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Newfoundfreedom

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Everything posted by Newfoundfreedom

  1. Newfoundfreedom
    I've never seen the point in gigging (or even playing with) expensive gear. I mean if you want to go out and pay top dollar for boutique stuff, and you have the funds to do so, then fair play. But there's absolutely no "need" to. You can get a great sounding rig for very little money these days. My whole setup cost me about £750 (which to me is still not by any means cheap) split fairly eventfully between bass £250, amp £250, cabs £250, and it sounds superb! So in answer to the original question, absolutely! If it sounds good and gets the job done, use it.
  2. Newfoundfreedom
    I totally get that. For me that would be the ultimate buzz, but only if the song I was playing was an original. I can't imagine a better feeling than hearing a crowd singing back lyrics that came out of my head. Something that didn't exist until I created it. That would be superb! If they're just singing along to Wonderwall or some such, I may as well just be a CD player.
  3. Newfoundfreedom
    Maybe that's why I don't enjoy it. I'm probably not enough of a narcissist. I don't like being up there in front if a crowd at all. I find the whole thing extremely uncomfortable.
  4. Newfoundfreedom
    In glad it's not just me. It doesn't look any worse than any other Fender I've ever seen.
  5. Newfoundfreedom
    Fender ABY foot switch. You can pick them up for around £15 - £20
  6. Newfoundfreedom
    It worked for Alice Cooper. Although it still took him many years to get over using alcohol as a crutch.
  7. Newfoundfreedom
    People who met me would no doubt say I'm an extrovert. But a lot of that is due to the mask I've been wearing for so long that I don't know how to act any other way. I suffer terribly with anxiety and depression. But no one outside of my close circle of friends and family would know it or believe it. When you see me I'll be wearing my mask of confidence. If the mask slips, you won't see me. I guess that's partly what I find so difficult about gigging. I never know what mindset I'll be in on the day, and once a gig is booked there's nowhere to hide.
  8. Newfoundfreedom
    Thanks. That's exactly the way I've been looking at it. The band members are all good friends, so the last thing I would want to do is drag everyone else back and cause bad feeling. It's all been extremely amicable. It had just become obvious that we all wanted different things from being in a band. It's been a great experience and for the most part I've absolutely loved it. I just couldn't continue at the pace we were going. We played our final gig as a 6 piece on Sunday afternoon and it was great. Outdoors, walled hotel beer garden, sunshine, swimming pool, charity auction. It was a really nice afternoon and a great way to wind things down. I will actually miss it. The hardest part was explaining to the compare that this was our final gig when he came over to congratulate us on how good we sounded. He just couldn't get his head around us packing it in when we were such a "great band" (his words not mine)
  9. Newfoundfreedom
    A general hatred of the great unwashed would certainly qualify.
  10. Newfoundfreedom
    Superb! Well done mate.
  11. Newfoundfreedom
    My apologies. In the cold light of day it makes perfect sense. Last night, post gig and under the influence of several vodkas it was an unbreakable code.
  12. Newfoundfreedom
    Who does a what now?
  13. Newfoundfreedom
    I hate cricket and football even more than gigging. 😋
  14. Newfoundfreedom
    Sing Street is great. Kind of a similar vibe to The Commitments but I actually like it better.
  15. Newfoundfreedom
    Even at £100 you can still pick up some fairly decent stuff these days, especially second hand. My first bass was £90 back in 1990 and it was absolutely woeful. I wish I could have bought anything like the quality of gear you can get for that price now.
  16. Newfoundfreedom
    Having owned both. I'd take a "Vintage" over a Squier any day. Unless we're getting crossed wires. I mean Vintage the brand, rather than old beat up stuff.
  17. Newfoundfreedom
    Unless you're a banker (with a capital "W") or a spoiled brat. No one in their right mind is going to go out as spend a grand or more on a first instrument, when they don't even know if they're going to get along with playing it or not. So to me the definition of a "beginner" bass has to at least in part, mean it's cheap. That would mean, for me personally £200 max budget, and even that's being rather generous. Fortunately, quality wise, what you can get for £200 these days is far better than you could get for the equivalent money 20 or 30 years ago. In fact, I would say you could spend £200 on a bass now, that would keep you going and gigging for a good few years to a fairly professional level. It's almost a shame. I think everybody should learn on an a absolute POS. It sorts the wheat from the chaff and forces you to develop skills that will stand you in good stead for years to come. Then, when you finally upgrade to a good instrument, you will really appreciate the difference.
