Stub Mandrel

Slightly dodgy video from Saturday night. You can see it was a very tight fit for a five piece. WhatsApp Video 2024-12-01 at 16.41.34.mp4

After last night's cheering and singing along, today a huge room with a handful of people. Friends and family outnumbered the rest Set up near the tables rather than on the (magnificent) stage We were without our (mainly) rhythm guitarist so it was a bit odd as some cues missing and had to reallocate some intros etc. But we treated it as a gig rather than paid rehearsal and played pretty well. One silly mistake by me, had a pint of shandy in the first set, then a coffee in the break (to warm my hands up). Towards the end of the second set I had to listen to mr bladder and take avery quick break Got some pics of my gear... Quecha approach shoes:

Wowser. We played the Exchange in Risca. Could be described as the 'type specimen' for a valleys rock pub. Full of lovely people. My partner and I met some people at a gig on Friday who wete looking at our posteron their phone and persuaded them to come. Anyway pub was pretty much rammed. I couldn't see any of the side dots on my (reissue) 1960 precision for the first set so swapped to my Harley Benton Marquess, an active two pickup fiver, as different as it is possible to be, for the second set. But if we made any cock ups (there were a few) no-one gave a toss. Went down ancabsolute storm, three encores and it would have been more if the pub hadn't put the lights on. We finished with gasoline by audioslave and bearly took the roof off. Much to my partner's horror a WhatsApp in joke was debuted as the band's new tagline "keep it moist". At one point the whole pub (except Ms. S) was chanting "moist, moist moist..." An utterly epic night and felt like we've really become a band. The "keep it moist" t-shirts are in the care of UPS... 😁

I know my mate's first song was probably Spirit of the Age. For me something off this list (which was after we'd done a fair few gigs) but probably c 'mon everybody. The photo is the actual first gig.

An extra F# in passing back to the A or have I got the wrong end of the stick? Judt found it sounds wonderfully naff if you slip in th major 7th now and again 😁

I use a miniature ratchet strap for peace of mind.

Self-consistent field, an approach used in Hartree–Fock methods in quantum systems.

Local band the Hindenbergs (yes they just play Zeppelin) last night. Very good indeed. Their bass player Taif Ball was in Killing Joke for a while. We used the tops of this Mackie pa last week and will again this weekend.

My AT212 slim claims to be -3dB at 32 hz. Sensitivity 104dD. I nade the error of using a five with an octaver and no hpf once. At the end of the song my amp was balanced half off the top of the cab...

I'm spending a few hours noodling on a five today, just to minimise the chance of 'wrong string' incidents at tonight's gig...

I know the situation. It FEELS lower for some reason. A slow bowed E on a good double has has way more presence than the low B on many fivers.

Why does bowed double bass sound deeper than plucked or slapped double bass or electric bass?

He's gone full circle!

<gags> Audioslave!

It's a JAZZ Stylophone 🤣

Well yesterday I got a WhatsApp pointing out Gasoline is on the setlists for the weekend, checking we want to do it. Of course everyone else does. That means I have to bring a fiver... (it seems the original may have been on a four tuned BADG!) It's not brushing up on the song, it's that I now have minimal time to refresh my fiver versions of enough songs to make it worthwhile. Now what idiot put the setlust together? Oh...

This is a great fun one to play but I can't imagine trying to do the organ part as well!

It's becoming the new Sex on Fire... I prefer this version:

I suspect enough for it to be put to one side a decade ago... then refound and donated without being checked. At least I got ripped off by a good cause...

Oft said. Curiously my Fender Performer (a 4 although legend says a 5 prototype was made) which has 16mm string spacing was made specifically to appeal to a burgeoning market for 'slap' basses.

I can barely see it! The chameleon bass... 😁

Arguing about preferences vs. playing your bass

Just remembered I have tail end of an amazon gift card, with black friedegg I just got a metronome for £3.54.

My Blackstar one has a basic drum machine built in. Only a handful of patterns but more inspiring than a metronome.

Don't forget, it anglicises as 'godzilla'.