stewblack

Oh God. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I don't have a standard method for leaving bands. It all depends on how ill they make me feel. I certainly don't worry about what gigs may or may not be coming up - deps are many and very easy to find. If I have to leave but like and respect the guys, I might help - suggest a good dep, even sound one out for them. I won't burn bridges with good people but some of the utter time wasting dangleberries I've put up with in the past just get a goodbye and good luck. Life is way too short to sit in endless rehearsals with people you will never relate to musically or personally.

Had a bl who couldn't communicate, couldn't stay in time and couldn't listen to advice. The band left him. The line up before I joined actually sacked him from his own band. Nearly happened again with us, we all left but one singer stayed with him. He'd say things like, you change when I go (insert random screeching widdly noises) not when I go (insert random screeching widdly noises). If he couldn't nail part of a song he just dropped it rather than put the time in to learn it. Regardless of how much work we'd all put into it. When keys player gently pointed out that he was playing several wrong chords (band all playing major 7th he's playing a minor that kind of thing) he refused to change what he played.

This is what I meant. Same with Fairytale for me. Never even give it a moment's thought for the rest of the year then suddenly faced with trying to remember it for one week.

Yes, I'm very pleased with mine. Nearly sold it, glad I didn't

It's the MOSFET. Very clean, very loud, very good. Just a bit too clean for me.

I remember your original post when the drummer sped off shouting abuse @BrunoBass that night. Sounds like the BL is displaying poor judgement if not moral cowardice siding with the abusive, childish member of the team. I think the right thing to do is rise above it all and do the gig showing them you are not in the least bit going to stoop to their level. However, in your shoes they would be dead to me and I'd never speak to them again. Good luck, hope this is the springboard to better things.

Played a pub which shall remain nameless. Been there several times, landlord is not my favourite person on earth, place could be nice but is a bit filthy. Bouncers are excellent which is a good thing as there's usually a fight and twice now our guitarist has been attacked by an angry punter. I put my Bugera Veyron through a Trace 15" cab which is loaded with a Bugera metal coned speaker taken from an old Behringer cab. Left eq flat but eventually tweaked bass down / mid up as the room was a bit boomy. Dirtied things up with Sansamp type patch on Zoom pedal, P-Bass with flats and it sounded phenomenal. Good crowd, got paid, hideous journey through a lot of rain and standing water, then crashed at a friend's house en route home as its a long drive. Closer to home next weekend, but not as well paid. Swings/roundabouts.

Not nearly bassy enough for me Paul! But great take on the song. Shame the band split big market for 80s stuff

Is that a euphemism?

Ah thank you. My memory is pretty shot away.

Sadly not Huey's - I dig that tune - but FGTH, which I recall coming out but can't for the life of me see any Christmas connection.

Just done Power Of Love which apparently counts as a Christmas song now, also santa baby which is OK. Guitarist in this particular band never learns the right chords so it's always an interesting experience throwing in new stuff

Just bought the vinyl - looks like their crowd funding was a minor success! Just a tiny bit over the target..

Any songs you have to blow the cobwebs off every year? I'm about to decide whether this is the year I actually bother to learn Fairytale Of New York or just blag my way through it for the next fortnight.

I'm similar but not the same. I keep my little TCE 250 in my bits box as emergency back up. I have hung on to my Bugera Veyron for gigs like tonight where the load in is awkward and the place can get rough so I can make a quick exit. Otherwise old Trace Elliot, Ampeg and Ashdown valve and MOSFET all the way.

Anyone know if boiling them makes the bracelet last longer?

Oh I say. Put another one underneath and you have the rig to end all rigs. Beautiful. Congratulations!

My Markbass amp is in the attic. Nowt wrong with the sound, weight, power etc when it worked, but the cost and hassle of repairing it has put me off bothering. I have two Ashdown heads, ABM and CTM, I can't speak for the MAG, but mine are very well made and sound great. My amp tech serviced the CTM recently and said the build quality and components used were excellent and Ashdown were very helpful to deal with. Enjoy your new amp!

I discovered them via Basschat and I am now a fan. Creative, hugely talented, and they clearly have so much fun. Oh and a bass player who will go down as one of the greats.

Two new pedals, lots and lots of scope for fiddling and diddling instead of practising. First up the Zoom B1 Four. Partly wanted this because I don't have one and I like Zoom stuff, partly as a simple 'one pedal in the bass bag and I'm set'. Did not disappoint. Some new effects and the ability to ditch those I never use, thus save scrolling through millions of delays and reverbs and amp sims. Not going to do an in depth review as it's been covered elsewhere pretty comprehensively. Personally I like it. Small size, lightweight (it's plastic) an upgrade for the B1ON. Best feature for me being able to line up 5 effects and turn them on and off as and when I need them; using them individually or in any combination I choose. So as my five most used are compression, drive, chorus, pitch shift and envelope, I can line these up and for a quick set up / pack down (open mic, multiple bands in one line up, violent and scary venue) and know I have at my feet all I'll need. Neat. It is the easiest Zoom to operate without connecting to a computer too. Clear menu, intuitive and customisable. The over all bass, mid, treble and volume knobs are genius. Second new boy came as a trade. Source Audio Aftershock Bass Distortion. Three fuzz boxes in one and editing software to open up myriad presets all customisable. I can see much time lost to this little beauty. Not tried it beyond plugging in and twiddling, but it looks like fun that's for sure. Well made, shiny and 'normal' pedal shape and size. Anyone has tricks, tips or interesting discoveries relating to either of these toys please weigh in, I'm always keen to learn from the wise.

That's Friday evening sorted!

First proper gig with a new band on Wednesday. Massive black tie gala dinner event for a football club. The band grew from the ashes of a previous line up which the BL burned to the ground in a fit of pique when I left. The four of us fulfilled a commitment to play a wedding not long after the band split and decided to stay together. A midweek gig is always a massive bonus to any musician but not going on until 11.15pm after the celebrity guest had finished his role as auctioneer guaranteed a very late finish. Our singer had fallen ill the day before but was determined to battle on. She had virtually no voice, was almost fainting from the pain of stomach cramps and ended up nearly passed out in the loo minutes before we were due on. We clambered onto the stage debating how to fill an hour and a half instrumentally, when she staggered on and croaked an introduction. Come 1pm she was still going and although we had padded an amended set with lots of long unscheduled instrumental sections we got away with it. What a woman. What a night.

I can't side by side compare and of course it's subjective, however I've had both of the others in the past, and kept this one. So that at least tells us something.

Darn it she is so cheap