dmccombe7

I lug both the QSC KW153 Powered cabs at 40Kg each plus they are quite tall at 43" x 19" x 17" and awkward to lift and tilt into the back of an estate car. Lifting straight up and down is easy but walking a distance or the tilting thing is extremely hard on the old back. I also have lightweight Mesa cabs at 20Kg each so they are a skoosh to lift, i've even lifted one in each hand to the gig but that just makes it awkward getting thru doors Amp is a class D Ampeg SVT7 so that's a bonus too. My back up amp is now my Handbox WB-100 at 13Kg which aint too bad. I do have a portable trolley for all the cabs to be fair. We are looking for someone to help with the gear, ideally a SE who can do the PA and collect the Subs that we haven't really used cause we need a van if we take them. Think that ideal person is a dream wish list more than anything as i reckon people just don't do that these days. Dave

When we started off we all agreed 2 gigs a month with Glam band. The punk band was doing much the same. Over past 2 yrs things have changed dramatically with both bands. Glam band is getting inundated with requests to book now and we are playing almost every weekend this year whereas the punk band is dwindling away as venues and audiences just aren't there. Lucky if we do a gig every 2 mths. Its that bad we no have to fit in a rehearsal before a gig as we haven't played for so long. Not sure where that's gonna end up. I have made it perfectly clear that if it starts feeling like a chore or a job then i'll probably walk away. Its a hobby for me that i enjoy and no more. Apart from Dec i won't do 2 gigs in a weekend as it is just too much for me as i keep the larger PA cabs and have to load and unload them on my own plus wearing all the glam gear makes you sweat a lot and a gig is quite tiring. If the gigs are nearby and PA supplied i'm ok with doing 2 in a row. Luckily i'm not the only one in the band that feels that way so at the moment things are good and i'm enjoying it. Dave

Much the same here Daryl. I use Sat Nav these days so rarely get lost now. Hearing is ok with a little tinnitus but manageable. Rig issues on a regular basis altho more so with the sound effects board i use with Glam band. Bass rig i have forgotten the volume on occasion too LOL Can't say i've had the experience with the flashing altho a mates girlfriend used to do that every sat night after she had a few drinks and in those days girls didn't need a bra for support All pretty normal for us oldies Daryl. Maybe you're over thinking the age thing. Our drummer turned 65 last week and he's never given age a thought really until he saw the 65 on his birthday card and it dawned on him he was getting old but he's ok about it. At the end of the day i'm 64 and i still feel as daft as i did when i was in my 20's big difference is i'm sober these days Just forget the age thing cause you don't look 70 mate and enjoy life and the band. Life is for living not regretting. Dave

Could only see the first row until the stage lights went off and that was all that was there Dave

I don't usually drink Daryl and because of where i live in countryside i need to drive to go anywhere but i've found thru experience that i don't need to drink to enjoy myself these days. Yes i appreciate a few beers does loosen you up a bit and can relax you more so that you get more involved but its not a requirement for enjoyment. My wife and i are both relatively shy people and prefer our own company to that of others but we still go out and meet up with others on occasion but generally not the band members and that's probably because we all stay far apart and meet up for gigs. Guitarist is 1.5hrs drive from my house. Drummer 30mins drive Singer Mikey is 1hr drive Singer Lynn is 45mins drive Public transport for myself and drummer is a bit of a laugh. One bus an hr for me to get to the nearest town 8 miles away. Drummer's bus service is one bus every few hrs to my nearest town. Public transport just isn't practical in that respect so we end up driving. The band used to meet up at service stations on motorways for a chat and a coffee but when they prohibited parking to 2hrs at service stations and i got a ticket for being 10mins over we stopped doing it. I was there first by about 10mins and the others didn't get a ticket at all. Life on the road I wouldn't make too much out of socialising with other band members. Its not a deal breaker and i appreciate you might feel left out a bit but as long as the band is working then no sweat. If all else fails and next time you are out for a coffee with the guitarists parents tell them about her outrageous behaviour for a laugh With regards your girlfriend flashing .......... if she's got it, flaunt it. Be proud of her. Its no worse than going topless on the beach. (I'm assuming it was a top half flash ) Dave

Great stuff Mickey but what is PHB with one cab ? Not heard this before. Its possibly an age thing LOL Dave

