chris_b

Well that rules me out.. . . twice.

IMO I should have stuck with the nurses uniform!

IMO she's a good player, with a great tone, but she's also a bandleader, singer and songwriter. She's going to sink or swim on the strength of her songwriting, singing and performance. As I've discovered, just being a good player and looking pretty won't get you far.

There's a Super Compact in the classifieds, just down the road from you (a bit!!), in Milton Keynes.

Clip on tuners. . . [sigh] yet another thing to make me look uncool!!

I've owned 3 milestone basses. The bass that started me off and on which I learnt the most, a Framus Star bass. My first "pro" bass, a Fender Precision. I knew I'd "made it" when I played my first gig with this bass. My first 5 string bass, an MM SR5. Made the transition from 4 to 5 very easy. I've owned far better basses than these 3, but I learnt 99% of what I know on these guys.

I don't know GR gear, but I've been a Barefaced user for the last 10 years. I started with 2 SC's and 2 Two10's and decided to go with the 112's. I now have an SC, a BB2 and an SM. IME you need a good amp to get the best sound because these cabs put out what you put in. The cab won't save you from the sound of an average amp, but a good amp (I use Aguilar) will sound fantastic. I believe you still get a 1 month trial period. Email BF. They are very good at matching their cabs to your requirements.

That's our job, to be invisible, indispensable and to make everyone else sound good.

For the bands I'm a member of, I will always know the songs. For the bands I dep with, 18 this year so far, that depends how often I play with them. For the regulars I know the songs. For one-offs I'll use charts as a safety net. Most bands would rather I get the songs right and as I make John Entwistle look animated visuals come a distant second.

With my back I'd never get down there to turn over the page!!

I use a music stand sometimes, when I'm depping. Most top touring acts have monitors. As said above, David Bowie used one and came unstuck when he announced the wrong song. They started to play and he discovered he was looking at the wrong words, but also the drummers click track was on the wrong song!!

I don't understand this attitude. Why should the people at the Dog and Duck not get the same consideration? IMO every gig is the Albert Hall, and should get your 100% effort. I've been asked to join several bands by band leaders who have seen me on a gig.

Always leave relevant feedback on Basschat. Even post about it. The more information out there the better.

Depends how seriously you take playing in a band. Do you mind letting your band mates down, screwing up a gig, disappointing an audience, pissing off a promoter? I do, so I bring 2 of everything. The last time I had a cab fail was in the 70's, the last time I had an amp fail was in the 90's and I've never had a bass fail, but I still bring 2 of everything.

I did everything on my bass, changed pickups, bridges, setups etc etc. I was much younger. These days I just want to play them, and I can afford to pay someone else to roll their sleeves up.

I've owned 3 Laklands, a US 55-94 and 2 Skylines, 55-01 and 55-02. They were fantastic instruments and I loved playing them. I had to sell, back problems, or I'd still be playing them.

I like Coldplay. They write good songs, put on good shows, have built a loyal base of fans around the world, are very listenable if you're not a core supporter. I've played their songs in cover bands and they have always gone down well with the audiences.

When you play festivals you get what you get. You can have a good sound or a bad sound, it's in the lap of the gods. You won't sort out any FOH issues with your equipment. If your P bass sounds "perfect" through your rig, you don't need to do anything. For the situations where you might want something your bass can't give, try a preamp.

I've done a few gigs for free, but have never paid to play.

In the very early 70's we did a residency on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. It was in Ladbroke Grove and there was usually a punch up on 2 out of the 3 nights. Not just handbags but real John Wayne bar room brawls, tables and chairs and everything. The fights never came our way but the management advised us if we kept playing the fighters would ignore us. And they did!!

Check out small Markbass combos. They have combos from 60 watts to 250 watts and you should be able to find a shop where you can try one out.

A lot of gigs pay into a bank account on receipt of an invoice. Nothing unusual about that.