WalMan

Nice As a matter of interest roughly what did it cost? I could probably look it up, but I'm a lazy b'stard

Back to The Swan @ Woolston, but a man down (more money woohoo! ) as #2 guitarist had gone to Cuba with his g/f for her birthday. Had a r/h Monday to run through some stuff to check out stuff to play as a three piece. Nothing particularly difficult, but we hadn't played them for a loooooooooong time so getting through unscathed first try on Monday was a surprise and they went in last night - Smoke on the Water, Wishing Well, Broken Dream & Too Much Too Young. Last night was the first with the Gramma riser I picked up at LIMS a couple of weeks back and it got ditched in the break. It'll either be kept for recording (like that ever happens ) or will shortly turn up here in For Sale. Unfortunately it was just too good at decoupling the rig from the floor to the extent that the bass disappeared on stage in the first set. Second set with the rig on the stage felt a lot better as we could all feel it. Drummer took the Orange Sticker award last night - despite valiant attempts by the rest of us forgetting words sections of songs we have done for ages that were odd back as a three piece (instrument wise) - by going for the fill at the end of SOTW, catching a stick under the ride cymbal and watching it spin across the stage, picking up another stick, going for it again and doing exactly the same thing to everyone's huge amusement except possibly his. Crowd were good dancing & singing through the second set and for a gig where I thought there was a strict 11:00 curfew we ended up going on 'til around 11:30. Got some nice compliments at the end along the lines of "Great night and you always look like you are enjoying yourselves, unlike ******** who do a similar set and proficient, but miserable as ****" to which my standard reply (after Thanks) is "isn't that what it's all about. If I didn't enjoy it I wouldn't do it" Down side to the night. My Shure E2c's packed up, or rather the left hand plug did, possibly drowned in sweat running into my ear - eeeeuw!!

You wave both hands in the general vicinity of your bass in a vaguely rhythmic fashion until it sounds like someone throwing a large box of assorted Lego & Meccanno down a concrete stairwell. Can you tell I am just jealous because I cannot do all that wicketty whacketty woo

Got back around 8 in the evening having caught a train up 12 hours earlier and after only a few hours sleep following Saturdays mammoth gig. The show was a bit spares, but the crowd I was with had a good day out anyway. My drummer, former vocalists brother (also a drummer) and his two sons plus former keyboard player and his son. Had a good laugh throughout the day and came home with a few bits, including anAuralex Gramma for under £30. Didn't play much, a bit of a noodle on a 'Ray on the Strings & Things stand but otherwise nothing much - probably 'cos nothing much caught my eye. Watched Nicko McBrain & Pete Lockett (interesting but a bit samey after a while) and Simon McBride who was good, but for whom the audience dwindled as the set went on. Missed Albert Lee & Jan Akkerman. I didn't think the volume levels generally were as bad as previous years. I had my plugs and used them a fair bit, but in many areas and for much of the time there didn't seem much need. Not sure I shall bother next year unless a few more of the big players in the instrument business are there.

^^^^Oh dear, that doesn't sound good as I'm up there with a shopping list of assorted bits. Still it's a day out with mates so I really must get to bed now ready for the phone call in 4 hours for the pick up

Friday. We were OK, but no one there. I don't think we shall bother again. V scary wench who completely put Max off what he was playing when she clambered onto a table in front of us, got down on all fours & waggled her very pert butt at us. Saturday. Was everything expected of the Fountain in Chi. We were actually set up ready a bit earlier than usual and it seemed empty, though there were loads of people outside. Come start of the first set though the place was packed & its usual ebullient dancey/singing self HURRAH!!! Both sets went really well and of course because it was particularly good and there was loads of very vocal support and few cock ups / alien abduction moments the ADAT wasn't in the rack and the gig wasn't recorded, which was a real shame. Hard work as ever with two long sets. First set was well over an hour, and the second ended up as a fraction under two hours with encores. Bit of a scare a couple of songs into the second set as my fretting hand started cramping up, but necking half a litre of water (out of the 3 litres consumed tonight) sorted that out. Bass was sounding particularly nice tonight (that'll be the new stings) And now I have to try to wind down quickly (a contradiction in terms) as I need to be up in four hours to leave for the Music Show.

