tauzero

I've seen the word "articulate" used about pickups and I'd never have dreamed of using it myself, but I was sorely tempted. Clear treble and full bass. They seem to simply pass the string vibrations across to the preamp without colouring or muddying them. They seem a very good compromise between the Barts which seem a little lacking in treble and the Nordstrands which are similarly clear and maybe a bit more pushy.

I bought a pack of various values as there's no one value I use to such an extent that I'd use 50 or 100 of it in my lifetime - the possible exception being 220R (for MIDI). I think it was Vellman that did that set. This might be a better bet for the hobbyist: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313771152958 - 5xE24 values or 5xE12

It sounds like they got let down multiple times by investors and crowdfunding organisations. I hope they do get going again.

My order says it's arrived at the departure hub.

Never say never... but use Paypal just in case.

Fetch Eddie the baby's gone blue was another. BTW, don't know if you knew him but Rikk Quay of Those Attractive Magnets died a year or two ago.

PS There's a part 2 to the cheap wireless systems where he recommends a couple of 900MHz systems which can be picked up on AliExpress for about £35. However, AIUI, 900MHz is subject to licensing (I'm sure there used to be a sticky on that) and if what https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1368 says applies to this use of them, a single licence will cost coming on for quarter of a million quid, so maybe it's not the most economical system after all. Licensing:

See picture 4 - "Over 5 hours battery life when fully charged". I've got a Muslady 2.4GHz wireless, the same sort of thing, and that used to happily do a four hour rehearsal (I think the guitarist's managed two). There's a Youtube video comparing cheap wirelesses which does a sound comparison, including a cable, and there's virtually no difference - just a very slight loss of treble for the cable (as you'd expect for a capacitive load).

The £11 ones? I'm hoping that they turn up and are as advertised.

Tascam Model 24? Cons: rather more expensive than an XR-18, Pros: it's not just an interface.

Would a clear nail varnish be best to show the grain, plus matching water colour?

One Tamworth band took their name from a headline in the local paper - "Emma Gibbs loves badges". You could also try it with national papers - I'm sure "Enemies of the People" would fit bands in several genres, for example.

Cymex - formed at International Hall in That London, named after a brand of industrial vacuum cleaners because somebody had a promotional single that started "5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - the Cymex are coming!" - rock originals and covers BHX - named after the TLA for Birmingham airport - rock originals Nightmusic - a literal translation of Nachtmusik - pop covers Cristonelles - a mashup of the singer's children's names - pop covers Caprice - name of unknown origin - rock originals Cuddly Spiders - named during an evening of drunkenness between the guitarist and me - rock originals and covers Ruffian on the Stairs - named by the drummer, a big Joe Orton fan, after one of his plays - soulish originals Torn in Two - renamed from the Anthill Mob before I joined - soft rock originals Nightshade - name of unknown origin before I joined - hard rock originals Naked Touch - now there's a name I didn't like. The keyboard player came up with it and none of us were able to think of a better alternative quickly enough - soft rock originals Bleeding Hearts - originally a duo, I think it was the guitarist who came up with it rather than me - folk-rock originals The Symptoms - arrived at after one of the traditional debates - mainly soft rock covers, a few originals New Corona Band - named after the dulcimer player's father's old band, the Corona Band, which in its turn was named for the band round a cigar - trad ceilidh band Breakaway - name of unknown origin before I joined - pop covers Second Time Round - named because it's me and Mrs Zero, and we got together and got married 25 years after we'd first gone out together - variety of covers and originals Licksntrix - named before I joined, not one of my favourite names - rock covers The Lightning - named before I joined - rock and power pop covers, some originals Different Glory - named before I joined - soft rock originals Spiral Six - Coventry based, the name was derived from Coventry being the city of Three Spires, and there being six in the band (see how well that worked for Level 42) - a covers offshoot of Different Glory Distant Earth - never got to gigging, name derived from Arthur C Clarke's "Songs of Distant Earth" - prog covers Space Monkey - originally named, er, something else, got renamed when an audience member said "you're a bunch of space monkeys" - mainly 80s covers Space Cadets - a subset of Space Monkey - mainly 80s covers a2RK - named from the initial letters of the original band members' first names (there were two As), which left them a hostage to fortune as it should probably be called Mark now - prog originals Dirty Roses - a product of innumerable discussions which we finally agreed on - rock covers

Get a rechargeable USB pack, a 9V and a 12V one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184366410931 and a daisy chain for the 9V, and also a pair of polarity inverters.

