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I didn't get any photos this weekend, oops! Headsticks gig at Sidney & Matilda in Sheffield on Friday night. It's a cool hipster bar with a proper 'orrible basement venue underneath. It stank of BO down there and I didn't see any ventilation. Perfect Only about 50 or so people in but it's a small room so that was cool. Plenty of newcomers too which is always a good sign. Sound checking my snare, the engineer asks "Is there any chance you have a drum key with you?" and I laugh and say yeh. He says "Do you think it needs a little tune up? It's quite resonant!". I laugh and say no. Then he asked if I always rimshot or if I play a standard snare hit too. I say both. He wants to know what material my snare is made of and what model it is... He gets to bass guitar, our bassist plays for 2 seconds, the engineer shouts "woooah, can you notch out 400Hz on your amp please?". After 10 minutes of EQing the bass from his mixing desk, he tries guitar. He's forgotten to plug the guitar in. He walks on stage to plug it in, but instead walks up to the bass amp and starts messing with the controls and asking our bassist to play. I think he got the message after a minute of that. I thought a fight was about to break out! Anyway, the gig was cool, even if the sound was ridiculously loud and bassy. Supporting The Undertones on Sunday at the Tivoli in Buckley. I love this venue, it's so weird. The manager (I assume he owns it?) was talking quite proudly of all his renovations, which were great, but when I asked him if there was a toilet with a lock on the door he was stumped. It's a big room but there were 300 or so in which is plenty for a great night. There were a few of our fans there but we went down really well with the others too, sold a load of merch and signed setlists etc. I've never seen The Undertones before, and I only knew the one song, but I was blown away. So much energy for older guys, absolutely rock solid performance (well, the last minute dep drummer might have struggled a little but we'll forgive him that), great vocals... they're just cool AF on stage.

A few years ago my last band were playing at the White Horse in Clun, Shropshire - they don't often do music but for some reason had booked us, a hard rock originals band. We were a couple of songs into the set when a coach load of young farmers turned up; the girls promptly went to the (tiny) loo, which was right next to where we were playing. As Tim was in the middle of a solo, guitar held aloft with pained guitar-solo face and closed-but-expressive eyes one of the farmeresses came and shouted in his ear "Can you do "Summer of 69" ?" To his credit, he held the note for a second longer, then nodded at us which we somehow understood to mean "stop", and launched into the "69" chorus on his own. We then continued with the song we'd been halfway through. And did the Young Farmers cheer? Nope... They'd gone outside to throw beer at each other.

Returning an otherwise fine instrument because its dirty is a total overreaction, and I advocated for making a complaint. I can't grip this concept any tighter!

Arrived today!!! Sunlight and my crappy Samsung phone camera makes the cherry look much brighter than in reality. The faux laminate finish and gold hardware work really well with the gloss translucent cherry IMO.

Although Tomsk was the first call bassist for The Wombles, Here's Madame Cholet digging in, on a tasty-looking Jazz bass... and jamming with Roy Wood on a sixer;

And talking of Chapel Lawn, I played there a few of times, once with Bang Bang Romeo (who went on to bigger things, someone from here played bass on their last tour?), and twice with Dredd and the Badass Weeds...

The V4 was looking a little dusty so I decided a spring clean was in order. It's sounding just as good but looking much fresher! 🥰

How much did he have to pay for the PA?

The only knee trembling going on in Chapel Lawn now is if someone's forgotten their walking stick 😁

Chalk Chalk ～ Chalk Chalk

i got asked to play any Irish song, so we played Hit me with your rhythm stick, the guy said that's not an Irish song ,so i changed the words to ..Hit me with your shovel Mick ,they loved it😂

