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Newfoundfreedom

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Everything posted by Newfoundfreedom

  1. Newfoundfreedom
    Sorry to hear that mate. But from what you'd said it was looking like it was going to be fairly inevitable. At least you know where you stand now. Fingers crossed that you can find a replacement.
  2. Newfoundfreedom
    I'll be honest. The band name put me off a bit and I almost didn't listen. But I'm glad I did. Some really good stuff there.
  3. Newfoundfreedom
    I agree with this 100%. I was, and am in the latter category, and was perfectly upfront about that fact before our band even got together. I'd also be in agreement with the O P's guitarist and bass player. Although I wouldn't want to be cancelling gigs. I wouldn't want to commit to a gig months in advance either when holidays often work around booking them at the right time and at the right price, which is sometimes last minute. But I also wouldn't expect the rest of the band to put themselves on hold if the band is their priority, which is the reason I left my band. It would be different if it was a living, but if it's just a hobby or a bit of pocket money? As Chris says above. Oil and water. Other than not taking bookings more than a couple of weeks in advance. Sadly, I don't think there's really a way forward when everyone is on a different page. Trying to get everyone in a band to agree is like simultaneously herding cats and plaiting fog. This will be me at my next gig.
  4. Newfoundfreedom
    My back hurts just looking at the picture.
  5. Newfoundfreedom
    I recently made a cheeky offer on eBay. The item was listed at £250 so I put in an offer of £200. To be fair I didn't think I'd get it at that, but you've got to start negotiations somewhere. The seller came back with a counter offer of £245 and made it clear that this would be his final and only offer. Very generous I thought.
  6. Newfoundfreedom
    I'm kind of on the other side of this. It all depends on what level of professionalism, expectation and life commitment the various band members are wanting from the band. I've just left (broken up) my band for similar reasons. I made it perfectly clear before we even got together and played a note that to me it was nothing more than a hobby and I didn't want to be out gigging every weekend. Which at the time everyone was fine with. Then a few months in the goal posts were moved, 12 gigs in 10 weeks plus weekly practice in between and I'd had enough. I just couldn't maintain that kind of time commitment, even if I had wanted to. So it's all well and good making the guitarist the villain in the story, but it just sounds to me like he's retired and wants to chill out. Why should be put his life and retirement on hold for the band if he can get a last minute cheap cruise to the Bahamas and enjoy his retirement? I think holiday dates are the least of your problems. You need to sit down and have a serious chat about what everyone is expecting from the band, because if you're expecting to be booking gigs months in advance and everyone to build the rest of their lives around that, it sounds to me like you're going to be looking for another guitarist.
  7. Newfoundfreedom
    I've never seen the point in gigging (or even playing with) expensive gear. I mean if you want to go out and pay top dollar for boutique stuff, and you have the funds to do so, then fair play. But there's absolutely no "need" to. You can get a great sounding rig for very little money these days. My whole setup cost me about £750 (which to me is still not by any means cheap) split fairly eventfully between bass £250, amp £250, cabs £250, and it sounds superb! So in answer to the original question, absolutely! If it sounds good and gets the job done, use it.
  8. Newfoundfreedom
    I totally get that. For me that would be the ultimate buzz, but only if the song I was playing was an original. I can't imagine a better feeling than hearing a crowd singing back lyrics that came out of my head. Something that didn't exist until I created it. That would be superb! If they're just singing along to Wonderwall or some such, I may as well just be a CD player.
  9. Newfoundfreedom
    Maybe that's why I don't enjoy it. I'm probably not enough of a narcissist. I don't like being up there in front if a crowd at all. I find the whole thing extremely uncomfortable.
  10. Newfoundfreedom
    In glad it's not just me. It doesn't look any worse than any other Fender I've ever seen.
  11. Newfoundfreedom
    Fender ABY foot switch. You can pick them up for around £15 - £20
  12. Newfoundfreedom
    It worked for Alice Cooper. Although it still took him many years to get over using alcohol as a crutch.
  13. Newfoundfreedom
    People who met me would no doubt say I'm an extrovert. But a lot of that is due to the mask I've been wearing for so long that I don't know how to act any other way. I suffer terribly with anxiety and depression. But no one outside of my close circle of friends and family would know it or believe it. When you see me I'll be wearing my mask of confidence. If the mask slips, you won't see me. I guess that's partly what I find so difficult about gigging. I never know what mindset I'll be in on the day, and once a gig is booked there's nowhere to hide.
