uk_lefty

My band won't take a gig if I'm unavailable. Same for the drummer and singer though On Saturday night we are gigging without one of the two guitarists. So the band knows the value of bass being played properly... The two guitarists and the singer all own basses but won't play to replace me on a gig. I think the audience want me to lock in with the drummer, keep the beat moving, and not mess up so many times! If anyone ever says anything after the gig they either enjoyed the band as a whole unit or they're trying to impress someone else by talking to me about "bass" thereby demonstrating a level of knowledge of how a rock band works beyond the average man in the street.

Unbelievable that ignorance like that ever existed.

Big mid-March: Dizzie Rascal supporting red hot Chilli's in 2012. All Dizzie's stuff is set up on stage being relentlessly bottled before he comes on, loads of people moaning. He came out and absolutely won the crowd, he was brilliant. But it wasn't a logical match at all.

My mate and I had an acoustic duo called "Not the Hoople" around 2006. We played in a town where the big live music venue always had tribute acts on with rubbish names so we used to make fun of them saying they may as well be called "Not *insert band name*" So we were an acoustic duo doing all sorts of covers. Our poster had a photo of Mott the Hoople with a big red line through it and a strap line "Acoustic covers, originals, but definitely Not the Hoople". We thought we had made it pretty clear we were not a Mott the Hoople tribute act. Some big white haired fellar in a black Mott the Hoople t shirt and leather waistcoat watches us set up, sits really close to us and looks around to see all of our 21 year old mates. He looks a bit confused. When we started to play he looked truly baffled. At half time he got up, came over to us and said "that was ok lads, not what I was expecting, but ok" shook our hands and walked off.

I'm fairly easily pleased on amps and cabs. If weight and transport weren't an issue I'd trade in my Ashdown RM500 set up for a 500 watt trace Elliot set up. Or anything by GK. Or a nice SWR. Or a Fender Rumble 500. But thinking smaller I might just go from the RM500 to 800 for extra oomph. Guitars wise I could sacrifice my MIM Jazz, my MIJ precision and my five string Sire Vintage V7 all for a custom made Zoot or a Sandberg. That may happen in future, funds permitting. My fretless Kramer stays forever. I loved the sound from my headless Hohner with EMGs (now departed) so have a hankering for a headless just with better string spacing. Pedals wise I'm seriously considering binning all of mine for a Boss multi effect and just learning how to program the bar steward. I keep buying pedals then having to sell them on hunting for the "right" chorus/ distortion/ whatever and then they get used very rarely anyways. I don't have lofty dreams with this, it's guaranteed we will play another outdoor gig in the rain, my drummer will kick over something and dent another bass... Quite chuffed that my Sire is there because at its price I won't have kittens every time I see my drummer rise from his stool.

At one point in time there were two bands calling themselves "Bucks Fizz" on the holiday camp circuit. They tried to sue each other for exclusive use of the name. When it got to court the judge said there was no mileage left in the name and they should just do whatever they want and stop bickering, just in more eloquent language that was even more cutting, and also legally binding. Suggest you fire the lead guitarist/ founder member but only one he condition that he sets up a rival band and you have a huge rock and roll feud with local newspaper coverage.

Do whatever you want, to my eyes it's a new band, unless the original founder was appointed band leader of the original project and continues to be so now. If he quits then you really are a new and different band

Looks good! The binding on the neck sets it off really well. Hope it plays nicely too.

Potential bargain. I love mine.

I buy my CDs through Amazon with immediate download. It's often cheaper than download only! I do like to have the physical item and the cover art and notes. I like my bookshelf and CDs out on display, well organised. All guests have a nose through our books and CDs and I want my daughter to pick stuff up and have a listen when she's a bit bigger, that's how I got in to music. If she needs to wait for me to unlock my phone and supervise her then she could miss out on accidentally finding bands she may love forever.

I use my Sire exactly as it arrived. It's set up beautifully, such a low action it's effortless to play. I'm even going to use the same type of strings when I re-string it. Their standard set up, or maybe it's Thomann's, is perfect for me.

