paulbass

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1401440285' post='2463562'] There are probably a lot of other bands around the country playing a similar style to you in similar venues - you should find them and offer gig-swaps; they come and support you at your local - you go and support them at theirs etc... This way you're finding new venues & listeners and you know your music will be acceptable all round as you're similar to the other band. That was one of the things we used to do in my old band anyway, I assume people still do it. [/quote] I havent heard of bands doing this but is sounds a great idea. Could be a bit of fun and entertaining at the same time. Good idea Lw

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1401403014' post='2463417'] When I was playing the pub circuit, the 3 of us used to take a list of a dozen music pubs each. Call pub, ask to speak to landlord. Repeat until you actually speak to him in person. Introduce self/band, [u]get name[/u], offer demo. Send demo. Wait 2 weeks. Call pub, ask to speak to landlord. Repeat until you actually speak to him in person. He hasn't listened to it. Wait 1 week. Call pub, ask to speak to landlord. Repeat until you actually speak to him in person. He still hasn't listened. Explain you are taking your bookings for next year. He asks you to call back at x time. Call back at x time. Ask to speak to landlord. Repeat until you actually speak to him in person. Fix date and price. I estimate 10-20 phone calls per successful booking! (And for 'him' read 'him or her'.) [/quote] Ha! i like your style...i think i'll start my first of many,many phonecalls tomorrow! Thanks JapanAxe.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1401402084' post='2463404'] You have to be persistent when contacting venues - emails tend to be ignored, and you have to pester landlords/bookers to the point of embarrassment if you're going to pin them down to actual gigs. [/quote] I think i'm going to have to polish up on my persistent skills How do you get your gigs if you dont mind me asking?

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1401401135' post='2463393'] Some pubs and Landlords just aren't going to fancy you because of the material you play. We have a few grundge bands round here and to me, some of them just play the good tunes but some LL's will take a chance and some just don't think their perception and/or experience matches their customers. You may have to either stand by your choice of material and not get to play certain venues or you may have to change. I would guess a certain perception excludes them from quite a few gigs they'd want to do.. If fact, we were talking about just this today... [/quote] Hi JTUK, Its been a bit of an eye opener playing in a Heavy Rock band for me....i'm more into Larry Graham,Pino and PaulTurner which is a world away from what i'm currently playing but i'm having a blast playing with these guys and they are a good bunch.I guess its the challenge for me. I've done my share of club bands and wedding bands and i must admit it harder work getting gigs in a Rock band but i will also say that the people that go to Rock gigs are really supportive and absolutely love their music! Its a joy to play

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1401396938' post='2463333'] Think there was a similar thread here last week . ( need to get a life . Websites such as lemon rock are good. Facebook? Over to other basschatters .. [/quote] Hi Ray I did see this thread and we have tried lemon rock and we use fb a lot...most people that watch us notice the ads we put on fb and come to the event. I have contacted a couple of places using lemon rock but the venues never get back in touch or are fully booked.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1401395591' post='2463313'] Hire a suitable venue and put on your own show? [/quote] Hi Flyfisher, this could prove expensive and a lot of work. We would just rather play at venues that cater for Rock bands.

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1401400139' post='2463381'] Paul, I'm in a very similar situation to yourself, been round the block, current band is 3 years old etc and like you we can pull when we are local. We are in no way heavy rock but we do most of our gigs on the rock pub circuit, like I imagine you do. To be honest Not sure what you term as further afield. The furthest we go is about 45 miles, but that's only because the landlords used to be local to us and book us regular and have moved to Halifax. They know we're a decent band and we know they can run a live gig so everyones happy. We've been contacted in the past from gigs 30 odd miles away who have heard of us or we've been reccomended and have gone to them only to find that it's very poor turn out or worse the pub has an entertainment budget it has to spend and they just book bands and don't promote the event. At the end of the day we're an out of town band and we aren't going to draw breath, however we do a few out of town gigs that are so good at getting the right bands their punters will turn out for a new band because they are more or less confident the landlord books good bands. I know this doesn't really help with your question on how to get the gigs it's just that I think it's a bit of a double edged sword. Les [/quote] Thanks for replying Les, we dont mind a bit of travelling...maybe a hour away or so from where we are. We would just like to have a change of scene and play somewhere different. As long as we cover the cost of fuel etc we would just like to play for fun and have a laugh at the same time. It can be testing phoning places in other towns that havent heard of us and they never get back in touch. Pubs tend to go with the bands the know rather than gamble on someone they havent heard of.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1401399246' post='2463372'] Biker festivals - pretty sure they would love your material. [/quote] Getting onto the bikers circuit would be excellent,we have done a couple of small bikers festivals and would love to do some bigger events as they are a blast! Its just finding out how to get in touch with them. Thanks for the reply JapanAxe

Hi Everyone, I've played in all sorts of bands over the years and played many gigs. I'm currently playing in a Heavy Rock covers band playing the likes of AC/DC,Iron Maiden,Guns and Roses,Wolfmother,Living Colour etc...and I've never played in a Rock band as heavy as this before and its really good fun! The issue we have is that not all pubs like this type of music and its proving a little difficult to get gigs further afield. We've been together as a band for nearly 3 years and we have a strong following and we do a decent job of getting a good crowd when we play locally and we always get asked back to play another gig (We are based in Hereford). We consider ourselves experienced and capable musicians and we just love playing music and would be willing to travel as long as its not hundreds of miles away but how do i go about getting suitable venues for us to play? Obviously we wouldnt want to play in some sort of club where the people look forward to their bingo during the interval (Been there and done that! ) Thats just not us, but playing Rock pubs or Festivals would suit us more. I'm not sure if using an agent is the right way to go as we just want to play for fun and play in the right venues. How do you guys and gals get your gigs further afield? Any help and advice would be appreciated Many Thanks,Paul

Done!

