Linus27

Wow, what a great response. I have generally had a mixed result with Andertons. I have bought a couple of basses from them, one went super smooth and the staff were super friendly. Another time I bought a fretless and after a couple of weeks the fret liners started to crumble away. I took the bass back and they did not give a sh*t, did not want to help and I had to really push to get them to do something. They eventually sent the bass back to Fender but then gave me a loud of bullshit about why it was taking so long to get repaired with a different story everytime I phoned. As a whole, I think its usually good but you can get a bad experience from time to time. I think next time I get bad service, I would just ask to speak to the manager and say your not getting anywhere with the service.

[quote name='pantherairsoft' post='627955' date='Oct 16 2009, 03:07 PM']Me having a jam with a few friends at my place last week. My other half decided to try out some photo apps on her Iphone... actually I like the pic so its now my avatar as well :-) [/quote] I hope you had a word with your other half about her washing. She's shrunk your trousers

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='627781' date='Oct 16 2009, 12:44 PM']Huzzah! With your qualities of diligence, perseverance and hard work - great things are in store for you.[/quote] OOOHHH I hope so, would be nice to have some good luck.

[quote name='51m0n' post='627764' date='Oct 16 2009, 12:31 PM']Definitely the right thing to do mate. Best of luck with your next project![/quote] Thanks very much and thanks for the support.

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='627657' date='Oct 16 2009, 10:57 AM']Time to take the link out of your sig then. Oh, and remember to update the myspace page and facebook pages to say that you've left. It's not like anyone else is going to do it. S.P.[/quote] Yeah good call, thanks.

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='627597' date='Oct 16 2009, 09:42 AM']Heh, hadn't noticed that. Yeah, that's pretty cute. S.P.[/quote] Haha thats quite funny. I should had tried to use that line in my email to them

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='627569' date='Oct 16 2009, 08:58 AM']Michael. I just wanted to say there are a hell of a lot worse situations to be in. Its all very easy to say just walk away now but if you enjoy playing and i know its taken you a while to find a band i still say plan on leaving but find something else first. I still think its not a workable band due to members not owning instruments etc but the more i think about it the more im now thinking you seem to be the best man to do all those things the others wont do, so why not do them and charge the band a nominal fee. Just an idea.[/quote] Thanks Dave, your advice over the last few weeks has been really appreciated. However, knowing what I am like, I always try to force the positive and make something work. If I stayed and for example, had a good gig or we did something constructive, then I would try and turn this bit of good into making the band progress and I would stop looking for a new band as I would think this band had a chance. However, I know that soon after, the usual situations would happen and I would get frustraed again and we would be back to square one. Leaving now is going to force me to look for a new band right away.

Well, I had a long hard think last night and came to the conclusion that staying would be the wrong thing to do and so about 5 minutes ago, I just sent me email and resigned. So, time to move onto the next thing whatever that may be. I do really appreacited everyones help. You have all been really cool and supportive and made the move much easier.

If I wore a dress and called myself Michelle would I get the job.? Only jokin. Good luck in the search though.

[quote name='TimR' post='627189' date='Oct 15 2009, 06:20 PM']Is this code for "We can't be bothered to do the hard work and want someone else with connections to do it all for us."? They are just another band who think that fame comes in an overnight success package.[/quote] HEHE well put, thats exactly what I have been feeling. To me, I am getting the impression, especially from the singer that he thinks the only work you have to do is make the songs good. In reality, that is a very small. The business side of the band, the networking, the communication, the admin, the planning etc is far more important yet they do not get this.

[quote name='OldGit' post='627153' date='Oct 15 2009, 05:47 PM']Aside::: Was it playing the Stagg that did that? It was with me /Aside:::[/quote] No, it was something I always wanted to do but never had the band to do it in. The Stagg will help though when I get the chance to play it but I want to focus more on fretless for I do that.

Thanks guys, some very kind words coming from you. The other frustrating thing is, not only have I managed to switch to finger style after 20 or so years of playing with a pick, my bass playing now is better than it has ever been and I just hope I can do the same in a new band.

Thanks guys, really appreciate all your help and advice on this. Going to mull it over tonight and make a decision in the morning.

