Franticsmurf

If I get cramp while I'm out on the hills, I usually try and add a tiny bit of salt to a mug of water. It usually fixes things quite quickly. But prevention is better than cure and keeping hydrated is good practice.

It depends on the nature of those who make the decisions. In the past I've experienced band-ocracy where no one can really make their mind up or are willing to challenge (me included) and the end result is weak songs - usually safe songs with safe arrangements. I've also experienced the band-tater who has no regard for anyone's opinions and who thinks he knows best. Ironically, the end result with him was also a safe setlist albeit with different songs, and the rest of the band walked. Given the choice of those two in those circumstances, I'd go with 'ocracy' as at least I'd have a say. My recent experience with two relatively new bands also spans both, but in the 'ocracy' band we are all pretty much on the same wavelength and the discussion rarely gets to the point of complete disagreement. We have a strong Blues based set and an agreed approach to frequency of gigs. We also have an open door policy with regard to new materiel and in most cases it is tried out in rehearsal before the final decision is made whether its a keeper. In the 'tater' band, the BL knows the band members and their abilities very well (it's a large, mixed ability level bunch with Ukes, banjo, brass, keys, guitars drums and bass which he started). When I first joined I questioned some of his song and arrangement choices but I soon realised the reasons and logic behind them and I have come to understand why he chooses the songs he does. It's very much a benevolent dictatorship and he does take into account the views of the rest of the band. To end with a yes/no answer - my perfect band would be a democracy. Everyone would be in the band because they know and share the aims and outcomes and also have the maturity and be realistic enough to talk through any problems. There would probably need to be a nominal band leader to sort out specifics (final decisions on gigs, fees, expenses etc).

No, or I wouldn't be able to justify having more than one bass. 😃 I would say that I am 100% satisfied with my no.1 rock bass (Sterling HH) for playing modern rock/pop, and 100% satisfied with my no. 1 'bass for all seasons' (P Bass) for being able to cope with a varied diet when I dep with a band whose setlist varies randomly, often between songs.

I've posted on other threads that one of the main reasons I love gigging is that interaction you get between band members when everything is cooking. It doesn't always happen, and it takes time and effort to get to the point where it could happen. But when it does, whether you're writing, recording or playing a gig, it is priceless. I've experienced it enough to know I want more. I totally get the OP's post and the reason for posting it. If that makes me a hippy, well, yeah, maaaan. 😃

Hi McGee.

Hi HB, welcome to the site.

Sounds to me as if you're being more realistic, particularly if the sound isn't being affected. And IEM potentially relieves you of the need for any on stage amplification. Personally, I was forced away from the big boxes by a pair of matching hernias. I discovered the little TE 1x10 cabs, which do exactly what I want, and I wouldn't go back to the big stuff as it's too inconvenient (and I have discovered lazy old toad-ness😃). More space in the car or easier to car share, easy carry in and (more importantly) carry out. Less space taken up on stage. Not to mention better sound than with my old gear. I'm using IEM in one band now and one cab provides enough for the drummer, who isn't.

Its difficult to put an exact % figure on it. What happens if, for genuine reasons, it's exceeded one year? Edit: That said, I think 50% isn't good enough. I have played in a band which regularly used (different) deps for drums and rhythm guitar because the singer/BL wouldn't commit to a regular line up. It was never as a good as a full band who have played together and know each other. It's not a reflection on the dep's technical ability or personality, but there will always be a difference between full regular line up and dep line up and usually that will be negative. Ironically, I now dep occasionally for that BL in his duo/trio.

I saw one of King Crimson's 'Projekt' improvisation gigs at the Jazz Cafe in Camden back in the 90s. I happened to be in London for work and discovered on the night that they were playing. Being a KC fan, I shot down and scored a ticket. It was all improvisation. Mr Fripp started with his Frippertronics, but this was brought to an early end when someone in the audience used a flashgun. The line up was, IIRC, Levin, Trey Gunn and Bruford. It was an incredible night's music. Not 100% brilliant but when they hit the groove (which was probably 75% of the time), it was amazing.

I started with a Presonus Audiobox 96 - 2 inputs and bundled with a full version of their Studio 1 software, which came with very usable plug-ins for effects. I'm still using the software and although I upgraded to a Behringer UMC for the 8 inputs, the Audiobox is still in use on my PC.

