Monkey Steve

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1486396765' post='3231423'] Just seems really weird to me. They've told him he won't be on the new album but he thinks he is still in the band, and they're keeping him on the current tour. Just doesn't make sense. Why is he even hanging around? [/quote] there is a lot of stuff I could add to explain all of this, but again, cats and bags that don't belong to me. From the version of things I've heard I'd be amazed if he can't see it coming (unless he has rhino hide for skin), but also that he will be very upset when it does finally happen. But trust me, it's not a "one last chance to improve or we'll have to let you go" situation. Conan probably nails it - learn the songs, be an option for them if they ask for one. I've not been pushing for this...well, I have been one of a chorus of people telling the band that their bass player isn't up to it (and in fact not telling the band, answering their questions when they've asked what I think), but it's been "sack him" not "hire me". In fact I was genuinely surprised when he asked me

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1486392598' post='3231362'] Ok.. Just spotted that. Even more daft. Edit: I hope the original Bass player ain't a Basschat member and is reading this thread. [/quote] Exactly why I'm keeping a lot of the juicy details out of this! And some of the points I've made have been left slightly twisted, but the essence is true. I'm treading very carefully as this is not my cat to let out of the bag. *Thinks hard about how much I can say about some of the points raised... The issues around what the band have done and will do remain their problem. i won't go into the background but the decision to record the bass themselves was a good solution for a number of reasons - it surprised me because it wasn't something that they wanted to do, or have done if they had a bass player they were happy with. Also, I'm only mates with my mate - I don't know the bass player personally. personally I'm not looking on this as a long term thing. I've told my mate that I'll help him out if he wants/needs me to, but it's not an offer/acceptance/expectation to formally join the band. First we need to see if I'm up to it, whether I want to do it, and if they find that there is a better bass player out there for them (for whatever reason) then that's fine. If it works out and I stay forever more, great, but it may come to nothing for any number of reasons and I'm not worried if it ends up just being a few gigs while they look for a longer term solution.

sorry, that's possibly a bit ungracious of me. And for me it's not really about whether he's getting the sack or not - he will be gone one way or another before too long - it's purely a question of timing, and whether I should be feeling bad about being the backdoor man at this stage.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1486390868' post='3231332'] Why don't you just get the existing bass player to spend his time learning the new material! How does anyone know he isn't able play it?[/quote] mostly his complete inability to properly play the much simpler stuff from their previous albums that he's been doing until now

OK, so I'm going to tread very carefully here, as I can't let any specific details of this get out, so it's all very broad principles... A mate of mine is in a band that has been recording their new album, which has brought to a head that their current bass player has got to go (and he's only been in the band for a year or so, so this is buyers remorse to a degree). The rest of the band has been thinking it for a while, and a shift in what they are writing has got them to the point where the bass player will not be able to cope with the bass lines they have written (and the guitarists will be recording) for the new album. The bass player is aware that they're not happy (clearly - they've told him he's not playing on the album) but is clinging on to his one chance of staying in the spotlight - if it was me I'd have quit the second they told me I wasn't good enough to play on the album. But he's also the closest mate of the one key member who's band it "is" so there won't be any sackings until that band member is completely on side. Plus he's been playing with them solidly on tour and at festivals for the last year so perhaps has reasonable grounds to think that it all seemed to be working out fine up to this point. However, they have a reasonable amount of gigs lined up to keep them ticking over for the next few months, and no great pressure to play the new material until the album is out (probably May). Which means that they don't really have any down time to sack the bass player and get someone new in ready to play over the Summer. So...I was out with my mate for a few beers at the weekend and this topic once again came up, and I repeated what I've been telling him for a while - find someone to learn the stuff in the background so that when they are ready to do the sacking they have someone available to step in straight away (and it's stuff that will take a bit of learning - they won't be finding a dep to step in at short notice). And he looks at me and asks "well, would you do it then?" It's not that I don't want to do it, and after all it was completely my idea to sneak around behind the bass player's back, but now that it looks like I might be the one doing the sneaking I do have a suspicion that this makes me a complete scumbag. So, would you? Happy to have unglazed, honest opinions - if you agree with my conscience that this does make me a bad man then that's fine, and I'd rather see what people genuinely think than have a Facebook support group "of course you're never wrong whatever you do" feedback *grabs tin hat*

I was at the previous "last ever Sabbath gig" at the NEC in '99 (then on a train back to London to see the Who the next night - it was a good week) which was excellent (and I'd seen them a few times touring the less than stellar late '80's/early '90's albums and they were always great live...plus I remember Brian May turning up more than once). Then saw the last two Downloads - the 2013 one (following the spat with Bill Ward) was excellent. The 2016 was pretty dreadful - Ozzy didn't hit a correct note for the first four or five songs (still got a T-shirt though, obvs). So I wasn't that fussed about being there for the very last farewell, but a mate who was at the O2 gig last week tells me they were fantastic.

