casapete

Seem to remember the guy in Dr Hook using one too - in fact all of the band used Ovations at one point so may have been some sort of endorsement deal.

Looks like it’s an Ovation Magnum 1, made in the late 70’s. The Bass Gallery currently have one advertised on Reverb for £2620. I would imagine it weighs a ton!

Think they were licensed Fender instruments made in India or the far east.

Couple of gigs at the weekend. Friday night was playing at a wedding with the blues band - I know, I couldn’t quite get it either. Venue was a nice country hotel that I’ve done many times before in my old function outfit. Arrived in good time to find another band soundchecking, hadn’t realised they were on as well. Good thing though, as it meant we could set up in front of them, play an hour as guests arrived and then quick pack down and out. We played the more commercial stuff in our repertoire and actually got a few up dancing, but it was a bit of a strange situation - the bride and groom are fans of ours so they called the shots on who they wanted I guess. I used my Precision Lyte into the Rumble 500 combo, and it was fine as usual. We got packed down fairly quickly, and then myself and the drummer availed ourselves of the rather nice hot buffet whilst listening to the function band. Home by just gone 10pm so not too shabby. Sunday evening was another of our trips up to Scarborough with the acoustic duo to play at The Lookout cafe bar on the pier in the harbour. Weather was great despite storm warnings, and another full house at the venue including an old friend who sometimes joins us on bigger gigs playing keys. Usual request format , with standout tunes being some jazz standards ( All the way, Moon River and They can’t take that away from me ), our version of ‘Green Onions’ (which I’m unsure that the requestee knew was a Hammond organ feature), and finished up with some Floyd - ‘Wish you were here’ into ‘Another brick in the wall’. Another enjoyable evening, and we return there in a couple of weeks. 😊

Just goes to show the fun that can be had with two chords! I saw Fats in Sheffield in 1995, and he put on a great show despite being in poor health. His band were wonderful, as were Little Richard’s who was also on the bill with Chuck Berry.

I worked with a band calling themselves ‘The Easybeats’ in the 1980’s. They were playing at a club where I was in the resident band. After me commenting about how none of them sounded Australian, one of them admitted they’d bought the name and used it to get on 1960’s tours etc. I remember them playing ‘Friday on my mind’ ( which I think was the original band’s only UK hit ) and then just random 60’s covers for the rest of their set. Not sure anyone in the audience either knew or cared!

Blimey, that’s going some! I was going to mention Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes - my favourite band, who have got through a lot of members since 1975, but maybe not quite that many. They are still recording and touring, although IMO are past their best days / lineup.

Fender Rumble 500 combo for me. Use it in a quite loud 3 piece blues band and it sounds ace with my Precision. Portable, loud and great EQ presets make using it a joy. Haven’t felt the need to add an extension cab yet which I thought may be necessary, so happy days.

This year has been a strange one for me - left the theatre/tribute band in April (supposedly to play fewer gigs), and then immediately joined a local blues band, as well as continuing with the acoustic duo and the odd dep here and there. Anyway, total gigs for 2024 will be about 85 I think. In previous years I’ve done around 140 though, so at least it’s kind of semi-retirement. 😁

Had three gigs with the acoustic duo this week. First was at the local pub in my village, which we do a couple of times a year. Despite advertising it well, not quite as many punters in as usual. It’s been Hull Fair week though, which is a big event around here so maybe some people were there instead. Anyway, the gig went okay with the bonus of home being only 2 mins away. Last night we played at a nice hotel just outside Scarborough. The event was for a 60th birthday and there were about 80 guests who unfortunately were spread out over 3 rooms, making it hard to connect with them collectively. We set up in a conservatory which ran alongside the bar and the dining areas, and just tried our best to entertain them. Didn’t help having a few kids running around , and even a couple of dogs too! Played all their requests, but had to concede defeat at really winning them over. Turned out many were doctors, who just wanted to talk shop I think. Finished by 10.15, quick pack down and home by 11.30pm. Complete contrast today though - a return to The Sun Inn in Beverley. Arrived at 4.30pm and by the time we’d set up the PA it was full of punters all out for a good time. Inundated with requests, notable ones being ‘Crazy horses’ , ‘Dead flowers’ and ‘Babylon’. Had to skip some stuff by Eminem and Beastie Boys for obvious reasons, but overall a cracking afternoon/ early evening session to a rammed pub. Next visit there is December 22nd when as well as our usual request format we are asking a few local singers to come in and maybe do a few festive classics with us. Got four lined up already, and Paul the landlord is also keen too so should be great fun. (No pics taken today but the pub is opposite Beverley Minster which looked incredible tonight.)

At one of our regular acoustic gigs, the booker actually asks people not to talk while we’re playing when he takes their reservation! Whilst this is probably nice in a folk club environment, for a cafe bar IMO it’s maybe a bit much - when we first started doing the gig I found having the punters so near to me and totally silent a bit unnerving! It’s also a bit like ‘jazz club’ where they applaud my mate’s guitar solos too sometimes, but as it’s such a fabulous gig/ audience I turn a blind eye to it. Better that than pub punters asking you to keep it down so they can chat I guess. 😁

Strangely enough our local Morrisons plays pretty good stuff - plenty of not too obvious pop / soul / rock from recent and not so recent times. Those songs that get you wondering who did them whilst perusing the fruit and veg aisle…..😁

I found Elixirs the same - didn’t like the sound right from the off, but it stays the same! As a long time D’Addario user I think I’ll give the NYXLs a try.

