NHM

So, to go back to the start of this thread, the OP was asking for a template. It seems to me that most people here accept there are likely to be joint costs/assets for a band (i.e. a PA but other things too like insurance, business cards etc. (although the PA may be down to the vocalist(s) alone)) and recognise the need invest in equipment purchases and maintenance. For a new band any purchase needs to be pump-primed, either with some or all the members chipping in up front, before the first chord is stuck. I suggest (for the start of a template) that: · Once the band membership is established, make an agreement how the various items of gear will be provided up front. (You may not need gear initially if you rehearse at studios so purchase decisions could be deferred until you’re ready to gig). · Regarding the PA, the first question to ask is, should the band own it or just those that use it? · Then you need to consider how to manage your money going forward. For example, a portion of each gig’s money is set aside to build up a pot to pay for ongoing maintenance, upgrades, annual fees etc. And/or members pay a small sub per rehearsal, to build up the pot asap. A sub isn’t unreasonable as most activities require some sort of ongoing membership fee. It could be that if an individual(s) funded the PA then the pot pays them back so the item is fully owned by the band, if that’s what the band wants. · As the band grows so does the pot and if there is reasonable planning and agreement to ensure money is set aside for potential costs an annual divi could be paid to members from the remainder. · Anyone leaving the band could take their share of the pot but should know from the outset that the assets belong to the band and/or individuals and they can’t expect any ‘buy out’ payment. · A newcomer to the band doesn’t make any up-front contribution other than providing their own personal instrument/gear, but then contributes like any other band member. · If the band splits and sells the assets, then this is equally divided between the line up at the point of the split. It’s best to be open and upfront about how the band money is structured and having a collective agreement to me seems vital if the band is to avoid unnecessary disagreements at a later point. Every band’s circumstances will differ, as will the attitudes and access to money from its members, so any agreement will be personalised to your circumstances. But the important thing is to be agreed, open and upfront about how the money side works. Having a What’sApp group is a good way to present proposals to other band members and to get their approval (in writing) before any money is spent. While you might all think your are mates, money can have a nasty way of turning on you unless things are formally agreed. Just my tupenneth!

I've been lucky with the four-piece band I'm in that the singer owns a decent 'vocals only' PA & monitors and everyone else has good quality kit that they can maintain / upgrade themselves. It's probably a fairly equal financial investment if you break each person's kit down into its original cost. We all travel in our own cars, so there's no shared cost their. We don't have to pay for a rehearsal space. We've talked about having a 'silent fifth member', so we build up a pot of 20% of each gig's money to cover generic costs like business cards, lights, insurance etc., but so far we've just each divvied in an equal share when costs have arisen. Fortunately it is all very amicable and trustworthy. Long may that last.

the best pickup position is leaning on a bar

our singer, who is an alto, uses a TC Electronic Mic Mechanic pedal on her mic. This has a preset (non-tweakable) 'enhancement' switch which really brightens her lower frequencies - for a preset device it sounds pretty decent. Also it has a (controllable) reverb and delay built in, so we've found it a useful solution to get her better sitting on the mix.

Don't agree with that. My '71 is a lovely instrument, superb neck, just needed a better pickup.

I thought all the first Musicmasters (with the tulip tuners) had a black pickguard. So what colour did the black one come with?

So A.I. has still got some way to go

I love my Fender tuner 'cos (a) it works and (b) it says 'Fender' on it. (or perhaps the other way round)

I thought from the first pic the banana box was a nice Fender tweed...

I recently retired from full time work and worked out a spreadsheet of our outgoings to see how much money we needed to survive. With recent inflation, it is about £20k a year for all food/drink, bills, insurances, house maintenance money set aside, car/fuel, dog etc. but as we've paid off the mortgage this figure doesn't include this or rent. Over the years I've built up a top quality bass rig, with three gigging basses, a main amp/speaker rig, a decent combo for small pubs, a small back-up amp and a small pedal board. I made a decision that once I was happy with the gear, that's it, no impulse purchases and only buying gear to replace breakdowns. My gear is about a £5k investment in total. I haven't spent on bass gear for some time now, so my income from being in a covers band is a healthy supplement to my pension. I'm saying all this because I came at having a fulfilling musical lifestyle by planning what was possible on my budget and then sticking to it, and getting the fun from playing knowing that the money side of things was secure. I've not been good enough to go pro so the issue of going full time has never been one I've seriously considered, but I'm lucky(?) enough to have been in good quality bands for many years so I've had a brilliant time with a lot of really talented and lovely people playing at some fantastic events without it ever jeopardising the family. So I'm an advocate of keep the day job and have a great time in a local band - and any income this generates offsets the tedium of the day job and buys you and the family some nice extras.