I remember reading somewhere from a band member that they only ever see the first couple of rows of an audience. I've played gigs like that where all i can see thru lights and smoke machine is the front row and had no idea how busy it was until the break and the stage lights went off. I'm now at a ppoint with the Glam band that the audience size doesn't really make a difference. Most people are there for a fun / enjoyable night out so just look at the front row and enjoy it same as any other gig. You'll be fine Daryl, you have more than enough experience in gigs that it wont even be an issue on the night. Above all have fun, enjoy and appreciate the experience for what it is ........... a great gig. Dave

I have no gigs in April either except for our drummers 65th birthday party where both our bands will play an hour set each. Its the same female singer, drummer and me in both bands. The drummers mate owns a large 8 bedroom house that he rents for holidays. He lets him have it for weekend for free. Other than that one singer is on hols start April and the other is away end April all planned around the birthday weekend of course. I live 25mins away and don't really bother drinking so i just drive home each night after the party time. I also don't socialise with the band members outwith doing the gigs. Its difficult finding a band you will be happy in and not everything has to be 100% perfect in your head. You seem to enjoy playing with the bands so i don't think walking away is a wise move both financially and the fact you would then be starting afresh looking for another band that might be full of a**h***s that will drive you up the proverbial wall. So there isn't a lot of the "mates getting together" thing that was popular when we were younger but does that really matter. ? Have you considered asking them to meet up for a coffee or a beer and a blether. Perhaps they don't want to pester you because of the age difference and who knows maybe they think you might not want to go for a beer or a coffee and prefer to keep yourself to yourself or even your own age group if that makes sense. I know of several bands that only meet up for gigs, I'm quite happy with that TBH as i like my own company. I have other hobbies outwith the bands so i'm ok with it being a gig only thing. Dave

Without the gym i wouldn't be able to do some of the gigs we've had. I carry the large QSC 3-way 15" cabs and they are about 40Kg each. 3 yrs ago i simply couldn't have done that without stopping to catch my breath 2 secs after attempting a lift Something i forgot to mention that on the drive home (1hr each way) i lost my focus on the road and was thinking about the gig and how it went. Missed my slip road at a T junction down towards the Hyndford bridge near Lanark and almost ended up thru the fence and down a 50ft embankment into a field but luckily no other traffic and managed a very fast 90 degree left turn on the main carriageway. Wasn't going very fast to be fair but its something we should all keep in mind the dangers of driving after a 3hr gig and then pack up and loading. Its a 10-12hr day for me going to a most gigs. Between the driving, load in, the glam gear, excessive heat in the venue, pack up and loading at the end and the drive home it becomes quite a hard shift and a long day. Dave

We weren't in Dunoon. Just a couple that travelled from Dunoon to our gig in Falkirk area. Don't think i've ever taken the ferry over to Dunoon, always taken bike or car. Most of our gigs are on the East Coast Scotland and most are within around an hrs drive for me but some like Arbroath its a 2.5hr drive. Central belt on East coast side up to Dundee area but that's mainly because our guitarist is from Perth so it makes sense staying to that side of the country. Arbroath was a struggle coming home tho as wearing all the Glam gear you sweat a lot and then a 1.5hr pack up and load the cars add a 2.5hr drive and its quite tiresome. Our drummer is from Leadhills area so he has another 30mins more than me. At 64 yrs old its getting harder to do these things even going to the gym 4 times a week Dave

Easy route is the ferry but you can drive the long way round up towards Loch Lomond. Not been there since a bike rally back in 2003 or thereabouts. Its kind of went downhill since US pulled out of the area years ago. Dave

Another new venue for BLOCKBUSTARZ Glam covers band last night at Shieldhill near Falkirk. The girl that arranged it was her first time arranging anything in the hall and she was so worried about it all at the start but she did a fantastic job with it including a decent full sized buffet plus my wife and our singer Lynn both won a bottle of vino each in the raffle. Not a huge venue but sold out maybe 100-120 people in with many wearing 70's Glam gear. Also had a couple that came over from Dunoon on the ferry just to see us. They have been to a few of our gigs now including one up at Methil in Fife. Fairly small stage so it was a bit tight. Its an old community hall style building. Stage was quite high up too but we really struggled to fit on it with very little movement. Sound on stage was difficult to get a decent mix as no room for monitors. Drummer had IEM and he said it was all sounding good in his ears. Out front sounded good tho and that's the main thing. Singer had a sore throat and as the night progressed his voice started to fade and Lynn our female singer had to take over his vocal parts in some songs but we managed by dropping out a few of the harder vocal songs towards the end. Feedback was great and we've been asked back again with dates to be confirmed. Usual gear Sandberg VM4 into Ampeg SVT7 and Mesa SW210/115 cabs. Dave