Everyone has their price... 😁

For me the Eastwood Hooky is the end of a long search to find a Bass VI that I actually found playable. I started with an impulse buy of a Squier Bass VI when I had no real need for one, but found that I liked the concept even if the neck was ridiculously narrow even by guitar standards. Then the guitarist from one of the bands I play in decide to leave, I suggested that we try with me playing Bass VI and the synth moving from mainly textures to actual tunes, and we found that it worked perfectly. Having an actual use for the instrument meant that I was more aware than ever that the neck was simply too narrow for me. At the time I was expecting that I would end up with something custom made, as I found the next best thing - a Burns Barracuda - was only slightly more playable for me. Then Eastwood announced the Hooky and I immediately put down my deposit. I'd briefly played an original Shergold Marathon 6-String Bass in the early 80s as someone I knew had one, so I could recall the neck being significantly wider. The first batch coincided with Covid and took about 10 months from my initial order to actually getting the bass in my hands, but straight away I could tell it was worth it. Songs that were always a struggle to play live because I kept tripping up over the tight string spacing for chunky bass strings were now as effortless as they should be. I play mine direct into a Helix, and then straight into either the PA or an FRFR cab, which is absolutely necessary for me as I tend to switch between "bass" and "guitar" parts on the Bass VI. One new song has sections where I change every two bars! My band Hurtsfall have a new single "Tilting" out on Friday 21st July which really shows off what can be done with the Eastwood Hooky - there's bass parts, guitar parts, harmonic chords (I have mine tuned EADGCE) and a big "bass solo" in the middle. I'll stick some links up when it's been released. In the mean time here a shot of me playing it from when Hurtsfall supported Skeletal Family at the lending Room in Leeds last year:

I am now the owner of this killer ‘63 👌 I know shocker, I bought another P bass 😂

There's been a few posts about various Squier models on here recently so I thought a collective space to post pics of all those wonderful instruments would be lovely. ❤️ My three Squier Jazzes: Natural finish 2006 VM series (Cort factory) Blue / Puprle 2007 Affinity 'J-Bass' model (Cort factory) Olympic White 2022 40th Anniversary Gold Edition (Sammick factory) Lets see yours. 😃

Yep. After reading a lot on here about Bass VI's, the more they began to make sense to me. I don't play in bands anymore and don't intend to either (family situation makes it impossible time-wise) and I love to play yet find it hard to enjoy playing bass at home as for me, bass playing is a social sport and my buzz mainly came from making others, good players, sound great if that makes sense? On my own, not so much. After going down the Bass VI rabbit hole it was only the Hooky 6 that really added up to something I could get into, to expand my creative horizons somewhat. A bass vi made for bassists with a size and string spacing that I feel I could realistically get on with (I'm 6'1" with massive hands. Hands that don't get on with guitars at all 😄) So, I've paid the preorder deposit for a nice black one. The next batch of black Hookys won't be arriving until December which is fine as I'll have time to save up the rest. I've got a good looper pedal and effects already. Should be fun! Any other Hooky 6 players here? How are you getting on with yours and what kind of things are you getting out of it?

Or just take off the B string maybe. But then this is Basschat, we should be encouraging you to buy a new bass!

Thanks guys, the bass itself plays beautifully and now cleaned looks super. A complaint has gone in, I am not expecting anything but an apology and perhaps a lesson learned will suffice.

'king Rocker ～ Gen X

This might sound familiar.

So, to go back to the start of this thread, the OP was asking for a template. It seems to me that most people here accept there are likely to be joint costs/assets for a band (i.e. a PA but other things too like insurance, business cards etc. (although the PA may be down to the vocalist(s) alone)) and recognise the need invest in equipment purchases and maintenance. For a new band any purchase needs to be pump-primed, either with some or all the members chipping in up front, before the first chord is stuck. I suggest (for the start of a template) that: · Once the band membership is established, make an agreement how the various items of gear will be provided up front. (You may not need gear initially if you rehearse at studios so purchase decisions could be deferred until you’re ready to gig). · Regarding the PA, the first question to ask is, should the band own it or just those that use it? · Then you need to consider how to manage your money going forward. For example, a portion of each gig’s money is set aside to build up a pot to pay for ongoing maintenance, upgrades, annual fees etc. And/or members pay a small sub per rehearsal, to build up the pot asap. A sub isn’t unreasonable as most activities require some sort of ongoing membership fee. It could be that if an individual(s) funded the PA then the pot pays them back so the item is fully owned by the band, if that’s what the band wants. · As the band grows so does the pot and if there is reasonable planning and agreement to ensure money is set aside for potential costs an annual divi could be paid to members from the remainder. · Anyone leaving the band could take their share of the pot but should know from the outset that the assets belong to the band and/or individuals and they can’t expect any ‘buy out’ payment. · A newcomer to the band doesn’t make any up-front contribution other than providing their own personal instrument/gear, but then contributes like any other band member. · If the band splits and sells the assets, then this is equally divided between the line up at the point of the split. It’s best to be open and upfront about how the band money is structured and having a collective agreement to me seems vital if the band is to avoid unnecessary disagreements at a later point. Every band’s circumstances will differ, as will the attitudes and access to money from its members, so any agreement will be personalised to your circumstances. But the important thing is to be agreed, open and upfront about how the money side works. Having a What’sApp group is a good way to present proposals to other band members and to get their approval (in writing) before any money is spent. While you might all think your are mates, money can have a nasty way of turning on you unless things are formally agreed. Just my tupenneth!