[quote name='Les' post='627045' date='Oct 15 2009, 04:13 PM']Don't know you from Adam mate, but are you a natural leader ? Sounds like they functioned as a unit before you, and you say the singer [b]used[/b] to book all the rehearsals before you came along and they already had myspace and facebook. Maybe you've just taken it all on board gradually without noticing till recently and they've let you. Seen it many times.[/quote] I would not say a natural leader, more of a support type person. I am very motivated in things I believe in. If something needs to be done then lets do it with 100% and do it properly. The band do keep saying I am very driven. They sort of funtioned before but not really. They had a facebook page but it had not been updated for maybe 6 to 10 months so to me, this was the first thing that needed to be updated. I suggested it to the the band and they agreed and said they would do it. After about two months of nothing happening, I said, look, this needs to be done, do you want me to do it so they said ok. Same with Myspace, not updated for months, emails from promotors not replied to etc. Again, waited about two months and nothing happened and so I offered and updated it. With regards to practises, when I first joined they booked up 3 months of practises. Got to July and I said, can we do the same again, book the next six months up and we all agreed but nothing happened. So a few weeks passed and I asked again and nothing. A few weeks ago, a list finally came out of suggested dates which we replied to to say yes or no we can do but still, nothing booked up. Even this Sunday we are supposed to be practising yet its not been booked despite a few emails regarding this Sundays practise. They had done a handful of gigs before I came along but despite agreeing to do a load more, the guitarist has booked 1 and I have booked all the others. The singer has sent a few emails saying we have been offered to play at various venues but then never chases it up or gets us booked in and so it just falls by the wayside. I think your right that because they are doing nothing, I have just ended up taking everything onboard. However, I did call a meeting in July and delegate things to each member of the band. Guess what, still waiting on the Singer and Percusionist to do some of there things.

[quote name='Absolute-beginner' post='626969' date='Oct 15 2009, 02:48 PM']Time to move on, definitely. if you just walked away, do you think they would even notice? matt[/quote] Just they would notice. As mentioned in a few posts above, they need me more than I need them. I have already gone a lot quieter and dropped a few hints and started to recieve texts and emails from different members saying is everything ok, we would be heartbroken if you left, great playing at the last gig etc etc.

I’ve spoken to a few of you about this in a different thread but I thought I would open it up for some more help and guidance as things have got even worse and I am really not sure if I should stay or go. The history is I joined the band in March 09. They wanted somebody committed and who could dedicate time to the band as they wanted to move forward. Also, because I had been signed previously, I knew some of the things that needed to be done to move forward and they wanted to use my experience to do this. At this stage, no indication that commitment, childcare, money etc was going to be a problem and it was understood that all members of the band were up for it. Back in July I put together a simple time line for the rest of the year based on things agreed. Nothing that will be to taxing but something to work towards and some basic things that were not done yet. 1. Ensure rehearsals are booked for rest of year 2. Update Myspace Page and keep updated 3. Update Facebook page and keep updated 4. Book 6 - 8 gigs for rest of year 5. Complete the 5 track demos 6. Book photoshoot 7. Look into website for band 8. Speak to video guy if he can edit video 9. Provide photo idea for photoshoot 10. Get T-Shirts made 11. Record two single 12. Find a video producer I suggested that someone else should update the Myspace and Facebook page because they know the history of the band, all the login details and also I assumed being new to the band, I would not be running the show. However, this failed to happen and it ended up that I updated the Myspace and Facebook page and constantly keep it up to date with news, gigs etc. I’ve also booked five of the six gigs. Looked into the website and the latest is, I may teach myself web design to get the site up and running. I also got the T-Shirts made and found us a video producer. Out of the remaining items, the singer in the past would book up rehearsals yet this has still not been done. He would also complete the demo as he is the main songwriter yet, it’s been 9 weeks and despite promises every week, it has not even been started. This is frustrating as I know somebody in the industry who may pay for us to record some songs but I can’t do anything until the demos are complete. The band knows this but still no completed demos. The singer also knows the photographer and the guy who made the first video but so far, has failed to speak to them and get anything arranged. We have also thrown lots of other little things in the pot but nobody seems to be chasing it up and so it either ends up being me or it just dies a death. I even got them on a radio show with some songs played. Who do you think was the only one to tune in and join in with the live discussions? Yep, me. It’s not even my band. So, as you can see, despite lots of talk, there has been a total lack of drive and commitment. Also, the drummer does not drive and does not have a drum kit and so, in the past, we have had to hire a drum kit when headlining or rehearsing somewhere with no kit. The Singer or percussionist has been late for every soundcheck and most rehearsals. Yet, the singer has the opinion that bands never ever show up on time for soundchecks at our level. Venues are never ready and the headline band never shows up on time, so every other band has to wait for the drum kit to arrive so that they can soundcheck. So for him, it’s not really a problem. Childcare issues are a problem. Have to be back by a certain time to put them to bed, have to wait for a babysitter thus making them late for rehearsals or gigs. I was even left holding the singers baby once and feeding it whilst one of them had to go to the station to collect something. Emails are the main form of communication yet people don't reply back to emails. Forgetting to bring gear or not doing the things they said they would do like chase up promoters etc. I seem to be doing all the running and the rest of the band seem to be sitting back and enjoying themselves. We were very kindly offered a gig in Croyden by a fellow basschatter and it falls after another gig the night before. When I asked the rest of the band, the response was, Croyden is a bit of a pain in the arse to get to, is it really worth doing? I then got them another gig with a local band which falls on a Sunday. The response was, ooohhh, a Sunday gig, how enchanting, is it worth doing? To me, its gigs, they are good gigs, if everyone is free then we should be doing them. At the last gig we did, soundcheck was at 6pm but the percussionist turned up at 7pm. We had a 30 minute slot yet after, the singer was complaining as the other bands over-ran and so he thinks we should do the same and play for longer next time. I suggested this is not a good thing as it’s not professional and we don’t want to piss the promoter off and not get another gig. The gig before that, soundcheck was 6pm and the singer and percussionist turned up at 7pm. They then proceeded to leave all their guitars and pedal board all over the centre of the stage whilst the other bands played. The gig was a laid back chill out affair with mostly acoustic bands and a couple of full bands. So the singer suggested we play really loud to blow everyones heads off and just over run until thrown off stage. The drummer and I suggested this is not a good move if we wanted to make any fans. The gig before that, soundcheck was 6pm and the singer was late and the percussionist didn’t even make it. The singer never brought his guitar amp and the percussionist didn’t bring her stand so they were hunting around the venues kitchen for a tall bin to put her gear on. Totally unprofessional. However, saying all that, when the band does play, it plays very very well and the songs are amazing. The problem is, I can’t see them going anywhere because of commitment, attitude and all the problems mentioned above. The good thing is I am playing in a band and enjoy playing the songs but I am getting so angry and incredibly frustrated at them. I have tried talking to them but things don’t really improve and some things just simply can’t change. Do you think I should call it a day and move on to another band which may not have as good songs or stick it out with the current band and just put up with the way they are? Any advice really appreciated.

