dmccombe7

Stop it, its just a hobby for me and i'm no better than most. Good news is i've since discussed with my boss and we're moving our Fri appointments to Thu so we can get down to Lanark. Dave

Is that an old J bass there Lee. I was only jesting about the van hire LOL I'll see about dropping in Fri night but a Fri is a busy day for me. Will try and make the effort tho. Dave

Surprised they wanted a more bluesy sounding band. Its not so common as it used to be but maybe that's why they want it. I know a few yrs back a few friends that were into Blues said they couldn't even get any gigs these days. That was the borders area to be fair. Shame about the gig especially when you've played well. Wouldn't class AC/DC or Zep as particularly bluesy either As for the Crew cab how much to hire you Dave

Nice looking bass there too. Guessing that's the Sire. How you finding it. ? Dave

BLOCKBUSTARZ 70's Glam band at Cairnsmill Caravan Park, St Andrews. Friend of the band has a caravan there and asked us to play once before. During that visit a woman took a heart attack. Luckily our singer Lynn is a nurse and jumped right in until ambulance arrived. She was ok the following day. Tonight we managed to complete both sets without any serious issues or events. Odd how we advertise as a 70's Glam Rock covers band and we still get requests for other styles of songs. Tonight a young woman asked if we could play something for the very young kids like Shania Twain. We had to explain that wasn't a 70's Glam cover. Mmmm Another weird gig with lots of cameras going all night and lots of applause and cheers etc but no dancers until last 8-10 songs and then requests to do more. Great feedback at the end too. The young kids were up dancing all night until there bedtime took over around 10 ish. Not keen on these kind of gigs where the interaction from the audience is almost nil during the songs. Hopefully last time we do a caravan park with no curfew on kids. Dave Forgot to add it was a 2 hr drive home in torrential rain. Home at 3am, coffee and biccies and bed at 4 back up at 8 with a cat walking round my head and not the usual wee pain in the bot,

Yep nice one Dave. Noticed you had been quiet recently. Dave

Now yir talking, those dark choc ones are heaven on earth. Dave

My fav dooker but watching my weight and back onto just tea biccies. Dave

Our female singer even helps the drummer set up and take down his kit. She'll take the lighter gear in and out to cars for anyone. Yes i'm very lucky that way but i'd be annoyed if it wasn't a helpful team and that could be a trigger point for me. I hate lazy B's in a band. Dave

Love the depth of tone from a P bass but prefer the clarity from a J. Prefer the Geddy J slim necks to a wide plank like a traditional P bass. Because of all that i have a P, a J and a PJ. The PJ has a J neck and active. Sounds stinky poo in passive mode tho, but i get the depth and clarity from it and it has the noiseless J pick up too. Dave

After 40 yrs in BOC Gases straight from school up to Engineering Manager i had the chance of voluntary redundancy meaning no pension penalties. Mostly final salary pension plus a a good few yrs of additional voluntary contributions. Since i retired at 56 i've never been busier. Money for gigs never used to bother me but now that i'm earning some decent money i'm getting very used to the extra cash. I'm not gigging every week but some months i do have a gig every weekend and December is now very busy with both bands. Glam band is now getting offered gigs on Fri and Sat nights with some clubs asking us to do a Sat or Sun afternoon. Same money as a late night gig and i'm home by 9pm latest. Its a funny old world but i'm thoroughly enjoying playing in both bands. The punk band is mainly pubs at £60-£80 / gig each. Dave

I've done the drinking every night thing. Over the many years its gradually worn off and now i just don't need it to enjoy myself at a gig. I get enough of a buzz just playing a good gig. Apart from that i have to drive there and back so don't see the point of even one drink. Dave

I've played with some drummers that can really motivate me and i can follow their fills etc but its been rare to find that link. Nowadays i just want a drummer to be steady and solid but can play whatever we decide to play. Dave

If i drink coke or fizzy juices i end up needing to pee during the gig. Drinking a litre of water during gig i'm fine but i'm an older bass player. Is it bass player or bassist ? I guess that's another debate we could have. Dave

Same drummer in both my bands. I know and feel his presence but never have to really give it much more thought than that. I don't consciously need to listen to everything he does but if unplanned things happen i am able to follow. I think i might be one of those bass players that knows my bass part well enough i just play and hope everyone else is following Dave

Always driving at gigs so just water for me but i just enjoy playing these days. Dave

I can see how it all works for you now. Obviously been some hard work and hard times at the start but well done Spencer. Think you are one of the exceptions to the norm tho. Big difference between yourself and the OP is that you started from an early age and more or less grew with it whereas the OP (don't know his age) is making a step sideways into a difficult market to break through. But as i said before it can be done. Dave

Don't think the intention is to crush your dream but trying to take away the rose-tinted glasses of being a full time bassist. It can definitely be done but we are all just trying to show how difficult it can be. Obviously some guys do it but they do appear to be few and far between. @spencer.b has managed by sound of it. It would help to know his background and how he got to being full time and make it work . I don't have the experience of being a full time bassist so i'm looking at it from a different angle. I lack that level of commitment. Its a hobby for me and i like it that way. I'm retired with a decent pension. I don't want to feel that i'm back working again. Dave

We only have to ask our very own @Bluewine about the pressures of playing full time. Its obviously not easy when you hear him talk about it. I know he enjoys playing to be fair but you're basically living day to day. Dave

How much do you need ? Dave

Pretty sure he used Fenders most of his life. There's an interview posted on here by @Rich few posts back where he talks about his basses and its really interesting to read. He used the bridge pick up to get that fretless tone. I noted he has a PJ bass with 2 knobs and 3 switches that i would love to know what they all did. Dave

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Shame about the 7 string tho but needs must when things get difficult. As long as you and the family are fit and healthy everything else is window dressing. Take care and keep us all posted on how things are going. We are a caring bunch here at Basschat. Dave

Don't be fooled by the idea of playing as a profession in a function band will be all a bed of roses. Its hard work and one of the main reasons i've avoided function bands over the many years. Weddings can be full day events and altho i enjoy playing i'm not sure i'd enjoy all the hanging around. Many function bands need to set up the gear before the function starts altho they won't be playing till a good few hrs later after the meal and after the speeches etc. Then you have to retain a lot of songs and for me it was mostly songs i wouldn't normally listen to or enjoy. I have friends that make a living from wedding bands and they make great money circa £3k - £5k depending on event and occasion. They typically play once a week in summer and one band in particular is in the top 10 UK wedding bands. However some of the band play other solo gigs to earn additional cash. At £3k split 5 ways at £600 each minus van hire and tax etc you'd need guaranteed 1-2 weekly gigs to survive. You also have to consider accomodation if travelling a distance for the venue. I'm not saying it isn't possible but its a big step to walk away from a steady income to rely on a maybe. Serious consideration required. Personally playing is my hobby and that's all i want it to be. I dont want to be playing as a job, that would remove the enjoyment for me. Wish you every success if you decide to go down that route but please make sure you have given this some serious serious thought before jumping. Cheers Dave