Franticsmurf

Good luck. Hope they're a decent bunch.

I use an unmodified pair of those with a Cat5 cable for longer cable runs to the desk. The DI from the bass and my Mic output goes through it and it tidies up the stage - also lighter and takes up less room in the gig bag.

My main band plays for charity in the sense that the fee the band charges goes mostly to a chosen charity or charities (we get a say at the start of the year) with the balance going to the upkeep of the village hall in which we rehearse for free and to fund band purchases such as PA, travel etc. Almost all of our gigs are private functions for which we are booked and charge a fee. Occasionally we will lower or waive the fee if the gig is itself a charity event. A few years ago we took a gig for an alleged charity weekend for which we were recompensed with a token for half a pint of cider. Afterwards it appeared to have been more of a promotional festival for a local business. I explained to the band that if asked, I wouldn't be doing it again. Indeed, the band were asked the following year and I didn't play, although some others did. The band have since decided not to do it again. I'm not averse in principle to playing charity gigs for which I end up out of pocket. As someone has said above, it's like a donation and that's fine. But just like cash donations there's a limit to what I can afford and so lengthy travel, unusual expenses or other less definable elements will play a big part in my decision of whether or not to play. And, of course, the charity cause will also have an influence. In previous bands I have played paid and unpaid charity gigs. Usually it was at the request of one band member as a favour for a particular cause. In one case we played for exposure (in fairness the organising venue didn't try to persuade us with the line but we recognised the opportunity) and we did get another paid gig from it. In other cases, while not looking for it we have taken bookings at or following charity gigs which have more than covered any expenses.

As has already been said, yes they do. There are LEDs in each leg that can be programmed (with a small remote) for a variety of patterns. I think they look great and, of course, there's the added high visibility which hopefully keeps punter clear. The singer also has a light-up mic stand - it resembles a perforated steel tube about 30mm in diameter with the light coming through the perforations. IN addition last night we had two small LED lights pointing at the bottles.

Edited with additional photos. Another dep gig last night with my 'new band' (I'm getting to be more regular than their regular bassist) in the smallest venue I've ever played. There are a number of small shops, coffee bars and alcohol bars in Mumbles that appear to have been set up in former domestic housing. This one was in a terrace of 'houses' and was pretty much the living room and dining room knocked into one. We were a 5 piece with keys set up across the narrow width of the room at the back, with keys, electric drums and me against the beer wall (see photo) and the singer and guitarist in front of us. I was at the end that bordered on the narrow space between the end of the bar and the passage to the toilets. Fortunately, I'd been warned about the space and took my EHB1000S. Even so, I felt like a drawbridge all night, having to lift the neck as people went past. By the end of the night, I had two people stood next to me and another three directly in front, effectively blocking the route to the loos. Having been hit in the mouth by my microphone as the stand was jogged by a drunken dancer in the past, I'm never happy when the audience is so close and for the last 30 minutes or so I stopped singing (BVs) and moved the mic stand. Shortly after, it was hit by a drunken punter who had already lost her balance. Had she not been grabbed by her partner, she would have become part of the drum kit. All this said, it was a very friendly audience and there was no hint of ill will or aggression that often happens with such a crowded... er... crowd. From the off the place was bouncing and by the end of the night, all the chairs and most of the tables were occupied by dancers. The owner was dancing on the bar. The set was mainly 90s and 2000s rock covers with a few oldies thrown in. As I have mentioned previously this era of music passed me by at the time so when I first started with this band I had a lot of catching up to do. But there are some great songs that I missed out on first time around. That said, my two favourites in our set are 'Mr Blue Sky' and 'Born to Run'. At the end of the night, after the landlord had climbed down off the bar, we were given extra money over the agreed fee which is, perhaps, the most telling feedback. Once again I was really pleased with my sound, which was nice and punchy without booming. With a keyboard and drums going through the PA the potential for lower mids and bass 'mush' was high but we managed to keep the mix nice and clean. I was using the two TE 1x10" cabs fed by the power amp stage of my Peavey Minimax 600. The signal chain into the FX return was slightly modified because of the lack of space; instead of the floor pedal board, I had pedals on the amp itself (I have velcro strips on it for just such and occasion. The chain was Behringer TU300 tuner/mute > Ampeg classic pre-amp > Sine HPF (set to 40hz) > Behringer DI. We were debating whether to DI the bass but I didn't think the size of the venue warranted it. The option was there just in case. This was the first time I'd tried out my new XVive U45 IEM system. Paired with a set of KZ SAR earbuds, it was plugged in to the headphone out of the mixer and I had a nice vocal/drum/keys mix and some protection from the stage volume. On the feet last night were a pair of black Skechers. I had some nice compliments on my playing and on the sound of the kit. No photos or videos of the band have surfaced but here are a couple I took of the set up pre-gig. This is the width of the 'stage'. Beyond the speaker stand on the right is the entrance to the toilets. I was stood under the speaker with my head just brushing the underside of the cab. Sadly, the beer wall was not our rider. More photos have emerged:

