The Saint

Things may be a bit different here in France as we always get fed before the gig, even if it's just a small bar that doesn't do food themselves. They'll buy in a pizza for the band. So no need to eat during the gig, but I wouldn't anyway as it's just plain rude. As for drink, we always get a free tab but as we all have to drive, we're on water. Being the main vocalist, I see nothing wrong in having a bottle of water on hand. And the same for the rest of the band, as it can get pretty warm here in summer...! As to TV, can't say we've ever been in a position to watch it during a gig. But we did have a regular gig at a bar that had a 50" TV right above the stage. They insisted on playing YouTube concerts (minus the sound) while we played our set and it annoyed the hell out of me. But they paid us well...! So one night, our lead guitarist finished a rather splendid solo and the crowd suddenly went ape... Looking at the stage, cheering, clapping and stamping their feet. I thought, well if they enjoyed it that much, I'll give him another solo after the next chorus...! It was then I noticed the bar owner sprinting across the room, diving over the drummer and between our amps, then flapping wildly at the TV trying to turn it off. I glanced up at the screen and found that some wag had got hold of the remote control and switched to a full on porn channel. But my man still got his solo in....

Being a singist who makes funny noises, I feel well qualified to comment here..! I've been using the Voicelive Play GTX for a few years now and if that's the one he's using, I've found it rather frustrating to set up. There's a hell of a lot of menus and maybe I'm too much of a dinosaur to be able to adapt. I prefer knobs...! I just use the presets but as mentioned above, you can get it to 'listen' to your instrument (which for me is an acoustic guitar) and it will add the harmony style of your choice. I've tried that and ended up looking around for a packet of Gillette.... The presets must be used sparingly like any other effect. Just pop over to YouTube to see the disasters awaiting those who overdo things. But if used properly, you can instantly be in an Eagles tribute band or sound like you have an Everly brother sat alongside you. The harmonies are stunningly good. What exactly goes wrong when he uses it?

Another thing to consider is your audience. If you've built a reputation on the style of music you play, then people come to see you based on what they've seen on your previous gigs. Bit like going to McD's in a new city. You still know what to expect. We've taken several years to get our name known and now people come to see us, because they liked us the last time they saw us at a different venue. That may or may not be an important factor for you. Also, venues think the same way. They know what you do and how many punters you bring with you. A big change in direction might affect regular bookings. A few new songs are good for any band, but too many and you may lose any following that you have built up over the years. Our new guitarist (of two gigs) wants to do a few songs that I think maybe too different from our normal style. I'm happy to try out a few, but it has to be a band decision if you change things too much. As mentioned above, if you're the minority and feel strongly enough, there's only one thing you can do...

Thanks Trevor. That was one of the things I really must have, but I think all the software I've looked at has that facility. So far I've looked at SongBook, Setlist Maker and Mobile Sheets as well as the others mentioned above. It's getting a bit confusing to be honest, trying to asses them on the basis of internet reviews. As they're not too expensive, I think I might just try a few and bin the ones I don't take to...!

"You probably already know this but you can make to font bigger and it works very happily on a cheap iPad 2" Yes thanks, I was aware of that. It's a balance between the screen and font size. I just couldn't get the font big enough on the 10" screen of my iPad. I've seen a 12" tablet and I can get the font size I need, without too much scrolling/page turning. As a bonus the rest of the band might go down this route and they are not keen on changing to Apple stuff. For the sake of simplicity, I think Android is the way to go for me. It'll be a swift learning curve after years of being on the Apple train....

Thanks Blink, but it's Apple only. I was using it on my iPad, but found the screen wasn't big enough. Good app though...

