mcnach

I like cocktail sticks as the wood is harder than matches, and have often used them like you, without glue. It generally works well enough, but if you have some wood glue, add a drop for extra safety, it's better.

Not sure that you're going to get a huge increase in volume by putting more power through a single speaker like that. As efficient as BF cabs may be, they're not magic. I'd be worried about being tempted to push too hard. I was using a LMIII into a single BB2, and bought a LM800 because at times I needed more. I barely noticed the difference. Ended up with two BB2 for that reason. Adding another cab is the surest way to get a noticeable increase, I'm afraid.

glad it worked out well!

Sean bought a Hipshot BT-7 from me. Great guy, good communication and all round very pleasant transaction. Thank you!

I didn't think I was ready the first time... but then I found I could do better than I had thought, and I improved MUCH MUCH MUCH faster once I was in a band. Do it!

I had one and was noise-free too as far as I could tell, but I've read about others complaining about it, so it may be some units or that they're too sensitive to certain environments, not sure.

The new EBS Octabass looks pretty interesting as well. I liked their previous incarnation. Very good tracking on that one. The new one has different controls, including a tone control which could be cool:

Close enough that if you really like the OC-2, you will probably not miss it after playing the OC-10. I haven't played both side by side and it's been a few years since I last had an OC-2, but the OC-10 reminds me a lot of one, down to the glitch-prone response below A on the 4th string, and the videos I've seen comparing them confirmed to me that there was not much between them. It feels reassuringly solid too.

You've got a point there.

A drummer friend of mine and myself were getting together to jam, and we realised we both liked the RHCP. So we started learning some of their songs and that led to "let's start a RHCP tribute!". We needed a guitarist and a singer. We got a so-so singer, and a guitarist, to show up once. The guitarist cancelled his next session due to illness, he said, and after that he said that his band was taking more his attention now and was not sure he'd have time for the new band too. We still needed a singer too, and he suggested the drummer in his main band, who could sing a bit. We found a great guitarist soon enough, and we tried that drummer singer. Not good enough. Tried others, and eventually we found the one and we went on to play a lot of gigs over the next few years. However, that's THAT band. My main band is that initial's guitarist main band, actually. A few months after starting the RHCP I wanted to get busier and was looking at local ads and I saw the name of his band. There were a few audio clips. I liked what I heard. They were looking for a bass player. I wrote to them. Three weeks passed. Nothing. Then I see the ad again. I thought... drummer probably hates me because we didn't take him on as a singer, and guitarist probably didn't like me that much either. But I decided to write again just in case. It turned out they were just disorganised and they had all read the email but they all thought somebody else was taking care of it. Which, knowing them, makes perfect sense Anyway, I got an audition and left having been offered the slot, as they had tried a string of very unsuitable bass players and at least I seemed normal on first contact. That was 9 years and 3 months ago, when I joined Sea Bass Kid. edit: oh, and the RHCP band? drummer quit. So we auditioned for new drummers. The two we selected for a first try came in... both were great. We picked one, Neil. While the other, Tristan, ended up SBK's drummer when ours moved away a year later. Then he moved to Canada... and Neil came on board. It's the RHCP's fault.

I wouldn't say the tracking is great, much like the OC2... but it does sound great. Like most octavers, it sounds better if you play the higher registers.

Probably thinking of Bannermans. It's at the bottom of the street, in the corner with Cowgate, just another 100m away from Stramash. Bannermans is mostly geared to rock bands (not only, 'though). It's not huge, but yeah, definitely another place to check. They also have a flat upstairs that out of town bands may use (you need to agree that, of course), which can be quite handy.

Interesting! I have their previous octave (now discontinued) and it's pretty good, great tracking. Meanwhile, I've also have a Valeton OC-10 in my small board and I've been using that today... I forgot how cool sounding this is.

Paul bought a Hipshot BT-2 from me. Nice, easy, efficient, quick... a pleasure to deal with. Thank you!

That's what I was afraid of at that stage, that her annoying behaviour was part of some sort of misguided mating ritual... Unfortunately (for her) we might as well belong to different species. I don't do stupid. I have enough with my own stupidity

In Edinburgh you have Stramash. That would be my first choice. There's also Voodoo Rooms that would work pretty well.

Indeed. I keep telling our singer to tone it down with the "check us out on Spotify" while we have boxes of CDs to sell at the gig (the times we remember to bring them )

Another one I just remembered... In a popular music bar in town, with my RATM band. There was this guy wanting to come onstage to jump about with us. He eventually managed, and the singer had a hard time keeping him in a controlled area without bumping into everyone else and making a mess... Guy eventually comes down. He is right in front of the stage, back towards us. Suddenly the people in front of him move away. He was peeing. On the floor. At least he didn't do it onstage. I think I'd have murdered him if he whizzed on my board.

I'm not sure if it's better or worse than it used to be, but it amazes me how some people (not always the drunk idiots, but sober idiots do it too) feel that band equipment are toys for them to play with. Reaching out for a saxophone on its stand... WHILE we're playing? Yeah, it's happened more than once. When there's not a physical separation we try to delimit our area with monitors etc, but nothing stops some people. There was one bar gig we used to do... I hated the place. The place was cool, actually, and most people were very very good and make the experience enjoyable, the pay was very good and we got a room for the night, good food... It's a small village out on the coast surrounded by nothing, so everybody from the neighbouring areas come in. BUT there's always a handful of idiots that push the limits. There was a woman once who while I was playing kept coming to me, with her younger friend (turned out to be her niece) asking me to let her play my guitar. While we were playing. Did she think we were miming? That's one of the same ones who kept trying to come in and take the saxophone that was on the stand, while the sax player (using another sax) kept fending her off. She ended up taking my hat. Then putting it back on my head. Rinse, repeat. That set was very long... Then when we finished she came and sat next to me while I was sorting out some cables, and took my hat again. I said nothing, just took it back, but I think my face must have shown my feelings, for she looked shocked and I thought she was about to cry, and left and never saw her again... But I can't imagine that playing to people drinking will be idiot-free ever. Bar functions like those are ok as we can still keep some dignity and be reasonable, but the few weddings I've played were stressful and there's an added sense of having to remain ultra polite and happy at all times, and probably more accommodating than usual: you don't want to create any bad feelings on somebody's happy wedding party. It's complicated... the best part of playing live is the people, the worst? The people too.

I don't like sleeves, but the folded cardboard 'cases' are pretty cool and give you an opportunity to add a few pictures, messages, whatever. For example, here's the one we did in 2015:

If you had told me, back in 1985, that someone would say this in 2019 I would have laughed soooooo hard. I still would not call vinyl an 'ascending' format. Yes, it's had a surge of popularity, but I don't think it'll ever become much bigger than it is now. It's pretty 'niche'. I bought a LOT of vinyl in my days, and I'm most definitely not going to go back to it Same with tape. When our singer said we should release our next album on tape I nearly fell off my chair.

nervous?

Good choice. Don't let the cheaper quote fool you, his work is really good.

I'm envious of solo acts when bandmates frustrate me (not often but it happens sometimes). I use it to push myself to do better, and that's why they're still alive, as I successfully control my murderous urges and I am a better calmer person as a result