Happy Jack

How many basses? I suppose I could find out, if I thought it important. 🤨

I've been in a couple of bands with two bassists. In The Junkyard Dogs @mcdaddy played lead guitar while I played bass. In The Soul Seniors @songofthewind plays bass while I play keyboards (although @mcdaddy depped on bass for a couple of gigs too). Don't think that's what the OP had in mind, though ...

It seems to be targeted at left-handed players who like an ultra-long fretless Jazz ... a bit niche for my tastes. 🙄

Drummers are surrounded by so many stands and so much hardware that she could probably get away with a 34" flat-screen TV without the audience noticing.

In all fairness, having FX would allow you to put Delay and Distortion on the IEMs. Just saying ...

Few things annoy me more than mono IEMs. 😡

Absolutely true if you're talking about big studio consoles, not so much if you're talking about "compact mixing desks" (i.e. the subject of this topic). Pretty much all modern electronics follow the 90/10 Rule (I can do 90% of what I want using just 10% of the tools available) although in truth I think it's now far more of a 95/5 Rule. If I was to be designing a compact mixing desk for use in the sort of situations where a compact mixing desk would be useful, then I certainly would not include a myriad of knobs, switches, dials and functions. I'd identify what it is that people actually use (or at least are most likely to use) and pare the system down to those. Keep It Simple, Stupid. 🙂

Tell your drummer he's just an attention seeker! 😉

This works well: https://www.gak.co.uk/en/tiger-imca2-tablet-mount-black/950894?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiA37KbBhDgARIsAIzce14vbp_hdlhvK3D-TMWzTDIKfIaG9kgqVDbIoGqQaaTmALgXlr31-CcaAtbMEALw_wcB Rather flimsy plastic construction, so handle gently, but it certainly does the job if you have an old mic stand lying around. And which of us can truly say he doesn't? 🤨

Pubs are run by publicans, clubs are run by amateurs/volunteers, you do the math. Any band that relies on the venue to do the marketing (with a very few honorable exceptions) is on a hiding to nothing.

Only just seen this ... yes thanks, the BL found a guy with some pretty serious tribute band experience and he came along. Only problem is that he doesn't seem to drive and, while he's a bit closer than Lewisham (Hackney) it's really not a great journey by public transport for him.

I bloody HATE it when people sing from any sort of lyric sheet. If you don't know the words, what are you doing performing (and in my case for money) in front of an audience? When playing keys on stage, I use a tablet (10" Samsung Galaxy) in a Tiger tablet holder on an old mic stand. I need it for all the different keyboard settings, not for the lyrics, but the audience don't know that. 🙄 I make a point of having the stand at least 45 degrees to my left, 90 degrees if I can, so that the tablet is out of my sightline most of the time that I'm playing, but a quick glance to my left will remind me of what patch is coming up in two bars. If I was to use the tablet to remind me of the lyrics (never, damn you, NEVER!) I would do the same. Out of the sightline, but available in a hurry in a genuine emergency.

I don't spend a lot of time watching YouTube bassists, but I've seen enough of Charles Berthoud to get the impression that he's a pretty good guy who certainly doesn't take himself too seriously. Incidentally, the same is true of Davey504, another deliberately over-flashy YouTube player, who I've had the pleasure of meeting. I'd be genuinely surprised if either of them were incapable of replacing me in either of my main bands at the drop of a hat.

Yes, and Ian couldn't remember his name either. 🙄

Most of the small-ish towns to the north/west of London seem to have just one or two 'proper' music venues - I'm talking about Slough & Maidenhead, Amersham & Chesham, Watford & Berkhamsted, Hatfield & Welwyn GC. Some do slightly better than that (High Wycombe springs to mind) but the absolute stand-out is St. Albans. That town seems to have as many music venues as the rest of Hertforshire put together, but every band for 50 miles wants to play there so the competition is unreal. On principle, I never waste my time seeking gigs in St. Albans. 🙄

... as you mean to continue.

Just for the benefit of those who'd like to confirm that the Shell Pink (but actually it's Peach) not-a-Lull has seen front-line action, here are some not very good videos from last night's gig in a very small pub. 🙄 The bass has now been officially renamed following Paul the Drums' immediate comment on seeing the bass, with @Andyjr1515's trademark swifts on the headstock, for the first time = "Ere, what's with the seagulls?". This is now The Seagull Bass. These videos aren't good enough to go on the band's YouTube for marketing purposes ... they're just here (Unlisted) so that interested parties can hear the Seagull Bass and compare it with the Mike Lull P5 on which it's closely based. I'll probably delete these videos in a month and replace with (hopefully) rather better ones from (hopefully) rather better gigs.

Ta very muchly. Mind you, it's not as if you'd have to walk 500 miles ...

I'll be on keys so I'm not available. We had a 5-piece of complete strangers lined up to play together next Sunday afternoon for the first time (Harrow HA1) but the bassist just dropped out. He lives in Lewisham, so I'm not sure what made him think this would be a good fit for him in the first place. 🙄 We plan to run through: Story In Your Eyes Nights In White Satin Question The Actor Have You Heard Ride My Seesaw Tuesday Afternoon Go Now There's some cracking tunes there ... any Basschatter fancy it?