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I think that a digital home piano for me and the kids to play at home is a different enough thing to a stage piano for band stuff that it is worth getting both: Home Piano: 88 weighted keys, good piano sounds, simple interface, built-in speakers, music stand, metronome, size/weight and portability isn't really an issue (in fact, being quite heavy/sturdy might be an advantage). Nothing too fancy needed as I don't want to be paranoid about it getting bashed about by kids. Kawai ES-60 looks a good option. Stage Piano: 73 keys semi-weighted (as I'll play organ and piano), decent piano and organ sounds - ideally with organ drawbars, relatively tough/light/transportable/fits on small stages (hence 73 keys, but wanting a bit more than the 61 keys I currently have with a CK-61), roadworthy - so needs a certain level of toughness and the right connections. ...although saying that, something like the Viscount Legend one with some small monitor speakers set-up would I'm sure do quite nicely as a home piano so I could put-off getting a separate home piano for a while. I think I've narrowed the stage piano list down to: Viscount Legend One (£1,555). I really like the look and sound of this, something very cool about it. Nord Electro 6D 73 (£1,919) ...although if I was to go for a Nord then I'll wait a while as version 3 = 2009, 4 = 2012, 5 = 2015, 6 = 2018. So an update is well overdue which would either make the older ones cheaper or the improvements in v7 might be worth waitng for. Handily as they are the two seemingly ticking the most of my stage piano boxes there is this comparison at 1hr4mins. This reviewer prefers the Viscount is better (and it's cheaper). My only reservation (beyond where will I get the ££ and what will my wife say!) is that the Nord is a bit more mainstream for holding value and ease of selling second-hand. I also like the look of: Roland Fantom 07 (possibly a bit big and over-complex and workstation-like for a live stage piano). Studiologic Numa X (no organ drawbars, but at only £850 it certainly saves me a few ££).

Sayre's law "In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake."

My tale of woe. . . . last year one band leader died of a stroke, the guy who took over from her is soon to be off the road with knee surgery, one BL spent 2 months in ICU with pneumonia, 2 BL's between them cancelled a dozen gigs to have hip replacements and another BL is recovering from prostate cancer!! I need to get into a band with 30 year olds! Don't have me in your band. You'll get ill!!

Ive had the B2-Four 3 times now. It's really nice, and the only reason I dont have one now is it started very quickly to be a distraction, always tweaking things etc. Also I got turned on to IR's and these work better for me than the Zoom stuff at home. Ive still got a MB-60 and B1-Four, but never use them. I did have the B3n years ago. Ive also had the MB-60+ twice, but got rid of them for the same reasons above. One thing I can say about the newer versions are they do sound better. A bit cleaner and more open than the old ones. The different DI Outs on the B2-Four actually make a difference, and I found I was justing just that feature for a bit. Ultimately I find all these boxes seem to have a bit of sparkle missing when I use headphones, but not so much when using an amp. Im an iOS user but have never bothered with the app, other than a customary look when I got the first B2-Four. Im more a hands on guy, and I feel I need to know what's what incase im at a gig or can't use the app to make adjustments. I found the B2-Four really simple to use one I figured out what does what and where to find things. I like the extra foot switches on the B2-Four, I think they make for a more versatile pedal, especially live once you get the hang of them.

Just the other day I caught myself being brusquely pejorative about another local band's output as lazy shorthand for the truth; "I've tried multiple times but I just don't get it. I'm going out to get some chips while it happens.", so I corrected myself there and then. I find that stopping and openly saying "nah, wait, that's balls - I don't actually mean that" isn't all that hard, and if the guys in the band subsequently had it reported to them verbatim that I'd said I didn't get their music and I'd chosen their set to nip out for food, I don't think it'd stop us from having a beer and watching the headliner together later. Loads of other people are either very into what they do, or don't like chips as much as I do.

And we made a more "traditional" music video too...

Memories are not reliable when it comes to sound, but I reckon this new one is in the ballpark - it has that knack of being twangy but thick at the same time. What I can tell you is that this Epiphone feels way better screwed together than my old 1978 Gibson G-3. It just feels less fragile - the pickguard doesn't move/warp ever so slightly when you use the selector switch and the bridge is way sturdier. The neck heel area is much more sculpted and rounded off - the OG G-3 neck heel is basically sharp edged sawn off. Now some of this feeling of sturdiness on the Epi may be unfair as my Gibson G-3 was an alder bodied one instead of maple, so it was definitely lighter. But the old bridge was a slightly better BBOT (in that it had side walls to limit side to side movement) but it used slotted grub screws - by the time I got around to owning it two of them had broken and could only be turned by using pliers. The Badass II is a welcome upgrade, and not unsympathetic - pretty sure a bunch of people fitted Badass bridges to their Grabbers and G-3s back in the day. My only regret so far is that I wish they had gone with clear pickup covers instead of black like the pre '79 G-3 (and my old one) because they look way cool. That's a damn good price for a Gibson G-3 these days. No regrets though - I'd have this Epiphone rather than an OG Gibson any day of the week for the reasons I have outlined above.

I saw Morrissey supporting David Bowie at the Albert Hall. I didn't think much of it, but you can't be "rubbish" to get a gig like that. If someone expresses a dislike by calling something "rubbish" I just mentally tick the "lacking vocabulary" box.

I love a midlands accent, the vowels are really fruity. Having a flat North Kent accent myself I loved my university days in Coventry. I have history witht he name because we used to go for a thali and a barfi at a North Indian sweet centre on the Foleshill Road and there was a signpost for Nuneaton on the way. As we would have starved ourselves to get full value from the food we'd do a silly studenty play on words as we passed as part of the ritual. Anyway - neither Nuneaton nor Coventry qualified as rubbish in my book back then. I haven't been since, mind you and I'll bow to your superior wisdom on Nuneaton.

Semi-weighted is what I'm after from a stage Piano.

Really? I lived in Nuneaton for the best(?) part of thirty years, I can’t say I found the name, nor accent (which I still have) particularly erm… great. The original area was just called Eaton. When it expanded they decided to change the name… there happened to a nunnery there, too… I am glad I got out when I did, the place has completely gone to pot. I’ve noticed comedians, and others on the telly, using the place as a crime riddled hellhole. From what I have seen and heard (have friends still in the area), they’re not wrong. Unfortunately the pun wasn’t deliberate. I’m not feeling quite that witty today.

Yes. I don't suppose it was deliberate but I quite liked the symmetry of it. It's also just a great place name, especially said in the local accent.