I've just bought my third Harley-Benton - not a bass, though. But I do have one HB bass. The first was that bass - a five-string fretless acoustic bass, Deko, but as far as I could see flawless. Currently tucked away in a wardrobe but it will re-emerge. Something ridiculous like £60-£70. Next was the first guitar, a classical electro-acoustic with cutaway lower bout (CG300CE NT IIRC). Also around the £70 mark. Nothing wrong with it - maybe not a Takamine, but certainly worth the money for my purposes. Yesterday's arrival was a B-stock Dullahan AT-24 headless guitar. Again flawless, lovely and light (something it appears they haven't quite got the hang of on the basses), very playable neck, with a 5-way switch for the two pickups which gives a great variety of sound. Came at the frighteningly high price of £240. This probably marks the end of my HB buying, but it's given me three instruments that I feel no need to sell on or upgrade.

I was watching Pointless earlier on, and in the final the competitors came up with three words - Dogs, Under, and Sentimental. I commented to Mrs Zero that "Sentimental Underdogs" would be quite a good name for a band.

Very nice. And good camouflage for the Corvette $$.

My £30 office chair downstairs has a swivelling arm rest which is perfect. I have a feeling that both my £30 office chair upstairs and my free office chair in the garage have fixed arms but I haven't done any playing in the upstairs office yet.

Along with my headless guitar what I bought from Thomann a few days ago, I bought a knob puller, in the hope that it would make removing my knobs simpler. This consists of a U-shaped part with jaws and a ring. You put the jaws on the knob [1], slide the ring down it, then pull the loop of the U-shaped bit to pull the knob off. [2] However, unless your knob is 25mm/1" in diameter, this is doomed to failure as the jaws won't clamp on. I tried rotating the ring (as can be seen from the picture, it's a deformed circle) and thought I had cracked it, but no. So if your knob has a flange (eg. Strat) or it's a big speed knob (eg. Les Paul), you should be OK, but if not, you're doomed to anti-climactic disappointment. [1] Linda Lovelace's job description [2] This is getting very Nigella

Guitar ordered from Thomann on the 10th, arrived yesterday. Small diecast box ordered from China on the 9th, arrived today.

I've tried playing left-handed. Not a chance. OTOH, a guitarist I used to play with was left-handed but learnt to play right-handed. For some reason, this niggled him, even though he'd been playing 20+ years and was very good. So eventually he bought a left-handed guitar and learnt to play it left-handed too.

Office chairs that don't have a swivelling arm-rest so I can move it out of the way when playing.

I have a few guitars, but they're either acoustic or Variaxes and I wanted a guitar I could just record stuff with without having to set up extra wiring, and ideally headless so I could do it in my tiny office when the muse hit me. So I bought a B-stock Harley-Benton Dullahan, the arch-top variant. Very light, nice and playable (although I might go down from the 10s that it comes with to 9s or 8s), and the five switch positions give a good variation of tone. I have no idea why it was a B-stock, it appears in perfect nick. Very pleased with it - all it needs are some Schaller strap-locks. Immediately behind it is yesterday's acquisition, and Ibanez EHB1265, and behind that is yet another Harley-Benton - this time a classical electro-acoustic.

The big selling point to me was the light weight (800W 12" combo, 9.5kg). I don't see that as a gimmick.

Oh I know, pictures or it didn't happen.