JapanAxe

I settled on my Demeter (model details in signature) as the answer to this question but it’s not an especially practical solution for the OP considering price and scarcity. Like the GB Streamliner which I owned immediately before that, it has a valve preamp.

Well I got my licence, downloaded it, and printed off the relevant pages to put in the case with my IEM setup. This Saturday I have my first fully cable-free gig - wireless IEMs and Boss WL-20 wireless link from bass to pedalboard. Now to strut freely around the stage like the true rock god that I am!

As per my recent ‘Three auditions’ thread, it’s often the personal contacts that bring the best opportunities.

Same here. I found the cab sim took out too much top end so I am running the amp output into a Radial passive DI box. If I need to knock back the treble I tend to use the tweeter switch. And yes there is some hiss, but the tone is stellar. I’m using a Cali76 Compact into it so that if I dig in hard I can get a little bit of break-up. Next gig with this setup will be with Dire Streets at Bingley Little Theatre on 16 December. The whole thing fits neatly into a laptop bag.

Further to Friday’s ‘abysmal gig’ post, I played with the same band again last night. BL’s missus cried off so I played (mainly) rhythm guitar as well as singing a few numbers. I made sure my wedge monitor had plenty of my guitar (went direct to save space) and my vocal, and no BL vocal. Despite this his voice was definitely the loudest element in the mix from where I was stood at the front. The bass slot was filled by one of their regulars, a chap who plays bass like the guitarist he is - what especially grinds my gears is that he often plays 1-3-4 arpeggios instead of the 1-3-5 that the R’n’R idiom requires. He also plays with a pick and has a dreadful honky tone. A couple of numbers in, BL started complaining to him that he was ‘too bassy’ and he couldn’t hear his own vocal. As before this would have been clearly audible to the audience. I declined to become involved in the argument. During pack-down BL said he thought the lead guitarist was improving and did I agree. I pointed out that said guitarist was only a few feet away - otherwise I might have been tempted to disabuse BL. *sigh*

oops wrong thread

To be fair, this is a depping situation so I don’t have to take any of the gigs, but BL is very persistent and Mrs Axe has become good friends with his missus.

Ok then. A lot of it comes back to the BL. I can live with him being a fairly basic drummer but he clearly doesn’t sit down and listen to the song so that he has a clue what to do. One song starts with everyone coming in on 3 big chords and then there’s a simple drum pickup before the rhythm proper kicks in. I even counted the song in, but the drums came in wrong and caused a train wreck. Most pub bands I’ve played with take no more than a 20 minute break in the middle of a 2-hour slot, but BL insists on ‘two 45s’ like some kind of cartoon 70s shop steward. In that half hour break you can lose an audience. To make it worse, he and his other half (also in the band) were arguing (audible through PA) about how long we had left to play. This was on top of the obvious friction between them whilst setting up and packing down. Overall it’s very sloppy and unprofessional, especially for someone who makes their living as an entertainer. The vocal monitors are set painfully loud, even when I wear earplugs. The lead guitarist is a recent addition to the band. He still seems very unsure of what he’s doing and is forever losing his place in his folder of chord sheets - bear in mind 90% of the set is 12-bar sequences. I’ve put up with this for too long, simply because of the relatively easy money if I’m honest. But I’ve already flagged myself as ‘unavailable’ for the venues which for various reasons I don’t want to play - crap travel, dodgy parking, or just a $h!t-hole.

Just got home from an abysmal gig with a band I frequently dep with - so many issues I can’t bring myself to start listing them. I’m going to be far less available next year!

Yes it was! How did you get on?

Last night’s tryout rehearsal went pretty well. Turns out 4 of the band had recently baled from an existing party band run by an anus. WhatsApp group set up and more rehearsals to be booked for January, by which time we’ll all have had a chance to get stuck into the set list. It’s not what you know eh…

Bought a gadget from Jon, it arrived promptly, very well packed and in perfect condition.

At least 4 of my recent messages on Join My Band to people seeking musicians have been met with complete radio silence. Exasperating as this may be, it’s a useful indicator that the person posting the ad is not worth working with - they’re too disorganised, thoughtless, or inconsiderate to make even the briefest response.