  18. Newfoundfreedom
    That's a very interesting perspective. Then it would becomes a job I don't particularly enjoy, pretty much the same as every job I've ever had. But it would certainly beat working 12 hour night shifts in a factory. So in that respect there would probably be a mental shift to it being not a bad way to earn a living. But the actual standing on stage in front of people and playing? Maybe if I was doing it "as a job" several nights a week I'd get used to it. It's surprising what you can get used to when you need the money. But would I actually learn to "enjoy" it? It's difficult to answer that as a metaphorical question. I honestly don't know. Edit Having thought about this some more, and taken on board what Bluewine said about "choosing the wrong band". As part of the same thought process, I do wonder if I'd enjoy gigging more if we were doing original material? As I said earlier, hanging around with my mates and making music is where the enjoyable part of being in a band sits for me. I like the creative part of it. Churning out cover versions has always felt a bit like serving up junk food to me. Yeah people will take it, and they'll probably enjoy it, but where's the satisfaction? (I'm not in any way having a dig at covers bands. Just expressing a personal view about where my own creativity lies) So maybe a change of direction is the way to go? Which is probably something I've been telling myself all along, but in the spirit of "compromise" I've just kept going with something I didn't particularly derive a great deal of satisfaction from. Anyway, it will be interesting to find out. 😋
  19. Newfoundfreedom
    +1 for the Gretsch Junior Jet. Cracking short scale basses. Unbelievably well made. Well priced considering the built quality, and they sound like thunder!
  20. Newfoundfreedom
    I beg to differ.
  21. Newfoundfreedom
    There's a couple on Amazon but it means ordering them from the States. https://www.amazon.com/TECHNOLOGIES-3110KL-05W-B30-D00-AXIAL-80MM-24VDC/dp/B00DJYAZCM
  22. Newfoundfreedom
    We're playing at 4 o'clock tomorrow too. 35 degrees forecast here. So it ain't gonna be pleasant. I always get nervous before a gig anyway, but I'm absolutely dreading this one. Your situation doesn't sound ideal given the lack of recent practices, but if you all know your parts I'm sure you'll be fine. Fingers crossed for you mate. Good luck.
  23. Newfoundfreedom
    That's what this band was supposed to be, but it all got a bit out of hand 😂 Lucky 4 out of the 6 band members are still kind of on the same page, and enjoy the social, hanging out making music side of things. They're also the ones, like my wife (singer) and I, who have more of a creative steak and want to do their own music, rather than just churning out covers that people will dance to. So once the dust has settled we'll probably get something together more laid back and relaxed. Without the pressure from the other two constantly wanting to book the next gig. Also that would then make us a 4 piece, drums, bass, guitar and singer. Which will take away a lot of the "herding cats" situation we've had with a 6 piece.
  24. Newfoundfreedom
    Yeah I agree. The thing is, I love to play, and I love to hang around with my mates making music. That's very much where the enjoyable "hobby" side of things sits for me. The problem is, the ultimate conclusion to this is to go out gigging. At least for most people who play instruments, and most people you're likely to form a band with. So it's kind of a catch 22.
  25. Newfoundfreedom
    On 2 occasions after recent gigs, other members of the band have had audience members come up to them and say that I'm a brilliant bass player. I don't agree. I'm extraordinarily average at best. (Not false modesty but an honest assessment of my skills, or lack thereof) I think it's probably more to do with my sound, which I'm extremely happy with and sits in the band mix beautifully. But still. I'm happy to at least be keeping up with the rest of the band, and I find for a bassist to be singled out as being "good" in a band context, especially from none musicians is quite rare. So I was pretty chuffed. But I would have to say, on balance, my absolute proudest moment would probably have to be this...
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