Norris

There do seem to be a lot less venues to play as each year passes. The few remaining pubs that have live music in my area still pull a few in, but more and more pubs can't afford a band any more. I was talking to the landlord of one place a couple of days ago, who was hoping we might get minimum alchohol prices like Scotland are introducing. His opinion was that booze from supermarkets is so cheap that no-one goes out any more. I suppose you'll always get your hard-core live music fans who will still go out of their way to see bands, but your average Joe Public won't - not when he can sit at home watching X Factor & drinking beer a fraction of pub prices.

You could also try moving your cab backwards/forwards a bit to change the distance from the back wall.

Is this a common theme - bass players who are ex-trombonists? <Puts hand up too>

My 1999 US standard Jazz has Schaller locks fitted. You still have to buy a set to get the bits that go on the strap anyway Edit: Corrected year of bass - doh!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1320236060' post='1424045'] I`m not keen on gig-bags, as although they offer some protection, not as much as a quality hard case, so my advice would be go down the hard case route. [/quote] ^ This ^

I've a few: Jumped off stage while playing in a pub with a very low ceiling and felt quite dazed for the next couple of songs Sitting down to a family meal in a restaurant then getting a phone call saying " Where the f*** are you?" Turning up without bass and/or rig - on several occasions Breaking a string in the first set & realising I'd forgotten to bring any spares Sneezing on stage and ending up with a huge glob on snot on the back of my plucking hand in the middle of a song And only last Friday - accidentally stepping back onto my pedal board & muting my bass - twice!

Mine's all on vinyl. Memories stirred ... time to get a few CDs I think.

This one on [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fender-Bass-Manual-Maintain-Guitar/dp/1844258173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320065904&sr=8-1"]Amazon[/url]? It's got some (i.e. five) good reviews on there. As it's got 176 pages they must have found something to write about. Shame you can't see any content on Amazon though.

I didn't think it was too bad until about the 3 minute mark, where they broke out of the pre-rehearsed stuff into ... ahem ... improvisation. Would've probably helped if one of them held down a groove while the other clutterf*cked, rather than a clashing free for all. As someone else said, really they should just be guitards and have done with it. Smile and say CHEESE

The most important thing is not to go too mad. The shackles are off, but no need to go crazy. Maybe a few extra notes, or a bit of extra rhythm to make up for the lack of other backing where it's obviously missing. However,[b] enjoy the space [/b]- you don't need to fill it all up. Make sure you keep everything in balance, lock yourself in with the drummer and compliment the guitarist - and your band might well end up playing the tightest you've ever played. You can use pretty much any tone you like, probably more mids & highs than you're used to. But remember - [b]people are going to be able to hear what you're playing now[/b]. I've played in trios for nigh on 30 years - and prefer it to any other larger groups I've played in. You'll be surprised how little you'll miss that 4th member, especially when it's pay time! Btw, I've only just read [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/158419-going-from-4-piece-to-3-piece/page__view__findpost__p__1412197"]chris b's comments from page one [/url]and agree totally.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1319135756' post='1410485'] Yep one of my friends has one. Very Martin Turner. [/quote] I was going to mention him - but it's been refinished. See [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/martinturner2.php"]this interview[/url].

You would have to prise my Thunderbird from my cold, lifeless fingers - it's going nowhere (and more fool you Clarky for selling it to me )

[quote name='mrdreadful' timestamp='1318580793' post='1403879'] What if you need a wee? Do you have a bucket behind the cabs? [/quote] That's what the dressing room sink is for! BTW, I have actually seen an IEC mains lead that had been converted for kettle use with a stanley knife

I've adjusted the crop on my photo, but it still chops the top of my head off. Is this a caching issue?

We've been asked to 'turn down an octave or two' in the past, and have used it as an in-band joke ever since

Cheap digital tuners a few decades ago would have saved me from "The bass I never should have sold"[sup]TM[/sup] I allowed the guitard to convince me it was my bass that was going out of tune half an hour into every gig - not his guitar that spent the rest of the week tucked behind the sofa snuggled up next to the radiator!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1317561628' post='1391765'] They're all outside havin' a fag. [/quote] It takes 2 or 3 power chords to drag them back in

Affordable Rickenbackers...

I have a day job, play in a pub covers band, and [b]would [/b]turn down if asked. Do I have integrity? - I've lost track of the criteria (Tongue firmly in cheek!) "it’s like fire and ice, and I feel my role in the band is to be kind of the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water."

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1317204610' post='1387913'] Has no one ever told you? You CAN'T turn down a guitarist - their amps are permanently welded to '11'. [/quote] Yeah - I thought the title meant volume too! Audition is the way forward, then you can tell him he's got the wrong brand of fuzz pedal or something - make something up. Make sure you tell him you've got lots of guitarists auditioning

I have a modern one that I bought from Clarky (hasn't every bass guitar on the planet passed through his hands at one time or another?!). It took a little getting used to, but I find it a sheer pleasure to play. The tone from the humbuckers is great - and can be a lot more varied than usual comments would suggest ('One trick pony' is often mentioned) It's not too heavy. The neck is thin and fast. I don't know if I've got a particularly good one, but the clarity/tone/sustain is fantastic anywhere on the neck - even at the dusty end. I don't know if I can say much that amnesia hasn't said already. The 3-point bridge is rather weird and sits quite high off the body, but I've never had a problem with it. I've never suffered from neck dive, as the modern t-birds have the strap button on the neck heel - which can make the bass roll forward slightly, but again it's something you get used to. And yes, it does smell good too. The best bit - it looks darn good and you don't see many other bass players gigging with them

The thing is that if there are too many complaints from neighbours, and noise levels regularly exceed those set by DoE, the pub can have it's license revoked. That means that NO bands get to play there. Bands are employed to provide entertainment, not to stroke their own egos. You do have a duty to do as the manager asks. If that involves turning down to ludicrously low volume, then so be it. It's your choice if you decide to take another booking in future, but while you're there on the night you keep the manager and the customers happy... and get paid at the end of the night. I do have some issues with people who move in next door to a pub and then complain when it gets a bit noisy. If you live near a venue it's only to be expected that there will be some noise. I live near a social club that regularly has the back door open while music is being played, smokers who holler at the top of their voices all night, and customers who seem to like spending 20 minutes shouting goodbye and revving car engines & doing donuts in the car park. I wouldn't dream of complaining though - I knew the club was there when I moved in. Unfortunately, not all people are quite as tolerant as me.

I have an old Aria which is active. It has an active/passive switch, but you still don't get any sound out of it once the batteries have died. Even if you bypass the active circuitry, the output is very thin and weedy. Nowadays, it's passive all the way for me...

[quote name='charic' post='1373507' date='Sep 14 2011, 06:27 PM'][attachment=89447:IMAG0176.jpg][/quote] I like your stack in the background. What size speaker is that?

Give him a DI box and let him blow the PA instead