Dan Dare

It's always been the case that people tend to over-estimate the value of what they own, be it musical instruments, cars or whatever. The rough rule that the value of a decent used item (excluding genuinely vintage/rare) is around half new retail price holds true much of the time..

I still care about those things after 50 years. I never play a gig where I make zero mistakes. They may be minor, but I still make them. Anyone who claims they do is deluded or telling porkies. None of us is perfect. We can always do better. I pointed out that if you have someone taking care of FoH, you have the luxury of being able to tailor your onstage sound to suit your own desires. If not, then getting it right for the room has to be primary consideration. Nobody comes to gigs to hear how great the bass player's tone is (with the possible exception of other bass players, who will probably spend the evening picking holes and moaning about how it could be better).

Better than 0 out of 3, yes.

The most important thing you can get right for you and for the band is to play the right notes at the right time and in the right order. As far as tone is concerned, making your sound fit the overall mix should be objective numero uno, unless you are playing through the PA and can rely on the FoH engineer to take care of that. If you're running solely off backline, the choice should always be good in the room, less good on stage if there is a clash between them. Unless you're in the me, me, me, rather than the us, us, us camp. It doesn't matter how good your signal chain is if venue acoustics are difficult.

Yep. Someone I know once asked me to help with sound for his band. The bass player had a custom coffee table instrument, BF cabs and a pricey amp (can't remember which). The guitar player had a Boogie head and two matching 2x12 cabs. The bass, whilst smooth, deep and expensive sounding up close, was all boom and wool out front. The guitar was similarly boomy and undefined and LOUD. I suggested to them that they cut the low end severely and asked the guitar player to disconnect one of his cabs. Both shook their heads. I tried explaining that up close and out front are not the same thing, that room acoustics and the way sounds blend can do odd things, etc, etc. No dice. So I left. They later called me, bleating about the fact that I hadn't stuck around (it was a favour - I wasn't getting paid). You can lead a horse to water.

This. The sound that works in context is the right one. If you're a soloist, knock yourself out with YOUR tone. If you play in a band, you need to find what best suits the instrumentation, songs, style, etc. Sometimes, a sound that isn't particularly pleasant to listen to in isolation can be the best one in context. "Us, us, us". rather than "Me, me, me".

Is there money or benefit to you in it? Is there a future in being in this band? If so and you have nothing better to do, I'd mime to the backing track for the show. You say you've "joined the band". Was it recently? If it wasn't long ago and they have bass parts on the backing track, are they just concerned that they will be right for the show? It's not unreasonable of them if you are still learning your parts.

I bet they can't read a sundial either. Wasn't like this in my day, etc.

Deep joy. So who walked sh1t through the house on previous Valentine's Days?

Is the Aguilar pre' wired/connected correctly? If so, sounds as if there could be a mis-match between it and the pickups. As the issue is the same in passive mode, you are likely correct that you need a pickup that will play nicely with it. The obvious choice is Aguilar, which ought to work with your pre'. I'd take your tech's advice. No point in buying/trying stuff on spec'. You could easily end up spending more than it will cost to get the right one in the first place. The only way to find out whether the ones you already have will work is to try them.

Not a bass, but a 1960s Gibson A50 mandolin. I bought two in the States - one to keep and one to turn a profit on back in Blighty. The other was a rare A5 from the 1950s. It was in very good condition. whereas the A50 was well used - in sound but slightly scruffy condition but it sounded great and played wonderfully. I kept the A5 (I later sold it to buy a F5), but I've often wished I'd kept the A50.

This. There has never been much good music on mainstream/mass media. It's pointless looking there for it. You may as well dig for gold in a coal mine. I remember the 70s (and, sadly - I'm ancient - the late 60s). Most chart stuff back then was unmitigated tripe, just as it is now.

Same here. With all large companies, you are dependant on the local staff you deal with. If they are good, you will have a happy experience. I agree that it is not the easiest job and that we should do what we can to make it pleasant for them.

I've never heard of a venue being licensed for a certain number of performers in recent times. The old "two in a bar rule" that the MU campaigned against for years no longer applies to my knowledge. Guidance on the need for music licences can be found on the .gov website. Requirements for licences are governed by audience size and the hours when music is performed, but not by numbers of performers. The venue you spoke to may have had insurance that limited the number of performers, or they may have decided that they don't want any more than three people playing. Or they may just have been looking for a convenient reason to say no.

So no change from the "good old days", then.

My BAND is called RaNDoM CapITaLS. Weer all old aje pensionerz. We rite are own songz and moan a lot about YOUNG PEOPLE having NO sens of MUSIC hisStory. Know one wonts to sine us up and giv us a lode of munny. Itz SO unFaiR.

I DRive a TRABANT

My hovercraft is full of eels.

The only way to find out is to try the RCF in that role. Wouldn't the cheapest option that wouldn't add much to your transport/storage issues be to go back to using the RCF for bass and add a sub' to the Yamahas (which are hardly behemoths)?

Because the sound of an acoustic instrument, unlike that of a solid electric instrument - note that I differentiated between them - depends on it being able to resonate properly. It may not matter if it's plugged in, but we're not talking about comparing two solid electric basses. But you do you. It's a free world. I'll pass on wax coating my 1975 Martin D35, my Gibson F5L mandolin or my fiddles, thanks.

May be fine for a solid guitar, but putting a hard coating on an acoustic instrument (as in the photo above) won't do its sound any favours.

You can get a set of reasonable jewellers files from the likes of Amazon for around a tenner. Won't be up to daily use, but will serve for occasional jobs.

Unless the wood is raw (unlikely), it depends on the finish applied. Satin seems particularly prone to show up finger marks, etc. You won't prevent or protect against that unless you don't handle the instrument or only do so with clean gloves on. The finish is already protecting the timber (that's its job). So anything you clean it with will clean the finish, not the wood itself. If the finish is poly, that's impervious to most things. Obviously, you don't want to soak it, but a wipe with a cloth dampened with white spirit should do the trick. You can, if you choose, jump down the rabbit hole of special guitar polishes, etc, but all they really do is cost a lot and make the instrument smell nice.

"Can rerbots play behs?"

Just saw that ridiculous pointy bit off the end and use a normal gig bag 😃