charic Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) Or learn another instrument Sorry didn't read the post above Edited July 26, 2012 by charic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 It's really disheartening to go that long without something happening for you, but the next band might be just around the corner. I left a (very good) band in Nov 2010 because there was too much ego flying around. Resolved to finally do my own thing with the music I was writing and spent all of 2012 with a revolving door of let-downs trying to get it together - believe it or not the only constant was the drummer! With a year of wasted time and money and a baby on the way I was almost ready to pack it in at Christmas, but glad I didn't. I'm now playing in a regularly gigging function band, with other dep work coming my way, and on the verge of getting involved with a great new originals band with a good manager and some realistic prospects of them bagging a decent agent and going out on some good shows. I went 18 months without stepping on a stage and I'm now at the point of considering pursuing music full time, things can turn around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 6 months? Pah, thats nothing, I went the better part of 5 years between gigs. Didnt get rid of my gear and when a call came out of the blue I managed to just about remember which end to blow through in time. Dont bin the kit IMO.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 [quote name='mart' timestamp='1343290245' post='1748254'] Everybody else seems to be persuading you to keep the gear and keep playing, so here's an opposite view. Yeah, go ahead, sell all your gear now. With a few months of not having anything to play on you'll soon find out whether you miss playing or not. And if you do (and I suspect we all think you will ), then it's a great opportunity to build up your rig and gear from scratch, with no guilt. You can get something completely different, or you can enjoy the fun of hunting down exactly the stuff you used to have. (Although at least you'll know where to find that Bongo - stingrayPete will have it!). And then you'll probably enjoy playing that much more, for having had a break from it. So go for it! [/quote] This ^ Mart has hit the nail on the head. Absence makes the heart grow fonder (or is that absinthe?) so liquidating your current kit roster and seeing how you feel isn't such a daft idea. I entirely agree that it's a crap time to sell. On t'other hand, it's a [i][b]great [/b][/i]time to buy. Whatever you "lose" on the Bongo and the Peavey kit, you'll more than "win" back when you buy a Lakland and an OTB + Barefaced rig. Or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 It's a personal decision, of course, but the only reason I'd sell my stuff is if I needed the money. Even if I wasn't in a band I'd still want something to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I haven't played in a band properly since late 2009. Admittedly, plenty of things have got in the way - first-time fatherhood, family bereavement and an international move, for starters. But now our little boy is a bit bigger and that we're back in the UK, I'm going for it again. Hopefully going to start something up with some old musician friends. I'm 40 now and don't have any aspirations of record contracts or stardom anymore (been there, done that, sort of), but I still want to play - I think I'm a better player than I've ever been, I've got great gear (which I resolutely refused to sell), and I think I have a lot to give to the right band. It's easy to lose confidence in your playing abilities, and your ability to be an effective member of a band, especially when you've had a bad experience, but this is my second "hiatus", and, based on the first one, it's just a matter of keeping up your abilities and looking for the right group of people. Got to agree with BigRedX when he says it's more or less all about the people you play with and how well you get on as friends first and bandmates second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Is this just a windup to get us to pay top whack for his Bongo as he is gassing for something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Not played live in a band since moving down Dorset before Christmas ...but I go to 2 open mike nights a week ( where there are few bass players!) and am rehearsing with some others guys so it keeps the hand in and interest up. Have been unsuccessful with one audition and pi**ed about by some other cowboys (a cider and western band) but just keep plugging away. So you could try open mikes, jam sessions, you might meet some fellow similar souls? BTW isn't a Bongo a drum.