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The gig on Saturday was a dep for a blues / americana (sort of) band at Diseworth Village Hall. A bit different setting to the last gig I did two weeks ago, a slightly dodgy rock club in a rundown part of inner-city Hull, this was a small village hall in a well to do part of rural England, just off the M1 a short distance away from East Midlands Airport. A lovely and rather picturesque little village, complete with signs on lampposts rallying locals to protest at any possible industrial development in the area (as well as discouraging strangers from parking up there for a fortnight to avoid using the nearby airport car parks)! The people promoting the gig were super friendly and helpful (as they were in the club in Hull), decent PA, free food, having to keep turning down free beers, etc. Not a bad payer either! I say it was a dep gig, but I was in an earlier version of the band and have done a couple of deps since I left. Basically, when I’m playing, it’s the Zep tribute band with a female singer-songwriter (the guitarist’s girlfriend), so we all know each and are used to playing together. A very good audience reaction and generally a great night. The usual motorway closure on the two hour drive home, but this one wasn’t too bad – M1 closed, diverted onto the M18 to the A1(M) and then picking the M62 up just a little further out, maybe 15 minutes added to the drive (one day I will start a thread on motorway closures driving back from gigs at night)! Gear was, as ever, the 70s P bass into a Handbox R-400 amp / Berg CN212 cab. Footwear was the usual grey suede Vans hi-tops! I’m a bit worried that they are starting to wear out and I might have start wearing in a new pair for gigs (darker grey pigskin Vans)!

Bristol is the same, too. (Pirate started here and the head office is literally 100m from me right now). The business model is to keep costs as low as possible and it seems this involves cutting corners. I once did a practice there and one of the guys was locked in a room with the lights and all power cut off. Thankfully we got him out in the end! In my experience, it’s worth spending a few more quid for somewhere decent.

Vol, 3 Way Pup Select, Jack...

Just to add to the colour complexity, my Fender Japan Tomomi jazz is trans fiesta red. I love the colour! As Wavemaker explained above, trying to accurately capture this colour is almost impossible.

I can only speak for the ones in London and they work out to be a lot cheaper than other options and their booking system is really easy.

You might also like B-15NC if you came across one (well, it'd be rather B-15 Heritage, but still). With a 60'ish P-bass it sounds delicious. P.S.: sorry for off-topic. My vote would obviously be for the Ampeg. I only tried an RB-110, so no experience with a way more powerful RB-210, but it sounded amazing. That thump as if there was a compressor for the low frequencies.

It was brilliant. Played the Swan in Stourport on severn. A local gig with the best energy and crowd.

Down The Dustpipe - Quo

Lakland and Fender

Persona;lly I would go for the Ampeg. Ampeg and bass go together naturally. Fender do not. My Ampeg B15NF is a delight to play through and always makes me smile no matter my mood. I have never got on with Fender bass amps.

Southbound Again - Dire Straits

Go West - Pet Shop Boys

You certainly get some great gigs, Michael and that J sounds great in the mix to me. If it ain’t broke, don’t shoehorn a P in to fix it. P tones are where I’m at right now and have been for a fair old while. Having dabbled with a Mustang and a P, I’m back using my old custom Maruszczyk Elwood L, favouring the neck up. Feels like playing a comfy, old pair of slippers, whilst giving me the tone I want in spades (the pickups are split coils in J sized enclosures) and the potential for variation if required.

Well then they really shouldn't be offended by my sailor mouth!

Thanks. In other news, I'm currently trying to order some of the electric gubbins I'll need to finish this job, and generally raging at the electronics gods. Why is it that if you need, say, a 500k blend pot and two 500k audio taper pots, every shop will only have one or the other in stock, or they'll have both in stock but with different bushing lengths, or shaft types, or bushing diameters! Then when you finally find a shop that has an acceptably close-enough set of components, they don't have any barrel jacks, or knobs! Every time I place an order for guitar parts I end up having to buy like six small and inexpensive items from three or four different shops, paying as much for shipping as I do for parts. This is despite each shop, in theory, selling everything I need. As it is, I think I'm going to have to get the knobs, strap buttons and one of the two types of pot from Northwest, the output jack, other kind of pot and pickup rings from Armstrong and the fretwire from Tonetech.