neilp

Come to the DB Bash in October, and you're welcome to try it. Be warned though, that's how it started for me!

I never thought of "blacking up"! I seem to remember being a bit lost for words, then pointing out that unlike Michael Jackson I was the same colour when I was hired. After that I may have told him where to shove his cuddly toy....

Surely whatever kind of band you're in, you're there to entertain? I've played every one of those over the years. No shame at all. Pride in fact, that I'm good enough at my job in a band that people are willing to pay me money to do it. I'd rather play the so-called cheese really well than indulge some misguided sense of "art".

Popularity is what turns the cutting edge into the mainstream cheese.

I like to think they hired me because I could play, but then as the band got more and more successful, the "image" became more and more important, and the frontman (who shall remain nameless, as he did actually have a career) was VERY conscious of his image. Mind you, maybe they just wanted a better bass player and thought it was kinder to lie to me!

I've only been fired once, and that was because "you're not black enough"....

Black one for me too. I've never had a bow quiver before, always been put off by the weight and bulk and poor fastening systems. This is superb, fits easily, and cuddles my new mega-money bow very nicely. 10 out of 10.

Arrived very quickly too!

Skodas were never air cooled. Just saying

PM sent

Judgemental much?

Astounding technician. Musician? Not sure.... Don't think he's really got the point. Give him time I guess

Not sure it's up to the band what bass you use? It is up to you to make your choices work, but that should be doable. I use fretless much more than fretted these days. It took a while to work out how to make a fretless sound more like a fretted bass, both hands need work. Much more arch in the left hand, use the very tips of the fingers and the right hand needs to be more crisp and "attack"-y. Fretless gives much more potential for expression and nuance, in my opinion. If you like it, do it more!

Sign O' The Times

Be careful! That's how it starts.....

Is it just me, or does that wear look fake? Be careful, there are lots of "old" basses coming out of eastern Europe. The extra 100 years of "age" puts at least £2,000 on the price. If it really is that old, an it's survived in that condition, there's a good chance it's a pretty nice instrument, but as I said, be careful.

I'l be bringing my 19th century unlabelled German bass, Meghan

In the diary. I'll bring me new 3 grand bow too!

Nothing else in the diary, so unless the Berlin Phil call, I'll be there (with new 3 grand bow!)

That's the thing! Gonna have nightmares now! Truly truly awful. Luckily the nice guy in Cloakes took it back in p/x against a Jazz copy

The Satellite short scale thing I had first doesn't count as a bass it was so terrible. I replaced it in 1979 with a Satellite Jazz copy which was actually not too terrible. Kept that for about 8 years and eventually had a fretless conversion done. Don't really miss it, apart from the nostalgia aspect

What she said. Just been through this with bows - and the bow I had wasn't cheap

Agree with Blue for once. I love being on stage, mostly for the pleasure of seeing an audience enjoy themselves. If that meant Mustang Sally, Brown Eyed Girl and Billy Jean for the rest of time, I'd still take that deal

I might well be up for that, sounds like fun. I might even have made a decision on my new bow by then!

My view? It's morally indefensible, and probably legally pretty dodgy. Obtaining money by false pretences. He's collecting "for the band", not "for my till". If he told them he was going to put the money in his pocket and pay the band the agreed fee, would they have given the money? I think we all know the answer to that one....

Disgraceful

The best advice I can give is to think of them as two entirely different instruments. Try both and see which you prefer, but as a beginner I'd say learn to play double bass, then playing EUB (electric upright bass) will be relatively easy. Double bass is fab, you'll love it

The Aria and the Wal, almost every gig