12stringbassist

I think having the bass(es) that you need to do the gig and good quality, reliable gear is everything. Add that to being in the right band with people who you fit in with and who play well together... On the other hand, add in rubbish gear into the equation.

This weekend my old band, The Kerbcrawlers, reconvened after a 10 year gap for two shows. We had only one rehearsal - the night before - as one of our guitarists went to live in Spain 10 years ago. The rehearsal was particularly hairy for me as my bass amp failed on me (once again - the manufactures had an email the next morning about this) and I had to plug into the PA, but we got through it and came away very happy. The first night was at The Boulevard in Wigan and we got a decent crowd of friends and family down and had a nice evening playing two sets both well over an hour each. It was just a really great evening - a different atmosphere from your usual gigs. We supported The Quireboys once in a small theatre gig and had that rare level of audience concentration and appreciation. We played really well that night. Everything fell back into place and muscle memory kicked in. The second night, we played a local venue and had to cut our set lists really short to clear the stage and make way for the DJ, who started at 12. We also didn't have that much of a crowd - because of boxing on TV apparently, but we were doing this gig for us. Various cameras failed on us and at this point, we only have the one song from the two nights, though we are expecting some audience footage to be passed to us soon. We really enjoyed the get together and don't expect to be doing it again as full shows.

The 'frontman being shy' thing... Similar to the poster's experience, an old band of mine were rehearsing a set and got a cancellation gig at a top local venue. We had to think up a band name at short notice then order the set list. The main singer / guitarist obviously hadn't done any prep on this and froze after the first song at the actual gig, which was totally unexpected. He just looked like he was scared stiff. A quick hiss of "talk to them" just got me a panicked look and I had to step up and put my best Noddy Holder impersonation into place. I have been doing it pretty much ever since. Not the end of the world. If the lead singer doesn't want to do the chat, someone who has no issues with it can take over. It always amuses me, watching Cheap Trick - they have the world's best singer - a very very capable speaker between songs at his own shows -- and guitarist Rick Nielsen talks to the crowd at the gigs.

I should use this more often....

I'm looking forward to seeing it myself. The backlash in the press about it seems a bit ridiculous. What do people want?

Never gig without a spare.

My understanding is that the P Specials with the Standard logo were built with USA pickups.

I have gone too far...

An audience just wants THE BASS FUNCTION from the bassist. Groove Bottom end Melody

1. "Whatever bass you play, you'll sound like you'' / ''It's all in the fingers'' I find that I tend to sound like me, whatever bass I am playing - I impose my sound on the bass to a degree. 2. "It doesn't matter what you play (gear wise), the audience won't be able to tell the difference" Whatever bass I play, I play it to please myself. The audience may just hear a bass noise. I have had a few people walk up to me and say 'I knew that was a Rickenbacker as soon as I walked in', but I think they knew as soon they actually saw it. At the moment I am favouring a Player series P over everything else and it's just such a solid sound. I set up my sound for myself first of all, to fit in with the band mix, so it sounds like a bass should. So, going by that thinking, the audience should maybe not be able to tell what bass it is I'm playing just by listening?

Guitarists can be replaced.

Physical product every time.

Bison with 3...

Not last night, but very recent. A pub landlady texted me and asked if we could move our gig from Saturday to Friday, which worked for us, as we had been offered a better playing gig in Liverpool, which I was about to have to turn down. So our free Friday (which was due to a cancellation) was now filled and we had a much better gig on the Saturday. All good. Mmmm... We played on the Friday, to a considerably smaller audience than we usually would have got there on a Saturday. Our usual crowd probably came the night after, as it was done to us at very short notice. We played to a three quarters full pub and went down really well. I reminded the landlady that she had underpaid us in January and that she had made a note of it in her diary, as the till had gone upstairs and she couldn't pay us the balance at that time. She blew up a little at this awful accusation and then stomped off to get her diary. There it was written down. She slowly calmed down. She said she would be in touch about next year's two dates (lots of bands, so only two dates). We had already been texting to and fro and she wasn't getting the diary out. I smelled a rat weeks ago. I texted her for some return dates in 2019 and there was no reply. I then saw she had put my old band in three times. I called in, later in the week, on my way to somewhere else, seeing as I was passing. She told me that we had 'lost the crowd because of the songs we play' and she wasn't having us back. Being too much of a gentleman to point out that she moved us to the slow night and also being slightly relieved, as I have never liked the load in and out, the beer, or some of the punters, and beamed at her and said "absolutely no problem". It was one of the venues I wanted to dump next year anyway. We played to 2000 people in the same town a couple of weeks ago and didn't lose the crowd. Personally I am pleased to lose the venue. We've only done it because our drummer's wife is matey with the people there. That's a bit of a mess-up on their part..

From the initial post, I would ask them for a list of dates, with the ones that they want you on asterisked. Then make a decision. I personally would not want to be in a band that drops musicians as per the main two people in the band, then picks them up again. It's not you. It's them.

I've been gigging for 41 years or so now. What I have learned is to play what suits the song. To sit down and learn songs rather than just busking it. Play with players who are as good or better than myself and make damn sure I keep up. Not to take duff musicians on, as the band will only go to their level. Let mistakes go and try to laugh. It''s not all about me. To try to 'project' while playing and to talk to the audience. To try to smile sweetly when a venue dumps on you. Perseverance.

Thanks, guys.

Has the Bass Guitar Magazine website been abandoned? It appears not to have been updated for several months? The new news is from February? http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/

The lineup has a lot of potential. I imagine the rewards are pretty good (a pension boost) and Neil Finn wouldn't have taken it on if it felt wrong in any way to him. He pretty much does what suits him and if this didn't, at any stage he would have opted out. I reckon Finn will continue to do solo things and maybe reconvene Crowded House between Fleetwood Mac tours. Mike Campbell is a dream addition to most bands.

The Ibanez: Customised Ric Mapleglo Ric Fireglo He has also been seen using a White Ric.

Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton lent genuine Rics for the Jam exhibition last year as I recall. At the time of In the city, Bruce Foxton was certainly using an Ibanez copy. By the time of This is the modern world, enough money was coming in to enable the band to buy the guitars and basses that they desired. Bruce had several Rics. I understood that the Rics used in the videos later on were used on the recording sessions.

I never thought I'd be able to do anything like this, as there is so much going on, but... put the work in and you can.