uk_lefty

If we aren't including bass playing then there's the acoustic gig I did on an August bank holiday aged 19.... I used to book the acts at a pub I worked in during a summer holiday from uni. The boss kept asking me to do a night because he knew me through my band. Someone dropped out so I did August bank holiday. Singing and playing acoustic for the first time live ever. I had my guitarist/ singer from the band with me for a few numbers. He packed up and left once his bit was done. We were late going on because I didn't feel nervous but my bowel did. Knowing the pub toilets I used the loo in the flats above so everyone thought I'd done a runner when actually I was doing the opposite (sitting very still). I played, got some great reaction to some originals, some so so reaction to some others... Then some drunks decided to sit right in my face, read my set list and shout "he's playing *song name* next! Bet it's this song next!" As well as "play some Elvis, kid!" And my favourite, "he's a stinky poo singer but can play guitar" which was actually my dad!!!! He didn't shout it as a heckle but said it to the landlord in one of those prime moments where you think you're being discreet but all other noises cease in a moment of planetary alignment to embarrass the offender. Also, singing an original about a girl from work who she and I were stringing each other along in front of my dad was interesting.... The chorus of "you were such a b!tch" repeated was ok, it was the closing line of "even now you're offering s3x, but I won't take cos you're my psycho ex" while making eye contact with my dad was excruciating.

These are fantastic! Mine cannot match up, I've only ever been threatened with violence while DJ'ing! Worst gig would be with my first band. Played the cellar bar of a rock pub, nobody knew we were down there. Singer and drummer made no effort to get anyone in so we were relying on my ten or less mates to turn up.... They did about half way in to the set. I got a bit too tipsy, being eighteen and having the glory of our first proper gig as a band, not just on the bill with others, and re-enacted lots of rock-god moments from the likes of Jim Morrison and Flea while playing Hendrix and Sabbath covers. Front man, and barmaid, not impressed, I was a shirtless tool. I borrowed some lighting from the rock disco, a whirly thing that sat on the floor, had the plug propped on an extension lead to press down with my foot during the intro of the first song when the drum and bass kicks in... Whirly thing took hold of my bass lead and pulled it out! I retrieved the lead, tried to keep playing all while kicking the metal out of this borrowed lighting thing.... Rock DJ mam arrived at the end of the gig horrified that a rock band was entertaining HIS audience. Horrified more when the audience now of fifteen reduced to his usual five when my mates left with me. At least I pulled a girl from college that night. Worst gig recently was end of last month. Last year we played for a motor racing club at a famous British motor racing circuit. We went down a storm and lots of people got carried away. It was unpaid and lots of travel but we got invited to do their awards function so all good. I recently learned that we were invited back this year but had to start and finish earlier and there was a warning about behaviour. It seems some of the amateur racing drivers got too carried away after our first gig up there and one of which had pulled out of a race after puking in his helmet during the first race of the Sunday. We played in the new bar, a huge metal shed, that had terrible acoustics and a sheepish audience under orders to behave. There was also big TV screens everywhere showing some formula ford or other obscure racing nonsense. Got paid the same as we do for a local pub gig despite four hours or driving. It was so flat we didn't even bother playing our biggest and best songs. Gutting, it was my first outing with a new bass too.

Isn't the London symphony orchestra a covers band?

Always used to play it without a low D, never did any harm. Saw Bryan Adams a couple of summers ago and didn't notice the bassist drop D for it, though wasn't looking out for it, he played a p bass for the entire set. People love the song because it's an easy sing along chorus and it's iconic. I would have no problem whatsoever playing this in my band, though it is a pub cover band cliche, guess you just have to play it better than most.

I left Scarborough years back and the uni has changed hands and location at least once since then, but there was a music recording degree course which my guitarist was on. I got in to that band via the noteboard in Dean's music on At Thomas Street, no idea what that is now. Surprised you can't get anything set up though I guess a lot of the bands I've seen back there have been student bands. Leeds has a lot going on, my mate has been in a few rock typical pub covers bands and auditioned for some funk/ disco and jazzy stuff too. I bet there's allsorts going on in York. Don't know if Lemomrock is available up there but maybe have a look through that to see what type of bands are about and what type of "wanted" ads there are.

I grew up on Scarborough, there's always been a really lively live music scene there but I bet it pays naff all of you need it as an income. Shame the beached festival stopped a few years back, sadly. No experience of York myself from a music perspective but I have aguitarist mate in Leeds who is always at gigs, loads of variety there

If my amp goes I'll DI out of my Hartke bass attack pedal. I don't have the space or spare cash for another head. If my amp blows paying DI out of a pedal won't be great but it will do the job.

Still good mates with the ones I can keep in touch with. My first ever band had two great lads in it and we got back together for reunion gigs, but both are complete technophobes so can't even look them up on Facebook to get back in touch. Another band ended when I moved out of London, the singer now lives in Thailand but we all keep in touch and have attempted to get to gigs together, we may manage one day!

Probably taking the example of his country's elected President...

While I don't approve of violence in general he can't say you didn't warn him!! I'll save this one for my list of "reasons to never play with a keyboard player"

I could easily find it but if I publish it here, especially after that post, I could get locked up for cyber bullying, or one of the original offensive communication crimes.