Great video, really enjoyed, but not good for my new found gear abstinence attempt. 🤣 I now want a Status (or two) and I realise that I regret selling my ATK. 😃

My mate, the drummer mentioned in my post above, was the product of an art school and he was the most prolific writer of tunes during our prog phase. He was the keeper of the time signatures, too. He was a better drummer than I was guitarist and I gained a lot from learning to play his songs, which I transferred to bass when I saw the light many years later. I even had a twin necked guitar and used it on stage. It's good to be with people who understand these things and don't judge. 🤣

I was involved in a similar 'thing' in the first band I was in, playing strange guitar effects noises over HP Lovecraft lines recited by the singer and/or drummer - they were intros to songs that had a vague link to Lovecraft-like themes. 😃

I may have done this too, with my GuitarBass VI, for that droney, phasey, proggy sound on a recording. 😃

Welcome to the site.

Hi Smudger.

I have a right handed one. I got it to try out fretless and see if it was for me. I've already recorded with it and I'll definitely be gigging it this year, maybe not for the whole set but certainly on a few songs. Great guitar.

Vangelis - Heaven and Hell. It was used in the soundtrack to Carl Sagan's Cosmos just about the time I was getting into astronomy as a kid. It usually reminds me of evenings staring at the stars through binoculars and my neighbour's telescope. Jon & Vangelis 'I'll Find My Way Home' - I used to play it every morning before going into school to do my 'O' levels. Made me feel good but didn't work miracles on the exams themselves. 😃 Yes, 90125 album. It was the first album I bought when I went away to college in London. I played it to death even though as a Yes fan for years, I wasn't too keen on Trevor Rabin joining them (I mellowed later after hearing ARW). In 2014 I climbed Kilimanjaro and in my head as an earworm on the summit night was 'Three Little Birds'. Not a particular favourite at the time and I'm not sure where it came from but the words were uplifting and the rhythm that I sang it in my head matched the slow plod required. I got to the top, forgot about it and when I got home I happened to hear it on the radio and all the emotion of that summit night came back in a flood of tears!

I used a Behringer BDi as the only pedal into a desk for a while. Loved it and it remains on one of two boards I have as the balanced out source and is set up for mild drive. I got a Laney Digbeth which resides on the other board as it has the 'Tilt' control, which I use to tune the sound to the room. I'm sure there are others that could tell you exactly how tilt works, but form me it seems to increase or decrease the emphasis of the bass end. In a 'boomy' room, you can dial back the bass boom. It also has a nice tube simulation, clean channel and bypass and the price is good.

Hi Rigetto.

My mate was into Deep Purple so when we started a band together (our first), Purple songs were on the list. 'Highway Star' was the one we settled on. As the guitarist (I had yet to discover the 4 string light) I struggled with the solo, but we got the song working really tightly. Inevitably, we toyed with 'Smoke on the Water' (it was the first thing I was shown how to play on 6 string) but it never made the set until one night at a charity gig with a multi band line-up. We lucked out and got a good slot and as we finished our last song, we were asked to extend our set by the compare. We played 'Brick in the Wall' and 'Smoke on the Water', neither properly rehearsed. In rehearsal we'd often play 'The Mule' as a jam but that never made the set either. In a different band we played 'Hush'. I always wanted to play 'Perfect Strangers' but we never got the chance. My favourite Purple song, therefore, is Highway Star. It has memories attached - a great song that we listened to growing up, the way the band came together as we worked on playing it, the way I never really nailed the guitar solo and the lump in my throat when they played it at my mate's funeral.

Many, many, many years ago, I was briefly a Blues Brother with a vastly more talented singer/guitarist. As he was taller than me, I was 'Jake' to his 'Elwood'. In the act we played about a third of the set as the Blues Brothers, with various other disguises that covered the Beatles and various rock and roll stars.

I've always said my Spirit headless will be the last bass to go.

My Steinberger Spirit has a bolt on neck, but the body size may not be what you're looking for.

A diagnosis of an inguinal hernia in April prompted a rethink of all things bass for me. I decided lighter kit would enable me to continue gigging so I ditched the Laney RB7 combo and 15" cab in favour of, initially, a TCE BAM200 and two home built 6" cabs (initial designs on here). In fact, the research for lighter kit and in particular the small class D amp heads was why I ended up on Basschat. Once I'd figured out what I could or couldn't do, I got a couple of TE 1x10" cabs. I wouldn't go back to big cabs now. My main bass was a Sterling HH 34" scale - a little on the heavy side. Fortunately I have my Spirit headless bass (it's been with me for more than 15 years) so I turned to that for rehearsals and a couple of gigs, also using my Gretsch Electromatic shorty. Both a considerably lighter than the Sterling. Recently I invested (purely on medical grounds, you understand 😃) in an American P Bass which is also lighter than the Sterling. As time has gone on I've found I can do more than I initially expected although I still know about the hernia after a gig or rehearsal.