Happy Jack

Here's my collection of miniature sound solutions ...

Agreed. I'm 62 but I came late to bass, so I'm only now realising that you can actually turn the amp up and your effort level down and get much the same effect. For me the catalyst has been playing DB in a rockabilly 3-piece. There is no way that I can maintain my previous digging-in style of play at that intensity, that speed, and for that long. Playing lighter is the only answer. On DB a pleasant surprise for me has been how much more depth of tone I get by not digging in too hard.

That stuff is easily available, a PITA to use (all the cables must be individually coaxed inside the rubber flap underneath), surprisingly heavy and floppily difficult to carry, and gets filthy and sticky at every gig. Apart from that, it's great. Rather than protecting vulnerable cables, just put the bloody things where they won't be vulnerable!

Route ALL cables wherever possible around the back of the stage, behind the backline, behind the drum kit. If necessary, buy longer cables to make this possible. Scrap all floor monitors - way more trouble than they're worth - and replace with tiny personal monitors on the singers' mic-stands. Where any cables absolutely must be routed where punters can trip over them, just gaffer them to the floor. If all else fails, buy a Snake unit but this really is OTT for pub gigs.

On a cruise that's probably good advice.

Up to a point. I had exactly this situation a couple of years ago. It then turned out that the reason for this attention to detail was that the other two band members were complete control freaks who wanted me to play EXACTLY what my predecessor had played, note for note, no room for anything else.

Oh bloody hell! Fair point, well made ...

My experience of this is playing in an Americana outfit originally formed by a ukelele-playing music-in-the-community merchant. She was very enthusiastic and did a lot of good, but she was a very limited musician and either couldn't or CBA to learn the songs properly. Over a couple of years the band attracted some much better musicians because the song choices were a lot of fun, but each as they joined pretty much 'dumbed down' to her level. Finally their long-term bassist left and I was recruited, and I don't do dumbing down. If it's a 5-chord song then I play five chords ... I don't leave out the funny ones in the bridge because someone hasn't learned those chords on a uke. It didn't end well. She got her boyfriend (guitar & banjo) to sack me, which he did very apologetically, then it turned out the rest of the band didn't know until it was too late and within a month both she and her boyfriend were out of the band and they had split up too. I should stress that there are no villains in this piece. She wasn't evil, her boyfriend wasn't a silly billy, and I probably didn't help matters. But stinky poo happens.

We're a bunch of 50-something guys playing to a pub rammed with 20-somethings. Girl comes up to me and says, "Can you play something by Keith Moon?" Says I, "By Keith Moon?" "Yes", she says, "he was the lead drummer in a band called Who". We have always described our sticksman as the lead drummer ever since.

It's also worth remembering that (for reasons we are entirely forbidden from discussing) the value of the Pound has plummeted ever since we held a Referendum on Brexit (oops ... damn! damn! damn!) so your bass will now be a great deal more expensive over here than it would have been in 2016.

This is one very cool lady, and she never once mentions neck dive.

Shame the OP is in Edinburgh. I have both a Crazy 8 and a Crazy 88 (the only one in the UK, I believe) and I honestly think they're ideal for small-sized DB rigs. If you're going to be down South any time soon, Razze, drop me a PM and come and try them.

Genius. Sheer genius.

Yup, pity poor Norman Greenbaum ...

Don't really associate Fender with Sterlings ...

Photos, or it didn't happen.

Now these guys are onto something. Or maybe just on something. https://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/ancient-temple-looking-for-priestess-bard-and-minstrel-t1135590.html

You can practice and improve your guitar skills by using this guitar unfriendly spots.

If he wants to cover his @rse then he'd better off with a Bongo ...

And it's all the wrong way round, too ...

That's exactly what I said to those two drunks who nearly knocked over the PA stand ...

I'm struggling to understand how this relates to playing Brown Sugar down at the Dog & Duck ...