So you lot giving them hot drinks and ice creams are the ones meaning the last few deliveries don't get made!!??! It's one of those things where they pay awful money to people and so they get guys rushing it and not caring. Some of these companies pay the drivers 5p per delivered parcel, I got that for my paper round as a kid over twenty years ago! I've had a driver shout at me because it took him three goes to deliver to me (I only work from home every now and then, not my fault) and I've had Hermes actually drop a parcel through a window five and a half foot off the floor, luckily not damaging anything in my house ... And the parcel wasn't for me!!! It wasn't even for a similar address. They had no reason to be anywhere near my house, they must have just seen the open window as an opportunity to chalk off a "left with neighbour" even if that means ten minutes walk away from destination! In summary: dodgy payment practices and high pressure creates risk of low quality work. Also, we all have lots of horror stories. I guess you just cannot rely on them at all.

I would hate to see an insanely loud band. If I can't order a drink without shouting at the bar staff I won't stick around. I had our band change to a bigger rehearsal room to get the use of better kit but also because the smaller rooms created the effect of greater volume. It costs us a bit more but it's more productive and it's not ripping everyone's ears out. Interestingly (to me at least) I wore my ACS ear plugs at my gig this weekend as I always do at rehearsal but not always for gigs. I had them connected with the transparent rubber string so I could let them hang loose on my neck. I kept being told they looked "cool". No idea! Even if someone told me I looked like a twunt I'd keep them in. I don't sleep well after gigs and rehearsals if the volume is up to the point it's like there's an elephant gang bang on top of my head. Wearing the ear plugs really helps get rid of the head pounding after rehearsals.

Tough one. I guess it depends on your other commitments and priorities. I will do band one night a week, twenty-ish mins drive away. I won't do more. I have a busy work life with long travel a day or two a week which means very early mornings and tiredness. I also have a wife and a small daughter, as well as other interests and a recognition that I need to relax some nights, and should really be exercising on some nights too. I'm doing a dep tomorrow for a friend of the band, she asked if I could do it and I told her my rule, I have to be at home putting my daughter to bed at seven, then it's forty mins drive to the venue, so for me to play we need to be on at 8 or later. That's my priority now, and my choice.

In a pool of his own making. I will be using that regularly. Perhaps in the next half hour if this train doesn't get a shift on.

Loving the Sire. I've been toying with getting all sorts of basses but I love the sound of a jazz bridge pickup, I also wanted to see what having a fifth string would give me. I wanted a maple board and a decent active EQ. The Sire is great for me. Arrived perfectly set up and I think that has as much influence as anything, the action is ridiculously low and I run all over it quicker than my other basses. I barely touch the EQ, it sounds so good with everything at the middle, I don't EQ my amp or engage a preamp pedal now. It doesn't suit everything but I can calm the brightness and snappiness easily with the EQ. It was excellent value at just over £520 or whatever, feels as good a build quality as my Japanese Fender. If you're curious about them you won't regret buying one.

Here's my current bass menu ... Kramer fretless 5. Mexican jazz. Sire Vintage V7 5 string. Fender Japanese PB70

I've never robbed a house before, but if I did...!!! That's pretty much my dream bass line up... Would love a Spector or Music Man. I narrowly missed one of those Washburn's on fleabay a while back. Had a B2A with EMG pickups and it sounded amazing, just couldn't get on with the string spacing. Swap the B2A for a five string jazz and that's a collection I would be very happy with indeed!

If they have a gig in St Albans I guess I could help out. But my communication skills are only a 2 so I don't think they'd get the message.

I hate my job and have been looking for a while... But I'm not tempted by this. I don't think my driving skill level 4 will work. And I think that means they want me to drive the tour bus. And I don't like the music.

Looks the business!

Agreed, but still think you need to ask just to be certain. Someone who says they want a player for seriois gigging band might have never played outside their own bedroom. And likewise, you need to be honest about what you want otherwise everyone is wasting each others time. Having said that, my band has grown to be a good earner, so things can develop.

As above, be really up front about what you're expecting from the band... One gig a month? New mates to jam with? Regular wedding and function gigs paying £3500 a week? And ask them the same... I got my slot over a lad who was hands down a better player but he wanted weekly paid gigs, the band was bringing in about one gig a month, few paid. I wanted to play good music, have fun and maybe cover my costs.

Inspired by the "worst ever gig" thread, What's the best Heckle you've ever had? Meaning funniest, weirdest, best timed, etc? Mine, in other thread, wasn't a heckle as such but while doing a solo acoustic spot in one of those cosmically aligned timings where everyone in a rowdy pub is quiet at the same time I heard "he's a good guitarist but stinky poo singer!" And the offender was.... My own Dad!

And that should really be the conclusion... What do you think suits it best the way your band wants to play it? Even if you're backing a Bryan Adams tribute act, are you a tribute bassist note for note? Go with what works best for your band in your performance.