I agree entirely with Walshy and grenadillabama. Restoring this to original spec would cost a fortune. The current mods look very cool to me, though I’d tidy up the input a bit. I had an active circuit and SD P pickup fitted to mine and it’s never had the classic Ripper tone since. I’ve had a look at creating or procuring a typical Ripper plate - very expensive indeed unless you get really lucky. Only pic of mine I have to hand, you can just about see the middle pickup - modded Rippers look brilliant (to me), even if they lose their core tone. Baggy lemon keks and a permed mullet - gotta love the ‘80s

We play love machine, and we are a 4 piece band of 30-50-something men. Goes down a storm. We get stupid requests, although the most stupid are oasis. as they say, I'll do anything for love, but I won't do that!

During one of our 'Classic Rock Anthems & Power Ballads' shows a couple of months ago we had a chavvy lady (who'd obviously bought a ticket knowing, you would have thought, what we do!) approach us with a request. We don't do requests - it's a theatre show. We do Boston, Journey, Foreigner, Toto, Aerosmith, Heart, KISS etc.... She asked us for........ yep, you've guessed it..... Wonderwall......

Add me to the "giving £600 to some strangers I met down the pub in the hope I'll get some gigs soon seems like a bad idea" camp.

That's sloppy as all feck from a private seller, never mind an established retailer. For shame.

Picture the scene. It's August 1979, my mate Will knows a dealer who we've agreed to meet in the public bar at The Nashville. We're at one of the chest-high 'planks' that ran along the North End Road frontage with our beers, waiting for yer man to show, and we realise that the place is filling up with tribes. London was really tribal in those days ... punks, skins, Teds, neo-mods, football hooligans on a Saturday, you name it, and the tribes never, ever mixed. Will had the self-preservation instincts of a lemming so he flagged down a passing skin and asked him how come? "Great new band on tonight, mate, Madness. You gotta see them!" Will and I looked at each other. Madness? Never heard of them. We scored half an ounce of Lebanese and left ...

The opposite effect here. Some decades ago, I was playing (drums...) at a wedding 'do' at a small local restaurant, as a duo with my buddy on accordion and organ. The landlord had warned us that he had a strict 2am curfew to respect, so we had to be finished by then (these weddings can go on till dawn, otherwise..!). We agreed, and played our usual repertoire of slows, waltzes, musette, some light rock, until we got the nod that it was time to wrap up. The ambience was hot; all were mightily enjoying their evening, but when it's time, it's time. We launched into two numbers, guaranteed to clear the dance floor and shoo everyone out: an accordion/drums rendering of 'Saucerful of Secrets', followed by 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. It was glorious, for us, playing, but the surprise was total, as (maybe aided by the liquid refreshments of the event...) the reception was rapturous..! Applauded as heroes, we passed the curfew and played on for over an hour more... That's not the end of it, though; I now come to the 'requests' part... Two years later, we are booked again for another wedding at this same restaurant (we'd not played there since...). Immediately upon arrival, the patron's eyes lit up and we were greeted like rock stars, with the 'request' (rather more an injunction..!) that we play the same numbers at the end. We obliged, of course, and another wedding 'do' ended in a vacarme of cymbals and accordion, to the delight of all. Happy daze..!

That bought Nilo for three years. 😉

Affinity P w/ Kent Armstrong PBV and Artec QTP - Plain 'n simple. Now with a BWB and Hi Mass

Good things happen !

