chris_b

If no one is happy with the bass sound, ask what the last payer used. I'm assuming they didn't moan about him on every gig. Lay down the challenge and tell them you'll consider all suggestions but let them know the current situation and negative comments has to change. Tell them you want to make the band sound work and you need to like your sound as well (don't get into too much detail) so they should tell you what they prefer then shut up and leave you alone to develop your own sound. The traffic cone could be plan B.

The problem with moving from here to there is the cliquishness of musicians. It's very difficult to move from being an outsider to an insider in many areas.

That was me, and I did play it twice in a row for the jammers. True, I don't like it (even the Hendrix version is pretty poor) but I've done much worse, like Spanish Eyes etc in working men's clubs. Well, the Guinness was cheap and I earned enough to buy rather a lot of it! I'll try anything but I will try to avoid songs that the guys in the band obviously can't play. The only thing I'll refuse to play is something that will make us look silly on stage. I play with guys all the time who refuse to play songs, sometimes for some pretty silly reasons and in some cases they choose songs which they shouldn't. The better players make better choices, so I try and stick with them. In one band I wanted to veto Tainted Love by Soft Cell. I was asked to give it one go and the audience reaction said it all. It is an instant floor filler and sing along, so as that was our job in the cover band the song was in the set. Lesson learnt. You may not like every song but if the audience does you're doing the best job you can.

I knew a drummer who moved from London to Manchester because the gig scene was better up there. I've done OK over the years in the South East but there are good music scenes all over the country..

. . . . a banjo player in a former life?

Hey Joe? Sheer luxury! I was in a jam night house band when we had two guitarists in a row get up and play Red House. That's the song I hate the most bloody twice in 15 mins!!!

The Satin has been out for a few months. I think most are made to order so there won't be many around just yet and I believe the Metro Express was going into the shops last month.

There are other Sadowskys. The NYC Satin range is around £3000. The Metro range is around £2400 and the Metro Express range is around £1700.

Some people learn the songs and some people don't. Some people learn the song and then can't remember it. I gigged with a well known singer and keyboard player from a previous age and you had to be on your toes on those nights. He could go into a chorus, middle 8 or and of the breaks at any time! As far as charts and words go, do you want to get it right or blame someone afterwards for getting it wrong?? Moving away from singers, all my gigs these days are deps. Long term, short term and one-offs. I know the regular sets, but for a one-off gig I'm not going to learn 40 songs from which the band may choose 20 on the night. You're going to get a music stand and charts in those instances. IMO it's a small price to pay for a much better musical performance. When the bands I've been in used a dep, we chose easier songs which were simpler to busk. Makes sense to me and designed to get a better performance out of the band. Some of the guys I've depped with have made no concessions. One band refused to tell me what songs they were going to play! Apparently I was the unprofessional one because I wanted a set list! So how was I supposed to prepare for that? I blew them out. There's a lot more to a music stand than just a piece of metal.

If they get 2 tunes, tell them that their messing about has just used up their first tune.

Stop sitting on the fence. . . . !

The Albany, Hob Goblin, Red Lion, Mulberry Tree, Barmy Arms, Turks Head, The Crown and at least 2 more whose names escape me, all gone as regular gigs. Are the George or Fox still putting on gigs? The Cabbage Patch is still active, any I've missed?

After the drummer nearly knocked my bass off the stand one night I now put it back in the gig bag between sets. No advice about DB's, sorry.

Not at all. Sounds like a very professional band to me.

Most of the big touring bands, including Bowie, The Stones, Dave Gilmour etc, use prompts in case the singer gets distracted or forgets the words or arrangements.

Just be grateful you've got such a good singer. The only deciding factor for me is do they sing well. I know guys using folders, ipads and memory. If they are good at their job then I'm happy for them to use whatever props they need.

I like fretless basses. I fell in love with the sound of a Rob Allen 4 string fretless bass. It just sounded better than anything I'd heard before. So I bought it and discovered 2 problems. It was fretless and had 4 strings. Although I'm very set in my 5 string ways I'm sure I could have coped with either "issue" on its own but together I just couldn't make it work for me. I used it in the 2 bands that I thought would appreciate the fretless sound. One band leader shrugged his shoulders and said it was OK and the other said he preferred the sound of my Precision! So I sold it. I think the answer for me is a 5 string fretted Rob Allen, but that's a different thread.

No such thing as mistakes. Just opportunities to play something new, different and interesting.

You've missed the point again.

And when you're done with bass playing you can sub-let to 26 Albanian plumbers.

I always get the feeling that you are reading the words but not getting the meaning. I was trying to illustrate the point: focus on playing well and sounding good and you will open more doors than by just playing expensive gear. I bought that Wal for £700 but the price is irrelevant. Expensive strings (or anything else) are certainly not a prerequisite to sounding good but there are points in the scale of prices where "sounding OK", becomes "sounding good", becomes "sounding better". We all decide where we are on that scale, but my point is to try a little further up the scale and see if that brings benefits. Don't be satisfied with "OK", try for "better". If you do or don't find improvements at least you tried and you might actually end up sounding better than you did.

Best rig for. . . . I use the same rig for everything. I'll add speaker cabs if I need to be louder than normal but 1 rig does it all for me. One thing springs to mind, looking at the list of gear you mention, I don't think you have a gear problem. So buying yet another rig isn't going to work. If everyone else bar you is in the FOH and monitors then their stage level won't be loud and yours will. If your rig has to carry the room then it will be louder than everyone else. Common bloody sense tells you that is what will happen. Rules of physics apply. You need a level playing field. You need to hear yourself, the bass has to be loud enough out in the audience and the band doesn't want to be swamped by bass on stage. . . . so put the bass through the FOH and fold back. QED!!!

A few years ago I did an outdoor gig at the Blues On The Bay Festival, Warrenpoint, NI. It was a bright but cloudy day, bitter wind and the only gig I've got sunburn and frost bite at the same time. 5 layers including a fleece and overcoat couldn't keep out the cold.

IMO we should all strive to sound the best we can. If someone doesn't care about how they sound then we are not on the same bass planet and none of my posts are for them. I used to play in a smoky dive off Regent Street. A horrible, smelly, bad sounding dump of a place. I insisted on bringing my Wal, and Ampeg gear rather than using their awful no-name combo. One night I was offered a gig in a pro band by the band leader, who had dropped in for a beer. That lead to touring the UK with good musicians and paid a lot of the bills. OK so you might not want to go pro but its a nice feeling and an affirmation of your bass playing if someone asks. I don't care where or what you are playing, you shoot yourself in the foot on every gig that you don't try to sound your best and play your best. And I had a set of DR's on my bass that night.