Rosie C

I'm wondering if anyone is using a Zoom H8, and particularly if you're using it with the EXH-8 expansion module? I want to record our band for YouTube type stuff - with 3 vocals, mandolin, keyboard, drum and bass. With the keyboard in stereo, that makes 8 tracks. I currently have a Tascam DR40X, I really like it, but it's only 4 channel, including two internal mics. I was all set to buy the Tascam Model 12, an 8 mic mixer and recorder, but was looking around at other options before committing. I'm drawn to the portable nature of the Zoom H8, as I've found I use my DR40X a lot as it's so easy to carry around and set up.

A month later, the lyre pedalboard is almost finished. I'm waiting for stereo patch leads for the expression pedal, and the 9v lithium battery has been more faff than expected, so that's not done yet. But otherwise all going well...

We did similar, doing a few numbers at Bargoed folk club - the high points being my partner, usually our band's percussionist, singing lead vocal on "Help Me Make it through the Night", and (having forgotten my treble recorder) me playing a bit of John Playford melody on octave mandolin.

I have one of these heavy canvas tool bags - mine is the 450mm and has my spare signal and power cables. It's sort of rubberised on the inside so I expect it's waterproof: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001IWI4W/

The strings on my jazz bass are 5 years old. I noticed last rehearsal that the wrap on the 'A' is unravelling so I'm going to have to replace it when it otherwise had years of life left! 😉

I worked in a pub in the days of jukeboxes with 45s. If no-one had played anything for a while the machine would automatically play a particular single for free... same one every time. So not one particular track, but whichever free play was selected that week really put me off it, in there all day every day

My partner learned to play drums and joined the band! ❤️

That's good to know. Rather depressing, I realise I'm talking about a gig nearly 25 years ago, which was much nearer to the 1980s and singles chart success than now I'm not sure what the line-up was when we went to see them though. I've never seen the Sisters - I still love Floodland, but in an interview I read way back, Eldritch was very unkind to his goth fan base so I could never bring myself to give him more money (love the art, not the artist dilemma). As an aside it was very strange years later to begin reading Pratchett and find that 'eldritch' is a real word, I'd only heard it used before in the context of Andrew Eldritch.

Two come to mind... being a goth in the 1980s, in the early 2000s we got tickets to see The Mission at the Bierkeller in Bristol. They started the gig by announcing "we know you've all come to hear our old songs, but we're not going to play them - we're going to play tracks from our new album". The new album really wasn't up to much and we left after a few songs. The other was around the same time and another re-living of my youth, seeing Icicle Works at Birmingham. Much too loud, vocals out of tune, audience too boisterous, left after a short time

I remember my first day in (community) orchestra on a 3/4 bass. As you say I couldn't really hear mine, but when they all played together in tune I could feel mine resonating with the others. Quite other-worldy like the basses were talking to each other!

I had similar problems after a back injury a couple of years ago. I played a Hofner violin bass for a while, but it just wasn't the same as my jazz bass. My solution was to take the jazz to my local luthier. She replaced the tuners with lightweight ones, chambered the body underneath the pick guard, and replaced the bridge for a 'bent plate' type. I think we lost about 1.5 pounds, which was enough to make it playable for me.

We sort of do that - I use a stand when playing my medieval recorder music, and we made stand covers with our band logo, to make a point of having stands...

A revelation! With no gigs for the forseeable, and after following this topic, I've spent the last few days seeing if I can play the tunes we usually perform from memory, and so far yes I have a list of 12 and growing! So pleased I tried it - as you say it became a crutch.

Ah, there it is, you just have to write a song with the bass player name-checked in the chorus! (Ant Rap)

John Deacon John Paul Jones ?

One of the many reasons I play mandolin instead of 6-string guitar - every string has a spare 😉 (and apologies for making light of your difficult gig)

I've not had a failure on my bass guitar. On my upright though, collapsed end pin - at the biggest gig we'd played to date. I spent the set very carefully balancing the bass on a stack of plastic beer glasses.

The last couple of videos I've done I've used a square aspect ratio... seems a very backward step to 1920s TV but works well for social media. But back on topic, last night's gig was playing at the Equinox Boat Burn at Butser Ancient Farm. An awesome experience - still coming down from it!

Be careful - I had a run in with another courier (who I'm not going to mention). I had a parcel from Thomann just after brexit when customs charges weren't streamlined. They invoiced me £60 for customs. I paid by credit card, but the payment didn't show up. I had to pay again then a week or so later both payments appeared on my statement. Phoning them involved an hour on hold and a couple of calls didn't resolve the problem ("we'll have someone call you back"), so I disputed the change and my bank refunded one of the payments. A few months later the courier set debt collectors on me!

I ordered two cable from @Chienmortbb - great attention to detail, and stepped me through options I wasn't aware of. Result - two lovely cables to suit my particular needs that off the shelf cables wouldn't. Excellent service!

I took a pragmatic approach - transposed it to G, and I'll play it on octave mandolin with a capo on 1 or 2 to suit. 🫣

You've jinxed me! I've not played "Shout to the Lord" before, but it's on the list for this Sunday. I'm unsure whether in A or A♭ ... that can be a surprise for Sunday morning!

Just a little luxury!

I have promised this to the rhythm guitarist in our band - when we make it, I'm hiring a guy who just follows us around, tuning our guitars. That includes church on Sundays.

What is the roof made from? I have a shed which should be cosy and dry. But in fact it suffers badly from humidity and my tools have gone rusty. As far as I can work out it's the roof - made from profiled steel sheet, as the temperature changes condensation forms on the underside. Some days it's do bad water drips down onto the floor. I got some advice about insulating but they said I couldn't stop the condensation and insulation would just trap the water. The only option was changing the roof for a timber one.