JTUK

I see a lot of guys try it ...even up against 2 412 gtrs... I think it depends what you want it to. I stood around the room watching this very thing this weekend and the bass was ok and kind of there but not 'there' .It didn't support the bass but it kind of floated underneath. My thinking was... if the bass player had got references I did from various points of the room, would he still use just a single 12". Me...not at all... but to what extent do you/people care about the fine margins.? I get both types of thinking as in its' only a pub etc etc or £50/60 etc etc but for me...you'll get the volume to the detriment of the overall band sound. Whether you care or even notice is another matter..

For the OP...in an ideal world, no... but business is business and it is obviously very viable or those tickets wouldn't get bought

I use the formula I mentioned before so if you know price range of the cost of a barrell, and you know many pints served from a barrel at X per pint, the only thing left is to know how many pints they sold. That gets you ball park and you wont really know much more about someone else's business. I think you can get a rough idea of how many people there needs to be in a bar and the LL will be either pleased with the night or downbeat. What bands don't tend to factor in, is what the other bands do in terms of business. The LL/Venue will have to keep a lid on this throughout the year so that is another reason not to play the pubs with variable bands as they impact on other bands more than you'd want. A decent music pub can have a steady clientele, but sometimes you can't explain good or bad nights and it is not always down to the band itself. That is why settling for a lower figure and leaving yourself in credit with the venue gets you booked again.. It is the profit against your fee that the LL will see at the end of the day. For pubs, I don't see much point charging more than £350... as you will be under a lot of scrutiny for that money and the LL will not book you back if the gig is all round too much like hard and fraught work. Those LL's are 'friends' for the most part and I'll ask guys what they will work for... on the basis that they haven't got anything better, or at all, that night, and just try and be all round reasonable. That way, ..plus always sorting them out for their free dates, the LL values you a bit more as a point of contact and a band. FWIW...the biggest pulling bands around here are mostly ska bands... as you get all the white guys who can't dance go to those If they are half reasonable..they'll be around the £500 mark... simply because they are worth it in bar take.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1464713452' post='3061743'] So it's more a power delivery thing, and some amps just run out of power trying to reproduce big transients? And if so is that more down to Class D topology or the modern switching power supplies not being able to compete with a fat transformer? Many lump these two aspects together, referring to Class D as 'digital' when it isn't. [/quote] I think volume and the type of authority we are talking about are too different things. A TH500 is loud, but it just isn't the same. Amp designer friend of mine will not entertain class D for his boutique amps...altho he'd love to be able to but the pricepoint seems too high for the proper stuff, atm..?

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1464705619' post='3061609'] It's not black or white. The Walkabout, Aggie AG500 and Handbox R-400 (amongst others) aren't exactly lead sleds. [/quote] No, but it depends where your limits start... I'd say 20 lbs for an amp was entirely reasonable as would be a 10lb bass. Others just wouldn't entertain it... or couldn't, so that defines 'your' limits.

I'm agreeing that you work your butt off for 8-10 hrs for your money. I wouldn't do that myself but good luck to you. My friend down in Florida says the hours are brutal and he doesn't know how much longer he can keep it up...and he used to live for gigs. For me, 2 hrs playing is tops...but I'd tend to price a gig as how many hrs I'm away from the house. I agree, or would always say, pubs are too much work for the money.

I like to play live... so motivation drops off a tad ..or rather practice, if I'm less busy. If I never gigged, Iwouldn't see the point

That is a real hussle for 200-250 bucks... that is 8 hrs work plus plus rigging x 4

I would add the price of a pint in Music pubs is about £3.60-3.80 on Music night for regular bitter. Doombar, Master Brew etc. And an awful lot of the pubs are Shepheard Neame who support the local music scene massively, or Free Houses. Free houses can buy in barrels from £45 upwards whereas as tied/managed/tenanted might be paying £120 per barrel, but then also get a brewery allowance, typically. Most of the pubs we do, we know the LL's well so they will say when they can't do a price on a certain session. And you need to listen to them when they say this as nobody benefits when a good music pub stops the music. Speaking to other bands..who you are mates with, you get to know who can stand what. As an aside...a friends band said to stock up on wine as they were bring a drinking crowd. The pub ran out of wine as they sold 70 bottles...!!!!!! The band were not impressed as they did warn them. (I think they were on a bonus for alcohol consumed )

