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I like those Ovation acoustics. Daryl

Our drummer has turned down seven good 2026 gigs in a row. We don't know why. BL called me for input on how we move forward. There's no easy answer, he was great with backing vocals and a great " pocket" drummer.. I guess he didn't like playing with us. We have two dep drummers to cover all the bookings. I know that finding a full time permanent replacement would be too much of a challenge. I suggest we find another dep drummer we can put in rotation. I know a guy that I think would be good, but I don't really know him. I think he does a lot of depping. We can offer good gigs with good pay. I'm afraid to reach out to him. I keep thinking, what if we bring him in and he turns out to be a " flake ". That would be on me. Daryl

When EQ'd for the same frequency response you cannot tell the driver size. You can have a dozen drivers of the same size with a dozen different frequency responses. When cabs have the same cone displacement, be it from one larger driver or more than one smaller drivers, they have the same maximum output. The only factor that's attributable to cone size alone is the dispersion angle, it grows narrower as the cone grows larger. Even that can be tweaked, and for that matter a pair of tens placed horizontal will have narrower dispersion than a single eighteen. In the end one factor, be it cone size or any of the more than a dozen factors that sum to give the end result, doesn't determine said result. It's that sum total.

Bridget (Riley) The Midget — Ray Stevens

Nah 15 minutes is often how long it takes as an audience member to get served/go to the loo/go out for a quick cig in between bands! Tbh though those are rarely the gigs where I have had or heard the most egregious issues. Rough and ready is fine, it's when they have no interest in improving the sound as they go within the realms of the possible. The process seems to be (rant time): 1. Get the drums huge as f**k, especially subby reverberant kick with a beater click that sounds like clipping. Add Phil Collins snare. But it's a funk band? Doesn't matter. 2 Sit a thin, heavily compressed vocal firmly on top. 3. Get something else (who knows what?) rumbling indistinctly through the subs (and subs only) to destroy any semblance of rhythmic tightness. 4. Sit back and chat to the lighting guy, scroll on phone, or visibly do nothing for the remaining 45 mins even though the actual music is sounding awful and you can't hear the guitar, keys and bass that between them are providing all harmonic context and melodic counterpoint. 5. (Optional) log on to the livesound subreddit and establish dominance. 6a (Very optional) belatedly notice that two of the instruments you can't hear are trading solos on what turns out to be the second-last song. Turn up the mids your preset had previously carved out until they're actually audible, in time for the solos to end. 6b. Leave it like that for the last song just to tantalise the audience with what might have been. Once in a while though you get someone really good and it's an absolute joy to behold. Suddenly these compact line arrays sound fantastic, the instruments are all beautifully placed in the mix and the vocal is so perfectly balanced it makes you want to cry.

I'm joining in on this resurrection... I bought my first Stingray this year. Adore the bloody thing but sometimes struggle with the sound. I had the weak G problem but it was massively improved by adjusting the poles in the pick up. I have now settled in using flats on it, I just adore the vibe of it. Flats on the Stingray is wildly underrated if you ask me.

Interesting idea Mark 😎

The Go-Bos W.A.S.H. The Bailers The Rolfing Stones Finger (Winger) Modness NBC (ABC...) Wing Chung

We finally got a Jive Deluxe to see what the hub bub was all about.

The oldest carol I know - we performed it last Saturday and we'll be doing it again on Friday! Anyway, here is Steeleye Span performing it:

I had never heard this, so I just did a search and I'm quite happy to never hear it again. 😂 Mark

Well, we live in a golden age of consumerism and benefit from 200+ years of manufacturing expertise, that’s certainly true. Sadly it’s wildly inequitable, not at all sustainable and will be the end of us but, hey!, why not enjoy it while it’s here. Two hundred years ago we’d have been digging coal or weaving cloth and dead by 35. Two hundred years hence -well, who knows, but it probably won’t involve a Squier jazz. We only get one turn round the wheel, we don’t get to choose when it is, we make the best fist of it we can. Right, enough empty philosophising - enjoy your bass!

Yet most audience members would prefer shorter than 15 minutes…

I use 15's for 30 years, a couple of Peavey 115 and 215's, a Fender 215, but mostly EV's in Dynacord, Musicman and Mesa Boogie cabs. They gave me the sound I liked. IMO these days well designed 12" cabs can do anything a 15 could do, and they'll do it better.