uk_lefty

Sounds like you need "the talk" with the bandmates and manager. "It's not you, it's me" is a good line... Seriously, if you don't say something you'll end up with midweek gigs too at this rate and everyone else will assume you're ok with that.

Just generally trying to sift out nutters. We often get, "can you do my wedding on x date?" Then we ask about the venue, power, whether they need lights, what time they want us on, how long to play for... When the answers are too vague or far, far, far too specific you get the idea that they will either be a nightmare in terms of giving you a list of Queen and Emerson Lake and Palmer songs to play or just "the reception is at this pub, play from errrr 7 until 1am? Whatever you like really". When you get something along the lines of an enquiry about x date to play two 45 min sets finishing no later than 11pm, or if it's a function longer sets and tighter rules, you know you're probably safe. Then again, for community stuff, always ask about backline. The best ones often have a pro sound company running the PA, though I have seen an event with two "stages" and bands from each stage trying to share a five watt guitar practice amp because the organisers thought bands just arrive with full PA etc to play for forty mins.

I get it, but I think it's probably just the wrong gigs. We have all played the shithole pubs that put on live bands and are full of knobheads shouting crap at you like "wonderwall!!!!!!!" All night. I've found in summer around my area there are loads of community events where they have live music all day, you get well looked after, pay is variable, but generally people are nice and respectful of you and your time. Often the backline is already there too which saves hassle. They also lead to private party bookings which again can be hit and miss but if you ask the right questions up front you can weed out the rubbish from the good ones. Keep plugging away and you'll get those amazing gigs that leave you and your bandmates with massive grins on your faces. You just have to put up with the odd gig with "wonderwall!!!" Being shouted at you between and during songs once in a while, it will always happen sadly.

Absolutely!! He's just pure class in the way he talks, no arrogance, not condescending, just wisdom!

I love the way Marcus Miller talks. Such absolute clarity, simplicity, makes you sit back and go "oh yeah!".

That is awesome.

Where do people put their receivers, pedal board or amp top... Or somewhere else? Also does where you have the transmitter affect things? I got a pouch for mine and might run it through my belt... Got a knock about gig on Thurs night that is likely to have less than ten punters so might fly by the seat of my pants and go wireless making sure I use the scan function .. fingers crossed.

I wouldn't buy near a live music venue unless I had no choice, I want my kids to sleep! Same as not buying a flat above a takeaway because of the smell, noise, etc. Isn't it just common sense? Or are there just loads of misguided social justice warriors who love fighting for their cause no matter what?? No wonder there's fewer venues left (other big factors also recognised here!)

Line 6 G75. Not yet confident to gig it. When using in rehearsal it has dropped out a few times but my issue is once it drops out it doesn't reconnect. I think I've not been scanning for the best channel to use first, combine that with rehearsal studios being full of electrical interference, I need to experiment more before it goes out to gig so jury's out for me.

I bought a USA Stingray brand new in December and on discussion with my drummer this weekend we agreed I probably never need another bass. The feel of the neck is the big draw for me, the shape and finish are just perfect. Then there's the kick you get from the pickups, a big full sound, moreso than you'd ever get from a P. I tried the Sterling Ray 34 a few years back and probably didn't have enough experience of active EQ to get much out of it, but the US Stingray is just instinctive to play. If cash is an issue and you're not sure I'd always encourage to buy second hand, you'll save loads. I'm not niave enough to think I'd recover half the new cost of my US Stingray if I were to sell it now... Give it twenty five years maybe

What an instrument for a 12 year old to be having a go on! And good on you letting him loose on it. I thought I'd had good quality basses with an MIJ Fender and some others but when I got a Stingray it all stepped up a gear, best basses for playing live (for my style anyway), can't imagine needing another bass for the same job.

It's more to do with where the strap buttons are and how it naturally sits on a strap it just pushed the end of the neck almost exactly two frets further away from your fretting arm than they would be compared to a fender for example, screws up the muscle memory! Am sure other brands and styles are different

They take a lot of flack but if I wanted lightweight I'd go back to a Hohner "cricket bat" B2A, just make sure you get one with the EMG pickups and get decent strings, they sound great. I think they look great too, many people don't though! They also confuse the natural playing position and you're playing an A when your muscle memory was taking you to G.

If it had an onboard tuner many people could have that as their only pedal!

I was there. Thought the sound could have been better. His backing band were local students I think, what an opportunity for them!! I was grinning from ear to ear throughout, such a nice down to earth guy who can really tell a story. Great experience.

