gjones

I joined a band, just as the other members decided to have children. They were all popping sprogs and buying people carriers, like they were going out of fashion. We were paying for a rehearsal room that nobody rehearsed in. After 18 months inactivity I decided it was a lost cause and joined a band that actually gigged, occasionally. I make it a rule now that I don't join a band unless the members are serious. No chartered accountants, Doctors, lawyers,, orthopaedic surgeons, financial advisers or dentists, with young families, need apply. The members of a band need to be hungry and love music. I class myself as semi-pro, with a professional's attitude. I don't want to be associated with dilettantes (my former band mates were all lovely people but liked the idea of being in a band, more than the actual reality of being in one).

Hopefully this will help. It's a review from another basschatter http://basschat.co.uk/topic/77602-archer-professional-double-bass/page__fromsearch__1

There's Jools Holland. Up here, in Scotland, we have The Quay Sessions http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05x1ylt I can't think of any other UK TV show, that is set up to specifically, broadcast artists, playing live music? Considering how popular music is, it's strange that TV companies don't make more of them. We have hundreds of TV channels broadcasting, mostly, total sh*te. Why don't they produce more shows like Jools Holland's. Bands would be queuing up to promote their tours/albums and they would be cheap to make. Does anybody else know of shows that I'm not aware of?

Get in touch with this guy on Ebay. He used to import Mighty Mite necks, that were very good quality and cheap (£100). A rosewood ban has just been implemented and rosewood necks cannot be imported anymore but he may be able to source a maple one for you. I have messaged him previously and he is very helpful. http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/bluebass320

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1500756621' post='3340052'] Well, yes. Same here. . . I was remembering the old days. Some days the high point of the evening is looking forward to R4 or the World Service on the drive way home. [/quote] Or 'Whispering' Bob Harris

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1501322673' post='3344002'] Aside from the 4 hour set I dont understand why he would insist on at least 2 lead vocals i a 3 piece. [/quote] Just in case one of them loses their voice.....which is very likely. I recently did play for 4 hrs, when the band that was booked to come on after us, couldn't make it. Luckily we know a lot of songs and we have 2 vocalists. But we had 15 min breaks between the four 45 min sets we played.

I'd like to see him jump up and down, on the spot, for 4 hrs. Then if he was still alive, I would call an ambulance. I'm very fair.

Whenever I've played through Laney gear, in rehearsal rooms or occasional festival gigs, I've always been impressed by the clarity and volume from their amps. I recommend them to new bass players, because you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Interesting.

If the wires from the pickup to the preamp are live and create a buzz when touched with a screwdriver, then it can only be the solder connections on the pickup itself. I recommend disconnecting them and resoldering them.

This may be exactly what you're looking for http://youtu.be/uClOQOApS1k

I've replaced quite a few 'over playing' bass players in my time. Guys who think that, just because the guitarist gets a solo on every song, that they should too. Or bassists that like to show off their incredible slap technique, on a Johnny Cash song. I can play roots and fifths all day long, if that's what the song needs. I know this is an amusing cartoon of a drummer but the same thing applies in the case of bass players too. [attachment=249810:attachment.jpg]

Start with some easy songs, by status quo or ZZ Top, or whatever. Then once you've got the hang of simple stuff you can try more difficult songs.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1500107855' post='3335634'] No more than others bring up they're not in it for the money. Blue [/quote] I'm with Blue on the money front. If your band is any good, you will be in demand. It's irrelevant whether you need or want the money, if people value your music, they will pay for it. My opinion is that, if you have an amateur attitude to whether or not you get paid for your music, you'll also have an amateur attitude to the music.

Excellent. My bass was stolen out of my car years ago (I don't leave my gear overnight in my car anymore - I learned my lesson) and a year later I found it in a pawnbrokers window. I was well chuffed, so I know how you will be feeling now

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1500496456' post='3338308'] I'm about to start with a function band. Are wives / girlfriends / partners allowed at private functions. Never done those knd of gigs before and i'm just curious as its a similar theme to OP's Dave [/quote] At any wedding, birthday, corporate event, etc, etc, that I've worked at, they usually provide hospitality i.e. food, drinks etc. The event organiser may wonder why they are setting up an extra place for the wives/partners of the band, when they aren't actually involved with producing music. The rest of the band may wonder too. Probably best if you treat it as a professional job, not a night out.