Only once had need of a back up bass, many years ago at a NYE gig in Harrogate. The 'A' string broke during the first set, and I had to soldier on as I had no alternative. Ouch. Thereafter I carried a back up bass but now don't bother any more as the basses I gig feel rock solid, but always carry a spare set of strings (and amp head).

half a darning needle does the job nicely...

I love the little model figure - and I've got some trousers like those!

the band I'm in is great, but I wish we went out now and then and got hammered followed by a curry (like in the old days). S'pose one can't have everything, so it's a good job the music is good...

I can sing fine if I'm strumming an acoustic guitar, but stumble on the words when playing bass. Never understood why one and not the other.

they had a fair bit of 'band' gear, but thinking about it it was mostly or all Yamaha.

I recall Chappells in Bond St had a good bass selection, I bought a Yamaha BB from there about 20 years ago. Now long gone (both shop and BB).

I've got a 500 and it's a great piece of kit and is my main gig amp. It has been 100% fine since new. Good luck with finding one, I don't see them come up for sale very often.

I've just had the Monaco cab on the last leg of its UK tour. For most of the gigs my band does, our instruments do not go into the PA - so a great onstage sound quality is essential. We're a blues-rock four piece, and my regular gigging rig is a Fender Bassman 500 into a Fender Neo 1x15. The only pedal I use is an always-on HPF. I didn't gig the Monaco while I had it on trial but did run it at gig volume for a three hour rehearsal. While I'm very happy with my Fender rig as it sounds and looks great, when the opportunity came to try something different / state-of-the-art I was very interested to explore possible differences. And differ it did, the Bassman through the Monaco was different to the Neo - cleaner, smoother and more even through the frequencies, and very articulate/sensitive, with the amp on the 'vintage' channel and eq set flat. Tweeking the eq from flat as the rehearsal progressed, I ended up with only a very slight bass boost, mid and treble staying flat. Hearing my sound through a neutral speaker made me think the Bassman is a really great amp, it pushes out such a lovely, warm & laid back sound. It was an interesting experiment to pair it with a very high quality 'neutral / reference' speaker, so the 'sound' only is created by the bass, my technique & the amp. One less item in the chain to contribute to confusing differences! In fact, it made me think what role a cab plays in creating a manufacturers' 'signature sound'? If I was in the market to downsize my gear I would definitely consider getting a Monaco. But I like the physical appearance of Fender gear (does any manufacturer's kit look better?), I think it is important how the stage looks and Fender gear has real presence. I'd say the Monaco sounds close to perfect, meaning to me that it pumps out pure, even and uncoloured sound, and should be a perfect platform to shape your sound to your spec with the amp and pedals if the natural character of the intended cab is not doing it. Also, it is a one-hand lift and I don't think you'd need a second cab for the average pub gig as it seemed to handle volume OK, so two more plusses there. I think it has been a great idea from the company to let a cab do the rounds on trial and I hope they get good publicity and sales as a result.

I was using a 500W /4Ohm, but being very careful not to push it into a single 210. I usually used a second cab on a gig for reassurance.

I had one of these for a time, a decent cab although I wasn't over-excited by it, I expected it to be more punchy that it was but that might be my playing! I also had a 1x15 which I though was better, a really decent unit. Can't help with the specs, but the 2x10 isn't heavy. It certainly did the job for a lot of pub gigs, and when used with a second 2x10 (which it paired very well with) or the 1x15 it can make plenty of noise.

and there's me thinking that people made videos about things they knew something about...

thanks for the link, Doc, I did search for 'Event UK' but nothing seemed to come up ...