peteb

I think that you have to remember that each situation is different, just as each band is different. You have to be adaptable and to make yourself the best fit for the band, assuming that you actually want the gig. As mentioned above, you are more likely to get a gig through having good networking skills and (vitally) having a good solid reputation. I haven't done an audition as such for 25 years or more (in fact I point blank refuse to audition for local bands), all the gigs I have got have been through personal recommendations or knowing the band. We have just recently replaced a drummer in a covers band. As soon as we knew the old guy was leaving, we just discussed on messenger who we thought could do the gig and might be interested. We then made a list of three guys (in order) to contact. Fortunately, the first guy could do it so we asked him to join the band (no auditions or trials, etc). If he couldn't have done it, we would have rung the next guy on the shortlist. Only if none of them were available would we have started putting out feelers and started getting recommendations from people we knew.

I think that you have to realise that she didn’t just get to where she is by accident. As she said, to get the Alice gig she was in the right place at the right time, but she had been knocking around LA for quite a while, increasing her profile and always looking for the big gig. There are dozens of similar guitar players round LA, all turning up for the same auditions and competing to get the next step up on the ladder. She did all the right things and gave herself the best possible chance, so it's no surprise that eventually she got the break and got the gig – good luck to her! You do have to note that she does focus on the whole package and not just playing guitar. She has certainly perfected the look and probably spends as much time in the gym as practising guitar (I have also seen her on videos talking in detail about working out and nutrition). To get these gigs, it’s not about if you can play (it’s almost taken for granted that you are a top player). It is just as much about the look, the image and the attitude.

I paid about £650 for a R400, including all charges. It will depend on how the pound is doing. Don't go in thinking that it will be do what the SVT does! Ita a different beast. If you're anywhere near West Yorkshire, you are welcome to pop round and have a go with my R400.

I remember there being a club venue that might meet your requirements in the centre of Edinburgh. I'm afraid that I can't remember what it's called, but it's on the same road as Whistlebinkies (about 100 ft down the street).

Impressive beard

I’m not sure that I really understand what you (and apparently Leszek) are getting at here. I don’t see how having controls for mids is a tonal sacrifice! The main selling point about the Handbox is its core sound (as well as it being a powerful amp in a compact package), whereas its drawback is a rather limited EQ section. I am getting to grips with it more, but am finding myself boosting the bass and cutting the treble more than I am used, which is not a problem in itself but something I don’t find intuitive after using a 5 band semi parametric EQ. I am aware that there are bound to be compromises in such a compact amp and I am getting used to the EQ section and starting to get better results. Perhaps it should be noted the guys in the guitar based rock covers band love it, but less so with those in the tribute band complete with loads of keys – they seem to prefer the Mesa

That's interesting. I'm sure you're right, after all we can use other amp we've ever played through as a reference.

I'm generally using an active Xotic jazz. When I'm using my own cabs, it's going through either a Berg 410 or two Berg 112s (all ceramic speakers). As you guessed, I've not got the bright (or drive) engaged and I've started with the amp flat. Actually, I think the HB is naturally quite mid focused, so the trick is to find a sweet spot where I can balance the mids without losing them all together. At the moment, I'm trying the bass at 2 o'clock and the treble & contour at 10 o'clock. That sounds ok at low volume through a 112 in my front room, so I shall see how it works when we start rehearsing up the new lineup of the covers band next week.

Still, not a bad idea for a nice little sidegig (depending how other events work out next year)!

I suppose I'm trying to boost low mids and cut the hi mids. Last time I used it on a gig ,the other bass player on the bill thought I had quite a toppy sound, which isn't what I was going for. Part of the problem is that I haven't been doing loads of gigs recently so I haven't had a lot of chance to play around with it. Also I'm used to a Mpulse with a semi para EQ, which is obviously a much different approach to eq'ing an amp. I hope that I can find a way to get to grips with the EQ as I do like the amp. It's got a good core sound, plenty of attack, it's loud enough and it's a pretty convenient package (I don't need a featherweight Class D amp and the HB is a lot more convenient than lugging a rackcase to pub gigs). I'm sure there is a suitable sound in there, I just need to find it! Any suggestions/ tips welcome...

