gjones

This is a gig I did a while ago, with Sandy Tweeddale, at The Jazz Bar in Edinburgh. It was a basically a jam, with guys I don't usually play with, but actually sounds like we know what we're doing. Sandy's an excellent blues guitarist when he's sober (he wasn't) and a pretty decent one when he's drunk. The rest of the band are sober though, so we have no excuse when we cock it up. If you like Blues, I hope you'll enjoy it. [media]http://youtu.be/XWt-YD-G7to[/media]

I joined a band where the drummer was awful (never came to rehearsals, never practiced, was out of time, extremely limited technique) but was the singer's brother, so could not be sacked. The next band I joined had a shockingly bad drummer as well. Because I'd put up with such a duff drummer in my previous band, I wasn't prepared to go through the same with the new lot. I told the guitarist and singer that their drummer was rubbish and if they wanted me in the band, he'd have to go. They agreed he was pretty crap and sacked him. If he's bringing the band down, then he needs to go. Maybe it will be the motivation he needs to gets some lessons. As my profile picks says 'Yer only as good as yer drummer'.

I got myself a Fiesta red, Squier Vintage Vibe body, on ebay (£70), a Korean Jazz Bass neck (£60) and a Fender Custom Shop 'Custom 62' pickup (£100). And I now have a very nice P bass. I've been playing it, exclusively, over the last few gigs and the more I play it, the more I appreciate what a P bass can add to a band sound.

I play my Jazz bass through my gen 1 compact and I wouldn't call the sound clanky? It's definitely a pretty full, bassy, sound but with excellent definition. I have a J retro fitted to it so have a lot of options on the EQ front. My amp is a GKMB500. We sometime play pretty loud and the cab deals with everything I throw at it.

GK MB500 into a Gen1, Barefaced Compact. It's a great sound and very lightweight. Both my Jazz and Precision sound excellent through it. Edit: Oh and it's bloody loud!

I have a set of these in my precision as well. I played a gig, going straight into the desk, at The Blues Kitchen in Camden a few weeks ago. The sound through the monitors was pure Precision. I also played a gig, at the weekend, with just a vocal PA. So that meant I had a chance to hear the bass though my amp and cab. The sound had great authority and a lovely wide, stage filling sound. I've really fallen in love with my Precision since I fitted these pickups. My Jazz has been relegated to number 2 spot, for the time being.

Whenever I have the chance to go 'amp free', I jump at it. You do have to have a competent sound engineer though, who can get you a decent monitor mix.

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1471980439' post='3117465'] Don't you just hate it when you sell a bass and, only a few days later, notice it for sale somewhere else for £550 more than you sold it for. Very recently sold a bass on here for £1100, and now seeing it for £1650 in Bass Direct ... The bass I just sold, unmistakably ... [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Wick_Streamer_1987.html"]http://www.bassdirec...eamer_1987.html[/url] Might not be the case, but if it was ... Would this be common practice around here, to buy bargain basses, and sell them quickly for profit? [/quote] I've had that happen to me on Basschat. The guy who did it was not a bassplayer, just a middleman. He used to lurk around here but I haven't seen for quite a while. Edit: I have to say that I have sold basses on Basschat (after a year or two of ownership) for a profit in the past but making a few quid was never my reason for buying the bass in the first place.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1472166812' post='3119141'] So which one is growl then? [/quote] At around 2.30 on this video you get the Jazz Bass growl http://youtu.be/NDMp3MREoK4

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1472037549' post='3117866'] We definitely play too loud. I know the sound is better when we turn it down. The PA should do the work and stage sound should be quiet. I've heard of pro bands where the stage volume is ridiculously quiet. I reckon it's our drummist that spoils the balance with the sheer volume of his kit. Maybe an electric kit is the answer. I know that constant loud volume is not good and your ears defence is to block certain frequencies. Trouble is, you think you can't hear yourself and turn up. A vicious circle with audience enjoyment being a. Casualty. [/quote] Yes, when you're playing with a full pro PA, sometimes the stage is the quietest place to be in the room.

