Nicko

If you are concerned about humidity buy a dehumidifier. Don't under any circumstances try to keep the moisture out by wrapping it in plastic which will simply reduce airflow and trap the moisture just where you don't want it.

Good bass players are rarer than average guitarists, and if you want to refine the setlist you don't need a keys player. I'd be tempted to give an ulimatum and be prepared to walk away if the drummer and good guitarist want to keep the band as it is..

Yes, I think this is part of the problem. We have a lot of songs that the band won't consider dropping so theres only five or six that we can swap out if we are doing 2 x 45 min slots. We have 30-odd songs and a couplle of new ones on the go at any time. We lost our 2nd guitarist and had to drop about 10 others and it left a big hole.

Are there songs that are beyond my technical ability - yes but we dropped them, are there songs where I play simplified lines - yes but no one notices, do I make the odd mistake - yes but I can normally cover it up well enough that only I know. So, I'm probably about a 5 on the scale, but it doesn't matter because everyone who sees the band thinks we are stunningly good and thats really all that counts. Without wanting to sound arrogant, in my day job I was a 10. One of my old bosses actually has a scoring system and rated a couple of hundred people doing my job, and as a contract employee my reputation was as imortant as anything in getting work, so I'm not overplaying how good I was. I got so frustrated dealing with the mediocre people around me I have basically given up on it. I thnk this is actually important because if I wa s virtuoso bass player I wouldn't want to be in a fun band with similarly talented musicians.

Its my ideal band, athough playing music I wouldn't necessarily want to play. Theres plenty of bands out there doing it purely for fun and the occasional gig just gives you a reason to do what you are doing well.

Are u a lefty?

We've only gigged occasionally over the last few years and brought in a few new songs now and then. We've picked up a bigger number of gigs this year, and some are returns to venues we've been to before. Is it acceptable for a covers band to play the same setlist if you go to a venue twice in as many months, or woud you expect a fairy wholescale re-write?

I honestly don't see how a start up business can compete online because you need to compete not only on price but also on delivery so with minimal stock your online sales will not keep you afloatso I guess the first question you need to ask is whether there is sufficient business in your neck of the woods to sustain a walk in retail business. As you say, things are few and far between, and that includes customers. If you can't drag in those people who ae closer to Liverpool and Chester with your shop's USP, then it may be that no business opporunity exists. Can you secure the services of a decent luthier for repairs and set up to generate a loyal customer base? Cann you get an excliusive retail deal with some of the specialist guitar makers in your area - I believe there are some, or exclusive UK distribution rights to the brand which isn't represented yet?

Yes, you're correct. Forgot my physics for a moment

My band has been struggling to break into local venues and we played two gigs last year. By chance we got ourselves an agent (our guitard met her when seeing a band she represented at a local pub). We played a gig last week (arranged by her) where she saw us for the first time, and we now have eight gigs lined up so far this year. Although she is taking a small cut, she is arranging a fee that incudes her payment so there is no downside for us at all. Result!

You can connect them in parallel but not in series.

1. Do you prefer buying from a music shop or online shop? Ideally I use a shop, but will do online if I can't find what I'm looking for "locally". I'm happy to buy thinks like strings online but even like to try effects pedals. 2. Do you prefer to try before you buy? 100%, but I've also been known to "showroom". I only ever bought one guitar online, but tried it in a shop first (the shop didn't have the colour I wanted and couldn't commit to a delivery in a reasonable time). 3. In your experience what is missing from most music stores you have visited? Range of stock. Often I know roughly what I want but havent decided the exact model. 4. How far would you travel to go to music shop. About an hour but that gives me a massive choice of shops from my location (central London to about Guilford/Reading/Luton and all points between. 5. What would attract you to a music shop ie range, price etc Range, easo of transport (parking/public transport), knowledgeable staff.

Ess aitch one tee auto corrects to stinky poo wich is actually a more eloquent way to say it.

I do that a lot, not becessarily on purpose.

I'm nt an accountant but it was my understanding that capital assets are generally written down over a few years, so if you but a car used for work it is declared in year 1 and a few years later is assumed to have no value. When /whether you sell it on at a profit is not tax avoidance in this scenario.

As a bass player you are almost certainly relyng on another instrument to define te harmonic context of your interval, and quite often for whatever chord tone you happen to be playing.

As long as you are registered as a business or as a sole trader yes but that would also mean declaring your earnings so it only makes sense if youare a full time musician. You can also claim mileage, new strings, food while working, hotel bills and so on.

I own a CV 70s PB. I bought it as a spare from my Fender branded American Special but now use the CV as my main instrument as I prefer the sound (I suspect most of the difference is due to the bridge). The neck is less chunky than on a contemporary PB - although it retains a PB nut width it's a shallower profile. I think some of te hardware is a little cheap (eg the jack socket) but thats all easily upgraded. It was less than half the price of the American Special and I reckon worth every penny but it's a lot of money for a Squier branded instrument.

I agree. However I think sustain equals retaining the motion of the string rather than transferring the energy to the bridge and body. It would make sense that a high mass bridge and dense/heavy guitar body would resist the vibration transfer more and hence result in a longer string decay. FWIW I believe sustain isn't that useful, but a longer sustaining guitar will give a more even note volume on shorter notes. You can mute a note in loads of ways to get a different decay, but only if the original string is still ringing. I'm kind of talking myself round to this resulting in a more compressed tone on the note.

3M 1100 are comfortable, easy to wear and low cost.

Dont like gold hardware and have never seen the point of paying extra for something I dont want and which doesn't improve the sound. A bass is a instrument not a fashion statement.

Out of interest Shockwave why did you take the neck off?

The symour duncan range has something for everyone. I fitted my mex tele with a set of hot Tele SDs and it sound absolutely awesome. Its gone from being a guitar I used every now and then to the one I like best. The Seymour Duncan site also allows you to hear the differet pickups so you get an idea what sound you're likely to end up with.

I sometimes use bigbasstabs and find the tab is generally good quality copared to some of the others, but as you say it;s a bit liiyed in terms of content.

I think there are plenty of good originals bands playing "rock". The problem is that with streaming and youtube algorithms you never hear new stuff unless you are searching speifically for it. The algorithms will suggest music similar to wht you listen to. Thats why despite the fact that it ofte features bands and artists that are somewhat leftfield programmes like Later.. are a good watch because Jools is one of the few that will feature young unsigned or startup bands. Surely though the biggest problem is people just dont buy music these days.