mcnach

Sometimes I get the same 'hmm, er...' about using my own amp or whatever. You go a long way by being nice about it and fluttering your eyelids Levels, EQ... THAT's what we get a sound engineer for! Make them earn their fee! I'd still want to use my own, but bringing a pop filter sounds like a very good insurance policy to have indeed. It's hard to generalise, some festivals are barely justified the name, while others are very well organised and more ready to work with you. Typically the more they pay you, the more they work with you. It's a jungle out there.

I can't imagine anybody would object to your using your own microphone, to be honest.

I have indeed one of the Session Model T ones, is that what you're after? I don't have it with me, my trumpet player borrowed it, but I can ask him to measure it.

It depends. Chances are it's ok, but it is a thankless job: you show up the first and leave the last... fine if it's by choice but you'll be hostage once you accept. That alone puts me off a bit. There's also the possibility of damage, so who is responsible? If I know the organisers well enough and I talk to a specific individual whom I trust, it can be ok. Otherwise, I don't think so. One thing is letting another band use your gear, which I've done many many times, and another to provide your gear for everybody to use over a whole day. I'm unlikely to be there all day watching so I'd probably say no in that case. edit: when I talk about damage, it's not amps/cabs blowing or something, which is a possibility but rare. What I see very often 'though is people being careless with drinks, mud (festivals!) and all sorts of behaviour that I don't want around my gear which ends up back in my room at home. While the majority of people are fine, I don't want to give that significant minority a chance and I want to enjoy the festival too. It's not like they wear T-shirts announcing "yup, I'm the silly billy you've been looking for". I don't understand what's so difficult about either 1) for the organisers to provide equipment, or 2) for people to bring their own. Any event incurs some costs, add equipment hire to the list: they'll pay others, why would they expect bands to offer free hire? Also it doesn't take much effort or time to set your own amp in place, usually less time than it takes for the drummer to set all their cymbals and adjust the kit, so the whole 'saving time' just doesn't cut it for me. It really depends who is asking and the circumstances, really, but generally no, because generally it is a lazy excuse and nobody is really going to be responsible for your gear should anything go wrong.

After playing the 5-string amost exclusively since I got it, I was going back to my 4 string Stingray and I felt a bit... naked. Strange.

Oh, nice one! Prices have gone up a lot on these in the past few years, dang I should have kept the 3 I owned a bit longer! A Stingray in everything but name, great choice!

I would get this: Schecter Model T Session. I'm not sure it'll become a collectable classic or anything, so in terms of an investment it might not work out, but it's a superb bass. My Sandberg VM4 was supposed to be the 'upgrade' for this one (I just wanted a fat humbucker at the bridge), but as much as I love the VM4, the Schecter keeps coming back as a solid #2 (the Stingray is #1). It's just a really really good bass.

I don't know about Brexit, I bought a few things from them over the years, many came with european plugs/adaptors.

Back when I was about 10 I heard a song in an advert for some jeans, back home in Spain. Two years later or so I found it was "Satisfaction". Well, a version of it by a Spanish band, just for the ad. I went to the record store and bought the first Rolling Stones I could find with that song in it. It was "Still Life", live album from 1981. I thought the Stones' version was crap, put the album away and ignored it for another 4 years or so. Now it's one of my favourite albums. Despite their version of Satisfaction

You're a patient man. I lasted less than 10.

Agree. I bought my Stingray, used, in 2010. It's a 2002, natural/maple 2-band, it was immaculate, with its hardcase. I bought it for £700 which at the time it was fair for a Stingray in this condition. New ones were around £1200-1300, for the cheapest ones at the time.

Trolleys are great but what I found works pretty well is telling a couple of friends who are coming to the same festival "hey, I'll give you a lift if you like". Before they know it, they're your roadies for the weekend

In this case I have the whole set! I meant to put it on when I sold the car but I forgot. It'll look a lot better than the very ugly mat with floral pattern I'm using now

The first one I got was much like this one. It sort of worked but it didn't feel safe, and those wheels just felt one day they'd bend without a support bar between them... and you just know it'll happen at the most inconvenient time possible. I still have it and used it in town for when we busk over the summer festival to carry a battery operated amplifier which is only 10Kg and a bag of accessories, cables etc. You're probably right and there's a factory in China making those under various labels.

I should do that too, good idea about the car mats. I have a set in the garage that were for my old car and I never used...

This. Often my stage sound is rather bass-light because it helps everybody hearing everything more clearly, including myself. It depends on the size of the place. On the larger stages I can have a very full and lovely sound and still get everybody else too. There's rarely one answer that fits everywhere, otherwise we wouldn't need sound engineers. It's important that the sound engineer knows what the music is supposed to sound like, but sometimes you just have to go with what you can get and compromise.

They have a lot of nice stuff, thank you

I'm very satisfied with mine. Even used it across fields at festivals and it's holding pretty well. The only thing is I'd recommend a bit of carpet or similar to put at the bottom to avoid damaging the finish of your cabs. My BF Two10's tolex got a bit marked the first time I used it.

I use a foldable one by Wolfcraft. This one in particular, although it cost me nearly £100 3-4 years ago, cheaper now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-5501000-Folding-Trolley-Capacity/dp/B00GN6EYVG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=24DAHXZGADRMY&dchild=1&keywords=wolfcraft+folding+trolley&qid=1617885557&sprefix=wolfcraft+fol%2Caps%2C171&sr=8-3 I don't use the bungee cords included, I have a couple of ratchet straps that do a better job. I carry a couple of 210 cabs with it plus pedalboard. It folds flat so it takes little space in the boot of the car. I had another of a similar design but was not sturdy at all. It said ok up to 70Kg but even with 30 it was dodgy. This one is solid.

These are pretty good alternatives, in my experience (google paint can opener, available at places like B&Q for £1.50 or so, sometimes free

(looks around... waits for a moment when nobody is listening, just in case... but then remembers he's not in Glasgow so it's probably safe ) Scots are both stereotypes at the same time. Especially if drinking Buckfast.

The thing with the British is that you have two polar opposite stereotypes which have their element of truth even if exaggerated (as stereotypes usually are). On the one hand you have the polite, responsible and thoroughly nice and helpful type, and on the other you've got the hooligan type. Every country have all sorts of people, of course, but I think this duality is very... British. That's my personal impression, as a non-Brit who's lived in various countries. Not that it means much, as it's a very broad generalisation.

Hogwash indeed. It was Bill Gates' microchips distributed in the vaccines finally being activated through 5G. I could tell you how I know but I closed the YouTube tab and I can't find it again. It's probably been taken down by our overlords.

This pseudo stream of consciousness is getting really hard to understand... over and out

Good choice. I like the Seymour Duncan SMB4A but it's not a faithful copy, it's definitely a more 'modern' take. The Nordstrand MM4.2 is as close as I ever hear a pickup get to an original MusicMan.