chris_b

Popularity always requires talent of one kind or another. There are very few popular and untalented people in the entertainment and music business. As usual, other peoples' preferences are being dismissed.

I agree. The volume thing has gone crazy. It always surprises me how many audiences put up with it. I play with a couple of blues rock trios and my amp for those gigs has more watts than my first 3 bands put together. I'm also using industrial strength hearing protection when playing with those guys.

IMO cheap supermarket beer is in the process of killing live music.

Even supporting members can donate a little extra to keep us ad free.

RP's a monster. The left hand is pretty straightforward, but I can never get the right hand technique working.

There have been no negatives in any my basses. . . . however, my last 2 basses had to be sold due to their weight. I seem to be on a downward curve where x = age and y = weight!

Tricky bass lines are great. They challenge us and force us to extend and expand our thinking, techniques and comfort zones. Master one thing you find uncomfortable or difficult to play every week.

IMO it's down to your technique. I would imagine rings would be more noticeable if you grip the neck like a baseball bat, but should be less of an issue if you position your thumb on the back of the neck and arch your fingers.

This 2 of my top 3 all-time fantastic sounding basses were passive.

As a non pedal using player, my first thought is how important is the sound of the bass if you have that many preamps. My guess is that you shouldn't have a problem getting the sound you want, but if you still want "more" I'd start with the pickups.

In his day, with Long John Baldry, Steampacket, Jeff Beck and the Faces, Rod Stewart was outstanding. I thought the Sugababes band was good and the bass player was excellent.

I take 2 basses and decide which one to use during the sound check. Choice is always good.

It's my experience that the guys playing music for a living have a much better attitude to playing, other musicians and gigs. Many of the problems posted on Basschat seems to relate to hobby bands.

The beauty of D class amps, together my two weigh less than my accessories case. Same with Neo cabs, 2 are a doddle when they only weigh 21lbs each. My lightest bass is so light that I have to check the gig bag to see if I remembered to put it in. Carrying spares has never been easier.

duplicate!!

I had a similar situation a few weeks ago with a band leader who chose to hassle me about one verse in a song that went wrong (I'll hold my hands up, my fault) and ignored the other 23 songs which I played perfectly, even though he was making mistakes all night. The best thing is to ignore twots like this. Just prove them wrong with your playing.

You could use the Status Quo method. Break up the band and shortly after reform with one member replaced. Replacing someone doesn't have to be nasty. As others have said, be kind, positive and firm.

You might not be abusing the cab but a previous owner might have. The new horn should be OK. IMO 2 8 ohm cabs are always preferable to 1 4 ohm cab. Each driver is doing half the work and they combine with each other to produce more volume and more tone than a single cab can.

A Metro jazz has been my #1 for the last 8 years. Best sounding and playing bass I've owned.

What cab is it? I play with a guitarist who uses a fold up step to raise his cab. You can also get stands that angle the cab upwards. Probably less bulky to carry around than a flightcase.

I've carried fuses since the 70's and batteries since the 90's. Need once always carry. Over the years, I've bailed out several guitarists and PA's.

I have not had a gear failure in 20 years, but still I take 2 of everything to every gig and they are all #1's. I can use either bass or either amp depending on what comes out of the car first. If one cab goes down the other can cover. I'm currently carrying 3 full sets of leads. IMO there's no point in playing a great #1 bass and then needing to use a POC backup. For me the backup has to be as good as the #1.

Non of my bands are training schools. I'd confine this "budding" bass player to a couple of numbers during a rehearsal, but never on a gig.

I'd ask why! And then say, do you have bass you can use?