BILL POSTERS

Juggling between Little Richards greatest hits and Coasters tracks on Spotify.

Magic stuff I aint listened to in years.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1411228700' post='2557728']
[size=4]You humour them; meanwhile go back to your [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] local music emporium and keep looking at the ads. The good news..? You're gaining experience with these folks. The bad news..? You're not going to change them. Get what you can from it, but look elsewhere.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Just my tuppence-worth; and good luck with your projects.[/font][/color][/size]
[/quote]

This. If your new to band playing or not done it for ages, you aint likely to find a band that will wait while you get your hand in. So unless theyre absolute nutters, or maybe even if they are - make the most...

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1411212587' post='2557536']
I played one last year and it wasn't in a girls bedroom. I remember everything.
[/quote]

It was about 1974, I hadnt been playing long. I just thought it was a weird 5 string Mustang. Few, if any 5 strings about back then and to get to play a Fender - any Fender - was memorable for me.

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1411156161' post='2557172']
Yes i've played one. Do i get a prize?
[/quote]

So have I, but was a long time ago and in a girls bedroom. Dont remember much.

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1410870770' post='2554072']
I always lacquer / varnish my fingerboards, rosewood. I don't think it effects the sound too much I just love the feel of it. If it does effect the sound, it's in a way that I like. I've never had it change colour either. Might be the lacquer that Antoria used.
[/quote]

I dont think it was original. Could have been done later. It was a strange neck, sort of like plywood if you looked close.

I have bitza P bass with a maple fretboard and still undecided whether to lacquer it.

Just dug out Third World War II

Coshing Old Lady Blues is still a great track. Not musically great, I just identify with the lyrics and Terry Stamps' sounds like his mouths watering at the thought.

depends how wide your car is

Would be interesting to see figures from some of the charity gigs I did during last summer - usually for exes - [size=4]like who actually worked for free, how much actually went on what expenses, how much actually reached the charity, how much profit the bar / food vendors made and what percentage of that was donated [/size] [size=4]etc[/size]

[size=4]I know that even £50 is a gain for the charity, but I'd feel a bit more of a mug if the bar made a grand and didnt donate a big chunk of it.[/size]
[size=4]I can see the point of doing the occasional one for fun, really I can. But why should everyone else make money from it ?[/size]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1410864114' post='2553936']
OK, let's assume 'charity bands' can't get 'decent paying gigs'. So what? As long as the punters are happy to donate, the band is happy to pay for free and a charity gets some money, who cares if the venue still makes money? Seems to me it's win-win for all concerned. The only people moaning are those who don't take part, which is their choice. I'm not advocating that all bands should play charity events for free, just that those who choose to do so, for whatever reasons, don't get grief from other bands.

I understand some bands won't play without being paid, and good for them if that's their choice, but why all the hostility towards 'hobby bands' who simply enjoy playing live for the love of it?

Even if you regard them as some sort of musical low-lifes, why deny them the chance to do their own thing?
[/quote]

Moaning. Musical low lifes. ?

As Stingray Pete said in post #1 His last charity gig. I am just agreeing with what he said. But also pointing out that charity gigs are not always what they seem. The last few summers there seem to have been a lot more of them. Most of the time the bands are the only ones doing it at their own expense (and so paying for the privilege) and I bet if you ask, half of the time never get to hear how much was actually raised for and given to a charity.

A pub or club or whatever having a fun day, but putting bands on, adding 'stock' to the name and passing a bucket round doesn't necessarily make it a charity gig or a festival. Its just as likely a way to increase the takings in the summer.

There are those on here who will do a 'Charity gig' for just about anyone who asks. Regardless of whether they would support that charity. I have known bands do them without even knowing what the charity was.

Makes me wonder if its cos they cant get decent paying gigs.

Much better to either do em for expenses, or charge a fee and donate it to a charity you do believe in and actually want to support.

We do the odd one, but the last few years they seem to be on the increase. Its as if landlords / promoters are jumping on a bandwagon. So for me at least, no more for a while.

I used to have an Antoria Tele guitar that had had the maple fingerboard lacquered. Played well but it used to go black, presumably residue from the strings.

Interesting read. Both better Bass players than you would think.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Chas-Hodges-Chas-and-Dave-All-About-Us-Book-/111462134221?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item19f3a931cd

Am I missing something here ?

