dmccombe7

YEP think the way you've worded it this time is exactly what i was thinking too but just didn't word it well enough in my posts.

My wife would say the same about me but i'm slow with the abbreviations. Doesn't help that i don't have a smart phone.

Now that i agree with. I think the commitment thing is where we probably disagree altho i think its probably the same view just we see it from a different angle.

Perhaps its just misunderstanding of each others comments but it did provide an interesting debate for a bit there including the Nile Rodgers thing

I think you disagreed with what i said originally based on the commitment part.

Few yrs older but not by much.

That was what my opening line was in this thread but you thought i meant musical ability or musicianship determined whether a Pro or not. Musicianship is a completely different thing from the Pro, Semi-Pro arguement which was my 2nd line in my original post on this thread. Where we got confused was the commitment part and whether someone was committed enough to go Pro. That's the part we tend to disagree on..........i think. If there's no demand for your music and you still want to be a Pro you should be committed enough to play any style of music you can to earn a living. For yourself (and me) we don't want to give up on our own style of music to commit to going Professional. Well to be honest i didn't want to give up on my own job which at the time i really enjoyed so playing bass was more a hobby for quite a few yrs. Dave

If you read my original post i made it very clear that if you make music you are a musician. I said the difference between a Pro, Semi Pro or Amatuer musician was down to whether they made a sufficient income from their music to be full time (Pro) or Semi Pro (part time) NOT THE SAME THING

He's not less of a musician tho. He earns enough to make a living from both being a musician or producer which for me makes him a Pro musician and pro producer Not everyone has that luxury. Everyone that plays music or contributes to playing or making music is still a musician. For me its down to whether they are making a full time living from their music that determines whether or not they are classed as Pro, Semi-Pro or Amatuer. A Semi Pro can be just as accomplished or proficient at playing their instrument as a Pro and in some cases probably better. The only real difference that i can see is the income issue but if someone else can explain it better i'm open to listening and taking on board.

Johnny Depp is def a semi pro tho. However his musical career is very full on Pro. Dave

Its really just a generalisation. Its a good point tho because he earns a good income from being a musician and same with being a producer so you've kind of got me there. I would have classed him as a Pro Musician but then again his income from Producing ?????? Jings that's thrown me a wobbler. If his income is more from being a musician then his producing is part time but its when you reverse that and his main income is production then his playing becomes part time and he's a semi pro which just doesn't make sense at all. That's totally thrown my arguement right out the window To be fair tho your average person doesn't do that. Dave

A triplet

Original EMG's but the control module failed about 5 yrs ago and only option from Warwick was to fit the MEC control pots and circuit boards. I can't hear any difference between them but i guess its the bass and pick ups that have the most impact on the sound after yourself that is. I've had it since buying new in 89. Stunning bass and great to play but quite heavy tho. Its very rarely been out the house as not long after i bought it i stopped gigging for various reasons and have been using my Jazz since getting back into bands 8 yrs ago. Dave

As i said i don't know you or what you do musically but you could substitute musician for bassist in what i said and it would still mean the same thing. I only used bassist because its a bass forum and assumed that's what most of us do. You're committed to your music but from what i can gather there's no significant money to be made in your genre of music unless you get the lucky break that many wish for yet few attain. I do know several friends in a similar position to what you describe altho possibly a different style of music. All excellent musicians but there's no popular demand for their particular style of music and therefore not much chance of making a reasonable living from it. They continue to produce their own albums and release them on line. They are fully committed to writing, playing and producing music but they will only ever be semi pro unless they get that lucky break and sell lots of albums for profit. They also will not diversify into doing other styles or even doing covers to earn money by playing. They see themselves more as song-writers and the musicianship is just a way of showing their art. I had to google YMMV it must be an age thing Dave

You'll still be a musician but a jibbering idiot along with it.

I had no idea Warwick list prices were so high these days. Mines is the 89 NT with original EMG's still in there. Dave

I like both Warwick and Spector basses altho my 89 Thumb bass has a far better feel than the Spectors i've played recently but the Spectors were not in the same price range ie over £2k new. I could def be tempted by yours tho. Dave

I try and remember to leave fedback but sometimes if i've ordered a lot at any one time or the orders take a long time to arrive i simply forget. I've seen me going into ebay months later and noticed i've not left feedback for a few items so i do it then. To be honest i never read my own feedback as a buyer either.

Not sure we are talking about the same meaning on "level of commitment" and that's maybe down to my poor grammar. Your main commitment is putting a roof over your head with a full time job and i believe that is more important especially if you have a family Had you been able to commit to being a full time bass player then you would in fact become a Pro player (IMO). At the moment you are committed to being Semi-Pro due to the fact its obviously very difficult to make a full time living doing what you do within your own style or brand of music. You are fully comitted within your own boundaries or the boundaries that surround your particular style or niche in the market place. If you wanted to become a full time bassist it might mean playing a different style to make money. Many people don't want to sacrifice their musical preferences for the sake of earning money. (myself included) Some guys are earning a living from playing in wedding / function bands. I know quite a few and i've been asked to do it myself but its not for me. Many find it boring and a bit of a chore but its how they make a living and they are fully committed to doing it. Many session bassists have to play whatever music they can to make a wage from it. I think from what you mention is that yes you are fully committed to what you do in music but that particular style of music or performance doesn't lend itself to making big money. Its a bit like rock covers bands. They'll be lucky to make £200-£300 / gig divided between 4 or 5 members. A good wedding band will be earning Upwards of £2-£3k /gig. If i try to summarise it and please be aware i have no idea what style of music you play or prefer but I would say you are fully committed to your genre of music more than committed to being a full time bassist. The more professional you want to be means more sacrifices in life. Obviously there are some lucky people in the right place at the right time too. I'm not one of those people i'm afraid. Having re-read this i'm not sure its even helped but i'll post it anyway. Sure it will be critised or picked upon as being wrong but at least it creates discussion and that's why we are all on Basschat Dave

She is still a musician tho. The level of musician is different for everyone. IMO She is more an amatuer musician if she isn't making a living from it. In simple terms and only my own opinion on it. Pro musician - main income from playing. Semi-Pro musician - has a full time job and earns money from playing at weekends or part time. Amatuer musician - someone that plays for nothing or as a non-paying hobby. There will always be the people who are excellent musicians and like your wife can sight read and has the qualifications but its more a hobby. Then you have people who earn a living (Pro) but can't read a note and have never had any proper training. If they are earning their main income as a musician then i'd say its their profession. I try to keep it a quite simple definition for myself. I class myself as semi-pro as i earn money but not my main income. Dave

Now that's a nice looking bass. Dave

That's better

You might need some practice at taking pics tho Enjoy Dave

What gear are you using and some pics of the gigs on here would be nice. A running report on the gigs also a nice touch if you have the time to post during the following day. Sounds good 100 in first night an a Monday too. Dave