martin8708

I live on the Isle of Wight , so i share your pain . During my days of prolific buying and selling , I relied 95% on couriers , with only a rare meet up in person in Southampton or Portsmouth , and the occational exchange in Waterloo Station if it was a high end bass. If i decide to sell an item , I just assume that I will be posting it ,so packing it up is just part of the sales process, just like photographing and listing it .I prefer to deal with established BC members which gives me a little bit of re-assurance that the deal will go smoothly and I always us UPS to ship gear , never Parcel Force . Maybe i have been lucky , but virtually all my deals ( bar one ) went very smoothly . I have sold loads to Europe as well , sometimes shipping to Holland or Germany is quicker than shipping to Mainland UK . Offering postage gives you a far wider market .

I have more experiance with Strats than with P basses in this dept . I own a pre -CBS Strat , I have had a few Custom Shop Strats ( all sold now ) but my main go-to guitar is a JV Squier 62' . I love the pre -CBS , the smell ,the vibe and the feel of history ,but its value means i get nervous about taking it out . The JV is great ,great tone , great feel , it just has that massive strat ring when played unplugged . Because it says Squier on the headstock , the tealeaves are less likely to target it .

If the pub is a regular music venue , they will probably have numerous bands on their books It would not take the landlord / manager very long to do quick phone-a-round to find a replacement band . Providing you let the pub know you are unable to to the gig , i dont think its down to you to find a replacement band , let alone stump up extra cash to entice another band to take the gig , although , fair play to your guitarist for finding a replacement band .

More photos of back and neck heel added . Thanks for your time HJ.

Hi Happy Jack . Glad you found the post , i suppose this was primarily aimed at yourself . i am happy to supply pictures of the back of the bass and the neck heel , this is all new to me . I grew up in South Africa as a kid , my Dad was one of the many British engineers working in the huge industrial belt just south of Johhannesburg . South Africa and the then Rhodesia was quite a big market for American instruments and Fender and Gibson shipped tons of instruments to RSA before the sanctions hit . It was quite common to see the guitarist of a Boeremusik band ( Farmers music ) with a very ornate and very expensive Gibson Les Paul . I'll post some more pictures tomorrow and have a closer look at the pots . cheers Martin

I aquired this bass some 20 plus years ago when I did a stint of work in South Africa , I saw it in the corner of the stock room of the local Yamaha Musikland shop and rescued it from possibly being thrown out because it was old and dusty . I have to say I don't really play it , so with this in mind I am looking for help from the Basschat collective . ( Happy Jack ? ) From the little bit of investigation I have done - it may be a 1966 model , but I am open to correction . It all seems to work , the bridge pick-up does seem stronger than the neck pick-up , and I cannot make head or tail of the control panel . Are they desirable ?, Condition as per the photo's , but I do not have the original case . The only thing that's visibly missing is a small steel saddle on the G string that sits in the Bridge . Many thanks for all help . Martin

For bass , The Police . For guitar , Dire Straits , Mark Knofler was my "Hendrix " Both bands pulled me through my late teens / early twenties when I had to grow up quickly .

Rickenbacker 4000 something bass. I Did a few numbers with a Beatles tribute band , the bass player just handed over his Ricky and buggered off ( for a few beers ? ) I have played lots of basses in my life , but everything just seemed wrong , I felt like I was playing an Ironing board.

I am in a similar situation to your drummer. When you have the demands of a full time job and then go home to look after young children , you will be surprised how little time you have to pick up your bass and go through songs . I have to wait till after 10pm before I can do any practice. Luckily most of the songs we play are pub standards , which I know from previous bands , I would be scuppered if they started choosing really difficult songs to cover!

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1507923627' post='3388881'] It's mission creep. I joined a blues band. Within 2 months the drummer was insisting we 'do some Beatles songs'. Same thing. [/quote] Same here , I joined a Disco /funk band with a female singer whose set list was based upon female singer / songwriter tunes . Enter new guitarist and drummer and we are now churning out the same Clapton / ZZ Top / Blokey Pub Rock that I was trying to get away from .

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1507458361' post='3385518'] Even the most complicated music is simple, if you break it down into sections. [/quote] I find the reverse is true as well , songs that are supposed to be "simple " tend to have little quirks in them which often make them more difficult than they initially seem . Other things I have learnt : A more expensive bass does not make you a better player , if anything it can lead other musicians to think you are some kind of bass genius . If you play for fun , make sure you do have fun , I have done far too many rehearsals with dread in my heart because of some obnoxious band member , it's taken me a long long time to gain the confidence to just say " thanks , but no thanks " and walk away .

Bought a reverb pedal off Neil , all messages answered promptly and pedal received by next day delivery . All good , many thanks again . Martin

We had a chap in school whose name was Robert Sole , poor fella . Our local motorcycle shop is called Dave Deaths Motorcycles ( Triumph and Yamaha dealer )

Sellers who don't: Post pictures of the item Tell you the location of the item Say wether it's collection only or offer shipping . Actually own the item ( I'm selling this for a " friend " ) Post the item after you have paid for it . Leave any feedback for you .