I ve never broken a string or had bass amp/guitar failure in over 20 years of gigging.I have had a strap break on me which was embarassing as the bass hit the floor! Although i'm lucky enough to have a spare bass i never take it as back up to a gig....got plenty of straps as back up though!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1400853367' post='2457579'] Good - we need to rein in the puns as they stirrup too many emotions. Let's keep it all nice and stable. [/quote]

Hi, Squires are a very good start and are quite highly rated on here. I did venture into a music shop a few weeks back and i was trying out some basses and i was very impressed with the Ibanez models. I'm not sure which models they were but they were all under £300. The build quality,action and the sound they produced made me think that if one of my kids ever wanted to start playing bass i would have bought one there and then. I've had a Hartke amp for 15 years and they are very good....easy to use and very very loud. The head was a HA2000 which is quite old now but you can get them for less than £100 secondhand. This was used with a 4X10 cab. Good Luck and have fun on finding your bass!

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1399796502' post='2447623'] I love the look of it but this "[color=#474747][font=FontinSansRegular]The neck pocket has had a small patch of wood routed and then a shim put in." [/font][/color]worries me a bit. [url="http://andybaxterbass.com/details.php?id=559"]http://andybaxterbas...ails.php?id=559[/url] What do you reckon that is all about? Is it too much money for the bass considering this butchery? [/quote] Hi AntLockyer, Its quite common to put a shim under the neck, it helps to lower the action by raising the neck if there is no more adjustment at the bridge. I've recently done it to my 1986 Fender jazz and it plays like a dream. The bass in question needs to be played for you to get a feel for it. Providing the action has been set up properly the shim shouldnt be a problem and nothing to worry about. Its a lot of money to spend on a bass if your unsure about it.

I currently use a RH450 with a RS210 cab and that can hold its own. I've gigged with this set up for just over 2 years and it is plenty loud enough. I have on occasion used a bottom cab (trace elliot 1518c) to give me more headroom and that is loud!. At the end of the day you can only be as loud as the drummer and if you plan on bigger venues then i would advise going through a Pa. This amp does have an excellent DI and every sound engineer i've used has always complimented me on the quality of the sound. If i had to fault the RH450 it would be that the buttons tend to develope cracks in them.This is a common thing with these units but it doesnt effect the amp at all. Hope this helps

[quote name='kevvo66' timestamp='1399191795' post='2441804'] Hiya, people,heres my problem sorry I'm sure this as been asked a zillion times ,I'm running two ashdown cabs with a Warwick profet 3.2 head 300watt, 8ohms, just not cutting through the mix these days, I'm up against two valve amp using guitarists, my question being is time for bigger head I can't really push the head anymore for fear of killing it,the cabs seem okay with my eb180 head but alas she's semi retired now so is living a quiet life now, oh the dreaded clipping at high volumes on the warwick. The warwick for sale on here can't give away lol,any ideas please.confused and p%**ed off. Kev [/quote] Consider a Hartke head...good price and very loud.Secondhand ones are excellent value. I used one for 15 years and it was a superb amp. They are never lacking in headroom and are quite versatile.

A few years ago I had a strap snap on me....in the mid song and in the bridge we all stop and the drums carry on with the beat and we all have our hands in the air and clap in time with the drums( you get the picture). Thats when my strap broke,bass on the floor and all the strings ringing. Highly embarassing and to add insult to injury is caused the body of the bass to split. I now swear by strap locks! Whenever i look back at that i gig it makes me laugh but at the time i could of died!

Have you tried a rubber drill bit? they will bend to any angle you wish....you find them in most DIY's next to the glass hammers

Thanks for the positive comments guys! I have a gig next week and will be putting her through her paces. I'll put some pictures up soon

Hi all, I'm a little excited that after playing bass for nearly 30 years i managed to get me a Fender Jazz power Bass MIJ. I've never owned a Fender and i dont really know much about them as there are so many types and the prices vary depending on what model you get. When i was young i always thought of them as an 'old mans guitar'.....how young and naive was i!? I currently play a Warwick Thumb bass and i've had it for the past 8 years and fancied a change. They are completely different in many ways and i hope the Fender gives me as much pleasure as what the Warwick has. I wouldnt like to think i'd part with either of them but if i find the Warwick gets unused or i didnt take to the Fender i would rather sell one of them as i feel they need to be played. Time will tell. What do you guys and gals know about this type of Fender? Have any of you use one of these before and if so whats your thoughts on them?

he has a top bassist!

The piece of wood the you play will take you on a journey and you will get to meet all kinds of people and form many new friendships.In my experience always be honest up front to fellow members and to yourself about how you feel and what you enjoy.Also a band is very much like dating a bird(or bloke) its about give and take but also compromise. Hone your art and learn to develope your playing skills to the drummer...thats very important. As a band it sounds like its early days for you,just keep it tight on bass and enjoy your playing. I'm afraid that politics within any band could spoil it but thats something to recognise and learn from.That happens even to the top bands When i first started out and even now there are some tracks i dont like playing but i've learnt to put my own personality to the basslines which in turn makes you grow and gain confidence and enjoying playing the tracks. Hope this advice helps and stick with it but most of all enjoy playing and meeting fellow musicians. Good Luck and enjoy the journey!

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1382471653' post='2252657'] Nothing wrong with that, enjoyed it. Some mates having a blast and playing pretty darn tastily. No one here ever play a cover version of a song that's not been quite as good as the original or what? [/quote] THIS!!!

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1397546655' post='2424912'] THIS!!! I completely agree about the nickel. I only use D'addario nickels on my Warwick. [/quote] THIS!