DogHammer

Saturday night we played at a private party/mini festival thing in Somerset. It was mostly Cover bands all afternoon, some good, some questionable, but big respect for getting on stage and giving it a whirl. We were set to go on last, we thought it was going to be at about 11:30 or midnight, but we didnt go on till 2. By then we were absolutely ruined. I had polished off 3 quarters of a bottle of Havana Club, drummer was the same with a bottle of Jack Daniels, and singer and guitarist were hitting the jagers hard. We all went on swigging our bottles of spirits and rocked as hard as we could, surprisingly very few mistakes considering how drunk we were! Went down very very well, there was only one other originals act earlier in the night, some spacey early floyd type affair, and we are a very dancy Rock outfit, jumping around being drunk on stage like everyone in the crowd. Massive hangover in the morning.

After having some recent back problems with the weight of my Warwick, I have switched to exclusively using my Jazz. I have always shyed away from using it for a gig, or at band practice, as it has always struggled to cut through. But since I have thrown some SJB-3 pickups in it has made a hell of a difference, but still could cut through a bit more. I find myself turning up the MarkBass up and down all the time. So should I be looking at a pre-amp? What are everyone's recommendations? I have never ventured into pre-amp territory before as I have always played an Active bass and ever really needed to look into it.

All our song writing comes from Jamming in the practice room. Usually we set the recorder going and take it in turns to 'Lead' a jam and see what comes out. Usually just a verse, or chorus comes out and sometimes both together. Then after that we discuss creating a Bridge or Middle 8ish kind of thing a bit of structure and we are on the way. As for your guitarist saying that he cant throw down a lick to a bassline... I dont really get that!

BMW 320D MSport Saloon. Great on fuel. Looks the nuts and can fit loads of gear in it, not as much as the tourer, but good enough. I get 2 basses, 2 mike stands, 2 guitars, Mark Bass 151P, my guitarist big Marshall Stack, Numerous cables and pedal stuff. Haven't tried to put a drum kit in it yet tho.

Thanks alot for all your advice, think I will sit down for some periods and take more breaks at band practice. Unstrap and walk around a bit, will try tonight. I am only 28 so don't want to ruin my back this early on! Looks like my Warwick weighs in at 10.1413 LB at a conversion. So its a bit heavy..... Oh and as far as practice hours go, we tend to do a 4 to 4 1/2 hour practice on a week day, and sometimes go up to 6 hours on a weekend. we are always writing new material and alot of our best stuff seems to come out after the 3 hour mark! Still think its a good enough reason to get that status.

Does anyone here struggle with the weight of their bass over long periods of time? My Warwick Corvette NT $$ is pretty heavy. The specs say 4.6KG, but it feels more than that. After a 4 and 1/2 hour band practice I feel physically ruined sometimes, and have sharp pains in my upper back. I have gone through all the posture stuff, don't wear the bass too low, and have a lovely big comfortable strap. Its fine when gigging, as a gig is rarely past 40 minutes, but band practice is a killer. I do also have a great Fender Jazz which is nice and light but it just doesn't sound the same Is it just the amount of time with it strapped on? or shall I just give in and order a Status S-2 Classic with LED's all up it? tried one at the bass show and I am hankering for one.....

Wasn't married, but have had a split with a long term girlfriend due to spending all my time practising, at practice or just concentrating on music. I think alot of it is finding the right partner who is willing to accept that being a musician isn't just a hobby for alot of people. It really can be the main part of your life. Or, just stick to groupies.

My friend has this exact bass. And its what made me buy my Corvette. Its a fantastic bass and still looks great after well over 6 years.

Hmmm I like that Idea. Just nick it from a film or song. But then again I like the throw the poop at a wall Idea too....

We have played our first gig, under the name of 'Digger Party' on the poster (terrible name, drummers idea), but pre-decided that the band name is actually 'Black Shirt Friday' so I announced us as that on the night. My drummer is adamant the the name 'Black Shirt Friday' is fascist and is intent that we need to change it. So any help would be appreciated. We are really struggling to all settle on a name that we all like. I came up with black shirt friday, when our singer said to me 'Im going to wear a black shirt on friday' one time. We are a Rock, funk, indie ish kind of outfit. Any suggestions considered, and If we use a name that is mentioned I will reward you with a Snickers Bar, and maybe some old bass books I don't want anymore.

