Boodang

Latvia's first Hammond organ trio (I live in Latvia).

They do!!

Git!!! You have a MXR bass synth! I even missed out on the second batch, now waiting for the third to be made around end of Dec... I'm not holding my breath. What's the AMT tube preamp like? Review please!

The latest iteration of my board while I wait for my MXR Bass Synth pedal to arrive. The Dunlop 68 Shrine series uni-vibe I bought at the weekend on a whim. I've just been in a Hendrix / blues band so I couldn't resist it. It does however sound surprisingly good on bass with the sweep on min and the depth on max... almost like a phasor. The bodyrez I use on the EUB and I've really got the death ray dialled in now.

If the band has stalled, start a new band with 'B'?

Apparently it's actually a Harley Benton, he just changed the headstock logo.

In fairness it should be a bit of a shout out for Wunjo as well.... especially as they have a decent selection. Plus they were helpful and very relaxed about trying out basses. They set up an amp and just said we could help ourselves which was great.

Interestingly, we played a J Squier in Dawson's which we felt didn't feel nice, same model (I think also in Wunjo) played brilliantly. And I'm not talking set up either but the neck. I think at this price they all play slightly differently.

Only £10 more expensive in Wunjo so price wasn't the factor.

Just a bit of a shout out for Dawson's guitars as they gave fantastic service. Went there with a mate who wanted to get a Squier precision. Tried one in Dawson's then went over the road and tried the same model but we both agreed that the one in Dawson's just had a better feel to the neck. By the standards of the other instruments in the shop this was a cheap purchase (although a lot for my mate) but they were generous with their time and very helpful, even went to the effort of adjusting the action to suit. Amusingly, as they didn't have a suitable case we went over the road and one of the Dawson guys brought the bass so we could see it fitted. The bass guy in the other shop spotted us and asked why we didn't buy his one, to which we said the other one just felt better, to which he replied he said he would have adjusted the action but I said it wasn't that, it was just the neck felt better. As he wander off back to the basement (why are basses always in the basement?!) I could hear him mumbling in an annoyed voice 'i told them I would have adjusted it'. Quite awkward but also funny! Btw the Squier looks awesome in a flake gold finish and plays superbly. To my ears sounds good too but might benefit from a new pup at some stage.

I thought it was better back in the 70's / 80's, who remembers the Bass Centre?! But if you think the UK is bad, I've just moved from Pakistan where it's terrible. Only cheap 'no name' chinese copies which are so bad they're just expensive firewood, and a range of PA and studio gear which is fake, plus virtually no decent 'small' items like leads. When I first arrived I went in and asked what bass amps they had for sale and I got shown a little Nux 10watt practice amp, I asked what they had for gigging, he looked perplexed and just pointed back at the Nux. Oh, and no drums.... at all. Now in Riga and it's better but mostly Ibanez, Squier etc, anything more and it's a drive to Germany but at least Thomann is a days courier away (although trying out something is harder). Again, very lacking in the drum department though. Decent studio gear here, with prices the same or cheaper than the UK and at most a day or two delivery.

OMG.... just watched ST2.... what a blast. OK, so I'm a spinal tap fan, so this review should be taken with that in mind. Cameos... far from distracting from the premise I think it brings a level of authenticity which adds credence to the whole proceedings. The drummer interviews particularly but also Elton John who is marvelous. And the 'one on ones' with the cast are like the original and brilliant, especially the Nigel Tuffnel cheese bits! And then there's the occasional moment of honesty and tensions that happen in a real band situation. I was trepidatious of this movie but it's a worthy sequel and also a catch up for the fans which, for me at least, far from disappoints. PS I've ordered my 'Tap' water and offered Thomann a half wheel of cheese for a PRS as they're about the same weight.

Of course you're going to get a lot of replies along the lines of 'it all depends on...' and they won't be wrong. Golden rule obviously, rehearsals are not for individuals to learn a song, that should be prep work, so much as learning how to play the song as a band. Lessons learnt, I always would record rehearsals on a small Zoom H2n in the middle of the room and give everyone a copy on an SD so they could hear how badly they played and hopefully everyone would come to their own conclusion as to what needs working on. Easier that musicians come to that conclusion themselves rather than be told.

Digital mixers are the mutts nuts for live work. We got an xr18 and have never looked back. I love the studio FX you can use, fully parametric EQ on every channel, and 100 band rta, really helpful you get a professional sound.