The audition was for a permanent position in the band but I had sent a link to the audio clips on my website which is very much oriented towards depping, plus they specifically asked me about it after we’d done the playing. I do get your point though - either you’re good enough or you’re not.

I don’t see it that way at all. They actually offered dep work when they play closer to my area but I said I would be happy to travel to their area. I expect their ideal candidate would live in the same area, whereas I’m about 70 miles away. There was always the risk that the travel to gigs would at some point start to get wearisome for me, but not if it’s just the odd dep gig. I do actively promote myself as a dep, and we discussed that at the audition, so that’s all fine with me. YMMV!

I’ve recently been looking for a quality band to join, on either bass or guitar. In the last month I’ve attended 3 auditions and I thought I’d share my experiences here. (1) Lead guitar in a 5-piece playing a mix of pubs and festivals. I wasn’t sure I wanted this as I’m trying to move away from pub gigs, but I thought it would be worth trying in case I really liked the band. I played the audition numbers ok but I reckon my lack of enthusiasm showed and the next day I got a polite and friendly Dear John message. (2) Lead guitar in a start-up function band. The audition venue was an old farmhouse in the middle of an industrial estate populated mostly by dodgy car repair businesses. A bass player turned up to unlock the door but had little idea what was going on. Inside the building, which smelled strongly of mould, a first-floor kitchen had been equipped with a PA, drum kit, and a couple of amps. The BL (drummer) was late and the singer who was to be auditioned at the same time had cried off, so we played one song with no vocals, and I sang a couple more. As I was leaving the next candidate arrived and I was amused to see him heft a huge speaker cab from his boot, oblivious to the steep and narrow staircase that awaited him. All I’ve heard since is that the BL had had some car problems. (3) Bass guitar in a well-established party band. Although the band is not especially local to me, they do decent well-paid gigs including weddings. I did a fair bit of preparation before the audition, going through their online videos to see how they tackled the songs - not just the 3 audition numbers. The auditions were in a proper well-equipped rehearsal studio, and I took my cue from the band by taking my ampless rig and IEMs. They were a nice bunch of guys and all went well. Next day I got a message thanking me for coming and inviting me to be on their dep list - they are still looking for a permanent bassist. I call that a result. My search continues - on Thursday I am playing guitar at the first try-out rehearsal for a start-up functions band. The organiser is an excellent female singer who I’ve worked with previously. The best leads often come through people you already know. The rest of the rhythm section seem to be from the big band / theatre pit world so I’ll be interested to see and hear how that translates to a party band environment.

The Daddy Warhols

Not this year. Our son and his wife are over from Spain so our daughter and her family are joining us too for festive frivolities. At midnight we’ll try not to choke to death on grapes - it’s a Spanish thing…

...at €3990!

Sorry you’ve had to move on an instrument you loved. I’m going to chip in on Mustangs too. I’ve owned 2 modern ones and they were both so easy to play that a gig with them was like a night off! The necks were super slim and comfortable. Just be aware that for through-body stringing you need to allow for the extra length, so a 30in scale bass would need 32in scale strings. I haven’t seen you play but you mention difficulty stretching between frets - don’t be afraid to move your fretting hand instead, that whole ‘one finger per fret’ thing is a bit of a red herring.

I have no skin in the game as far as digital modellers are concerned but I have found the same with the cab sim in my Origin Effects BassRig. Instead of the speaker-simulated balanced out I now use the amp out into a DI box and tweak the Amp Out EQ to taste.

Yes there is also the issue of keeping svelte enough for clothes to look good!

I have a few western shirts from my time playing the country and western club circuit. I generally wear one when I am depping with Dire Streets (ahem). I quite like to rock a black suit, black shirt and turquoise bolo but only if there is somewhere to change after loading in. I also own what I consider to be the best shirt in the world - floral pattern with little sparkly bits and tassles! I like to combine that with silver shoes and black chinos on Bowie tribute gigs. I often see what I think would make great stage wear, only to find it’s not available in my size because it’s intended for women.