NXO"]https://www.ebay.co....iQAAOSwtxpZ4NXO[/url]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1509537084' post='3399669'] My first guitar was a horrible 1960s catalogue bought steel-strung acoustic that my parents got for reasons only best known to themselves. It had the typically high action of cheap guitars of the time, and even after I had found out enough to know to shave about half an inch off the bottom of the bridge to make it playable, I discovered that it sounded terrible. After pestering my parents for the whole of the summer, they relented and bought me a Kimbara acoustic guitar for my 14th birthday (the only real concession they ever made to my musical aspirations) I still own this guitar although these days it rarely gets played: As you can see it has undergone some modifications from it's original condition. The year after I got it, I sold all my model railway stuff and with the proceeds took a trip to Leicester where I was able to buy a second hand Carlsbro Wasp 10 Watt amp and a piezo pickup for my guitar. Unfortunately my £35 wouldn't stretch as far as a used "Woolies Special" electric guitar as well as the amp so I had to settle for the pickup stuck to the bridge of the Kimbara. However I now had amplification, and it was bigger and louder than the amps my school friends had - which just goes to show what terrible amps were around at the time for those of us on a very limited budget. Unfortunately a piezo pickup on an acoustic guitar didn't really make it sound like the guitars on the records I was buying, so after lots of trawling around the local music shops I added a cheap Schaller magnetic pickup. This was supposed to be fitted to the end of the fingerboard, but I didn't like how it sounded in that position, so I glued it to the soundboard next to the bridge and drilled a hole in the top to take the cable. At the same time I moved the piezo pickup to the inside of the body under the bridge and connected both pickups to a stereo jack. The output connected to a box with 2 foot switches in it, one which allowed me select the pickup and other which chose whether I was connected to the bright or normal input of my amp. However I still wasn't able to make it sound much like Slade or The Sweet, until I discovered distortion. After trying out a pedal that a school friend had made I saved up for the bits and added my own (Practical Electronics) fuzz box between the pickup selector and the amp and I was finally able to get something similar to the sounds on the records I was listening to. And that set up was what I used until I built my own solid electric guitar in the woodwork shop during my last year at school at the end of the 70s. I didn't own a bass until 1981, when as a student, I finally had some disposable income of my own and was able to buy a second hand Burns Sonic Bass complete with the original hard case for £60 (with a Fender-branded strap thrown in the seal the deal!) [/quote]A Burns Sonic bass was my first real instrument, it cost me £15 which I borrowed from my sister and paid her back a £1 a week for fifteen weeks.

[color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]Just been reading The Dood’s thread asking: [b][i]Is there any really bad new gear out there[/i][/b]? and chris b posted, [i]“[b]When I started I played bass lines on a Spanish guitar, and an amp was out of the question. A friend used his parents radiogram instead of an amp.[/b][/i][i][b]Today's rubbish gear is sheer luxury compared to the gear we started on back then[/b]”.[/i][/size][/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]And this prompted me to start this thread, I know there have been a few threads discussing our first basses, but I thought it might be interesting to find out what other bits and pieces we used all those years ago to make music when we were starting out.[/size][/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]I for one started off in the mid-sixties playing bass on an acoustic guitar strung with mono filament wound strings to make it sound a bit “bassier”, I put the cheap plastic mic that came with my Dad’s Philips Cossar tape recorder inside the soundhole, then plugged it into the mic-in socket on the tape recorder and away I went, it was only a little bit louder than playing acoustically, but being just a kid of about ten or eleven, the extra volume made me feel like a rock god! mind you, after a few months the tiny speaker was totally knackered.[/size][/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica]The lad next door also played guitar through his parent's tape recorder, and we got together with another mate who played along with us on a kids snare drum which had Ringo’s head on the skin, and a tiny little cymbal that came with it.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]These days a Squier starter bass and amp would probably cost less in real terms than what my acoustic guitar and tape recorder did back then, and definitely would have sounded better![/size][/size][/font][/color] Edit: Thought I would add a pic of the tape recorder I used at the time.

What is the better option, powered mixer/passive speakers, or the other way round?

Thanks for all the comments so far, it looks like we need to do some serious research before making a decision

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1509127729' post='3396907'] I'd go secondhand active cabs. The JBL G1's and G2's 15" can go for as little as £100 now. G1 are 175w but go really loud. G2 400w and loud loud again. I saw a band recently with a pair of G1's in a large pub. The vocals were deafening. They had a bit of kick going through too. All depends what is going through them as well though. There's quite a few threads on here about good value budget PA cabs too... [/quote]Mainly vocals and maybe the kick drum