+1 to Grangur (and "gobby" was meant more as a criticism of singers than of salesmen) I do think it depends on what market you are after, and you do need to think about the Landlord's position in all this. If you are doing the same stuff as your mate's band but to a better standard, the Landlord probably doesn't care if your mate's band bring in a crowd every time they play (and let's leave whether crowd's notice or care very much about the standard of the playing if they can sing along to the choruses for another thread) and they've already got one band playing AC/DC, the Stones. whatever, so do they need another? maybe you need to make more of an effort to differentiate yourselves and offer something more obviously different Also +1 to Mikel for the loss leader idea - my last covers band got a lot of repeat business by offering to do the first show for half price. We're sort of assuming that you do covers but if you're trying to get on at venues doing originals then that's a completely different market, but it's pretty easy to get support gigs at fairly well known small venues if you just e-mail them and ask if they need a support band for anything that's coming up- the Barfly, Boston Arms, Dublin Castle, Nambucca, etc

what sort of stuff are you playing (originals, covers, genre, etc) and what have you tried? My own experience is that you need someone to take on the manager/promoter side of things - ideally someone who has the gift of the gab (usually the singer, and being gobby does tend to come with their territory) and will happily spend an evening ringing and e-mailing places and chatting to them about why your band is exactly what they need. All the bands I've been in that have struggled to get gigs suffered from a lack of anyone who was good at that, and the ones that have got regular gigs always had one person who was great at it.

late to this party but if you can get hold of some wooden rawlplugs they do a fantastic job - I've had some in my Ricky 4001 (Dunlop straplock screws being slightly smaller than the Ricky integrated screw/strap button) for a couple of decades now

A few years back I was taking a female friend (not gf) to see Ben Harper on a Saturday night and suggested that I come in to London early and we spend the afternoon drinking. She decided to "repay" me for the Harper ticket by taking me to a Harp recital that was on that lunchtime - not as random as it sounds as she was trying to learn the harp at the time. let's just say it's not my thing and leave it at that. Still, it did make that first pint afterwards particularly enjoyable.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1484748567' post='3218048'] This is so true. My point arrived quite a while ago with a 76 Precision, a USA Ampeg SVT CL and 8 X 10. That remains the best sound I've ever had. But it's just too impractical a rig for 'normal' use. I'm trying to stay with what I've got, but there's always that little voice in your head which says, 'If you just get this [i]next [/i]bit of gear you'll be sorted and you won't need anything else...' And round and round we go. Currently I'm fighting the urge to buy an Ampeg PF50-T... [/quote] Mate - I am so with you on the Ampeg PF50T! I've got a SVT - 2 Pro which is gorgeous, if a little hernia inducing...but that PF50T looks so cute and surely has to be bought...must say no...must say no...when am I getting my bonus? A rhythm guitarist from an old band of mine wasn't the greatest but had the (mis)fortune to own his own business where he got paid in cash (which may or may have all made it's way through the books) so was always flush for disposable income. He had the worst case of chronic GAS I've ever seen, and it became a running joke that he'd produce a new amp at rehearsal one week, declaring that it was the best amp on the planet, that it was exactly the sound he was after and he'd never need another one...and the a month later he'd find some niggle and would go back to p/x it at Andertons for a new love that was exactly the sound he was after, he'd never need another one. Rinse & repeat. And an ever accumulating pile of guitars and effects in his back room. And usually prompted by him seeing a much better guitarist than him (not tricky to find - he was decidedly average at best) on YouTube and thinking that all he needed to emulate them was an identical set up rather than, say, a whole load of practice and a lot more talent.

