chris_b

Doesn't sound like he's out of tune with the keyboard player.

All the macho and overly aggressive comments have a certain amusement value, but in the real world, if it is his band, he's fronting it and he's getting the gigs then (fact of life) you don't have to be on the same page, you have to be on his page. I'm not saying they don't exist, but I've not met many (if any) successful democratic bands in the last 50 years. It is a necessary evil, but there is always someone who is a driving force in every good band. So breathe, clear the air with him, settle things down, make him happy and (as we are hearing it's a good band) get on and enjoy the ride.

No upset at all. At this level of bass gear we're talking about preferences, often based on the smallest things, which add up to a decision that goes one way or the other. Making the right choice doesn't make the others bad choices. Markbass often gets forgotten in these conversations, but I've heard some players getting a great sound out of that gear.

If the band is as good as you say I'd need a better reason than the rantings of your singer to throw it all away. Seems to me that the singer is asking for commitment from the rest of you. Tell him you are committed but there are things that will get in the way and as long as he has enough notice you don't understand why there is a problem. This is why the better/more sensible bands use deps. Then the band can have a life of its own without the band members putting their lives and the lives of their families on hold for it. I can see some of his frustration. Some gigs won't wait a week for an answer. A text saying yes or no to a gig can be sent at any time. As I say, if the band's that good, work out the problems. Leaving is always an option but why put it on the table before the talking starts? That should be the last resort.

The watts "thing" was a load of ill-informed internet nonsense. I had a Staccato and the RH750 and these amps were certainly as loud as they claimed and sounded pretty good too. So there was no "con" just a lot of noise from people who should have better things to do with their time. If you use your ears then these amps are very good and do exactly what they say. The only issue I have with TC is they "forgot" to mention the fact that the amps that could run 3 cabs were actually 2.67 ohms. There was nothing special about their cabs and you don't need to buy TC to run 3 x 8 ohm cabs. I did that for a year or more with Bergantino cabs.

Keep the bass you have used the most. The others can be replaced.

My first "retirement" came when my world of pro bass playing imploded and I realised I had very little to show and no money coming in. On the advice of a friend, I got into the fledgling IT industry and started a shift job, a good move as it turned out. I refocussed my thoughts, sold my amps and cabs but I never considered selling my Precision. I always felt that that bass defined me as a person. It sat in a case for the best part of 10 years, only coming out for infrequent gigs. I was a musician who wasn't currently playing, but would at some time in the future. And I did. Sell everything else but don't sell your bass.

"Locking with the drummer" is about time and timing, but there's a lot more to it than that, and in order to be successful he has to "lock" with you as well. It's about the two of you working as one, being on the same wavelength, feeling the groove and dynamics of your combined playing (not the dynamics of the arrangement). It's about complimenting each other, lifting the song and giving it extra life.

Our band went into a junior school and played for the kids. They were invited to come up and talk to us at the end. I was the only one who was totally ignored. It didn't surprise me. Sir Isaac Newton was singer or a lead guitarist. He's the guy everyone remembers, he got all the glory, but Robert Hooke was the guy who discovered and invented so much stuff and many of the experiments and equipment that proved the Science. Newton was the poster boy but it was Hooke who made the Royal Society work. Robert Hooke (not a Sir) was definitely a bass player. (Google is your friend!) We are the unsung heroes, the guys running in the power stations, keeping the lights on, working in labs inventing a cure for the nastiest diseases, maintaining the buses, trains, planes computers and telephone systems. Do we need a pat on the back or are we satisfied just knowing that everything turns to stinky poo without us? We are the calm, witty and intelligent members of the band. We know we tie the band members together, ensuring they sound good. We know that we are the heart-beat and soul of the band. We know that and the band knows that. It's nice to get recognition from an audience but we can be satisfied by the simple fact that we know just how important we are.

So you've seen my band!

No mention of Jon Cleary? The musical high point of the last 5 years? Finally, a decent band on Later!

On a gig, I was chatting to the drummer, who is also a bass player, about the differences I was finding between my P and J basses and he said "Well, I can't hear much difference between them. You're making them sound pretty much the same!" I've checked back over various live recordings and unfortunately, he's right! I'm not sure I wanted to hear that. How was I hearing myself so wrong. Made me wonder if I knew anything about my sound at all?

For a few years I used GHS Precison flats. They produced a very good sound and didn't break the bank. I now use TI's which I got cheap but were still more expensive. I just think that when you spend £1500 + on a bass you should be signing up to the whole package. Like when I tried to put cheap petrol in my Volvo 850 Turbo. The engine only started to work properly when I switched up to the more expensive higher octane petrol.

