chris_b

I had a similar experience. I went to the Crawdaddy Club to see the Yardbirds (1967). I got there early, and during the sound check Chris Dreja's P bass didn't work. I went home and fetched my bass. There were some raised eyebrows and nudge, nudge comments from Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck when I turned up with my Framus Star Bass! But it worked and Chris was very thankful at the end of the evening.

I'm not so worried about which guitar is being played, but the thought that the bass needs to change his sound or playing style when the solo starts is just plain wrong. You never hear "your heroes" doing that.

Never mind if you are being paid or not, if there is an audience the right approach is to provide redundancy. Stuff happens and most of it is predictable, so it's not a question of "professionalism" but ensuring that the show goes on. I take spares for myself. I am ensuring that I am never the one responsible for stopping the show. After my Marshall developed a fault in the early 70's I've carried several dozen assorted fuses to every gig I've done since. So far I've never needed them, but I've given them out to guitarists and for the PA several times. I've also provided batteries for guitarists pedals. This is all just part of the job. I don't see the point in buying a cheap "backup" bass. I have 2 "proper" bass and I take both. At the gig I decide which one I'm going to play.

Yes. I customised a bass before it became valuable and took away all its future value. The sensible option is to just buy the bass that does what you want.

He does when I'm listing heroes and influences. His style launched a thousand careers.

I've never broken a string either, but I take my backup gear whenever I'm playing. . . . just in case. Two weeks ago I had to switch basses because the jack plug socket on my Jazz started to crackle. That's the only time I've ever switched basses because of a problem. We were recording a live video, so it was a good job I had a second bass on hand. .

IMO it's always a good time to buy a quality bass.

I'm not sure if you can do anything if this guy has a lack of confidence in his sound or playing. I play occasionally with a guitarist who has the same problem. He adds a second guitarist on the better gigs, to "cover his back". I can't do or say anything that will make him change his mind.

But it's not a hole. It's the dynamics of the song. You get more dynamics in a trio and that's one of the good things about them. Imagine the band as a duo. Bass and drums are the sound of the band. Add the guitar on top. Then it's either chords or solos, or maybe nothing. There is no hole in the music, just places where the guitar parts change. Be brave and embrace the spaces. The spaces are as important as the full bore sections. Always filling out the sound takes away from the light and shade, ie dynamics, and flattens out the arrangement. That's not a good thing.

I know a guitarist who depped a gig on bass. He said he found it very tiring, because he had to be playing all the time and couldn't take any breaks!!

They all make good use of dynamics and light and shade. These are very effective tools. We don't have to be filling the sound out and playing all the time. If they are talking to the audience, for instance, most are quite happy to stop playing and let the bass and drums continue.

Find a local band with musicians you like and who are good enough and ask them to join to help you meet your current commitments. Decide whether it's temporary or permanent later.

95% of the guitarists I play with in 3 piece bands use Fenders, mostly Strats. The other 5% play a Gibson of some sort. A 3 piece needs a focus so I'm happy playing with "look at me" guitarists. Even so, most of them are way, way too loud.

The band will be listening to, and feeling, the bass. I read a Bebop player, whose name escapes me, describe the bass as the heartbeat of the band, and another describe bass as the link between rhythm and melody. Critical functions that any good musician will be aware of. Bass is still a critical part of the music, even if you only notice when it stops. By the time I left school I had taught myself to read music. I wasn't great and was slow, but I got reading gigs, and did some recordings reading the dots. I managed that because I could hear where the music was going and that papered over the cracks in my reading. Most band leaders and arrangers were happy. Then Rock came calling and I stopped reading. Now I'm so rusty I'm effectively a non reader. IMO if playing bass is the equivalent to a round of golf on the weekend, playing by ear is your greatest asset. Anyone else should be able to do both.

I don't dislike any music. On the other hand I wouldn't listen to most of it out of choice. Funnily enough, I can watch most music, even stuff I don't like, being played. I just prefer live music performances and watching musicians at work.

Those Precision basses are just fad. I said at the time they'll never catch on.

Definitely not a good idea. Do you know what a BF cab looks like inside? There is a complicated bracing system which maintains the strength of the cab. BF cabs are built in a way that every side supports the other. Cut a chunk out of it and you could upset that bracing and reduce the rigidity and strength of the cab, plus reducing the internal volume might change its sound.

How about selling on commission through Bass Direct or The Gallery.

. . . . so you can mime!

A few years ago I was doing some gigs with a very popular local singer/band leader. I always wondered if it was my hearing that was wrong or was he slightly off key for a large part of the set? No one else commented and the packed audiences didn't seem to notice or mind! They were good gigs. I can make a lot of allowances in a good band.

I would imagine the audition piece is only a small part of the process. I guess they will expect a potential student to be able to play, count time and have a plan to use what they are about to learn. In their place I would be looking for someone who would benefit from 3 years at ACM. Someone who is flexible, open minded and motivated. Who would be able to grow and evolve while on the course, and project a positive and successful image of ACM at the end.

I won't blindly buy everything an artist puts out. Even the best can release stinkers, but I have nearly all of the recordings of The Band, Little Feat, Delbert McClinton, Keb Mo and Robben Ford. PS I forgot Stevie Wonder. I have all the good albums.

You've got a two phase solution. Warm up properly. If that doesn't work, get another bass. . . . but keep doing the warm up.

I've been in several of those and there's always a them and us feeling.

Do they have a full diary? If so just play along with the drummer and enjoy the rhythm section.