Dan Dare

My feelings exactly. I tried to suggest we'd have little chance of following them (poor light, writ small, old gits with failing eyesight and so on) but he knew best. It was a shambles. He blamed the rest of us, of course.

Amplifying acoustic instruments is always a compromise. You have a big hollow box full of air that vibrates in sympathy with what is happening in the air around it. The resonant frequency/frequencies of the instrument itself usually need to be tamed. If you're playing on a hollow or resonant stage or surface (being a double bass, the instrument will make physical contact with it) that can exacerbate the problems. Feedback doesn't have to manifest itself overtly (i.e. through actual howling and squealing) to be an issue. When I use a pickup on my fiddle, I find notes around D always cause trouble. A decent parametric eq can be very helpful. A HPF can be a bit of a blunt instrument, in that it gets rid of a lot of things from the sound that you ideally want to keep.

I find this, too. A little give in the pick seems to produce a rounder sound, perhaps because it pushes the string aside a little less aggressively. Hardness of the material the pick is made from affects the sound, too. Good point. I find I tend to play closer to the bridge with a pick. I guess that's due to body mechanics - it's more difficult to play near the end of the fingerboard with a pick in my experience. To an extent, this is true. The sharper attack from a pick means it will never sound like fingers. You should be able to warm things up with experimentation, though.

Most participants at jam nights - electric ones, anyway - are, in my experience, blokes of a certain age (I put my hand up to that), so the musical diet tends to be classic rock and blues, or similar stuff. There may be the occasional person who hasn't got the memo who turns up with a trombone and there might be the odd budding songwriter who throws you a curve ball in the shape of their latest opus, but that's part of the deal. If you sing, so much the better. I wouldn't be too adventurous in your choice of material if you call a number or two. It's better and more rewarding for all concerned - players and listeners - to play something straightforward decently than to stagger through something tricky. I always ask, if I don't know a number, what the first change is and I try to stand where I can see the guitar player's left hand (I play guitar, too), so I can get an idea of what's going on. The sound can be iffy at some sessions, so you can't always rely on hearing subtleties, especially if it gets a bit loud (which it often does). Don't be tempted to hand out charts so you can try something more adventurous. One guy at a jam I went to did that. The place was poorly lit and we had no chance of reading them (especially as, being blokes of a certain age, most of us needed spec's). It did not go well. As others advise, keep what you do simple/solid. It's a social occasion for most and for many people the only chance they have to perform publicly, so expectations generally need to be tempered. It's usually good fun as long as you don't expect too much from it.

Might be made by the people who built this

I'm a PJB fan and user. However, a Cub or Double 4 is expensive for something that will be used purely for practice (as is the small Elf combo you mention). Whilst it's nice to have a great sounding (and looking) low volume rig for practice, might it be more economic to get a small - 1x10 or 1x8 - cab to use with your main amp for practice and keep the volume down. If money is no object, then obviously that won't concern you. Buying a PJB combo could also work out more expensive than you thought. I bought a PJB combo (a Flightcase) for practice and small, wine bar type gigs.. I found I liked the sound so much that I became dissatisfied with my previous main rig. I ended up buying several more PJB cabs and a new head and selling the old rig. As you say, decisions, decisions. Have fun.

I'll wrap it black and yellow tape 😁

😊

Are you certain about that? I note you are in NZ, so perhaps it's different there. I used to work at a prominent sports venue in the UK, where it was not unheard of for vehicles to be broken into because scum knew that there was likely to be expensive kit in them. Despite our posting warning notices in the car park, people would still leave stuff in their vehicles. We were always happy to give them a copy of the CCTV footage from our security cameras if their vehicle was broken into.

Bad luck. Have they asked Gateway Services for copies of security footage? Should give them a reg. number - the thieves would have needed a vehicle to take it away (or even get into the services - they are only accessible via the M1 as far as I know).

Any pickup will be microphonic to some extent. How much depends on how well it's designed and constructed - things like wax potting can help. It shouldn't be an issue unless you're working at ear-bleeding levels.

