Leaderboard

I found some video from last Saturday. Not our best. I post the good and the bad. Guitars seem out of tune, it was 100°, sound mix was not great and I played with a healing broken ankle. I'll stop because I can go on forever with making excuses. I can't hear any bass without earbuds. Daryl

Last weekend my bluegrass band played two outdoor sets at the Tottenham (Ontario!) bluegrass festival, the largest one in Ontario in very hot humid weather. Our Friday early evening set was made more interesting when the PA suddenly cut out part way through the third song. Since we are all playing acoustic instruments and are seasoned players we kept right on playing and singing and the crowd of about 400 loved it and cheered and clapped and we didn't miss a beat. We moved to the very edge of the stage at the end of that song to more applause and started our next song and then amazingly the PA came back so we gracefully moved back to our mics and finished our set. The Saturday morning set had a smaller crowd but we were in fine form and it went well and my twin sister was there, first time she has seen me play since the early '60's when I played guitar in a folk group in high school, yeah, I'm that old. The next day we played a concert as a trio (guitar, mando, and me) in a lovely old church and changed our set to outline a brief history of bluegrass and it was the best we have ever played. Super sound and the audience who were not very familiar with bluegrass loved it. The reason we were a trio is because one guitar player had to go home for a family event and the banjo player was suffering severe stomach pain due to a reaction to a new medication and had to leave. We have done this trio thing before and it works really well and we play some non bluegrass songs like some Eagles, Gordon Lightfoot, and even Ralph McTell's Streets Of London which always goes over well. Sorry for the late report but the area where I live, almost six hours from the gig, was hit by a severe storm Saturday night and when I got home at 11PM Sunday there was no power and it didn't come back for another two days and I am still clearing downed trees from my yard. Bass was my "70's Czech ply through Nux wireless to my Traynor SB112 and DI to PA.

School Prom gig last night. Mid week ones are always a bit of a challenge, what with having to leave work early etc, but at least I got home at a decent time! Second time we've played this one (our drummer works at the school and his wife is headmistress) and second time we've done it without any of our usual singers. Keen readers may recall that one of our singers dropped out of last week's gig because of his ME. He was supposed to be doing this one with a dep female singer, but he still wasn't feeling fit, so she ended up doing the whole 2 hours pretty much on her own. We had a rehearsal on Tuesday, when we found out he was still unwell, so we hastily put together a new setlist to get through the gig. I ended up singing 4 or 5 songs as well to give her a rest. Under the circumstances, it went much better than I expected it too. Typical "gymnasium sound", but it sounded decent out front. In-ears were another matter. I don't get how the in-ear mix keeps changing from gig to gig, but I was getting pummeled by bass and kick drum and hardly any guitars. We definitely need to do some work with that. Teresa, the dep singer did a fantastic job. She was in a previous band over 20 years ago with the two guitarists, and I depped with them on their last ever gig before forming this band. I quite forgot how good she is with a crowd. It helped for this one that she's also a school teacher herself. You could tell how comfortable she was interacting with the kids. The school itself is a special needs school. It was fantastic to see these children enjoying themselves in a safe, nurturing environment. I feel they wouldn't have had the same opportunity to express themselves the way they did last night in a regular school. It's humbling to see them being encouraged by the staff to be themselves without judgment. So, yes. A good night in the end. Any anxiety I had about not having our usual singers quickly disappeared once we got going. The evening finished at 9.30 and I was home a little after 10.30. More of those, please! Although I was still aching when I got up for work this morning. Next stop, The Cricketers and a wedding both in July, with yet another dep singer that we've yet to rehearse with! It seems like the years of deps!

Well, technically it was NBD yesterday, but I drove to Inverness after work to get this bad boy and didn't get back home until late, so I couldn't be bothered filing the report until today. I have assembled a flock (?) of Thunderbirds - saw this guy up on FB marketplace for a most agreeable price and couldn't pass it up. It's even redder in person than these pics suggest - it's almost redburst rather than sunburst, and I really dig it. Here it is with its rather more outgoing sibling... Got a lot of extras with this one - Hipshot bridge (as you can see), the official hard case, strap locks (Schaller), a strap, a spare set of strings. And the bonus of all bonuses, the slightly longer Vintage Pro/60s/64 T-bird fits in the hard case - just! Happy, I am. Except that because the Hipshot bridge is chrome, I really want to replace the tuners with chrome ones to match... Jamais contente

And here I am at the church looking for a note....

