Adrenochrome

wishface is tBBC in disguise and I claim my free T-shirt!

Bass goes back to whoever sold it to you. I've never had a £200 bass behave like that.

Yes, I've had 20+ setlists to learn in a week or less a few times. Don't necessarily learn them note for note - get the main verse/chorus/bridge patterns down and don't worry if the last verse has a few variations. Listen to all the songs as much as you can and get hold of any chords/tab/notation to help and make your own cheat sheets. I've even used a music stand, at knee height and barely visible to the audience before when I've had to. You'll get there!

Bass - flat Preamp valve gain on my amp up high gives some distortion - this signal is DI'd to PA which is what the audience hears EQ on amp has some bass rolled off to stop boominess on stage That's it!

We played one of our regular venues on Saturday night and had our quietest night there ever. The pub had only put up one of the 4 posters we sent, and let a promoter put their poster right over the top of ours. The blackboard outside the pub didn't have us listed as is usually does. The pub hadn't cleared the stage area as per normal and when we were unloading the punters in there said they thought there was no band on. This was all very strange as though the pub knew it was going to be quiet and didn't make any effort - was it due to the Dr Who thing on the telly? BTW we got paid our usual (fairly generous) fee in full with no complaints at all and promises of rebookings as we'd played well ?!

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1346423543' post='1789098'] Bucket collection? You mean like a tip jar? I suggest that to my band mates but I think they assumed I was joking (I wasn't!) [/quote] Exactly - there's a pub near us that provides basic PA and lights and pays around £150 - but they also have a whip round. A decent band will make £50+ in tips as well. We actually take our own PA but it's still a good deal. There were a few other pubs that did the bucket but don't seem to be many left.

About £200 here, including any bucket collection. There are quite a few pubs that will only pay £150 which we avoid. There a couple of very local gigs that we'll do for £180 and some further away ones that are £220-300 depending on distance/inconvenience etc.

To be honest [i]most[/i] guitar players I know make good bass players. If they can't find a dedicated bassist, why not?

I'm very happy with the format of our band where one guitarist sings about 70% of the songs, t'other guitarist sings about 20% and me and the drummer do one or two each. Seems that way you've got a proper engaged band member/musician rather than a prima donna doing the singing - also means that we don't get into volume wars cos everyone is keen to have their vocals audible.

DON'T give up the bike, whatever you do. The positive effects of cycling are huge. Due to time pressures I had to give up a very successful band and just stick to one band. A difficult decision as I was the founder member and had been playing with them 7 years but it was the right thing to do for all concerned. I'm depping for them next month so not all bad.

500+ but not anywhere near 1000.

I'm very pleased that the right decision has been made

I've gone back to a loud 4ohm 410 cab as my 'do everything', cheap, single cab solution. I always go through FOH and as a monitor for me and the band it works well. It is heavy but it's on a nice set of wheels which also brings it a bit closer to my ears.

I'm quite happy that a lot of people don't get it. A lot more influential to my generation of players (and his peers at the time/slightly after) than is generally accepted.

How about dialling in the BDI21 for the higher level of gain, and just playing a bit gentler when you'd don't need all the grit?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1342449319' post='1735197'] Seen prices those are now? [/quote] No, it's a right little beast - it's been an emergency bass amp, guitar amp and monitor amp so far

The tuners, through-neck and general appearance are very similar to a Shaftesbury I had.

DI Box, and sometimes my Crate Powerblock, £49 for 150 watts, tiny and light

I've been playing bass about 12.5 years and always been in at least one band during that time, played a bit of guitar for about 16 years before that (never in a proper gigging band). Like many I was signed up to play in a band before I actually played bass (an after work jam band).

Great that

My first bass was a Korean Squier Jazz. I wasn't that impressed with the pups but apart from that it was great - the neck was awesome. Had I known what I know now then I'd have kept it and upgraded the pups.

In my experience, absolutely sh1t hot. Sometimes if I buy a few different things for the band it comes to less than half the price of sourcing similar/same things locally.

Just cobble together what you can from you and your mates' gear. They're not going to want it that loud anyway. My first regular gigging band featured vocals going through a borrowed lay preachers' PA, and both bass and drum machine going through my 100watt amp (via a loud 4x12 cab).

No, keep water and water based things like vinegar away from your strings. There are various ways to keep them clean including meths, and just regular cleaning with light mineral oils of various types.

Fair enough, he's another human being playing the bass and that's alright by me. Be best if he [i]wasn't[/i] miming of course.