flyfisher

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1406279195' post='2510016'] Some of the replies here suggest people over-complicating things. It's not a contract you're being asked to sign, it's just an advert. If you were interested the next step is to ring/email/meet them and ask [i]them[/i] about the things you don't know... YMMV of course, but even if an ad basically said 'Ahpook the bassplayer needed for band, age:44 heigh 5'9", glasses, beard, long hair, must like overdrive and Fender basses. Essential to have been born in Essex' I'd still want to talk to them before I made a decision !! [/quote] That's my take on it too. We all know that the most important issue in a band is for everyone to get on, so the best thing to do in an ad is be as honest as possible about what you're looking for and hopefully filter out any bad matches before even meeting them. I also can't see any point in arguing about what they're asking for or trying to persuade them to relax a requirement just to suit you. If, for example, they don't want smokers or people with blue eyes or anything else and you don't match then just move on. If they can find their perfect match then good for them. If they can't then presumably they'll change their requirements, but that's up to them and trying to persuade them they won't find anyone as specified so should consider you instead is a pointless waste of time. Besides, any 'wanted' ad says a lot about them and if you don't like the ad it's a fair bet you won't like them either. Life is short, move on.

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1406288321' post='2510182'] Same here - I have a stunt Jazz (a Squier CV with upgraded pickups) that goes to any dodgy spots and my 85 MIJ Fender Jazz stays at home. [/quote] Seems such a shame not to gig favourite/valuable instruments for fear of having them stolen. Hardly worth having them.

NURSE . . . !

I don't think those pet chips are trackers, just a form of intentification for when they are found. If they are found. Is gear theft really such a big thing for non-touring bands where gear is rarely left unattended? I can understand the risk of leaving gear in a van somewhere or studios being broken into, but for gear normally kept at home and only taken out for a gig at which the owners will usually be in sight, I wonder if it's a real problem. I don't bother with insurance for my gear and have probably saved enough in premiums over the years to pay for anything that might get stolen - even if I bought brand new.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1406279445' post='2510022'] I saw Hugh Laurie's band at the New Theatre in Oxford last year. I've been going to big and small gigs for 25 years, and Laurie's show was the finest gig I have ever been to. It was perfect. I read somewhere that these days he sees acting as a way of funding his music. [/quote] I once read that Charlie Watts' first love is big band jazz and he used to think of his day job with the Stones as a way of funding it and their tours

. . . and astrophysicist Dr Brian May used to play in a vaguely known little outfit

[quote name='DaveFry' timestamp='1406234010' post='2509697'] Damon Hill plays guitar [/quote] . . . and Eddie Jordan plays drums in Eddie & The Robbers Seems that everyone is or has been in a band at sometime in their lives. http://thefw.com/celebrity-bands-youve-probably-never-heard-of/

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1406181334' post='2509028'] Don't leave your gear unattended. That is all. [/quote] Yep. Any amount of marking, whether visible or invisible, is unlikely to deter an opportunist thief . . . especially if the bass is in a case and the thief doesn't even know what they are stealing. That why it's opportunistic - steal first, check what it is later. If it turns out that the bass is effectively unsaleable because of makings etc, the thieving scumbag can just chuck it in a skip (or worse) and move on to the next steal. No big deal for them, but lots of grief for the owner.

One of the bands I'm used to cover Maybe Katie, but that was a while ago now.

I'm stoked to understand all those sick terms/new definitions, except for OH DEAR and GO HOME. Anyone care to elucidate? Of course, understanding such things and actually using them oneself are two very different things.

Agreed. How old is the unit? I know things generally come with a one year warranty but there is such a thing as 'fit for purpose' and I would be talking to TC about the durability and reliability of their product if it's only a few years old.

Nice video but horrible twangy tone. Maybe it was the camcorder (or whatever recorded it)?

Sorry to hear about all that crap getting in the way of the music But it sounds like you have other irons in the fire I've only done a couple of international gigs myself . . . . er, in Wales.

How did the Brazil gigs work out? (or Glasto come to that)

What's original though? Presumably something that you have made up and no one else has ever played before. How many session musicians do that? How many classical musicians do that? How many 'pit' musicians do that? I'd guess it's easier to earn a living playing 'covers' than playing original music you've written yourself.

Something like this? http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/product/7702829/ 33mm high. I'm thinking of the form factor rather than that actual model. There are loads of similar PSUs available with all manner of voltage and current specs that will fit into a 1U space.

TBH, I've never been a great fan of 'wall wart' type PSUs. Not only can they give the problems described, they can also encroach on the adjacent 'plug space' on power strips. And if you think such things can be a problem with the large 3-pin UK-style mains plugs, imagine how much worse it can be with 2-prong US-style connectors. A more 'bomb proof' solution would be to use a PSU with a separate mains lead. Yes, this means additional space requirement but it should be possible to locate such a PSU somewhere inside a rack and then secure it in place with tyraps (I agree about not using gaffer tape). The make up a custom length mains cable so that there's no need to coil up a long lead. Maybe not as easy or convenient to initially put together, but nowhere near as inconvenient as losing power halfway through a gig!

Does this mean you're Mr Knopfler's go-to bassist? How cool is that?!! Have a blast and let us know when it's going out on the telly.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1405598219' post='2503419'] Am I the only one who thinks that 70 isn't that old...FFS Vera Lynn is still alive... [/quote] Nope, 70 is not really that old, but I'm guessing that Vera Lynn has led a 'less demanding' lifestyle. I remember being mildly shocked at seeing (on DVD) Winter shuffle onto stage for the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival (the 3-yearly concerts organised by Clapton for his Antigua rehab facility) and have to sit down for his short performance, so I reckon it's quite an achievement for him still to have been touring when he died seven years later. As for why he was still touring while in such frail health, I guess that's just what he was used to doing. BB King also has serious health problems and had to sit through the Royal Albert Hall concert I attended about 10 years ago, but he's still touring and I quite expect to read some similar news about him dying while on tour one day. It's just what these guys do. It's sad, of course, but at least their musical legacy will go on.

My point is that personalities and actions cannot easily be separated from a piece of work, whether it be music or a painting. When people look at Harris's paintings now, they carry the burden of knowing that the painter was a paedophile and that affects their viewing experience, even though his paintings are exactly the same as they were before we knew of his sordid past.

Why would Fender be interested in doing such a thing? Imagine the reviews they'd get if they brought out a bass with all that stuff loaded on to it? I bet they get hundreds of these sort of suggestions every week from bassists all over the world. They've set out their stall and they've done pretty well with it over the years. Some like it, some don't. That's life. There are plenty of custom builders out there who will make whatever you want.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1405546600' post='2503010'] I should add that I completely ignore any of the publicity crap that surrounds him and am completely basing my opinion of him based on his music. [/quote] I wonder if such a thing is really possible? Do all those old Gary Glitter fans still enjoy his music? It hasn't changed has it? Do people still view Rolf Harris's paintings in the same way they used to? They haven't changed have they?

Perhaps he was eight miles high at the time? As mentioned above, it's of its time. Could have been worse . . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g17-ajFXNS8

You didn't think about putting the review on the manufacturer's website then?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1405353750' post='2501134'] Thanks for the clarification; I was just trying to assuage the unbounded curiosity of our FF. Your benefactor's motives are his own, of course. Good luck with the hunt... [/quote] Indeed, just curious really and no criticism intended (which would be grossly unfair anyway under such generous circumstances!).