dmccombe7

A welcome return i reckon. You're never too old to be in a band even if it means an old farts band. Its still playing with friends and gigging always helps. I'm like you these days and a lot more relaxed about playing in bands. I've no delusions of fame and fortune or for it to be a full time occupation. Its just a bit of fun with like-minded mates. We mistakenly took on a keys player this year who was in it solely for money. He was upfront from the start but he didn't fit in along with the rest of us as we just love what we do. He's now gone and a dep in his place until a proper replacement can be found. I'm 59 yrs old and only got back into bands 9 yrs ago and never been as busy with bands and offers. Been with these guys approx 18mths now but took a while to get it off the ground for various reasons. In that 9yrs i've done the Prog, Classic, Blues, Blues/funk, 70/80 covers, tributes, done the clubs, caravan parks, private venues and few local pub venues for each band i've been in. Tried being in 2 bands at same time but just a bit too much time involved. I plan to enjoy playing in bands for as long as i can. You've nothing to lose really. Wishing you all the very best with your project and keep us posted. Dave

No change for me either. Always liked the bass so it seemed the right way to go for me. Still love playing bass. Dave

Have to admit my Warwick Thumb is the same. Even tho i check it regularly thru the year the battery does seem to last a very long time. My Overwater is same. In 9 yrs i've had it i reckon i've only changed the batteries 2 or 3 times. Dave

These are what i use

There's always wall hangers for those basses that have been fostered out to your mums. Every owner has a responsibility to ensure his basses are kept lovingly at home. All the best with the new house. Living at the beach sounds like a good move tho. Do you need that many basses ??? Dave

Definitely remove batteries if you aren't using them for yrs at a time. If the battery leaks at all it can cost you a few quid depending where the battery is situated on the bass. I have basses i don't use very often but i check they still play ok every few months and also check battery voltage maybe once or twice a year on all my basses. My Sandberg is used most so i tend to check the battery more regularly. I only use Duracell in my basses but use Eneloop rechargeable batteries in my wireless keeping a fully charged pair as back up. Dave

You can connect small croc clips to the battery connectors and play thru your amp and you'll see the voltage drop when plugged in and playing. Have to say i've never actually tried it with a bass so no idea what readings you'll see. I've done battery voltage checks at work on Instrumentation equipment and its quite noticeable. (it was a quiet day at work ) Dave

Think that's the measurement off load. A new battery would normally be 9.3 - 9.5V off load You'd have to check it when plugged in and playing thru your amp for an accurate reading. Once a battery reads 8-8.5V off load i bin them. My rechargeable AA & AAA batteries charge up to 1.41 Volts when fully charged. Dave

Would mean all Prog songs being reduced to 5mins. Drummer will be going heck for leather to achieve that

You might forget to switch the toggle off. I've just got into habit of unplugging my bass when finished. If you select passive mode with cable attached will it still drain the battery ? Some active basses still work without the battery when you select passive mode. Dave

Maybe we're just over-critical of ourselves and nervous of the fact other more proficient players might be judging us. To be honest i'm usually too focused on the gig to notice anyone specific in an audience even when standing in front of me. Maybe i need to go to Specsavers Dave

Think its his best solo album altho i do like Please Don't Touch as well. Everyday has always been in my top 5 Prog songs i'd like to cover. Dave

Different outlooks on life and what's important. Don't know what age you are so difficult to judge your reply against my own circumstances. Each to their own and i have no probs with old mates that still do the weekend pub thing without fail. Dave

I know what you mean was just pulling your leg a wee bit.

Spot on for me too 👍 Dave

I think we must be looking at it from different perspectives. I'm retired so playing in the band and rehearsals are what i regard as socialising and my spare time. I live in countryside so socialising in pubs is very limited unless i drive. Different when i was younger and lived in town where i was out every night socialising but as i got older i found drinking in pubs wasn't something i craved for. Probably why i live in a country village where nearest pub is 5 or 6 miles away. I can see where you're coming from tho when the socialising takes over from the objective of gigging and i always have in my mind from the outset that if i feel a band won't ever gig for whatever reason then i just move on. I always explain that from the outset tho and tell every band if we aren't gigging within 6-12mths then i'll move on. Most bands take that quite well and many respect the fact i'm so up front and honest. It does tend to drive them a bit more to do more than rehearse. Bands are simply a hobby for me and i never regard it as a source of income. It helps when it is tho Dave

Hi Graeme Curious where the Jacko name comes from now Band is called Blockbustarz (see the link below to our FB page). Due to recent and forth-coming holidays and other band commitments our gigs are currently few and far between but we are looking to change that in 2020. Next gigs are in Dec. at Custom House in Greenock and then one in Falkirk area but details will be on our FB page. We are currently looking at some new VID clips from Ivory Blacks to use on our FB page. Dave

every song should be a crowd pleaser.

I enjoy rehearsing (practicing) whatever you want to call it. Yep i think of it as a job to be done but there's no reason why you can't enjoy doing a job. Amazes me why this topic always seems to trigger overly strong opinions. There's no right answer, there's no right or wrong way and its certainly not a competition. For those that are in it for money and its maybe their main source of income then its understandable why rehearsals could be seen as a waste of time when you could otherwise be out gigging and making a few quid. The fact that a rehearsal only costs me £7 for 3 hrs i suppose you could call it socialising so where's the harm. Each to their own i guess. Dave

I really struggled to think of specific songs as there are so many over the years but these i have a special fondness for :- Laughing Gnome - David Bowie (just makes me laugh every time i watch the original VID clip) School - Supertramp (loved playing bass to this song yrs ago and still do) Everyday - Steve Hackett (again just loved playing bass to this song) And You And I - Yes ( i'm not usually a Yes fan but this song just stuck with me from first hearing it way back) Steven - Alice Cooper (one of those haunting Cooper songs) Follow You Follow Me - Genesis (just a great song) I could probably keep going but list would be endless. Dave

Perfect

We only rehearsed every week while we were putting the main set together to get us started. Its a combination of other band commitments and wanting to learn new songs for up-coming gigs ie Xmas songs that we now do a 6hr session every 3-4 weeks altho holidays have thrown things out a bit. For some odd reason i've been doing some of the same songs for past 18mths since we first started and i still love playing them as part of our 70's Glam Rock show. Having a bit of fun at the gigs and audience interaction thru the singer make gigs that bit more enjoyable compared to just standing in pubs playing the run of the mill same old same old songs. I guess i just really like the era of songs i'm playing. Dave

WOW that's a bit of a jaunt to rehearse.

Couple of yrs ago i was asked to join a band doing blues / funk style rock and i told them up front its a style haven't done before but went to the audition and got the job. I subsequently found i really enjoyed doing Doobie Brothers, Tony Joe White, Robert Cray, Little Feat and even John Mayall. Some of them were quite challenging but not so much technically but getting the feel for the song was what i found hardest part. Thoroughly enjoyed it tho. Dave

I hate being at rehearsals where that jamming crap wastes time and money. If there's no need for it then don't do it. I tend to view rehearsals like work. I'm there to get a job done and sooner its done the quicker we move on. Altho i get on really well with this particular band i'm not there to socialise except when its a coffee break in a 6hr session. Our rehearsals are generally pretty good tho, productive and fun at same time so its all a bonus. Probably the only band i've been in like that but i just love playing the 70's Glam Rock songs. Dave