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Not a lot of 'touring', mostly just stints of maybe 4 days at a time travelling in a converted 17-seater minibus... and that got boring very rapidly. With not much to do, lots of waiting around, and usually free beer... I started understanding why many of the bands I followed as a kid had stories of drugs and general debauchery. Probably just to keep from going insane. I guess it can be more interesting when you wake up in Paris one day and Rome the next, rather than driving from Nuneaton to Kidderminster, then Folkestone, back to Coventry and run to Newcastle. Sleeping arrangements varied from Travelodge style hotels to somebody's floor/sofa or the van. When the minibus beshiteth on us and broke down (several times) it added an extra layer of crap. Don't get me wrong, it was a great experience... but not one I need to repeat, unless the £££ level is an order of magnitude larger.

I recently picked up this book in a charity shop for a few pounds and it’s really great. We’ll put together, insightful and funny. You can get in on eBay for a few quid. Would recommend.

My experience of my first tour was the same Len, was early 90s for me, reinforced my thoughts that music was my hobby, something I did for fun, and didn’t want it as a job. I did a few European tours with Knock Off from 2015 - 19. Aside from the fact that the tours imo were poorly organised, being centred more around which town centre we could walk around all day than being based upon making the gigging as easy as possible I didn’t find it too bad. Again the organisation of finishing a gig then driving 3hrs to the next hotel I found a bind, especially when seeing other bands drive 20mins to their hotels. Was a big factor in me leaving.

Driver 8. REM

Not half, I’d gig for a year for £25k

I bought a Monaco a few months ago on here and last night was the first gig I've had since playing bass. It's a venue we play a few times a year, so I'm familiar with how my bass rig usually sounds there. It's a social club and we're a band of drums, bass, two guitars, keys and a singer. There's a raised stage in the corner and I'm right in the corner behind the keyboard amp and one of the guitar amps. The PA is vocal only, so all the instruments heard front of house are coming directly from the back line. We never sound check, so it's a case of suck-it-and-see. I'm using the cab with an Ashdown RM800 evoiii and a few pedals. Origin Effects compressor and the Origin Effects DCX bass for some extremely slight grit. I used a MusicMan Stingray Special for this gig. Right from the first song I was impressed by the separation and clarity of the sound coming from my rig. I've not experienced that with my other cabs. I was standing right next to the cab and could hear it perfectly. I enjoyed to overall sound so much that I didn't touch any settings on the amp or pedals throughout the whole 2 hour gig which is unusual as I usually tweak a couple of things as I go. I was worried about whether I was too loud, but it's impossible to tell what it sounds like out front without a soundcheck. I wasn't sure if the clarity of the bass sound was giving me the impression that it was louder than it usually is. So I just stuck with that volume and enjoyed myself! I am very impressed. A fellow bassist said it sounded great and was asking about the cab. He said he was thinking of buying one, so I gave him the website address.

According to the article I was reading this track "changed music and a generation" It's OK, but it completely passed me by in 1989 and when it (eventually) finishes will probably never trouble my listening ears again. Maybe I was just five years too old?

Just chill, everything will happen eventually. Good luck with the house sale.

Sorry, verifiable history (like an original bill of sale or family sale details etc.)

The neck, for one. The maple seemed so much more ornate than the others I’d ever seen. There was discussion online about whether this one appeared in any of the books (the Barry Matthews one and the other), and they suggested it hadn’t. Refins are always a risk, too. If I was spending £15k I’d want independent verification from a known vintage guitar dealer or a probable history from original sale. Maybe that was provided here, if so, happy days!

£25k for a band aint too shabby. We all need to move to London for gigs i reckon. Dave