12stringbassist

I have gone too far...

An audience just wants THE BASS FUNCTION from the bassist. Groove Bottom end Melody

1. "Whatever bass you play, you'll sound like you'' / ''It's all in the fingers'' I find that I tend to sound like me, whatever bass I am playing - I impose my sound on the bass to a degree. 2. "It doesn't matter what you play (gear wise), the audience won't be able to tell the difference" Whatever bass I play, I play it to please myself. The audience may just hear a bass noise. I have had a few people walk up to me and say 'I knew that was a Rickenbacker as soon as I walked in', but I think they knew as soon they actually saw it. At the moment I am favouring a Player series P over everything else and it's just such a solid sound. I set up my sound for myself first of all, to fit in with the band mix, so it sounds like a bass should. So, going by that thinking, the audience should maybe not be able to tell what bass it is I'm playing just by listening?

Guitarists can be replaced.

Physical product every time.

Bison with 3...

Not last night, but very recent. A pub landlady texted me and asked if we could move our gig from Saturday to Friday, which worked for us, as we had been offered a better playing gig in Liverpool, which I was about to have to turn down. So our free Friday (which was due to a cancellation) was now filled and we had a much better gig on the Saturday. All good. Mmmm... We played on the Friday, to a considerably smaller audience than we usually would have got there on a Saturday. Our usual crowd probably came the night after, as it was done to us at very short notice. We played to a three quarters full pub and went down really well. I reminded the landlady that she had underpaid us in January and that she had made a note of it in her diary, as the till had gone upstairs and she couldn't pay us the balance at that time. She blew up a little at this awful accusation and then stomped off to get her diary. There it was written down. She slowly calmed down. She said she would be in touch about next year's two dates (lots of bands, so only two dates). We had already been texting to and fro and she wasn't getting the diary out. I smelled a rat weeks ago. I texted her for some return dates in 2019 and there was no reply. I then saw she had put my old band in three times. I called in, later in the week, on my way to somewhere else, seeing as I was passing. She told me that we had 'lost the crowd because of the songs we play' and she wasn't having us back. Being too much of a gentleman to point out that she moved us to the slow night and also being slightly relieved, as I have never liked the load in and out, the beer, or some of the punters, and beamed at her and said "absolutely no problem". It was one of the venues I wanted to dump next year anyway. We played to 2000 people in the same town a couple of weeks ago and didn't lose the crowd. Personally I am pleased to lose the venue. We've only done it because our drummer's wife is matey with the people there. That's a bit of a mess-up on their part..

From the initial post, I would ask them for a list of dates, with the ones that they want you on asterisked. Then make a decision. I personally would not want to be in a band that drops musicians as per the main two people in the band, then picks them up again. It's not you. It's them.

I've been gigging for 41 years or so now. What I have learned is to play what suits the song. To sit down and learn songs rather than just busking it. Play with players who are as good or better than myself and make damn sure I keep up. Not to take duff musicians on, as the band will only go to their level. Let mistakes go and try to laugh. It''s not all about me. To try to 'project' while playing and to talk to the audience. To try to smile sweetly when a venue dumps on you. Perseverance.

Thanks, guys.

Has the Bass Guitar Magazine website been abandoned? It appears not to have been updated for several months? The new news is from February? http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/

The lineup has a lot of potential. I imagine the rewards are pretty good (a pension boost) and Neil Finn wouldn't have taken it on if it felt wrong in any way to him. He pretty much does what suits him and if this didn't, at any stage he would have opted out. I reckon Finn will continue to do solo things and maybe reconvene Crowded House between Fleetwood Mac tours. Mike Campbell is a dream addition to most bands.

The Ibanez: Customised Ric Mapleglo Ric Fireglo He has also been seen using a White Ric.

Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton lent genuine Rics for the Jam exhibition last year as I recall. At the time of In the city, Bruce Foxton was certainly using an Ibanez copy. By the time of This is the modern world, enough money was coming in to enable the band to buy the guitars and basses that they desired. Bruce had several Rics. I understood that the Rics used in the videos later on were used on the recording sessions.

I never thought I'd be able to do anything like this, as there is so much going on, but... put the work in and you can.

I do the lead vocals in my band. we do two one hour sets. The secret is to get the bass part solidly in your head first, making sure you play what is required to keep the song solid, then to get a lyric sheet and play and sing along with the song until you are sick of it and all of it is in your head. Not easy work.

Strengths: My voice stays intact on 4-gig weekends. I play the bass part that is required. Reasonably fast learner. Creative with arrangements and not sulky if an idea does get accepted. I am persistent and can fill a diary. Good gear and transport. I can keep a good tight pounding rhythm on something like Roadhouse blues. Weaknesses: I get really tired, due to health issues (but have never messed up at a gig). Not a good after-gig chatter. I usually want to get home and to bed. I sometimes need a cheat sheet on the floor for new songs til they are in my head. The occasional lyric will fall out of my head at a moment's notice - I have never had to sing all of a 2 hour set until last 2 years.

I bought this a couple of weeks ago and am using it as my main bass on 3 gigs a week. 2018 Player P. (Scratchplate swapped out) I liked it so much I bought this one since.

Eurythmics | Revenge

If you can do it and your diary works, all is good. It may play hell with someone else's diary, but best of luck.

Agreed. I have found that getting drum cover is the easiest. Our band doesn't go out if myself or the guitarist are not available. It's never the same with a different drummer, but we can get by respectably.

I have always found people being in another band to be a pain in the butt. Trying to run a diary when they are possibly elsewhere with people from other bands, all interdependent on their other bands not being down is utter misery. I would not take on a guitarist who was in two bands, simply because I want to go out and play and have all of my band mates there at every gig. If Guitarist A can't live with that, there are others as good who can. I won't go out with a scratch band on the night. It's rarely good. Concentrate on one thing and get it right. The exception being if there are a couple of you that are in both bands and then working on the diary is quite simple.