JapanAxe
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Everything posted by JapanAxe
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I had a wide flat wedding ring and have somewhat ‘webby’ fingers so it was always a bit uncomfortable to wear. After about 6 or 7 years I started to react to the nickel in it so stopped wearing it. It never caused a particular issue with my guitar playing though. Also we’ve now been married for over 41 years!
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Some more photos as promised: These illustrate the chambering: -
Every time I think about selling this guitar I get it out for a play and change my mind. I haven't gigged this one in over 3 years because I end up taking one of my P90-powered guitars instead. I'm a single-coil kind of chap at heart. My guitars are for gigging and I could use the funds for other things, so... It's a Gibson Custom Shop Chambered 1958 Les Paul Reissue VOS, bought used from Vintage & Rare in Bath in 2008. I believe it dates from 2007 but it came without case candy (although I have kept the VOS sticker from the scratch plate, which was still on when I got it.) This is the model that Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd chose as a working substitute for his '59 in terms of sound. Unlike LPs that are simply weight-relieved by drilling out loads of cylindrical cavities before applying the maple cap, this guitar has a substantial internal chamber rather like that of a Gretsch Duo Jet - hence the very manageable weight. Specs: Body: Chambered mahogany with carved maple top Neck Material: 1-piece mahogany Neck Joint: Long neck tenon Neck Profile: Chunky! Nut Width: 43.5mm / 1-11/16" Scale: 24.75in Rosewood Frets: 22 Fingerboard Inlays: Vintage trapezoid Binding: Single-ply cream on top and neck Machine Heads: Kluson Deluxe with tulip keys Pickups: Burstbucker 1 (rhythm) and 2 (treble) Controls: 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way switch Bridge: ABR-1 bridge with lightweight aluminium stopbar tailpiece Weight: 3.368kg / 7lb 6.8oz (excluding scratchplate - I prefer it off!) Custom Shop fitted case The flamed maple top is very striking, and features a pronounced grain pattern. I would have been happy with a plain finish, but to me this was the best sounding LP in the shop at the time. I have set the guitar up to play comfortably (for me) and I am not aware of any issues with it. I believe it started out with some very mild artificial wear, to which I have added some genuine play wear. I'm looking for £3,695 collected from Swindon. I'm not willing to send the guitar by courier, and I would prefer that you tried it yourself through whatever kit you prefer before parting with your money. I am happy to consider trades. I am particularly interested in the following with cash my way: Trent Model 1 guitar Fano SP6 guitar Gibson SG Junior guitar ESP GL-56 guitar (Japan - not LTD) Strandberg Sälen guitar 1970s Precision in black or white Fender or Squier Mustang bass Handbox WB-100 head Zilla 1x12 guitar cab ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic pedal The above list is not exhaustive - by all means contact me with details of what you have. Below are the photos that I submitted to chambered-reissue.org but I will add some more once the weather permits outdoor photography! These pics show Schaller strap-lock buttons but I have since gone back to the regular strap buttons and Grolsch washers.
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Having thought about this a bit more, it’s something of a stretch from her saying what she said, to announcing she is ready to play one or more numbers from beginning to end. The ball is in her court!
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At least insist she brings her own bass so that she’s familiar with it. Then slyly detune it before her star turn [optional].
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Most people seem to have missed this. Can the OP please elucidate? Or just tell us a bit more if you prefer.
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Depped on bass last night with Dire Streets at Bingley Little Theatre. A longer-than expected journey and sound-check meant there was little time for secondary activities such as eating, but the gig went very well and all the tech worked. As usual though it took me half a set of actual performance to get used to the sonic environment of IEMs.
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I settled on my Demeter (model details in signature) as the answer to this question but it’s not an especially practical solution for the OP considering price and scarcity. Like the GB Streamliner which I owned immediately before that, it has a valve preamp.
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The IEM (in ear monitors) Bible thread
JapanAxe replied to EBS_freak's topic in Accessories and Misc
Well I got my licence, downloaded it, and printed off the relevant pages to put in the case with my IEM setup. This Saturday I have my first fully cable-free gig - wireless IEMs and Boss WL-20 wireless link from bass to pedalboard. Now to strut freely around the stage like the true rock god that I am! -
HOW hard is it to find a decent band to play in these days?
JapanAxe replied to Lfalex v1.1's topic in General Discussion
As per my recent ‘Three auditions’ thread, it’s often the personal contacts that bring the best opportunities. -
Same here. I found the cab sim took out too much top end so I am running the amp output into a Radial passive DI box. If I need to knock back the treble I tend to use the tweeter switch. And yes there is some hiss, but the tone is stellar. I’m using a Cali76 Compact into it so that if I dig in hard I can get a little bit of break-up. Next gig with this setup will be with Dire Streets at Bingley Little Theatre on 16 December. The whole thing fits neatly into a laptop bag.
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Further to Friday’s ‘abysmal gig’ post, I played with the same band again last night. BL’s missus cried off so I played (mainly) rhythm guitar as well as singing a few numbers. I made sure my wedge monitor had plenty of my guitar (went direct to save space) and my vocal, and no BL vocal. Despite this his voice was definitely the loudest element in the mix from where I was stood at the front. The bass slot was filled by one of their regulars, a chap who plays bass like the guitarist he is - what especially grinds my gears is that he often plays 1-3-4 arpeggios instead of the 1-3-5 that the R’n’R idiom requires. He also plays with a pick and has a dreadful honky tone. A couple of numbers in, BL started complaining to him that he was ‘too bassy’ and he couldn’t hear his own vocal. As before this would have been clearly audible to the audience. I declined to become involved in the argument. During pack-down BL said he thought the lead guitarist was improving and did I agree. I pointed out that said guitarist was only a few feet away - otherwise I might have been tempted to disabuse BL. *sigh*
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Who/What started you on your journey and why?