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monz Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1343318341' post='1748915'] Is this just a windup to get us to pay top whack for his Bongo as he is gassing for something else? [/quote] You have mail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I guess it depends on what you want to do..if you want a gig, you can find it easily enough, surely.... but if you let someone else put the unit together you have to adhere to their element of control..in the sense that they will likely have picked the players. That is something I am less inclined to do these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin8708 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Being " shelved " from a band sounds pretty cr@p to me , it's no fun being given the elbow from a band for whatever reason. If all the gear you acquired was for the particular band that you played in , by all means sell it on and try something new , however if the Bongo is your signature bass, keep it for practice / auditions . It can be difficult to slot straight back into a great band , you really do have to go through quite a few dodgy auditions before finding like minded people , and this will take longer than 6 months . Try learning a different instrument and just enjoy meeting other muso's when trying out for other bands . Take the rough with the smooth and keep positive ! Best Wishes Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I gave up for 10 years and came back much more focussed, enthusiastic and mature. Giving up temporarily ain't a bad thing - giving up permanently is I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1343298123' post='1748408'] This ^ Mart has hit the nail on the head. Absence makes the heart grow fonder (or is that absinthe?) so liquidating your current kit roster and seeing how you feel isn't such a daft idea. I entirely agree that it's a crap time to sell. On t'other hand, it's a [i][b]great [/b][/i]time to buy. Whatever you "lose" on the Bongo and the Peavey kit, you'll more than "win" back when you buy a Lakland and an OTB + Barefaced rig. Or whatever. [/quote] Aye. Down-size. Def get an OBT, Barefaced are so light you think you are on steroids when lifting them. Find a cheap P Bass in the 'for sale' section here, and get back to brass tacks. I'm not in a band, but most my social life is bass related and I love it. Have a break, and see how you feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyBiskit Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I was in a bandless position a few years back,so i went out to lots of jam nights,and even ended up depping for a few bands in rehearsals-just to stay sharp-It certainly improved my game and made me a better player-it also rekindled my enthusiasm-then the offers came-now i have 2 bands-just keep going 6months is nothing. just my 0.02p;s worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Been there, its soul destroying and you think you'll never find a good band again, but you will if you want to. Nothing wrong with selling gear that is mass produced and readily available, you can always replace it. i went for 5 years without a gig, and only kept my Sabre. When the time came I borrowed an amp for a few weeks to make sure I wanted to get back in, then I got my SWR back from the guy I'd lent it to 6 years before (he wasn't happy). It's not the end of the world, if you want a rest have one, if you want to keep playing get out to some jam nights, or try gumtree. You'll find one sooner or later. I was looking for a year before I found a band I was happy to be in, and had numerous let downs at auditions along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monz Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thanks for all your replies and encouragement... I have sold the Bongo and am looking for a trade on the PJB24B Here is my thought process... Whilst in the band I never had time to practice the basics because of continuous learning schedule of new songs and staying practised on the current gig list. I have been honest with myself and realised that I need to improve my skills as a bass player, I have always been able to read treble clef to a very good standard through nearly 30 years of playing in brass bands but my bass clef reading has never beeen up to scratch, also never started with the basics on bass guitar as I did with brass ( I can sight read and transpose on the fly with a euphonium sat on my lap) Looking for a nice 4 string and a good tutor in North Yorks or Humberside area... Now where did I chuck that towel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Cool, sounds to me like the hunger is still there and my experience is that it never really goes. I just started playing again after a break since around 1986. Since then so much has changed e.g. home recording, youtube, instrument and gear design. Enjoy your freedom to do the things you never had time to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsebass Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 [quote name='mart' timestamp='1343290245' post='1748254'] Everybody else seems to be persuading you to keep the gear and keep playing, so here's an opposite view. Yeah, go ahead, sell all your gear now. With a few months of not having anything to play on you'll soon find out whether you miss playing or not. And if you do (and I suspect we all think you will ), then it's a great opportunity to build up your rig and gear from scratch, with no guilt. You can get something completely different, or you can enjoy the fun of hunting down exactly the stuff you used to have. (Although at least you'll know where to find that Bongo - stingrayPete will have it!). And then you'll probably enjoy playing that much more, for having had a break from it. So go for it! [/quote] Unless you are married. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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