dmccombe7

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

If i've bought a lot of items at the one time i occasionally miss leaving feedback for an occasional item. I've seen me go back months later and notice i haven't left any and do it then. At the end of the day if you've sold to someone does Ebay not cover any issues if it goes wrong. They have for me. Dave

I drove down from Glasgow to try out some 5 string basses. I tried the ones i thought i would like and Mark offered the Dingwall NG2 as an option and it was far better than the ones i had in mind incl Sandberg, Spector and few others. I settled on the Dingwall I tried them thru a PJB headphone amp first and when i had narrowed the basses down to 2 he let me try them thru a Vanderkley rig. I found it to be one of the best bass or guitar shops i've visited. Pleasant, helpful and never pushy. All he offered were suggestions on different settings on the bass and his experience of what bass might suit a particular band sound. I really can't fault Bass Direct. I've bought Bergantino cabs, Markbass rig, Jaydee and Dingwall basses plus various accessories over past few yrs. All first class experiences. Listen to Marks advice and use it as you see fit. I found him knowledgeable and very helpful tho. Dave

That's you all sorted altho you did miss out one major oint. STOP SPENDING SO MUCH TIME ON BASSCHAT AND GET LEARNING Wish you every success Dave

Come on guys its a bass forum. Try not to take things too personally and lets accept we all have different tastes in music, bass, life, the universe and everything. Its only a discussion on a band. Its not Brexit or for me Indy2 Dave

Sure you will have a great time.

At the end of the day they are being discussed on the UK's biggest and most famous Bass Forum. That's no mean feat in itself.

Yep the days can be a bit boring while waiting for the gig at night. Take a book to read or do some sight seing during the day. Its extremely tedious sitting in a hotel room all day. Dave

Liking that BC Rich.

Is there anything wrong in takng some brief notes with you and using them at the audition. ? Not something i've done but i try to avoid bands that ask too much in a week especially if guys are working all day. Dave

A week is quite a long time. Once you commit to learning them they'll fall into place. First thing i do is get the songs on a CD as i prefer the sound quality for learning rather than MP3. I pick the first song and make sure i can actually play all the parts I spend the first half hour by just playing along with it. Then no matter whether i have the music, bass tab or its a simple easy song to remember and play i always write the song out for structure and notes on a blank piece of paper. That helps me remember the structure as i can visualise it in my head. Then its a case of just playing it until i remember it. I usually do that over 2 days doing 3-4 hrs per song but when pushed i will cram 2 songs a day. I do find spending long hrs on learning songs is difficult to take them in and prefer to spread it out maybe an hour at a time these days now that i have more time thru the day. I appreciate that most people are working during the day and have no option but cram things in. Don't try and learn them all at once. Pick one and work on it. All the very best. Dave

Enjoy and have fun. Its what its all about. Keep us posted on how it goes. Dave

I struggle to hear or see anything new in music these days. Its all been done before. People tend to think something is "new" and "different" just because they are "into" a particular band but more than likely there is a link or an influence from someone before them. Its too easy to dismiss a band because they sound a bit like someone else but maybe not as good. Give the young bands time to develop and find their own image and style. I still enjoy some of the current bands for what they are. Of course i hear similarities to other bands but that's not a reason to dismiss them. Dave

Sounds like a plan. Where is Peterborough ? Better google it

Its still a great offer and very much appreciated. Would the wireless work this far and would the latency thing be much of an issue. Thanks again for the offer. Dave