KevB

We do our own soundcheck between us (pubs) so I'll play what song we've decided to use as a check on the, needs to be something where all instruments/vox are used (though my bvox can usually be tweaked a bit on the fly as we are going along).

Now I think of it I bought what is now my practice combo to fulfil two things, partly as a small home practice amp but also at the time there was an in house band being put together at work for a xmas party and our first tentative jams were in a meeting room at work on the 4th floor. I needed something that could be reasonably heard over low level gtrs but I could carry easily in one hand and my bass case in the other. This was all way before the lightweight D class stuff came out. The little 25W Marshall fitted the bill and I still have it. Money well spent at the time for what I needed.

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1438245620' post='2832780'] For free, I thought it was OK, but I certainly wouldn't have paid. [/quote] Agree, went to the Nottingham one on Tues but by the time I got there they were halfway through the 'all star' set. No Yolanda, not sure who was on bass. They are clearly all solid pro's though I didn't think it was jaw dropping. I gravitate toward bands with singers mostly anyway. No basses to play though maybe they would have got one out if someone had hassled them, couple of guitars to noodle on. One guy was playing one as the second band were coming onstage so he was told to stop as they could probably hear him from the stage (small venue) even though it was pretty restrained stuff.

They aren't usually around for long enough for musical tastes to be fully explored. Now if you'll excuse me I have some digging to do in the back garden. Mwahahaha...

[quote name='andytoad' timestamp='1437599857' post='2827553'] is this off iplayer now? i cant find it. [/quote] Still on BBC iplayer, available for another 9 days. It's in the film section: [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b061y4qk/imagine-summer-2015-3-beware-of-mr-baker"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b061y4qk/imagine-summer-2015-3-beware-of-mr-baker[/url]

Not seen the HB version but I recall about 5 or 6 yrs back there was a guy who used to play a 'Shine' violin bass (he was a leftie) at jam sessions and it seemed decently put together and sounded pretty good, pretty strong pickups from what I recall (in my experience that's often where the cheap brands fall down). Who knows, the HB's might be coming out of the same factory? I'm not sure you can still get 'Shine' basses? Edit - just checked and they still seem to be in business, the violin bass is the VB833, no leftie model anymore though by look of it.

We didn't get asked a lot to provide background music at weddings in my last band (there seemed to be a convention creeping in where a DJ [i]and[/i] a band would be booked) but when we did I just used a mix of old and new hits on itunes using the 'Now that's What I Call Music' albums ( I have them all as mp3's) and filter out the dirges to keep it fairly uptempo, played through PA from an iPod, quality fine for that. If the couple wanted specific hits there was always a good chance they were included on those compilation albums.

Obviously have to be careful with that old 'dots/fret positions' business with fretless boards. Convention usually is the side dots are where the frets would be on an equivalent fretted instruments rather than the dots between the frets. All well and good but then you can buy a fretless that started out as a fretted instrument and unless they've been repositioned the side dots are still where they would be on the fretted instrument and not where they would be on a neck that was always fretless from the outset. It still catches people out.

[quote name='jonunders' timestamp='1438074862' post='2831328'] Small 3rd bedroom box to practice in so not a lot of room [/quote] Yep same here. Having a small practice combo in there means I need never lug the gigging rig up the stairs. Keep the bigger stuff in a cupboard under the stairs and it stays there until gig day. As I'm now using my PK5's and a sound module again those still have to go up and down stairs along with my bass, it's quite enough.

Unless the originals band is extemely busy why not do both that and a covers band for the variety?

Got a little Marshall B25 mk.2 combo, had it about 15 years. Getting a bit old and now occasionally goes a bit farty but seems to recover by simply turning off and back on again, don't think they make them any more. All I need to be able to hear myself over what I'm playing against from the computer external speakers. Always practice at fairly low volume not had any problems with neighbours.

Darn, saw the post too late! Hope you had a great gig and picked up some useful feedback from those that made it.

I still give Present Arms a spin every now and then, brings back some good memories.

Well I bet most 75 yr olds now have more disposable money than most of us will have when we are that age. Just a matter of getting the right set list. And a nurse on hand with a defib.

Pay for my air fare and overnight accommodation and I'll give you a written report Never been to Edinburgh. Leaves East Mids at 17:05, arrives Edinburgh 18:15. Return flight about £220. I'll leave the accommodation to you.

