Stub Mandrel

I'll be ridiculed for suggesting this... but if you want a 'bedroom blaster' with a rich selection of real valve sounds, I've got a Vox Valvetronix 25 (curiously it's 30W), which I think is great. My brother with his Marshall JCM, Fender Deville and Orange Terror valve amps takes the fosters - but for me it's loads of fun.

Orange Tiny Terror sounds ace...

Excellent! Now to find some suitable stainless shim. I'm assuming that being American they will be imperial so ~19mm=3/4" ~50mm=2" and ~9mm = 3/8".

I've practiced with a bass player on drums who counted in 1 2 3 4 but then proceeded to play (correctly) in 3/4!

It seems that these are as rare as Unicorn turds: If anyone out there has a set , could they post a few measurements or photos alongside a ruler, as I don't think they would be impossible to make.

I tried using a vibrato pedal for Boulevarde of Broken Dreams; everyone impressed by the sound, but if the drummer drifted there wasn't a way to get it back in synch. I tried using a delay instead, re-triggering at each bar, but it faded too fast and didn't sound any better than playing staccato, which what I ended up doing.

The D string on my performer is that close to the strings. It's a right PITA. I need to do a setup on it.

Had to play Black Man Ray the other day, a total dirge if started too slow and so little bass you can't push it faster. Luckily we had a drummer who doesn't know the song but I primed him 'keep up the tempo' and we buzzed along 🙂

Ah.... tapewound...

Reading '83? Why didn't you say hello? 🙂

Reissue Fender performer of course!

Manual drawing board... retired architect? 🙂

That's not a shim, it's an emergency roach.

Beato is always interesting, I just wish he would either stop SHOUTING or at least mix his voice to be no louder than the music...

Heading for d.i.v.o.r.c.e. Obviously having a roof over my head is priority number 1, my hope is to have a garage for a workshop and a music room inside.

Probably Nik Turner...

I love Boolean Basslines 🙂

Working myself up to playing this 🙂

We did my Sister-in-law's birthday event on saturday. Big hall, packed out with a highly sympathetic audience as we did a mix of my brother and her's songs with some other stuff. Mostly went well, thanks in part to borrowing my other brother's drummer but a couple could have done with more rehearsal (one I'sd only done twice vbefore and another one I played bass on I'd only done on mandolin before.... Wes the drummer was ace, we did Black Man Ray and I was convinced he knew the song inside out, turns out he'd never heard it before. My first time playing guitar and mandolin or singing properly (Motorhead's 1916!) in front of people but I felt best when I played the bass. Here's Jer on his very nice Westone Spectrum 2 (and kilt!) and Lu being a butterfly... and me losing my guitar cherry! A few other guys did a few songs as well, and the main band was Stonehouse Collective, our other brother's band. First song packed the dancefloor and it stayed that way through both of their sets, storming night. Just got sent this ace soundcheck shot 🙂

Just the wigs left to sort out... 🙂

Saturday I had to remember/improvise a walking line I made up to a song I only heard/played twice before and a week ago... Luckily (a) it was pretty simple and (b) the singer did a long explanatory introduction so I just started playing a very simple line very quietly, gradually getting more complicated and louder, uke (!) (who wrote it) and drummer (who had never heard it before) joined in and we were rolling along when the singer came in and it felt like something we'd honed for weeks 🙂

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons at the Cardiff Tramshed. Hopefully some stuff from his new solo album and maybe something special as it's his 'home gig' 🙂

I've certainly seen a few gigs in pubs where you would be very stupid to start a fight.

My bro's band, supported by me, my other brother and his wife!