Nicko

Kinda glad I missed it the first time around.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1495270566' post='3302554'] Dimmer switches cause a lot of noise too, even in my village! That noise gets multiplied tenfold if you have a faulty or poorly shielded cable somewhere in your chain. [/quote] This is my experience.

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1495184260' post='3301890'] I would suggest you write/ learn new material from here on as you are now. You don't have to drop everything but don't rely on past material for a while. You never know you may come up with something new and fresh. Advertise for a new player and be patient. Wait for the right player. For now change the angle a bit. Like change the feel or tempo. See what happens and experiment. Maybe you are so used to hearing how things were you cant adjust. If you are still playing the same parts which are suited to the extra guitar part there will be a hole so let go of what was and go with what is now. [/quote] We have started re-working the set and played some stuff we worked on as a 4 piece before we got the new guy in. I dont think anyone is expecting it to sound the same, but itt was just sloppy and the 4 piece stuff we had played OK before was terrible last night. We have a couple of gigs coming up in August and I dont think we have time to find someone new and get them up to speed.

After our rhythm guitarist left we had a few practices that were OK, and then recruited a replacement. He decided it wasn't for him and left after only a couple of sessions. We have decided, reluctantly to carry on as a 4 piece. The origial guy was a bit of a buzzkill, insisted on playing songs his way rather than the correct way, and wasn't technically very good. We all agreed we were probably better off without him in many ways, but all appreciated that he did add something to the sound. Rehearsal last night was pretty shocking. No one is saying it, but I think we all believe we are not as professional sounding as we were and now the mojo has gone. Is there any way back from here?

Done, although I struggled with the concept of the test. Some samples had specific techniques that I personally find very difficult to play at all, whereas others did not include the same techniques but sounded horrifically difficult and to me nt necessarily very musical

I changed mine around xmas time, but they're still too zingy.

Yes, I got mine.

[quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1493977412' post='3292255'] Maybe he felt the negs ? Or realised he was not good enough? There are many possible reasons.. [/quote] I don't think there were any negative vibes, as far as I know it was only me that was suspecting he wasn't going to work out although he might have realised he lacked the ability to earn the set list (which as far as I can tell isn't that difficult rhythm wise).

[quote name='Yank' timestamp='1493976980' post='3292248'] Your fault. If you had learned to sing BV, you would have judged auditioners purely on their guit skills. Then again, if you had learned to play guit, you would be looking for a bass player, and we're all reliable. [/quote] There used to be a local adult education centre near me that ran a course called "anyone can sing". I nearly went along just to prove them wrong. As a convert to bass from 6 string I did offer the option of me playing guit.

It was a posting in Qatar that got me back into playing. We were playing to a bunch of mostly Redneck oilmen, so our version of desert rock had quite a lot of CCR, Sweet Home Alabama and some Eagles (Aggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Our new rhythm guitarist left after just 3 practice sessions. There was no sign he was unhappy, but personally I thought he was no good anyway. We have a gig coming up in August and we are at the point where honestly we cant be bothered to try to get another bloke in and get him up to speed. When the last guy left (late Feb) we decided we really wanted to stay as a five piece so effectively we have wasted 12 weeks when we could hae been arranging the set for a 4 piece. I'm really hcked off about this. The biggest pain is we only chose to go with him because he had some BVs, and the other people who auditioned were clearly better guitarists but have been snapped up.

I think it's a great effort. Unlike some of the comments above I thought it sounded nothing like U2 which I guess is a ringing endorsement. I still dont like the intro, it feels a bit disjointed and the instrumental left me cold.

We set out to play 90s and 00s idie/post punk and the like, but wanted to choose songs that everyone knoew. Theres a few bands doing it in this area, but nearly all of us have added stuff thats distinctly off brief, and some of teh songs we thought people would know got zero response.

Yes, It entirely depends on the song. I Predict a Riot just doesn't want to stick, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor was almost gig ready after 30 mins home practice and a coupe of run throughs with the band.

I'd have thought the "wasteland" in the band name was reference to their gigs.

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1491992006' post='3276972'] I gigged my Squier Friday night and i'm not affraid to say it.....so there! [/quote] I do this all the time. It actually sounds better than my US Fender. Our guitarist however makes his own guitars (LP copies) from scratch and always badges them Gibson. He gets a lot of stick for it in the band.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1491990641' post='3276955'] If a song is good it should work stripped right down ime. [/quote] [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1491991592' post='3276966'] I think you're confusing cover bands with tribute bands, or you need to develop a better imagination. Songs are usually written on one instrument. The rest is just window dressing. [/quote] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I agree with the general point, but there's a lot of stuff that IMHO loses so much when the "extra bits" aren't there. Yes, you [/font][/color][i]CAN[/i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] play Last Night by the Strokes as a 3 piece but the whole point is the interaction between the guitars and bass. You [/font][/color][i]CAN[/i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] play Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand, but there's a little hook that the 2nd guitar plays that drives it from a OK song to a great one. Muse, yeah, a 3 piece band with a mainframe of MIDI controlled added bits. Green Day are now a 4 piece because they were using so many overdubs they decided they couldn't do it live properly, and lets be honest, their songs aren't the most complex. [/font][/color]

The OP doesn't say if this is covers or originals. I find the choice of songs that can be played well as a 3 piece covers band frustrating.

Not sure that any of these are much more than hobby bands as you ain't gonna pay the mortgage with 31 gigs a year as a 5 piece (at least in the UK). Band 1. Seems a bit dry. They tell me they use in ear monitors as if this is something I need to know, but they include the ability of the bassplayer to actually function as a bassplayer as an afterthought. Band 2. Sounds like my kinda outfit. I play for fun and weekly gigging isn't what I'm after. Band 3. Aside from the country thing looks OK - short and sweet.

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I had my bass in Qatar, my room was air conditioned and the bar where we played (although air conditioned) was hot and humid. The answer is to allow the bass to warm up gradually, although this ain't easy.

Surely "Anyone can play guitar" (Radiohead) must take the prize.

Has anyone any idea what the tonal relationship is between these? I mean, what would the tonal difference be between say 34" scale bass vs a 32" bass with the same strings (ie lower tension on the medium scale), compared to the difference between the two where the medium scale had chunkier strings so the tensions were the same? Just curious cos I've been thinking about this, not because I'm looking for a different set up.

Hit me with...... I'll get me coat

I guess it would depend on how one defines indie. Its like saying why would anyone play classic rock. There's good and bad examples of both.