JapanAxe replied to snorkie635's topic in General Discussion
oops wrong thread -
To be fair, this is a depping situation so I don’t have to take any of the gigs, but BL is very persistent and Mrs Axe has become good friends with his missus.
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Ok then. A lot of it comes back to the BL. I can live with him being a fairly basic drummer but he clearly doesn’t sit down and listen to the song so that he has a clue what to do. One song starts with everyone coming in on 3 big chords and then there’s a simple drum pickup before the rhythm proper kicks in. I even counted the song in, but the drums came in wrong and caused a train wreck. Most pub bands I’ve played with take no more than a 20 minute break in the middle of a 2-hour slot, but BL insists on ‘two 45s’ like some kind of cartoon 70s shop steward. In that half hour break you can lose an audience. To make it worse, he and his other half (also in the band) were arguing (audible through PA) about how long we had left to play. This was on top of the obvious friction between them whilst setting up and packing down. Overall it’s very sloppy and unprofessional, especially for someone who makes their living as an entertainer. The vocal monitors are set painfully loud, even when I wear earplugs. The lead guitarist is a recent addition to the band. He still seems very unsure of what he’s doing and is forever losing his place in his folder of chord sheets - bear in mind 90% of the set is 12-bar sequences. I’ve put up with this for too long, simply because of the relatively easy money if I’m honest. But I’ve already flagged myself as ‘unavailable’ for the venues which for various reasons I don’t want to play - crap travel, dodgy parking, or just a $h!t-hole.
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Just got home from an abysmal gig with a band I frequently dep with - so many issues I can’t bring myself to start listing them. I’m going to be far less available next year!
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Yes it was! How did you get on?
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Last night’s tryout rehearsal went pretty well. Turns out 4 of the band had recently baled from an existing party band run by an anus. WhatsApp group set up and more rehearsals to be booked for January, by which time we’ll all have had a chance to get stuck into the set list. It’s not what you know eh…
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Bought a gadget from Jon, it arrived promptly, very well packed and in perfect condition.
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I recently bought exactly this setup and, despite my aversion to most things digital, I have to say it works really well and I love it! GLWTS- 1 reply
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At least 4 of my recent messages on Join My Band to people seeking musicians have been met with complete radio silence. Exasperating as this may be, it’s a useful indicator that the person posting the ad is not worth working with - they’re too disorganised, thoughtless, or inconsiderate to make even the briefest response.
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The audition was for a permanent position in the band but I had sent a link to the audio clips on my website which is very much oriented towards depping, plus they specifically asked me about it after we’d done the playing. I do get your point though - either you’re good enough or you’re not.
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I don’t see it that way at all. They actually offered dep work when they play closer to my area but I said I would be happy to travel to their area. I expect their ideal candidate would live in the same area, whereas I’m about 70 miles away. There was always the risk that the travel to gigs would at some point start to get wearisome for me, but not if it’s just the odd dep gig. I do actively promote myself as a dep, and we discussed that at the audition, so that’s all fine with me. YMMV!
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I’ve recently been looking for a quality band to join, on either bass or guitar. In the last month I’ve attended 3 auditions and I thought I’d share my experiences here. (1) Lead guitar in a 5-piece playing a mix of pubs and festivals. I wasn’t sure I wanted this as I’m trying to move away from pub gigs, but I thought it would be worth trying in case I really liked the band. I played the audition numbers ok but I reckon my lack of enthusiasm showed and the next day I got a polite and friendly Dear John message. (2) Lead guitar in a start-up function band. The audition venue was an old farmhouse in the middle of an industrial estate populated mostly by dodgy car repair businesses. A bass player turned up to unlock the door but had little idea what was going on. Inside the building, which smelled strongly of mould, a first-floor kitchen had been equipped with a PA, drum kit, and a couple of amps. The BL (drummer) was late and the singer who was to be auditioned at the same time had cried off, so we played one song with no vocals, and I sang a couple more. As I was leaving the next candidate arrived and I was amused to see him heft a huge speaker cab from his boot, oblivious to the steep and narrow staircase that awaited him. All I’ve heard since is that the BL had had some car problems. (3) Bass guitar in a well-established party band. Although the band is not especially local to me, they do decent well-paid gigs including weddings. I did a fair bit of preparation before the audition, going through their online videos to see how they tackled the songs - not just the 3 audition numbers. The auditions were in a proper well-equipped rehearsal studio, and I took my cue from the band by taking my ampless rig and IEMs. They were a nice bunch of guys and all went well. Next day I got a message thanking me for coming and inviting me to be on their dep list - they are still looking for a permanent bassist. I call that a result. My search continues - on Thursday I am playing guitar at the first try-out rehearsal for a start-up functions band. The organiser is an excellent female singer who I’ve worked with previously. The best leads often come through people you already know. The rest of the rhythm section seem to be from the big band / theatre pit world so I’ll be interested to see and hear how that translates to a party band environment.
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The Daddy Warhols