I've been in situations where the crowd was packed (a rugby weekend up in Edinburgh) and the guitarist was so loud that my amp couldn't keep up and the drummer complained because he couldn't hear his drums (he could see himself hitting them but couldn't hear anything). Luckily I don't play gigs like that too often and would definitely leave a band that insisted on playing at that volume at every gig.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1471818193' post='3116180'] I feel the same. I make a small fraction if what I made when I was doing my traditional 9-5 insurance analyst job. Now I just love it when someone asks me what I do for a living and I say; "I play electric bass guitar and sing in a rock and roll band" Especially when it's some bloke who's intention was to "one up" you with his awesome day job. Blue [/quote] Yup.....it's a coolest job in the world, when the crowd is up for it and the place is bouncing.

Big and round it's a P bass. More punchy and growly, it's a Jazz bass. P bass thump with a Jazz bass growl, it's a Stingray.

Two basses in this John Lennon video for 'Instant Karma'. Guess which one is the real bass player? [media]http://youtu.be/4f5P5nQXlgw[/media] An explanation is here for the curious among you http://www.bpfallon.com/category/john-lennonplastic-ono-band/

They have a shop on Ebay too.

I've bought many a part from Stratosphere. Usually when my patience has snapped and I can't wait any longer for the part to come up on Basschat. They can be expensive when you factor in postage and import tax.

I have a vague recollection of breaking one at a gig decades ago. I carry spares though. I snapped one, tuning up at home, about 10 years ago.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1471539993' post='3113847'] Depends on the gig, for me it would be a "big deal" and unprofessional. Blue [/quote] A bass is a very simple instrument, it won't explode into a million pieces. Any emergency can be sorted with a set of screwdrivers. My pickups are connected, via solderless terminals, to the wiring loom. So no soldering required. In my 35 years of gigging, I've never needed to make a quick change because of a failing/broken bass. On the other hand, my guitarist broke 4 strings on his guitar the other day, during 3 different songs - two during the same song. Which necessitated an amazing 3 minute bass solo from yours truly (by the end of which, I bet the audience wished he'd brought along a second guitar )

Ive played at least 1000 gigs and never had anything major go wrong with a bass. I carry tools to repair any electronic issues. What's the worst that could happen? The rest of the band would have to go on without me. Big deal.

I play with pro musicians and do pro level gigs but have to have a day job to keep my head above water. The fully pro musicians I know manage to scratch a living but only just. Most are guitarists/vocalists and make the majority of their money doing solo gigs. Some also teach. A band gig is a luxury for them, as although a band will get a bigger fee, it has to be split 4/5 ways.

Make sure you have a blend control.

[quote name='fluffo' timestamp='1469983505' post='3102459'] [center]I've been thinking about buying a cheap Jazz bass, I have to real high end basses but fancy a Jazz.[/center] [center]So far I've come up with Squire VM/Affinity ect basses, LTD J204/214 the Sire Marcus Miller and The Revelation Jazz bass.[/center] [center]Lets hear your opinions and experiences, fire away.[/center] [/quote] There's a nice Japanese, Silver Squier, bass on sale on BC at the moment. Very nice, well put together basses. Edit - Actually there's two....

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1468844146' post='3093676'] In a nutshell - should you ask for payment before or after the set? We've done a few weddings before but always for someone we've known. This Saturday we're playing a wedding without knowing the lucky people beforehand. So far the groom has been the contact and he's been flakey to say the least - we were actually recruited quite late in the day for reasons unknown - either the previous band pulled out or maybe he's just spectacularly disorganised! We've been given a small deposit but aren't sure how to proceed with the rest of the payment. The rest of the band are insistent on money upfront or we don't play but I'm worried that could come across as confrontational. [/quote] I played a wedding, for an exceedingly rich banker, whose daughter was getting married. The wedding was held in a marquee, in the grounds of his estate. By the end of the night the drummer, whose band it was, had to hunt him down, wake him up (he'd gone to his bed by then, drunk) and get him to write out the cheque then and there. To avoid that kind of scenario, tell the groom you need the rest of the money when you arrive at the venue.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1468869091' post='3093943'] GK MB500...... Played a festival yesterday to 15k people...... plenty of volume through the 2 x 2x12" Aguilars for on stage monitoring. What else do you need? [/quote] My MB500 is extremely loud, punchy and extremely light.

Carol will occasionally put photos of royalty payment, documentation up on her facebook site, as proof of what iconic tracks she's played on in the past. Such as this..... [attachment=224532:13118847_991532104257630_2197201859138249044_n.jpg]