howdenspur

4 minutes ago, Obrienp said:

Bandwidth (not my idea) played at Whitehall Farm in Burnham Thorpe (Nelson’s birthplace) yesterday evening. The place has a camp site, caravan site and glamping, so quite a few punters around. This was a return match after playing there earlier in the year for a classic car day. We knew what to expect, in that the band area is in the front of a converted barn and covered in dust. The audience are largely across the courtyard, where the bar and cafe are situated but about 20 clustered around us on hay bales.

 

I knew things weren’t going to be great amongst us when the lead guitarist had a go at the rhythm guitarist during the set up. He can be pretty grumpy and doesn’t seem to have any filter. Things weren’t helped by the fact it was cold and getting colder (about 12 C when we finished) and we had to play from 6-9. Miraculously we managed to set up in less than an hour (it normally takes longer) but struggled to get the sound balance right. 
 

Just to add to the fun, bursitis in my left elbow, which has been coming and going for about a month, had decided to play up and I had a bit of a lump on my left elbow. During the gig this swelled to about the size of an egg. We had been asked to play a dance set, so it was relentlessly fast. Towards the end of set two my left forearm started to cramp up and this spread down to my hand, so much so that I had to play by sliding my index finger up and down the strings as they were all locked rigid. I am sure this was related to the bursitis. Lead guitarist had been giving me and the drummer dirty looks and telling us to speed up already but this triggered a real invective, not said directly to anybody’s face but it was obvious who it was directed at. I recovered a bit during the beer break but it was then back to another relentlessly fast final set. We ended with Gotta Get Out of This Place, which was one of the slower numbers but I was struggling to keep Chas Chandler’s bass riff going, which was made obvious by glances and gee-up gestures. At least the other band members showed concern for me.

 

I came away wondering whether this degree of hassle is worth it for £60! However, the owners are lovely and made sure we got a free drink and our choice of food from the cafe. I probably should have baled at the end of set two but the punters were enjoying it and the show must go on. We did get plenty of positive feedback from the audience, so we can’t have been that slow!

 

Gear wise: Guild Starfire 1 and custom made P/J shorty (long gig axe), Blackstar U700, 2 x LFSys Monzas, Peterson Strobostomp HD. Black suede desert boots (now beige from the dust).

 

Here's hoping you can get that bursitis under control and sorted👍.

Bought yet another book from Mick. Great Comms, easy and efficient transaction - what a gent! Recommended 👍

PM'd

Pm'd

1 hour ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

I can see the point of a new mix/master if tracks were mastered for vinyl and the remastering improves how it sounds keeping the vibe of the original. For me, the PF's Animals '18 remix sounds more detailed as if it was painted with smaller brush strokes. Nothing has been made too prominent at the expense of anything else, but the '25 RL Trouble master sounds like every instrument is trying to be more upfront than everything else making it sound cluttered and fatiguing to listen to.

 

One album that genuinely baffles me though is the stooges' raw power. I have a few versions of this album and all sound a bit like they were mixed/mastered by someone with cotton wool in their ears.

 

The original mix sounds like there's a blanket over the speakers, the 1997 mix sounds like its being played too loud through speakers with ripped cones, and there's a 'legacy' version which sounds like the guitars are in another room with the door closed.

I was going to chip in on Raw Power. I'd got used to the weird muffled original production I'd got on vinyl. Bought the Iggy remaster and nearly crashed the car when Search and Destroy kicked off.

Too loud man...

That's lovely👍! 

Struck by the number of shorties up on the For Sale section at the moment. Something for all tastes!

13 hours ago, Paul S said:

 

I believe so, now you mention it!  Do those bubbly bindings look familiar?  I know I bought it cheap so am passing that on.

Now you mention it, those bindings...I checked an old photo, mine was all black. Must have sold you one of your earlier ones!

I'd echo @casapete's comments - these are great basses!

Noice! This isn't the one I sold you is it Paul? 🤔

6 minutes ago, Machines said:

 

Yes, but not a physical store in the UK.

They have a store at York (Clifton Moor)👍.

Saw Flook at the National Centre For Early Music in York. I wasn't that familiar with their work, but a terrific show. No bass, but the bodhrán, "filled the gap" admirably. What fantastic players! 

Waterboys at York Barbican in Thursday who were great. First time I'd seen them and rockier than I was expecting, not a fiddle, whistle or the like in evidence. They showcased the new "Life, Death And Dennis Hopper" album which I enjoyed, but those with me were a bit agnostic about, at best. 

Sound was a bit weird balance wise, with some instrumentation not as audible as others eg Hammond vs piano. Bass player was very "on it" (Aongus Ralston) using what looked like a Wilcock Mullarkey for the first section, before swapping to a P bass.

1 hour ago, Rosie C said:

 

Bah! Already out of stock!

 

I shall comfort myself that I'd have preferred red. 

 

There's a red one at BassBros! 👍

Stillingfleet Beer Festival, Saturday afternoon. I've played there probably half a dozen times in the last 15 years and the weather has always been glorious!

The band's first proper gig, albeit with a stand in drummer - kudos, he was great! We went down well and were happy with how we sounded, with some lessons for future bookings.

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

The Stranglers come to Wales.

 

This was October 1977 - I was there🙂. The pelting was aimed at a comedian who was the entertainment between the Dictators and the Stranglers. He came on, said "I hear you Welsh can't play rugby" and....you can guess the reaction. Roadies returned fire, but I think things had calmed down a bit by the time Stranglers came on. It was a very...kinetic gig, a very boisterous crowd!

Pm'd

Looks very nice Nik👍!

On 18/03/2025 at 14:59, neepheid said:

I'm guessing this belongs in here then... Greco LGB-700

 

 

Still got the Epi LP, but it's had a black and gold makeover (and a return to passive world with a pair of DiMarzio X2N-B pickups with series/parallel push/push pots on the passive tones)...

 

That Greco looks mighty fine, but I have to say, your Epi definitely does things for me (pre and post makeover!).

Still recovering from a "double header"...well almost. Saw John Shuttleworth at The Ropery Hall on Sunday - well observed humour, very funny and then, by way of contrast, Transatlantic Sessions at York Barbican last night. Fantastic evening, quite mesmerising. Featured, among others, London Wainwright III and Julie Fowlis.

Always thought this had a Stonesy intro at least.

John Shuttleworth in Barton upon Humber on Sunday and then Transatlantic Sessions in York next Wednesday.

Lovely! Reminds me of the old JPS F1 livery.

Thanks for that. I see an (maybe electro) acoustic in my future, so will definitely check them out. Got some weeding out to do first!

Rod

46 minutes ago, rwillett said:

We're in York today. Just popped into RWB guitars and managed to avoid spending lots of money

I keep loitering around their website: not visited the shop...yet!

1 hour ago, Low End Bee said:

Pics as requested. I'm not the best at photography though I'm afraid. It's hard to capture the sparkle in stills.

No neck dive. Tiny headstock and lightweight tuners. I was thinking about moving the strap button to the top horn as a personal preference but it seems to work well where it is for me at the moment.

.

What an awesome pairing - the Wattplower looks fantastic!