Leaderboard

So it was my big boy 50th birthday this year and thought I would put together a decent bass as I couldn’t afford a 1980 walnut precision special (£3000) and didn’t feel confident enough skill wise that a self build course would give me the quality instrument I wanted. So I decided to put together a tribute, rather than a copy of said bass. I asked Walshy to build me a custom body (which in the end never happened), so in the end I bought one he had made previously from Chris/beedster. The neck is a roasted maple jazz neck with chrome hipshot tuners. The pickup is a fender custom shop 62 precision pick up going through a Kiogon cloth wired cts, top of the range loom. Currently has a fender bbot bridge but I have got a hipshot A style bridge to go on it a later date (possibly, but I quite like the look of this one). These parts were all bought from people off of BC. Needs a pro set up but even now sounds great to me. Think she might be a keeper. Thanks Basschat!

Next time you rehearse ask him to turn his volume down to a reasonable level, don’t take no for an answer, explain your reasoning. When he refuses stick to your guns, just stick to them, he’s an unreasonable egoist bellend and nothing, but nothing, exposes idiots like reasonable reasoned requests. You’ll be home by eight and can start looking for a band who can actually work together democratically.

I would suggest that everyone in the band should have the same luxury of being allowed to play 'by feel' adding or removing bars (or half bars) at will, and then play a few songs to see how well it goes.

Not being able to count bars is not "playing by feel".

I joined a band who were having a real torrid time with their "lead" guitarist. Too loud, too centred on his "solos" and too concerned by how he sounded and really didn't care about anyone else or their enjoyment of the situation. One rehearsal the conversation was had. He was told in no uncertain terms that he was just too loud. Sadly he wouldn't have any of it, so we decided to take more drastic action. It went something along the lines of: [End of song being rehearsed. Guitarist still about 15395db too loud] Guitarist: Right, I'm off out for a tab [Door closes] Everyone else: Go! [Fuse extracted from amp plug and from pedalboard power supply amp and replaced with pre-determined duds] [Guitarist returns] Guitarist: Er... I have no power. What's going on? Lead Singer: Dunno mate, my amp is fine and the PA is on...? Me: Bass amp on over here mate.. [Guitarist swaps plug sockets, extension lead etc..] Guitarist: WTAF?? Keys Player: I reckon you've blown that amp mate - told you it was too loud.. Guitarist: Blown it? Really? Lead Singer: Yeah. I did hear a popping noise when you were out. Me: And a bit of a crackle... Guitarist: Oh poop. This is my dad's amp as well.. [Guitarist packs up in a hurry and leaves] We didn't see him again.....

I would venture that a bandmate who loses his temper, to the extent that he has to be taken outside to calm down, is NOT a minor issue. I'm happy to 'deal with' many things, but that? Nah.

Get rid...... or leave. Scratch his car on the way out and then chat his sister up. When he complains, tell him you don't like restrictions and prefer to operate 'by feel'....

Kill him. It is the only way.

But not in the corridor

Sounds like a right tool. Move on.

Eeeeeh. Absolutely cannot abide folk who can’t read the room. The original 602 guitarist who left and came back (never go backwards) was all about allotted solo time and paining over ridiculous details like how much “space, sonically speaking” he had in which to solo. He was like a fun sponge, as well as relentlessly loud, obnoxiously so…we’d all had enough second time round and he got upset that the drums and bass “overshadowed the nuance in the guitar parts” He sounds like a headache of a slightly different ilk, but equally as irksome. It you have to ask - and you don’t seem over the moon with it, put the feelers out for another band. There’s creative tension, which can be good - and friction which basically will make you want to boil your own head. And the aggression when challenged, having to be taken outside to calm down? preposterous.

I don't believe that there are guitarists as you describe...😉😉

And so, back from grandparenting duties, back to the necks and back to bare wood! And a second go, this time with the inks. Colour match isn't quite as close but it is much, much more even and still feels just as silky smooth: Time to move onto the fretless!

