chris_b

String height is a personal choice. What do you think? If you think your fret buzz is excessive, check the neck is straight, check the frets are level, raise the action or play with a softer touch.

At this time of the year, Christmas lights would look cool. Better still, if you got those flashing ones.

I use the same two basses for all my gigs. One is active with rounds, one is passive with flats. I sound check them and choose the one I prefer on the night. All my basses sound great with the controls on the amp set to 12 o'clock. Buy the right amp and you probably won't need the EQ. Very bad sounding rooms can throw a spanner in the works, but usually the master volume is usually the only control I use. IMO if you regularly have to take big swings at the EQ to get a sound you like, you bought the wrong amp.

Aah!

I put my basses back in the gigbags when they're not being played.

Says it all.

I'm suffering the same problem with a couple of lightweight basses that weren't expensive, look nice and play well, but are not quite there with the sound. I'm getting the same hollow clonk instead of a full blooded tone. Do I cut my losses and sell or do I spend more than the basses cost on high end replacement pickups and preamps, and still end up with a bass that doesn't sound right. I'm reluctant to throw cash at a problem with no certainty of the outcome. I'm thinking I should sell. IMO the Bart Mk1's do not sound good enough on any bass I've played.

Nice one.

One of the greats. Listen to any Stax record and there's a 99% chance it's him on bass.

Play with other musicians. Get more experience, improve in leaps and bounds.

Some fabulous New Orleans musicians. . . . . . .

Where does your age come into this? Your "limits" are self imposed. Stop that!! Push those limits every time you pick up a musical instrument. You're not spectacular? Very few of us are. Just put more effort into being the most "spectacular" you can be.

Learn to play your favorite numbers and the ones that interest you. That's the best place to start.

Many years ago we had a drummer who was about the join the band when he dropped a bomb-shell, he'd do the gigs but wanted to dep out the rehearsals!! He didn't join the band.

A giant in his field. Even so, I didn't like the way he shoehorned strings and choral arrangements into everything.

150 watt guitar amp? I'm getting killed in my loudest band with a guitarist using 35 watts! My usual rig is 700watt amp and 2 x 112 cabs, Aguilar and Barerfaced. Light, loud and the best sound I've had so far. My trolley gets no use these days.

I spent awhile in a band where the singer was a trained chorister. He sang every song in the original without any effort. If singers practiced as much as the rest of us they would be far more flexible than they are.

My 1968 Fender Precision, bought new by me in March 1969, seriously modded in 1986 and finally put in its case in 1996 when I switched to 5 string basses.

Choose one and if you don't like it send it back and get the other one.

Seems to me you've got serious problems with the band and the set list is the least of them. You're well out of it. Better luck with your next band.

I play in various bands and none of them have a high turnover of songs. IME most bands have a core set that is 90% the same every gig. One or two songs might change depending on the gig but if you've chosen your set well turnover doesn't matter too much. A constant stream of new songs doesn't mean a better set. It's how you play the songs and how the audience responds to the songs that matters. The freshness in a set comes from a good performance by the musicians. As long as the audience likes what we are playing, I don't care what songs are in the set. What I enjoy is playing with good players.

Mine would look pretty similar to yours, burst and tort, except they'd have 5 strings. I don't leave any playing marks on my basses.

You say this guy is a "very good drummer", but he isn't because he's not playing with the rest of the band, he playing against you. In your band that makes him a "very bad drummer". So, if I've got this right, you can't fire the drummer, he plays too loud and won't reduce his volume, he won't use a smaller kit and refuses to play with the rest of the guys as part of a band and would rather not play than make any compromises. My first thought is to suggest a drum screen. If that isn't an option I would tell him on the small gigs you're going to use a dep drummer who will play as part of the band and not spoil the gig by being a selfish ****.

No matter what level of player you are, who you are playing with, where you are playing, or the size of the audience, every gig is the Albert Hall and every gig is an audition. If someone is looking for a bass player, why are they going to chose you? Because you give 110% every time you pick up your bass is a good place to start. I've been asked to join bands because the band leader saw me on a gig and liked what he heard. When depping I get asked to join side projects as well. Hal Galper's take on how you play better. View from 3:45 to the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_7DgCrziI8&list=PL-sawkWXMWwjc3Cl3MY4gGaq3l4xIiimE

The band I was in at school had a 3 piece brass section (all jazzers) and parts were provided for all the songs. In amongst the Stax and Chess songs we threw in some Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus. I not only learnt to read music but learnt how to play with other musicians, good technique and playing the groove. I learnt 90% of what I know in that band. The best musical lesson? Play with guys who are better than you.