bassbiscuits

I've got a little sort of neoprene zip up basic laptop bag for my Markbass head and I just sit the head on top of that. I also loop my lead thru the handle on the cab to save it getting pulled over. Works for me

I had this exact experience last night - and I'm so bad at taking compliments. A guy came to tell me how great my bass sound was etc and I just ended up waffling about my gear and awkwardly saying how I never get to hear it from the audience point of view etc. Nice to have some praise I guess. I need to have a better response tho!

As the owner of a genuine one, i can tell you straight off what's wrong: logo truss rod machine heads skunk stripe bridge pickups knobs body contours quality of neck stamp (usually a much murkier faded greeny/blue coded number) in short, its fake.

My most recent gig was recorded by one of the guys depping on it, mainly for reference for the arrangements, backing vocals etc. He sent me the file for a listen and to be honest, my playing was in parts a lot worse than i remembered at the time. Don't get me wrong, i knew there were a couple of really beauties in there in terms of mistakes, but not as many as i heard on the recording. Funny thing was that the vibe of the gig was great, it was nicely full with people up dancing etc (always helps!) and mostly my playing was good (some bits surprisingly so!) so I guess it didn't matter that much. It has made me get my arse in gear to iron out those mistakes for next time, however easily they slipped past the average punter.

Oh no - i didn't realise Brown Sugar was a certified cliched cheesy number! I offered to learn it for an upcoming gig as some of the guys I'll be playing with already know it. It'll save me from dipping into Mustang Sally or Brown eyed Girl, and for that, we should all be thankful.

Packing away after a full-on messy rowdy gig last month, I pulled up the gaffer tape which had been sticking down a couple of PA and mic leads safely at the front of the stage and got tiny splinters of broken glass which had stuck to the tape in my hand from some smashed pint glasses. Managed to get them out fairly easily but really stung. Annoying.

Fender Japan stuff has always been far superior to Chinese Fender stuff, in my experience. I've had a Modern Player Jazz and a 1990s MIJ strat over the years, and there was no comparison in the quality.

I gig a 1970 precision from time to time, tho I now tend to keep it for the more polite gigs due to the "drunken punter" issue mentioned in an earlier post. But it's never let me down electrically/mechanically at all. As long as someone hasn't butchered the electronics at some point old stuff as long as it's well maintained is perfectly gigable

I ended up doing a "first gig" of sorts this weekend - covering for my singer and guitarist for a 2 x 45mins busy pub gig, instead of playing bass. I was pretty tense about the whole thing beforehand but actually reading thru the advice on this very thread ( including my own ) really helped me chill out and just enjoy it for what it was. The result? Better than I ever hoped. It was packed, lot of people I knew turned up and it well down really well. I also got to play with the bassist who normally deps for me, and glad to say he was cool and good player. For all the stress beforehand it ended up being personally really fulfilling and a bit of a milestone for me as a player. All good fun innit?

Bob Harris's late night stuff usually. The drive home by myself in the early hours is one of my favourite chill out times after all the hecticness and noise of a gig.

Police "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" or Jet "Are you Gonna Be My Girl" always go down well - and I get to sing them both!

Simple thing I try to remember is that I can't control everything, so concentrate on where I can make a difference. By that I mean allowing time to find the venue, parking, setting up, and making sure that my gear/leads/mic etc is all working properly. (I've spent far too many sound checks watching other band members searching for the elusive 'dodgy lead' somewhere all the chain putting a spanner in the works.) At least then when the gig starts, you know all your stuff ain't gonna let you down. In short, there are enough things beyond your control at a gig (audience, venue, other band members etc) but at least your end of things is watertight! Oh yes, and relax and enjoy the gig! Not everyone gets to do it, so just chill and go with it! Good luck.

Going to see Rival Sons in Nottingham on Good Friday but gigging on Easter Saturday and Sunday. One of them will be me depping on bass for a mate's band, and the other gig is me swapping to cover guitar/lead vocals in my own band as my guitarist/singer is away.... Wish me luck!

i think the fact the bridge and the neck don't even line up probably makes playing it 'challenging' as well...

I've been playing bass nearly 30 years now, having started at 12, and I've been gigging on and off for most of that time with various local bands of varying quality and on various instruments! Nowadays I gig a few times each month with an absolutely kicking pub/function band, mostly on bass and vocals but sometimes on guitar and vocals and I get to play with some really good full-time pro musicians/music teachers. I'd have loved to be a massive superstar, but it never happened, despite some cool high points playing at big festivals and events. I still have a day job to pay the mortgage and support my little family. But it's never put me off playing for the enjoyment of performing and the challenge of getting better the whole time - and giving it everything I've got to make its sound great onstage!

I'm up for this too - just round the corner from me. I had planned to come last year but it all went tits up at last minute and spent the day in leicester royal infirmary instead. Better luck this time eh? I can bring a USA P or J bass, and if needed amp wise, a Little Mark head and Schroeder 1210 cab. I'll see if Mrs Bassbiscuits can rustle up a bass-related cake too.... Or indeed some actual bass biscuits. Lovely stuff.