Feel, my árse (that's a statement, not a request ) I've got to that don't-suffer-fools, "life is too short to..." age. In this case, life is far too short to tread lightly around people with anger issues, especially if that anger stems from having their inability to show the most basic musical competence pointed out to them. PiIIocks like him just make me cross. If he can't or won't calm the feck down, stop blethering about 'feel', get his head round sticking to a song structure and stop hamstringing the band, the only logical course is either to bin him or, if the band won't show him the door, walk.

Hell's bells. As the gig finder you have the power. Exercise it to the max. Demand the issues are resolved immediately or you are going to cancel to give the client time to find another band that has its kaka together.

I couldn't be doing with that. Personally I like a band to be tight, and for me that means everyone knowing exactly where all the changes are and sticking to them. It's no good me launching into the chorus if the guitarist decides he wants to noodle on for a few more bars. He sounds like a bedroom guitarist that never learnt to play with a band, knows his shortcomings and makes excuses for them like "I play by feel", and gets angry when he's 'found out'.

The trouble with tolerating people like this is, in the long run, it'll come back to bite you in the derrière. They don't change when they're that set in their ways. It'll grind you down or come to a head and then you'll wish you hadn't put up with it so long as you've wasted time and missed out on other potential opportunities. Tolerating is enabling....

Great comments here, Skinnyman summed it up for me. I have had similar issues in the past, but one thing we always did as a band was agree on what version of the song we were learning. The Single as played by the BBC 🙂 ? album version. or maybe specific Radio edit? Hopefully everyone had done their homework come rehearsal day, but my Mrs (singer ) would always have a tape or CD player there to iron out any points that individuals had forgot. That way there is no arguement. To back that up I would get drummer to agree to stick to the record. Mistakes happen, Vocalist may drop a verse etc or guitar may forget the bridge ? Then as a one off thats where everyones musicianship steps in. The ability to use your ears and know where to jump. This is so the audience don't even know something has happened. Lastly Volume, my pet hate. Agree that it is too loud in the rehearsal room and you can't continue like this. and at gigs look at the venue and comment to each other that we'll need to keep it down in here due to people eating and wanting to talking. We would have a quiet set 1 and then a louder bopping 2nd -3rd as required. We would also supply recorded dinner music so we did not always have to play while people were eating and socialising at the start of the evening.

Slightly off-topic... I remember reading an interview with Sting in Bassist or Bass Player magazine in the early '90s. He'd been telling his wife, Trudie, about Jaco and she assumed he was Irish because she thought his name was Jack O'Pastorius.

Well Peter, I think you’re probably getting the message from all the posts! I think a problem you’re going to have, if you decide to do it, is quitting in a controlled way. If you’ve let it fester for two years and you walk so close to the first gig you’ll probably get the ‘blame’ for scuppering the band. Particularly if the guitarist has the character you describe. I guess Kendal is a small place musically and you don’t need someone bad-mouthing you even if they’re a known dipstick. I’d grit my teeth and see out the gig. Who knows, he may be tamed by nerves and the gig be a good one? After that, give notice and bow out gracefully. Perhaps when the dust has settled the rhythm guitarist and drummer might join you in a new venture. Whatever you do, good luck!

Walk No, run!

After waiting quite a long time I've finally got my Mayones Cali 4 bass. Pics below!

Some people just don't know how to commit to a band.

If we do get to the gig, and I hope we do with smiles on our faces, we will be professional. Of that I’m sure.

