Burns-bass

Legal minefield. My recommendation is to get professional advice. You’re also a small business so start scouting the grant directories locally and nationally to see what cash you might be eligible for.

I’ve been to jam nights with killer players and 9 times out of 10, they’re lovely people. The best part about a band like that is they’ll make you sound good and work to keep the song going. When you play a song you know you’ll absolutely storm it.

I’ve run successful and profitable businesses for decades, so save me the patronising response. No debt, paid off my mortgage at 42, currently work 3 days a week, happy days. We know the venue had a budget and a limit as to what they would pay. If they’d have told Stew, there would be no confusion or cause for anyone to get upset or feel hard done by. And have I ever paid more for something? Absolutely. We use freelancers at times and if they do a good job or secure us a profitable project then I’ll give them a bonus. Sometimes people will underprice themselves and I will tell them that. Why? Because I’m the they will always put you first, do their best work and make themselves available when we need them. You could call it compassionate capitalism. But it’s just common sense. Anyway, have to work on a project now so as you were.

Think you’ve done a great job.

Judging by Stews response he agrees with me. Business isn’t (or perhaps, shouldn’t be) about short term gain, it’s about building relationships over the long term. A happy and well paid will deliver a better show than one, ultimately giving punters a better time and increasing return custom for the venue. Almost every business that argues over a few quid here are there isn’t worth working for or with. Hope the gigs go well.

Didn’t read this before posting. This is precisely what I said would happen has happened. When in negotiate fees in my job everything is done transparently so everyone accepts it. (They’re not always happy, but that’s a different thing.)

No offence, but I don’t need the basics of business explained to me. I just don’t understand why grown adults running a business would waste everybody’s time to screw a band out of a few quid. They will have a standard rate they pay to covers bands. It’s how budgets work. They should tell you: this is how much we are prepared to pay, would you like the job. This way leaves the band wondering whether they could get more and resenting the venue if they find out this is the case. It’s the opposite of how good business is transacted.

I hate this stupid game. Why can’t they simply tell you what they want to pay? We get this all the time and it just gets on my nerves. They will have a budget, quite why they won’t tell you that is annoying.

This is a really kind thing to do. These are excellent.

Appreciate this. I like the EBS but I'm not dead set on them and have heard good things about Ashdown too. I play mid-sized venues (up to 200 people mostly, any more and I'm going through the PA). Which would you recommend here? 500 or 800?

What do people think of these Ashdown amps? https://ashdownmusic.com/collections/last-chance?page=1

I've been happy using my EBS350 for years, but it is flight cased and it's too heavy. I'm getting old(er) and things like that annoy me. When I gig with the Trace Elliot Elf it's a lot easier. So, I want to know what the best mid-price Class D lightweight amp is. I'm not buying used, so new recommendtions are appreciated. I have a modular set up with lightweight Barefaced cabs. Basically. I'm just sick of lugging the EBS around. I have used Aguilar before, but happy for recommendations for any manufacturer. I use a jazz bass or vintage Grabber bass with flats and play jazz, funk and blues. Bascially, if it sounds like it's frmo the late 60s-mid 70s, I'm all good.

I have had Mexican Fenders, Japanese ones, Korean ones, Chinese ones, Indonesian Squiers and even a few fake ones and the US ones are hands down the best. Better materials, production quality, finish, fit, playability and durability. I have owned HBs and gigged them and appreciate their quality, but when it comes down to what I want to play and something that I can trust to perform, got to be a US Fender. The recent Pro series stuff is really the top of the line for many years. People (i.e. me) have spent years buying and selling stuff. But the real magic comes when you get to know an instrument and play it almost exclusively for a long period of time. In may case, I've used the same guitar since buying it new for 5 years. Won't sell it or change it.

Adverts for older people use younger people because they don’t like to consider themselves as old. Adverts for cremation, for example, show happy and smiley people doing DIY for that very reason. Old tunes are more tuneful to you simply because your heard them more times.

Advertisers understand who their demographic is. A retro tune from the 70a and 80s is going to be more relatable to those over 50 who remain a huge consumer force in the economy. If you’re targeting Gen X or late stage Millenials you’re not advertising on TV. The fact that I know this and work in this industry is soul crushingly depressing and is the reason I’m looking to exit my business and do something with value.

100% this.