I have been sacked for being too old and bald. (I'm 52 ) I have been "replaced " by another bass player with a bigger amp , and he had a full length Van Helsing style leather coat . 3 weeks later I was asked to rejoin when the vocalist realised a bigger amp and a leather coat does not make you a better bass player . I have been given the elbow because I have a daytime job ( and a mortgage and bills , etc ) . This was a huge obstacle to a start up band who were planning their World Tour before we had even done Local pub gig .

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1491817076' post='3275506'] They'll be thinking more about their own sound in the mix. [/quote] This 100% I've been rehearsing weekly with a band for 4 months now , one week I take a fretted P bass , the next I take a fret less P-bass . No one has commented , to be honest no-one seems to have even noticed the difference in the tone or the nuances of the fret less . I do have to say that the fretted bass is the better weapon in the battle of the "volume wars " with the guitarist's .

I'm 53 , I have played bass and guitar since I was 18 yrs old , so if I'm not in a gigging band , I am equally happy playing (classical ) guitar for my own pleasure . I have also bought a djembe and getting to grips with simple percussion . Music is so multifaceted , different styles from different countries played with different instruments , how can anyone get bored with it? I love gigging , but there is so much more to life than playing DadRock in a pub band. Or just buy a motorbike ( as previously suggested )

After 10 years in a band , there is bound to be some feeling of loss/ grief . I also have a young child which takes up a lot of your time , but a some of that time is involved with singing and playing guitar , we also play djembe drums and other percussion instruments which he loves doing . I feel I have the best of both worlds , I am still involved in music and have loads of interaction with my son .

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1490176158' post='3262792'] If you will be bored in a covers band then don't do it. If you think it's just somewhere you can park yourself for an easy ride for a few years, again don't do it. If you can't accept that most of the time you won't be playing your favourite numbers, don't do it. If the guys in the band are not good players, don't do it. I haven't played a boring cover yet, but average and disinterested players can make anything sound boring, trite or just plain dull. Play them properly and most covers, certainly the ones that audiences like and want to hear, will sound good, even Sex On Fire and Mustang Sally. [/quote] Pretty much this . I'm sure there are other bass players who would really appreciate the chance get into a band and get out gigging . They may even like the set list .

You are truly lucky if you find a band with the same level of commitment to rehearse / gig and who share the same musical taste as yourself . I am probably in a similar situation to the OP , ie , join band / rehearse / do a few gigs / watch band implode . Perseverance is essential , by the law of averages you will eventually find the right band . Try not to get too upset when people leave or change the goalposts of the band , this happens . Most bands will have a " stand out " musician , ie a really great drummer or guitarist , I just get real friendly with these guys just for future reference . ( I think it's called networking ) Know when it's time to cut your losses and bail , some bands will rehearse forever and never get better or gig ready . All the best - hope you find your dream band .

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1487077497' post='3236783'] People in good, happy, settled bands should be grateful. Once it is over it can be very hard finding or starting another. I know this from current and past experience! [/quote] The last stable band I was in folded 5 years ago , had a really good run of 10years of great gigs . I have been in a few projects and short lived bands since then, but deep down I knew that they did not have the same chemistry of of the old band . I try not to beat myself about not being in a gigging band , I am optimistic, but I find I reach for the bass less and less and pick up the acoustic guitar a lot more .

Dire Straits / Dire Straits ( 1st album ) Zenyatta Mondatta / Police I still remember the the hairs on my neck standing up when I very first heard "Don't Stand so Close to Me "

The bad : longevity and commitment to make a band work is getting less by the year . I'm not sure if it's due to the fact you can get an instant replacement on Twitface or Gumbook or some other website , but I notice musicians are very fickle and will think nothing of giving you the boot if you are not cool / tattoo'ed up / unemployed so you can embark on that world tour ( even before you've even done your first pub gig ) The Good : after 35 years of just being a bass player , ( and guitarist ) , learning to speak out and tell people what sounds good and what sounds sh1t , listening to advice without feeling inadequate and offering advice to other players , and having the courage to just pack your bass up and walk away when you are playing with intolerable / deluded band members .

Music is my pleasure ,so a packed venue is far better than taking the money and running . But then again,I don't rely upon gigging as an income .

I have been in the exact same situation , playing in bands with a high level of musicianship really does up your game if you are only a weekend warrior . I was " in between bands " a few years ago and hooked up with some guys who wanted to play a short gig at the Vintage Motorcyle Club Christmas bash (of which they were members ) . I would say that they had an interesting style of playing, but rehearsals were such a laugh and laid back , it was a real treat to get out on Wednesday evening to plug in your amp ,bash out some tunes,chat about bikes and generally take the mick out of the drummer. I knew it was never going to be a serious gigging band ,but I took it for what it was and had a great time, made some friends, had a laugh , and when then band had run its course , we still stayed mates . I love playing with top drawer musicians ,but sometimes that opportunity does not always present itself.