12stringbassist

That's awful. You have my sympathies. Cancelling gigs is for when someone is really unwell. I cancelled one on the day a couple of months back, because my wife had had a routine heart operation (an ablation) in Liverpool that day, and though we were expected to be home late afternoon, so someone could stay with her, we ended up still being in Liverpool 'til 10.30pm. When I got an inkling it was all going wrong as far as going straight home went, I rang and cancelled. That is when you cancel a gig, not because someone decides that going off in their camper van and telling YOU to ring the venue and cancel, so you look a d*ck instead of them is the way forward. In 'my' band, we put our not available dates in, as far as is practicable. I have blocked the same sets of weeks for the next 3 years - same as I did when I was at work. We don't play on our birthdays, other halves birthdays and wedding anniversaries as a rule. We are all fairly skint, so we are gig hounds. Our date list is quite good. I'm lucky to be in a band with two guys who are on the same page.

It's ok for people to block dates out as 'not available'. When people do that, you know what you have to work with. In the instance above of the guy who turns down gigs willy nilly to spend weekends with his wife - he needs to own up and be honest and say that being in a band is at the bottom of his list of priorities. Bands with a player like this maybe need to realise that, sooner rather than later, he will be more of a problem than an asset. As in my post just above, I have had someone in my band who was effectively a time-waster and have watched him bounce from band to band in the last couple of years, making these bands disintegrate. The worst thing is, he seems oblivious to why it happens when i talk to him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the situation of the original poster, whose guitarist has just declared himself unavailable for booked gigs.... and unable to commit to next year because he doesn't know when his holidays are yet. That comes with some jobs, but as far as the band goes, it is a problem. If it was me faced with this situation and getting another guitarist was virtually impossible, I would find another band myself.

I have a mate who has played guitar in a band I was in. He has a nice job with a bank and brilliant gear and is a real tech head about guitars. With his brilliant job goes brilliant pay. With his brilliant pay, they have bought a holiday home abroad. He likes long weekends in the sun with his Mrs. He has messed about five bands around in the last couple of years. Gigs pulled, unable to plan ahead. Love the guy to bits but I would never be in a band with him again. He really needs to stick to going to jam nights, rather than being in a band.

and just about every Sunday...

I've had it happen to me. A couple of Hercules stands have ended up in bins outside venues. Never again.

As much use as a chocolate fireguard - get rid.

Why should he have to find a dep for ONE gig arranged yonks in advance? Sack the bugger. You all need to be on the same page.

BREAK IT DOWN AGAIN EP - TEARS FOR FEARS.

I SHOULD COCO by SUPERGRASS. The good news has sparked a listening frenzy.

I have typed up a setlist of utter clunge to hand to the next pest. I will hand it to him, saying "This might be our set, if we feel like it....."

Stolen.

Tools. Pension fund.

1 Agile doubleneck bass / guitar 2 Aria ZZB deluxe bass 3 Artisan acoustic bass 4 Avon EB-0 bass 5 Burns Bison (reissue) bass 6 Cort Violin bass 7 Danelectro Longhorn (reissue) 8 Dean Rhapsody 8-string bass 9 Eastwood Classic 4 bass 10 Epiphone '1958' Flying V bass 11 Epiphone Thunderbird Pro IV bass guitar 12 Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV bass guitar 13 Fender '08 USA Jazz Bass in Candy Cola Red 14 Fender '60th Anniversary' Precision bass 15 Fender Precision Lyte Bass (Toffeeburst) 16 Fender Precision Deluxe Bass 17 2018 Fender Player Series Precision Bass 18 2018 Fender Player Series Jazz Bass 19 Fender Squier 50's style Classic Vibe Precision Bass 20 Fender Squier Precision Special Bass 21 Framus Nashville Deluxe bass 22 Gibson SG Supreme Bass 23 Gordy XR Custom fretless bass 24 Hamer B12 12-string bass 25 Ibanez SR1305 5-string bass 26 Peerless Standard Smoked Bass 27 Retrovibe RV5 5 string bass 28 Retrovibe Renegade 'Rickenbastard' 29 Rickenbacker 4003 in Fireglo finish 30 Rickenbacker 4003 in Blue Boy finish 31 Rickenbacker 4003 in Midnight Blue finish 32 Rickenbacker 4003 in Walnut finish 33 Warwick Streamer 'Chrome Tone' 34 Warwick Custom Shop Thumb NT bass (gloss walnut) 35 Westfield 'Precision bass' clone

Check out the Tools & Boxes page on my website for my basses. The number of gigs in the next 3 months is 42.

35.

There was a full magazine feature on it a few years ago. I will have a dig for it.

NOT FOR SALE. At one point this bass was my soulmate.. Gorgeous action, tapered narrow Jazz neck, PJ pickups, a sound to die for and no weight. This finish is Toffeeburst. I also had a Charcoalburst one, but sold it, as it wasn't getting used.

Darlin' by THE RECORDS

I always take a spare. I would never go out with just one bass. Something would go wrong if I did. I normally either take 2 actives or 2 passives out. If I am using actives and it's the right gig, I will also take a 12 string bass along. I have a a fair old collection of 35 basses, but that's not the question that's being asked... I do try to make sure that nearly all of them get a run out - if they don't they become "at risk".

I stand corrected. Ta. I thought you had to plug into both jacks for RicOSound to work. Never tried it with any of mine.

That Ric is plugged into the wrong jack socket. Just saying...

Played last night near Wigan. I literally pulled myself out of the house to play on the Saturday. I usually am like a coiled spring waiting to get out and get to it, but I hadn't been well all week. My throat had been a real mess, I was coughing up things that stood a fairly good chance in a fight with Doctor Who and sneezing all night and I was really uncomfortable. I had a semblance of a voice on the Saturday morning, so we didn't cancel. I didn't even tell the band all week how utterly sick and dreadful I was feeling all week, nor at the gig. I struggled through the gig and missed a lot of notes as my voice would crack and give up on the way to them. The punters didn't seem to notice or care. There would some quite pointed complaints from our guitarist about my bass volume in the second half, which doesn't seem excessive on the bits of video I have seen - but he isn't saying it for effect. It looks like there is a problem. I was quite upset about this and it was the straw that broke the camel's back for my confidence. I am obviously not hearing things properly if my bass is 'taking over'. My hearing is quite damaged. Should I carry on doing this if I am not hearing what the overall sound balance is like? If I don't get 'my sound' (the appropriate tone for my playing that makes me happy) from my amplifier without it being too loud, then it's really time I stopped doing this. I'm going to see what happens over the next few gigs and make a decision. Once I make it, I will stick to it.

Noddy Holder? Nah....

I do. At every gig. It stops venues playing whatever tripe that doesn't go with what we do. Also... I used to be in a band with a really OCD guy who was so set on playing the very same worn-out playlist of 80's clunge every night, that when I asked for a turn, he asked me "if I wanted to take it outside". Relationships in that band got so bad that I used to sit in the car until it was time to play. Every time I play my stuff now, it takes the edge off the fact that i never kicked his teeth down his throat.