Downdown

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1490088730' post='3261994'] So don't. [/quote] This. There are no real rules and you only have to do what you want. Being realistic will help avoid too much disappointment, but ultimately no one is forcing you to do anything. It's your choice.

This!

Syd Barrett's Effervescing Elephant? Perhaps more quirky than comedy, but it always makes me smile.

Adrenalin?

That's an interesting one. I like to believe that everyone is born with the same potential and that 'talent' is earned and learned, and also influenced by the sum of our experiences, including those in the womb before we're even born. But I don't know if this is actually true or if anyone really knows. I'm sure we've all known people who seem to be able to learn to play a musical instrument, often at a young age, far easier than others - among a million other examples. So how does that happen if there's no innate talent?

That doesn't make stress a good thing

A high heart rate alone is not necessarily a good thing. Stress can do much the same thing.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1489438022' post='3256974'] I was always taught that fuse rating was Watts / Volts x 1.25 I've got an Ampeg pre (finally) that states 15W Max, so at 230V the sums come out at 0.0815. What size fuse should I put in the IEC (kettle) lead? [/quote] 3 amp. Because the Ampeg has been designed to accept an IEC mains connector, it follows that in most countries the mains lead will not have any fuse in it at all. Knowing this, the Ampeg designers will have designed some form of over-current protection within the device itself, usually an internal fuse, sometimes a fuse holder mounted on the rear panel near the IEC mains input. In the UK, mains plugs are fitted with fuses and an IEC mains lead can be treated as a 'device' in its own right because it can be used for many different appliances. Thus, the fuse in a UK-plugged IEC mains only has to provide over-current protection for the mains lead itself. So far, so simple. Things are slightly complicated by the fact that the IEC connector is rated at 10A and the leads themselves quite often have 0.75mm2 wires that are rated at 6A. In such cases, a 5A fuse is fine. However, BS-something or other (I forget the number) only recognises 3A and 13A fuses and generally recommend 3A for any appliance less than 700W and 13A for anything over 700W.

Well, with support like that we'll get the insurance industry we deserve.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1489240714' post='3255408'] er, the early blues players for whatever reason never got into the mainstream so most people never heard them, Holy was inspirational because he made it to mainstream [/quote] Yes, I agree with that - you can't really influence anyone if you are not actually heard by anyone (or very few). But I was really addressing this point "[i]Buddy Holly showed that you didn't need to be a guitar virtuoso to write good songs . . . . 3 chords will do it,[/i]" by suggesting that many others had established this before Buddy Holly, so I was really doubting whether he was truly as innovative as was being made out.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1489166157' post='3254931'] Because they will claim that you failed to declare a pertinent fact and will be looking for anything that will allow them not to pay out. [/quote] I'd argue that taking my bass outside home is not pertinent to insuring in only when it's in the home. [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1489166157' post='3254931'] I'm sure they'll find a way to wriggle out of it, e.g., playing gigs publicly advertises the fact that you have 'valuable musical equipment' in your home, which they will claim raises the risk of a burglary (believe me, I looked into this in depth before shelling out!). They will always look for ways to avoid paying out on a claim, so there's no point in handing them a reason on a plate. [/quote] How does playing gigs advertise anything about your home? Who tells the punters their home address? But I take your point about them finding anyway they can about wriggling out of paying a claim, which is why the entire insurance industry has a pi55 poor reputation and no one really trusts them. "Distress purchase" is a very appropriate term for buying insurance.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1489228743' post='3255295'] Buddy Holly showed that you didn't need to be a guitar virtuoso to write good songs (personally I think it can be disadvantage) 3 chords will do it, it's the lyrics and the melody line that's important, the Ramones did the same thing years later [/quote] Er, what about all those early blues players, or do we discount them because they were poor and black? Buddy Holly was just one of the first to tap into an already well established genre and repackage it for the post-war baby boomers. More marketing creativity than musical creativity I'd say.

How can it be fraudulent if I'm paying a premium for, say, £20k of home contents and then make a claim for a burgled bass worth £750? My policy only requires items valued over £1500 to be specified, so why the need to mention the bass at all? If I take it outside the home then that's my risk not theirs ( and fair enough), but inside the house I'm paying for cover. I don't think the fact that I go out gigging affects the risk of a home burglary does it?

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1489163882' post='3254897'] The home contents insurer declined to insure it all because as I play gigs for money, it is considered professional equipment rather than just hobby gear. At least after tomorrow's gig I will have earned enough this year so far to pay for the insurance! [/quote] Fair enough. Maybe next time you change home insurers, just don't tell them you gig at all and only use your gear at home as a hobby. Any claim arising in the home would then be covered and just don't tell them about anything that happens outside the home But again, it all depends on your attitude to risk and if you want to buy the additional insurance then fair enough - though the noticeable lack of posts about claims experiences on here suggests it really isn't as big a risk as we might think.

Did the insurer decline to insure even in the home or was it only while outside and gigging? I don't bother with anything other than insurance at home because when I'm out gigging I'm always with my gear so what's the likelihood of anything being stolen or damaged? Pretty low in my view, whereas I suppose my house could burn down or be burgled, which unlikely though that may be is probably a higher risk than anything happening on the dozen or so gigs and similar number of rehearsals when I take my gear away from home. I sometimes wonder if specialised insurance for things like music gear, cameras, laptops and the like is often bought and paid for because it's the 'done thing' but in actual fact I'd bet the risk is pretty small - for most people anyway. I've never bought anything other than home insurance with a few items on 'all risks' and have never needed to claim for any music gear in over 30 years, so I reckon I've saved enough in premiums over the years to replace anything I might lose in the future. I guess it all depends how risk averse you are. I wonder how many people here have had to make a claim on their musical insurance policies?