Great to hear of your bass journey and congratulations on joining a, what seems to be, a nice band. 
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This has been my favourite thread on bassbuzz, congratulations on landing the gig and I look forward to reading about your future exploits. 
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Great thread to read! It just keep’s escalating 
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Congrats mate - I’ve read this thread with great interest. The highs, the lows hahahaha.
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Knock 'em dead and break any number of appendages you feel is appropriate 
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wow, congratulations!
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Wait, you’ve played less than one year total, just started with a band, and have enough material to play a 4 hour gig? Wow, I don’t really know what to say. Those are very humbling accomplishments - you must be one talented musician. Congrats and have a blast!
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Congrats man! Looking forward to the next chapter!
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It’s more like 3 hours of music, but other than that, yes. Except… I’ve been playing music most of my life, and I’m not really all that awesome. I don’t know why the band even reached out to me (maybe providence?); when the guy called me, I tried to convince him that I wasn’t ready, that I was still a beginner, but he insisted on giving me a chance — and that motivated me to put in the time and effort to live up to his (and their) expectations. And now, here we are. I consider it something that’s “meant to be” more than a testament to my ability or “greatness.” I consider it a blessing.
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Well, I just finished my first ever gig as a bassist. It was fun. I wasn’t perfect, but I think I did pretty well. The band said so.
But, I only got to do one set because the original bassist — that I was supposed to be replacing — is feeling better (which is good for him, of course) and is sticking around.
We’ve got another show this weekend if the weather is decent (it’s outside with no cover and rain is predicted), and I think the plan is, once again, for me to play half the show and him play the other half. (I had to negotiate to even get this much.)
Basically — and I don’t know if I ever explained all of this, but — they needed a quick fill-in when their original guy fell ill (had a stroke, apparently). They contacted me but had to call on an old friend for the immediate shows. In the meantime, I’m practicing and auditioning and rehearsing, but it never worked out for me to get on stage until now, and now he’s getting better, which means that I’m more or less out of a job as fast as I got it.
Not the storybook ending this story deserves. Well, not for me, that is. (For the original bassist, it’s great news, and of course, I want to wish him well, despite the fact that I’m torn up inside.)
Semi-related: I’ve got my eye on a used bass for a good price, but how do I justify another bass when I’ve got no band to play it with? (I have a feeling y’all can talk me into going ahead and grabbing the bass as my early Christmas gift / band “retirement” gift 
)
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And… the bass I had in my cart has apparently been sold. I went on Reverb to buy it, and it’s “no longer available.” 
This is not my night!
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Maybe not a storybook ending for you @thebanjoplayer but to quote Commander Will Riker, that’s gotta be worth a couple pages in somebody’s book! It’s great experience and stories like yours are encouraging regardless for newer players who are hoping to play in a band. Here’s to better things, and to a bass you like more than the one you missed out on 
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A band has nothing to do with buying a new bass as proven multiple times on this forum
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Don’t you need a P bass for the other band, the one with the picky drummer? 
It’s unfortunate that you didn’t get the chance to play everything you rehearsed a bit longer, but, as others have said, take all the positive aspects from this experience: you were under pressure and did well. Also, you got a remarkable repertoire for a “beginner” - although we should probably call you an (ex-)pro now 
Go get yourself a nice bass, and good luck hunting for the next band, if that’s your plan. Also, did you consider asking your (not-yet-former) band members if they know anybody looking for a bassist, or to at least spread the voice there’s a great player now unemployed?
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@thebanjoplayer no matter how you slice it, you are now a gigging bassist, which is more than many of us can say! Look back on this as a great experience, and don’t let your head hang down. New opportunities will present themselves 
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I think he is still pro, just unemployed right now. His future prospects look good right now since he has proved he can play in front of an audience 
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Coming late to this thread. Congrats on the start of your journey and playing your first bass gig. Sucks the way it panned out. My 2 cents on the drummer thing with the other band is maybe he liked their old bassist and his remarks weren’t so much directed at you than the rest of the band.
Anyways…hats off… Just getting up there and doing it takes big brass balls. COngrats!
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Man, last night, sitting there in a low mood because my prospects were looking dim, I thought, yeah, but… will they really? But you were right! A new opportunity already has presented itself!
I went on Bandmix to update my info., and there was a message waiting from another well-established local band looking for a bassist to begin in 2023 — with plenty of lead-time this winter to rehearse and gel before getting on stage! (I had never met the keyboardist of my soon-to-be-former band until last night, stage right!) So, yeah…
I know this new opportunity may or may not turn out to be a good fit (we meet this Saturday just for coffee and a chat, no instruments), but it’s hugely encouraging to at least see a possible way forward because… what’s happened with this first band has really been gut-wrenching. I invested a lot – lots of time, some money, and certainly my emotions – to have it fall flat so soon.
You guys, though, have been a tremendous support network. I’m really impressed by the community that’s been built here.
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That’s for damn sure!
BassBuzzers alone are responsible for keeping the global bass market thriving.
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He didn’t decide to retire, so yeah, I stand corrected
Glad to hear that the search was pretty short @thebanjoplayer, enjoy the new adventure now! 
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