Ah well. My Sunday is confirmed with at least two drummers possibly a couple of guitards & a keyboard player so we'll be the ones going for the heavy remake of FAME..........not! I shall have a short(ish) shopping list with me

[quote name='thedonutman' post='504130' date='Jun 2 2009, 07:39 PM']Are you John Jowitt from Frost*? [/quote] [quote name='phsycoandy' post='504621' date='Jun 3 2009, 12:55 PM']I could well be, what a good looking guy![/quote] You could indeed I believe Mr Jowitt has recently jumped ship from Frost* Oh and my latest is me rocking in the avatar (unless you are watching the repeat on Dave and I have since changed it )

A slash, a couple of pain killers, a Vocalzone (must buy some more tomorrow I'm out) Our singer has to have a lucky dump and when to gold star to the dressing room is hanging on the gents we chat over the door and then try to sneak off leaving him talking to thin air, or preferably a bemused punter

[quote name='Musicman20' post='507885' date='Jun 8 2009, 12:11 AM']One day I'd like to come to one of these bashes. Is 28 too young?! I dont mean that offensively [/quote] Good grief no!! All ages welcome at all I've been to. We're generally a nice bunch of chaps, but then we're bass players

Something I've been messing with. Four times through the loop with the first one without the main kit. A sort of dancey thing. [attachment=26671:A_Loop_in_E.mp3]

you should also be able to feed in a CD player to one of the ins on the back to play along to stuff I think - though I never have myself.

Cheers in Bognor, well Friday - last night was a mass band piss up (sorry the annual soiree) round the drummers g/f's house, which was fun except that I ended up driving MrsW as usual though that said had a good time even though sober. ANYWAY, Cheers. Did its usual. Noone there (much) at 9 for the start, but filled up pretty quickly. So the new number got soundchecked, played as the set 1 opener and then again for Set 2 and went down well despite being a completely unknown song by a pretty much unknown Canadian band I downloaded from eMusic. A Steve said when introducing it the second time hopefully within a few gigs the crowd will be getting into the audience shouty bits (it's only YEAH!!! after all). Gig went well and a good crowd with a load of musos in - well lots of drummers anyway . Kev got collared by 4 during the night & didn't need rescuing from any. We also seemed to work a miracle as a guy who shuffled in with a stick (walking not Chapman) spent the second half headbanging & playing stick guitar Next week it's The Royal Oak Hollywater/Whitehill/Bordon Friday and back to The Fountain in Chichester Saturday with a day out to the Music show Sunday, so a full one

[quote name='bassmeg' post='507161' date='Jun 6 2009, 07:04 PM']Ah, these sre great venues, especially the fountain. Always a great crowd. Hope to catch your band around sometime- i see your band advertised everywhere as we play all the same haunts as you do![/quote] Indeed. Without wishing to put the kibosh on it The Fountain is always a goodie - got the award for most water consumed on a gig last time when I drank 3 litres on the night and didn't spend the whole night up & down to the loo peeing like a horse!!

This months "tour" continues with Fri 12/6/09 - The Royal Oak Hollywater, Bordon, Sat 13/6/09 - The Fountain, South St, Chichester And then Sunday I have to try to drag myself out of bed early to get the the Music Show, so no late night wind downs like tonight!!!

Ah well never mind Nik. Here's hoping for a good one - and The Tubes in London tomorrow night so it's shaping up for a good week. The pint's a definite. Must get that sorted