A mere 6.30- 10, and a 10 minute drive home with no excuse for a food stop on the way for me last night. I was rehearsing with 'The Bartenders' - a scratch band playing on the 17th. They're guys I've depped with before but the music is mostly stuff I don't listen to regularly so I'm still picking up the little details. After a few years of relaxed social gathering style rehearsals with the Hulla, these sessions are more focussed, harder work and they leave me feeling tired. But I also feel a great sense of achievement and as I have mentioned in the past, it's revitalised my playing and my self confidence. It mostly went well apart from my faux pas in getting the key of one of the songs completely wrong. I even managed some decent backing vocals.

I'm in. I've managed to sneak in my IEM upgrade before the starting gun and I don't anticipate anything else other than a couple of professional set-ups that fall within the rules.

Thank you for running it this year.

Being a prog rock fan, I can't decide whether to aim for 5/8ths decent or 7/8th decent. 😂

Bridge pick-up on my Sterling 34HH through a Nux Sculpture compressor, Ampeg SCRDI, Sine HPF (40hz) and into the FX return of a Peavey Minimax 600 and thence into a pair of TE 1x10". I've been using the same combination for several dep gigs now as I'm very happy with the sound - punchy with a little bite and enough room to colour the tone with variations in right hand finger (and pick) techniques. I use the same signal path but DI directly from the SCRDI for my main band although I sometimes need a wider range of sounds and will vary the pick up combination and occasionally the Sterling's tone controls. Both set ups have received compliments for the sound from band members and audience members.

I was sort of agreeing with your original statement, in that I pick the bass that makes me look good in the band (in my head, looking fancy). Another consideration is the bass that makes me feel good - that I love playing, that will get me 'that' sound. When I'm in the zone with the bass, I'm probably looking as good as I ever will. 🙂

All the very best @Greg Edwards69.

I will choose the bass based on the type of gig - i.e. I wouldn't have played my headless bass at a recent C&W themed gig (Squire PJ). And an Eagles tribute night looked better (in my opinion) with me playing my Precision than my Sterling Stingray. And as they are performances, looks are important. Sadly, nothing can make me look particularly fancy. 🙂

The most I've paid for a bass was a brand new Sterling Stingray 34HH, which cost me just over £1000 in 2021 (and that was 'mates rates' from a local music shop). £1k is the benchmark figure I've used ever since. Apart from not having the disposable income or the frequency of gigs to justify paying more, I've been fortunate to find some bargains in 'B' stock or second hand instruments and I've built up a small stable of basses. My second most expensive bass is a 'B' stock American Precision which cost around £750. None of my other kit has cost more than £500 and I recently played a full gig using a £100 Squire PJ (with a £250 Ibanez semi acoustic as a back up).

I bought my only brand new bass in 2021 - a Sterling Stringray 34HH - which was meant to be the bass that would appear in all the band photos, the one I would develop my signature sound on, the 'One bass to rule them all and in the darkness bind them' instrument. Alas, my eye wandered and over the years I have bought and played other basses with various shameful excuses - it's too heavy/too big/doesn't fit the band image. I need a semi acoustic/fretless/headless/spare for stage. In my defence, the main band I pay with have such a range of styles of music (from C&W, through folk, blues, rock and heavy rock to a bit of grunge and punk although not all in the same gig thank goodness) that several types of bass seems logical and as we're a 13 piece, it's sometimes a tight squeeze on stage, so the headless basses come in handy. With a recent series of depping gigs, I thought I ought to get my act together and come up with a consistent 'signature' sound so the bands know what they're getting. Fortunately, the Sterling bears no grudges and together with my amp, cabs and minimal board it has found a place in my heart once more.