I worked part time in a local supermarket when I was 15, and the music they played in there was truly dreadful. It sounded like even cheaper versions of those ‘Top of the Pops’ compilation albums that were popular in the 70’s. ( For our younger readers, these were cheap albums containing dreadful covers of recent chart hits, nothing to do with the TOTP programme on TV. Usually on crap budget labels like MFP and Hallmark - see pic.) The worst songs were those where they didn’t stand a chance of sounding anything like the original artists / recordings, such as Slade, Rod Stewart and Bowie. Working all day Saturday meant I’d hear every song probably at least 8 times, maybe funny the first time or two and then after that sheer hell.

Played again at The Lookout ( on the pier in Scarborough) tonight with the acoustic duo. Full house all dining when we arrived at 5pm, the food here is really good, with the seafood being a speciality - it arrives by the boats moored along the venue so couldn’t be more fresh! Our usual requests led set list with some more Kris Kristofferson stuff asked for, as well as some we haven’t done for a long time - ‘Son of a preacher man’, ‘Wishing well’, ‘Dancing in the dark’ and ‘5 o’clock somewhere’. During the second set one of the house PA speakers gave up the ghost - an Alto column type - but we managed with the others that were still okay. That’s two gigs this week with PA issues , strange. Anyway, the evening went well, happy punters and lots of nice comments. We have a few more gigs booked here before the end of the year, and they are always great to do. Home by 9.30pm for a nice glass of red with some cheese with crackers and chilli olives, marvellous.

With my acoustic duo, we never have a set list beforehand. We work on requests which the audience write down on forms we put on their tables and the bar etc. Just before we go on we check a few out for openers and then wing it from there really! Like you my guitarist mate is good with his banter, and people generally understand how we roll. We’ve been playing together now for over 30 years, (as a duo for around 25 of them ) and have honestly never had one rehearsal in all that time. Should we attempt a song which may be a bit tricky, we’ll have a quick talk through in one of the breaks and then go for it. Certainly keeps us on our toes, and the punters seem to enjoy it. We have 8 gigs this month so hopefully doing something right!

Yup, me too. Bit of structure always good, but on the night you sometimes have to be flexible.

Seeing as we’re on a comedian theme, I saw Amy Gledhill last week. Fabulous comedian / actor / writer from Hull, Amy won Best Show at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. She’s touring all over the UK at the moment, very funny and highly recommended.

This was my preferred method for keeping drunks at bay at posh weddings when I was in a function band. Standard Fender bass headstock worked fine, although I seem to remember that my Squier Katana with pointed headstock was maybe even more effective, if a touch brutal. 😆

No way I’d set up on grass, period!

Of course you’re right - budget I guess is around £1500 max. Because it’s getting on in years, and I’m just curious as to whether there’s anything better that will do the job. Happy to blow our budget on whatever works best though, whether carrying on with using the Yamaha and getting a new passive speaker set up, or going down the active cabs and a small mixer route.

Our rather old and a bit tired PA is going to need replacing soon, and I was looking for recommendations from the BC collective based on what they’ve used, possibly with similar requirements to ours. We are an acoustic duo - electro acoustic guitar and vocals / electro acoustic bass and vocals. Currently on smaller gigs we just put everything straight into our mixer amp (Yamaha EMX 512SC) and then into an aging pair of Bose 802s linked to a pair of passive 12 inch subs. Sometimes I also use my Rumble 100 combo with a DI into the PA if needed for a touch more spread on bigger/ more rowdy gigs. Problem is it’s all a bit tired, and it’s time to upgrade. Needs to be manageable for two older gentlemen, as well as built to last a few years and not a problem to repair if necessary. Our Yamaha mixer amp is a great thing (2x500 watts ) so wouldn’t be averse to keeping that and just looking for new passive cabs, or maybe just getting some good active cabs and a small desk. Not sure about the bin / line array set ups currently popular but maybe only because the ones I’ve heard haven’t been great! Any recommendations welcomed, shoot!

I’ve voted 2x45mins which is mainly our usual thing with the blues band, although the second set may be extended with an encore or two if it’s gone well. With the acoustic duo 2x45 is our standard too, but this can also be made into 3x30 mins ( or even 3x40 mins if the money is right 😉 ).

Played our monthly residency at a local pub last night with the acoustic duo. A shocking load of weather going on so we thought it may be on the quiet side, but pleased to see all the tables booked so it was reasonably full. No big surprises with strange requests, so most were played. Inevitably we got asked for some Kris Kristofferson stuff so we obliged with ‘Me and Bobbie McGee’ and ‘For the good times’. This last one was followed by ‘Highway to Hell’ so plenty of variety! Had a slight buzz/rattle from one side of the PA so that’s going to need looking at - think it’s maybe time to invest in something new. Got soaked loading out as it was still siling it down, home by midnight though.

Just seen that HB have announced a new range with nitro / relic finishes.