Dan Dare

From Webster's - scat: noun (1) : animal fecal droppings. For many animals, particularly predatory ones, a scat is a calling card that marks territory and leaves information.

I had one for a few years. Didn't use him for hunting. He was a pet (purists can look away now). Great character. Used to take him for walks with a cat harness and long lead. It was amusing in the local park when dogs used to run up to him. He'd arch his back with his fur standing on on end, bare his teeth and hiss at them. He never backed away (I was always ready to grab him and pick him up if things got ugly). Must have been something about the smell or sound of him, but dogs, even large ones, never pushed their luck with him. Owners would come up and say, "Did my dog frighten your... what's that, mate?" "A polecat", I'd reply (he was dark marked like a polecat). They'd drag Fido away, complaining that I shouldn't be in the park with a "dangerous animal".

There's something much worse than a music stand and that's a singer peering at a mobile whilst singing. Never experienced it in a band, but have seen it on several occasions. A discreetly placed stand with printed sheets or an iPad on it is one thing, but hiding behind it and making no eye contact with an audience is quite another. I suspect most of young women in those dad rock bands are the daughter of one of the players. I turned up for an audition with one such band some time ago. The singer was easy on the eye and had a decent voice, but most of the material was bland pop. That and the fact that dad was insanely proud of her led me to decline. I could tell that any suggestion regarding the vocals, however diplomatically put, would not go down well. Working with people who are partners carries a similar risk. Regarding the more general point, female rock singers are relatively rare beasts in my experience. Plenty of female soul, pop, jazz, etc singers about, but not rock.

This. in my experience, BD has the better selection of stock. As you're contemplating a major purchase, it would be worth (if it's possible) taking a day off work and paying them a visit .They're in Warwick, so not that close to you, but easily reachable by road. I did that a few years back when I went lightweight. If you visit during the daytime in the week, the shop will be fairly quiet and you can try stuff to your heart's content and make an informed decision.

As far as I'm aware, BE use stock Celestion drivers. I've seen a couple of their cabs. Traditional boxes. Solidly made and offered in a range of finishes, but little different from any other conventional cab.

You keep ferrets?

I sold a guitar on eBay recently and needed a box. I went to my local Halfords and got one that a child's bike had arrived in. The guy asked how many I wanted - they go through dozens of them and chuck most of them in the recycling, so he was happy to give it to me.

You don't need a finger training aid. You already have one - the neck of your instrument. Just fret with each finger in turn repeatedly. No need to play or even have the bass plugged in. You can sit and do it whilst watching the TV. The tendon that moves the third finger is linked to the one that moves the second, so it has less independence of movement than the others and needs work to develop it.

I may be sad, but I still enjoy doing sound. I'm happy to carry my PA (and also to earn a fee for its use). As it's compact and lightweight (class D and neo speakers have reached the PA world, too), it's pretty easy. The heaviest items I own are 2 Fohhn powered subs that weigh a little over 20 kilos each, so hardly a strain for a reasonably fit old geezer like me and I have a trolley. To each his/her own, of course.

Me. I joined a busy, established function band with a full diary. I put in (via deductions from my share of gig fees, not as an upfront payment) an amount to make me an equal partner and owner of the band's jointly used gear - PA, lights, etc. It worked out very well. Over the next few years, I got back my original investment many times over. When we split, we divvied up the jointly-owned gear and sold or used it individually.

Hardly. We're talking about a situation where you become a full member of a partnership/collective (call it whatever you like), where you receive an equal share of the earnings of said partnership and where, if you leave or it breaks up, you have the right to an equal share of its jointly-owned assets. This can be set out in a written agreement - probably a good idea to do so. If you were in his class and people were knocking on your door to get you to work with them, you wouldn't be on here arguing about buying a £3k PA. And of course, any large, successful act will own several truckloads of jointly used gear - PA, lights, etc, etc, which will have been bought with the money the act earns. Read my previous comments and I you will see I suggest what a singer who plays no instrument should be expected to do (which is to provide a reasonable vocal-only PA - should cost about the same as the amounts you mention that other members have spent on their gear). As for a band needing the equipment owned by individual members for their own use, you are correct. However, a band is not simply a collection of individuals/soloists. So who pays for gear that is needed in order for the band to function that is not owned/solely used by individual members? Many on here seem to believe "Not me, guv". Guess they'll have to stick to playing solo.

You are paying to become a part owner of jointly-used gear. It can be done via deductions from gig fees, rather than as a "joining fee". Not your responsibility? OK. Consider this. Band works and spends money to achieve a following, create a good sound, etc. Then their bass player departs for pastures new. His ex-colleagues pay him out his share of the jointly-owned PA. You come along and say "I'd like to join". You audition and they say "Great. You're in if you want it. We have a jointly owned PA which is essential to the band's sound. Would you mind contributing as an equal member to its cost? The contribution will be its value at present, not what it cost us when new". You reply, "No way, man. This is, like, meant to be a collective. I expect to benefit from the work you've already done and the money you've already spent without contributing myself". Yeah. Good luck with that.

