Franticsmurf

As a nipper I'd been to my mates with a bunch of friends - my mate played bass and guitar in the school orchestra and the rest of those present, bar me, played instruments and or sang. I was handed the bass guitar when we started to jam. I liked being part of 'a band' and shortly after saw a bass guitar in a second hand shop. It was £17 - I have no idea what it was. By the time I'd saved up it had gone. Then, for my 16th birthday my dad bought me an electric guitar. I taught myself to play it and by the time I went to college I was writing songs with my best mate from school, who was a drummer (and had been with me on that jam session several years before). I played guitar in the first three bands I was in (playing predominately originals) but they got nowhere and I began to realise that everyone played guitar better than I did. And also that we always had problems with the bass guitarists. I was offered a chance to play in a covers duo with another mate - he wanted a bass guitar player and by this time I'd picked up the 'bassics' while recording originals. I enjoyed the bass and when he suggested getting a drummer in I was suddenly in a band. Since then (that would have been about 1993/4) I have mostly played bass in the bands I've worked with. Occasionally I'd take on rhythm guitar duties and during a 3 year period in a 5 piece I'd swap bass and rhythm guitar roles with another member of the band. But I always came back to bass an always described myself as a bassist who plays a bit of guitar. I still have some of the fire - it depend on the music I'm playing and the people I'm with as I tend to feed of other people's enthusiasm. I'm currently learning a set of covers for a one-off dep for a mate and I'm struggling to get any 'fire' as I don't know most of the songs and none of them really inspire me to play. I changed in terms of attitude from 'whatever' (when I first started in a cover band - it was the attitude of the guitarist/singer to playing songs properly and it rubbed off on me as we were very busy) to 'I want to play my best on this' which is my approach to everything now. In terms of basses all that really changed was my self confidence in playing a big bass as I'm only 5'7" and in the early days I thought the 4-in-line headstock basses looked silly around my neck. Now I don't care. First bass was a Colombus Jazz which I used for recording and the occasional gig. Mine was a great bass - I loved the sound on tape and it played well enough that I learnt all the basic stuff on it. My latest bass is an Ibanez GR300EM, light weight for longer gigs and as a partner to my GSR205 5 string.

I have both HB and Sonic basses. From a purely practical point of view they are both very similar in terms of quality, playability etc and I couldn't recommend one over the other. My HB is heavier, both were a similar new price (within £20-£30 as I recall). But when it comes to resale or part exchange, I think the one with the Fender logo will retain a bit more value. I used to have an Ibanez GSR200 and that was better (IMO) than either the Sonic or the HB. It was lighter than both and I preferred the neck but I sold it during an enforced break in gigging. I have recently ordered a new SR300EB (and while looking I saw a second hand older SR300 for £180 and a new GSR200 for £220 and aused GSR200 for £100). Personally I would go for one of these over the two mentioned by the OP. I've owned a Sire and the quality on that was superb, but the asking price was slightly higher than the Sonic/HB range.

Many years ago at the start f my bass career we were playing a biggish gig at a local holiday park. Big stage, big PA, fairly large FOH engineer. He plugged the DI from my Laney amp into the desk and left us to set up and start the on stage sound check. Once I'd plugged in I realised there was no sound coming from my amp. As one inexperienced with DI at the time, I assumed it was something to do with the FOH guy DI-ing me, cutting the amp volume, so I went to find him. He pretty much dismissed out of hand my suggestion that it was his fault (fortunately, I don't have a temper and I was quite calm when asking him what he'd done to my amp). A few minutes of staring at the amp later, I realised that I'd turned the master volume down. I apologised to the FOH guy (his dismissive acknowledgement was enough to ensure I never made that mistake again) and the gig went ahead to moderate success.

I'm starting to see the light, too... 😂

During my formative bass playing years I had a dislike of big bodied basses with a 4 in line headstock. Being relatively short (5'7") most bass' look too big on me. I remember seeing a band where the bassist was shorter than me and he was playing a Jazz. To my eyes it didn't look good on him, and I went down the route of headless and short scale basses for a few years. I still don't like that slightly large jazz bass body and have a preference for 3+1 or 2+2 headstocks but I think it's more aesthetic than irrational prejudice these days.

A P Bass. I had basses that I was happy with but I felt (through the BC collective and others) that I 'needed' a P bass. I managed to secure a deal on a 'B' stock American Fender P and after a few days of dialing it in, I fell in love. My go to is still my Sterling HH but the P works in situations where I'm not 100% sure what's needed - I've been fortunate enough to pick up some depping work recently and it's handy to have for the initial rehearsal and/or until I know what the sound is. Plus my main band often does some laid back gigs where the HH is a bit too forward in the mix and the P sits nicely. I also record, and it's great for that too.

