MrDaveTheBass

I used to be almost paralysed with nerves before a gig. They're a natural, hard-wired response to a stressful situation - the ancient caveman-part of your brain pumps adrenaline around your system in order to escape or kill that sabre-toothed tiger! The turning point for me was when I recognised that the sensation of fear before the gig was exactly the same feeling as being excited. I still feel the butterflies, but I'm able to tell myself that I'm not frightened, I'm just excited. It's got to the point now that if I didn't get that rush before a gig, I don't think that I'd enjoy it - for me now, it's all about chasing that buzz that makes me realise that I'm alive.

What ear defenders are you using? Standard foam plugs can really affect what you hear. If you get yourself a "musician's" set you should find that you should still be able to hear everyone, but at a lower volume. With the Alpine plugs, I find that I can actually hear everything better, as my ears aren't distorting with the volume. It did take a couple of rehearsals to get used to them, but now I won't play without them.

Mine live on my key fob with my car keys - I don't leave home without them!

I swear by these - I always use them when I'm rehearsing or gigging, or even in the crowd at a gig. They're comfy to wear, and actually make it easier to hear everybody, at a safer volume: https://www.alpinehearingprotection.co.uk/earplugs/musicsafe-classic/

Don't worry, it's a fine line between 'clever' and stupid'!

This sounds like the 'narrative arc' of many bands that I've been in. Take time to enjoy your new family - before you know it your house will be full of grumpy teenagers, and it'll be time to get that three-piece on the road.

Has anyone replaced the tweeter in a Genz Benz Focus 410? I thought that I'd be able to replace just the diaphragm, but the screws on the driver have been epoxyed over. Even more annoyingly, the horn has been epoxyed onto the driver, so I can't even unscrew the driver and reuse the horn. Can anyone suggest where I might be able to source a replacement driver and horn? Many thanks, Dave.

Thanks Andy, I've passed your number onto Dunc, who's Rev Schnider's guitarist. Cheers, Dave

This is weird: When I play with a pick, I can sing at the same time. If I try to sing whilst playing the same line with my fingers, my mouth doesn't open, and my face gurns about like I'm having a stroke. Who'd have thought moving two fingers took up so much brain power?

My guitarist uses all sorts of weird tunings. One rehearsal I took my fretted bass along, rather than my usual fretless, and it just sounded wrong. I realised that I must automatically compensate the pitch on the fretless to match the guitar - I was rather chuffed - my ears must be better than I thought they were. If you're going to use any sweetened tuning system, make sure that you're using the same one as the guitarist.

The Rev Schnider and his band of angels need a dep bass player to play the Beat Herder and Boomtown Festivals this summer. https://www.facebook.com/schnidersangels/

My originals band is completely modular. As long as the main singer/guitarist turns up, we've performed as a one, two, three or four-piece in every permutation of vox/guitar/bass/drums. We're all very low-temperature though, and it's never been an issue. If I was you I'd relax and let them get on with it - money in the band kitty that can be used to maintain any wear and tear on the PA sounds fair enough to me.

+1 to this - they were really helpful resolving a problem with my daughter's acoustic guitar. They had some very nice guitars on the wall too. https://www.expressmusic.co.uk/

Posting this ad for a friend's band: Bass player wanted to dep/join Birmingham based originals band, Stonehouse Jack. They've got an upcoming gig in London in July that they'd really like to honour, despite recently losing their bass player, so a one-off dep would be great, but if you fitted in, a full-time band member would be even better. http://www.stonehousejack.com/ https://stonehousejack.bandcamp.com/ Facebook: @stonehousejack

I must've listened to the click of the needle in the run-out groove for hours whilst I tried in vain to climb down from the ceiling and turn the record over.

I'm calling the RSPA!

Personally, I find one of the advantages of an active bass with EQ controls is that it allows you to tweak the EQ between songs (or even mid-song) without having to turn around and fiddle with your amp. I generally set the amp flat and adjust EQ on the bass. That said, I sometimes have to set the EQ on the amp so suit the room (e.g. cut lows to avoid 'boom'). However, one of my favourite strategies is to set everything flat and use my right-hand position/picking technique to change the tone (picking close to the neck for a round bassy tone, or closer to the bridge for a brittle trebly tone).

You decided to let the drummer go then?

That's a great idea - it gives you licence to sound like 'you'.

Buy 4 of these and put them underneath your cab's feet. £6. https://www.amazon.co.uk/6030-Sports-Ice-Hockey-Puck-Black/dp/B01ERRJR4Q/ref=sr_1_2/257-8636340-0319504?ie=UTF8&qid=1526297260&sr=8-2&keywords=ice+hockey+pucks&dpID=418690QQ2SL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

You've just described my cover band's set list! When the whole pub is singing along with you, somehow even the worst drunk anthem doesn't seem too bad. The one song, however that I left a function band for was 'Build Me Up Bloody Buttercup' - for some reason I just couldn't face ever playing it again.

Unless you're a pro, there's no point in being in a band unless you're enjoying yourself. Best of luck getting the band that you deserve - there's a fantastic band out there waiting for you - you just have to find it.

This is worth a listen - "Martin Simpson and Richard Hawley visit master luthier Roger Bucknall, who reveals the extraordinarily painstaking and creative labour of love involved in making an acoustic guitar." https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b0pw02