Derek Forbes is my favourite bass player and has been my biggest influence when learning to play and still is. He does still have all his old Simple Minds gear, the beaten up Ampeg rig and red Fender Precision. I saw him play back in March in a tiny pub in Southampton playing in a Clash tribute band with Mike Peters of The Alarm. The venue was so small, I was standing right next to him so got a full on view of his playing. I've got his email somewhere and keep meaning to send him a message but not really sure what I want to say.

I always tend to fall in love with natural wood basses. I also hate sunburst with a passion although my old MIM Fender Jazz Classic was a red coloured Sunburst and looked amazing.

Not sure, have Genz Benz 212 which is ace but I think the Epifani 310 has been the best sounding cab I have heard.

[quote name='Zombywoof' post='617485' date='Oct 5 2009, 02:46 PM']Mine's not as fancy as most of you dudes..... The greatest moment for me was playing a really small venue (Mr Wolfs in Bristol) to about 150 people. The crowd were right up for it and the band (the Pete Trill Blues Band) played for hours. A small, hot, sweaty gig....fantastic![/quote] I love the really hot sweaty gigs where the sweat is pouring off you into your eyes and you can hardly see but you just don't care. You have so much energy and you never wan't it to stop. They are the best gigs ever.

Did a gig back in the late 80's in a pub in Bagshot, aptly named, The Fighting Cocks. Busy night and our singer announced that the next song was about fighting. During the song, a massive fight broke out, spilling out onto the road and eventually the cops were called and people arrested. After that we carried on playing. Quite funny really and it made it into the paper including the bands name being mentioned Did a gig in the late 90's at The Princess Hall in Aldershot. A few bands playing but we were the headline act so a lot of our fans were there. In the bar, there is a lifesize model of Arthur English, the actor who was a soldier based in Aldershot. Well, our fans decided to totally debag him and his clothes went missing. Again, that made the papers and the bands name mentioned

Fender MIA Jazz, maybe one of the Re-issues like the 75 which I have. Has to be passive also.

A few that spring to mind are, Playing Brixton Academy. Releasing singles/album and seeing it on the racks in all the high street shops. Playing two John Peel Sessions. Playing at a massive festival in Belfort, France as dusk and mid way through the set seeing the stage lights come on. One of our singles being John Peels favourite song of 1997. One of our songs used in the Casio G-Shock watch advert. One of my dreams was to play Top Of The Pops as it was the main music show in my day. Shame I never got to do it.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='616385' date='Oct 4 2009, 11:58 AM']Michael, there IS a third way, y'know! Instead of sending 'em an email saying "Go Band Go" or sending 'em an email saying "I'm So Gone", go with the silent treatment. Just drop off their radar for a week or two. Don't answer emails or texts, just ignore them for being a bunch of ... erm ... self-satisfaction merchants. They'll either find another bass player (which tells you where you really sit in their affections) or they'll be desperate to find out why you're so upset and what can they do about it. From all your posting on this subject (and bearing in mind my massive INexperience compared to yours), I can't believe that you'll be happy in this band unless changes are made.[/quote] Thanks Jack, I like your plan. I will give that a go.

Good stuff Walman, us bass players are made of strong stuff