Franticsmurf

Yesshows - bass solo at the start of Ritual part 2. When I first heard it I assumed it was a guitar solo and when I finally realised it was bass, I knew I wanted to play with that kind of tone. I loved the sound - bass but with a trebly distortion which I later found out was Squire's Ricky with each pick up going into a different amp (I'm sure you know the details). I spent a few wilderness years playing guitar but I always came back to that sound on that track. By the time I took up the bass properly, I had most of Yes' albums and spent quite a bit of time chasing the Ritual solo sound on a minuscule budget (I couldn't afford a proper Rickenbacker). I finally got a sound I was happy with a few years ago with a combination of Ampeg SCRDI and bridge pick-up on my Sterling 34HH and either DI or into the FX return on my Peavey Minimax 600 and through a pair of TE 1x10" cabs. It's not the exact tone from Ritual, but it works for me and the rocky elements of the sets we play.

The IKEA Meatball has a muddy, almost 'wet' sound and is most definitely not suitable for metal. It's most interesting feature is that you can plug the input and output jacks anywhere on the body of the unit. I should add that my example was quite poorly made (I suspect the materials have something to do with it) and the casing collapsed the first time I tried the stomp function.

I played a charity gig with the Hulla band last night at Rhossili village hall (that's right on the windy end of Gower and last night was very windy). It was in aid of Brain Tumour Research (organised by someone whose daughter has recently been diagnosed) and well attended for such a stormy night. The hall has a proper stage but as a thirteen pieces, we manage to fill the space of most stages and tonight was no exception. I was stage left as usual but at least I had a small off stage area that my headstock could fit in. The set was a mix of rocky stuff, a bit of C&W and Stones songs, requested by the organiser. Pizza and drinks were supplied for the band, which was very thoughtful as we had an early setup and little time to eat. Lots of dancing, some tears at the speeches, more dancing and some dodgy (but great) audience singing. We had a 'mare during 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' when, for no obvious reason, the arrangement went jazz on us and I found it hard to get back to some kind of normality. Later, the singer/guitarist jumped off the stage (about 3 feet) and as he landed, the battery pack for his wireless guitar setup fell off the strap and bounced across the floor. He was set to solo and instead I had to fill in the gap with some bass runs while the crowd picked up the pieces and handed them back to him. That seemed to clear the jinx and the rest of the set was fine. The inevitable 'one more song' chant led to an extended encore and a later finish that we were expecting but everyone stayed to the end and I was home by 12.30. Kit last night was my Fender P Bass going through the Behringer TU300 tuner (I can't get on with clip-on tuners) and my Behringer BDI21 which fed the desk from it's DI and my IEM from the jack socket. I was trying to keep things simple as I knew there wouldn't be much space on stage. Footwear was a pair of black no brand boots.

The drummer from my gig on Saturday was talking about them. They're playing locally to me supporting Gong. The drummer saw them earlier on the same tour and when they appeared on stage his heart dropped seeing the costumes, but he said they were excellent. I've watched a live set from Glastonbury on YouTube. Not 100% my thing but closer than most of the acts there. 🙂

I've had exactly the same experience. The Guitarist/singer took great delight in 'impromptu changes' which, he said, were the sign of a real professional musician and that we should be able to follow him if we were pros too. It was extremely annoying at the time, but I later realised that I had learnt to improvise almost instantly and as a result became more confident on stage. One night we let him improvise the opening to the act on his own and he made a right royal c*ck-up of it. We only joined him on stage after the silence had ended. In answer to the OP - In the band mentioned above, we played simplified arrangements (usually a reduced number of verses) as the 'professional' guitarist/singer rarely rehearsed, which may also have been the source of the 'professional impromptu changes'. We had a longer introduction to 'Psychokiller' which involved the solid bass and drum beat with some odd guitar over it - I quite liked it myself - and at the end of the song we would often swap between it and '500 Miles'. In my current band, many of the arrangements have been modified to accommodate the range of instruments - usually involving a simplification of the rhythm for the ukes and brass - but the songs remain fundamentally the same. Last year we did a version of Pinball Wizard that didn't change key for the last verse because the singer couldn't hit those notes. I had no problem with that and it went down just fine with the crowd. I am not averse to rearranging a cover if there is some artistic merit to it - say to fit in with a band style - but definitely not to showcase a single band member or to overcome the failings of band members to properly learn songs.

Good luck. Hope they're a decent bunch.

I use an unmodified pair of those with a Cat5 cable for longer cable runs to the desk. The DI from the bass and my Mic output goes through it and it tidies up the stage - also lighter and takes up less room in the gig bag.

My main band plays for charity in the sense that the fee the band charges goes mostly to a chosen charity or charities (we get a say at the start of the year) with the balance going to the upkeep of the village hall in which we rehearse for free and to fund band purchases such as PA, travel etc. Almost all of our gigs are private functions for which we are booked and charge a fee. Occasionally we will lower or waive the fee if the gig is itself a charity event. A few years ago we took a gig for an alleged charity weekend for which we were recompensed with a token for half a pint of cider. Afterwards it appeared to have been more of a promotional festival for a local business. I explained to the band that if asked, I wouldn't be doing it again. Indeed, the band were asked the following year and I didn't play, although some others did. The band have since decided not to do it again. I'm not averse in principle to playing charity gigs for which I end up out of pocket. As someone has said above, it's like a donation and that's fine. But just like cash donations there's a limit to what I can afford and so lengthy travel, unusual expenses or other less definable elements will play a big part in my decision of whether or not to play. And, of course, the charity cause will also have an influence. In previous bands I have played paid and unpaid charity gigs. Usually it was at the request of one band member as a favour for a particular cause. In one case we played for exposure (in fairness the organising venue didn't try to persuade us with the line but we recognised the opportunity) and we did get another paid gig from it. In other cases, while not looking for it we have taken bookings at or following charity gigs which have more than covered any expenses.

