4-string-thing

I did a similar thing about 10 years ago with pretty good results. I had 2 rooms though, knocked through, put in sliding glass doors and offered my services as a demo studio. As most people have said, you won't soundproof a garage, all you can do is try to reduce the leakage as much as possible. Sound proofing is not the same as acoustic treatment. As stated, its all about mass and isolation, sound travels through walls, doors etc by vibration, so the "room within a room" is the thing to aim for. Using Rockwool slabs as opposed to roof insulation is good, the more dense, the better. If you use 3 layers for your walls, I think I read somewhere once, that the middle layer should be a different material to the outer two? Joins should not be in the same place and should always be caulked. Windows should be boarded up and rockwool packed between the boards. The roof is probably the hardest bit, if its not an internal garage, it will need loads of rockwool and boarding with a plasterboard/chipboard/plasterboard layer. The garage doors will also need a similar thing, the 5ft space you mentioned is good, I did the same for storage of all my studio kit that I didn't want on display (mic stands etc) It all sounds quite daunting and a lot of work, but it is possible to reduce the noise outside to something thats barely noticable. It helped in my case that there was a 20 yard gap to my next door neighbour and we lived on a fairly busy road with a bit of traffic noise. I recorded quite a few loud bands in my place and never had any complaints from neighbours.

My first gig (apart from school gigs) was in 1980, I used my 78 Precision through my Acoustic 220 head and Acoustic 404 cab. My last gig, last august, I played my Warwick Corvette through the same Acoustic 220 and a s/h Acoustic 402 cab. I've just joined a new band, who play 70's punk/new wave, so the Precision has come out of retirement and will be used at my next gig, along with (you've guessed it) my Acoustic 220!

I spent 4 years in a folk-rock band, and we used to play 2 or 3 gigs around St Pats night (usually the weekend before) We didn't play anything out of the ordinary, just our usual set of English, Irish, and Scottish songs and tunes. We used to play up the Irish bit though by wearing a bit of green and offering prizes for the best "Irish dancing" etc. We used to avoid any political songs though, stick to the cheesy stuff, I would say. Only ever had one heckler moaning about us not being Irish and apparently she used to heckle every band at that particular venue anyway.

Last August, I went to Rattle and Drum in Derby, with the intention of buying myself a back-up bass. I fancied a corvette and was sure the rockbass version would be just the ticket. I tried a few different basses and to be fair, the rockbass corvette was pretty close to the German one, quality wise. Same pickups and electronics. The neck was maple and ok, the only thing I didn't like was the heavy gloss finish on the body, I felt it looked a bit cheap and tacky. I bought the German one in the end, because my girlfriend said it looked nicer! Ash body with an oiled finish. And it did feel slightly nicer to play so I wasn't going to argue. I paid £640 as opposed to £320, but I have to say, build wise it didn't feel twice as good.

[quote name='guybrush threepwood' post='744091' date='Feb 13 2010, 04:01 PM']If you go to the [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com"]ashdown website[/url], you can actually register your gear online with them.[/quote] yeah, just need to get round to it! My point was though, that they couldn't be bothered to go and look for the box which would have had all the paperwork in it.

Rattle and drum in Derby were good when I bought my Corvette, let me try loads of basses, through any amp I wanted. Then knocked £80 off and threw in a nice strap. All the basses I tried were set up properly and even in tune, not the case in every shop. Bought my Ashdown head from PMT in Birmingham, and they were ok, but when I asked if they had a manual, they replied "why do you need a manual? switch it on and plug in" I also got the amp I tried (not a boxed one) They did knock a few quid off though. But I have no registration card, so my only guarantee is a till receipt.

I'm a big fan of Acoustic stuff, and looked at the prospect of getting a new B200H. There is one website that says it will ship worldwide (I think it was music123, there is a link on the Acoustic site) but it all seemed a bit daunting to me. There is also the voltage issue to overcome, and there would certainly be major ball-ache if it went wrong, which is quite likely from what I've read! Probably not worth the effort for one of the small combo's or the mini 260 rig. Mind you, if they ever do find a UK distributor, I'll be the first in the queue.

