12stringbassist

[b]Mentioning no names...[/b] I was offered the opportunity some years ago, via a friend of the band to audition for a new line-up of a band, who had had number one hits in the UK. Their bassist was leaving. Fortunately, I had been in a number of their soundchecks and had seen how the rest of the band were treated by one of the original members. He was pretty shirty to me once when we were supporting them at one show. No playing our songs (we don't). Don't over-run (we won't). Don't step in front of the monitors or the power will be cut on you (we won't). I was quite taken aback at how a very nice humble down-to-earth bloke could turn into such an utter arsehole, after I had been on nodding terms with him for many years. On doing the math re leaving my day job vs the fee per show, I declined the opportunity to try out for them. I loved the original band, but haven't seen the re-jigged line-up since 2002.

I haven't come across any bad attitude at all at auditions. Perhaps I've been very lucky. Have only done two in the last few years and both were very good experiences. It may be that an existing band selecting a new member may be finding it difficult to work through seeing a few people to replace a long-term member who's left them. People should always remember that it's a two-way process. They don't just have to want [i]you[/i] - [i]you also have to want them.[/i] I took the opportunity with the last band I auditioned for, to gently remind them that they had to sell themselves to me too.

[b] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][url="http://www.gearhounds.com/dean-john-entwistle-spider-bass-guitar-black-silver.aspx"][size=3]http://www.gearhounds.com/dean-john-entwistle-spider-bass-guitar-black-silver.aspx[/size][/url][/font][/b] [b] [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=3]Dean John Entwistle Spider Bass - Black / Silver Webs[/size] [size=3]List Price: $1,306.25 | Your Price: $799.00[/size] [size=3]|[/size][size=3] You Save: 39 %[/size][/font][/b] 799.00 USD = 503.29 GBP

You have to wonder how much they are going to be asking for this new version. I think I'd prefer it as a plain version, without the spiderwebs, to be honest.

Hamer Chaparral 12er Dean Rhapsody 8 Hamer 12er. Any more out there?

My white and gold model doesn't look cheap - and it growls like my Rickenbackers don't. Long reach for left hand. Great to play apart from that. Needs an extra long hard case. Weighty. Worth the effort, though.

Hope for us al!! Nice one!

and one more that shows the lighting tree. It doesn't show how the legs came out of front of my cabs, threatening to trip me up every time I went near my amps!

Found a photo that illustrates the problem with the soundman's gear and lights all over the stage.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1330273434' post='1554976'] Why was the bass amp supposed to go stage right? Why are you shining stage lights out into the audience? [/quote] Those are the offending lights (on top of my rig). They weren't very powerful. They were mainly decorative, to help create a bit of a psychedelic feel. I have always set up on the same side of the stage, due to my hearing. Custom and practice and necessity. It was also where there was a space left for me, as the drummer had turned up days early and was already set up and mic'd up. The guitarist had sod all space too. The fact that all the soundman's gear left so little room for the band and that he bawled like a baby about me muttering that i wasn't going to get my gear onstage was the issue. There are four venues I will never go near again in my life and that one is the top of my list.

Just a few gems from my former lead singer in a pseudo blues band. "I'm the clever one in this van." (when extremely p*ssed). "You all aren't playing the songs how I want them played." (when extremely p*ssed). "The bass player is trying to take over the band" (because he did a website that generated work and took bookings, when the singer was extremely p*ssed). "I could play with an out of tune Salvation Army Band and they'd still clap, because it's me". (when extremely p*ssed).

- -

I played at a venue in the Lake District last year, which I won't name. It had a ready-set up PA and lighting rig in a new outbuilding. Plus an InHouse 'soundman'. This was fine, except that the legs on the lighting tree and the power amps for the PA were situated at stage right where (ideally) the bass rig would go. he had mic'ed the drum kit up and had cables running over the space where the bass rig belonged. The result was that I had to forcibly cram my rig in, after muttering about having to putting it back in the van (along with everything else) and the sound engineer having a truly enormous and childish sulk. The 'sound engineer' then proceeded to get us the worst imaginable sound (it was all mid) and then moaned that a bank of 4 small stage lights that I put on top of my bass rig got in his eyes from the back of the room, as they pointed forward. What a control freak prat. That was really a trip not worth making. The landlady actually later sent me an abusive message through another site because I had upset the sound engineer. In addition to this she went on at length that my old band had cancelled 3 shows at a venue she had previously had (NOT my decision) because her idiot husband led the chants to boo bands off there. She needs to get a grip.

PMT on Regent Road in Salford (used to be one of the Sound Control chain) is an excellent store and I've bought a number of things there. The manager is an absolute gentleman. Staff have never hassled me at all and are always helpful. One recent bass I bought they wouldn't price match for me, so I drove to Liverpool and bought it from Dolphin instead. I'd give them 8/10.

I have a similar one - wonderful machine. Someone should snap it up.

For gigs usually 3 (either a set of active basses or passive). In the studio it's been 4 basses 12string, Fender P, Ric 4003, Warwick Streamer. Have also used a fretless.

My 3 pointy ones: Gordy XR fretless, Epi 58 V, Aria ZZB deluxe.

I had this one in the early - mid 80's. Action to die for and knobs that actually went to 11. Lovely to play and record with, but I couldn't get it to sound ballsy, no matter what I did with it. Ended up selling it, as I bought a Fender Precision Lyte that outperformed it.

It will cost you nothing but time to follow the dispute process. The seller may stiff people in other ways regularly. Rogues should be outed. I'd post the gist of your initial post on here as negative feedback.

I'd say US Standard.

Retrovibe RV5 - Can't recommend it enough!