Gust0o

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1338372016' post='1673346'] That's just unhelpful bollocks mate, sorry. [/quote] Well, it's out of context. As in so many instances, generalisations fall at the first hurdle - [i]the guitarist is a knob[/i], being one. He might well be a knob; but it's more complicated than just that, surely? That's why I could only nail it down to happiness. If you're unhappy - with what the finished product sounds like; with the working arrangements; with whatever, then make your call.

Odd one, mate; we'd all react in different ways, so I wouldn't wish to colour your experience with my own emotions - you're not me, and I wouldn't want to give duff advice on the basis of [i]well, I'd do this...[/i] So, I'm mulling it over here, and I think the best universal I can distill it down to is: [i]are you happy?[/i] Some of those questions you asked of us, you'll have answers to - are you still happy playing bass? Would you be happy being a session musician? Would you be happier just doing something different? You'll know the answers to those and you'll be able to balance against any rewards or implications following from your decisions. Best of luck, chief,

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1338318268' post='1672728'] I'm quite chuffed. [/quote] Good for you, lah - it's a great feeling

[quote name='Ben Jamin' timestamp='1338306915' post='1672482'] I'm in my last 4 weeks of sixth form so definitely eager to start learning. The main issue is affording the car and the insurance/petrol/upkeep afterwards - insurance companies are particularly brutal at my age! [/quote] Probably worth adding, from the inside, that they don't really get any less brutal if you learn later.

Gus, play bass for And The Horse You Rode In On - nothing fancy, just good old rock. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moPyPzIbIQA&feature=g-all-lik

Probably a good bit of networking, this, if some of us happen to be local and playing similar stuff...

Ahh, well, we've been invited back - so plenty more opportunities to get some better samples! Got a slight fuzz going, balancing out some of the high end of the Ray and using the subs setting for some kick. Love it. Mind you, so did the first band.

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1338302737' post='1672391'] Lord, that was awful. [/quote] In one. Elephant in the room time, and all that.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1338299233' post='1672325'] Looks like a blast! Like the 'Fire' 'Desire' rhyming couplet in the first one [/quote] Haha, I try and leave it to the 'pros'

Ours: [url="http://www.facebook.com/andthehorse"]http://www.facebook.com/andthehorse[/url]

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1338289197' post='1672081'] First song of the night and you're already sweating buckets. Roll on winter eh. [/quote] f***ing hottest day York has seen all year, and my forehead is inches from the venue lights with not a breeze to be had - yeah, you could have plumbed me in Forgot to say - this is with the Mastotron!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1338244089' post='1671660'] Find a guy with a van who wants to be your roadie. Pay him an equal share and get him to fetch and carry as well as drive. Easier said than done but there you are. [/quote] As you're still young, you can try this option with a fellow you may know as "dad". Doesn't work for all generations, however. I'd have to pay a roadie to fetch and carry my da around.

Rocked it [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moPyPzIbIQA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moPyPzIbIQA[/url]

Yeah, thanks for reinvigorating rock and roll, Jimi - since you've been dead for a while, we didn't think you'd mind if we kept the fuss to minimum... and, besides, we're not getting any younger. Yeah, made my balls ache. In a bad way. The same kind of way airport scanners do, which makes me wonder. Still, the bassist in me managed to find time during the performance to wonder how Slash is allowed to smoke within the workplace - or is it not lit? The human in me didn't care enough to find out, however.

... to last [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S9OSDkeHIg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S9OSDkeHIg[/url] Sloppy; full of mistakes; godawful noise; and a good night was had by all

Really fun - if sweaty - gig last night, supporting Viking Skull and The Mercy House at Fibbers, in York. Top night of rock and roll on that bill; we definitely had the advantage of being the local lads, with a great crowd along - and I think all the bands had a good night; and kudos to openers RFG, we enjoyed the banter and would definitely play with you guys again! Naturally, I took up my shy and retiring position on stage left... and spot the splinting for the Carpal Tunnel! Think I just about passed it off as some rock and roll accessory! First song... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moPyPzIbIQA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moPyPzIbIQA[/url] Somewhere in the middle... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaphZ1PnRh8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaphZ1PnRh8[/url]

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1338210102' post='1670810'] If I'm gigging with a band/s I know well I will sometimes have a gentlemans agreement that our basses and amps will be each others back ups in the event of a failure. [/quote] That's a really good call, chief.

Probably revealing my skinflint nature, but I just use the Tesco's 9V batteries - seem a decent life for the price; that said, being one of those suspicious types (well, you could read that both ways, but I'll leave it out there) I do swap them regularly. I don't let them run flat and then move them on.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1338194093' post='1670497'] How do you use your gear? Do you throw it around? Are you rough with it? I'm not and the only thing I've needed to change on a gig has been batteries (and my bass is passive these days). I have never broken a string or used any of the fuses that I've carried for years. [/quote] Tempting fate, lah? But, no, I'm not rough with my gear; and I recognise the above, as it used to be me. [i]And then I had an issue[/i]...

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1338206236' post='1670735'] Let's just f*ck off all this blocks and dots and blah blah blah and just get some Pink LED's... Liam [/quote] Maybe in the shape of a giant erection, running up the length of the fretboard? Think about it. Now that's a [i]statement[/i]. An odd statement, but a statement nonetheless.

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1338200475' post='1670616'] The crippling realisation through my first gig when I realised I only knew how to play 2 out of 7 of the songs. This explains the puzzled/terrified facial expression in my picture! [/quote] Ah, now that's an easy one - turn the bass down and pretend, principally by rocking out on stage. Most punters will remain oblivious... and quite often the band, thus confirming how much they genuinely listen to the bass parts. I couldn't do it now, but in some bands...

Anyone coming along to see Viking Skull tonight (Fibbers, York)? We're second on the bill, should be a good night. Looking forward to a good gig, then hitting some deserved beers and seeing the Skull

You sit and weigh up the odds for a long while... until it finally happens, and you have a fault. It's a very steep learning curve when you're live on stage with a fault. So now I always take a spare, tuned and ready to plug in. But that's based on my means and my own priorities, and they won't be the same for everybody. At a minimum I would suggest a spare set of strings and the necessary gear to make a change. For anything else, like a loose wire, you might be willing to chance it and hope someone else on the bill will have a back-up. I'm not, so I take two. Very happy with my new Mono M80 bag - it's not half as big as I imagined a dual gig bag to be.

Tonight, buzzing!

Haha, some brilliant ones here. I've seen the drum kit move before, one time of which I stopped it; the other time I just mouthed "cost you" and "tenner" at him, before shrugging and moving on. Haven't yet spat a crown out; but there's time yet...