Dan Dare

Flem

This. I reckon a 5 needs a longer scale length for the B to work well, too. The best sounding 5 for not too much money I've come across was a Lakland Skyline. Lakland 5s have a 35" scale, which does seem to make a difference. They can be had used for less than a grand. I'd save up a bit more, rather than going for something at the moment when you don't have a lot of spare cash.

I ate a Tesco burger last week. It disagreed with me, but fortunately, I'm in a stable condition.

Fair comments and some interesting points. It doesn't alter my contention that Tesco et al are profiting from donations made by customers if customers buy items at full price. Stores actually benefit financially from donating food that is at use-by or best-before dates, because they don't have to pay for disposal (commercial waste collection is charged for). Those dates are very conservative, because stores don't want to risk being sued by people who don't observe them. The first place I head for in any supermarket is the yellow sticker aisle. Some of the stuff I buy doesn't actually get eaten until well after the date and I'm not dead yet. Just follow the "Does it smell OK and/or is there green fur on it?" rule. Surely the nature of any out of date items put in boxes by the public is important. Use-by and best-before dates are a legal requirement in the UK. On things such as dry pasta and canned goods, they are pretty arbitrary. I have eaten things that, according to the label, are months or even years out of date with no ill effects. If the food distribution model in the UK is fundamentally broken, a good proportion of the blame should be laid at the feet of the mega-supermarkets.

Depends on whether we think a change is needed or even whether, in our humble opinion, a change improves a song. The average pop song is not a work of great literature. It isn't sacrosanct. If changing it in some way improves it for your purposes, go for it.

Tell me about it. Those donation boxes in Tesco and others, where you are asked to deposit food you've paid for to be given to charity, always annoy me. So Tesco et al get paid full price, including their mark-up, for stuff, which they then pass on to local charities. Do they offer you stuff at cost if you put it in the charity box? Do they say "Thank you to our generous customers" (or even name-check them) when passing on stuff they've sold at full price/a profit? Er, no. So they get extra sales, plus a pat on the back and publicity for their "generosity". Makes you sick.

This is it in a nutshell. In my band, three of us are comfortably retired - kids off our hands, mortgagees paid off, etc - and not short of money. The other two still work, have family responsibilities and are less able to be so generous with their time. It would be unfair to expect (or even ask, because it could be awkward for them to say no) them to do so.

I agree with some of what you say, but I don't regard gigging as a "privilege". I'm experienced/good enough to be worthy of my place on the stage. Whether people like what I do is another matter, of course, but that's their choice. It doesn't alter the fact that I do what I do competently. For much of my life, music has been a sideline that earns me extra money, although I have had a few periods during which it was my sole source of income. However, I wanted to be able to pay a mortgage, have a family, etc, so I kept a day job for the majority of the time. I also made it clear above that I'm not opposed to turning out for charity, so it's not a case of saying no to charities and focusing on paid gigs. I make monthly donations to a few charities and am happy, provided the cause is one I have sympathy for, to turn out and play for free on occasion. However, the fact that my band may be willing to give our time and effort does not entitle people to treat us without respect. Covering basic expenses (we're not talking 5 star hotel stays and expensive dinners) is part of that respect.

You obviously don't do the sort of gigs I sometimes do... I'd never refer to playing any gig as a "privilege". I'm not bad at this playing lark, having done it for the best part of 60 years, during which time I've done many thousands of gigs, ranging from great through to "Beam me up, Scotty/kill me now".

That seems to imply that we should feel guilty that we are not paid minimum wage and feel obliged to play for nothing. I am reasonably comfortably off and I don't object to playing the occasional charity gig, but, as I point out, I will not actually lose money. I could afford to throw in the cost of a few gallons of petrol, but I won't, because I am already giving my time and effort for nothing. I feel it's disrespectful to expect me to actually pay for the privilege of playing for free. That's just me, of course and YMMV.

Just been offered yet another charity (i.e. everyone bar the musicians gets paid) gig. Support a good cause, "exposure", etc, etc. As we're not completely heartless bar stewards and the good cause in question was a reasonable one, we suggested we might be paid expenses, so that, whilst we give our time and effort for free, we don't actually make a loss on the evening. Petrol still needs to be paid for, we'll need a drink or two plus something to eat and so on. Cue pearl clutching on the part of the organiser, "but it's for charity, etc". "We realise that", we replied. "We don't expect to profit. We just don't want to lose money". They were not happy, so we said we'd pass, thanks. What is wrong with these people? Are they wealthy dilettantes who don't have to worry about where the next penny comes from? Do the think everyone else is in the same privileged position as them?

A light, affordable and decent powered cab is not common. Why not get a combo and dial back the input sensitivity (or use the line input or effects return if it has one - many do). Failing that, an active PA cab would to the job for not too much money.

Gunsnot.

Good shout. If you want to amplify a fiddle, you have to avoid the classic mid-lifted guitar amp sound at all costs. It can strip paint. A PA amp, with eq that is more suited to the voice, is far preferable.

Sort of I am Spartacus in reverse. "I am not Jaco". "No. I am not Jaco". Etc