You'd better believe it. That's why "taking the knee" is so important and why the Right are so keen to misrepresent it's purpose. The Centre for Civil and Human Rights Museum in Atlanta, documenting the Civil Rights struggle, will bring tears to your eyes but when you meet this attitude face to face it is truly shocking. On the same tour, in the early 70's, in our German hotels we met several ex-Nazis. One in particular still sends shivers down my spine. Civilisation is a very thin veneer. No matter what happens in your life, always, always, always be grateful you live in the UK. . . . and now back to our regular programming.

I don't know these strings but the thought that strikes me is why have a top quality bass and put less than ideal strings on it!

I had no expectations when I started playing bass.I just wanted to be in a band and I could play bass better than guitar. Then I saw John McVie playing with John Mayall and my future was sealed. Most audiences don't hear, understand or care about the bass and that doesn't matter. Some do, though. I regularly have people (not always bass players) come up to ask about my gear, style of playing and influences. It's nice when people notice, but the one person that always has to notice and you always have to impress is the band leader. If the band likes you then you're in business. Don't get confused, while they'll expect a good sound from you they are really only interested in the lines you play and how well you play them. If you can lock with the drummer, play good lines and make the band feel good, then that's your job is done. I did a dep with a regular band last week, with a (very good) dep drummer, and we nailed it from the first number. The band leader later went on to Facebook thanking the two of us for making the band sound so good. If your playing has made the band sound good then the audience will always notice that.

. . . oh, yes. . . then there was our brief and disastrous involvement with Don Arden. The drummer in our school band wanted to be famous so somehow he got us a week's worth of gigs with Don Arden. After 7 gigs in 7 days we discovered we'd been added to the long list of bands ripped off by Arden and his mate Ron King.

Mismatched and disastrous gigs? I've done a few. We were a Chicago blues band and the brides father booked us for his daughters wedding. Apparently he thought we were great! We spent the night playing in an empty room and they all stood chatting in the car park. We played in the Ladbroke, a pub now long gone, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and brawls just like in a John Wayne western would regularly break out! We were so surprised and shocked at the first punch up we stopped playing. The landlord rushed up shouting, "Keep playing or they'll turn on you!" We played right through without stopping after that. We were playing in the Officers club on a US Air Base in Germany in 1971 and a Captain got up to sing with the band. He was great. The best voice I've heard but we were fired on the spot. The other officers wouldn't accept him singing with our white girl singer. . . because he was black!! They complained to the club management and threatened us and our gear, ffs! We were playing the Windsor Castle, Harrow Road and the singer didn't show so the 3 of us decided to carry on. We played a few instrumentals, all sang (badly) and asked if anyone in the audience could sing. A guy in a suit got up and sang a version of Little Richard's Long Tall Sally in the style of Stanley Unwin (Google him). Then a girl got up and offered to do a strip to Green Onions. Well we thought she was a she! He was actually going through gender reassignment and while he had real boobs added still had the meat and 2 veg. That was a very enlightening 10 mins and the moment when he/she whipped off her knickers has stayed with me for the last 40 years.

Firstly, what kind of Blues Band is it? I've been in and out of bands like this over my whole playing life, and have mostly used a clean sound with the range that you can get from a BB2. I'm currently using either Super Compacts and leaning towards my 2 Two10's but I really miss some of the top end a tweeter can give. I've asked Alex for a "bright box" I can add when I feel the need for more top end, but he doesn't see one of those in his product range. Fair enough. To me "old school" just means less top end. I'm a fan of this sound but I also like the dynamics you can dial in with a Jazz and tweeters. IMO this also a great Blues/Soul/Funk tone.

The only thing I'd change would be to get a lighter Jazz bass. My gear has all been bought for a reason. It's all the best for me that I've found, so I would replace like-for-like.

+1 keep doing what you're doing. Most bands are at best temporary. If you and everyone else is happy with the band direction, keep going.

I'll be selling rather than buying in 2019. I want to get 3 amps and 6 cabs down to 2 of each.

Sadly Otis Rush died at the week-end. His songs were a staple of most blues band sets in the 60's and many blues gigs since. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3hrVFvxTfk

I would stand your sound guy in front of your cabs and tell him that's what you want to hear coming out of the FOH. Tell him to stop trying to be creative and just emulate the stage sound.

Are you using a cab?