blue

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1429026337' post='2747170'] What annoys me is when you are very specific about yourself and what you're looking for, but still get classic rock and blues bands contacting you 😁 [/quote] Over here I doubt any band is going to reach out to bass players looking for bands. You have to go to them. Blue

Sounds like the agreement was; [i]"You guys provide everything and we pay you next to nothing"[/i] Bravo, for taking a hard line stance and cancelling the gig. Blue

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1428952516' post='2746396'] Not at all my experience, not by a long way. [/quote] Could be regional. There isn't much of a market for originals bands in Milwaukee. Blue

It should be a struggle, that's not unusual. Bands with a good book of business and good people are incredibly hard to find. I find the only bands that are easy to get in with are start ups and originals acts. These projects usually fall apart before they see their first gig. Stay at it, something will come up, somebody is always getting fired. Blue

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1428838753' post='2745011'] I had some girl at a gig a month or so back say (just as we were leaving the venue) "I'm a bass player and you're much better than me!". How the hell do you reply to that!? [/quote] For me it would be; [i]" Before I say anything, do I look about the same age as your father?"[/i] Blue

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1428716799' post='2744083'] Agreed, and for some younger players jamming was not a part of their learning curve. I have started little grooves with our drummer and the guitarists, I'm not sure where they stand on jamming/improv. Maybe rehearsal is not the time for it. Blue [/quote] However, and this will be important to newbies. We are a gigging band and the real strength of the band is they are [i]"Stars"[/i] which is the more valuable skill in our case. When I say [i]"Stars" [/i]I mean they are out front and these guys are appealing and connect with the crowd. Something many bands struggle with. The veterans here know a band is going to get a lot more milage out of good entertaining front people than guitar heroes especially in this day and age particularly at the bar/pub level. Blue

[quote name='Iain' timestamp='1428877677' post='2745644'] How long ago 'coz that's a scarily small amount of money for the skills required. [/quote] Around 1982. Which means the same job probably pays less now. Blue

[quote name='amnesia' timestamp='1428858488' post='2745342'] I don't get many compliments following gigs...but nobody normally speaks to me after gigs anyway! I appear to be Mr Unapproachable.[/quote] I think I know what you mean. At 62, after a gig or even during breaks it's like I'm invisible. Usually nobody speaks to me. Hell, I'm lucky if someone holds the door open for me when I'm lugging a cab out to me car during load out. Oh well, I had my time back in the 70s. You young guys, enjoy it while it's there,the attention youth brings doesn't last forever. Blue

[quote name='darren' timestamp='1428862102' post='2745407'] That's true. Gets your name out there etc. any idea what the money was like out of interest? [/quote] I think some guys don't understand that when working opportunities come up it's probably not going to be your genre of choice. It's why many really good rock musicians never leave the bedroom. My thinking, no matter who the artist or band is or what the genre is, it's still going to be me playing bass the way I play bass. Blue

[quote name='darren' timestamp='1428862102' post='2745407'] That's true. Gets your name out there etc. any idea what the money was like out of interest? [/quote] Never got that far into the process, I would guess, at the time a sideman playing bass. Around $500.00 a week. Blue

I have a standard response to compliments from punters; [i]" Really, hey thanks a lot because I was really struggling up there."[/i] Blue

It hasn't happened to me yet. Closest I have come to an incident was being sick as a dog and saying; [i]"I'm glad it's not Friday or Saturday."[/i] Blue

[quote name='darren' timestamp='1428825948' post='2744781'] I can't think of anything worse than listening to Cher singing for hour on end every other night. [/quote] Anyway you cut it, she's [i]"big time"[/i] and I'm not. And where I come from it would have been considered a big score. As in the difference between telling your mates; [i]" I'm on tour with Cher " and "Oh, I'm playing at Willies Burger Pub Friday night". [/i] Blue

I think I had that Eastwood in Walnut. No pitfalls and it is a good value. I eventually traded up to the Gibson ES-335. Blue

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1428688753' post='2743862'] What cab are you using? IME, if they are made correctly, cabs shouldn't be vibrating excessively. If they are that's your tone and volume dissipating. I put a piece of foam under all of my amps. [/quote] That is what I was going to say. You should be able to sit the Shuttle on top of the cab with no problem. I use a MB500 GK for back up and it never moves. Blue

Has the OP shared what his goal/goals are or what he wants to do with playing bass guitar? Blue

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1428791692' post='2744653'] Been there. I'm sure I wouldn't have got that gig either... I did say I've been [i]out [/i]of the music business as well as [i]in [/i]it... [/quote] At the end of the day it was an example of not getting all the information about what they were looking for and not being prepared. Blue

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1428743137' post='2744172'] This got added to YouTube by a former band member - I still quite like this track tbh! Note - I was a guitard/vocalist in this band![/quote] Nice! You know, I have never played in a band that had a decent video. Blue

