dmccombe7

Really ? I've not heard anything bad about them but i'll have a wee look at that. They do last a lot longer than other batteries tho. Dave

Yep fair point. I'm testing off load with a multimeter. I appreciate a battery voltage can look good with a multimeter but under load that battery can fail. I've had that with vehicle batteries. Using a load tester is definitely the best way to check but as a basic guide its a simple check. If i tested my vehicle battery with a multimeter and it was reading 10V instead of 12V or above i'd be worried that something isn't right so as an initial test its fine to use a multimeter. Most people wont have a load tester but i just checked Amazon and they only cost circa £5 so might be worth getting one. Have to say i've never experienced a 9V PP3 battery to show a 9.5V on a multimeter but then fail under load. I only use Duracell batteries in my gear. Dave

It obviously depends on the circuit they are being used in. One of my basses starts distorting slightly at 8.0V and because of that i give myself some leeway at 9V. Mainly because i do forget to check the voltage on a regular basis. Batteries tend to last quite a long time on my basses tho. Minimum 1 yr. Possibly depends on how often i use that bass tho. I've also had issues with effects pedals that i occasionally use with batteries and when i check the battery its in the low 8V area. Rather than take a risk i just change them at 9V or below. Dave

I might invest in some gel insoles. Not sure about anti-fatigue mat but i'll do a search to see what they are all about. Cheers for that. Dave

Can you not get a battery tester and check the voltage. If its below 9.1V its replaced but if above that it stays for a bit yet. I normally get around a year out of a battery in my Sandberg VM4. I only use Duracell 9V batteries. A new battery should be 9.6V or above. Also check the dates on your batteries when you buy them as they could have been lying on a shelf for yrs. Dave

Love the stage, quite different from the usual square box type. I do love a decent size stage. In the Glam band i get sore feet and legs if i cant move about a bit wearing platform boots. Its murder when i literally can't move at all but that is getting very rare these days. Dave

Not my usual kind of music but that sounded pretty good. Bass sounds nice with a little bit of grit / edge on it. Dave

Busy weekend for BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam. Fri night at The Cave in Paisley near Glasgow. Very small venue but we know the owner very well and just enjoy playing there. Stage was a bit crowded but we had the usual dancers in front of us and good comments at the end. An hours drive home mostly motorway and as usual on a weekend they completely closed THE main motorway into Scotland the M74 Southbound and had to take a diversion. Luckily i know the area and wasn't too late home around 2:30am. Bed by 3am. Wakened by cat at 6am and feeling tired knowing i have another gig on Sat. Sat night was at Hot Rods in the Borders in Lilliardsedge Holiday Park near Jedburgh. Decent sized venue that was full when we started (after the 2hrs of Bingo we had to sit thru) Set up and sound was a bit rushed with just 1 hr to complete from power being switched on to doors open. We were using our desk mainly for vox and bass drum into their PA and our monitors so a bit of a hotchpotch and the sound was ok but not as good as we're used to with our own full QSC PA but hey ho. My wife said something wasn't quite right first set but for some odd reason when we came back out 2nd set it was ok. She wasn't quite sure what it was but not our usual good mix. Anyway place was very appreciative and we had the dance floor busy most of the night with it completely full for most of the 2nd set with rapturous applause and requests for more so that was good. We played here last year and Hot Rods club were there and asked if we could play their event there this year but we were already booked that weekend and they moved their event to coincide with our diary and they've asked us back for next year. From what we were told the event started last year with about 30 cars and this year had 150 so it was a busy event. Down side was the burger van in the park cost me £0 for 2 cheeseburgers and chips (£25) and 2 bottles of Fanta (£5). I'll take my own food next year like last year. 1.5 hrs drive home thru twisty country roads and home by 2am so not too bad as roads were empty and i know most of the route very well and could get the foot down. Photo requests by many in the audience including the Hot Rods organiser who was over the moon with the turnout and the band of course. The venue manager was very nervous as this was the busiest weekend they've had and was worried she didn't have enough tables to accommodate everyone. There were actually people sitting at the tables along the front of the venue. The DJ who is actually a Sound Engineer and was depping as DJ last night said the sound at the back of the hall was amazing and was stunned to find out we only had vocals and bass drum thru his PA. Trying to keep it as it was back in the day using backline with vocal PA. No pics as yet but here's a screenshot from a vid. Using my Sandberg VM4 into Mesa TT800 and Subway 210/115 cabs with Shure GLXD Wireless. Loving the new Mesa TT800 Boogie channel. Lots of depth and clarity no matter how i set the EQ. Dave

