ambient

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1471615682' post='3114500'] In general I never take a spare bass to a gig - i just make sure that the one i'm taking is working and maintained properly. I've broken strings live before now on rare occasions, but i've just managed to restring it quickly with an old, pre-stretched string with minimum delay to the gig (i.e. make sure the next tune has a long guitar/piano intro, or the singer can do some banter!) Can't be arsed carrying extra gear unless absolutely necessary. Recently gigged in Poland but only had room to take one bass, so made sure it was a good one! [/quote] That's it for me. Just make sure everything is well looked after. I don't think there's anything I couldn't play anyway with a broken string. I recently did a last minute dep gig on a borrowed 4 string, so for me that's like 2 broken strings 😄.

I don't have the luxury of having duplicates for each piece of kit. I own one bass, and one combo. I think you have to look at your gear and think seriously what's going to go wrong ? With my bass, maybe the battery could die, even though I'm pretty good at changing them regularly and use quality ones. So I carry a spare just in case. Strings can break, but I've never broken one in 20 years. I have 6 anyway and I'm more than competent at playing not to miss one if I did ever break one. The cable is maybe another weak point, possibly actually the biggest one. So I carry a spare cable. I figure if my amp goes then I'll just plug into the pa along with the keyboard. I've also started carrying a spare battery for my music stand light recently, (yeah I have a music stand on stage 😊).

[color=#1D2129][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] The organisation for our debut event on Sunday October 9th is well underway. We have some very exciting and innovative artists already confirmed to play.[/font][/color] [color=#1D2129][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] The event is being held at the Lighthouse in Wolverhampton, the full address is shown in the poster. This is a really lovely venue, we'll be performing in the Gallery area.[/font][/color][color=#1D2129][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] We'd really love to make this a regular event, but this can only happen if we have people come along and support the event, so please put the date in your diaries, and tell friends and relatives who you think might be interested. If you're interested in performing at future events, then please get in touch with your details.[/font][/color][color=#1D2129][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [attachment=225793:poster for ambient event.jpg][/font][/color]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1471611171' post='3114444'] The only famous bassist I've seen break a string was Tony Levin on one of the Peter Gabriel tours. His E string broke, he stomped on his octaver & carried on playing the bass line an octave higher, all without missing a beat. That impressed me. [/quote] He's amazing isn't he ? Now that's professionalism to me, being able to cope like that, having a rack of spare gear doesn't come into it, just my opinion of course.

Don't forget a spare drummer too, for when the regular one hurts his back carrying his kit in. It happened a couple of years ago.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1471598800' post='3114295'] anybody got a plan if the PA fails? ours did once I put the singers mic through my bass amp and used the effects in for my bass via a Zoom pedal, it worked, no backing vocals (might not be a bad thing lol) of course we don't mic any instruments up [/quote] That's it isn't it ? Technology is far more likely to fail than something as relatively simple as a bass guitar.

It's 62cm from the bottom of the bag, to the bottom of the headlock pad, The pad itself is 30cm long.

Never in 20 years.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1471550986' post='3113973'] I've just started a poll [/quote] I don't think I've ever seen anyone do it either. Obviously people do, but its always mystified me how, given the thickness of the things.

How are people breaking strings ?

Inspired by Ligeti's Lux Aeterna. This took hours and hours to do. It was an exam piece for my MMus. [url="https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/choir-and-synth-piece-072016"]https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/choir-and-synth-piece-072016[/url] Not a single bass in sight .

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1471541098' post='3113863'] I have to disagree with this, pretty much every professional band I have ever seen has a rack of guitars / basses at the side of the stage, just in case. I know a guy who services a certain top players amps, he has a complex looking Ashdown / Ampeg amp stack, the Ashdown because that is who he is endorsed by and the Ampeg for when the Ashdown goes wrong.....I know Ally McMordie (SLF) was using two stacked Ampeg's last time he toured, speaking to the sound guy there was there was a third behind the bass rig as it was quite likely that at least one would pack up during the night! Like an earlier post said, I carry spares for virtually everything just in case, however I have never needed them other than a lead failure at my first big gig in front of a couple of thousand people.....that experience taught me well! [/quote] If you're Rush or Pink Floyd maybe you'd have a rack full of guitars and basses. I'm talking the average gigging pro bassist. Try taking a rack of instruments on the tube for instance, most London based musicians travel by tube. Pretty much everyone I play with is pro, they turn up with what they need. Invariably there's not enough room for a rack full of guitars in bars or clubs. I figure electronic stuff is more likely to fail, I've never played with a keys player who's turned up to the gig with 2 electric pianos or whatever, same as drummers, sax players and most guitarists, they bring what they need. In the last 5 years I've seen Laurence Cottle numerous times, Janek Gwizdala, Matt Garrison, Jonas Hellborg, Anthony Jackson. All top world class bassists, and all have had one bass with them.

It seems odd that people who aren't professionsal are taking backup basses and other kit, whilst no pros that I know do, other than guitarists who use different guitars on different songs.

I'm probably tempting fate here, but on 20 years of playing I've never ever broken a string. My bass can be switched to passive, so in the unlikely event of the battery dying then I'll just switch to passive. If my amp packed up, one never has, then I'd just go through the pa with the keys.

I only own one bass, even when I owned more I only ever took one. I don't see keyboard players that I play with (all pros too), carry 2 keyboards along to gigs, I don't know any drummers taking spare stuff either. In fact I don't know or play with anyone who carries spare stuff. I suppose if you can afford it then carry on.

I'm guessing this hasn't always been a 15 string, maybe a 12 string originally ? How much did he pay for it I wonder, there's no way it's worth more than a couple of hundred. Why not put it back to what it was meant to be, so at least it was then playable.

From 2012 onwards Macs have usb 3, I don't think there's much difference between that and FireWire, at least from what I read when I was looking at interfaces myself.

I've got an Apogee one which is very nice. It cost £80 from eBay.

I have some legato things that I had to do for an exam at uni. I can let you have those if you want ? They were proper melodic things, not exercises.

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Have a look on Gary Willis's website, he offers lots of advice on fretless bass set-up. Personally I have my action very low, and the fretboard almost flat with very little relief.

Why did you take your grade 8, and then not play again ?

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1471042398' post='3110252'] Surely 'professional' means earning a living solely from playing music? Not sure about 'semi pro' - someone who earns some money from playing music? Though I'd suggest it would have to be a significant proportion of overall income rather than just 'beer money'. I'm in neither camp so I guess that makes me a hobbyist, but I'm fortunate to be able to play and gig purely out of love of doing so, which means I'm not obliged to gig or play anything I don't want to in order to pay the bills. [/quote] Teaching, writing (music journalism), composing, arranging. It's all still music.

[quote name='Jecklin' timestamp='1471070311' post='3110290'] This was excellent! I'd really recommend fans of understated, subtle, beautiful music check Clusters out! [/quote] Thank you !