A bit of paper or beer mat will do at a pinch but I'd rather have the matchsticks.

Saw them in a pub in Swansea late 80s, I think. 😀

I always take a couple of slivers of wood (matchsticks without the heads are perfect). If the strap buttons work loose or tear out (I've seen both happen) you can slot the matchstick into the hole to help tighten the screw.

All of the above, with the emphasis on having fun. Keep everything simple. I've been gigging for 35+years and I still colour code jack/speakon sockets for all but the most basic of connections. Look and act professional from the moment you turn up to the moment you leave as this might end up being a repeat booking and/or there may be people present who are looking to book a band. Have spare leads/batteries/strings and any easily breakable things, some mains fuses and a basic toolkit. The checklist mentioned above is a good idea - at my gig last night the experienced guitarist forgot his strap - it happens! Collect video and photos to use in future publicity. If you run short of songs, you can always claim that you've had a request to play one of your main set songs again although don't milk it too much and ideally arrange for a mate in the audience to call it out. We always aim to have more songs than necessary to fill the agreed set times. I've fallen foul of the 'adrenaline rush' mentioned by @Maude above and we ended up having to do three of our songs again. Not an ideal situation to be in. It's a performance and no one is looking for perfection. Mistakes happen - move on without making a big deal of them. Particularly don't point out bandmates mistakes. The time to sort problems out is the next practice session, not the gig. The audience will pick up on the onstage mood - if you're having fun they will enjoy the performance more. Make eye contact with them. If you can, have a dress rehearsal with non-musician mates and video it - you can check out your stage presence and get some feedback before you step on stage. Enjoy the experience and make sure you post your update on the 'How was your gig...' thread here. 😀

Second dep gig with 'The Gowertones' last night - a birthday bash for the pub landlord at the Plough and Harrow in Murton, Swansea. The weather made the potential for sweaty, melting horror a distinct possibility and when I turned up, I saw we were outside which added the risk of sunburn. But on closer inspection, we were under a pair of gazebos and sheltered by a wall. By some miracle, the only breeze in the area was funneled through a gap between wall and gazebos down onto the drummer and me. I had a small USB powered fan which directed some of that breeze onto my back overall it was a very pleasant environment. We were due to play 2hrs between 5pm and 8pm and the crowd, a respectable 50-60 or so, stayed all evening. Inevitably, we played on and the second hour slot lasted well over 90 minutes, fueled by chips and coke (from a bottle, not a mirror) gratis. A great set which included 'Paranoid' (I've never played it before but what a great 'live' song) and 'YMCA' (please don't judge). My second outing for the Sterling 34HH/Ampeg SCRDI/Peavey Minimax/twin TE1x10" line up and it's really giving me a sound that I'm pleased with. For years I've heard that sound in my head but never really managed to get it and while going DI into the sound desk with my main band is good (for that line up, it makes sense), having the bass banging out behind me is great. As mentioned, the kit list was my Sterling 34HH (mainly the bridge pick-up but for a couple of numbers both pick-ups selected) through an MS60B (for tuner/mute, noise gate and compressor) and the Ampeg SCRDI (with a shallow mix of distortion for the punk/rock numbers) and both bass and treble boosts selected. This went into the FX loop return of the Minimax and through two TE 1x10" speakers. The Minimax retains volume control when using the FX return so I used this to control the volume rather than the control on the SCRDI. There was plenty of volume without pushing either stage. Footwear was the now inevitable Skechers which proved both comfortable and cool (in the temperature sense) for the night. Although they only have one setting, I find that Skechers have nailed that setting and they work for me for all styles of music. Photos and video are slow to appear this morning but I will edit to add any that appear. This is one I took of the ground level kit. Edit: One came through this morning: Some images from video I shot on a GoPro.

First Bass: Colombus jazz copy. Go to: Sterling Stingray 34HH My bass: Sterling Stingray 34HH

I have a BAM200, bought as a lightweight amp to see me through a couple of hernias and thence to be a back-up for gigs. I have gigged it (through a pair of TE 1X10" also part of the lightweight strategy) with a trio at cabaret/club gigs and regularly rehearse it through a 1X15" with drums, guitars and vocals at fairly high volumes. I'm not sure I'd use it for a loud pub gig, and most of the gigs I play these days have dedicated FOH which I DI into. I have also used it as a guitar amp (with the tone controls set to 10/2/10 o'clock for a neutral sound as suggested on a different thread) with a guitar pre-amp. I've not used the BQ250 but it seems to offer a couple of extras ('Thrust' and the low and hi mids) and a Speakon connector at the back (the BAM200 has a jack).