I really, REALLY hope that bass is worth £14,500. I have a 1957 P and a 1965 P so that would mean that I'm RICH!!! Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! [Diabolical laughter]

Well, it doesn't half make it easier when you have an exact scale template to hand The maple is AAA (top) grade from David Dyke - it's important for a single piece neck, especially a 5 string, that the grain is completely straight and the timber length is aberration-free. I've lined up the neck exactly to the grain direction - the green line at the top on the above photo is where I will plane the slight angle off so my datum is also exactly in line with the grain: With around a mm oversize, all except that datum length is cut out on the bandsaw. The extra lines you see here are David Dyke's pencil template lines for them to position and cut the blank to. Happily, I know which one's are mine (and hence the green pen!) : So why that datum face? This, being parallel to the centre line, is what I will use - running along the guide fence on the router table - to cut the truss rod slot Well then, pretty much done. Agreed it's a bit on the chunky side, but I think @Happy Jack will soon get used to it once I've hammered those 6" nails in...

Been in many bands over the years and this isnt uncommon. Personally, I'd lay my cards on the table. Tell them how I feel, not in a way that makes the guitarist feel like hes in the wrong, but more "the band backline mix is wrong", "Im not getting these structures, can you give me a cue for the change" sort of thing. If they arent willing to fix it after that, I'd tell them that they need to find a new bass player, because its not working for me, but I'd offer to see out the gigs and leave either when the diary is empty or when a new player can take over.

I've only seen a band member "explode" three times, and they were all singers. They were all tw*ts so we just ignored them and carried on. I'm in a band with a guitarist who is too loud, and while he'll turn down if he's told, the constant reminding is becoming tiresome. All part of the joys of being in a band. IMO you stick with it for as long as the good bits outweigh the bad bits.

Reason....the guy is too feckin’ good! 👀

I think the tedium is in there because there was a lot of tedium, a lot of going nowhere. That's what's makes it so exhilarating when it finally does start to... ahem... come together. To cut that out for the sake of a highlights package is to remove most of the story. The bickering, the frustration, the tension, the boredom, it's all there for a reason. As @miles'tone says, there's an arc to the whole thing.

Hmmm. Missed this thread. Anyway, here's a few of the good old CS 62 Charcoal Frost Jazz-a-relic

Unless he admits that "I play by feel" really means: 1) I can't count bars, 2) I can't be bothered doing this properly, 3) I don't respect other people and I'm a giant toddler who needs everything my way, 4) All of the above

I always consider the pain/pleasure ratio. Once it becomes 51% pain and 49% pleasure I’m gone.

Ah yes, that current new fad of flatwound strings. it'll soon blow over 😄

Inspired by the comments here, I had a go yesterday, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Honestly, I don't think I would have had a go without hearing that so many of you have had to grit your teeth and go for it. I stayed reasonably well back from the mike, so I could hear myself rather than the PA, I forgot my earplugs (we don't practice at great volume) 🙂 To cut along story short, Dakota was fine (not surprising!), chorus of Rebel Rebel was impossible, I managed the 'Please.... Please' on Stuck in the Middle with you, and was pleasantly surprised to cope with the tail end of Baggy Trousers, although the chorus was too much going on! No-one complained, which means either they couldn't hear me or I was more or less in time/tune. Yes, I did check my mike was live 🙂 I've got a reasonable range, but when I can't hear myself well I tend to jump up an octave into my head voice at inappropriate moments; this is something for practice, but less important for backing vocals as they tend not to go up and down a lot. So I shall practice at home, stick to the ones I can sing without fumble-fingers and gradually approach the mic closer until I reach the point where I get asked to keep it down 🤣 Thanks folks, I hope your suggestions encourage other people as well.

Well the correct number of basses is n+1, where n is the current number owned. Therefore it stands to reason that n+2 is too many. 🤓

Hi guys, Glad to be a member on here. Many people know us from Donner Pedals. Glad to get some feedback from here and enjoy. Thanks, Donner UK

That ↑ would be reason enough for me to leave. Never held with non-band members coming to rehearsals. One band, the drummer's wife always came along. After a few weeks she started offering 'advice' about arrangements. Then about individual parts. Then about me "moving around too much" - in a rehearsal? Silly mare but he wasn't going to divorce her so I left the band.