If you give more details, eg where and when then probably the folks on here in those areas might be able to put the word round,maybe look at local cash converters, ebay listing, gumtree all usual outlets. If I were you I'd relabel your thread 'Stolen bass' or similar.

Poor form from gtr. If he's just warming his fingers up he doesn't need much, if indeed any, volume. If there are specific sounds he needs that can only be achieved at volume then if he can't get them sorted in a minute or two he doesn't really know what he's doing and needs to do some prep work on his own without wasting band rehearsal time.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1437509307' post='2826701'] great song, I think I'll suggest it to my lot, I suppose I'm in a good position where, I don't dislike any of the covers we do, I have vetoed one or two in the past, as have the others [/quote] But if you do and it goes down well you know there'll be someone in another band at the gig who'll recommend it to his mates and so on so it'll get all popular and everyone will be playing it and then we'll all have to stop playing it.

IBTL

As regards to the '70's regulars' that we all hear and wonder why they still have an audience, well there are a few aspects. Firstly it's hard to keep a really popular tune down and also you have to think of the demographic and where the disposable income is. Those into middle age now that have seen their kids through college before the massive hike in tuition fees and who are nearing or have gone through clearing their mortgages also have decent pensions still on the horizon if they are lucky. They probably have more easy money to burn down the local as anyone else. They will often be the ones who have great memories from their late teens to early adult years hearing stuff like Alright Now and Stuck In The Middle With You. It's partly a nostalgia thing.

[quote name='jonnythenotes' timestamp='1437486476' post='2826422'] How about some of those familiar songs that we all know, but no one seems to covers..... Drivers seat... Its my life.... Echo Beach... [/quote] Just as an aside, Echo Beach was tentatively in the set of the band i joined earlier this year and they seemed unsure of it so i really pushed them to go for it fully commited. It's gone down as well as anything else on the list at the 3 gigs we've done to date and better than some other 'regulars'. I'm trying to get them to do 'Turning Japanese' but I don't think I'll win on that one.

Can also look round for those music venues that run open mic nights. Some of these places use open mic as a way of auditioning potential acts for full gigs. There is a pub not far from me that pretty much chooses all their acts in this way, you are highly unlikely to get a gig without turning up and doing a few songs at the open mic in advance. From their point of view it weeds out those that have very 'creatively' recorded tracks online but which then subsequently can't manage it in front of a proper audience. They will miss out on acts that can't (or won't) travel for the open mic's but then I think they have an active policy of mainly trying to support local bands which I think is fair enough.

I think you have to be a bit careful with this 'we went down a storm playing music of style x to punters who obviously normally listen to y'. What tends to happen is they just like an [i]occasional [/i]respite from type y and presented with a night of x they treat it like a novelty act. As long as they don't hear it too often they go for it, the trick is finding that cut off point and not going to that venue too soon again. Having said that it still probably depends on the genres involved. I couldn't see a dance oriented crowd going much for a death metal band for an evening even if they were considered to be a real top notch death metal band by general agreement.

If you can afford to miss out out on other career developement whilst you are doing it and it's a personal dream to live the life on the road then, at 22, it's worth having a shot at. Definitely have a back up plan if things don't quite go as you were hoping though. Lots of very good musicians around who do it for a lot of years but end up with, on the whole, quite moderate standards of living. I've told this before but a guy I've got matey with over the last 6 or 7 years is about my age, been gigging since his teens. One of the best all round muso's I've worked with (great on guitar, v good on bass, better than average on drums and also plays a bit of keys, v good singer). Played at pub/club level, theatre sized gigs and larger, backed some known name artists. I've gone the non music related college route, got into music relatively late but haven't had a stellar career in my field either, ending up as a moderately paid lab technician. It just happens in 2007 I moved to the area in which this guy grew up. We got chatting about my house I moved into, prices etc. He was absolutely categorical that though he would love to move back to the area he could not afford it on what he brings in from regular gigging and the one to one music lessons he gives in between gigs and he's done a music degree in later years to add some academic weight to his qualifications to give the lessons. Some guys obviously make a good living without being household names but I'll wager there are a lot that don't.

May have been like that when the original owner bought it from the shop, in which case it's reasonable to describe it 'as new'.