  14. Newfoundfreedom
    Thanks. That's exactly the way I've been looking at it. The band members are all good friends, so the last thing I would want to do is drag everyone else back and cause bad feeling. It's all been extremely amicable. It had just become obvious that we all wanted different things from being in a band. It's been a great experience and for the most part I've absolutely loved it. I just couldn't continue at the pace we were going. We played our final gig as a 6 piece on Sunday afternoon and it was great. Outdoors, walled hotel beer garden, sunshine, swimming pool, charity auction. It was a really nice afternoon and a great way to wind things down. I will actually miss it. The hardest part was explaining to the compare that this was our final gig when he came over to congratulate us on how good we sounded. He just couldn't get his head around us packing it in when we were such a "great band" (his words not mine)
  15. Newfoundfreedom
    A general hatred of the great unwashed would certainly qualify.
  16. Newfoundfreedom
    Superb! Well done mate.
  17. Newfoundfreedom
    My apologies. In the cold light of day it makes perfect sense. Last night, post gig and under the influence of several vodkas it was an unbreakable code.
  18. Newfoundfreedom
    Who does a what now?
  19. Newfoundfreedom
    I hate cricket and football even more than gigging. 😋
  20. Newfoundfreedom
    Sing Street is great. Kind of a similar vibe to The Commitments but I actually like it better.
  21. Newfoundfreedom
    Even at £100 you can still pick up some fairly decent stuff these days, especially second hand. My first bass was £90 back in 1990 and it was absolutely woeful. I wish I could have bought anything like the quality of gear you can get for that price now.
  22. Newfoundfreedom
    Having owned both. I'd take a "Vintage" over a Squier any day. Unless we're getting crossed wires. I mean Vintage the brand, rather than old beat up stuff.
  23. Newfoundfreedom
    Unless you're a banker (with a capital "W") or a spoiled brat. No one in their right mind is going to go out as spend a grand or more on a first instrument, when they don't even know if they're going to get along with playing it or not. So to me the definition of a "beginner" bass has to at least in part, mean it's cheap. That would mean, for me personally £200 max budget, and even that's being rather generous. Fortunately, quality wise, what you can get for £200 these days is far better than you could get for the equivalent money 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, I would say you could spend £200 on a bass now, that would keep you going and gigging for a good few years to a fairly professional level. It's almost a shame. I think everybody should learn on an a absolute POS. It sorts the wheat from the chaff and forces you to develop skills that will stand you in good stead for years to come. Then, when you finally upgrade to a good instrument, you will really appreciate the difference.
  24. Newfoundfreedom
    That's a very interesting perspective. Then it would becomes a job I don't particularly enjoy, pretty much the same as every job I've ever had. But it would certainly beat working 12 hour night shifts in a factory. So in that respect there would probably be a mental shift to it being not a bad way to earn a living. But the actual standing on stage in front of people and playing? Maybe if I was doing it "as a job" several nights a week I'd get used to it. It's surprising what you can get used to when you need the money. But would I actually learn to "enjoy" it? It's difficult to answer that as a metaphorical question. I honestly don't know. Edit Having thought about this some more, and taken on board what Bluewine said about "choosing the wrong band". As part of the same thought process, I do wonder if I'd enjoy gigging more if we were doing original material? As I said earlier, hanging around with my mates and making music is where the enjoyable part of being in a band sits for me. I like the creative part of it. Churning out cover versions has always felt a bit like serving up junk food to me. Yeah people will take it, and they'll probably enjoy it, but where's the satisfaction? (I'm not in any way having a dig at covers bands. Just expressing a personal view about where my own creativity lies) So maybe a change of direction is the way to go? Which is probably something I've been telling myself all along, but in the spirit of "compromise" I've just kept going with something I didn't particularly derive a great deal of satisfaction from. Anyway, it will be interesting to find out. 😋
  25. Newfoundfreedom
    +1 for the Gretsch Junior Jet. Cracking short scale basses. Unbelievably well made. Well priced considering the built quality, and they sound like thunder!
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