I had to ask my lead guitarist to leave just last week. We had a gig for NYE, booked it with everyone's knowledge in May. A few days ago, he told me he wouldn't do the gig as he'd found another which was better paid. About 2 hours later, after a flurry of emails with him claiming that the band's success was all down to the quality of his musicianship, he was told not to turn up for the next gig as I had found a permanent replacement. I hadn't, and was cacking it as we only had 10 days to find a dep. But find one we did and he's now covering until January, when he'll decide if he wants to join permanently. The guy had been with me for 4 years and we had become good friends with him and his wife. But I can't have someone ducking out just because of a bigger pay day. As it was, we were lucky in finding another guy so quickly. If not, it would have put us all in a spot as we only had two gigs before NYE to get someone else in. So in this case, the time scale was a matter of hours. At first, I genuinely thought I had been too hasty but we now seem to have a guy with a better feel for our music. Several regular supporters of the band have since told me that they felt the original guy took off on solos for too long and seemed to be dominating every gig. I know that's what lead guitarists are 'supposed' to do, and it was down to me allowing him to do exactly that. But it felt right at the time. So as a couple of people have mentioned above, sometimes you just go along with things for too long. Just because it's what you do and it's not easy to step back and look at things objectively.

Thanks. I've just looked at their website and it has some great features, but maybe I wasn't clear enough in my original post. Being a singist, I have all my songs stored as lyrics with the chords printed over the top. The video I've just watched shows a format that I'm not familiar with, just showing chords. Maybe I'm missing something obvious, if so apologies...

Hi Like a many musicians, I have all my songs printed out and kept in various folders. I have now realised that I've been left behind by technology and there are easier/better ways to do this. I have to use chord charts, mainly as a prompt for live use and music stands (sorry...!!) just don't look right, even when I try to cover them with band posters. I've got several hundred songs and just can't remember them all. The joys of getting close to being an OAP... All songs are stored on my Mac as PDF's. Recently, my lead guitarist bought a 12" tablet (Chuwi Hi12) running Android and Windows and I decided that the time was right to join him in a leap into the 21st century. A few days later I had to ask him to leave the band so my potential tutor in using a tablet isn't around to help me...! I've been looking at the various apps available, but thought you guys might be able to narrow down my options. I use a Mac and an iPad daily, but can't afford/justify buying the larger iPad to suit my eyesight. So Android/Windows it is... There are several older threads about this, but I think there may be newer apps around that I should consider. I need something that will be simple to upload my PDF's and use live. If it can transpose songs, that would be really useful but not essential. I would want to use a Bluetooth pedal to scroll or change pages, but I think they all do that. I'm not particularly IT literate, so simple is the key. Pretty sure we all have our own preferences, but some advice on which app to try out would be appreciated. Thanks Graham

I was truly amazed to find this post, albeit somewhat late...!! I was living in Saigon around 2001 when I came across this guy. I bought an acoustic from him and was staggered to find how good it was, especially for the price I paid. I went back and bought another, even better one and finally after a couple of months I decided that this was my only chance to ever have a custom guitar built to my own spec. I still have it today and it sounds even better than the day I bought it. It is completely hand made, all solid wood, bone nut and saddle, abalone inlays with ebony bridge pins. I imported several similar spec guitars into the UK, under my own brand name. I sold them via word of mouth, never advertised them. I kept several for my own use and have never seen the need to buy any other make. At that time, they were all made by his brother at their home in a spare bedroom. But I see from their FB page that things have changed a bit since then. Hope the guitar gives as much pleasure to you as they have to me.

Last year we played at a rather nice restaurant down on the coast and had a great time. During the break they booked us for this year...! It's a long evening, starting at 8pm and finishing around 1am. The band split into various combinations to do some duo/trio sets. We kick off with acoustic ballads and some jazz while dinner is served, then break open the rock & roll barrel as the evening progresses. The money is good and they supply the band and our partners with a top quality 4 course meal. It's not our typical venue but it's nice to have our partners there and be looked after....

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1429602044' post='2752949'] Spooky, I'm sitting on a train playing those sections right now! [/quote] Strange that... I get annoyed when the guy next to me has his iPod up too loud. I'd be really peeved to be sat next to a guy with a bass rig on one seat and his guitar neck sticking out into the aisle.....

We had a gig the week after he passed away. Dedicated all of our 'Buddy' songs to Joe B. And we do quite a few...!! I saw 'Buddy the Musical' a few years ago and the guy playing his part was a ringer for him. Spookily so... As the Doc said above, there at the birth. Not many can say that....

