The Dark Lord

Two x 50 minute sets plus a three song encore = 31 songs (2 x 14 plus 1 x 3) in our current set. Goes from about 9 or 9.30 to 11 or 11.30 in most places we play. We have about 70 to choose from and tailor the set to what we expect the audience will like in that venue. I wonder if anyone would be interested in listening to a band for longer than that?

That's a cool goodbye message he has on the site. I bought a set of Strat pickups from them way back in the day. Good they were.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1385817848' post='2292499'] Sorry, but I'm not having that. I've been through the buying process with Alex this year. I have a stack of emails from Barefaced (pre-order, post-order and post-delivery), mostly from Alex himself, 95% of which were answered with 24 hours. The last e-mail I had from him was at gone 2am this morning and that was just to make sure everything was OK with the cab they had delivered. Before I ordered it, I was fully informed of the long manufacturing and delivery times of the 3rd gen series - the buyer was aware! To the best of my knowledge Barefaced have neither failed to deliver or delivered anything defective that they should have been aware of. I'm sure there will be someone along in a minute to prove me wrong, as there always is in these cases, but "extremely unprofessional" and "buyer aware" is f***ing harsh man. Doubly so since it concerns a small, but established, UK manufacturer that has done a hell of a lot of work in their field and has satisfied a large amount of customers globally. [/quote] Well - there is the OP to consider?

This is something that really concerns me about suppliers. There is no excuse for ignoring a customer's emails. None whatsoever. No matter how busy you claim to be. I own a group of companies and our customer service is crystal clear. Tell customers what you will do for them - and then do it. If something happens. Tell them. If you are taking someone's money and if you do not live up to what you said you would do, you should at least explain the situation. Extremely unprofessional. Buyers beware!

I suppose it depends on what you role in the band is, how you got into the band, if the band's genre has a particular sound requirement - and how you sit in the pecking order. When I play in a band, I bring my sound along with me. This is how I sound. I will modify it if necessary, but only very slightly. However, if you are in a specific tribute band - then maybe you should play like that band did. Or, if you are a hired hand in the band, you have to do what the person who hired you asks you to do. If you were last in to the band and they want a specific sound - then maybe you have to (at least initially) do what they say. If none of the above apply, then ignore and do your own thing.

It's turn of the century Precisions for me. I have a couple of 1999 models and have never heard or played better

I'd go for some of these: [url="https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=strats&sub=vintage_hot&pickup=irish_tour"]https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=strats&sub=vintage_hot&pickup=irish_tour[/url] I have some of their Brown Sugars in one of my Teles ......... more edge and fuller sound.

[quote name='Highfox' timestamp='1385129647' post='2284785'] Overpriced, some maybe, you'd lose a bit buying from new but secondhand you'd get a decent one off here for around £700 I'd say, and it would hold it's value quite well. [/quote] More like £600 or less at the moment. When you get a proper USA P Bass, you can take your seat at the top table of bass playing. Do it.

I had one of their Strats way back in the day. Relatively low quality products.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1384901889' post='2282244'] Really? As someone who is also a guitarist there are no guitar forums that cater to my tastes. A general one might be just the thing. I am a member of the Tokai forum, but because my interest is in their original Talbo designs rather then the copy guitars there is little to hold my attention there. [/quote] I think so. There are already healthy Fender and Gibson forums around - so there's most of your guitarist right there. The mass guitar market is totally different from the niche that is bass playing.

A general guitar forum is a non-starter. Good luck to anyone who tries that one. Guitarists are far more polarised into make and genre.

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1384523954' post='2277707'] ^^^ This is the kind of validation I was hoping for Most of the musicians I talk to (Ok...I mean my band) can't get past the "People like ([i]insert almost any song from The Blues Brothers or The Commitments here[/i]) so we must play it!" My argument is that there is a dwindling audience for the older stuff. I'm 43 and I am pretty sick of just being bombarded by the same half a dozen 60's songs by every pub band in the world...ever! (or so it seems some times) Now I'm not hugely nostalgic about the 80's but I would rather play and listen to the music that was around when I was growing up. I'm glad to see that I'm not alone in that [/quote] Aha. Sir, you are a bass player who is thinking straight. I too have a dislike for what I call "Old Man Pub Rock". So what if you can twiddle away, set your geetar on fire and play a few Hendrix songs? There are some "music pubs" where that is called for, but my guess is that pubs are filled with 30, 40 and 50 somethings who are not remotely interested in whether someone is the 76th best guitarist in the county or not. I think a lot of people will turn up to pubs only vaguely realising that there is a band on, so you need to cater for the masses and give them populist stuff. I think your 80s notion is a good one, although don't neglect the 90s. We're out tonight and the set will be filled with things like Park Life, Mr Brightside, House of Fun, Walk Like an Egyptian, some Oasis stuff, 99 Red Balloons, Disco 2000, Stand and Deliver, Video Killed the Radio Star, Tainted Love, Chelsea Dagger etc. Real fun up-tempo stuff .... and not a bald man with a bandana and tight jeans in sight.

.... doesn't seem as punchy now!