Cat Burrito

A variation on this story but three times I have re-bought a variation on what I sold off and originally then came to regret. My Orange SP212 cab is a replacement for the much missed SP210 (& I improved on it!). I own a Japanese 57RI Fender P-bass that is a modern version of my original first bass (but in a better colour) and I missed my Hofner Verythin bass... I sold it as the intonation caused issues in the studio on a session BUT those good people issued one in a full 34" scale. So all three meant I no longer regretted any hastiness in the original sales.

Two covers to take off!

I've emailed Orange a couple of times and they are brilliant. I see they seem to be cornering more of the market too in terms of in house backline and lending amps to touring bands. Nothing but praise for them from me

I tour a lot and it's a case of luck a lot of the time. Very occasionally we've had rooms upstairs at the venue, stayed with the promoter or had rooms locally as part of the deal. Obviously sites like Late Rooms are always worth a go and just occasionally Airbnb have come good. The rule of thumb seems to be that some nights you strike gold and some nights you make a loss, but hope to make it up on the merch table or the next night. I also operate at a level where there isn't loads of money so it's not unusual to break even and basically have a working holiday.

I own both an EEB-1 and a Flying V. Both are really good instruments and I am not feeling the need to add "for the money". Tonally the sound great, they are well made and look cool. I like the vibe of the company and a lot of their range appeals. The only downside is that away from the big hitters like Fender, there is not much resale value if you decide to sell them on.

Being as I seem to be doing some bigger shows these days, I thought I'd kick common sense into touch and go heavier again. I have the Orange SP212 for smaller venues but this is less likely to get lost on a larger stage or not be heard inside of a 5 mile radius!! The head is also the newer revamped Terror head that Orange brought out earlier this year so it's an all new 2019 setup for me. I much prefer the newly modified head as it doesn't break up so quickly and with the cab I pretty much plug in with no need to search hard for a tone I like.

It feels strange as we supported them last month. They went down a storm. RIP.

D'oh! I forgot all about that!

If like me you've seen Showaddywaddy ripping it up at The Wyvern in Swindon circa 2016, you soon realise what a bit player Elvis Presley actually was!

I'm back with New Moon again after a break. A European Tour earlier this year made me realise that I probably should have some cover. I've always found them really cool to deal with and I like the vibe of the company (they are all musicians who have the near impossible task of trying to make insurance a bit edgy!?).... but I HAVE NEVER CLAIMED! I guess that is where the true test in all these things is.

I think it depends on the band. I play in a tribute band as well as a few original bands. Normally these things tend to get learnt as they should put the band put subtle little nuances into them... fast forward 12 months down the line and they can sound surprisingly departed from the recording. Normally picked up when somebody leaves and you hold an audition!

The market is full of choice these days. Over the last few years I had a Belcat tweed amp and a Vox Pathfinder which were great but for reasons unknown only lasted a few years each. The tone and volume were most impressive, especially thinking back to the bad old days of the 80s. Now I have the Ampeg BA108 which sounds fantastic but with the addition of both a headphone socket and an input to play either YouTube videos or MP3s, my practice has improved massively.

Love Me Tender by Elvis. I have the music notation tattooed around my arm. Funny story but I was sat on a plane coming back from NYC once and there was a queue down the aisle for the loo. This old lady in the queue was just staring at my tattoos and although normally pretty placid, it got to the point I was about to say something. She then piped up with "Love Me Tender". She'd been reading the notation to work out what the song was!

We finished six dates across the UK. I particularly enjoyed Nuneaton & Stoke but all six were fun. I used my Hofner verythin until the last date. I have a 6am flight to Italy in the morning to start the European leg.

I've yo-yo'd between Ampeg and Orange over the last 10 years. I wouldn't say it's a radical change as they are subtle variations of the same kind of vibes. My two favourite brands, personally.

For any Ric hating going on, all I can say is that I took my 4003s out last night for a Creedence Tribute show and it totally delivered. I just need to get a bezel so I can get shot of that annoying pickup cover!

I thought it had been discontinued but some shops still advertise it. It's here https://www.thomann.de/gb/hoefner_verythin_bass_hct_500_8_dc.htm?sid=229eb2e131eb9e87d589e9bcbc651e34 I don't notice any issue with neck dive but I have a wider strap that tends to grip my shoulder nicely. It really is a wonderful bass. Check out Dan's review here;

I appreciate this is always personal but having recorded extensively I've tried everything from my cab to studio cabs to D.I. My personal favourite now is the Sansamp VT bass pedal into a D.I. Hands down this was my favourite bass sound. They often crop up here or on EBay second hand around £100. Worth checking out.

Definitely. I had the Hofner Verythin bass and always regretted selling it on. I re-bought the long scale version almost 3years ago and it's a keeper. In fact of all my basses it's the one I am taking on tour this month.

Good idea... Possibly this thread 😺

I nearly put this in the Gigs section but as it is a bit more of an event figured it was better housed in General Discussion. Just before Christmas I went up to Camden in the rain and did an audition for what was initially a dep gig. It's kind of grown and I am now doing 2 tours of the UK and going over to Italy, Denmark and Sweden. I appreciate we've all got different tastes but if Glam tinged Power Pop is your thing come and see me at one of the shows. Last Great Dreamers are the band and I have known them through mutual friends since '94 (small world but I gigged with the new drummer back then too). I'll be firing up my new Orange rig and I'm just deciding on which basses to take. It's going to be a lot of fun. Wed 13th February - EDINBURGH Bannermans (w/Enuff Znuff) Thu 14th February - LONDON Lounge666 (w/Enuff Znuff) Fri 15th February - NUNEATON Queens Hall (w/Enuff Znuff) Sat 16th February - BRADFORD Trash (w/Enuff Znuff) Sun 17th February - BUCKLEY Tivoli (w/Enuff Znuff) Mon 18th February - STOKE ON TRENT Eleven (w/Enuff Znuff) Thu 21 February - (TBC) (ITALY) (w/Enuff Znuff) Fri 22nd February - VERCELLI Sonore (ITALY) (w/Enuff Znuff) Sat 23rd February - SAN DONA DI PIAVE Revolver (ITALY) (w/Enuff Znuff) Sun 24th February - BERGAMO UFO (TALY) (w/Enuff Znuff) Wed 27th February - VARBURG Backstage (SWEDEN) (w/Enuff Znuff) Thu 28th February - GOTHENBURG Tregaarden (SWEDEN) (w/Enuff Znuff) Fri 1st March - OSLO Olsen (NORWAY) (w/Enuff Znuff) - TICKETS Fri 15th March - BRADFORD The Underground (w/Electric Boys) Sat 16th March - HRHAOR Festival (Prestatyn, Wales) Sun 17th March - BLACKPOOL Waterloo (w/Electric Boys) Mon 18th March - EDINBURGH Bannermans (w/Electric Boys) Tue 19th March - NEWCASTLE Think Tank (w/Electric Boys) Wed 20th March - LONDON Underworld (w/Electric Boys) Thu 21st March - MILTON KEYNES Crauford Arms (w/Electric Boys) Fri 22nd March - BUCKLEY Tivoli (w/Electric Boys) Thu 18th April - LONDON – Hope & Anchor (Rockaway Beach Club)

As the mighty Derek Smalls said, playing open strings leaves your left hand free to punch the air. Game over!

Collectively they make for one busy band. Individually nothing is that busy (at the moment).