As has already been said, yes they do. There are LEDs in each leg that can be programmed (with a small remote) for a variety of patterns. I think they look great and, of course, there's the added high visibility which hopefully keeps punter clear. The singer also has a light-up mic stand - it resembles a perforated steel tube about 30mm in diameter with the light coming through the perforations. IN addition last night we had two small LED lights pointing at the bottles.

Edited with additional photos. Another dep gig last night with my 'new band' (I'm getting to be more regular than their regular bassist) in the smallest venue I've ever played. There are a number of small shops, coffee bars and alcohol bars in Mumbles that appear to have been set up in former domestic housing. This one was in a terrace of 'houses' and was pretty much the living room and dining room knocked into one. We were a 5 piece with keys set up across the narrow width of the room at the back, with keys, electric drums and me against the beer wall (see photo) and the singer and guitarist in front of us. I was at the end that bordered on the narrow space between the end of the bar and the passage to the toilets. Fortunately, I'd been warned about the space and took my EHB1000S. Even so, I felt like a drawbridge all night, having to lift the neck as people went past. By the end of the night, I had two people stood next to me and another three directly in front, effectively blocking the route to the loos. Having been hit in the mouth by my microphone as the stand was jogged by a drunken dancer in the past, I'm never happy when the audience is so close and for the last 30 minutes or so I stopped singing (BVs) and moved the mic stand. Shortly after, it was hit by a drunken punter who had already lost her balance. Had she not been grabbed by her partner, she would have become part of the drum kit. All this said, it was a very friendly audience and there was no hint of ill will or aggression that often happens with such a crowded... er... crowd. From the off the place was bouncing and by the end of the night, all the chairs and most of the tables were occupied by dancers. The owner was dancing on the bar. The set was mainly 90s and 2000s rock covers with a few oldies thrown in. As I have mentioned previously this era of music passed me by at the time so when I first started with this band I had a lot of catching up to do. But there are some great songs that I missed out on first time around. That said, my two favourites in our set are 'Mr Blue Sky' and 'Born to Run'. At the end of the night, after the landlord had climbed down off the bar, we were given extra money over the agreed fee which is, perhaps, the most telling feedback. Once again I was really pleased with my sound, which was nice and punchy without booming. With a keyboard and drums going through the PA the potential for lower mids and bass 'mush' was high but we managed to keep the mix nice and clean. I was using the two TE 1x10" cabs fed by the power amp stage of my Peavey Minimax 600. The signal chain into the FX return was slightly modified because of the lack of space; instead of the floor pedal board, I had pedals on the amp itself (I have velcro strips on it for just such and occasion. The chain was Behringer TU300 tuner/mute > Ampeg classic pre-amp > Sine HPF (set to 40hz) > Behringer DI. We were debating whether to DI the bass but I didn't think the size of the venue warranted it. The option was there just in case. This was the first time I'd tried out my new XVive U45 IEM system. Paired with a set of KZ SAR earbuds, it was plugged in to the headphone out of the mixer and I had a nice vocal/drum/keys mix and some protection from the stage volume. On the feet last night were a pair of black Skechers. I had some nice compliments on my playing and on the sound of the kit. No photos or videos of the band have surfaced but here are a couple I took of the set up pre-gig. This is the width of the 'stage'. Beyond the speaker stand on the right is the entrance to the toilets. I was stood under the speaker with my head just brushing the underside of the cab. Sadly, the beer wall was not our rider. More photos have emerged:

A mere 6.30- 10, and a 10 minute drive home with no excuse for a food stop on the way for me last night. I was rehearsing with 'The Bartenders' - a scratch band playing on the 17th. They're guys I've depped with before but the music is mostly stuff I don't listen to regularly so I'm still picking up the little details. After a few years of relaxed social gathering style rehearsals with the Hulla, these sessions are more focussed, harder work and they leave me feeling tired. But I also feel a great sense of achievement and as I have mentioned in the past, it's revitalised my playing and my self confidence. It mostly went well apart from my faux pas in getting the key of one of the songs completely wrong. I even managed some decent backing vocals.

I'm in. I've managed to sneak in my IEM upgrade before the starting gun and I don't anticipate anything else other than a couple of professional set-ups that fall within the rules.

Thank you for running it this year.

Being a prog rock fan, I can't decide whether to aim for 5/8ths decent or 7/8th decent. 😂

Bridge pick-up on my Sterling 34HH through a Nux Sculpture compressor, Ampeg SCRDI, Sine HPF (40hz) and into the FX return of a Peavey Minimax 600 and thence into a pair of TE 1x10". I've been using the same combination for several dep gigs now as I'm very happy with the sound - punchy with a little bite and enough room to colour the tone with variations in right hand finger (and pick) techniques. I use the same signal path but DI directly from the SCRDI for my main band although I sometimes need a wider range of sounds and will vary the pick up combination and occasionally the Sterling's tone controls. Both set ups have received compliments for the sound from band members and audience members.