Norris

I'm looking for a controller pad, primarily for drums, but it would be useful if it could do the transport controls too. On a budget, I'm looking to spend less than £100 Current setup is a PC with Reaper. I have a USB midi interface hooked up to my ancient Yamaha PF85 keyboard and a USB Behringer Xenix X1622 mixing desk. I also have a cheapo Ion electronic drum kit, but think I'm better tapping out a rhythm with my fingers than with drum sticks. I'm looking at the AKAI MPD218, but am put off a bit by reviews that say triggering can be a bit hit & miss. I'm also looking at the Novation Launchpad Mini MkII, but that seems very geared towards Ableton. The Presonus Atom looks interesting, although topping my budget by a bit. Any other suggestions/recommendations?

What he also seems to be doing is playing an upstroke with his index finger occasionally. Unusual, but can give an extra bit of twang. It looks like he is playing quite lightly and the deflection on the B string is more of an affectation where he is resting his finger after plucking the E

Rather a lot of Macca support so far ...and @Bluewine hasn't even joined in yet!

To gain some perspective you need to look what preceeded him. He was truly an innovator in bringing the bass to the fore rather than standing at the back playing root & fifths. Forty odd years later it's not always easy to realise the influence he has made on bass playing. Most of his bass lines are sublime and are just what the songs needed. To do that as well as singing is truly a feat. I can't say I listen to the Beatles or Wings very often, but to say he is overrated is to do him a disservice

Having just been given a nice Amazon voucher I'm now eyeing up the K&M stands

If you stick a P pickup in the place it normally goes, it will sound like a P Whether it's worth the hassle, only you can say

It would also depend where the pickup goes. A lot of the sound is due to the position of the pickup in relation to the bridge and nut.

Ditto for the Rumble. It's darned loud without an extension cab, and plenty for on-stage sound. If you need to go louder you'd be looking at going through the PA

Two. Both are long Comfort Strapps fitted with Schaller strap locks. The difference is that one has the neck strap lock fitted in reverse for use with my Thunderbird, which has the button on the back of the neck. When you have the perfect strap, why do you need another?

Dimmer switches cause a lot of hum. If it's an old theatre chances are they are still using the old (Furse?) dimmers. They can cause a huge amount of hum

A little tiny dab of CA (superglue) in the screw holes, and then left to dry completely, can help to strengthen the wood if the screws are turning too easily. Poke some in with a thin piece of wire (nick one of your SO's hairgrips?) and apply just enough to wick into the wood. You don't want to clog the hole, just strengthen the existing wood. When you get your new screws, a bit of candle wax on the thread will provide enough lubrication to avoid mashing the heads. Make sure you find a screwdriver that fits the head snuggly without slopping about

The Hofner violin bass is short scale and very light, although might be a bit big still for a 6 yo. Quite cheap too. My 17 year old is a Beatles fan and wanted one for Christmas. It's actually rather fun to play and good for noodling acoustically yourself, when your little one decides she wants a drum kit instead in 2 month's time

AKA conscious incompetence Good definition

You could say you were a tax inspector. Guaranteed to make any musicians run away. That could be the definition of a musician (Joking of course!)

That's what Thunderbirds are built for

It's when you can play a whole song without looking at the fretboard Or... When you can play through a song you've heard but not rehearsed before Or... When you can play a tune that someone else can recognise without being told what it is Or... Any other definition you care to come up with I think the footballer analogy is a good one. It's when either you or someone else regards you as a musician

On a whim I took my Thunderbird out last night - its first outing for a couple of years. It made a sound that I can only describe as "majestic". We were at a fairly large and relaxed social club with plenty of room on the low level stage. The Thunderbird always has a level of "grit" to it, but with the contour button engaged on my Fender Rumble v3 500 combo it even sounded quite funky in the songs that needed it. On the more rocky stuff it came into its own. Gorgeous sounds on either pickup, although less distinct with both We often do random requests, especially at this club due to the relaxed atmosphere. Last night we did a rather good rendition of Knights in White Satin, and a sliver of Hotel California - finishing on the line "They stab it with their steely knives" and then falling about laughing Tonight's gig is a pub, crammed in the corner, so I'll be back to the workhorse Squier P-bass Special. I might throw a new set of strings on this afternoon though - I can't remember the last time I changed them. Then we have 6 weeks off while the guitarist goes touring with his "bread and butter" band (Martin Turner). Some free weekends - what do normal people do on a Saturday night?!

Being into aircooled VWs I am well acquainted with patina/rat-look (lovely car you posted btw - narrowed, slammed, chopped and patina'ed). Most people do it to preserve the patina of a car that's baked in the sun over the years. You don't see many new cars like that though Edit: For the record, I don't get upset about reliced guitars. I just wouldn't have one in the house unless I've caused it myself, through natural usage - and that's unlikely because I look after my gear. I probably wouldn't even buy one that someone else has played into that state. Unless of course it's a strat that Jimi Hendrix himself torched

It does seem somewhat strange that relicing is just a guitar thing afaik. You don't see Elton John taking a belt sander to his favourite piano or Courteney Pine knocking 6 shades out of his sax. Horses for courses and all that, but I really don't see the appeal in even a naturally reliced guitar, let alone deliberate damage to a new one

If it happened naturally it's mojo. It's up to you if you leave it, or sand the edges to minimise any more loss of lacquer, or even to have it refinished My guitarist has a 70s strat that he played hard for about 3 decades. It has lost most of the lacquer from the top horn. Natural wear and tear. Of course it's now far too valuable to play down the Dog & Duck...

Never been a fan. A proper time-served, well gigged bass maybe. I've always tried to look after my kit and mostly it is in decent condition. The odd knock is inevitable, and something that has been played for hundreds of hours may show some signs of wear. However something that looks like it's been run over by a tractor is just "fake news" and trying too hard. All imho of course

I've had great fun today playing with the Redtron SE mellotron VST. Fabulous stuff, sounds great and totally free. I've also downloaded the Dexed DX7 emulator and the ARP Odyssey. Any other (free) synth VSTs I should add to the toolkit? The MT Power Drumkit VST is also very nice. I could do with something a little more subtle and laid back though. Any recommendations, maybe something with brushes and rim taps? Edit: Btw I'm using Reaper on Windows 10 (yes, I'm a cheapskate!)

Quote: It’s all about fun. No-one will get upset if you play the wrong notes Don't fret. It sounds like fun

We have a pair of Mackie SRM-450's and a Yamaha (?) mixing desk with built-in reverb & echo. Simplicity to set up and plenty for our 3x vocals and occasional kick drum, in pubs & clubs. I'm sure it could handle keys too

It's lost in the annals of history, but probably plugging away at root notes in a 12-bar with my school mates, circa 1980