Stub Mandrel

Drumming with a bad knee? That's determination!

I played my two gigs this weekend with a Jazzn because it's my easy-playing comfort zone instrument. On friday I used my pedal board for colour, but we were short of space last night so went direct - choose one: mike, effects, jumping around. It was sounding good, switching between both pups on full and neck with about 20% bridge. When we did Uprising I boosted bass on my head as no octaver and it was ok. We encored with Saturday Night's Alright and I played right over the neck pickup really hitting down on the strings Entwistle style. Pushed the Orange Terror well into overdrive and it felt awesome hearing the roar.

Perchlorazine (or something like that) it damps down your sense of balance... prescription strength seasickness pills!

Bendricks Rock played Edmondes in Cowbridge. Originally meant to start at 8:30 there was virtually no-one so we started at 9 when we had a bit of an audience. It rapidly filled up although it was a bit tidal with people moving around thd pub coming in to dance to songs they liked. There was an engagement party in the pub. Their friends wanted us to spoof them so we got them up for a slow dance and played War Pigs 😂 Our original singer (didn't get as far as gigging) came to see us and said we were good. I took an anti-nausea pill again as squatting and standing to set up the gear set me off again. After tgat I was fine and managed to join in on backing vocals but was pretty shattered by the end of the night. Worst thing is the nausea means I can't drink... so had three pints of alcohol free - then spent the night waking up to pee.

I thought 'accident waiting to happen...'

It was Bluesfire, but now Al the guitarist's other venture has become a charting indie band, Bendricks Rock is the main one. Long term I have about the same number of FS gigs in the diary. Joined Bluesfire 4 years ago alongside a band who only managed three gigs in 18 months, so I left that one and started Bendricks Rock about 6 months later. Just joined Fortunate Sons. Fractured Persona is more of a recording project with a limited lifespan, probably will do a handful of gigs. I had 7 gigs across these bands this month, but due to illness have missed three Ideal for me is three or four gigs a month. Maybe more.

Back in at the deep end. Bendricks Rock just played the resurrected Barry Bier Keller. Felt a bit light headed and queasy setting up with all the squatting and standing so I took an anti-nausea pill. It worked. I decided to avoid the complexity of backing bocals by forgetting my mike stand. 8:30 start but they said they would be happy with 2x45 minutes. Warned us fridays can be a bit quiet... Our first set was just over the 45 then we went back on at 9:45. Finally got finished about ten past 11. Fortunately we had a full complement so had plenty of material to do and finished with a few songs in hand. First half not too busy, we got up to about 35-40 people, with sporadic dancing but it's a big place. Halftime some of our followers arrived then the dance floor got busy early in our second set (war pigs gets people dancing around here!) and by the end it was packed. We ended up calling all the songs on the fly to keep it up. I even managed to do a bit of dancing with some friends in one song! Bar staff delighted and want us back. Got some good sounds out of my effects and Flea Jazz. I had to cut the bass and boost mids on my Orange Terror as my rear ported cab got a huge bottom end boost from the gard wall behind it. Think I'll sleep tonight... and now I have to repeat it all again tomor... later today! Not photos of us... lots of people filming us so hopefully something willpop up on Facebook.

Really, reallt teensie ones.

And Dave Mattacks on drums. That man grts everywhere!

The headline specs of the pups used in the 40th Anniversary P (and possibly the CVs?) lie in between the Fender Vintage 60 and Vintage 63. All Alnico 5 just very slightly different winds. Interestingly, the VIntage 60 spec has slightly lower maximum resistance specced for the treble (fender call it 'lead') half of the pickup, although minimum resistance is the same.

She's got the most bass-facey face in rock. A risk thing - as my mum would have said, "If the wind changes your face will stay like that!"

Nah! Red h green works I have gigged the C4 with an Elf too!

This is my home practice rig. Sexy 🙂

Why would I want a less gainey amp with a cleaner sound? I chose Orange for the Orange sound.

The key is to play along to tracks and ifyou can get it so your notes 'disappear' you are tight. For straight 8s and 16s I often push certain beats deliberately when I want it to have more energy.

No. Edit not with the pups at or near max volume.

I'm not convinced those differences would be very obvious in the context of a live performance.

That a Les Paul also has a pickup selection switch.

This.

That doesn't look unreasonable about 2mm? Dont orget action can be progressively lower from the E to G strings. Bear in mind bass strings are longer and heavier so need more space to vibrate in than feeble guitar strings.

GRBASS will do custom tolex as well. It's either free or cheap (the cabs aren't ! )

No hootenanny button? Other than that and two extra screws it shows how faithful to this era the AVII 1960 P is.

Got through 2 ½ hours of rehearsal with the originals band tonight. Finalised arrangements for three songs and started tidying up a fourth. Quite chuffed as two of the songs I'm using a plectrum and my technique is starting to tidy up - the P sounds awesome through my gigging rig. For one song in Bb I use my tuner as a capo on the E string... Have tried to apply a bit of music theory to my basslines and it's starting to pay off with some non-obvious melodic lines on the quieter songs. Have confidence I can survive gigging this weekend.