msb

5 hours ago, E sharp said:

Bit late on a couple…

Last Saturday was at a club in Cromer with the Northern Soul band, and it was a great night. Loads of Northetn Soulies dancing all night from the off. 
Next day was a Sunday afternoon session with the ska band. The main sax player, who also plays guitar and sings, has not been well for a while, and has had numerous tests and scans etc. He said it’d be his last gig for a while, until he’d got sorted out what was wrong with him. So the extended sax break in Pigbag, with the main singer/guitarist/2nd sax, where they trade off licks at the end, was far far longer. It’s brought to an end by me hitting a note, for them to come back in with the main riff. I let them both carry on for ages, as non of us knew when we’d play with him again. 
Turns out that we won’t ever again. The next day he was told he had terminal Pancreatic cancer, that had also gone to his lungs, liver, and bones. Been given 6 months; but knowing people who’ve had this, he’s probably looking at weeks. He’s only 51, and been a pro played for years- spent ages with Suzi Quattro on tours, playing sax, guitar, and bass- when she went on keys for the occasional song. 
Not got another Ska gig until next Friday , so we’ve drafted in the Northern Soul singer, so we can pad out the sets with some other songs etc. 

All a bit sh*t really. 
 

This Thursday did a small wedding with the Function band (all of the 3 bands have some members that play in all of them), and that was a lovely little gig. 
 

Last night was Function band again, that was a complete scrub out- but there you go. 
We’re out again tonight at another wedding, which should be good; and then tomorrow afternoon with the Northern soul lot.

 

So apart from the bad news , which has hit us hard, it’s a really busy month of gigs

 

So sorry to hear this. I’ve lost a number to pancreatic cancer.

I like to think I’m done with each purchase.
I’ve recently traded an amp I wasn’t using for something I was curious about , and then came across a deal I couldn’t refuse.

…. but now I’m done. 

I picked up an Elf last week. I traded an old SWR HeadLite for a new one. The SWR was worth a bit more , but I had picked it up for a good price … so we were both happy. I had not been using the SWR. Was always curious about the Elf.
And right after I got the Elf home I heard Korg USA was selling off Darkglass 200 watt heads for half price. That’s a new amp at better than your usual kijiji prices!

I immediately mentioned this to some friends in the US , and they ordered them. I tried , but Korg would not ship outside the US. So I had a Microtubes shipped to a friend in Texas , and it was reshipped up here. Should arrive Monday. I’ve been hearing great reviews of the amp from those that got them.
I’m excited. I’m happy with my gigging gear , and have some very nice small sized practice and rehearsal stuff. And just added two lovely small amps to that. 

… fell in love with it , loved it so much I picked up a Pro Series Gretsch!  And that was a hard one to find.

Herself looks on basses as art objects , so she appreciates them. And most amp heads these days are not too big. Fine with them too. But if I was to arrive with a good sized 212 cab … not pretty. She did think the red C2 was funky , and the BareFaced One10 was a good size. I also sold an Ampeg 210AV right after that arrived. Bonus points there. 
Last December I saw a big orange Gretsch hollow body and showed Herself the picture , she took one look and said “Get it”. 
That’s pretty good…

Herself doesn’t like me bringing more cabs into the house. She doesn’t understand the appeal of black boxes.  She did make an exception for a red C2. At the time I couldn’t find a Canadian distributor , so I ordered it from NYC , and with duty and shipping probably paid too much. But I use it every day. Not gig suitable , but perfect for home practice. 
 

I love it.

I found the RB series to have their own voice. And starting with everything at noon was a wonderful place to begin. Probably one of the easiest amps to dial in. 

Not worth the misery in my book. 
Another door will open.

Welcome back!

Welcome back! 
 

This getting back to bass seems to be trending.

Welcome!
 

A bigger amp might be the fix for that hearing problem. 

Last night in the old dive.

It was the last night in the old dive , and it closed with the Sunday jam. We had sixty people up to play. It’s moving to a new location so we’ll be back at it when the new one opens. It will be several weeks , there’s still a lot to do there. I’ve been doing the jam for 28 years , and have been gigging in the old place even longer. Bittersweet night , hard to believe it will be gone. Lineup outside , packed house. Wonderful night.

That looks like the first batch of reissues from the late 90’s. Made in the Shinko factory in Korea.
 

Some feel those are the best.

Commie Red! Congratulations.

I saw one that had been modded with a Tbird pickup and really liked it. So when I found a local used one I snagged it and planned to do the same.

Might change pots and tuners , but I like it.

Should deliver on Tuesday. And then be sent here in Halifax. 

and despite just picking up an Elf , I’m excited.

Early on I was using a GK MB 200 into an Ampeg 210AV. It was a very nice sounding rig. I picked up the RB cheaply on kijiji , and found the cab in the used section of a local music shop. So I got a good deal there too. It wasn’t too big and could easily carry a band rehearsal or gig that wasn’t too loud. 
It was a great rig for the money. I just got a little nerdy and kept buying stuff after I got it going …

curious

It’s a beauty! Welcome Matheus!

I have two practice spots , home , and the in-laws. We spend much of our time looking after my mother-in-law. My practice nook there , two lovely little rigs. Elf into a One10 , I just picked up the Elf last week. This could easily cover a small gig. And a Darkglass e500 with a PhilJones C2. The Darkglass is a modelling amp that can be made to sound like just about anything.  I do have a Darkglass 200 MicroTubes on the way. Two Gretsch basses made the pic , there’s two Gibson short scales just out of the frame. The e500 and C2 are what I normally keep there. I initially picked up a Rumble15 but realized it was not going to work out. For quite a while a GK MB200 into an Ampeg 210AV was the perfect rig. But I’m curious about other things and a bit nerdy so things were bound to shift. 
My little happy place.

and the back view …

and the little Aguilar home rig. This might change when the little Darkglass MicroTubes arrives. We’ll see …

I had a Rumble 15 when I first started to practice at the in-laws. I thought something small and cheap was all I’d need.

I was wrong , it was awful.

Nice! Congratulations.

I much prefer components to a combo , and then use whatever sized speaker I need at the time. So I have little speakers for home use at low volume and the cabs I’ll need to fill a mid sized bar. And various heads from 5 to 900 watts. I’m a little nerdy about amps and cabs , it comes from being a seventy something geezer that’s been doing gigs since the mid 70’s. I’ve seen a lot of changes in gear over the years. 
And love the light , small , modern amp and cab design. 
 

I love the flexibility of separate heads and cabs.

I see some lifting , and I know it sounds gorgeous.

Finally landed an Elf , been after one for a while , and now also have a Darkglass 200 MicroTubes on the way.