FinnDave

I had a Spyder 550 combo a few years ago and it sounded great. A bit heavy for me these days, unfortunately.

We have all-day rehearsals, but not very often, maybe 4-6 a year. My playing at home is on my own with CDs or i-tunes, just learning the songs and trying out different approaches to them.

I reckon I'm about 5% talent (I know which end of the bass to blow into…) 20% experience and 75% practice - these days I play through whatever we are gigging/rehearsing next every day for at least 2 hours, sometimes up to 6. Current band doesn't have a fixed set, just an ever-expanding repertoire that we can dip into. Makes it more interesting, but there's a lot to remember!

My best purchase was the Jazz Bass de Luxe I bought to cement my renewed relationship with four stringers after a period of six string fixation. Can't really think of a worst purchase, haven't bought much this year. I suppose my second-best purchase would qualify as my worst, which was a Barefaced Super Compact to replace on I sold earlier in the year, Nothing wrong with it at all, but a bass has to beat a cab anytime! I used them both at our gig last Saturday, no problems at all.

They're important to me too, but I have become fussier as the years roll by, there was a time I'd happily play to one man and his dog, these days I need an audience who really appreciates the music. Last Saturday was like surfing a huge wave of energy coming from the audience, we were just channeling the music for them. It didn't feel like I was playing, just letting the music flow through me. Truly a 'music plays the band' moment (to quote the Grateful Dead)

Blue, Saturdays gig was the first for two months, and it was back at the same venue. We've been booked to play there six times next year, hopefully get another 6-8 bookings in other places, only 2 or 3 in the book so far.

Thanks, Blue - that's only about a dozen gigs this year with that band, a large proportion of the audience comes to them all, and we don't want to them to get tired of us! The sets are always different, though. London gigs are about a two hour drive for me, further for some of the others. I'm playing NYE in Swindon, about 40 mins away, with my old band, which will be fun, and depping with another, more local, Grateful Dead band in Oxford a few days later.

Got home at half two last night after playing in Camden. Exceptionally good gig for the band, everything on stage was just right, despite having to make do with only one drummer (we usually have two) and had a dep rhythm guitarist (who also sang a few songs) that we hd never payed with before. He did an excellent job, and will be playing with us again as our regular chap will not be able to make all the gigs next year. There was a good crowd in, place was pretty fun, and the area in front of the stage was a crush of happy people dancing and singing along. Because of the different line up, we were able to re-think our positions on stage, and I changed from stage left behind the keyboards to stage between the two guitarists - much better, I was able to hear and communicate with our lead player, resulting in much better transitions between songs and better jams. That was the last Grateful Dudes gig of the year, and marks the end of my second year with the band. Looking forward to my third - last night's venue has booked us back for six gigs in 2020. Can't wait! The gear I used last night was a Fender Jazz deluxe four string, MiM about 20 years old, strung with light LaBella flats and played with a heavy pick, through an Ashdown Rootmaster and Barefaced Super Compact, no FX. The sound person (Veronica, we have worked with her before) surprised me by mic'ing up my cab rather than using the DI out, and people out front were very complimentary about the sound of the bass.

Me neither

End of our three night run in Germany this summer - only the middle six are the band, the others are promotor of the event (on the left) and a guest percussionist (right). No prizes for guessing which one is the bass player!

Ours are one by consensus, the main aim is to avoid repeating ourselves - never play any of the same material at a repeat gig at the same venue, though with quite a few coming up next year in one place, we'll just have to spread them out.

I had a 4x10 Trace combo I bought from the bass centre in Wapping in the early 80s. Sounded great, but it was damned heavy. I lived on the third floor of a house converted into flats in Acton, and there was no lift. Every gig and rehearsal meant carrying the damn thing down the stairs and, even worse, carrying it back up afterwards!

In the case of the blues band I was in for five years (left a year ago) I would count them as friends, especially the guitarist and drummer. I still see socially and play with them. With the band I'm in now, it is harder to get to know the rest of them as we are spread out around the country and only get together for rehearsals and gigs. Perfectly nice people, just haven't had many social opportunities yet. We all got on well when we were in Germany, so it's not about the people, just the lack of time to get to know each other better.

I've been playing bass for about 45 years (minus a few breaks here and there along the way) and have never used any effects pedals. My Ashdown amps have sub-octave and compression built in, but I never use them. I'm not against effects, but view it is just more stuff to buy, store, plug in, etc. which I don't have a need for. No band I have played has ever asked me to use effects to change the sound of my bass, so I must be on the right track.

I was doing alright for the first half of the year, then bought a Super Compact to replace the one I sold a few months earlier! I also bought a Jazz bass a month or two ago, again to replace one I sold earlier in the year. I really should think before selling things! I'll have another attempt to retain myself in 2020.

Here're my rigs, all Ashdown/Barefaced gear. The ABM goes with the SuperTwin, as it looks a bit large on top of the Super Compact, and it kind of defeats the object of having a really small, light cab if you have to carry a large heavy head for it. I took these pictures a year or two ago, so I can't remember why I put both my ABMs on the Barefaced!

With an 8ohm cab (like the Super Compact), the Rootmaster 800 is only putting out about 500w, but the 500 would be down to about 300. Probably enough, mine has never been past has way on the volume.

I use a Rootmaster 800 through a Super Compact, they work well together. Nice small & light rig that has plenty of punch when needed.

I'm seriously considering selling my Barefaced Super Twin ((#001) as I rarely use it now, and when I do, I always realise that my Super Compact would have done the job with less lifting in and out of cars. etc. To be fair, this comes from the perspective of having a major (right) hand injury 4 years ago. But as Mr B.R. Cross says, any gig where you need the acreage of speakers that an 8x10 offers is likely to be DI'd anyway. We played three nights in Germany in June and I was not able to take my rig, just made do with whatever the combo was that the organisers offered. Couldn't tell the difference, the backline is simply there to keep me & the drummers happy, plenty of bass through the monitors and the soundman doesn't want the backline interfering with the FoH mix. My currently most-used rig is an Ashdown Rootmaster 800 and Barefaced Super Compact, I can carry both and a bass at the same time with ease. Anyone want the first Super Twin off the line? Please form a queue….

I've never heard of them, but you'd thing they might pick a better part of the anatomy. Personally, I'd recommend picking Nose.

Trips nicely off the tongue!

Frequently and in many ways, I believe!

Good to know the comms are working properly. We've got six more gigs booked there for 2020, all are on our webpage & facebook.