OldGit

[quote name='HeavyJay' post='856201' date='Jun 3 2010, 03:15 PM']I hope OG has shares in that company because he's prompted many a sale on here![/quote] I wish! Think I'm up to 6 hats from them now My bowler came from an antique place. Not worn it for a gig but the various parties I worn it to have got a great reaction. [quote]I for one have [url="http://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/Jaxon-Western-Cowboy-Hat-P132000/"]this one[/url] to look forward to on my wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks.[/quote]

Our favourite hat supplier now has 8 different Pith helmets for under £25 What a great place! Go on Wayne, You know you want to. [url="http://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/Pith-Helmets-C_pith_helmets/"]Village Hats Pith Helmets[/url]

£100 per person plus £100 for the band/admin etc. That's a minimum for a wedding or function. Pubs are totally different. See the "[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=5436&view=findpost&p=56924"]playing Weddings[/url]" thread for loads and loads of tips and good ideas. See my thread on [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=142&view=findpost&p=936"]function band websites [/url]for how to get the gigs.....

[quote name='Toddy' post='854923' date='Jun 2 2010, 02:43 PM']Hell yeah,,course Bass Players boils strings,, makes them zingy again,,, used to do this all the time,,,, cover in water,and boil for couple of mins,, amazingly they conduct heat so well they are almost cold instantly when removed ( disclaimer...... be careful) can add touch of vinegar as well,,, all you are doing is boiling off the dead skin an crap,, but as stated above the effect only works for a while,,,, enough for a couple of gigs tho...used to tell the kids it was their tea!![/quote] Yup When this were all fields and all we had was Rotosounds I used to do this all the time +1 for a touch of vinegar, or lemon if you are posh .. Bung em back on. Fast fret to stop them removing your finger prints (unless required ) and away you go for another few gigs.

Helping a mate at his band auditions but not joining .. She's Strage by Cameo Secret Rendezvous by Rene and Angele Risin to the top by Keni Burke 80's style funk pop. Needs more discipline than I normally employ so a bit of a stretch

If you have PC running windows you have a sound recorder built in. start > programmes > accessories > entertainment > sound recorder. Plug your bass into the mic socket (need a converter to minijack) and play very, very quietly. Record it, save the file and send it to your friend. If you have a Mac I think it comes with Garage Band so no probs there. Why can't we have GarageBand for Windows??? [color="#00FF00"]Envy![/color]

[quote name='cocco' post='854211' date='Jun 1 2010, 09:54 PM']Just got Si's 70 RI CIJ Precision home. He really went out of his way for me, he offered to hold the bass while I drummed up the funds to buy it for a fair ammount of time (sorry ISA). He makes a mean coffee and is very knowledgeable. It's people like Si who make this forum the lovely place to wittle away hours of free time, exchange ideas/knowledge and buy and sell gear that it is. A true gent and a credit to the BC community. I just wish I'd left his wood and tronics where it was because the custom cogs are turning now! I would definatly deal with him again and looking forward to eventually picking his brains for custom build help and ideas. Top fella Cheers Si Love the bass by the way![/quote] Ha ha thanks See I [b]told[/b] you not to have a go on the Wood & Tronics Thanks Ash. Have fun with the bass and the band & new album.

[quote name='dan670844' post='853677' date='Jun 1 2010, 03:35 PM']I would love it, but its a little out of my price range / too valuable to play out I have to make do with this.... my 80's jap 62 reissue. These had necks made by a japanese violin maker Atlansia. They a just like Fullerton originals, with a curved thick rosewood finger board.This is my main bass, so much better than an American std!!!! Find one and you will be in heaven! D[/quote] Oh yesss I know all about those .. What year is yours?

[quote name='JTUK' post='853221' date='Jun 1 2010, 07:48 AM']I must say that I approach each bass on an individual basis and don't subscribe..or rather, don't expect a whole batch or marque to be of the same exact quality at this price level. So, I would view and play this bass and then decide how much you like it..and then square that with what others say here. A bass is worth what someone will pay and these seem to be rare enough to be worth a prremium.. possibly Also, if there was any doubt about it being a keeper..then I wouldn't buy it... If it is just a case of getting a bass to play and then move it on when you find something better.....don't look at these bases. My general view is that if you are mass producing hundreds/thousands of basses... some crap ones will slip through and you are also likely to accidentally produce a really good one..mostly through the combinations of wood etc. Sure..a period of basses can be generally described as sorted as the QC was good at that time..and conversely...there may be a bad time for that as well.. so judging each bass on an individual basis would be my thinking...[/quote] Wise words but, as has been pointed out many times, the Japanese JV (Japan Vintage) series basses from 82-84 were so good that Fender had to raise their QC game in the US. The US managers were allegedly crying at how good these "cheap foreign reproductions" were compared to the "real deal" coming out of California. So your starting point, in terms of QC, is very high. Individual basses do vary but the JV's have earned their reputation.

