Stub Mandrel

Most venues want 2x45 plus encores. Never bothered about doing extra time if venue/audience want it. Often end up doing 50 + 60 in practice. Venues like a break as most people buy a drink. Just to clarify, in S. Wales most venues want music to start at 9 and run to 11, then do some encores. Some pubs have a 'hard' curfew but may let you do an extra encore if the audience is keen. A recent gig one guitarist commented "I want to be paid for travelling and setting up, then knocking down again. I'll play for nothing as long as they want to listen." I've played a few venues where they want you done by 10 or 11 because the 'rock loving' audience turns into clubbing 20-somethings in the space of 15 minutes!

eBay offers to generate ai descriptions for you know iirc. AI generated instruments are interesting indeed. But consider they are probably better than most non-players could draw from memory. Same string count/tuner issue as above, but I figured the audience won't notice.

My local. Less than a Trumpshot from home....

And 'battleship chains' - two hit wonders!

Rock You Like A Hurricane is a step too far. But we had a vocalist who rejected Hey Joe. Actually he found about 20% of songs problematic.

Just taken off the playlist.

I've depped with a band who do a mashup of Play That Funky Music and Superstition. Which seems a bit pointless, and it's really tricky shifting from one riff to another almost but not quite identical one.

Not around Cardiff!

The band after us on Sunday mashed up Bang Bang by Nancy Sinatra (drummer played trumpet) with Money, Money Money... TBH Abba songs are all ripe for rocking up.

It always amazes me how difficult some bands make the task of choosing songs. There are, literally, thousands of well-known songs to choose from that general audiences will happily enjoy, and as many again if you focus on a particular genre (e.g. ska, classic rock, country...) Assuming that any band has a basic genre or style and that the band members don't actively dislike the music that fits the band, it shouldn't be hard to pull together a couple of dozen songs that everyone agrees on. Both bands I'm in regularly share videos on what'sapp and rather than actively chucking songs out we tend to have songs that come up where we all say 'yes'. Yes, we have the usual constraints - the vocalist says he's been in a band singing Dio songs, and he doesn't want to do that to his vocal cords any more. The drummer likes things that stretch him. I don't like songs that just have root eighth notes.... But this positive discussion has brought in a lot of songs that are new to at least one or two of us. I have never thought of doing Audioslave or INXS before. We all have been pretty excited by the suggestion of a Manic Street Preachers song. Despite scepticism, we enjoyed doing a Tom Jones song (Sex Bomb) so much, we're going to rock up Delilah as well.

We got some pics from Sunday.

I considered myself as a non-precision person until the last five years when I felt the need to try one out. However, some time later it occurred to me that the fretless I've been playing for about 37 years is a Japanese (Maya) P-bass copy. Hmm. I had never actually thought of it as such.

I surprises me how many people blithly ignore the fact that the 'standard p-bass' doesn't have the un-contoured body, single coil pickup or headstock of the 'original p-bass', yet 'Leo got it right first time'.

So it's the J-bass version not the P-J one?

Because they are so popular, not many get sold s/h.

What Is And What Should Never Be.

Thanks, Experience now ymtells me ws-80 have 2 yellow leds that go out when charged. Consistent with the 50 and 90. Worked faultlessly today, I took a short excursion too.

Saturday, Played 9-10 at the Hanbury Arms with Bluesfire. One of two pub venues in an 11 day arts festival. We had over 100 people which is good for what is basically a beer gardens and marquee. Plenty more people out of sight down the slope between us and the pub. Very responsive music-loving audience. One woman told Al that when she was down the slope she thought there were give or six of us, not three. A lapsed guitarist budy telling everyone the gig was 'exceptional' which was nice. Al ignored the setlist and just called what he thought people would like. Best one for a while. Got back to the club in time to catch the bands last four songs. Today, Bendricks Rock at the Llandovery Bike Weekend for Blood Bikes Wales. The event is 10-4 and wew were on at 11:30. Left at 8:00 to pick up vocalist! Better attendance than I expected, nice but simple setup with vocal PA and plenty of space. And a proper if brief soundcheck- the only feedback was for me to turn up. Don't mind if I do. Purple, Zeppelin, Cream and Sabbath all went down well, our setlist was not long enough so we added two extras and then an encore - What Is and What Should Never Be. Tricky and with the potential to be a car crash, but we nailed it. Our endings were a big sloppy, but our best playing so far and a great reception. Watched a couple of the other acts. Drive back was extended by 30 minutes due to a "diversion" and a crash blocking the a470. Got back and somehow found the energy to catch a train to the far side of town and catch my brother's band Stonehouse closing out Cadstock to a couple of thousand people.

Becoming more common down here.

I hate to tell you, but that means you're not plugged in and the guitarist is using an octaver...

Ok.... I've lost the manual and I'm not sure if they are fully charged. I don't want to leave them connected to a charger for hours if they are topped up. I cant find a manual online. Can anyone remind me what colours the leds are to show charging/fully charged, please?

We've got the Llandovery Bike Weekend on Sunday. £30... to split! But the event supports Blood Bikes Wales.

Decent money!

Not my bass, but this lovely ~1961 P-bass is possibly the prettiest I've ever come across. Paul has had it, if not from new, at least since the 70s. Lovely patina and natural wear, the scratchplate is gently rippled without splits. Paul uses a really thumping warm tone with a bit of natural overdrive through a Markbass combo. Last night he was out with Junior Hacksaw, but he also plays with the legendary Snatch it Back. My partner says most men would be in trouble if they looked at a woman like I was looking at this bass...