My main band is 'The Hulla' which was formed pre-lockdown as a result of a few people in the village getting together to learn to play ukelele and guitar as a social thing. It quickly expanded, mainly as a result of the band leader (guitarist and front man) organising a gig at the village fete. By the time I joined in 2021, the band had become a 13 piece with guitars, drums, bass, keys, a small brass section and a couple of ukes. They had turned the annual fete into a fairly large multi-band festival (for the last couple of years we've sold around 800 tickets - it benefits from the caravan holiday parks situated around the area). I'm not from the village but have been vetted and found acceptable by the locals 😀 We play covers and the most accurate description of the style of music would be a wide range of rock given a fairly unique spin by the line-up. The gigs we play are booked through word of mouth for weddings, birthdays, Xmas parties and the like. All the gigs we play are for charity so individual band members are not paid but band expenses (e.g. the PA and a new marquee for this year's festival, which will also be used by other events in the village) are covered. We usually average 8-10 gigs a year. Playing in The Hulla band is probably the most fun I've had in any bands in a 35 year gigging 'career'. There are no unnecessary egos, the singer/front man has a remarkable ability to interact with any audience and we have a laugh on and off stage. This is a link to a video from a wedding reception we played last year in a tepee. And this photo has appeared elsewhere in BC - our front man crowd surfing at this year's festival. He kept singing, too!

Me too - and in my previous band this was one of the things the frontman picked up on and ran with - I was the 'miserable git' and the folks watching us would try and make me laugh. 🙂

I've been fortunate to play with two very, very good frontmen. The singer/guitarist in my previous band, for all his faults, was excellent at reading audiences and had appropriate banter on tap. We had good on stage chemistry and I found it easy to play to his antics - I was usually the butt of his jokes and the audiences loved it. In my current band, our singer/BL has charisma in bucket loads. Most of the band (we're usually 13 on stage) are static and glued to iPads (long story but basically they're not dedicated musicians in the same way as most bands are) but he makes up for it. He talks to the audience, and makes a big deal out of talking to the band as a whole and individuals within it. The drummer and I (with much more live experience) try and work with him to provide a more visual element. I don't have any music in front of me, which I think goes a long way to connecting with the crowd (I have a 'cheat sheet' to my side out of sight of the audience). Being such a large line-up, space is an issue and limits the movement I can make. We just played our self organised festival and he did this which certainly kept the audience engaged! In my opinion, anything that gets between performer and audience (big music stands are my personal bugbear) has the potential to disengage, as does a band that is not clearly enjoying themselves or that is not performing. Some eye contact with the crowd is essential. Smiling or laughing, interacting with other band members and some kind of movement are all part of the performance that allows the audience to connect and enjoy.

I've heard some wild excuses for playing mistakes but this has to be the best. Noted and filed for future use. 😀 But seriously, glad you're on the mend. Take it easy.

I've just got a second dep gig with a local band 'The Gowertones' on Saturday after a successful first outing a couple of weeks ago. Turns out the 'vaguely familiar' rhythm guitarist is none other than ex Wales rugby coach Mike Ruddock, and the 'really tall, could be a rugby player' vocalist is, indeed a Wales international with 11 caps, Kevin Moseley. Great bunch, no egos, just enjoying the music.

I find that 'resting' an instrument or pedal, that is putting it completely away out of sight for a couple of months, makes returning to it feel similar to acquiring a new one - well, enough to partially satisfy my GAS. Last year I rested my Sterling 34HH, mainly because it needed some TLC on the electrics and a general set-up. When I got it back a couple of months ago, I couldn't put it down. Currently I'm resting my P Bass (which was my main instrument last year) and my B6 pedal board (the main FX unit last year). Sadly, my talent appears to be permanently resting. 🤣

Being single, I don't get this from the wife/partner/other. However, I get looks and comments from the band when I turn up with something they haven't seen before and since I like to rotate through the bass collection for rehearsals and some of my fellow bandmates have senior moments, I will often get the 'another bass?' response.

