casapete

Guess not then? 😂

I've toyed with making my P-Lyte passive for ages, just never got round to it.

Me too Pete - active P-Lyte is my main bass (due to it being...err...light), but a passive P-bass is my spare. Just occasionally the P-Lyte doesn't like some of the wiring in older theatres, causing a buzz, so I have to use the passive one.

I'm with you on the battery thing. Took me years to feel comfortable with my P-Lyte after it ran out of juice on a gig. I minimise this happening again by always changing the battery when I change the strings ( about every 20 gigs or so on average) and also only use Duracells.

I have some live stuff ( as well as all the studio albums too) - give me a shout if you need any help sourcing anything. Maybe also worth checking out Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul - Steve Van Zandt wrote many of the best songs for SSJ, and his band really kick a*s. Cheers, Pete.

Not only do we like the same basses Paul, now the same band! I absolutely love SSJ and The Jukes, probably my favourite band. Seen them maybe 30 times over the last 40+ years. First time was when they supported Graham Parker and the Rumour in 1977 at Bradford St George’s Hall, and they blew the headline act away. They’re one of those bands you could see a few nights on the trot and every gig would be different. Must admit the last time I saw them I thought they were not as sharp as before, but Johnny is now 73 so I’m probably being a bit unfair. Once touted as ‘The best bar band in the world’, and I wouldn’t argue with that.

My previous band were terrible. I was always the guy people came to for a spare when their only lead didn’t work. My current band are the opposite - everyone has back up kit, and we also have a trunk with generic spare leads for everyone. My partner in my duo makes me look unprepared! He has spares of everything, including stuff he doesn’t use but someone else may do. He also organises lots of band gigs using many musicians so guess it’s down to him to make it all run smoothly. He runs a Mercedes van so no problem with carrying stuff. ( He even has spare clothes in case of food disasters, a common incident on wedding / function gigs!)

Hi. Are these still available please? Thanks.

I have a spare of everything I use on stage, other than a speaker cab. So spare mic & lead, bass and leads, strings, strap, stand, tuner, DI box, amp, speaker cable/mains leads etc. Most of my gigs are in theatres so my spares case is usually in the wings just to my left. Must admit I do get confidence from knowing I’m okay for most eventualities.

Great advice ^^^ Ive had P Lytes for 25 years, and only had a battery go on me once. From memory it started sounding a bit fuzzy, then 30 secs later went completely silent. Was at a wedding gig, so very embarrassing. These basses are notorious for battery drainage, so obvious things like unplugging when you’re not playing help a bit. A tech friend of mine ( now sadly retired) did a mod on my bass which wasn’t expensive and extended battery life considerably. Afraid I don’t have the details, but it certainly wasn’t a big job, cost me about £15 / £20 I think.

I was at the Newcastle Tyne Theatre for a gig by Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes in 2002. Didn’t manage to see myself once on the DVD recorded that night ‘From Southside to Tyneside’. Great band though.

I think I'm on 'Bob Marley Live', the classic album recorded in July 1975 at London's Lyceum Theatre. I say 'think' as Bob played there two nights on the trot, (17th and 18th) and there has always been some confusion over whether the album is one or the other gigs, or indeed a combination of both! Went with a girlfriend who had got tickets whilst a student in London, and must admit I had little knowledge of a lot of the material apart from Clapton's version of 'I shot the sheriff' (I know, the shame). Needless to say, an amazing performance - still got the album too.

A mate of mine went to see Gillan at Hull City Hall, possibly on the same tour, and it nearly killed him. After the gig (which he said was just stupid loud) he came out of the venue and promptly walked in front of a bus, which he hadn’t heard due to his hearing being so affected. Took weeks to return apparently.

I promised myself I wouldn’t resort to lowering myself to their level , although I might have mentioned I had an SVT rig and 2.5k PA system that could be brought into the equation.... didn’t quite come to that but I was close on a number of occasions. Looking back I can’t believe what we tolerated really, now I’m a bit older and wiser I probably wouldn’t be so reasonable. This ^^^ It’s a more than fair compromise IMHO, and will preserve your sanity in the long run.

I used to live in a semi detached old railway cottage. Walls really thick and built to last. Our next door neighbours were lovely, and one day I asked if they could hear much from our house. Bearing in mind I had a reasonably loud hi fi and practiced piano, guitar and bass a bit. They said that the only thing that permeated through to their place was the acoustic piano, which was in the room furthest away from the adjoining wall. Something about the frequencies I guess. Agree with Dan Dare about moving in somewhere and notifying your new neighbours you’re going to be making a racket - not a great start. At my last property, (an end of terrace Victorian house with quite thick walls) the neighbour’s teenage son started playing drums. His acoustic kit may as well have been in my house, it was that loud. When I mentioned it to his folks, I said it wasn’t really on to expect us to put up with it. His mum ( who seemed quite okay at the time) came round and asked if we would agree to him rehearsing for an hour each day in the early evening. Think she thought as I was a musician we wouldn’t mind - I tried to explain to her it was like working at a factory and then coming home to the same noise. Anyway, we reluctantly agreed, despite it being a major intrusion in our lives, in order to be neighbourly and maintain good relations. Things were okay for a week or two, and then of course it reverted to him bashing away at the kit whenever his parents weren’t in, which was quite a lot. I went round to explain it wasn’t on and was met with disbelief. In the end I had to say I would contact the local council to assess the noise if it didn’t stop, and suggested they got him an electric kit. They did this, but from then on for the next 15 years they struggled to say hello to us and were generally a pain in the a*se as neighbours. Probably the main reason we eventually moved out too, so trying to be reasonable doesn’t always seem the best route. I honestly believe you have a right to a quiet environment in your own home, and anyone regularly disrupting this should be advised it won’t be tolerated. If not, where does it stop? What someone thinks is okay may not be the opinion of a neighbour who is at their wits end - whether it’s music rehearsal, loud recorded music, DIY or whatever. Sure we all need to live our lives, but have to choose very carefully how our behaviour affects others in all respects.