Thanks BigRed I'd agree that it's no substitute for a real acoustic if recording, but the tones were quite passable in a band situation. It all sorted itself in the end. There was a problem with the guitar which I found when I first tried it out in the shop. There was a slight crackle which we thought was the jack socket. It turned out to be a problem with the electrics which they couldn't fix, so I passed on it. Having done a bit more research, the going rate for these guitars is more than I'm willing to spend so It looks like I'll be sticking to conventional acoustic. The shop were quite fair and I know they also thought the problem was quite fixable when they showed it to me. Graham

There ain't many Uke players going past the third fret, never mind the seventh...!! Seriously, as the strings are not steel, they stretch much more than we are used to on bass or guitar. So if the action is high at the nut, you'll be stretching the string a lot by the time you hit the fretboard. Hence the sharp notes as soon as you go up the dusty end. The first fret will actually stretch the string more than if you are at the seventh fret. New Ukulele strings are notorious for going out of tune for the first few weeks. After that they settle down. I take mine out the case after a couple of weeks and it's spot on. If you're using the strings that came with the kit, you may be better off getting another set from Aquila. They will still take time to settle in, but it will save you a week of waiting. Friction tuners will also make accurate tuning difficult. But you've the satisfaction of having created something yourself, so don't be put off. I've seen players of very old intruments tuning up after every song. I'm pretty sure some of them purposely don't play songs that last more than 2 minutes...! On the plus side, you won't need to change them for a few years....

The four hour gig seems to be the norm for American bars. I think two gigs a month would finish me off.... So how does that work? We start around 9pm and normally end around midnight with a 20 min break. Depends on the clientele of course, but that's the general rule. UK gigs were usually 2 x 45 mins. What time would you start and finish? We normally get between €300-400 per gig for a four piece. Plus all drinks and a decent meal. If you get pro rata then it's not too bad, anything less and it must be hard going.

[size=5]OK, not much help to you guys in the UK but here in France we have our own issues.[/size] [size=5]I live right down on the Med, so we have a ready-made market of holiday people keen to enjoy themselves. Which is great from May through to September as there are literally hundreds of bars within a 45 minute drive. [/size] [size=5]All the beach resorts have live music through the summer and if you start to include the hotels, self-catering resorts and camp sites it opens up even more venues. In one resort nearby, the evenings are a cacophony of noise with 10-15 bars in a row all sporting a live band. And every place is jam full of punters.[/size] [size=5]We’re tapping into the expat market of summer garden-parties, which promises to be lucrative. [/size] [size=5]We’re also getting approaches from festival organisers. Now that’s good money and a lot of fun.[/size] [size=5]We started gigging in the spring and at first I couldn’t believe how easy it was to get gigs. Really….!![/size] [size=5]I’d walk into 10 bars and come out with 6 confirmed bookings. This was for a new band with no history, no website with the request coming from a guy sounding like Officer Crabtree out of ‘Allo ‘Allo…. My French is/was crap and they trusted me…!! [/size] [size=5]The first couple of gigs were for food and beer only, so they could get an idea of what we were about. But every gig resulted in being asked back for a decent fee. I soon found out that every band is fed and watered (as mentioned above) without question so they must have thought I was mad.[/size] [size=5]Anyway, within 3 months we were out at least 2 or 3 times a week. And that continued right through to late September. [/size] [size=5]And that’s when I realised just how seasonal this area is for music. The boss would just came up at the end of the night, thank us and said ‘see you in May’…[/size] [size=5]We’re lucky in that a few of the local village bars kept us on during the winter, but for a much reduced fee. But it keeps the band together and sometimes it really is a paid rehearsal.[/size] [size=5]We’ve had no bad experiences from bar owners. All have been as good as gold, always get paid the agreed fee, cash ready in the envelope and never quibbling about the bar tab, although we all drive so not too much of an issue.[/size] [size=5]So, to answer your points…[/size] [indent=1][i]1 Location, is it down town where a lot of people including your fans can access it[/i][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][i]2 Is it sitting out in the middle of no where [/i][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][i]3 Does the Manager or owner have experience with live rock bands [/i][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][i]4 Does the Manager understand his clientele [/i][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][i] 5 Do they have a history of having live bands at least once a week, do they book bands like yours[/i][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]The first two are answered above. The last three are[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]all yes, very much so. They wouldn’t last long if they didn’t.[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]Do they appreciate the kind of music we do? No, most couldn’t care less..!![/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]I’ve hit on a big plus for me as the singer. I speak English..![/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]Most French front men and girls have awful accents when singing. I know I’d have the same issues if I tried to sing in French..! So similar bands to us can be quite painful to listen to.[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]So immediately the band sound more authentic because, as far they’re concerned, we could be English or American. We play early rock and roll and rockabilly so it works well. [/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]I tried to get my French guitarist to do the chat to the audience, but he refused. I asked why and he replied that it sounded better when I did the banter in English. “But they can’t understand an effing thing I‘m saying…..” He smiled and said that it was what the punters were used to. They watch videos of English and American bands pratttling on so it was all quite normal. I swear I’m going to recite a nursey ryhme one night and see if I get any reaction. Apart from my American drummer…!![/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]So we certainly don’t get any negativity from gigging. We have quite a few venues that we can play every 6 weeks or so and that keeps it fresh. And if we’re gigging 2-3 times a week in the summer, that’s about as much as I want. And keeps the money coming in..![/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]I hope I haven't made all this sound too rosy. I don't want you lot coming down here and nicking all my gigs...[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent] [indent=1][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5][size=5]Graham[/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/size][/indent]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1421334894' post='2660038'] Weird rock n roll fact - Dave Dee was a copper before he was full time in music and attended the scene of the accident when Eddie Cochran died. [/quote] According to folklore, Eddie's guitar was recovered from the scene by Dave Dee and stored at the police station until collected by family reps. As a budding musician, you can picture Dave taking the opportunity to take a good look at it, maybe even playing a few riffs....