Nothing to see here - all they're doing is opening a w***y hipster bar on the ground floor, not shutting the venue. Here's a better explanation: http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/gig_venue_the_garage_to_start_selling_coffee_food_and_craft_beer_because_bands_find_it_too_grotty_1_4821600 As a lover of craft beer I am always left puzzled by this hipster nonsense that seems to accompany it - people in stupid trousers who are more interested in what their beer says about them than they are in just getting drunk. Anybody who's in London should take a trip to the Black Heart in Camden to see that you don't have to shout "craft beer" from the rooftops or cater for hipsters, just get in some good beer and people will come. Hopefully some of the craft beer will make it's way up to the venue at the Garage too - last time I was there their only concession was some tins of Beavertown Smog Rocket, which is something of an acquired taste...

Not really had a problem with this - more of an issue at rehearsals than at gigs. Possibly because I've got to an age where everybody I'm playing with has enough experience to know that what you can hear on stage isn't at all important as long as you can hear enough to play (and I've done a couple of gigs where I could barely hear myself at all, but knew the bass lines well enough to be able to carry on as long as i could hear the rest of the band) and that it's what the crowd can hear that is the only thing of any importance. Saves a lot of time at soundchecks - we spend a lot of time making sure that the singer has the on stage sound he needs to be able to hear his queues and stay in tune, and very little time on whether the guitarists are happy with the sound on their side of the stage.

Chancer. I doubt they're expecting you to actually send them a refund, just figured they'd ask to see if you roll over and give them some extra cash.

I'm reliably told by someone that was there that at the peak of their fame Venom played a secret gig at the Marquee under an assumed name. It had been kept a little bit too secret and with half an hour to go before show time there were only a dozen or so punters in the place, based on the assumed name sounding "quite metal", so the venue went to change the posters to show that it was in fact Venom playing. Six people left.

Really fancy one of the Ampeg PF-50Ts, for no good reason other than it looks so damn cute! Plus it's got the ultra hi & low buttons that I love on my SVT 2-Pro and might be useable without breaking my back every time I have a gig. But mainly because it's so damn cute!

when you say "bone" do you mean a new nut? they might regard that as a specific job rather than a general set up. However, they might also charge you for doing the nut and see the set up as part of that (the place I use sees it as part of their duty to properly set up any instrument that they've done any work on as they don't want a reputation of letting badly set up instruments out of the workshop). Mind you, I've also spoken to places who will agree a reasonable price for a job and then insist that I have to pay extra for a set up afterwards. I have to say, while I think I can do a proper set up and rarely take a bass in just for that, they're never as good as when I get stuff back from the pros. I'd suggest ringing round a few places in your area and explaining what you want done and seeing what they will charge - it can vary hugely.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1483611472' post='3208613'] This is a shame, I`ve always had great service from them, couldn`t fault it at all. [/quote] Me too. never had to return anything, but I did have an issue last year where I ordered something and arranged for it to be left at a local shop for me to pick up as i would be at work when it was due. The courier then cancelled the drop off because the item was too big for the shop so defaulted to a home delivery at my old address (which I hadn't updated, having recently moved and it not being relevant for the delivery I had arranged). Their CS Dept could not have been more helpful - updated the address, got straight on to the couriers to make sure they didn't try to deliver it to my old place, and arranged for a delivery slot so that I would be in: I didn't even have to ask, just told them what was wrong and they told me how they would fix. However, I do see the difference between the straight forward, standard customer service stuff that I got and the more complicated issues you're dealing with. Not an excuse - from a customer's perspective it should all be the same

don't know about 2 x 2x10's (my live rig is a 2x10 and 1x15 - that works just fine) but in my other life as a guitarist I use 2 x 2x12s rather than a 4x12 and that's never caused any problems.

at my last flat I once got a builder with a huge hangover who was doing up the flat below banging on my door to complain about the noise coming from my 5.1 sub at a reasonable modest volume (I think it was a super hero film with a load of explosions) - bass hurts! Never really feel the need to play through an amp when practicing at home - I'll typically only use them when checking out new gear. And always at a reasonable hour (or if i know the neighbours are away). My acoustic guitar is probably more of a noise issue than my bass playing (and possibly my acoustic bass is the worst offender) That said, I moved a year ago from a flat to a terraced house and the neighbour that moved in a month later to the side that shares a wall with my front room came round to apologise in advance if his guitar playing was likely to disturb me - I should bang in the wall if it's a problem and he promises not to do it too often in the evening! No problem mate - you help yourself. I very occasionally hear him, and he must occasionally hear me, but we seem to get by on a live and let live basis.

