Steve Browning

@Mickeyboro I am ashamed to say I don't know the name of your band. I'd love to come and see you guys play. I should also have pointed out that we do about 50% original material in our set.

You won't need to be VAT registered, unless your turnover exceeds the VAT threshold. You'd be claiming back the VAT on your costs but charging VAT to your customers (making you 20% more expensive). Let's say you buy (VAT'able) parts at £600 (incl £100 of VAT). If you plan to make £200 out of the bass you are looking at two possiblities. VAT registered you will charge (500 + 200) + 20% = 840 Non-registered you will charge (600 + 200) = 800. Being VAT registered also imposes admin costs so you would have to add those costs into your pricing model. VAT registration is a no brainer if your customers are VAT registered. Not so much if they aren't.

A lot of it is down to who you know. Teed Up have had the advantage of contacts that Steve, Ray and I have built up over the years. That said, many of these venues have long since disappeared. The more established venues seem to deal with the same nucleus of people, and so you get the same old faces appearing at festivals. You could try wearing a hat and walking on the tables. Seems to work for one act!! Europe is the place to go, for sure. Teed Up have played over there a good few times and the gigs there are pretty much alwas better. As long as you travel with your gear there are no restriction, as seemed at first. Of course, how do you break into that market? It's a tricky one. I would love to have the contact details of any agent in the UK. I don't know of any (feel free to PM with any anybody knows!!). Having something you can send out is always going to be useful. We recorded a CD a while back, and a live one is in the final stages of production (the new XR18 makes the process of recording simple). There's always Monica at Boogaloo. They do a good weekend and you are well looked after. She'll let you know what's needed. Some expectation of a crowd would help, of course.

Not sure you can stop nerves. View them as an asset and use them as a spur towards your preparation for the gig. Quite some debut.

Maybe lay it on its side? I was wondering what you meant about a wedding and then figured you mean the white rose buttonhole thingy. That was my daughter's wedding just over a year ago.

The desk is pretty tidy but the rest of the space is a litte compact and bijou.

Things have moved on since the days of the HiSys2s.

Boogie made two versions. The Diesel cabs were the usual black vinyl, while the Road Ready series were effectively built into flight cases that had a removable front.

Where it's warm.

I haven't had anything done to mine, no. Just bought the stock item. I bought the reveal version as they are more flexible than the lyric cable that DG uses. As he does, I also bought the speaker cables too. There's no suggestion from me that they're better than any other premium cable. It was just my decision to use that which was used by someone could use anything. Better is subjective, clearly. The Evidence cable proved to be more even across the fretboard.

It's some years since I owned a real Stingray but the Stinger sounds very close to my ears. As the bass transitioned from the stock SUB to this, I reckon it made the biggest difference.

My ability was never going to justify the cost of a 'real' one (or the amount of use it'd get). So, a Chinese SUB with a Stinger preamp and Nordstrand MM4.2 pickup, converted tounlined fretless, with a new rosewood fingerboard. Close enough for me to noodle on at home. Now, wherever did I lay my hat?

This, this and this. Imagine the force with which you'd kick yourself if they were a Fender with a 3 digit serial number, or one of only 20 made. Whatever the rule is, do NOT sell it. I absolutely guarantee you'll live to regret it. Maybe not for a few years, but you will.

Just got my SUB back. Stinger preamp and Nordstrand MM4 pickup. 10% of the cost of the Pino one, for 10% of the ability!!

Thank you, Phil. That is very interesting and, dare I say, illuminating!!

I wanted some new cables a while back and asked myself 'what does the man who can afford anything get?'. David Gilmour uses Evidence cables and so I got those. @rumblefish and I did a 3-way comparison with cables at various price points and the Evidence was noticably better (to our ears). Quie an investment, obviously, but one I was happy to make.

This is very interesting stuff. As you have posted the link, do you measure your own power requirement? I have always harboured doubts about using a single socket so it would be interesting to know if it was possible. I'll get one of those devices anyway but it would be good to have some idea. I'll certainly ensure the singer/guitarist is always utilising a single socket for his amp and the PA.

I guess I was a quarter right. 😄

You need to listen to some Ben Webster.

I presume the My Generation solo was played using flats. I know it was a Jazz and likely to be before rounds had been invented. I have a recollection that the strings were only available on new basses and he used more than one. That could be my memory playing tricks on me.

When my gear was flightcased, all the cases were blue. Everything else was black and so my gear was instantly identifiable. Even now, all my covers have a blue border.

This seems, to me, to be the best solution. Burning bridges can backfire on you.

To be honest, they do a job and little more. They play fine and don't have any of the sticking but I don't really like the sound much. Old rounds are ok, but you have to endure the twang to get there!

I have rounds on one of my basses. The band leader wants that sound. I'm ok with it, but I use the lowest value bass. I recognise the occasional stickiness of flats that you describe. I just lick my fingers a lot!!

She should have listened to the stage hands. They usually mark a designated area for each band to put their gear.