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1428748196' post='2744226'] Nevertheless I can jam with any band, quickly learn long sets of material by ear and have been in and out of the music business as a pro bass player for years. Not one single person has ever asked to see my bass-playing qualifications or asked after my sight-reading abililty. It's about personality, confidence, feel and groove. Learning scales and modes isn't going to help you lock in with a drummer. This is all in my humble opinion, of course. If it's not fun and you're not enjoying it, then you're doing it wrong. [/quote] Depends on the situations you end up in. Back in the 80s I auditioned for a tour with Cher. Got to the audition, the band was ready to go and they handed me sheet music for a polka. I don't read music, I was told the gig wasn't for me and was asked to leave. Say anything you want, I felt like an idiot. Blue

[quote name='2 left thumbs' timestamp='1428705760' post='2744030'] the universal adaptor works fine, though i think i will get a tc electronic powerplug before next gig. [url="http://www.andertons.co.uk/power-supplies/cid591/power-supplies.asp#1428700275892page-1"]http://www.andertons...700275892page-1[/url] can't be doing with batteries, tried the daisy chain thing once was too noisy. the voodoo labs pedal power 2 plus only goes up to 250ma and those are only 9v so wouldn't be any good the cioks schizophrenic does pretty much the same but was about half the price of the voodoo labs, and I've not had any problem with it, typically they have brought out a new version, which would be able to power the nova drive. thanks to you all for your input [/quote] How many pedals can you conect the power plug to? Did I pay *$169.00 for something I could have purchased for $15.00? *filtered power via 6 x 9VDC 100mA and 2 x 9VDC 250mA regulated sources -- and clean power means better sound. Blue

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1428703274' post='2744019'] If the cats that find they can't hold a groove care enough it should be a motivation to get better. If I find that this is me I would want to sort it out. You could probably spend years doing covers and never really learn to play. [/quote] Agreed, and for some younger players jamming was not a part of their learning curve. Blue

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1428701547' post='2744000'] If it's for public comsuption... Absolutely! But, If it's in the confines of a bedroom or rehearsal room, it doesn't really matter. Jamming will go someway to making you a "competent musician"... and beyond! [/quote] I have complete respect for your position and opinion. However, I have to disagree, the jams I have described in this thread and what I am talking about were never for public consumption. Were about the same age with decades invested in playing,so I am assuming you know the type and caliber of jamming I'm talking about. I have to maintain my position trying to jam with guys ( for lack of a better phrase) [i]cats that can't play[/i] could be frustrating and discouraging IMO. I am sure , considering how long you have been playing you know what it's like trying to get a groove going with a drummer that can't keep a beat or gets lost coming out of his fills? Blue

[quote name='SteveK' timestamp='1428699967' post='2743985'] It's nothing to do with telepathy, it's all about responding to what is going on around you. It's quite simple - if you're serious about your instrument and want to be the best player/musician that you can be, then get yourself involved in the occasional jam session... THERE IS NO DOWN SIDE! [/quote] Agreed, however, I think having competent musicians is key. Blue

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1428689714' post='2743874'] i have the TC helicon power supply and works fine. What's the advantage changing to Voodoo - reliability ? Dave [/quote] It is probably the best option to power a larger board, and it is great not to have to deal with batteries, or reconfiguring a daisy chain! The sag feature is a plus for those pedals that react differently with weak batteries. Highly recommended! If you only have the one pedal, it's not needed. I don't know much about TCs power supple.It could be similar or better for all I know. Here's what Voodoo labs have to say; [b] Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus Universal Power Supply, New[/b] Feed clean, hum-free juice to power-hungry pedals -- with 4 Boss-type ACA outputs, 2 Line 6-type outputs, and 2 SAG outputs for simulating drained batteries. The beauty of the Power 2 Plus: all of the power outputs are completely isolated from each other. This means that you'll encounter no tone loss or power drain between different devices. With a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus powering your pedalboard, you can know that your outboard FX are running their best and most balanced. Moreover, you'll know that your rig is safe from unexpected surges or any "dirty" power you might find out there.

Great topic, however it saddens me how much things have changed since the 60s & 70s. If I were to go to an "Open Mic" and said to the drummer [i]" give me a tight funk beat like this "[/i]. And then told the other musicians [i]"I am going to play this riff as our foundation in E the changes will simple go from G to A, I'll que you guys"[/i] They would look at me like I was crazy. In my area the caliber of musician that could hang with something even that basic do not participate in open mics. Ticks me off that this sort of thing doesn't happen any more. At least not in my part of the world. it really should be enjoyable to most musicians, Around here most younger musicians do not really know or understand what I will call these "Early 70s Home Style Jams" are really about. i wouldn't mind teaching the art of jamming, however I doubt there would be much interest. Too bad because they were a great bench mark for understanding your strengths and weaknesses. Some of you older guys that were playing back in the 70s probably remember going to this type of jam and getting [i]"smoked"[/i] by some other bass player. And you knew that meant you better start taking the instrument a little more seriously and get to wood shedding and practicing. [i]" If you think the Dave Mathews Band is jamming, ok, but not by my definition"[/i] Blue