I’ve had many poor “ new” condition products from PMT over the years and vowed to stop using them however I did visit a store and buy my Jazz bass from them. If you see how a typical store is being run it’s no surprise goods cone out not as they should. Part of this is the online returns world we live in and the other is lack of investment in decent paid staff who are trained in customer service etc. Clearly that grubby bass was never inspected before sending out ? Shame on you PMT

There are some sound wally's about unfortunately and this one looks like he's top of the pile.

Sadly this has become all too common here in the UK: generally speaking customer service has completely nosedived no matter what you're purchasing. Guitars are no different. I could go on a rant but shall refrain. Shocking.

I'd leave. It looks pretty cool as is.

Limestone cowboy. Glen Campbell

While My Galah Gently Weeps ～ The Bëatles

there’s a new sheriff in town!!

*but it’s absolutely nothing like a jazz in any way

This weekend saw two outings for Rascallion, the first a short set at a local outdoor charity festival on Saturday, then a normal two-setter (again outdoors, in a semi-covered beer garden) at a local pub. All week, gloomy prognostications had been going around regarding the weather on Saturday, but after consulting the village pine cone, Anderby Rocks 2023 was declared a goer despite strong winds and occasional heavy showers. Having opened the festival last year, this year we were on fifth out of nine bands, with a 4:00pm slot. To cut a long story slightly shorter, the band before us overran by a good few minutes (I wasn't there when they went on, but presume they'd been delayed by previous bands themselves as they didn't get the hook at their scheduled finish time), so we were under a degree of pressure to just get on with it when it was our turn. To add to the fun, unlike all the other bands on the day whose 30 minute changeover slots featured a DJ (or in one case, a cheerleading demonstration) to keep the crowd entertained, ours featured a solo acoustic spot by another local musician. Originally the plan was he'd set up in front of the covered stage, but as it started lashing down just at that moment and he's a mate of ours, we agreed he could use the stage and we'd just work round him setting up (and also throw in the odd BVs / heckle here and there). In the chaos, we only managed a basic line check, and the sound guys never did get the monitor sound tweaked to our satisfaction - as a result we were all a bit tentative throughout, and felt we didn't really do ourselves justice, but several people complimented us afterwards on how good it sounded out front, and we had a few folks up and dancing for the second half of our set, so guess it can't have been as bad as we all thought. By dropping a couple of numbers we ended up doing just 35 minutes instead of the planned 45 to help the organiser (another mate of ours) to get things slightly back on schedule. It was great to see that when the rain arrived just before our set, a number of folks did leave, but the majority just put up their brollies or zipped up their waterproofs, and stuck it out until the sun reappeared. So, on to Sunday. The last time we played here was on a busy Easter Saturday, but today was a quiet Sunday on which the pub weren't doing food, there were several other events on in the area, and the weather forecast was again decidedly iffy (though not as bad as Saturday had been). We were scheduled to start at 2pm, but as of 1:55pm the audience consisted of two partners plus one dog, and two blokes sitting inside the pub. Fortunately, a number of folks arrived just after 2pm, so we eventually kicked off about 10 minutes late. As predicted by the pub, there was a further influx of folks at about 3pm for the Meat Raffle, so for the second set, whenever the sun came out the audience sitting in the covered area was swelled by a number of people coming out of the pub to watch, but who then disappeared back inside when it started raining again. The temperature also fluctuated significantly whenever the weather changed which led to rather more retuning being necessary than normal, and nice warm fingers turning into frozen ones, but we got through with only a few minor off-piste moments / brain freezes, and once again everybody was very complimentary afterwards. We're back at the same venue again late August Bank Holiday, so are hoping for a larger, more stable audience then! Next on the calendar is a short performance at the care home where Mr Lead Guitar's mother resides, followed the next day by a trip to an army barracks where they apparently want us to provide music from 4pm to 8pm for a Families Day thing, so we're aiming to do 45 minutes on / 15 minutes off each hour. Should be interesting to say the least, and we're going to have to add a few new numbers to our repertoire if we're not going to run out of material! We've also not rehearsed much recently due to people being away (me included), and it showed this weekend - definitely need to put that right over the next three weeks. Pic from Saturday, probably during "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"... 🫢