Mixed bag, and I don't see that there's one right answer. We're using "experience" as a proxy for "are you the musician we're looking for?" and it isn't. But what I have found it good for is finding out if people have done similar stuff to the level of commitment you're looking for in the new band. Which may or may not be a good thing. File under "interesting to know" rather than "essential for the job". But, back to the OP, I think the ad is excellent - clearly sets out the band's immediate requirements, so there won't be any misunderstanding. i don't think that you need any previous experience of touring, but you do need to think about whether you want to spend a solid four months away from home, and with people you don't as yet know - can you stick it out if the guitarist's slightly dry sense of humour starts grating after a week?

that's a shame, and I'm a little surprised as I go to Guitar Village quite a lot and have never had any problems with them. But only for guitars - they are basically a shop for guitarists, not bass players, and make only a token effort for bass - they have more Les Pauls in stock than they have basses. It would certainly explain them misidentifying the model (my guess is that whoever sold/px'd it told them the model and they didn't question it) and not knowing about the replacement pup market. Though I'd be very surprised if they had listed it without checking that it worked first - my (possibly charitable) guess is that it's packed up since then. Better for them to find out now than for you to get it and have it stop working after a few days.

+1 to both of the above. I'd add to that to take as much of your usual stuff as you will be using with it - picks, strap, FX boxes, even your amp - you don't need to know what it sounds or feels like in the seller's setting, you need to find out what it's like in yours. If you normally play standing up then play it standing up. As a very short list of things to check for: 1. make sure you try it plugged in - what does it sound like? do the all the knobs work properly, no crackles, and the tone on the bass is what you want 2. is it comfortable to play? Action isn't too high/neck isn't warped/no fret buzz or dead spots (play all the strings on all the frets to check) 3. Have a good look for cosmetic stuff - chips in the neck or body, mis-matched tuners, that massive crack in the headstock, etc. Is the condition reflected in the price? have a look on t'internet to get an idea of what the second hand price is for one in good, bad and middling condition. These may not be terminal problems, depending on your confidence in doing a set up to fix them, but if you're not confident then these could be yes/no buying points.

I've only ever been in two cover bands - one worked really well for song choice, one didn't. And this reflected how well the band got on with each other and how long they lasted. The one that worked was because we all behaved like grown ups - we could all suggest songs and we'd discuss whether they fitted the set (not whether we personally liked them), we'd then learn them, try them out live and see what the audience thought. The drummer had a list of several songs that he absolutely hated but wouldn't dream of not playing because the always went down well with the audience. It also worked because we had twice as many songs than we could fit into a gig, and always took it in turns to write the set lists - if you didn't like something on this week's set or were missing your favourites it didn't matter because you'd be writing the set list next week and could change it. We've never officially split up, just moved on (and in practice moved to different parts of the country), but we've remained really good mates and given any excuse we'd play a gig tomorrow. the one that didn't work was all down to the lead guitarist behaving like a spoilt child, arguing that only his suggestions were songs that the audience would know or like, refusing to learn songs that he didn't personally like, and when made to concede that he would have to learn it because the rest of us insisted, would never quite get round to learning it well enough to play live. We tried everything to make it a more democratic, inclusive process - everybody took it in turns to choose the next song, lists that had to be learned in full before we could move on, whatever we could think of, none of it worked. So that band didn't last very long, and none of the rest of us will ever play with the lead guitarist again. In summary, don't be a dick and let everybody have a say.

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1481806925' post='3195293'] I've lost more friends through the years through working in bands than in any other walk of life. For some reason, musical 'rejection' can hurt more than most criticisms and grudges can last a long long time. In recent years, I've tried to be more pragmatic, take a moral high-ground and not rant (or only rant under my breath, to myself, once I've left the room)about it. I've found this usually works better and opportunities with guys you would have punched out can open up again on a professional level. This doesn't mean allowing yourself to be treat like a dishrag, so I'd leave, on as good a terms as possible and chalk it up to experience. If you can leave with some 'compensation' for your efforts all the better, if not, don't let it eat away at you, move on..... [/quote] Yes, it is oddly like splitting up with a girlfriend. It's very personal, being told that you're not wanted, or telling somebody that you don't want them to be in your band any more. In relationships and bands, it's usually better to get it over and done with as quickly as possible...but you always put it off for far too long, and that never turns out well for either side. In this particular case it does seem like being told you're dumped but being expected to carry on as just good friends