It was - and that's not just me on an ego trip - the band played the best it ever had, the audience created and incredible atmosphere and the singer (who organises the whole event) was at the top of his game. 😀

I played at our self organised Hullabaloo festival yesterday. Apart from being the assistant stage manager for our sound man, I was in a 5 piece band made up of people from our 13 piece main band. With two gigs, one of which lasted a marathon 4 hours, it was a busy day. The 5 piece played in the late afternoon and were the first of the bands that managed to get people up and dancing - seeing folks bopping along is always a moral booster. We hadn't been able to rehearse much and although everyone is a competent player, there was that 'will it all come together' feeling just before we started. Part of the reason for doing the 5 piece splinter band is to give the players a chance to expand on what they do in the main band - so each year we choose a couple of songs that will challenge us and feature the players who would normally be at the back of the stage. This year our Uke/trombone player (who is an accomplished guitarist) chose 'Sultans of Swing' on which she played the lead parts and our sax man picked 'Baker Street'. Both nailed it after shaky rehearsals and Baker Street was one of those performances that you realise early on is something special - everything just clicked - and it was amazing to be playing it. It's those moments that remind me why I love playing gigs. Of course, there were a few dodgy moments, mostly involving my singing ('Sultans' and 'I'm a Believer' and a distinctly off key element to my backing vocals on our opening number, 'Pinball Wizard'). But it was all good and there were some nice compliments for the band and my bass playing. The main band (the Hulla band) went on just after 7pm to a full village green - perhaps 700 people - and we played until just after 11. The festival is a charity event and we raise money for, amongst others, a local homeless drop-in centre. They have a choir and we had them on stage to sing with the band (they had played their own set earlier in the day). I always love the choir and band combination as the voices add an extra level to what were doing. This is the 5th years I've played this gig and it was by far the best performance we've done as a band. I was very happy with my sound - I went through the desk with no backline and using IEM and my Sterling bass was sounding so good that I decided not to swap basses half way through as I had originally planned. My kit line up for the day was a Sterling 34HH through a Sine Effects HPF (set at 40hz), MS60B for compressor, noise gate and octave/chorus (for one song) and an Ampeg SCI DI (unused back-up bass was my Ibanez 205). For the songs I played guitar on I used a Squire Telecaster that went through a Zoom MS50G+. IEMs came from a Behringer P16 personal monitor mixer fed from our Behringer X32 desk pre-fade so I had my own monitor mix which I was able to adjust (for example, when the singer decided to play his harmonica at full last through his vocal mic!) Footwear was courtesy of Skechers (if I mention them often enough I should get the sponsorship deal I'm after). As usual no photos have yet emerged of either of the bands I was playing in (as I was the principal photographer on the day). I will amend this post if/when they appear. Edit: Some photos from the night.

The Hulla band is playing it's self organised festival tomorrow and today has been spent setting up the stage and sound, laying out the grounds and generally creating a decent venue. The day started with a large cooked breakfast and concluded with a short soundcheck and fish 'n' chips. Tomorrow I'm playing in two of the 7 band line-up. I'm doing a support slot with a splinter group from the main band followed a couple of hours later by a headline set (well, we do all the work) with the Hulla band. We have a new, purpose built and permanent stage on the village green and it's made a huge difference to the look and feel of the site, not to mention a generous increase in stage space. It's been a long day today and it'll be another long one tomorrow as I'm there from 10.30 as assistant stage manager and the Hulla band's sets tend to go on until the last punter leaves. 🙂

I had a depping gig last night at a local golf club. One short rehearsal where I met half the band (but not the singer). The set list was familiar with only four or five I hadn't played before and the rehearsal showed up another few that had different arrangements than what I was used to. A 20 minute drive to the gig was a bonus. I'd played this golf club about 20 years ago so although it was vaguely familiar, the decor had changed for the better and the band had a dedicated space (although not an actual stage). Following the recent trend the gig was sweaty as although there was a patio door open behind us, there was little movement of air. Every thrash of the cymbal that sent a waft of slightly cooler air my way was a gift. It was a good night and my playing was up to a standard I was pleased with given the circumstances; no major gaffes and only a couple of issues with the ends of songs. The crowd were certainly up and dancing from the first number and throughout. The band were pleased with my efforts and I'm now on their dep list. Kit was my trusty Sterling 34HH, swapping between bridge pick up for the rockier numbers and both pick ups for a more mellow sound for the quieter stuff. This went through a Zoom MS60B for noise gate, compressor and tuning/mute and an Ampeg SRC-DI into the FX return of my Peavey Minimax 600 and a pair of TE 1x10" cabs. It's the first time I've used backline for several years (I DI and use IEM with my main band) and it was great to be able to get the punch out of the TE cabs, which were more than a match for drums, three guitars and a singer. Footwear was Black Skechers.

Depping gig tonight at a golf club function. Less than a week's notice and one short rehearsal (boo) which was very professional (yaay) but there are songs I haven't done before (boo). Most of the set is familiar (yaay) but some of them have different arrangements (boo). The rest of the band seem cool and laid back (yaay) but they sprung one song on me at the rehearsal (boo). Really looking forward to it and to using backline for the first time in ages. 😀