PaulWarning

you'll be as nervous as hell, and make mistakes because you're all tensed up, in spite of what's been said, perhaps tongue in cheek, alcohol will make it worse,IMO, a pint but no more I'd say say, rehearse rehearse and rehearse, one of the best bits of advice I've ever read on here was "Don't practice till you get it right practice till you don't get it wrong" or something like that. When you're up there you'll be thinking "Why did I ever get into this" and when you get off you be thinking "Can't wait for the next one" good luck

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1444223967' post='2881302'] I can afford it and it pleases me to have a small selection of basses to choose from. Justify it? No. [/quote]that's fair enough, it's all about getting pleasure in any way we can [quote name='Les' timestamp='1444226093' post='2881329'] quick head count before I voted and I realised I have more guitars than basses [/quote]guitars don't count, I have 2, at the risk of upsetting other basschatters I can sort of understand guitarists needing more than one guitar, they snap strings a lot easier for a start and have different tunings (more so than bassists I would imagine) and even I can tell the difference between a telecaster and a Gibson Les Paul. I know basses sound different but it's not nearly as obvious as guitars IMO Having said that I was at a small festival in the summer standing outside the tent, and I said "That sounds like a Rik" and it was that doesn't mean it sound good btw

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1444218650' post='2881205'] Nine working, plus two in bits. [/quote]ok call it 10 then

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1444218200' post='2881190'] We did one of these a couple of months back... I have two currently; one fretted and one fretless [/quote]did we? must have missed it, ah well it's given time for some bassists to buy another half a dozen or so

whoever voted for 10 or more can you resubmit? I'v had to edit the poll for people who've 'only' got 10

why do people need so many basses or guitars for that matter? our guitarist has 13 and several bassists on here seem quite a few. Is it a collecting thing or have you just not found the right one or perhaps you think they sound different enough to justify it? me, I've just got a MIA P which I use all the time and an old Hondo as a back up, which I've never needed

reminds me of the great speaker/connect cable debate in the world of HiFi. The cynic in me tends to believe that charge someone enough money for something and they'll convince themselves they've not been ripped off, but, like I said I'm a cynic, and one with hearing damage as well

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1444042903' post='2879645'] Ishibashi shipping costs are entirely dependent upon the size and weight of the item being shipped. For example the Yamaha BJ5B which was big and heavy cost 18000¥ while the much smaller and lighter Fernades Pie-Zo was 12000¥. I don't have any problem buying guitars or basses without playing them first. All my current favourite instruments were bought on-line. The last time I did spend any time with a bass before paying for it I ended up selling it 6 months later. I suppose if you are buying something mass produced in great numbers with well-documented variations in quality between examples then it makes sense to play it first but for anything more specialised, I feel completely safe buying without trying. [/quote]being a lefty I always buy without trying, also I think you can't decide whether a bass is ok till you've tried it a few times in a band situation, but I kinda like the option of returning it if it's not right in some way

not sure I'd fancy buying an unseen bass, with zero chance of returning it if it's not right, that's why I don't buy from the USA either

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1444040464' post='2879612'] Compromise is the name of the game for many. [/quote]absolutely, I use a Fender Rumble these days because of the weight but I perefer the sound of the Trace Elliot head, with a 4 x 10 and 1 x 15 stack at our rehearsal studio, but I'm buggered if I'm going to cart that lot around, or at least I would but buggered if I tried it

I've just gone wireless, how does that stack up? Amps and cabs do effect your tone, but if you're going through a PA it can't make that much difference can it? as for the bass not making much difference, the old computer analogy springs to mind "rubbish in, rubbish out"

don't forget about VAT and import duty if you buy from Japan, I looked at it once, I found that the savings weren't that great when everything was totted up, you need to do the maths first, plus if anything goes wrong you're more or less on your own

for quite a few years I thought my Hondo Professional II was very good, even when I had a Stingray and MIM Jazz, kept going back to it, when I got a MIA P it stayed in it's case for a while, when I got it out again I have to admit it didn't sound as good after all, it's still my back up but I've never needed it, what I'm saying is you can get comfortable with certain sounding bass, nothing wrong with that but it could explain why.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1443888678' post='2878519'] Sideman or not unless it's the star of the band any member can be replaced relatively easy. Blue [/quote]replaced but it won't be the same, if you're just a covers band it doesn't matter, but for a band who've had success with their own material they will never be the same if original members are replaced, look at Status Quo and UK Subs to name but two, both replaced the drummer and bass player, considered by many to be the least important members of the band and neither were ever the same again IMO of course, it's happened with other bands as well, suggestions anyone?