Did notice the German stuff on the desk but didn't know if it was "case candy" type stuff. Also didn't know Sandberg sent out build updates, thought they'd be too busy!! eBay throws me these days with what's an auction and what's a buy now... See what you mean being handbuilt etc but surprised that they'd let a decal out the door like that. Decent bass, hope someone gets a bargain.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F254273160903 Very low starting price, wonky decal, why take it all apart for photos like that?? Something doesn't seem right to me. £500 starting bid for a Sandberg I'd be tempted but very cautious. Hope I'm being too cautious and there's a bargain out there for a lefty who wants a quality fiver... Thoughts?

Look for second hand OLP stingrays? Obviously not the real USA Stingray but should go some way towards the feel and tonal style. The cheapest Ernie Ball do are around the £350 mark new so again, not the real thing but it should be as close as you can get if budget restricts.

It would seem so but someone must be translating his kindergarten bully routine in to adult sentences at least.

Jeez, what a place to go on "holiday"

Autocorrect is a git isn't it?! Stage names is one for another thread... Yes I use one, but it isn't the name of the setting of so much drunken shame in my youth.

I once told a mate that a random long haired bloke I'm Scarborough Weahterspoons was Nick Menza, the drummer in Megadeth... Once he stumbled over for a handshake and a photo the bloke got quite a line of people wanting to talk to him. He wasn't Nick Menza.

You'd think that. I've spent my career working in offices and you wouldn't believe the state most men think it's ok to leave the loos in (never been in the ladies myself on account of not wanting to get fired). Honestly, some people are either so proud of the massive jobby they've just left that they want all their colleagues to see and smell it, or they're too scared to flush it. If that's how people behave in offices imagine what those fiends do when they see a row of fifty portabogs that others are expecting to be dirty???! There's some weirdos when it comes to loos.

I have tried the boss limiter enhancer, line 6 constrictor and Ashdown amp onboard comp. The line 6 was more of a guitar pedal but it has three settings that are very easy to use and some knobs to tweak, quite cheap second hand. The Boss unit I preferred to use on "enhance" for my fretless. The Ashdown amp compressor I was leaving on most of the time of I had no compressor pedal and couldn't really tell you what it was doing but it certainly wasn't making anything sound bad. I've now got quite a sophisticated Boss multi FX with loads of different compressor models so will be playing around with that when I get time to create my own patches. Overall I'd say use one for live or recording to add presence, but that's just me with my kit and my playing.

I don't think "hard rock calling" counts as a festival in that you don't stay on site, so my first festival experience was Download 2016 aged 32. It pished down from the Friday lunchtime onwards. Security staff were forcing people out in to the elements for no apparent reason. We camped next to east mids airport runway which was active all night on the Friday. They sold more camping plots than there was room for which led to arguments and your tent not always being where you'd left it. On the positive side... Saw some great bands, ended up following a few bands I'd not heard of before, saw Megadeth live which fulfilled an ambition since age 13, thought Jane's Addiction were ridiculously good and was gutted to have to leave them to see Iron Maiden start up, had a good weekend with old mates and made some new friends, but the severe lack of sleep was draining and meant I slept and missed most of Rammstein. I went last year on a day ticket but stayed in a B&b in the middle of nowhere, had to queue two and half hrs for a taxi back and ended up unable to sleep when I got to the b&b anyway. I would go again but at my age, with enough sleeplessness from my toddler and another baby on the way the only way I would do it is to hire a camper van and stay in the premium quiet camping bit and hope the camper van survives. And take two days off work after for recovery. What I find with a rock crowd in general is that people are really friendly and polite, in the camping area everyone was sharing drinks, there was only a few small crowds of idiots and they were pretty quickly ignored until they moved on, and they were irritating idiots but not stealing stuff or fighting from what I saw. The worst behaved people were the staff. I never saw any violence apart from this weird fixation with "pro wrestling" which is all pretend anyway, and considering the age range I'm surprised it's popular there, everyone is older than eight. Seeing Dave Mustaine have to read out some bullstuff about giving some wrestler a "Lemmy award" for embodying the spirit of rock and roll was bollocks, and Dave couldn't have read it out more disinterested and sarcastically. I think part of the attraction is the "experience". I'm glad I did it but on the sleepless Saturday night I did think seriously about packing up and just walking at 4am to get home. When I took a day ticket last year the weather was glorious. The shitty weather and the mud does really strain though, but there's no way you can know what the weather is like when the tickets come out.