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='853323' date='Jun 1 2010, 09:45 AM']Dear Bass Agony Aunt Why, as a woman, do I have to prove myself as a competant musician more than my male counterparts, and why do people always presume I'l be either eyecandy or rubbish? Please help.[/quote] Dear Sarah, You've managed to play one of thise great big guitar things? All by yourself? Oh well done you!! Now don't you worry your pretty little head about it. Yours Aggie

[quote name='bassace' post='852790' date='May 31 2010, 05:54 PM']First in the diary won't work for me because I have agreed to give priority to two bands. We do a lot of gigs, we record and we even rehearse sometimes. That means the bands need to go out with their regular lineup wherever possible. As I originally posted, these bands book well ahead so clashes are usually avoided. But when I accept a booking with another band well in advance of the gig I tell the guy that I'll take it assuming nothing comes up from bands A and B in the meantime. They're usually cool about this. Some bands have an '8 week' rule. I've just finished my 2009/10 accounts and see that I worked for 15 bands last year so it seems to work OK. If you're a total freelance, first in the diary is fine.[/quote] Ok, Thanks for the clarification. There would be a very rare occurrence where I may go back to a band to ask for a get out. That would have to be for something very spectacular for my main band - say a festival, a boat party at the Monaco grand prix or very, very, well paid gig. And then I'd get the second band a dep in before progressing. Sometimes I do have a "oh no!" moment when a really nice gig comes in that I can't do due to a dep booking but that's just how it goes...

[quote name='Rayman' post='853054' date='May 31 2010, 10:15 PM']It doesn't matter where or when a bass was made, or by whom, it just matters that it plays and sounds great to you. Forget about the decals on the headstock, it really can be irrelevant.[/quote] Depends on how you look at it. There is so much more to the "value" of a bass than how it plays. Kudos, cool, fashion, peer pressure, ebay value, etc The decal on the headstock, where it was made and by whom has a huge effect on it's resale value, no matter how it plays.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='852806' date='May 31 2010, 06:24 PM']Dear Bass Agony Aunt I've been playing for some years in a covers bands, where we do a mixture of classic songs, mainly rock, pop and funk. Over the last few months I've found my playing getting busier and busier. It started with the odd finger pop and has now progressed to actual slapping in inappropriate numbers. I've been warned about this a few times by the other band members and am in danger of losing my place in the band. Please help.[/quote] Dear Worried of The Far East Many bass players go through his phase. As long as the slapping is limited to the side of the drummer's head and the finger popping to the singers' knuckles you should be fine and it will pass. Yours, Marge

All you want to know will be found here [url="http://www.21frets.com/"]21 Frets website[/url] They are not the same as teh Silver series. They are good and some may be very good. How they compare as basses with other products will always be a matter of choice and taste as much as anything. For £750 you have a huge amount of choice of new and used basses. However, the JV series are collectible and constantly increasing in sales price. Not many basses are doing that. So you take's your choice .....

Wow lovely. Didn't know blocks and binding were available that early

[quote name='Clarky' post='852471' date='May 31 2010, 11:38 AM']Took me ages to find a band (major age discrimination!) and I do get on with the two other guys in the band. If I find a second band, I would say there's a >50% chance I will end up out of Kismetik and that would be a disaster if the new band didn't work out. I am 46, have 3 kids, a dayjob that has pretty long hours (I leave at 6.15am and get home 7.30/8pm) and don't have time to do countless searching and auditioning ....Being a chicken here, but safety first ...[/quote] Yeah Stick with it .. At least you are in one band. Loads of people in your circs would be noodlin' in their bedroom. Kids grow up and things change. You'll be able to play more later on, assuming you still want to. I'm helping out a mate on Wednesday with some auditions. Amongst his parameters are that his band should be number one in the players' priority list, and preferably the only band. Counts me out, and my mate who's helping him with drumming for the auditions. However the guitarist on the band has 3 bands of his own on the go that I know of so I wonder if they have had that conversation

[quote name='bassace' post='852363' date='May 31 2010, 09:09 AM']First in the diary can lead to chaos IMO.[/quote] How so?

Be up front about your other commitments then work the "first in the diary" rule. Have a few mates set up to dep for you when there's a date your band really has to do but you can't do. Prepare to be fired from either or both if you can't play enough of the gigs they get offered. I find being the gig organiser for the bands works well. That way you can veto gigs you can't do before asking the rest of the band.

A note on Testimonials. I go on and on about getting good testimonials and quotes from happy punters onto your function band website. Here's why: I had a punter come back to me this week after I'd suggested a few ways of finding other bands as we were already booked for her date. She was asking me about another band she was considering to see if we knew them [b]"because they have no testimonials on their website" [/b]. They have a 10 year history, 3 albums and a 5 year diary full of gigs and events like hers but no testimonials so she didn't trust them. She came to me for reassurance. That's what the testimonials are for, of course. It's the next best thing to a personal recommendation. Remember the best testimonials are the ones from punters like the ones you want to attract. So if you want weddings have wedding testimonials,; Parties? Party testimonials, Services functions? testimonials from services gig organisers .. etc The best way to get testimonials is to ask for them. Email the client right after the gig and say something like "thanks! that was fun. I hope everything went OK with you" They will probably email back a nice message you can edit into a good testimonial (with their permission, of course) Do that every time and you'll soon have a good set.