REDLAWMAN

I shall think of you as I'm sunning myself.... Cheers, Paul.

Smokie, 'Lay Back in the Arms of Someone'. Starts on 'G'. Chords are: G; D; A; Bm; Em. The chord chart says the key is G and, as I say, it starts on G (but resolves on D). It can't be in G, can it; it must be in D, because A isn't in the key of G (it's Am). Am I correct, please?

Terry Uttley of 'Smokie'. 'Lay Back in the Arms of Someone you Love' just came on the radio and it was epiphanal, so I checked out their other stuff. Just about all the studio recordings of every song they ever did have the identical, absolutely glorious bass tone! Anyone know how you can get close to emulating this with an amp, cab & effects, please? Is it Ampeg?

Hi Dave, Thanks very much for that. It's a date...

Terry, Hi mate, hope you're well? Daft question probably, but why did you replace only 3 of the 4 and did you retain the 4 JJ powertubes? Incidentally- and slightly off beam- have you ever tried running it on 2 instead of 4 power tubes and if so, did you take out the 2 central ones or 2 end ones?

Does anyone know of any musicians in the Truro or general Cornwall area who would be happy for me to come along and join them for a jam, have some fun and better my skills, with a view to eventually joining or forming a band, please? Maybe even just someone with an acoustic guitar who sings who fancies a get-together? Thanks everyone,

Gottcha. I know when the changes are going to happen, it's just that I don't yet know instinctively which chord to move to, but I guess that that comes with experience and that it will come in time and with more practice.

Thanks very much everyone for taking the time to come in on this; much appreciated. For future reference, how exactly do musicians usually communicate what and where the changes are? In relation to the actual chords, I understand, for example, that if they say a song is a I, IV, V in G, then it's G, C, D or I, ii, IV, V, vii, then it's G, Am, C, D, G dim, but how exactly do they articulate/explain what and where the changes occur to you?

It was covers; rock mainly. Good time had though: a real baptism of fire, but actually quite exciting.

I had an audition for a band last night; my very first. A drummer, guitarist and me. I was expected to simply play along with them to songs I didn't know, have never played and which are very much outside my genre. There was no music, no chord charts like I normally print off the internet: no one could tell me the chords a la Nashville Numbering System (eg. I, IV, V in G), nor- for most of the songs- did they tell me the chords, let alone the changes. I was expected to simply play along, taking my lead from the guitarist's fretting hand. Is this how these things generally go and am I simply not at the stage yet where I'm sufficiently accomplished a player to even consider joining a band? I had a great time, nonetheless, with two really great guys.

If this goes on much longer, I'm going to the 'Classifieds' to swap my Wick for 3 pre-amp' valves, an MP5, a Browning 9mm and a parachute........ In the meantime, I've had a rather large shipment in of NOS Wigan-made 'w***offski' KT88's (circa 1860) if anyone's interested: I hear they're the bollocks....

As tiresome as this has now become, I'm so incredulous of what continues to unfold that I just can't put it down. You know what, you're right; I sell valves: when I get home every night and leave behind the relative poverty of my 'day-job' as Managing Partner of a Legal 500 law firm, I go online and sell valves....

They will come for you, Luke; under cover of darkness: they WILL come for you.......

Monckyman; that's exceptionally funny, even though- I presume quite unwittingly- you appear to have turned me into a horticulturalist........! AAANNNYYYWWWAAAYYY...... I want to buy some ludicrously expensive NOS valves, so that I can monitor covertly everyone's secret conversations and hear them in better detail: where may I safely buy some of these elusive things like my Grandad used to have in his giant radio...??

Hey, do you think both Mr F' and I work for MI6, too, and that we're secretly watching you...??

Bigbottomend: are you suggesting that the link I posted, by way of an attempt to help you to understand an already very simple point, is in fact a link to my own sales business...? Incidentally, no one asked you either what you wish to buy/sell, or what you're interested in.

Well, Bigbottomend, as an example: if you follow the ebay link you posted and look at the guys other listings, he has a number of different Mullard, British-made, NOS, ECC83's valves advertised, all for different prices. I appreciate that the terms ECC83, 12AXT and 7025 are interchangeable; I'm talking about things like BLACK LABEL; GREY LABEL; YELLOW LABEL; different designation codes, pin length, etc. Follow this link and you'll see:- http://www.altofidelity.com/link1.asp