stewblack

On 05/02/2019 at 08:20, Sibob said:

Did you ever teach bass/music?

Si

I have one student right now, she swaps singing lessons for bass but it's something I really enjoy.

I've just come back after a couple of days trying to get my head straight. Or straighter at least. Absolutely overwhelmed by the responses here. Thank you all so much. Those  prone to depression will understand how difficult it can be to climb back from any disappointment large or small, those who haven't suffered still took the time to respond with positivity and love.

I am humbled and grateful, thank you all.

Been playing for decades now. Big stages and small, theatrical to rock and roll and every point in between.

2017 the wheels fell off, lost marriage, home, mental health, work, just about all of it.

Was lucky to have a family member willing to put me up so had a roof. Got a small pay off from the ex so she could keep everything and help ease my way into whatever awaited.

Decided to embrace my 'freedom'. Buy decent gear, keep a vehicle on the road and get out there and call myself a musician. Took lessons, joined bands, started bands, depped in bands, placed ads answered ads. Gave it my all.

This week the money ran out. I'm not earning anything apart from the occasional dep slot in a function band and the odd £50 here and there which gets eaten by petrol and rehearsal money.

So I finally lived the dream,  for a whole 13 months. Got pretty good at the bass by playing for hours every day. Learned I can improvise live to a good enough standard to get paid and asked back. Made some friends.

But that's it. I'm going to have to get a job and go back to being a hobby bassist. Unfortunately at my age and with my checkered employment history, the economy about to collapse, and enjoying very unstable mental health, my prospects are not great.

Perhaps I just left it too late. I did enjoy saying 'musician' when people asked what I do for a living, that was the first and only time since entering the workplace in 1980 that I've derived any pleasure from answering that question. 

But it was a sham.

My singer is obsessive about messy cables and so always brings a suitcase full of XLR cables and routes everything around the back of the drummer. Monitoring and effects will always be the weak link - obviously. Some folk favour the isolation of in ears others the little mike stand mounted mini monitors. 

I have one of the latter and it performs very well but you know what? I'm old school, I actually like a row of monitors across the front. Delineates my space from the steaming hordes. Also looks proper somehow.

I know I'm a dying breed, one day there will be no visible amps, no cabs nor cables or stands. It'll be different. Not better or worse just different. Not how I like it but that's just my taste.

Just now, danpb said:

@stewblack I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! 

I love it. Truly love it.

Some of my amps could not cope with the master up full. Rather they could but the venue wouldn't.

The Orange Terror for instance. There isn't a setting on the gain nob low enough for that kind of caper. 

You'd need to employ a team of  nano robots to ease the gain up to 0.01 and even then I'd want some acro props at strategic places to be on the safe side.

1 minute ago, Norris said:

Can I suggest that we split the "arm danglers" into two camps: those relieving strains & cramps, and posers. 

Now for the posers, rather than dangle the spare arm, grip the top horn of your bass firmly and thrust it aloft while plugging away at the open string of doom. That's proper posing. 

Having separated out the posers, the remaining arm danglers can now receive our fullest sympathies rather than ire.

 

Next week I'll be solving the middle east crisis and making a suggestion to avoid a hard border in Ireland, that is so obvious that politicians around the world will facepalm in unison. I thank you

There is the third camp. Neither cramp nor poseur. Those of us who don't take ourselves too seriously and are just having fun.

Thanks guys. Knew you'd be there for me

15 minutes ago, peteb said:

The point is if you are putting on a rock show there needs to be an element of ‘show’. Therefore, you should try to develop some degree of stagecraft. This may include the singer being able to engage with the audience, the band making eye contact with punters, the guitar (or bass) player throwing a few shapes, the drummer twirling the odd drum stick, or even, the bass player taking his hand off the neck when it doesn’t need to be there. 

I think that the pretext of the OP is that he doesn’t like anyone who is a better player than him or has a better command of stagecraft. I suspect this goes far beyond bass playing and he also probably hates anyone who has a bigger car or eats olives, etc.

OLIVES?? Why that makes me mad. Evil devil's food.

Friend just bought himself a bass. Rather nice Squier Precision 5er, and for a bargain too. It had something called a ramp fitted between the pick ups. Lawd knows what or why this chunk of ebony had been shoehorned in there but I bet someone here can tell me.

I suspect the mistake a lot of you more, ahem, sedentary bassists are making is assuming we're 'showing off' or 'trying to be cool' rather than just having fun or getting carried away. I don't quite know why what someone else chooses to do while playing bass should upset you in any way, or affect you at all really, but each to their own.

That is feckin awesome. I love the way BC has some people using computer design and cutting technology and others painting chopping boards on the cooker - both achieving similar ends. We truly are a broad church!

I'm intrigued by the anti slip mat and the velcro... I get the paint, the feet and can imagine a 1000 uses for any kind of sticky tape, if I didn't know what the board was for then I am probably on the wrong forum....but why two anti slip systems I wonder

+

While we're talking valves and ohmageosity, and indeed Ampegitude, would I be right in saying that flick the ohmageation switch on the back of my Classic from 4 impedences to 2 impedences and I'd be Ok running three 8 ohm cabs paralleled up via their in / out link sockets on the backs?

The cooker hob where I'm staying is the best lit place for pics too. Never thought of working on it though - genius.

8 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

It’s lots of fun, and making stuff is kinda how my brain relaxes and works - however it is also not a cheap way to get a bass! 

I get fired with enthusiasm, go at it like sa bull at a gate, break something, lose the will. Not the right project for me.

2 hours ago, joeystrange said:

It was all going so well until yesterday when I decided that I need a 6x10.

Havent bought one yet but the GAS is strong.

God yes. Me too. Please God don't say I have to get a job

Missed this entirely first time around. Just read it all in one go. Thank you for replacing the final pics. I screamed when they weren't there. Talk about the video breaking before the money shot.

This has utterly convinced me never to even try to make my own bass! But I love reading other people's stories. Bit like climbing mountains or being lost at sea. 

Fascinating, inspirational but I don't think I'd survive it myself.

What wine will you be having with that?

Seriously though, looks great already, love this kind of invention.

I could have joined the challenge because the cash I've lived off this past 13 months just ran out. So buying new gear has suddenly become impossible. 

Then I discovered the joy of trading. Guilt free GAS satisfaction. No money changing hands. 

I'd have failed royally anyway - the money ran out because I bought an amp I couldn't afford and didn't need.

I am so much safer poor.

She's right of course. 

55 minutes ago, ead said:

I've left the bridge cover on my '66.

Beautiful

God - you'd hate to watch me. I'm always taking my hand off, flipping the guitar over, throwing it around, lifting it up. No there's no need, yes it makes me interesting/fun/cringey to watch (delete according to preference). But I promise you this I only do it because I'm into the music and I cannot stand or sit still while I'm playing.

Obviously being the bass player I have a duty and resonsibility to be the coolest person in the band - I know that, but that doesn't prevent me from being a showman.

21 minutes ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Common to most modern amps? , what a load of bollards. 

 

Apparently so.

31 minutes ago, Stealth said:

Perfect

A couple of modifications maybe...