I started out playing with my thumb, then started using two fingers, then 3.
I thought most people did it that way, sure I once saw an interview with Entwhistle who said the same thing.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1410629335' post='2551459']
I am really having trouble getting my bass to hang right, any ideas?
[attachment=171591:bass.jpg]
[/quote]

Tried adjusting the truss ?

If I didnt gig, I wouldnt play.

I got no interest in sitting around playing to myself, and rehearsals feel like an expensive chore these days.

If theres room walk around the stage, see if it helps, usually does for me. If theres not try angling your cab upwards a bit or get it a bit higher.

I just stuff the lot in an old sports bag, along with a couple of tuners, Mics, Pedal, bar towel, spare strap etc.

That way everything is just where I can find it.

Dropped my 1970 Fender Bassman 100 head on its end so hard one of the trannies is now at an angle. Still works fine.

Valves are tougher than you'd think, as long as you don't actually hit them with anything. Even then when you consider a common fault finding technique is to whack em with a screwdriver handle, which I used to do all of the time when I repaired radio & TV for a living I rarely broke any. If your amp is hard wired on a chassis it will most likely be fine, if its built on a PCB..then perhaps not.

[quote name='Thurbs' timestamp='1410068502' post='2545749']
I am surprised by some of these responses to be honest. You are mostly a bunch of miserable gits!!! ;-)

I have no problem letting anyone use my gear. If it is a gear sharing gig, I wouldn't take anything too expensive and would make sure if everything was at 11 then no harm was done. 99% of punters couldn't tell anyway.

I always ask if it is ok to plugin and have never been turned down. Most of the time I just DI anyway...

Maybe Cambridge just has nicer bass players ;-)
[/quote]

Problem is promoters dont usually ask till the last minute, and some people turn up without gear expecting to use somebody elses without asking in advance.

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1409840231' post='2543840']
I started playing bass because every guitar player I knew as a teenager was better than me and figured I better do something different. I also figured it would be much easier to get to a standard where I could play in front of people on bass than it would be on guitar , and by and large I think I was right. That won't be a popular opinion round here , I expect , but I can't help that.
[/quote]

This...

Probably how 80% came to be doing it, me included.
I wouldnt change it for the world though.

[b][i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=4]The hairstyle alone isn't the problem it is the fact that 100% of the time it is the ones that turn up without any gear and most importantly any manners are always the super cool guys that think the whole event has been set up for them! As I said before if the young band have turned up with a 30watt bass combo I have often lent my amp to them if they are friendly and enthusiastic, some[/size][/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=4] have even had silly haircuts and still lent the rig on occasion [/size][/font][/color][/i][/b]


[size=4]Speaking as someone who was actually sent home from school in the late 60s for not getting my haircut, threatened with the sack from jobs over it covering my ears in the early 70s, and often discriminated against, described as uncouth and dirty, even not allowed in a girls house once or twice. [/size]

[size=4]Just because I had a lot of hair, I was often looked down on by middle aged people which made me a bit shy around them.[/size]

[size=4]I really really thought in these enlightened times, that older people who expected manners from teenagers, and discriminate against them because of their hair would have died out by now. Try talking to em as equals, you might be surprised at the result.[/size]

[size=4]At least give em a chance, yobbish looking kids aint all bad, its just the way they come across sometimes.[/size]

[b] [size=4]Are you born to be a bassist?[/size][/b]


[size=4]Yep, otherwise all gitarists would be able to do as convincing a job of playing bass as they usually think they could.[/size]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1409927451' post='2544674']
Yep...and they may construct the bill on the basis that one band is willing to get there earlier than everyone else, get all the gear in
and set-up and then wait around until everything has finished to take it down and drive home, sometimes hours away.
How desperate do you have to be to 'headline' this type of event..??
Have we even mentioned money ??
[/quote]

Convenient how the last band on does the first soundcheck isnt it ?

[quote name='TheSiberian' timestamp='1409921020' post='2544602']
I would leave my amp at home and ask the promoter to rent one for me. This you can find in most of the tour riders...
After this I see no problem to let other players to use it.
Best
[/quote]

We dont get many gigs with riders. Last one was a support for a well known 70s band, our rider was a slab of beer but the promoter 'forgot' it. [size=4] [/size]

Good one recently I hadnt seen before, but I smelled a rat straight away.

Making arrangements for a gig we were asked if we would do 2 sets with a comic and then one of the other bands on in between.

Obviously leaving our gear set up....