FinnDave

Haven't been able to run mine hard enough for the fan to kick in - either that or it's very quiet indeed!

I've played four gigs with two different bands over the last two or three weeks, have two more next week, another the week after, and all have been very well received. The audiences seemed pleased that live music was back on the menu.

I've only had mine a few days, so haven't had a chance to turn the volume above two clicks yet - very punchy sound into a Super Compact. May well buy a second cab to get the best out of the amp. I'll be gigging it next Saturday, so should have a better idea of what it's capable of.

I agree - I wanted a Precision but there were no affordable ones in the shops in the first half of the 70s. My first few basses were pretty dreadful - the Columbus Jazz was an object of unrequited lust!

To be fair, if the band's late on stage, then they should have their pay docked!

My Elf sounds pretty good through a Super Compact - I used it for a gig last week. I bought an Orange LBT this week and will be using at a gig next week as the Elf will probably be too small. Other than the Elf, I haven't played a Trace Elliot since the early 80s when I had 4x10 combo that weighed a ton!

I quite agree, I am certainly not laying down the law, just explaining how I see it personally.

One of my former bands played paid gigs most weekends for several years. We would occasionally be asked to play 'charity' gigs for free, to which our usual response was 'yes, but we need our expenses covered' and told them the cost of us transporting ourselves and our equipment to and from the venue. We very rarely heard from them again. I am also a firm believer in the idea that people value you for what you are worth to them - whenever I have reluctantly played a free gig (usually agreed by someone else in the band anxious to do a 'friend' a favour) we have been treated like dirt, on more than occasion the 'organisation' was so poor that we didn't get to play. If the organisers are paying you a typical gig fee (say £250 or so) then they will make damn sure that they get their money's worth by getting you on stage. It's not just the money as pay, it is also about respect for the band's time & talent. I don't play for 'exposure' (I'd die of cold and embarrassment if I to expose myself on stage!) but for respect, and that comes in hard cash.

Mind you, it's not an easy house to find, tucked away kind of behind a lay-by. Worth the effort, though.

I bought as a 'big Elf', as I am very impressed with the simplicity of my Elf and this is similar. I don't really see it as an alternative to the Elf, but a substitute for those occasions that require a bit more power.

Problem solved (hopefully!) - just bought an Orange Little Bass Thing from Oxford PMT. Nice punchy sound, and I especially like the parametric mid range control. Very straightforward panel, just volume, compression (yeah, I know…) bass mid and treble. Looking forward to giving it a good trying out at home tomorrow.

I saw JJ Cale when he came over to the UK in (I think) 1995. (actually, checking the dates it was October 1994) He was very modest and unassuming, but the music spoke for itself. A venue full of eager JJ Cale fans waiting for him, and a slight figure who looked like part of the road crew ambled on, picked up a guitar and started tuning it. No one took much notice. It was only when the noodling started to resemble After Midnight that we realised this was JJ, he'd just wandering on stage completely unannounced.

That's what I have used since owning an Alembic (which I no longer have). If it's good enough for Alembic, it should be OK for a cooking Fender.

Yes, two of those I mentioned specifically the insurance as prohibitively expensive.

I have not heard of Mr Rock jnr before, and think I shall not indulge myself by listening to his ditty now, either.

I'd normally agree with you, but this chap played them well. He was a military man from nearby Brize Norton and regularly played and collected money for servicemen with PTSD. Played well, the bagpipes were surprisingly mellow and melodic. No one walked out, anyway!

Like so many instruments, it all depends on who's playing it. We had the unlikely pleasure of being joined by a Scottish piper in full kit at a Wirebirds gig, he played a couple of solo traditional numbers, and then started playing 'Rock Around the Clock' so we joined in. Slightly surreal, but memorable.

I know the song because the Grateful Dead did it a few times, but have never heard the original. Played it once at a Dead Head halloween gig, not an especially memorable song, especially as it kept trying to turn itself into Sweet Home Alabama!

So much nicer to play outside, I think we have only little local festival left that hasn't cancelled yet. We lost one we had been booked for a couple of months or more ago, though as it was the day before my daughter's wedding, I wasn't too upset about that one - getting back and staying awake could have been challenging!

As of today, both WOMAD & Cropredy have cancelled this year's festivals. We had been booked to play at both (though not on the main stages, obviously). They would have been the band's highlights of the year, now they're just weekends available for more rehearsals.

You do have a point there - I managed one minute then had to turn it off.

Surely that would only spoil the day if you were a demon?