Cheers Daryl you know i'm so jealous of you guys getting to play there. Always happy to see any pics of you guys. Dave

Not surprised you were asked to turn down. With that Gain and Master setting that must have been painful in a rehearsal room. Typically at a Vocal PA only gig i'll balance against drummer volume and that's loud enough in both a punk and Glam band with Gain similar to yours and Master at 11 o'clock. I normally have the bass at 1 tho but mine is the B, M, T EQ version and might make a little difference. Glorious amps tho and with a P or even a PJ type bass they are sublime. That Precision pick up just works so well with an all tube amp. What SVT did you have. Dave

I recently went back to my Handbox WB100 from the SVT7 and loved it with my Godin PJ. Finally getting my Mesa TT800 i'm still working on it to see how it fairs against an all valve WB100. Dave

Curious to hear how this sounds @ped. Hopefully a full review. Dave

Its knowing when and where and if you get it right it works a treat and everyone has fun with it. I guess that's experience coming thru there. Dave

Screenshot just for you @rwillett from a Vid taken at BLOCKBUSTARZ gig on Sat night at Longstone Hearts Club in Edinburgh as proof it did actually happen. Honest i tell you no lie. Vids are on our FB page. Dave

I'm not sure why but it seems more acceptable to have a famous person come up to play with the band. We invited a friend of the band who sings with Hot Chocolate and he was brilliant but we know him pretty well thru our guitarist. Maybe its a bit like name dropping Dave

I personally don't agree with it. My worry is that every time you play that venue the same guy will want to sing a song again or taken to extreme your audience get to know that you'll allow audience members up to sing with you and hey ho you get every numpty trying to make a name for themselves. I think its a bad idea for ours type of bands. Dave

No amp there Daryl ? Dave

Forgot to mention in my gig post but we had a guy celebrating his 70th and was a pro singer when he was younger and still does the occasional gig. He had spoken to us a few times before at this venue so we thought we would get him up for a song and he did a great job of Lets Stick Together. I was fair impressed considering he had never sung the song in a long time and never with us. We do play the song exactly as per the single so that makes it easier. Dave

Same here. I finally got the message across that 2 x 1hr sets is the way to go especially when wearing all the Glam gear and it gets very hot and tiring. Sat nights gig was a lot easier than the 2hrs 45 mins we normally do. Dave

100% agree, sometimes its just nice to share your thoughts with other like minded people. Dave

I'd have to walk away from someone like that. There are plenty of guitarists out there. Replace him, his attitude stinks. Appreciate that during a gig we will make a mistake or two but we generally laugh it off at the end of the night providing we know where we went wrong and the audience didn't notice it too much. To have someone throw a tantrum and walk away in a huff like that is not good for any band. Dave

I'll post if any appear from last nights gig. Dave

BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam gig last night at Hearts Longstone Club. Played here quite a few times now and always a wonderful reception. Its not a huge club and i reckon maybe about 60-70 folks in with many dressing up for the Glam night. We even had the boob flasher during Get It On which is new for us. No pics of that bit have appeared as yet Also a first with this band a young lady in a mini dress asked for our autographs and was so i pressed with the band said she will def be at the Xmas gig and any others in the Edinburgh area. Club brought a load of blow up guitars etc and star sunglasses and handed them out. Band played well and altho singer lost his voice during the week he did remarkably well altho our other singer Lynn was all prepared to step in as and when needed. Using my Berg VM4 into my new Mesa TT800 for the first time with my Mesa SW210/115 cabs. Sounded a lot more modern than my SVT7 Pro or Handbox WB-100 but it sounded clear and full on both channels. Boogie channel set for a more standard warm tone and the Subway channel set for a more Ric bite sound. Gonna take a bit of fiddling to get it just right but so far i'm pleased with it. I've only waited 3 yrs to get one. 1 Hrs drive home on nice quiet country roads so that was all good. Got a thumping headache this morning tho so probably not enough water during the gig. Normally drink between 1-2 litres a gig but only had 1 litre last night. I do sweat a lot with all the glam gear on. Dave

Why did he bale at last minute ? Dave