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My son with his new customised bass.........Got it for his birthday and has another metallic green 5 string Squier Standard (jazz pups etc) waiting as a surprise. He's been playing around 6 weeks and is in a young band that could easily blow many experienced groups off the planet - they're as tight as a very tight thing...!! Enjoys loads of music, but loves the Chili Peppers - When they were good (with John Frusciante....) - so decided to play this piece...... It's a short clip, but he's on it...... It's a Squier Affinity with Fender Mex pickups, custom plate, new Fender nut and electronic tweeks........ Blows my mind when I think how many more years he's got as well.........

Someone said their singer turns up early and sets up the lights and PA. I nearly fell off my seat. Surely it's the bass player's job to design and print posters, put ads up on Facebook, drive the van, own and set up the lights and PA, buy a wireless system so he can do a bit of a soundcheck from out front, keep an eye on the time for starting and finishing, and then organise the breaking down and packing of everything afterwards? Singers are supposed to turn up and spend half an hour extending their mic stand.

Arguably, strings that weren't noisy would be pointless ...

Early AND brings the PA - that singer's a keeper!

Never let anyone dictate which bass or amp you should be using - they have NO idea.

Perhaps you should change to flats ?

I don't think he's a bass player. He say's he's got professional gear and reliable transport. Next he's gonna say he's got a girlfriend.

Our two guitarists are so confident these days they gaze at eachother's shoes rather than their own.

I'm thinking that this could have been phrased better. Maybe not.

Yep, that's happened to bands I've been in. Often more like 10 minutes after than 30 seconds before the first number starts, too.

How about these? I'm not sure if they would work that well - in fact they might make burger all difference...

More like thirty seconds before the first number starts, staggering drunk. Male singers can be even worse.

Arrived today. Worryingly it was left on my front doorstep by FedEx for approx 5 hours in plain sight. Bloody lucky it was still there when I got home. Plays lovely, sounds great (the aguilar pups are everything I'd hoped for) BUT!!!!! There's no luminlays. They're on my spec sheet and I paid 40 euros extra for them but they're not there. Gutted. Have emailed Adrian so will see what the response is. It may sound petty but I definitely want them fitted.

Got one. She's never missed a gig and even operates the lighting desk when required. Dave

Yes, well... it so happened that the drummers in question were annoying, anti-social idiots whose drumming skills were questionable. Had they been pleasant, considerate people with a great sense of rhythm, things may have been very different.

Everybody in the band has a car. Two members have stopped drinking. This helps me immensely. Not only can I now get bladdered but I get a lift with the PA too! Only took 40 years to get this far!

Me and the drummer in my van. The others can sort themselves out. BTW any working musicians who want ridiculously good deals on van leasing, insurance and free tax advice, debt collection etc etc should seriously consider joining The Federation Of Small Businesses. Vanarama quoted me £260 a month for the van on a basic lease and FSB got me the exact same van on a fully maintained lease (servicing tyres etc) for £170 a month. Membership is £160 a year and the benefits are great. (I'm not affiliated in any way - just a happy customer).

Generally drive there and drive back in my car. I have considered getting a van but it's surprising what you can get in a 206. Everything my band needs apart from drum stands. I let the drummer haul that.

I think the lack of comunication isn't a cultural or age thing. It's lack of maturity as a musician and a lack of knowing how to be in a band playing music with other people.

That would be perfect. Which doesn't explain why I'll be driving 200 plus miles each way for a gig over Easter! One problem is that I'm in a band where if everyone drove towards each other for a maximum of 70 miles, some of us still wouldn't meet up!

Sorry to be late to the party (it's been a manic week! lol) I think the OP did the right thing in approaching the lead member of the band. A personal chat is far better than a text when you decide to leave a band And you did the right thing, if the music was just not for you. Nothing worse than being stuck in a band who aren't particularly pals, and you don't enjoy the music. But on a positive note - you got to do some work which was outside your usual "genre" - nothing wrong with that - we all need to step outside our usual boundaries once in a while... It does our playing no harm. Plus, you got to compose your own basslines - which is very different from learning other peoples' basslines, and replicating them.... no bad thing Blue, I've quoted you above, because I really like the sentiment behind your statement here - that and the fact you seem to have given up a regular nice to five type job and salary, for music, which is obviously something you enjoy As you say, if you can get paid for something you enjoy - you're never really "at work" Good on you sir!

Perfectly understandable. We're all different. I understand how gigging a lot can work for some and not others. I answer to no one and can sleep as late as I want. I'm single by design, as a matter of fact, I broke up with the last woman I dated because I knew she didn't get rock & roll or gigging. Our guitarists wife comes to every single gig with him, she's never missed a show in the 7 years I've been with the band. I asked her why; "Because I love watching my husband do something he loves" That's the kind of lady I need to meet. No woman is ever going to give me any type of grief about gigging. The money I earn from gigging means so much more to me than the salary I drew when I was a part of the traditional workforce. And I had a great paying career. I still feel that getting paid to have fun and do something you love is, well you can't beat it. Sure there's little inconveniences and every gig won't be great, but I still wouldn't trade away gigging for anything. I'm not important enough to hate any genre of music as long as it's professional and played well and I get paid to do it. I truly love this business and I love playing. BTW, sorry about the rant. Blue

The spark between musicians is where the magic lives. Playing without it is like being in a loveless marriage.

You want it to compliment your gold chaps?

Normally by plane

So he's probably too old by most bands' criteria??

Interestingly, I used to tape Lps etc like everyone else but, I have to say, the ones I liked, I always ended up buying. If I didn't buy them, I probably wasn't listening to the tape either!

So that was you? Tight git!

you and me both

I would have to say that many pro bassists i watch on youtube look at their fretting hand regularly. Everyone from Allain Caron to Victor Wooten and even Jaco in his day. Obviously they are playing far more technical material than majority of us. Dave

I've just had a PM conversation with him and unfortunately, when he started telling me my standards were much lower than his, and again repeated he has played with 2 pro bands, I realised I was not worthy. He did admit his ad above was sarcastic- and I did suggest he might be more successful if he was less 'edgy'...

Train and walk.

Oh, it's a bass-free backing track, so ALL the bass is from him...........

From 12th fret to centreline of bridge pickup on my '72 J is 377mm. To front edge of casing is 368mm. This is the early '70s position which is closer to the bridge than standard 60s position.

Rhythm Guitarist Of course said in jest , there are some great ones

You know what's nice, when you gigging so much you eventually know the whole show like the back of your hand. That's when you can branch off and connect and engage your band and the audience as oposed to being a slave to your fret board. IMO, you only get there from gigging s lot, not once every 2 months. Blue

Crazy talk I know, but might it be possible for me to jump aboard?

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Finally had chance to take a few photos of my latest acquisition. Ever since seeing photos of Cliff Burton with one back in the mid 80s, I’ve wanted one. Got some new Rotosounds today, first set I’ve bought in years. Man, do they feel rough 😂. It’s in very good shape. Yes, is has some chips and plectrum marks, but it’s 34 years old! I’m so bloody happy, I grin every time I see it! I need get some tiny gold screws for the trussrod cover as they were pretty chewed up.

When someone is learning to play new material, especially if they're a relatively new musician, a certain amount of staring at their hands is understandable, and I can be as guilty as anyone. For an experienced musician leading a band playing his own material to stare at his feet is not, imho. I could never see the point of shoegaze - why would you want to be in a band if you didn't want to be connecting with other musicians?

Drummer's picking me up...

I wouldn't worry about the Fender v Squier decal - you need to get the shorts sorted.