leroydiamond

The wedding, corporate and in particular country music scene on this side of the water is very lucrative. As a result, guys that I know, have made a very good living from it and hats off. A B-list artist in the country scene only recently told me about his income and my jaw hit the floor. Cannot see him or his band opting for an office job anytime soon.

I agree to a point. The point being that there are musicians that need to do it chiefly for monetary gain, and lack alternative employment skills to follow a different path. Mortgages, family commitments etc. are the primary motivators. It becomes a job and like many other jobs, there are those that are happy to do it and others who would much prefer an alternative.

With respect I am reflecting on the original question that the OP put out there. His realisation that he hates gigging. That's primary in my view and allowed, regardless of how debates evolve.

Read the The question: "After all, if musicians don’t like gigging why join a gigging band? '. Ye guys obviously enjoy gigging and feel a sense of musical accomplishment, reward etc. and fair play, but the question does not refer to people who enjoy the experience. There are players out there who are in it for the money. Some of them are very good musicians, much better than I. Covering expenses is of little consequence as they may well gig for a living. Morgages to be paid, families to be reared etc. I know a few and they certainly dislike it from a musical perspective, but it pays the bills and that is their primary concern.

From my observations, Money is the main reason.

Genius

This was a contributing factor in my decision to stop. I was only ever interested in being a weekend warrior, playing rock in pubs and clubs in my area, so making serious money was not on the agenda. For 10 years we confined our playing, for the most part, to our Satuday night residency. For a pub gig it paid well, we got to play classic rock, which is the genre I gravitate towards and the audience was very receptive. Once the residency wound up, we were approached by a number of venues and got to try out. I could not believe how little they were paying and crying the poor mouth when this was queried. I was making the same money 25 years ago playing pubs in the area, when it was early closing (11:30pm) and all the gigs nowadays finish up at at 1:30am. I packed it in, as the only other option open was the wedding band scene, which I managed to avoid throughout my years of playing. Funny thing is I thought I would miss it, but not in the least. If that residency was on offer again I would pass on it. Forgot to mention that I picked up a bass last weekend for the first time in over a year. I was shocked at how challenging it was to play. Beware those who pack it in, only to decide to pick it back up after a lengthy lay off. It is not like riding a bike. In my case I reckon it would take a couole of months solid practice to get back to being 'match fit' but I am not interested

Packed in gigging over a year ago after 40 years of it. Only pick up the bass from time to time and can honestly say I have no regrets, other than not having packed it in 10 years earlier.

Nice deal. I used a markbass rig for many years in a classic rock setting. Very good kit IMO and ultra reliable IME.

https://www.gigwise.com/news/98710/woodstock-1969-artist-earnings-revealed

Heard on the Radio yesterday the Santana got paid $500 for playing Woodstock back in the day.

I was earning more doing pub gigs 25 years ago than what the going rate is today. Also 25 years ago the pubs closed early, now bands dont get finished till 2am, which screws things up if your working the next day. I have packed it in and over a year later, I can say I have no regrets. In my neck of the woods the pubs are creamung it, but cry the poor mouth when it comes to paying decent bands, decent money.

I have gigged a Sadowsky NYC for several years. The chambered body, allowing for a lighter bass, was a consideration due to shoulder pain. Playing in a rock covers band, the Sadowsky preamp allowed for the versatility required to tweak tone on the fly. A very nice preamp for sure. The thing is, when I purchased mine, the dollar was weak when compared with the euro and it cost me a little over €2.5k. The same spec now would cost over €6k. At that price I would question as to whether the NYC is good value for money. Even with all the hype, Sadowsky basses do not hold their value very well. Some months ago, a very high spec NYC In what seemed to be as new condition sold for €3k. The NYC as a second hand purchase I could recommend, though the best bang for buck bass I have ever played is the Sire, which is a fraction of the price. Very well put together, good preamp, but heavy. However there is a really nice looking and unusual Sadowky 5 string P bass for sale on here. Could well be worth a punt if that is your kinda thing.

I recently sold a Wal bass here on BC. It was a smooth transaction and the buyer took responsibility of shipping the bass. I would advise listing it here and seeing how things pan out. All that is required is some quality pics and a few quid for listing.Thats not alot of an investment for testing the water.

Philo would be having a right laugh for sure.

Yep. The Markbass amps really up their game when a second cab is connected, bringing the wattage up to 500w. I gigged a MB F500 and two MB 2x10 Traveller Cabs for the best part of 10 yeats. Terrific set up and ultra reliable.

Being a bit of a HIFI geek, I only ever listen to music on my system. On the go MP3, in the car etc. does not interest me as the quality of sound is seriously compromised. I enjoy both vinyl and CD, but my no.1 always there album is Deep Purples 'Made in Japan', vinyl porky pressing. Recorded on the cheap, no overdubs and sonically stunning. A 47 year old recording, that IMO knocks many modern rock recordings into the park, in terms of sonics. It begs the question, where did it all go wrong.

Geddy Lee reckons JP Jones is his favourite rock bassist. Mr. Lee has excellent taste.

Both albums have their merits, but on Vinyl, 'In Japan' is sonically superior than 'In Europe' IMO. When compared with some of the sonics of many modern rock recordings, it tends to be no contest IMO.

Yep. Ordered a B stock bass amp a couple of years back and it turned out to be faulty. A courier picked it up at my door and Muziker delivered a spanking new amp at no extra cost