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1443866510' post='2878260'] This is why punk happened! [/quote]the number of times I've said that

I bought a Fender Rumble because I was fed up with lugging heavyweight cabs around, but, the place we rehearse in has a Trace Elliot amp, lovely tone, pity they weigh so much

that needs using as an example as to why bass solos (and drum solos) should be banned by law, if I'd have been there I would have walked out, what a load of pretentious crap

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1443744383' post='2877429'] If I'm reading this right, you've got one bad ear and one good ear and you're not putting an earplug in the good ear? That's dangerous. You're potentially heading in the direction of 2 bad ears. [/quote]no I use a generic Alpine in my good ear which, depending how loud things are, I decide how far to put into my ear, I should also add that being a lefty I always stand with my left ear (the bad one) towards the drummer. Both ears are about the same in terms of hearing loss but I only get tinnitus in my left ear, which, incidental was a result of industrial noise, not playing in a band, as is the hearing loss, according to the audiologist anyway

[quote name='TrevorR' timestamp='1443728540' post='2877286'] Have you tried putting your plugs in about 15 or 20 minutes BEFORE you start playing. I found that often helps as it gives the brain some time to get used to the changed set of frequencies it's getting and re-normalise your hearing for having the plugs in. Lessens the psychological effect of wearing the plugs and means that your ears aren't adjusting while you are playing but beforehand. [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1443742416' post='2877425'] I use the ACS ER15's and I can hear everything. The treble is reduced but it's no problem for me to hear everything comfortably from stage whispers to flat out guitar and/or drum solos. Sure the sound is different and you hear less, but you hear even less when you're deaf. I saved what was left of my hearing when I started using these plugs, about 8 years ago, and I wouldn't/couldn't gig any more without them. [/quote]If I put them in 20 minutes before we started playing I wouldn't be able to hear what anybody was saying to me, but I will try it, maybe it's because I already suffer hearing loss but if I use both ear plugs the feeling of detachment completely ruins the atmosphere of playing live. I'm not saying they're not working for some people but they do create problems and this should be taken into consideration before paying over £100 for them. Having said that I don't regret getting them now because my tinnitus is a lot better since I started using them in my ear with tinnitus

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1443641225' post='2876573'] Yes, it was recorded and mixed at JT Soar. There's a whole thread about the recording [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/261888-the-terrortones-are-making-an-album/"]here[/url]. I suppose polish (or lack of it) is down to the band's choice - mostly it's down to production. We spent 3 days doing the basic recording and another 3 days doing production and mixing. A lot of what is recorded at JT Soar is done a lot more quickly than that. The majority of the album was recorded live with just vocals and few guitars and other instruments overdubbed. Mastering was done by [url="http://mastering.ninja"]Formation Audio[/url] who have mastered our last 3 releases and done an excellent job each time. [/quote]thanks, asked about the mastering because the album I heard seemed to lack the final polish that good mastering gives the final mix

was it recorded at JT soar? I heard another album that had been recorded there and it wasn't nearly as polished as this, did they do the mastering as well?

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1443389444' post='2874377'] Have you ever heard the version from the Concert For Bangladesh? - Klaus Voormann does a great job with it although he simplified the A minor twiddley bit. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei6VyjlgxZU[/media] [/quote]don't know about the bass line being to busy, but that keyboard certainly is

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1443487110' post='2875234'] Then I might ask, what happened, why is it no longer enjoyable? Blue [/quote]a whole host of reasons, for instance our drummer and guitarist just left because they didn't want to gig 2 or 3 times a month anymore (although pressure on the home front may have had something to do with it) our new guitarist quit his last band and joined us because they weren't gigging enough.

tricky one, is it a hobby or a living? personally I think I'm happier keeping it as an enjoyable hobby, so, back to the original question, "why do guys give up?", the answer is always because they stop enjoying it

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1443383234' post='2874313'] I've had about 6 months out from bands. I went to a couple of practices with a new set up over the last few weeks and I'm already ready to quit. The prospect of learning another set of covers that, as the list is unveiled, I start to dislike fills me with dread. Just being in a band, playing for the sake of it, isn't enough anymore, it's got to be something that bit more. Music, especially covers band, just isn't doing it for me. There's other stuff I'm finding more rewarding. Anyone want to buy some gear? [/quote]just my take on this, I don't think enough effort is put into teaming up with guys who have similar musical tastes, I love playing the covers I do because I really like the songs we do, some more than others, but I don't dislike playing any of them, or maybe I'm just lucky