BillyBass

That Shavo amp is mow out of stock ☹️

I had a chat with the singer about where I stood and I think she is worried I'll walk out and so she has promised to back me up with pushing the guitarist on certain things, like being willing to travel more than a short distance to a venue to be filmed or gig, as long as I stop nagging him at the rehearsals. She also suggested setting a date to film a rehearsal at a larger venue we sometimes use, which will push the guitarist to be ready. I'll see how things go, we are auditioning a new drummer tomorrow; if he is a good fit I'll continue, for the time being. I know the guitarist won't change though, so part of me realises this won't work in the long term.

Although I am the one doing all of the organising, it's not 'my' band and I've tried to keep it as democratic as possible but it hasn't really worked. I've been playing with the drummer since the day lockdown no.1 ended. The guitarist came along early in 2021, March I think and we've had a few breaks with singers coming and going (no.1's visa ran out, no.2 moved out of London, no.3 we kicked out and then no.1 got a work permit and returned to the UK and rejoined us). We have learnt and dropped quite a few songs, often due to the guitarist not being happy with them for one reason or another (he's a rhythm guitarist, sometimes not comfortable with lead bits). We then had about 28 songs almost ready to go, and the drummer left. New drummer to audition on Friday and we have added 2 of his songs. I'm not giving anyone a workload, the added songs have been agreed by all of us and I have made a point of letting all of us choose some. The guitarist has a thick skin and I really don't think it has registered that I'm not happy. I am not aggressive or angry, I just nag a bit after sessions. The singer is obviously sensitive to it but knows I'm unhappy as I tell her regularly (we work together, she is my part time trainee).

Many thanks for all the replies. To give a bit more information, and answer a point @Happy Jackmade above, I joined a second band a couple of months ago. No singer yet (auditioning one in August) but the drummer and guitarist are both pretty much on the same page as me. This helps me put my other band in perspective. Up until our singer had a little chat with me yesterday I had no idea that me nagging the guitarist made her more uncomfortable than the guitarist did when he stopped the rehearsal to check his phone, cancel rehearsals at short notice or whine about having to travel more than a short cycle ride from his house to do anything band related. I have invested a lot of effort in this band and we were nearly there before our drummer left. I realise, as I type this, that a large part of the reason we are 'nearly' there is a lack of commitment from the guitarist.

I've been a bassist for 4 years. For the last two years I've been rehearsing regularly with a drummer and for most of that time we've been in a 4 piece with a guitarist and a few different singers. The drummer and I were on the same page, both started playing at about the same time and our goal was to play live. The guitarist doesn't practise much at home and often wings rehearsals, getting his phone out before songs to remind him how the song goes. I regularly nag the guitarist to practise at home but it falls on deaf ears. Our drummer just bailed. I found a new drummer very quickly and we will audition him on Friday. I met the singer yesterday and she asked me to stop nagging the guitarist as this is a just bit of fun and I'm not making it pleasant for her. She is used to flaky musicians and doesn't find the guitarist's behaviour to be out of order. For me this isn't just fun though. I take it very seriously, I practise at home constantly and in some ways, treat the band like I treat my business: if it is to be done it has to be done properly. Am I being unrealistic? Should I just be grateful I am in a band and not take it so seriously? I've invested a lot of time in this band and walking away would be a big step but I don't seem to be on the same page as the guitarist and singer. Any advice from you seasoned band members would be welcome.

I have Roqsolid covers for my two Barefaced One10s and Super Midget. I got the strap underneath for the One10s but didn't bother with the Super Midget cover, it's not necessary as the covers are a tight fit. I would recommend them. I have a Barefaced cover with my Super Compact. It has a Roqsolid label on it.

Sonically, I prefer the Xotic, I prefer a brighter tone and always have my (passive MIM J bass's) tone knob on fully. With a pick the Xotic was a bit too bright for me and the other two sound better, but one could always dial back the tone. Visually I'm not a fan of any of them but dislike the Alleva least of all-nice body, some about the headstock.

Lovely bass mate, enjoy! How heavy is it? and is there any neck dive?

I would visit Bassdirect and try out their extensive selection of basses. They are in Warwick. https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/CONTACT.html

That is pretty good. Where do you keep finding them?

They have been advertising for quite a while. After further investigation, it seems 'they' are a 3 piece that are advertising for a drummer and a bassist! So the main man, a certain Julian Molinero, appears to have been dumped by his bandmates and is now looking for a new band!