I know where you live Jack Bwahahahahahahahaha!! [Even more diabolical laughter]

If you’re going to approach it, next rehearsal. do it before you start playing, before Captain ego is all fired up. see if it makes any difference at all… if not, I’d call it at the end of the session. I didn’t like dreading meeting up with the band. Singer is much more alpha male type than the rest of us - and as I provide most of the starting points for song ideas, I got a bit precious about them. And his ideas were generally pants - and he brought very little to the table, creatively, Coupled with Captain nitpicker guitarist… I just wanted to walk. I challenged their behaviour, and they both quit. Drummer and I carried on without them. It was fine - just not as good with the new guys, and we went around in a random cycle of 5 half finished tunes. Made me think about my behaviour towards them. I had to take some truths on the chin… So we invited the old guys back. Singer came back, he’d worked on lyrics, styles and skills - much improved. Guitarist…no change. Nothing. Constant fuss. Invited his replacement back and it has been a “Goldilocks” combination since, and we have 12 songs ready to go - studio booked on the 19th. So some people (myself and singer) will listen and adapt. Some people…just won’t learn. But everyone needs to be challenged if they’re creating problems.

TBH, it sounds like a bit of a toxic situation and you come over as feeling marginalised. I'd take this as writing on the wall but you're there and I'm not so only you can make that judgement. As others have said, do the gig, appraise the situation then and if it's no better walk away in as pleasant a way as possible.

But is that what he is doing? The drummer, who seems to gig a bit seems OK with the guitarist's approach, so presumably he can follow and I'm guessing that 'a couple of bars' is actually 4 or 8 bars. If not, there is not much you can do and he's just a cr*p guitarist, but if the others can follow what's he doing then presumably that isn't the case. If nothing else, getting him to start giving cues will make him think more about what he is playing and not get too random. I've played a lot of blues gigs, where when you start a song you have no idea if it will last for three minutes or twenty minutes. But the main band leader / guitarist I am thinking of here was very definite in his cues (and could also read the room, so he wouldn't go too long if he was losing the audience), so there was never any car crashes.

I have played with singers, as well as guitarists, who will deviate from the expected arrangement. In the latter case, I always think of Rory Gallagher. If you watch videos of him and his band, you can see the visual (or aural) cues he gives the band. I can do 'on the fly' pretty easily but that's not the point, to me. The bit that would have me quitting is the temper. My gig would be ruined by the expectation of trouble and I can't be dealing with that. Whether that's people complaining about his volume or any other issue that might crop up at a gig. Someone that wound up is someone I'd be avoiding. How good or great they were (as a guitarist) is irrelevant here.

Phil Starr, Chienmortbb and I had one of our irregular meet-ups over the weekend. After an hour or two measuring and auditioning high-end bass cabs and drivers, including a well-known active PA cab favoured by a number of Basschatters (very interesting!), we plugged this little critter in. I'd briefly heard it before, but not seriously auditioned it. This time, we turned the volume up as loud as we could dare without annoying the neighbours - and the sound was impressive. It needed a bit of bass boost, although not a huge amount it has to be said, but we certainly didn't come away with the impression that this was a cheap cab. It's tiny size means that it's ideal for home use, because you can easily stash it away in a cupboard or behind the sofa. It'll go louder than you'll ever need at home and it sounds really sweet toboot. We were unable to drive it to its max, but I can see this tiny box handling acoustic and not-too-loud gigs with ease. You'll be surprised This is by far the simplest Basschat DIY cab project so far. If you've considered building your own cab but haven't done so yet, this is a great starter project. Once you've finished, you'll have something that's very usable.

Apologies for the slight OT-ness, but here's some shots I took while working on the doc. The executive producer was Geoff Wonfor (Beatles Anthology, the Tube, etc.), and the crew were absolutely top-notch. Contributor-wise, Sting and Elvis Costello were the first names on board, and the rest followed suit.

HA!!! We've found you out!! You're really a guitarist....