Thanks for all the comments, after some of the horror stories you have posted, I think I will definitely be taking my amp off stage or the power cable away. Doing a festival at the weekend, and there will be many bands on the Saturday night we are playing, so will guard it with my life!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1369394449' post='2088666'] You're not being tight at all, I would've told them no Course, I usually unplug at the wall to stop anyone messing around with it anyway [/quote] Yeah but then, am I the a-hole who stops the next band playing because their bassist doesn't have an amp? I think next time I may unplug and take the cable with me.... Oh actually come to think of it, he used my jack cable that was there too. I should take that away too next time.

At the gig on Wednesday, we were on first, out of a total of 3 bands. I brought my Mark Bass Combo to use, DI out to the house PA too. We did our soundcheck, and then the next band went on to do theirs, and straight away the bassist plugged into my amp and soundchecked with it. Same with the 3rd band. Now I don't mind lending the amp out at a gig, as ever, help a fellow bassist in need but I didn't get any 'Oh can I use your amp' or anything like that. Just rock up and use it no questions. I did make the point of going up and saying 'Oh you using my amp are you' and change any of the settings at your peril. Am I being a bit tight and funny? or should I have been consulted?

1st gig for my band in the Bullingdon in Oxford on Wednesday night. It went well, we had one issue in the second song where my singers mike cut out half way through, so I had to step up and power my voice into it. Was my first time singing live aswell and it was good. The sound was really clear in there and could hear everything we were doing and the sound guy was fantastic which really makes a difference in my opinion. Got a few photos, taken from a mates phone, not great quality as they are post facebook upload.

The OP is talking about finishing his original material in the practice room by the sounds of it to me. And hes running into the problem of starting to make new songs from fresh ideas, and its getting in the way of finishing the songs he has started previously....

Have just managed to get over this problem with the band. In a 4 hour practice we now have a structure, first 3 hours for tightening, writing and adding bits to existing ideas, then the last hour on new ideas or jamming only. As long as we all agree to stick to it and press on then it seems to work out well.

After many drummer and a few guitarist changes my band 'Digger Party' will be playing our first gig at the Bullingdon arms in Oxford (Cowley Road) on Wednesday the 22nd of May! We are far from ready but should be able to fill a 25 minute slot of nearly finished tracks. Have asked for the Wednesday night slot at 7 or 8PMish so there wont be many people there..... to settle the nerves and such. We will be playing Original Funk Rock/Indie kind of stuff. Wish me Luck!

Was going to offer you my backup amp, Trace Elliot 200W Combo, in Oxford, But looks like your all sorted. I think its great that people are willing and honest enough to lend out equipment to people they have never met before, all on the trust of BassChat! Always help a fellow Bass Brother in need!!!

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Completed a trade for my Boss OC-3 Super Octave Pedal with a set of Seymour Duncan QP pickups for the Fender Jazz. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Great communication, matched postage and packing quality (Needed a chainsaw to get into the box).[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Will post my thoughts on the pickup change in a different post.[/font][/color]

Its all about the Mark Bass. My 151P smashes the back doors in through the mix, is light as a feather, fits in my Z4 and has a big yellow cone. What more could you want?............. a Mark Bass Traveller 102 you say?..... yes please.

Completed a trade for my Boss OCB-3 Super Octave Pedal with a set of Seymour Duncan QP pickups for the Fender Jazz. Great communication, matched postage and packing quality (Needed a chainsaw to get into the box). Will post my thoughts on the pickup change in a different post.

Yes I agree that its a common thing among bassists. Fortunately I have palmed off organising practices to my singer, who's happy to sort it out. And now palmed off main gig acquisition to our new drummer (he has better contacts). Now I just have all the technical stuff. Like Recording, promotion, flyers, facebook, soundcloud and structuring practice time.

Foals - Antidotes RHCP - One Hot Minute and.... Transformers the Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 1986