chris_b

I'm not sure about that. Many years ago we had a slot at the Reading Festival that was a real poison chalice. We were on between Status Quo and The Faces. Quo fans didn't want them to stop and Faces fans didn't want to waste time with us, so we were being booed by everyone in the festival! A Party 7 sailed out of the darkness, bounced off the piano and, fortunately, over our heads. At least in a small venue you can see who the enemy is!

Depends on the musicians. Obviously a full room is preferable, but I can play easily to an empty room if the band, the drummer and the set are good. Also, if the only person watching is the promoter then you've got to give 110%, to prove that the empty room is not your fault.

Very sensible. Most people underestimate how bad they look on a stage wearing shorts. I used to gig with a guitarist who had ultra thin, ultra white and hairless pipe cleaner legs. With his rotund torso he looked like a joke in his shorts. It was beyond embarrassing. I've done many stupid things in my life but gigging in shorts was never one of them.

Diplomacy is always the best option. All questions like, "Does my bum look big in this!" etc are better left unanswered. IMO there is no good part of a sh!t sandwich. So leave the autopsy for the band.

That's why I emphasise buying good cabs. The best cabs will combat that woolly/boomy-ness in bad rooms.

I've done charity gigs that I've been paid for and I have no problem with free charity gigs, as long as we are not being taken for mugs. So far I've never met a band that where playing in other bands was forbidden. I've been in a couple who insisted their gigs came first, but that was understood from the outset. Back in the day, when I was on a retainer I did more gigs with the pub band than I did with the main band. The drummer was also in a second band. As long as we were available whenever the phone rang, it didn't matter what we did with our "downtime". I wouldn't have anything to do with someone trying to control when, where and with whom I played.

Was it a one-off bad gig? Why do you have to say anything? He was a friend before you knew how bad this band was, so just continue being a friend and ignore the band thing.

My playing style is a mix of John McVie, Duck Dunn and Bob Babbitt. The sound in my head is those guys, with a massive dose of Nathan East and all the guys Keb Mo has used on his albums in the last 30 years, especially Reggie McBride. IMO buy the best gear you can find, especially the cabs, and make sure each part of the signal chain compliments all the other parts. I am terrible when faced with an amp full of sliders. I have no idea what to do with all those frequencies and it all swims before my eyes!! I'm happiest with 3 controls. If I can't get it done with bass, mid and treble I bought the wrong amp. My Aguilar amps are perfect. Whoever designed them had the same sound in his head as me. All the controls are set at 12 o'clock. I rarely change the amp EQ from one gig to the next and never once the gig has started. I don't use pedals. I'll always bring 2 basses, usually a Jazz and a P, and I'll play the one that sounds best on the night. I'm usually sound checked in less than 20 seconds.

All you have to do is turn up on time, know the songs inside out, find out what they want of you, be pleasant, efficient and to the point. I haven't done many auditions in the last 25 years but one stands out. I arrived on time, to find I was the first one there. Only half the band bothered to turn up and when we started, nearly an hour late, I discovered I was the only one who knew the songs! Even the guy who wrote the songs couldn't remember the arrangements on the record! The record company guy who was in attendance spent most of the evening apologising!! @MacDaddy is right, you are auditioning them as well. They failed!

The "what then" is not very comforting. It's one of the risks of owning such products.

You guys are lucky I sound like Kermit gargling with porridge.

212 cabs are great, I've had several, but IMO splitting that up into a modular 2 x 112 rig makes more sense. You can use 1 or both and transport, stairs and living on the upper floors becomes much easier, especially when a cab can weigh as little as 10kg. Some 2 x 112 rigs can be much louder than large cabs, like 410's, 610's etc.

My life as a bass player would have turned out very differently if I could sing.

Recommendation, being at the right place at the right time, being available, being seen. After that it's all about making others want you on the gig, getting your name to the top of their list.

Same here. I usually ask the drummer if the bass is OK for him. Most of the guys I play with have good ears and it's always good to get confirmation from someone you know you can trust. I rarely gig with a different amp. If I do it's at a festival and whatever I do probably won't affect the sound out front. If the amp has an active EQ, always start with the controls at 12 o'clock. I don't care what I sound like at home. I'm working on songs so the sound is the least important thing going on.

Maybe for some, but sadly not for me, which is why today my 112 cabs weigh 10kg each, and I often use a trolley.

I get that some can'/won't do this, but IMO we should all be able to separate work from play and, if we do it properly, enjoy both. I depped for a cover band on Saturday and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. The set, band, venue and audience made it a great night. On Thursday I'm gigging with my old fashioned R&B / Rock n Roll/ Ska band. It not really my thing but I expect everyone to be dancing and having a good night, so I will too. Saturday is a dep with a pickup band and, as yet, I have no idea what songs we will be playing. I'll probably find out when we get to the gig!! The jury is out on this one! Sunday is my regular Blues Band. That will be a good evening with an appreciative audience, sitting and listening. Variety and good players keeps it interesting, a happy audience and getting paid makes it worthwhile.

Old school flats? Don't try to find a set of flats that feels like a set of rounds. That's not what they do. Get the heaviest set of LaBella flats you can find, and love the thump.

All good crowd pleasers. That's what Top 40 cover bands are for. I have no problem depping with these numbers in the set. At least I don't have to learn 15 songs that I'll never play again and suffer a lukewarm response from the audience. One song which always raises the roof is Hi Ho Silver Lining. We only have to play the first verse and the audience sings the rest of the song, louder than we're playing! I'm sure the band gets rebooked once a month on the audience reaction to that song alone!

When I was in a duo with an acoustic guitarist I used an Aguilar TH500 and a Bergantino AE112. The tone was incredible. I'm still using the TH500 but the Bergs went awhile ago. For small and quiet gigs I now use a Barefaced Super Compact. Again, beautiful tone.

It was the Sadowsky SBP-2 preamp pedal. I see there’s a version 2 out, mine is v1. I just used my Cort Jazz on tonight’s gig and the preamp worked well.

Hearing protection is not an area where anyone should be cutting corners. Just saying! I've used ACS at Santa Pod, NFL games, concerts and gigs for the last 20 years. A drummer friend has used both and rates Loop Ear Plugs, but I'm sticking to ACS for now.