Has anyone got experience of using these guitars, an acoustic version of their more popular solid bodied guitars? [size=4]There's a used one for sale in my local shop at a good price. [/size] [size=4]I tried it out today and was very impressed with the [/size]various body options, but both the 12 strings were outstanding. Can't see me using the banjo and sitar much though...! It has the ability to connect to the Line 6 foot pedals for even more options, but I don't think I will have much use for that. I'll be buying it for live use in my rock and roll band for a few songs to save using a conventional acoustic with all the associated feedback issues. Any advice appreciated. Graham

I had the pleasure of spending some time chatting to Dozy at a gig around 5 years ago. Really nice guy who was happy to chat fondly about the glory days. Top bloke....

I've just caught up with thread and a very heartwarming one it is too.... A great effort by a great community of musicians. [size=4]So my question is this...[/size] [size=4]​What are the [/size]chances[size=4] of it coming across the channel to France? [/size] [size=4]I live in the [/size]sunny[size=4] [/size]bit down[size=4] on the Med and have lots of contacts with bands and venues here. My band would certainly like to be involved. There is a huge festival scene here in the [/size]summer[size=4] months and I could see this bass covering a lot of kilometres. There is a well supported network locally for families touched by cancer, mainly French but large numbers of ex-pats are also involved. I'm sure they would take on some publicity to help things along.[/size] [size=4]If someone thinks its doable, let me know.[/size]

That's why I was unsure about the construction. If it has a solid body, why would it have a laminated top..? But the fact that it's light is really all I need to know. Thanks for the info....

I've used Thomann on numerous occasions and they have always been superb. The tracking service has always been accurate, so no complaints there. Having said that, a guitar arrived damaged once but Thomann sorted it quickly. Excellent customer service. I ordered a guitar from Andertons in Guilford a month or two ago and they used UPS. I ordered at lunch time on Wednesday and it arrived at my doorstep in France at midday Friday. So good service from both couriers.

Hi and thanks for the update. I've been looking for a thin bodied guitar that will give me a good acoustic tone and that one seems to fit the bill. I was in my local store yesterday and they had a used Line 6 Variax Acoustic 700 for sale. It promises a lot, especially when paired with one of their floor pedals. I couldn't try it out fully as it had a fault but I'm going back next week to take a closer look. I still can't figure out if the Neligan is a solid body or not.