1. That's the position I'm in. People like us have two options We can tell the band: a) "I won't contribute to your jointly-owned PA. I own a better one, which I'm happy for us to use provided you pay me a (reasonable) fee to use it". Or: b) "I am happy to provide my mixing desk, FOH or whatever to use with the rest of your PA as my contribution to it". That's the advantage of my original suggestion - that band members should own parts of the PA as individuals. It's simple to replace whatever piece of jointly-used gear the departing band member takes with them. If they don't want to go with either of those options, that's fair enough. They can look for another bass player. 2. And the guitar player is the guitar player, the keys player is the keys player and so on. They may not "go through the PA", but the PA is needed to ensure the band as a whole can function and be heard properly. You won't get many gigs if that isn't the case or the band sounds terrible. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Every member of that band will have spent good money on quality gear for their own individual use. That's just the way it is. Have you seen how much quality guitars and guitar rigs cost? Keys? Saxes and wind instruments? We're talking about buying equipment that the band needs as a whole to function. It won't matter how good you are as individuals if nobody can hear what the band is doing, the singer is singing, etc. That's where a PA comes in. If your band is truly a "collective" and you are not "individuals", then you will share the cost of what you need to function properly as a unit. Unless you want to flip flop between being part of a collective and an individual depending on which best suits your pocket, of course...

Thank you. That was my original point. It doesn't seem to appeal to those who believe someone else should pick up the tab for them.

I realise that. I didn't always have money. It's amazing what working for 50 years and not wasting money on frippery can do for the state of one's bank balance... Yes, £3k is very much entry level in PA terms. Add it up. You need some modest but not rubbish powered cabs (say a pair of 15s or a pair of 10s plus a sub, which is what one would need to cover any small to medium sized venue without the system sounding as if it's about to self-destruct, You can go the passive cabs plus power amp route if you want, but the cost will be about the same), a mixing desk with proper eq and onboard fx, monitors (being able to hear yourself does wonders for the ability to remain in tune), some decent microphones and DI boxes (garbage in, garbage out, remember), stands, cables and sundries. Buy new and you'll see little change from £3k unless you buy tat. £600 a head for a band PA is actually something of a bargain. "It's only a hobby", I hear you cry. OK, name a hobby that you can pursue properly for £600 or less. If you have any aspirations to make music into a part or full time occupation, you won't get far if the band sounds like sh1te or nobody can hear what you're all doing, regardless of how good the individual players are. That's the reality.

Then you cannot expect to share in the benefits of that decision.

I'm in a similar position. I've made my money, am comfortably retired and do not need to earn from playing (or anything I do, for that matter). I have all the toys I've ever wanted and, crucially, own my home. I suspect you are in the same position. Relatively few are in our fortunate position. The hippy idyll is not a realistic possibility for most. Life can only be simple if you can afford to make it so, which you and I can.

Let's flip it on its head - "Guitar player seeks band. I will not contribute towards any jointly used equipment or expenses, but I expect to enjoy the benefits of the money the rest of you have spent and be treated as a full partner and receive an equal share of anything the band makes". Not sure that'll be a huge success, either. Is that what is meant by "the right attitude"? £600 is peanuts. For a 5 piece band, that equates to a PA that cost £3k, which is a little (but not much) above entry level. There is no guaranteed minimum payback in life and especially not in business. You invest in equipment, acquire the right knowledge and skills, etc, work hard and hope you will recoup. If you want a guaranteed minimum payback, you need a job that pays a fixed wage. Would you be happy to join a band on a fixed wage, regardless of how much money the band made? Or would you want to be an equal partner when it came to dividing the spoils? If the latter, you need to make a similar investment as your colleagues. Otherwise, you are expecting a free (or at least subsidised) ride from them.

So if a band had recently spent £10k on a quality PA (less than mine cost, incidentally) and you were invited to join a month later, you'd expect to benefit from it for nowt?

Trivia question. Who played bass on Beat It?

Oh yes. See my previous comment about his loving a barney on here. I'm just amusing myself. I don't really care what he thinks or does.

And? The gear was mine. I was free to do as I wished with it. "Brand new"? They could have (and did) bought something used. Had they bought mine, that too would have been used. Actually, I didn't "jump ship". We agreed mutually that I should go - musical differences and all that... Don't you think you're clutching at straws?

This. There are a number of alternative good quality cables in addition to VD and you can even use Switchcraft connectors if you're feeling flush. Generally, the words "durable" and budget" don't exist in the same universe. Given that the difference between a high quality cable and a mediocre one is around a fiver, it isn't worth saving when you take the increased lifespan of the decent one into account.

That's why I decided to get my own PA in the first place. That and the fact that owning a quality PA makes people far more likely to want you in their band.