I have had two issues with my Barefaced cabs. Firstly, a One10 I bought new made a rasping sound when played at anything above dead quiet. The Bass Gallery took it back and over a video call with Alex or someone else at Barefaced they took it apart and saw that a piece of plastic that came with the cone had been left in after it had been fitted. Problem solved; The Bass Gallery apologised and someone drove it over to my house when it had been repaired. Secondly, a Super Midget I got second hand (and slightly worse for wear) from eBay made a noise when certain notes above the 12th fret on the G string were played. I had a long Email conversation with Alex. He thought it would be the tweeter so I bought a replacement from him and changed it. Nope, new tweeter made no difference. I ended up playing something through a looper whilst running my hands all over the cabinet. I found if I pressed the handle down the noise disappeared. So I removed the handle, cleaned it thoroughly, unbent a bit of metal and all was good. Alex refunded the money for the tweeter and I have a good cab. Alex and Barefaced were helpful to me and I have not been put off Barefaced at all.

Lovely looking bass that. I would have kept the gold pick guard. Cream coloured pups and knobs would be nice with the gold, but you like the stock pups so never mind. Enjoy your new bass!

There is a video on YouTube of an interview with Robert Gallien. He says the amp isn't designed for home use and sounds clanky and bright; this is on purpose as the amp is designed to stand out from the mix. This sort of made sense to me, and your post confirmed it, i.e. not a vintage amp and not for the Jamerson/Pbass/flatwound tone...but would probably suit me down to the ground. GAS is getting worse

Loads of bass players stand out for me. Special mention goes to (previously nominated) Geddy Lee and Tony Levin. @Lozz196 has already mentioned Bruce Foxton; one of my bands does punk/new wave stuff and the Jam covers we do really are a cut above, bass line-wise, and Bruce Foxton did all that while jumping up and down. So, as no one has mentioned Jean Jacques Brunel of the Stranglers, he shall be my nominee. The bass in the Stranglers stuff when I used to go and see them really stands out, like Lemmy's bass in Motorhead...as Paul Del Bello points out in this YouTube video:

I will be interested to hear how you get on with this, after the honeymoon period. I have never played through a Gallien Krueger but I get the impression they will be my sort of head. I like a brighter tone, I use nickel round wounds, and leave the tone knobs on my passive basses full on. My Ashdown RM800 is fine but I have a markBass head that is too dark and I might swap it for one of these Legacy 800s.

Very possibly, but is that FRFR with their heads or a truly flat response? I had been led to believe the MarkBass cabs worked well with their heads and I thought my experience of them was due to not playing them through their cabs. But maybe I was wrong; perhaps their tone just isn't for me.

Welcome to Basschat. I live in Barnet now but I'm originally from Tottenham, which is, I'm guessing, what you mean by 'North east London'.

Peach Guitars near Colchester has possibly the best selection of Fenders in stock in England at the moment. Bit of a trek from Hereford though. https://www.peachguitars.com/guitars/bass-guitars/

I'm interested in these. I own a MarkBass head but don't own any of their cabs. My MarkBass head has a bit of a treble roll off, with all the EQ set flat, and can sound a bit dull playing with fingers and a neck pick up. Having three options for tweeters could make for some interesting choices. I'm guessing that all the different tweeter options will work well with their heads but individual options might be better or worse with fingers or a pick, P bass or Jazz etc? I doubt many retailers will be able to stock all three variants of a given cabinet though.

Now with real rat fur?

The Schallers arrived and I have put them ion a couple of basses. I'll keep the rubber washer things on three of my basses as they are red and I have a red leather strap for them. The three basses using the blue and black straps now have the Schallers fitted. So half and half; I'll see how I get on.

I'm going to see Pearl Jam and the Pixies in Hyde Park on the 8th July. Next gig would be 'The Silent Era' in Camden Town on the 23rd July

Sorry to read about your experience at Peach Guitars @dclaassen I visited peach guitars before the pandemic, to try a limited edition Fender. I was unimpressed with the bass and didn't buy it but I was impressed by their service and felt bad I had taken up their time for no reward. Since the Pandemic that have either been closed to the public or now, it appears, pre-arranged appointments only. Shame really because its a very large shop with a pretty decent selection of basses on the wall.