No... I think we are all used to the compromise that people will make it terms of actually carrying the gear. If you have NO choice, then the choice is down to playing or not playing which is a reasonable standpoint. I don't think people thought they knew exactly what was missing, they just knew something was missing and a bit of experimenting and messing around, or even a happy accident and the penny falls. For example... a lot of people here will say plugging into a SVT instantly brings a smile to their face... Do they think it is a great amp..personally I don't think it is, ..but then you only need that big output stage to kick in to know you are onto something. FWIW..the EQ stage is the worst thing about it... IMO, but the sheer authority of the thing saves it. One of the reasons, I've never liked the SVT 3 ... all the bad bits and none of the BESt bits

Most pubs around here in the south will accept they need to pay £250 for starters. If you need to 'prove' yourself to the Landlord then he'll tell you what he is willing to offer you for a chance to play but with not a lot of hassle, you'll get £250. This is because that is what he has budgeted for week in, week out as the minimum pay-out. Better bands can ask for £300 and a few will get £350 plus...but you will need to justify that. Sometimes, the hassle you have to go to to get that money ...and the small stress of being worth it. means you'll sometimes take the easy option and just take the money and turn-up. If you go in heavy at £350... the LL is very nervous and wary about hitting that mark and for a pub gig, no one really needs it if the difference is £20 per head on a 5 piece. Since so many people now do this for a 'living' they'll be want £70/80 per man ( or skull/head ) but I don't think that really works to do pubs for a living, tbh. The final arbitor is how much alcohol you sell... not how good the band is.. altho some LL are more music fans and will indulge themselves to get the very best bands week-in, week-out, but it needs to be economically viable over the course of a business year. The other side of the coin is that guys that do it for a living may well take a cheap gig at £50's IF the gig is fun and they are free. Other times, you wont get them for love nor money. The better music pubs will also do 'special's whereby a touring band is passing and wants help with running costs as they are passing through so they will figure on Tuesday nights, for example and still take the bar money. The LL will generally say, I'll pay you what the bar can stand and the benefits are you can get a really tasty band that generally you could NEVER afford, the pub gets turnover as ALL the beer is real, plus they get kudos for the standard of music they put on... The band gets funding for an off/travelling non earning day. They still have van and accom costs etc. Once or twice a year, certain muso pubs will put of a ticket affair and will then be able to pay £600-1000 for a ex name act. Pub covers = upto £500..and the biggest draw is actually a DJ... If the pub is packed and taking money, good LL's will pass that on. IME.

Really need to see and play one of these up close. I'm guessing a retail deal would put them around £1300 plus... and that puts them in another league..?

2 ways to approach.. 1) play any 'dive' that will have you.... pros; throw enough mud at the wall and some will stick. Cons, that kind of sets the standard of what band you are and many venues wont see you are at a level they'll want unless you can get beyond those venues. 2) Be good enough that the pub will want you or take a chance on you if that band incarnation is new and unknown. This is where past known entities count, like the players or comparable venues.

Depends how the pots are wired up, but I'll have the rear on full and the neck to balance the bass. If I want the bass to have the rear pickup fingerstyle funk, I'll roll back the tone.

You can't simulate it, IMO... The question is how much you really have to have it and what amp (and cab) you can compromise with. My best effort is to use a valve stage and class D back end and it is pretty nice but there is no kidding it will outgun the big magnets, IMO so I have both, Trad and D.

Things to 'upgrade' on the CS/Am D would be the pre amp, IMO. Agricultural to say the best.. Pickups not too bad altho since my bass isn't passive, the jury could still be out on that. Bridge.... I have a preference for top loads, which is probably the main reason I'll swap but I sure wont miss the bridge either. Neck mid hump... true. The tuners need sorting as one or two things missing so may as well do them as well.. Why did I buy it...hmmm it does have a little something and I'll keep the original kit, of course.

