casapete

Great that we’re all different on here - I really liked the couple of Hartke HA3500 amps I had. (There’s also a recent thread in the ‘Amplifiers’ section with quite a few glowing comments.) For me they are solid, reliable and loud with a good EQ and one of the few compressors I’ve ever got on with! Only moved mine on for smaller amps, but would happily use them again. Had hoped the newer TX models would be as good but many comments about them being underpowered.

It did seem a bit like that, but the owner was very watchful when anyone approached. Would like to know if he had any serious enquiries on them.

It really is a wonderful place, and run so well too. If Carlsberg made theatres…..

Thanks Lozz. It really is a superb place. When we arrived, we got signed in at the stage door and each had lanyards with a photo ID made before we went in. We only had to show the ID in the cafe to get unlimited free coffees and teas - just a small gesture but very much appreciated by us after such a long journey to get there. For the whole gig we were made to feel appreciated, which these days is getting more of a rarity. I’ve just found out we’ve been given a choice of two dates for returning there next year too, so happy days.

First of two gigs for us this evening in the south west of England. The Hall for Cornwall in Truro is a fantastic Grade II listed building which incorporates the recently opened auditorium ‘The Cornwall Playhouse’, a superb venue with a seated capacity of 1,354. Both front of house and backstage are really top notch, and coupled with a decent cafe/bar it is a favourite of ours. Lots of helpful staff ( many of whom are volunteers ) ensure a good night for their customers. We all but sold out the gig, so had a great evening. It’s a good sounding room so we got soundchecked pretty quickly too. Always a pleasure to play in Truro, despite it being a massive trek for us. We are back into Devon tomorrow night playing in Torquay.

I’m the only person in my band who uses a conventional wedge monitor onstage, everyone else uses IEMs. I like to hear the FOH sound in the room, whilst having enough in my wedge of the things that are key to my playing and singing. This is usually lead vocal, backing vocals (including my own), drums ( kick and snare with some toms and hats etc) and acoustic guitar with some electric (if it’s a large stage and I can’t hear the guitar cab). Don’t have any of the violin or two cellos in it as they are usually loud enough being on my side of the stage. The monitor really does the job of giving me a balance of what is lacking on my side I guess. Have to add that we use electronic drums, so no onstage sound for me other than my wedge and my rig. I also don’t like my bass in my monitor, as it doesn’t sound like my rig! If I need any more of that I can just adjust my amp. It all works fine for me, and I like having control over my overall monitor level - depending on the venue/my mood I can have it all pretty quiet or alternatively kicking a*s without really bothering anyone else. 😊

Speaking with the guy who owns them, he’s been collecting for years and is now starting to reduce what he has. Didn’t seem overly concerned about sales TBH, so maybe that’s why he’s aiming on the high side? Helluva collection though. I have his details if anyone wants to contact him for a haggle! ( I have no connection with him ).

I know what you mean, but I always feel it a little unfair that Whitney gets lumped in with Mariah and all the other trilling warblers that followed, when really she was so much more than that. As Paul says above, her early stuff in particular was almost void of any of that stuff, and her tone & ability to be able to control her voice over such a range was truly wonderful I saw her live in Monaco at the start of her decline and it was both stunning and sad at the same time.

Whilst I agree with you, I actually think Whitney had both the technical and emotional fields covered pretty well ( especially her earlier stuff), Aretha was probably the only other person who I feel had a similar talent / gift.

Me too! Remember Glen Matlock having one of these in the late 70’s. Would make a nice companion to my 59 Les Paul Junior too, but sadly I’m around £29,500 short. 😆

Attended the Leeds show today, and although a bit bass light ( like many of these shows ) there was a great display of vintage Gibsons on offer on one stand, including these ex-celeb examples.

Just back from Skegness, our first gig for a while. The Embassy Theatre is a nice town centre venue, seating just over 1,000 and was near full tonight. Soundcheck went fine, although it sounded almost completely different when all the punters were in. Our sound guy managed to get things sorted pretty quickly though, and I had a lovely balance of room / monitor mix. Gig went well, great audience up for a good night with a bit of good natured heckling, and no glaring mistakes from the band despite the lay off. Crap journey home through heavy rain though. Next week we’re down to Truro and then Torquay, so hope we get some better weather.