I must admit, the EQ is something I have struggled with my R400

Jim Rodford John Paul Jones isn't a particularly tall chap either...

In interest of balance I should mention that I paid a lot of money for a Mpulse when they first came out (I got it for trade but still expensive at the time). I still use it and it has seen off every other amp I have ever owned since, easily my favourite amp!

That's cool. The rock and roll generation are now getting old. Doesn't mean that they are going to turn into a M&S wearing Darby and Joan types. We are all going to be in that situation sooner or later...

The thing is that the vast majority of musicians I've played with are great (there are exceptions), most punters are very friendly and while venue owners / promoters are a bit more of a mixed bag, most them are also OK. Sometimes you have to look at yourself and ask why you are having such difficulties dealing with people...!

Yes, I'm sure that it would generate money in the short term. My point is that there will be a very sharp rate of diminishing returns as the official tribute band has to compete directly with the many other very good tributes out there. The drummer in one of my bands is a big Kiss fan and paid a fortune for two tickets for the farewell tour. I'm sure that he would be interested in an official tribute tour, but there's no way he would pay anything like the same amount and he would expect a similar show. There's also the point of the legacy of a band like Kiss, which I'm sure will be a big thing for Simmons and Stanley. Like them or not, Kiss have a big place in American rock & roll history. I don't think that they would want to undermine that. Look at the impact that Led Zep had when they announced a one off reunion gig. That comes from them never having done anything to tarnish their legacy.

You mean does lack of talent run in the family??

I believe that Gene Simmons used to talk about KISS operating as a franchise with others assuming their characters when he & Stanley finally retired. But really, with the growth of tribute bands, what would be the point?? At best it would be like the current versions of TRex or Dr Feelgood. It wouldn't take long before fans stopped caring and they were reduced to slogging around the cabaret circuit. .

DI box Couple of spare tee shirts (nothing worse than driving home in a sweaty shirt you've just gigged in) Can of deodorant (see above) A couple of yogurt bars or similar (for gigs where you have a long drive at the end of the night and you might not be able to get anything to eat)

And the thing is that it's even harder these days

When I started getting back into playing Fender style basses again, I was looking for a ‘super jazz’. I did really fancy a Sadowsky, especially after hearing an interview with Roger where it seemed that he was very much building basses for players like me. However, the cost was somewhat of an issue. I went through a couple of decent active jazz basses then one day I went to Bass Direct to pick some accessories up and picked up an Xotic, which I decided was the best jazz bass I had ever played. I managed to quickly find a secondhand one on here, which has been my go-to gigging bass ever since. This has somewhat cured me of my Sadowsky GAS and to be honest I don’t think that I could justify the price tag, especially with how much the pound is worth these days. Mind you, I do sometimes look at how much a Satin series would cost and think that maybe a nice secondhand one might come up. I still can’t see it replacing the Xotic though…

That may well be true, but it still takes a lot of effort and commitment to establish yourself to get those very sought after gigs. The vast majority of pro musicians have to struggle to make a reasonable, yet very precarious, living. Most would have been far better off financially if they had put that effort and commitment into building a more mainstream career. I once went for a lesson with a guy who has an occasional very big paying gig with a very famous British rock band. He said that the uncertain income sometimes gets to him; some years he may be extremely well off but he has to bank most of that as the next year he could be struggling to pay the mortgage...!

To be honest, building a career as a musician is not the easiest thing to do and is not generally particularly lucrative. Anyone would have a much easier life developing other employment skills rather than committing to being a professional musician, unless they really loved doing it. I have a friend who has been a pro drummer all his life. He went and got his first (part time) office job in his fifties to give him a steady income alongside his drum teaching. He did this, not because he hated gigging, but so he could afford to take lower paying gigs with his mates playing music he liked, rather than his regular function band gig where he said that the highlight was always “picking up the money at the end of the night”!