I avoided a certain audition from hell three or four years back. My wife said it was a shame I had all this bass gear but didn't play in a band. I agreed, and we said before we had kids I should join a band, play some gigs, etc. So I set about looking, in the meantime invested in a gorgeous P bass, and had some interest. I was looking only within five miles of home initially. There was a guy who said he plays country, has recorded ten albums, most of which were recorded in Nashville and played regular gigs locally. He was dead keen, I like country but was honest in saying I'd never played it but would have a go and learn as I went along. He was trying to sort dates for rehearsal with his band mates. All sounded promising. So as this is going on I asked for the third or fourth time for weblinks to his songs. I got sent a YouTube clip to his "video". It was the most excruciatingly embarrassing thing I have ever seen in my life. The guy could barely play and obviously could not sing. Camcorder video of him strumming a guitar on his garden while wearing reactolite glasses with his "pro recording" dubbed over. It was absolutely dreadful. Don't know of it was the awful voice or studio autotune but my wife summed it up, between fits of laughter as "it's Kermit the ****ing frog!!!!" I sent a polite decline email saying my old band was getting back together (a lie) and I didn't have time for both adventures at once. I then receive an email saying "bassist has cried off, shall we meet anyway?" So I replied to him "don't think this was meant for me, and I'm doing ok holding back the tears"

A lot of years ago I had wireless headphones that worked with an infrared transmitter. As long as nothing got in the way of the signal path it worked well and I used to use it for late night bass practice. Must be over fifteen years ago now.

The only slight drawback, and I mean slight because as far as I know most amps do this, is that to get the full oomph you need two cabs connected. I've somehow got a 500w 15" Rootmaster cab which is likely to have been from the 500w combo unit or a special order, but I can't run with just that cab to get the full oomph from the amp. From time to time it would be useful to flick a switch and give the full beans in to one suitable cab rather than having to run two. Again, as far as I know most heads are set up like this and if it were as simple as flicking a switch then I'm sure that would be the norm...

Would happily demo a lefty for you... Though I don't own one and have not played one, the wife keeps telling me to get a bass with F holes, far be it for me to defy her

Nowt wrong with a pointy headstock in 2018!

Zoot.... Oh, you said "other than". As you were.

Gigged Saturday night. Used for nearly all tracks. Disabled the amp EQ and didn't use a pre amp pedal, just purely the onboard active electronics. Very very happy! Used it on just about all controls at flat, touch of bass boost, pickup pan nudged ever so slightly to bias the bridge pickup, best live tone I've had in a long time. Listening to the recordings right now, rolled up the bass boost and went to bias the front pickup for "come together", equally happy with the tone. Very versatile bass, very impressed.

Gigged on Saturday night with the new bass and the EHX, no Hartke. Turned off all other EQ sources to purely get EQ from the active bass, but kicked in the Batallion when I brought out the passive fender jazz bass for a few mins. Using the pedal helped me compensate for volume differences between the guitars and allowed me to get a familiar EQ immediately without too much faffing about. Having listened to the recording now, it sounded pretty darn good too. I'm now in a quandary. My active bass is probably going to be my "number 1" for the foreseeable so this makes both the Hartke and EHX a bit of a bystander until I use a different bass for certain songs or gigs. In conclusion, I'm thinking of moving on the EHX and keeping the Hartke, mainly down to familiarity and the 'punch' it adds which I can't replicate through the EHX alone or in combination with other pedals. What I would say about the EHX is that the EQ section is easier to use, the distortion is good and it works very well with other pedals in the chain. This is a tough decision!

update... Sort of. Band took a hiatus through most of August due to holidays. By the time we got together for a rehearsal I'd bought a new bass so testing out the preamp pedals went to the bottom of my list. However, my findings so far are that a great sound for a passive jazz bass on the Batallion does not work for an active jazz bass at all! I'm also a bit miffed that I can't just kick in the distortion, I need to have the EQ section running, so I can't just use it as a distortion pedal for the active bass. I might whip out the passive jazz on tomorrow night's gig and engage the Batallion to see what it does live, but I honestly can't see me putting down the new active bass while I'm having so much fun with it. The Hartke is now off my board asking what the hell it ever did wrong.

Japanese Fender precisions can be had at a good second hand price. I love mine, quality and simplicity. Different types of string completely change the character, but it's always a Precision. The ultimate plug and play, no faffing about, gigging bass.

I had the pleasure of being on jury duty for a rather unsophisticated Gumtree "scammer"... Well, not "scammer" as such but he used Gumtree to set someone up for a mugging. Meet me at the train station, I'm not there yet walk to the bus stop, I'm not there yet walk down this alleyway.... Then batters the lad and nicks the phone. Silly thing was he did it in an alleyway that led to his house. With all the other evidence presented there was not much "reasonable doubt" left and he was rightly convicted. When we have the verdict the judge told us he's already admitted a few more of these so this would be added to his sentence. Seems some small errors in the victim statement provided enough to take this one to jury. Anyway, seller not giving a proper location and messing you around is a massive red flag. Google earth is also your friend. When trying to rent a flat through Gumtree many years back I thought the address wasn't right but didn't know the area. It was the local holiday Inn.

If you ever get insomnia I can bore you with a lot more. Loving it!

Yep! Was happily using my P as my main gigging bass this summer then used my jazz for half a set and thought actually that bridge pickup is "my" sound. Just bought a Sire and I love it.

My drummer has done it twice, handed his sticks over to a known drummer once and another time some kid kept asking to have a go so the drummer got him on for a song he hates. He thinks we're an alright band.