Newfoundfreedom

Cheers TimR Good advice there. We're a new band and still finding out feet and I must admit that setting up really stresses me out. In fact the whole apprehension of gigging stresses me out. I find I'm like a bear with a sore derriere before a gig.

Well I've subscribed too. I'd rather listen to someone else play than myself. 😂

The best response to that is, I live in Bulgaria and it's better but to ask questions. 😂

Weirdly until you and Teebs mentioned it I'd never noticed the background. Even more weird, is it's not wallpaper. It was an outdoor gig. 😂

I absolutely get that when it's something you've been doing for years, it's probably quite normal to become a bit jaded with it. But here's the weird thing. This is a new band and we've only just started gigging. We're maybe 6 gigs in (including one later today) and I hate it already. I haven't played in public (or much at all) since I was 16. I'm now 44. When I played in front of an audience in my teens I felt like a rock God! Now it's more slight apprehension beforehand, go through the motions during, and glad it's all over with in the end. Kind of how I suspect Mrs NFF feels about my conjugal visits.

One of me from a recent gig. Please forgive the lairy shorts, but it was well over 30 degrees.

I can't be the only one, can I? Don't get me wrong, I love being in a band, hanging around with my mates making music, that's where the pleasure comes from for me. I know public performance is the pinnacle of being in a band for most people, but I'm just not feeling it. The way I feel at the minute, I honestly wouldn't care if I never played in public again Lugging gear around, trying to fit it all in the car. Spending the best part of an hour at the other end unloading it and setting everything up. Standing round like a spare part waiting to go on, then performing to a load of annoying, well lubricated people, who, in many cases aren't even interested. Only to have to break everything back down while the audience who haven't shown a bit of interest all night, start demanding "more". Then lug everything around back into the car, drive home, lug it around again into the house and finally get to relax about 3 hours after the people you've been "entertaining" have gone to bed. The only part I actually enjoy is if we get time for a couple of cheeky pints after the gig. Why do I do it?

Doesn't that apply to most basses?

They're so cheap I'd even consider paying to have one shipped all the way over here to Bulgaria and I'd still be quids in. Sadly ( and somewhat understandably ) no one ever offers shipping due to the weight.

I'm actually the opposite of that. I had one to one lessons a few years ago and just found it a really uncomfortable experience. I just didn't take anything in. I actually much prefer video lessons so I can "rewind" and revisit a subject as much as I want until it makes sense. Like you say, everyone is different. We're lucky to live in an era where there's so much choice.

I've been looking at it and I'm extremely tempted. I like Mark. He's a straight to business, no nonsense teacher.

Are these things actually any good? I had a Warwick Thumb some years ago which was nice, if little on the heavy side. I'd love another Warwick but the days of spending 4 figure sums on a bass are long gone.

That would have been my dream rig when I started playing back in the late 80's. I've never owned a Trace rig and they're giving them away now. I'd be all over it if I was in the UK.

Play that funky moooosic black and white boy.

No they're absolutely ridiculously good considering the price point. Definitely the best quality "budget" instruments I've ever played. They're much better than a lot of basses 4 or 5 times the price. The Wilkinson hardware is massively underrated. I don't even know how they can build them at that price, let alone make a profit. (YMMV)

Haven't played the old so I can't compare the two, but I've got the Jet 2 and is superb! Ridiculously good build quality for the money and sounds like thunder. You'd never know it was a short scale just by listening to it.

Do you play it, or milk it?

If they do we could always send the boys round the night before the first performance. 😂

Done!

Vintage are stupid cheap and absolutely superb. I'd have one over a Fender any day, and for a minute fraction of the cost.

Nope, that's definitely going straight to Hell. I suppose it would make a kind of strange modern art piece.

I have no words to describe this. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F372702287086

Yup. Definitely!

Superb! He who dares, wins.