[quote name='Hot Tub' post='500117' date='May 28 2009, 06:13 PM']I wanna put a new set of strings on my Cort Artisan B5. It's bog standard with 2 x Bartolini Mk1 soapbars. I'm happy with the thumping bottom end and don't want to lose any of that, but I'd like a bit more mid growl and a bit more top end "zing". I'm comfortable with the tension and overall feel of standard 45, 65, 85, 105, 125, and definitely don't want to go any lighter than that, but would be happy to try a heavier gauge. I like the sound ([i]sic[/i]) of coated strings from a maintenance point of view, but does the coating dull the sound? Now, bear in mind that I haven't changed the strings on this instrument in 2 years, and I haven't changed the strings on any instrument I've owned in over 20 years, where should I start? I have no idea what's on it at the moment - it's whatever it was supplied with. So, will I get what I'm looking for with pretty much any new strings, or is there anything to particularly consider or avoid? As always, thanks for any advice/suggestions. [/quote] As ever in a strings thread I will recommend Elixir Nanoweb's 45-130 (you have to buy a 4 string set and a separate B but no great problem). I did try different brand coated set once a couple of years back and they did affect the sound and dull it (sorry I can't remember what, they were sh1te so did not stay on long), [u]but I have never had that problem with the Elixirs[/u]. They are good for at least 6 months of rehearsal and an average of a gig a week. I have always found them to have a good balanced sound across the neck with a good fundamental and a nice zing that sound great in a rock covers environment on my L2500. They go on and sound great from the get go without any initial breaking in, and then go on & on. I can't remember when I put the last set on but it's been a while and they were still sounding good last night - though I probably do need to think about changing them soon now. If you use a pick (as I do) and dig in you will end up with some coating "dandruff". They are a bit more expensive - though not too bad if you shop around - but the extra life more than makes up for that

Back to Cheers next Friday

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='500628' date='May 29 2009, 09:58 AM']Hadn't gigged for a month before a jazz trio gig I did last night. Sounded like it [/quote] Summed up mine to a degree. Good to be back at it but my partner in the rhythm section had a number of alien abduction moments, especially at the end of a few numbers WPOD he doubled the length of the fill into the final section so we had a false start at it, then a "don't worry we'll find it / catch you up" bit then it went OK - got my ticket for the Brixton O2 for Tuesday night to see it done properly woohoo!! First set opener was a new song and a cover of a virtually unknown (I suspect looking at their MySpace) Canadian band called Daylight for Deadeyes. Oddly the first set, which has felt like it lagged a bit previously (though it has been tweaked), went really well, and the second fell a bit flat. Boiling hot night (I wish I had gone for the shorts) and a couple of litres of water so I must have been working fairly hard. Still onwards & upwards to one a little nearer home next Friday

[quote name='Musicman20' post='501558' date='May 30 2009, 12:45 PM']Thanks for the good advice. I worked out a rough estimate if the VAT was at the 'lower end' of the products value....and I didnt realise there was an import duty as well. If I add that on, we are talking a saving of maybe £20. Not only that, they could add all sorts of charges, and then Id have to pay for the bank transfer itself (around £20).[/quote] Indeed, you need to add on around £10 - £20 "handling" charge by the courier for dealing with Customs, and bang goes anything you might have saved

If that's all your saving I should stick with a UK dealer. If there are any problems it will be far easier to fix though a UK distributor than having to go back to the States. Last year when the $:£ rate was so good I did buy quite a bits of music software. Some got taxed on the way in some may not have been Getting a low value reported can be a false economy (and is fraud anyway) as if there is a problem shipping the reported value will probably be your insured value. That and HMRC are not fools. There are guys in Customs who are aware of the different values of Fenders from different origin (for example) so if it were opened and found to be falsely declared you could end up with it confiscated

Thread Resurrection Alert!!! Anyone care to comment further on the Mackie Onyx. Looks ideal for what I need (see below) and a good price from Thomann I am searching for an interface USB or Firewire to use with a Powermac G5 2.5 dual running OSX 10.5.6 I don't need a huge number of inputs as band recordings are done to an ADAT HD24R and then transferred as individual audio files. For stuff I do on my own at home it is either softsynths fired by a USB keyboard, or Bass / guitar into the machine, possibly through a POD/BOD but straight in to use the PodFarm VST without having to switch POD/BOD sources would be good. That and I need to feed the powered monitors and it would be nice to have a spare stereo input to run in music stored on the PC (that I do not want to move to the and clog up the Mac) for playback on the monitors. Thoughts, comments, updates on possibilities up to around £200 appreciated

The next lot of gigs starts this Friday at the [url="http://www.multimap.com/p/browse.cgi?pc=PO28DH&GridE=&GridN=&scale=10000&title=The+Admiral+Drake,+North+End,+Portsmouth&cat=mv"]Admiral Drake[/url] in Portsmouth. A slightly later start (9:30) and end as I recall

I have used Liquid Skin in the past, but it was not great in a gig situation, particularly on the plucking hand as it wore off quite quickly. Also it stings like hell putting it onto a cut such as yours so don't do it around children because YOU WILL SWEAR!!