Lozz196

Good points, for me, for both bands I’d simply had enough of playing in bands and just wanted to go down the pub with my mates. Both singers in both bands were also a bit difficult to deal with and that may be a big factor, I’m not sure that I’d have stayed if they were easy going chappies tho, the pub just meant more to me back then. Both bands had gigs booked which I honoured til the replacements could take over, and I did fill in for one gig when the replacement was on holiday.

Both times I’ve left a band that was intending to carry on Ive said I’d stay until they got a replacement up to gigging standard - with the surety that they would actively seek one. I’d been in the first about 3 years, the second 2 years. With each band I’d have been happy to walk at the time and not look back but my sense of decency simply said that was wrong.

I’m sure it’s different in the covers world but for us as an originals vsnd if any of us can’t make it we don’t play, no deps/stand-ins whatever.

I found getting the feel and groove of a Pump It Up by Elvis Costello took a while. Not a particularly difficult line to play, just the feeling is way different to my regular style, which is why I wanted to learn it.

I borrowed one for a while - was 30+ years ago, but to my recall it was a very good bass.

I think it’s the convenience that they bring. At any gig, no matter what amp/cab is onstage I know that FOH will get the sound the band wants due to my Para Driver. Really makes gigging easy, especially on shared backline/15 min changeover gigs.

I was in a band many years ago with a guy who had a real bad run in life at the time. He got very angry and bitter as a result, turning very political and became basically difficult to be around/in a band with. So I left but now in later years I wish I’d stuck it out a bit longer and just been a better mate.

In the unlikely case it can’t be saved I’d look at the ABM600 EVO-IV. I’ve had a good few Ashdown amps, thought all were good but the 600 rules for me.

First time I used an SVT stack I was very underwhelmed at the sound when trying to get a good sound from it. Then the whole band started playing and I realised what all the fuss was about, sat beautifully in the mix, no booming, no weediness, just solid bass presence.

I used to have one of these and agree, brilliant cabs, probably my fave cab I`ve ever had but similarly too heavy for me now. Got to use one just before Xmas and I was really tempted to get one but the common-sense-monkey in my brain talked me out of it. I also used to have two Barefaced Super12Ts - the amount of sound from these two was so immense that unless a really big stage I couldn`t use both, and at rehearsal rooms the sound was all-enveloping. In my opinion two lightweight 212s is a modular solution to pretty much all gigging needs.

I had the VM 70s Precision for a while as a backup and it was a nice bass, but to be honest it was nowhere near like my US Standards. I think more than anything it was the Duncan-designed pickups, they just sounded, well, wrong for want of a better word. The bass itself played fine but the sound from the pups wasn`t to my liking, but then I`m comparing to Custom Shop pickups so it`s unlikely they would sound similar.

A mate of mine uses a 70s Jazz, neck pickup only, and in the mix you`d swear it was a Precision. When soloed easy to tell it`s not, but in the mix, well that`s where it`s at.

That's a good point, something that I`ve had a few time, mainly my first times on bigger stages, ended up digging in far too much. Now with a bit more experience I can deal with this but the first time, man did my picking hand hurt after that gig.

Wowzers

May well be due to lack of salt, I used to get really bad cramp in my feet and calves, started having a banana and a pack of ready salted crisps every day, plus drinking more water and adding salt into my cooking and it rarely happens nowadays.

They look great Stew, really suit that bass, glad you’re pleased with them.

If only Warwick made their strings in this gauge.

Yes I had one of those too, I had the scrambler set in minimal and it added in some nice drive when digging in, anything more and I thought it just sounded, well, wrong.

I’ve had both maple and rosewood versions of the same basses over the years, and have always found that the maple ones were slightly “snappier”. I doubt I’d be able to tell in the mix tho. Also a few years back we did a blind maple/rosewood test at the Herts Bass Bash. In every case the overwhelming winners were the rosewood versions.

Or do it the other way round, if you make a mistake deliberately look at another band member so the audience think it was then that messed up 😁

Well on the punk/Oi circuit the Precision seems to hold more favour, not sure about any other genres though.

Curses, you got there before me.

Nice one, takes a well balanced guitarist to admit that just because they can play guitar doesn’t automatically make them a bassist too. I always describe myself as a bassist who can get by on rhythm guitar at a push. I’d never describe myself as a guitarist as I don’t have the same understanding of the instrument as I do with bass.

Baaaaaahhhh