I could never play anything like this, but then again, I would never want to. It leaves me cold. For me, the song is king, and there ain't no song here!

I bought an Ashdown MAG300 head a few weeks ago and decided to try it through 2 cheap 15" subs I bought on ebay a couple of years ago. I disconnected the low pass filter in the cabs and had a quick play through it. To be fair, it sounded pretty good, loud, punchy and best of all lightweight and compact. Not to mention cheap, total cost £281. I'm looking forward to the chance to try it out at a gig!

Rattle and Drum in Derby are a Warwick dealer. Bought my corvette from them last year, and although I could have bought it cheaper online, I felt it was worth the extra for the personal service and the opportunity to try as many basses as I liked for as long as I liked.

[quote name='gary mac' post='737848' date='Feb 7 2010, 08:41 AM']If you have an electricity supply in the shed, then I would advise the use of a dehumidifier.[/quote] +1 for the dehumidifier. Also might be best to limit your "outside" gear to cabs and stuff like stands etc. Keep basses and amps indoors.

People have always said that late 70's Fenders were not as good as earlier (or later) models. I dunno, my 77/78 (not sure which) suits me fine. Don't know if its a good one or not, never played another one to compare it to. A drummer a while back, declared it "the best sounding bass, I've ever heard" Probably down to the MarkBass rig I was playing through, or the 20 year old strings! It is a bit heavy though nowdays. BTW, if anyone within 20 miles or so has one, I'd be interested in comparing... Stop sniggering at the back!

I'd tell him that you joined a Hawkwind tribute band, and thats how you'd like it to stay, and then ask the others for their opinion. As for the originals band, I wouldn't let a guitarist tell me what to play, unless he came up with something that was better than what I was doing. It always amazes me that guitarists (usually) can think that they know how to play someone elses instrument better than they can! I mean, I wouldn't tell a surgeon how to perform an operation, or a lorry driver how to reverse a 40ft long trailer into Tesco's loading bay.

If you know for sure who it was, you should name and shame the scumbag!

I love my P to bits, owned it for over 30 years, but last year had GAS for a jazz. I ended up buying a Warwick Corvette (modern jazz?) I'd still like to own a jazz of some kind though, probably a Squier VMJ, if my girlfriend ever lets me have access to our bank account again!

Back of the net!!!!!!

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='730427' date='Jan 31 2010, 11:51 AM']Maybe something terrible happened...... [/quote] Maybe they're still at it? The band, I mean, not Mr & Mrs Hot Tub!

I bought an amp recently, could probably have bought it cheaper online (though I doubt it) but wanted to try it in person, even if just to check that it actually worked. I bought the one I tried, not a boxed one. It never sounds the same in the shop, so trying it to see if its suitable for you in your band, seems a bit pointless. Basses, on the other hand, I would always try. I Could have bought my Corvette £120 cheaper online, but was happy to pay that much more to try it first. Buying secondhand on ebay is different though, if its cheap enough, always worth a punt, I suppose.

[quote name='oldmanrock' post='730103' date='Jan 30 2010, 08:50 PM']He'll be on a high for days !!!!!!! [/quote] He will if Nick H is correct!

I for one, can't wait to read this thread tomorrow!

wish I could "noodle" like Ronnie Wood!

I did my first gig at 15 (47 now) I used to get nervous, but nowdays I just get excited at the thought of being in front of an audience. I have lost count of the gigs I have played, but I still make mistakes, I just don't let it get to me. Play the song you feel most comfortable with first, I can assure you that by the second song, you won't be nervous, just thrilled. Any mistakes, unless its an absolute howler will be forgotten in an instant (if they even get noticed) Enjoy being in the limelight!

[quote name='arsenic' post='725456' date='Jan 26 2010, 05:15 PM']Bass every time. A bass doesn't moan at you to decorate the house A bass doesn't mind whether the house is tidy or not A bass doesn't mind what time you arrive home after a night out and A bass doesn't insist that you wash before you touch it[/quote] And a bass won't complain when you play with another bass!

Truly tragic, RIP.