Had a couple of these, great amps and seem underrated by many for some reason. Been around a long time but a classic head IMHO.

Years ago I gigged with a TE 130 watt head, but it was into a 2x15 4 ohm cab so using all the power it could muster. Was okay too if I remember correctly. TBH for your budget of around £350 you’re getting near the price of a s/h Fender Rumble 500V3 combo, which is light as anything and sounds ace. That’s what I would go for, assuming portability is a key requirement of course. 😄

She’s amazing - we saw her play a tiny club in West Yorkshire four years ago and soon after she became well known in the US. Great voice and songs, originally based in Bristol I believe. Also appeared as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the 2022 film ‘Elvis’. A fantastic talent.

I think that apart from my lack of brain to tackle a 5 er, the additional neck width and weight/bulk is enough to stop any further chance of me worrying one. Unless of course Danelectro decide to do a Longhorn 5…….😆

I’ve only ever owned 4 string basses. Had a few goes on 5 strings and TBH I just cannot get used to the bottom string not being an ‘E’ ! Full of admiration for those who can swap between 4 / 5 and even 6 strings, but my brain just doesn’t compute like that. It’s the same as using altered tunings on guitar, or even ‘D’ tuners on bass - old dog / new tricks syndrome I guess.

Yup, mine sounded fine in passive mode too. Only got rid of it as I couldn’t get on with the playing position whilst standing up, needed one of those strap extender brackets really.

My old Hohner B2A had this feature too, very handy. Was never sure if it stopped the battery draining as well as I never experienced a dead battery, but appreciated the option.

According to their website, the SM58 debuted in 1966 with the Beta series following on in 1989. I also didn’t know that ‘SM’ stands for ‘studio microphone’ http://shure.com

I still have every diary from when I first started playing in bands in the mid 1970’s. Didn’t keep a list of which gear I used on them, but just the venue played and how much I earned. It was invaluable when I got investigated by HMRC and enabled me to give them all the info they needed, which resulted in them eventually dropping their case. Still have some stuff from local papers that featured articles on my bands, along with recordings from both gigs and studios. These are mostly on cassette though, so need to get them transferred to digital in the near future. During Covid lockdown I went through all my old photos and transferred them to my PC so have some great memories there now. Most are excruciatingly embarrassing of course, so will give my grand/great grandkids a laugh one day. Having been in my current band for 12 + years now, I have probably thousands of pictures which I’ve kept in date order and nice to keep for when I’ve retired.

About 20 years ago me and my guitarist mate bought a couple of SM58 Beta mics each. They were on a deal from Thomann at the time, and we are both still using them. I always look after mine everywhere I go, and both mics are still in excellent condition even after thousands of gigs. I get the grilles cleaned and foam re-done every couple of years, and NEVER let anybody use it. ( For me a mic is a personal thing, don’t want anyone else dropping it or spitting into it thanks.) They both still sound good, led me to wondering if mics actually wear out or deteriorate at all? I always carry a spare - on my main gigs it’s a Prodipe TT1. A sound tech recommended it to me and it’s really good. Only cost around £40 too, think they’re even cheaper now. On other gigs I take two old Peavey PVI mics, black SM58 look a likes with an off switch. Ridiculously good for £20 some years ago, and keep one as my spare and the other for anyone else who needs a mic for speeches / announcements etc ( for which the switch comes in very handy.) Never needed to use my spare mics as the Beta58’s have proved so reliable, but I carry spares of pretty much everything as there’s always a first time.

I use my 100v3 for acoustic duo and small gig duties, and it’s been amazingly good. Everyone who picks it up can’t believe it’s not an empty cabinet. I’m looking at getting a 500, or possibly 800 in the near future. Unsure whether to go for combo or head option though. The 800 comes in two formats, standard and ‘stage’ varieties. The stage version is of no interest to me with bells and whistles I will never use or need, but the regular model is giving me GAS every time I see one. Probably wait for a nice s/h one to surface, although they seem quite rare.

Me too, I’d be happy if phones were banned at gigs TBH. That ‘in the moment’ feeling of being there is just lost on many people these days, especially those who have to ‘check their socials’ every 5 mins. At my band’s gigs in theatres, I see people’s faces light up in the dark when they’re on their phones. Must be really annoying for people sitting nearby.

Great venue, but actually over 20 miles from Skipton.