First gig with a new band is always a bit nerve-racking. Good to hear it all went well and gives you a good positive feel going forward to the next full gig. Enjoy and have fun with it cause nothing else matters really. Dave

Great band. I love listening to them on a long drive. Nice relaxed music for driving. Amazing musicianship. Dave

I'm not one for making changes to basses. I prefer to keep them as i buy them but that's probably down to the fact i've never bothered trying it. Dave

My Godin PJ is passive and it sounds very much like a really nice warm deep P bass when switch is set to P only. At one of my punk gigs i was using in PJ Parallel mode and it sounded great on its own but wasn't cutting thru the mix. Decided to switch tp P mode and WOW there it was sitting very nicely cutting thru the guitar and drums but retaining that warm P tone but with more edge than the PJ setting. It was an odd one but when i heard some vids the PJ setting did sound really nice out front. I do like a P bass sound but i hate that fat neck most of them come with. The Godin having a 4 way switch rather than 2 volumes or a pan pot means there is no effect at all from the other pick up not in use. Something even weirder is that most of my fav bands the bassist used a P bass Dave

I have the VM4, Fender PJ active and a Godin PJ but i'd have to say the Fender and Godin are far deeper sounding than the VM4. I prefer my VM4 to be honest as the active circuits means i have more variety and range of tones but it doesn't have that deep warm P tone the others do. I'm not a fan of the VM4 in passive mode tho as it just seems so weak. Dave

Nice but think i would have left the old bridge pick up in place but not connected rather than a hole. Never realised the J pick up was so close to the P on them. Dave

Good shout on the Berg gear. Had forgotten about them. Probably one of THE best clean amps on the market. Dave

Could be worth looking at what other bassists use that you admire and who play same or similar style. When i play chords i like a very clean amp sound so maybe something like an EBS, Genz Benz Shuttle, possibly a Markbass would work well. As others have mentioned earlier a lot depends on your technique and what pick ups you use. I only use the bridge pick up for chordal playing. I find using my thumb as you do tends to produce a dull or more bass focused tone especially playing up at the neck as you are in the vid clip. Would maybe drop bass level a touch and boost some mids to sharpen the tone. What settings you have on the bass itself will affect it too. All the best with your search and journey and i'm curious to see where you go with it. I enjoyed your playing and the song so keep us posted. Dave

Wife put us in a hot wash. Dave

Of course its compulsory but seriously no we don't play too loud. We set guitar and vocals to drummers level. Only vocals thru PA so we can't be too loud. I have upgraded my bass rig to suit tho.😂 Dave

I stopped going to watch bands because i couldn't hear them for people yapping during the entire show and that's from pubs to Theatre venues. When i used to go to watch bands it was mostly rock or prog fans and without being sexist mostly of the same sex but nowadays its more a mixed audience and that's where the yapping comes in. Even when watching other bands posting vids on FB all you hear is yap yap bl**ding yap. If people don't want to sit and watch a band quietly then don't bl**min go. Perhaps its just wives going with their hubbies to get out and have no interest in bands. Yes i know that all sounds very sexist and i apologise if i offend anyone with my own experiences. On the other hand its mostly women that come to our gigs and it doesn't seem to be a problem there so i don't understand it at all but then again i've never understood the workings of a woman's brain. Men go to a venue to watch a band and drink beer, women see it as a social event to listen to background music, drink wine and blether all night having no respect for others that have paid to hear a band. As you can tell this is a sore point with me. PS this is also a sore point with my wife so its not just me. Rant over. Dave

They were a kind of crossover between Rob wearing the flamboyant feminine looking clothes and Ray wearing his teddy boy suits but they have always been classed as part of the Glam era. A lot of tongue in cheek fun with them which was also part of the Glam thing IMO. Dave

Mine isn't horrendous but it starts where the neck heel starts which is approx 1-2" before the start of the pocket. I don't know how that affects this debate but for me who is not a scientist that the issue lies more with the wood where it leaves the heel rather than the pocket area but as i said i'm no expert in wood, bass design, physics or quantum mechanics. I'm just a bass player and even that is questionable Dave