Norris

It's quite simple - if you're not playing a song then STFU. Save the noodling for the bedroom or maybe initial setup gear check. Sound check is not the place for it, let alone during the gig I'm so glad that I have the guitarist I do

Oh yes, I'm supposed to be replacing the DMX lighting leads after the last gig when the lights started doing strange things Kit-wise I'm perfectly happy

We don't mind doing some requests even if we have only the vaguest idea how the song goes. Our usual fare is 70s dad-rock btw. Anyway we were asked for Billie Jean and I launched into a fairly reasonable approximation of the riff (nope, never tried to play it before) but the guitarist thought I was playing Livin' On A Prayer! (What the flip?!) Anyway once I'd pointed out how the chords went over the top of the riff it didn't sound too bad. I don't think it will be added to the set list though

They were still gigging last year in support of their new album The Neon. Both looked a little older (as you would expect) but put on a great show

Tone Finger-ease. There's not many places stock it this side of the pond, but it's great for a little digital lubrication. I've used it for years

My Sire 5 string fits in the hard case that I bought for my Squier 4 string. Is that close enough? I did press on the padding a bit to get the G tuner to fit a bit better

We've played together for so long and are so familiar with each other, we just individually noodle to make sure our own equipment is working. The first song is the soundcheck, and it's usually spot on or very close

I've used a Fender Rumble v3 500 combo for a few years now and it's been great, and should be about within your budget. I'm sure the separate head and cab will be just as good. You might struggle to find kit to try out in a shop though. Maybe just order it online and then return it if you don't like it - seems to be the way now. Edit: Just noticed yours is working again now. Oh well, as you were

Hercules AGS here too

Too many strings! 😜

You could make one by laminating a piece of paper and then cut it to size. If you're a dab hand with computer art or freehand drawing then so much the better. No-one has ever noticed that the "Norris" truss rod cover on my Rickenbacker is just laminated paper. I used the original screws to hold it in place

We always carry our own extension leads and have a couple of RCD adapters if it's a venue we've not played at before or the sockets look dodgy

If they are d'Addario strings then the ball ends will be different colours - brass, red, black and green (going E-G)

We saw Blondie last year. I was far more impressed by Johnny Marr who supporting them tbh

At the last gig we played the guitarist started a song in A instead of E. It was a little bit obvious when I came in a few bars later. Total car crash, stop and start again. Our audience have come to expect a bit of humour and banter from us, so it was just part of the entertainment. Oh, and it was an instrumental so no singer to follow either 😂

I would never describe my voice as good, but I can hit a few harmonies with a bit of practice and take the lead vocals in a handful of songs. Anyone can sing - yes, really. It's quite a sense of achievement when you can keep a bass line flowing in time and sing slightly off the beat though. I'm actually enjoying my singing a lot more since giving up smoking a couple of years ago

The key thing is that music comes before ego. You know who messed up, and hopefully so does the guitarist, but you don't need to stand there pointing and making it obvious to everyone else

Yes, yes and yes

And if it's the guitarist soloing, follow the guitarist

I played the first two songs at our gig tonight thinking that my Sire didn't quite have the usual "punch". Then I realised I'd accidentally flicked it onto passive mode. The other band members didn't notice. It's got a lovely passive/active balance. Tonight I learned: The treble knob doesn't really do much tbh once the strings are a couple of weeks old - all the twang is in the swept middle knob

We made this during the first covid lockdown. All audio recorded at home and sent to the guitarist for mixing. All video recorded on phones and sent to me for editing. None of us met in person due to the restrictions at the time

Hot & sweaty - great! I slapped some new strings on my guitar and took it along for the guitarist to play. He fell in love with it The blue thinline tele is the "Nozcaster" that I built for myself (build #1). The wood LPJ double cut is the guitar that I made for the guitarist (build #2). I'm proud to say that both guitars sounded amazing in his hands. I really must find the time to build myself a bass (Enjoying the Sire 5-string P loads though!)

I've had my P7-5 (v2) since January and still loving it. Black & tort too - gorgeous!

Done it a few times over the years What song are we playing? What key is it in? Where are we in the song? What is this thing round my neck? Who/where am I? Try not to ever be confident in what you are doing - that's when the gremlins of incompetence strike!

For a temporary fitting, two strips of masking tape glued back-to-back with a few spots of CA adhesive. It has much lower tack (and hence lower gungyness) than double-sided tape. A decent quality of masking tape is worth the extra money (3M is about as decent as you can get) - blue tape is usually better and less gungy than white