Damonjames Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I'll start with an apology to anyone who just saw me play at G festival in Worsely this evening, it wasn't one of my better performances. This was my first festival and was really looking forward to it, but as we were second last on the big stage, the whole thing was running behind so no time for sound check just straight into it. I had setup, had a quick check of my pedal volumes at low level then done a quick check at normal volume and everything seemed fine, until we started..... As soon as we kicked off (i think) I got about 2 bars in with some cracks and pops and then that horrible deafening silence..... Followed by panick! As I have a almost brand new GK Head, I assume it's just a button wrongly pressed so check the tune mute/pad, still nothing, try turning up and get a faint sound. There were no monitors on my side so couldn't even tell if there was anything coming through the PA, so try plugging directly into the amp assuming it's something on the pedal board but even that was no good. I then thought it may have been the DI lead causing a wierd ground lift so pulled that with no results. I was trying to keep playing in the midst of all this mayhem and terror with a tiny whisper coming out of my rig, growing more and more frustrated. Three songs in, with a last ditched attempt , I grabbed by other bass, and pow back in it came like there was never a problem, so until I can get I my room tomorrow and have a look at my Bass I have no clue what has happened. My jazz has never so much as crackled in the 2 years I have been playing it as my main bass. The most annoying part is I was playing that hard to try and get the output up, my hands were fatiguing badly for the remaining 4 songs, so my playing was AWEFULL!!!!! I just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide, but unfortunately no such luck, in front of hundreds of people I put in an absolutely shameful performance. I guess I just put this down to experience but right now I'm feeling like I have let the band down, and embarrassed myself in front of a big crowd, feeling pretty low right, but I guess as they say the show goes on.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Sorry to hear all that but I`m sure we`ve all suffered equipment nightmares (I certainly have, on a lunchtime gig with gear that was fine on the night befores gig). Get your gear properly checked and put today behind you - difficult I know - and concentrate on the next gigs knowing your gear is going to be fine from now on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I'd say Dimebag's last one was worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Weve all had bad uns mate, chalk em up to experience, have a beer and move on to the next. always onwards and upwards, and chances are a lot of folk probably didn't even notice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 yep, stuff goes down - and you live to gig again [size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 For future festival gigs you'll have the benefit of being able to think "Well, it can't be as bad as last time!". Hopefully... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagsieblue Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1399234379' post='2442340'] I'd say Dimebag's last one was worse. [/quote] Ouch!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='bagsieblue' timestamp='1399235346' post='2442355'] Ouch!!! [/quote] That's what he said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 (edited) A few years ago we played a big gig outdoors at Hylands house(V festival venue); Probably the biggest crowd we'd ever played to. I couldn't see my regular tuner LEDs in the bright sunlight so used my spare LCD one to tune my five string peavey in a rush. I Started the first song and was horrendously out of tune and just couldn't find the pitch at all. I had to stop playing and switch bass mid-song it was so bad. When I checked afterwards, at the suggestion of the sound guy, I had inadvertently switched the tuner from 440hz to something else. Oh how we all laughed. Not! Edited May 4, 2014 by lonestar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johngh Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I had a gig once where it came to the Bass solo (yawn) and I couldn't play it as both my hands had cramped up. The full jobbie, fingers curled back the works. I had to stop playing to try and pull my fingers back straight. Never happened before of since, but it was highly embarrassing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Commiserations - I did one once, it was as if I had never played bass before with songs I did not know, it was bad, very bad (no alcohol involved as mitigation either) - luckily band forgave me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbass Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I feel for you. Many years ago I played the Ashton Court Festival in Bristol. Got up to play, checked tuning - no sound from amp. Somehow I managed to avoid panicking and started logically going through everything - stroke of luck, it was the first thing I checked - opened 3-pin plug, loose wire, quickly fixed and was back in business about two seconds before we started the first number. So easily could have been a disaster. The moral of this tale - always carry a screwdriver (at the very least) in your gig bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Active bass? Battery dead? Sorry to hear about your trouble! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1399238578' post='2442398'] Active bass? Battery dead? [/quote] The single thing that really puts me off active basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigster Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1399238219' post='2442393'] I feel for you. Many years ago I played the Ashton Court Festival in Bristol. Got up to play, checked tuning - no sound from amp. Somehow I managed to avoid panicking and started logically going through everything - stroke of luck, it was the first thing I checked - opened 3-pin plug, loose wire, quickly fixed and was back in business about two seconds before we started the first number. So easily could have been a disaster. The moral of this tale - always carry a screwdriver (at the very least) in your gig bag. [/quote] ...AND, always carry, (at the very least), in your gig bag, your reading glasses so you can actually SEE the wires [size=4] [/size][size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Jigster' timestamp='1399238901' post='2442403'] ...AND, always carry, (at the very least), in your gig bag, your reading glasses so you can actually SEE the wires [/quote] Good point, but I didn't need glasses back then. Or a Zimmer frame... or Viagra... *mumbles to self and starts pointlessly rummaging through drawer* Edited May 4, 2014 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1399234379' post='2442340'] I'd say Dimebag's last one was worse. [/quote] How? I don't recall any equipment failing that night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Ach, that's a drag. Sorry to hear it, but onwards and upwards. I can't say I've had any major disasters before, gearwise. We once tripped the main circuit breaker at a gig in a giant shed, it ended up being pretty cool - the lights went out, the powered instruments went dead but the drums and the horns kept on playing until power was restored then we just carried on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Undead Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Wasn't your performance that was the issue mate! Sounds like you handled it well. Things happen! On to the next gig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krysh Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 easy mate, it's not about failing. it's about getting up again. better next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='krysh' timestamp='1399241651' post='2442442'] easy mate, it's not about failing. it's about getting up again. [/quote] Absolutely. You never fail... you just learn stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 It happens to all of us mate - I've just come back from a big gig at a Pontins weekender, headline act on the last night. We launch into the first song and everything seems great. I'm aware of one of the stage crew hovering around behind me, but I don't pay it any mind. We finish the song to lukewarm applause and the sound guy says 'you've not any bass coming through the PA'. He swapped the XLR cable from my DI- nothing. The singer is trying to keep his banter going, but he's running out of ideas. In desperation I unplug my DI and plug the FOH XLR cable into the XLR output of my amp. That works and we carry on but the momentum is gone and we never really got it back..... My DI was fine at soundcheck, so no idea what happened. Got a big support gig tomorrow night, so I need to find out WTF has happened to my DI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damonjames Posted May 5, 2014 Author Share Posted May 5, 2014 Thanks for the perspective Wayne, things could always be worse! Quick update, a coupe of pints and a nights sleep have seen it almost forgotten, I just can't understand what the hell went wrong. The bass in question Is a passive fender jazz with dimarzio pickups, and wanted to check it as soon as I got in, it ran ok on my practice amp. So right now I have no clue what the issue is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 90% of the time the problem i cable related. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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