bassintheface

a bad one would send me to sleep...in fact, you'd probably have to check my Pulse!

We rent our own room (well 2 actually) - both offices in a basement area of a large new retail building in the town centre. Parking, great flat access off the carpark, alarmed etc. We can use it whenever we like and we store all of our stuff there. We have our own keys to the building, then through 2 locked doors into our space. We leave a rehearsal set up in one of the rooms - drummer has a decent kit set up permanently, little mixer head PA and mics ad stands set up. I have a Hartke combo, guitarists have amps set up (usually just bring them in from the storage room we have for the big PA, lights etc etc directly next door. To be honest, we're dead lucky to have it and doubt we'll find anywhere as good!!

well, this baby arrived in perfect condition on friday. Mark from classic and cool had packaged it brilliantly. It's sure is a beautiful bass. Great condition and played brilliantly straight out of the box. Made a couple of minor 'tweaks' after soundcheck, then used it for the gig. It sounded ace. Had many compliments off the band and sound engineer too, so all good.

Great! Hope you'll decide to hang onto it now! Yeah, it look good - and it's meant to play well too so I can't wait to give it a run out tomorrow!!

Ace, that's the great thing about this forum - there's a good chance people on here 'know' your new guitar and can verify it! That's good to hear. Having dealt with Mark before, I trust that he is honest and up front about things. He said it was a great bass and I'm glad to hear its previous owner confirm this too!! Thanks for letting me know. Itching to get my hands on it and I'll likely throw her in at the deep end on friday night!!

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1418826136' post='2633727'] Interesting that you have gone from almost getting a beat-up relic jazz to buying a 'as new' looking reissue, albeit a very cool example. Hope it's a keeper :-) [/quote] I know! I'm not the sort of person who gets too hung up on finish or the aesthetics of a bass (within reason) - I'm more bothered about how it plays, but yes, it does look cool!

So, after selling on JV P last week, I've had the money burning a hole in my pocket. I had a few ideas of what I wanted - I was seriously close to making offers on both Limelights that are currently on sale here - Michael's '63 and 'Threes' '61 - and I mean close! I was also giving proper thought to ordering a custom Limelight - a 70's style, aged Oly white, RW board, blocks, bound neck, 3 ply back plate.... Finally, after much deliberation and weighing up all options, I've finally just pulled the trigger on this baby: http://classicandcoolguitars.co.uk/basses/fenderjapan62rijazz.htm Looking fwd to getting her on friday, when coincidentally, i have a gig!! We've also got our favourite sound engineer on FOH - Edgy - he's been the Maccabees' mons eng for years and has just got back off the Kasabian tour with them, so looking fwd to the inevitable stories!

don't see or speak to each between our last gig before Xmas, to our next gig (NYE).

what would happen should you suffer an illness or injury, preventing you from carrying your contracted duties? I'm assuming there is a back up plan?

My Dad had played bass and guitar when he was a kid in a band (in fact, I now have his very first amp - an all original 1963 Fenton Weill valve combo - all 6 watts of it). My very early memories are of Me, my bro and my sis sat round with my Dad playing his acoustic guitar - we'd sing songs and make songs up about family members. We'd record these songs on my Dad's very 70's Goodmans cassette player with plug in mic. He must still have them somewhere. I grew up to the soundtrack of 'Deep Purple', 'Dire Straits' 'Manfred Mann's earth band' and my Mum's amazing Motown vinyl collection. I got a cheap 3/4 classical guitar at 10 and commenced lessons in school on the yellow book - can't remember the name. I quit after a couple of terms. Fast forward to secondary school and I started playing tuba at 12, by the time I got to 14 and had my grade 5 under my belt, I'd decided I wanted to start a band and learn guitar. Got a Mexican strat and started lessons alongside my brass lessons (still as my primary instrument). Got a band going with no bassist so I said I'd give it a go. Got my grade 8 tuba at 16 and carried on with the bass guitar in bands. That's it ever since, although my tuba has taken much of a back seat really as I'm so busy with the function band. I do wish I spent more time learning the old 6 string as I would like to "really wail" now and again in a band, but I love playing the bass!!

Ha, awesome, Jo's just bought my JV P bass - and a thoroughly nice chap he is. Will take him up on the offer of a brew and a go on his basses when I'm next down south! When deciding whether to buy my JV or not, Jo asked if I could send him any audio of the bass - initially I only remembered a live vid someone took, with me playing "I want you back" at a gig. The reply off Jo was something like "I know that song well...........I've just done the 'Thriller' tour" I immediately thought - "derrrr - what did I send him that for?!!", but I did get a "nice playing" comment off him too. Obviously Jo just being polite! Anyways, it worked out as he bought my bass! Decent function band too!!

Jo bought my JV Precision. He's a good guy and doesn't muck about. Made a fair, serious offer and paid me quickly. Good communications and an offer of a brew next time I'm in his neck of the woods. Cheers Jo.

We have fully converted to IEM's fir playing live and it's been nothing short of a revelation. Quieter on stage. It's amazing. That said, we have done it 'properly' and gone for custom moulds - ACS T2's at £500 per pair. I'd quite happily now gig without a rig.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1417097389' post='2617063'] Now this really [i]is[/i] enlightening, one part stood out; ''The lottery win of a complete sell out tour would be around 45k profit. Those numbers aren’t coming up! Half that and I would be a happy man but that’s doubtful . If it did hit say 25k there’s still the bogey man of HMRC and corporation tax at 24% taking 6k and leaving 19k. It’s still a lot of money which I would be lucky to be able to make in this day and age and which I’d be exceedingly grateful for'' A respected and well known name who's been in the business 30 years would be very grateful making under £20K take home per year and that might not take any pension contributions into account. It's not the gravy train is it? I hope he stashed plenty away when he was making (hopefully) more money. You can see why some guys start selling off loads of high end gear when they retire from touring. [/quote] I found this very interesting as Shaun Rodgers (Fish's sound engineer) has been a friend of mine (and the band's) for years. Also, Yatta is a friend of my Dad's (and how Shaun got the job in the 1st place). He's done the sound for us on many many occasions and continues to do so when he's not away with Fish. Shaun (and his van - an ex Tiger Tours sprinter btw) still needs to earn when Fish isn't touring so we try and use Shaun when we can. It's crazy that he goes from months away touring europe, playing these gigs with Fish, then comes home and does work with us and a couple of other local bands to keep the wolf from the door. When you look at the figures, in the big scheme of things, we're talking 'nothing' - £50 for a support band for example. I 'want' £150 on top of that £50 to play a function gig as do the other lads in the band, plus our engineer fees. Crazy! I appreciate we're comparing original artists etc vs a corporate whore, but it's still playing music and providing entertainment and being out of the house for as long, if not longer. You've really got to work seriously hard at the touring game to make anything like a living. It certainly isn't the glamorous world people would have you believe and it's generally a struggle for most originals bands to keep 'doing it'. Part of the reason I ultimately stopped the originals band thing and now only play in a function band - a wife, 2 kids and a mortgage and being fed up of being skint helped steer my decision. Kudos to you guys still doing it though!!

We do all the time for the function band. PM me your email addy and I'll send a sample of ours. Do need to look at having / doing T&C's and check them with a solicitor to make sure you're saying / doing things the right way. We have them, but then they're done to suit our particular way of working and may not be right for you.

Replied.