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Yes.

I’d much rather the cash. None of my band drink due to living out in the country or carrying loads of gear. Or my case, trying to be healthier. Collectively we probs spend less than 10 quid the 4 of us. But saying that, we’re an original synth metal band. £20/30 total usually. Though we did make £80 a few weeks back. Picked the gig up the same day and didn’t manage to invite many people but the folk there apparently enjoyed us. We genuinely didn’t expect a penny for that show ha.

Interestingly, you’d be surprised how many organisations still push them. I’m a security architect for work, and remember going into a high profile insurance provider based in London and noticed they were pushing security info on screens (awesome!), except to get more info you had to scan a random QR code. The same code was printed out around the office. I told them to find a better way, and to train the users or we’d be burned. Few weeks later, there was a red team (simulated attack) performed and lo-and-behold they gained access via QR code. Temptation was immense to say “told you so”.

I don't understand... when you previously did gigs with this group, before the "£100 behind the bar" was ever mentioned, were you all doing the gig for no fee at all?

The instrument I've had the longest is (I think) my Eko Ranger 6, bought new in the early 80s. I'm not entirely sure as I also bought a Roland D10 about that time that I also still have, but this gets used regularly for practice for open mics with Mrs Zero and for songwriting. String ends flying wild and free to make some here get all twitchy. The bass I've owned the longest is a Warwick JD Thumb, bought new in early 1988. I'd gone into Musical Exchanges in Birmingham to try out an octave pedal and they handed me another Warwick, a Streamer IIRC, to try it out. It was rather badly set up so I put it back on the wall and took down this one, and from the first moment I played it I wanted it. Absolute dream of a neck - at the time I had a Fender P and a Hohner B2 and it surpassed both of them by miles, so despite the £950 price tag (which Dave the Bass kindly reduced to £900) I took out a loan for £500 and PXed the Fender and the Hohner to get it. It appeared live on TV when we played in the late early hours on Telethon '90. It still gets occasional outings, and was going to feature in the Marillion tribute that I got dropped from, although since about 2007 I've been 5-string.

Oh, yes, that's a whole other debate. I'm happy enough not to get paid for this particular gig - it's down the road, lots of friends drop by, it's not too late etc etc. I know the pub's making a killing out of it but given how often you hear of pubs going to the wall, it's hard to begrudge this particular one the extra money.

Before anyone gets near sorting out who might get what, bear in mind that £100 behind the bar from the landlord won't equate to £100 handed over by the landlord; £100 in drinks will be costing the landlord much, much less...and a rammed pub should translate into proper gig money for the band...round these parts that's £300. Cash.

I was just wondering if I could sound out the collective on this situation: I have been doing some jazz gigs with a band; it started off with three main members who all used to work together, and I was invited to play bass with them as I know one of them. There are also other people who come and go from time to time. It's nothing special, just playing standards in a local pub. Two of the main three live in the Midlands, the rest of us down here in wurzel country. However, it seems to have hit a spot because each time the pub is rammed, and so last time the landlord told us he'd put £100 behind the bar for the band. Of course, with most of us driving that was never going to be used up. For the next gig, the chap organising has suggested that we instead ask the landlord for that money, and pay it as expenses to the two who are travelling. Now, I don't really mind that - it's a low pressure gig, nice crowd, I'm learning as I go to play jazz so I'm not so fussed about it. However, one of the two who are travelling can't make it, so I've agreed to play his part and have asked someone I know to fill in on bass for me. He, not unreasonably, asked if there was any money/expenses for it, and I said I'd ask. I was told by the chap organising that he'd spoken to "the others" and they'd decided "it wasn't fair to pay one person, and the money should be used for travel expenses [of the other two]", so no, there wasn't any money for him. I presume that means that the one travelling gets the lot. Now, this seems a little unreasonable to me; my friend is doing us a favour - although he's local, he's from the next town along, so will have to travel so will have *some* expenses. My friend accepted this as he wants to do the gig. I mean, I'm not going to blow it up or have a rant at anyone about it - but does this seem a little, well, unusual, to anyone else?

Please don't, I can't afford them 😂

Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel

I am trying to zoom in to the headstock to see the brand, so that I can buy one too! What is it, I wonder?

I bought this Mighty Mite bass in 1984 secondhand and it played many a gig with me over the years (probably over 1000) . The body has been binned but I used the pickups and neck to create a very nice Precision which I still play regularly.

£3.5k for a Wal would have been the cheapest I’ve seen one for several years and this looks to be in mint condition. Mk1’s typically seem to be fetching £5-7k and Mk2 and Mk3 Wals are harder to find. There was a period over Christmas 2022 where about six Wals sold from various UK stores before hitting the respective websites and things seemed to have cooled only a little (as shown by having dozens of enquiries from both sides of the Atlantic due to a single post here).

The guy in the shop was the owners father I believe. Chris the owner was away recording his band. £3.5k would of been a sensible price. He is unlikely to get nearly £6k.

Aaaarrggghhh I am holding out for a 6x10 really but this does kinda tick the right boxes. So has anyone used one in anger yet?

I've been playing various things since the early 90s but I'm not very sentimental and haven't kept any 'my first' instruments. Oldest thing I've still got is this daft item from 2002-ish give or take a year. Can't see me gigging it, but it might look cool for a photo/video at some point.

I had been in my country finals once, but since then and now i hate it.