If you're looking for comfort, what about one of these? I used to have a Levey's stretch strap many years ago and it was incredibly comfortable. I saw this video, the other day and it reminded me how great it was. I have a comfort strap with lots of padding but after a long gig it can still get uncomfortable. I'm going to try one of these again (my original got lost along the way). They're not particularly expensive either. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ15SF_9f44

My old band got offered a gig at the HMRC fraud team's Christmas party. I kid you not. We made our excuses and wriggled out of it. I wonder if they would have paid us in cash?

[quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1499754868' post='3333274'] There is an awful lot of conflicting information on the net about this. Does anyone here have any experience of importing a neck (or a whole instrument) from the US to Europe since the start of this year? I understand that the rules changed in January. Any information gratefully received. [I am looking to import a Warmoth neck. They have the accreditations and will provide certificates...I am looking for information about what I need to do. I want to import it to the UK.] [/quote] I've imported quite a few necks from The Stratosphere in the States. But it seems they've stopped exporting because of the hassle. See Link [url="https://stratosphereparts.com/blog/regulations-for-rosewood-species/"]https://stratosphere...sewood-species/[/url]

I play with the same musicians in two different bands. The first band plays in bars, and our definition of a rehearsal is the guitarist and myself going through the chords to a new song, 5 mins before the gig starts. The second band plays festivals and ticketed venues and is a much more serious proposition. We actually rehearse new songs and decide a set list before the gig. It really does depend on you and your band's level of ambition. If you want to perform in professional venues for professional money, your band needs to put the work in.

The guitarist in my band has a 15 watt valve amp. He's very well trained.

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1499760748' post='3333342'] I saw the Killers along with Tears For Fears and Elbow at Hyde Park this weekend and the bass sound was awful. It's not the first thread on this topic but why do they do it? The PA at these big events is out of this world, they can pretty much have any sound at any volume they want, the control of dispersion is so good as is the integration of the relay speakers, you pretty much get the same sound at the back of the arena as you do up by the stage. So what was wrong, the bass was too loud and the kick drum even louder. The bass sound conveyed very little information. Tears for Fears used a Hofner look alike (Taylor I think) but you couldn't tell it from the P-basses we saw most of, and you really couldn't tell a P from a J even though some bands were swapping out between songs. You couldn't really tell a pick from a thumb. The bass was probably 10db above the rest of the mix and was distorting like hell on all the louder passages. Kick drum was at least 6dB up on that for a lot of the time, though less distorted because it was compressed to hell. There was almost a complete lack of mids and top for bass and drums. Kick and tom drowned out the cymbals snare and hihat. It just sounded like one of those in car systems with a boom box in the boot. the only band that got anywhere near a decent balance were Elbow though even then the synth bass was running into distortion. The Killers had the worse balance you could barely hear Dave Keuning's guitar if the rhythm section were playing and it stayed the same all through the set. Honourable mention goes to whoever was running sound for Callum Beattie on the smallest stage. Lovely kick sound as he was setting up but too loud in the first number. Then one by one the vocals and guitars slowly came up until by the end of the third song he had nailed the mix completely. I don't suppose anyone in the audience noticed it happening either, which is how it should be. You'd think the headline band would get the best sound guy, not someone who doesn't notice a missing guitar or his speakers hitting the stops. The bands were fabulous by the way. [/quote] I know Callum, I'll tell him to give his sound person a pay rise.

It depends on what kind of music you play but the two classically trained players need to break free. If you're playing stuff that repeats sections and you don't have a problem remembering it, then they need to step away from their score and learn the music. They have no excuses. Edit - After I wrote the above, I googled on the subject and came up with this. It seems many classically trained musicians find it incredibly difficult to drag themselves away from the dots. http://blog.brillkids.com/?p=126

[quote name='pnunes76' timestamp='1499623247' post='3332563'] Yes, I'm compiling as much information as I can, from websites to videos. Now, I'm choosing my first bass guitar, isn't easy. [/quote] These days there's no such thing as a bad bass guitar. They are all made to a pretty decent standard. Once you have it, I recommend learning a bit about setting it up so that it's easy to play (search for bass set up on google). It took me 20 years of playing, before I figured out how to set my bass up properly