Option 2 of course, but I'm fortunate in that I have a choice nowadays. With a couple of pensions, some money in the bank and my home paid for, I don't have to worry financially. In the days when I did need every penny, I'd play virtually anywhere. Toilets full of animals who hated me, four hour drives, load ins up 14 flights of stairs - you name it and my answer would be "What time do we start?". I'd go back to that tomorrow if I could magically be 40 years younger.

Within reason, it won't matter where the subs are placed. Low frequencies are not directional in the way that mid and high frequencies are. So you'll be safe to place them wherever is most convenient. It's slightly better, if possible, to place them together (don't worry about spread).

Worst bass solo? Any bass solo. Joking aside, i can't stand them. It always feels as if the bass player is saying "Look. I can do twiddly bits, too. I'm not just part of the rhythm section". As if there is anything dishonourable about creating a solid foundation for the entire band. If the other musicians appreciate what I'm doing, that'll do for me. Grumpyguts is right - the bottom drops out of the piece when the bass takes a solo. I don't mind that I'm not in the limelight and I don't care whether audience members throw their knickers at me (not that they ever will, now I'm pushing 70).

In the good old days, a plastic beer crate did the job.

Tell me about it. I love Western Swing, too. Fiddle used to be my main instrument. I was fortunate enough to get the call to play for Herb Remington when he visited the UK many years ago - did a few dates and a Radio 2 session. I was a little nervous, to put it mildly. His fiddler back home at the time was Johnny Gimble. I tried on several occasions to get a Western Swing band going here. The problem is that you need serious chops to do it right and those who have them aren't interested - Western Swing seems to be viewed here as being hokey and a bit naff. Which it most certainly isn't.

Good points (and yes, we do love to moan on here). I think Fender's issue (and that of many similar companies) is that they scaled up to meet demand when times were good. Shrinking demand, combined with supply chain problems (the automotive industry is similarly affected - they cannot get hold of the components they need post pandemic/shutdown), mean they have too much capacity and must downsize and make savings. The largest element of most companies' costs are usually wages, hence the recently announced lay-offs at Fender. Re. suggestions to commission a luthier to make a custom instrument, whilst I am in favour of supporting independent luthiers, resale value has to be taken into account when buying an expensive instrument. Some years ago, I decided to buy the mandolin I had always wanted (an F5). I liked the idea of getting a luthier to build me one and even made enquiries of several. However, I bought a Gibson in the end because I knew it would hold/increase its value (which it has) due to the name on the headstock. I don't think it wise to view instruments, especially mass produced ones, as an investment in the shorter term. In many cases, you need to be able to afford to keep them for a long time to see any decent return. There are always exceptions, of course (such as the Les Pauls referred to above), but how do you predict which they will be?

Have a look at the Donstrumental YouTube channel. Don is very good and breaks it down very clearly and understandably.

I agree with your analysis. We've been living through an unusual situation. Now things are returning to some sort of normality, the one-off surge in demand for hobby items such as musical instruments, home improvements, etc is ending. Rising inflation and the threat of recession is forcing people to focus on essentials, rather than luxuries.

The frontman wasn't the driving force in AC/DC either. The Young brothers, particularly Malcolm, were. Look at any of the interviews about AC/DC (plenty on YouTube and similar) and everyone credits Malcolm with being the man who directed the band. So pete is correct about them, too.

He did and it cost him his life, sadly. Astonishing player, but the sort of person best admired from afar, imho.

Exactly. There is a popular misconception that many classic rock bands started out as a bunch of school/college pals who slogged it out and made it. Good for promo' copy, but often not the reality. Several of the bands listed - DP and Genesis, for example - included established/session players in their line-ups, so the process of getting rid of anyone who wasn't up to it had already happened by the time they became famous.

I always thought that photo looked like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

...and The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Court & Spark.

It's no longer for sale "because there was a mistake in the listing". Shame. It was just down the road from me. I'll keep searching for my dream custom bass.