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Retirement

#21
That ear splitting living room band has no clue :rollno:

I would keep looking but take your time. Maybe getting away from a rock or classic rock type band will help. Look country ,blues, roots etc. There are no guitar stacks in that music.
 
#23
Oh no, don't give up, hang in there!

I've had the same frustrations, but hooked up last Fall with a great group of musicians who actually WANT to sound great at reasonable volumes.

The drummer even retired his acoustic set and plays a NICE set of Roland electric drums. Best live sound I've ever been a part of!

They are out there, you just have to keep beating the bushes to find them.

Heck, with craigslist, place your own ad and share what you're looking for and actually have a say in the matter. I bet there are plenty of musicians in your area looking for the same thing, you just have to find them!

Hang in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#25
My band USED to play big loud gear. In all honesty it's kinda funny/embarrassing looking back at The last 15 years. I remember when we were playing our first shows with my ampeg 810, and my lead guitar player and singer using a Marshall 412 and a Mesa oversized 412 with racks with pre amps and 100w tube power amps. We Were so proud of our gear. Truth be told as we hit our 30s we absolutely hated it. We dreaded moving it and that really did effect the number of shows we played. But also because practice was brutal, having all that big gear in a tiny room cranking for hours on end you had people screaming on microphones trying to get the band to stop in the middle of a song or even talking about a song or upcoming gig through the PA system instead of just normal talking volume. It really got to be stupid. What we ended up doing was keeping the same balance but I switched to an ampeg 410he and my bandmates got rid of their 100w tube amps and 412 cabs and got 30w all tube "mini heads" and 212 cabs. Let me say this,don't be misled, a 30w all tube guitar amp can get pretty loud also but the nice thing about them is they get that nice tube saturation without risk of hearing loss you get with 412 and 100w guitar heads. Due to my bandmates change in gear I can actually hear myself better now with the 410 which is the smallest cab Ive use live since the 90s and its a lot more fun
 
#27
I was pretty burned out back in '86 and decided to take my first break in about 26 years. It was 13 years before I picked up a bass again. I have never played with other musicians since then, but like to play along with CDs, Pandora and youtube. I wouldn't mind finding some other old folks to jam in a garage somewhere, but that's about it. I'm done with all the other BS.
 
#28
Before you hang it up for good you might try going to an audiologist and get sized for a set of quality ear plugs. My set cost close to $200, but well worth it. I can change the amount of noise filtered through the plugs just by adding/removing the various filters. Those foam plugs really aren't meant for the amount of decibels instruments can produce.

I recently wore them at a Rush concert and I was able to listen to the band as if I was playing them on my home system at a comfortable level. Hearing loss should be a real concern for anyone who plays in a band with any kind of regularity, and should not be taken lightly. Hearing loss is permanent.
 
#29
Robert B said:
I was pretty burned out back in '86 and decided to take my first break in about 26 years. It was 13 years before I picked up a bass again. I have never played with other musicians since then, but like to play along with CDs, Pandora and youtube. I wouldn't mind finding some other old folks to jam in a garage somewhere, but that's about it. I'm done with all the other BS.
Click to expand...

Am I in the only local level band where there is no BS?

There have to be other bands out there with good people , no drama or BS.

Blue
 
#32
Thank you for all the replies and comments.

Personally, I will never stop playing and do enjoy learning material all the time. These days i get to play what I want instead of what everyone else wants.

As far as the local cover band scene, I've worked with dozens of such bands and auditioned for quite a bit more. Certainly inferior to the NY/NJ scenes I started out with.

I'm personally just not seeing the quality in sound or performance here in Phoenix (13 years now), or the enjoyment factor of spending more than you make (these days) to put up with "players" that are all dependent upon being the loudest in the mix in order to be able to play.

My best wishes to all those still playing in bands, i did steadily for 27 years before "retiring".
 
#34
Hell don't quit now. Baby Boomers are retiring in droves. Big money playing low volume classic rock in the many retirement communities in AZ is awaiting you! You can play at whisper volumes and if anyone says they can't hear it you can just tell them to turn up their hearing aids! ;)
 
#35
Munjibunga said:
If there were no gigs, I'd probably pick up my bass once a month. Not performing live sounds like a complete drag, and I'd put up with a certain amount of BS to keep performing.
Click to expand...

Same here. Gigs give me the motivation to keep moving forward. and yes...a little BS and drama just comes with
being involved in a band with other musicians. In some ways it's like dealing with children. But the bottom line is worth it for me.
 
#38
bass81800 said:
I came back to music about 10 years later, but in a new way. I tried a rock band, but that did not seem right. Then, shortly after that broke up, in 1999, someone called me up and asked me to join a jazz band. Said I had no experience, but loved the music, and gave it a try. Perfect fit. Then I moved on to a Latin pop type of band for several years and ended up taking up upright bass and immersed myself in that, both jazz and classical.

There was a time when I totally enjoyed the Marshall's and playing what is now classic rock, but right now I am content playing in jazz and Latin bands, and am now looking for some low key duo work. I have some great custom fit earplugs that seem to make it even easier to hear myself and the other band members, but do not even always have to use them at rehearsals and gigs.

Maybe time to take a look at other genres of music.
Click to expand...

+1

Perfect cure for burnout, imho. In January I switched to bass almost fulltime and started playing country. Now I'm trying to pick up an acoustic gig (audition fouled up this week due to injury) and I'm learning Jazz on bass and guitar. I've been gigging off and on since High School (33 yrs) and dealing with the usual sorts of issues we all deal with (drunks, prima donnas, band Nazis, drug addicts, and other drummer issues :p ) and the change has been refreshing. It's nice to be really excited about learning/playing new stuff.

Of course ... next year I may start auditioning in metal bands. Always a new adventure. :D
 

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