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1464454795' post='3059614'] I tried an American Elite Jazz bass a few weeks ago, it was really lovely. [/quote] Don't know how that compares but I've played a few Am Deluxes and I think for the money now.. £950-1100 is ok... not fantastic but ok... but a CS will set you back around £2800 iirc... and for that price they get slaughtered by the likes of Martin P... If I compare my 10 yr old CS to a Sei, the CS is a plank.. I get that MP is an exceptional builder but even so..!!! Just my 2p

[quote name='YouMa' timestamp='1464397048' post='3059258'] the lead guy on fashion mate,brilliant apart from that. [/quote] That guy makes it all work..?????

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1464299931' post='3058366'] Huge mass production is inevitably going to knock out some bad instruments. [/quote] Not applicable to Custom Shop though, surely....? altho I wonder how different they are to the Deluxe type range below... as they seem to use quite a few similar/same parts..?? I would guess the price difference to be around £1400 and where does that go... fretboard upgrade..?? paint job..?? hmmmmm...!!!

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1464353570' post='3058772'] Maybe - but for those of us who play smaller venues (with only vocals through the PA) and rely on backline, the sound of the rig is important. If I can hear myself properly and like the sound I hear, I tend to play better and enjoy the performance more. Audiences feed off that and the whole gig is better. ..................... [/quote] I don't agree with points like these and 'sounds great in the mix'... The sound of your basses and boxes is always important.. A poor sound is a poor sound... and it is no use, IMO, having a sound that 'cuts' thru if the core sound is poor or unhelpful but ok if other instruments mask it. This cutting thru term is also wrong IMO.. you don't want to have to cut thru..if you are doing that, you've got the mix all wrong..

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1464292376' post='3058281'] I have a lovely all-original 1978 Jazz, plays like a dream, fantastic sound. However, it weighs a bloody ton - the heaviest bass I've ever known. I gigged with it last Saturday, and with the help of a Comfort Strap, it wasn't too bad. But the next day I really felt it, my muscles really aching. A mate of mine has a mid- to late-80s Stingray, which I've always liked, and he's asked me about doing a swap. I have to admit I'm tempted. I would probably need about 400 cash plus his bass. I know my bass is more if an investment, but I'm not getting any younger. Should I ask for a deal or just suffer the weight? [/quote] Tbf, Pete, how gig fit are you..? I'm thinking initially, keep the jazz. However if you think you can use a MM.... and they aren't Jazzes of course, a pre Ernie Ball should hold money ok. I saw a late 70's jazz recently which had lost a lot of its original bits and it was up for £1500, iirc... so make sure you value the jazz well... I'll try and find the advert and confirm the prize/condition... but I do remember thinking...he is joking..!!

For no money, you have to be pleased with the result. If you take out the very critical eye you put the video to... and which 99.9% of your normal audience wouldn't get at all... you would be fretting over very little details.

[quote name='interpol52' timestamp='1464256235' post='3057900'] We were doing Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols last night. Its the first time I have played the song with this band. I'm pretty sure its in open G tuning, that's how they got the Stones rip off element just right. So I mentioned this to the guitarists as they were just doing it in standard tuning and it sounded 'off'. The reply? "I'm not tuning to open G, it takes too long". Apparently though, endless faffing around with pedal settings between songs is ok. I'm out. [/quote] I'd probably just bin the song if they really couldn't get the essence of it... but the pedal business seems like there can be too many little things that all add up.. Basically, if someone is killing the gig in any way, best to cut your losses if you feel there are alternatives.

I've got a CS and it is a pile of pooh compared to my other super Jazzes. That said there is something about that I like..which is why I bought it.. whether I'll ever 'love' it though, I'm not sure. I would think an earlier CS should be on par with a 2008 or later American ..? What that says about Fender QC now, I don't know.

Nice looker