Last night I did a dep gig for a U3A jazz band as their usual chap has various health issues and had been advised by his physician to take a rest. He actually turned up to watch and, fortunately, appeared to like what he heard. Not many in the audience, but it was a fairly rural venue. Nice building, though: https://thehallevents.org.uk/ Gigging again tomorrow: https://www.charlburybeerfestival.org/live-music-and-entertainment/ ...then a jam on Sunday.

I frequently trawl various 'instrument for sale' sites when I've got nothing better to do of an evening once the boy is in bed and after the wife and I have had some dinner... 8pm to 9pm is my prime hour! I stumbled across a Conklin GTBD-7 on eBay yesterday, not too many of these were made, they were meant to be a cheaper, more accessible version of the USA Custom Shop Conklins, however they were very expensive to make and the quality was exceptionally good, not too far off that of the USA Custom Shop basses, so they stopped production after maybe a year or so. They did the GT-7 (the cheaper version) and this GTBD-7 versions with Bartolini pickups and preamp as well as a premium top and through neck. I've owned a couple of these over the years as well as two USA Custom Shop Conklins (one I still have and I will die with), so I'm very familiar with them vs the USA stock and they are really great basses. I made an offer on this one, we had a quick chat about logistics, and the offer was accepted! Should be with me Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. Comes with a spare set of strings and a hardcase too. 👍 Damn you eBay for FORCING me to buy this! 😆

I've had a hankering for one of these (in natural) for a while, but had decided to give up as I've probably got nearly enough basses now. However, I had a little search on FB Marketplace today and saw one that the owner just wanted to swap for a 4-string. Well, it so happens that I had a 4-string in the spare room wardrobe which had been there since 2011 - got it as a backup and then stuck with 5-strings so it was redundant. A little discussion with the seller and I threw in a bit of cash, a (adequate but not great) strap, and a (decent) lead, and headed 90 miles up to Stockport to collect it. Got a slight shock when he texted me and said he'd decided to keep it as I was in Stockport by then, but it turned out he was texting someone else who wanted it and was still doing the swap with me. So home it came with me. Very effective 3-band preamp. The neck is a little deeper than my preferred depth but narrow enough to compensate for that - I think it's a little deeper than the SBMM SUB Ray5 that's sitting patiently awaiting a preamp, certainly deeper than my Antoniotsai, but it feels OK. I think the pickup needs raising a bit. Setup is generally good. The strings seem a little odd, they certainly look like a matched set but they're approximately 40-60-85-100-120 (I think the 60 is actually more like 58). I think it will be getting a set of Elites, 40-125. There's a few very minor dings but nothing of any note. And this is the bass I swapped for it: An Aston, which I've never encountered apart from this one. Passive, VVTT, neck-through. The seller was happy with it, I was happy with the OLP and with the knowledge that the Aston was going to get used rather than sitting in a wardrobe for ever.

Still on fire, and Doug Wimbish is a monster Setlist is Cult of Personality, Pride, Love Rears Its Ugly Head, Time's Up, Solace of You

My daughter and her band mates are working together in the Woodsies crew bar and were asked to play the stage in there so took their instruments with them. With their youthful enthusiasm, they decided to wander around and see if they could blag another gig. Tonight at 10:35 they (Butane Skies) are playing the Avalon Inn and that will be their third gig so far with another possibility tomorrow as well, all fitting in around bar shifts.

Growing up in the 80s, I always hated the whole idea of what we called cricket bat basses. I remember seeing Bill Wyman and Tina Weymouth with them but it was never enough to swing it for me. As I have gone through my playing career, I have met loads of owners who swear by them. Then over lockdown, I became obsessed with this video… https://youtu.be/wjv_KI4BTaM?si=mYxweEJPccEeAoaL I thought it might pass but I found myself wanting one. I thought it might pass but it’s the “never say never” one I thought I would never own. The guitarist from my duo bought the Steinberger Spirit guitar so I ordered the bass a couple of months back. It came today. I haven’t bought a bass in a long time and my first impression is that it is heavy for what it is (but light, given that there isn’t much of it). It could use a bit of a set up, although the bottom strings are good. There’s a lot of tone variation and I am looking forward to the whole matching vibe with my duo. I don’t think it will ever be my favourite but for something to muck around with, I anticipate it’ll be a lot of fun.

I watched Supergrass do a really good set and struggle for any reaction. What appears to be wrong with festivals like this now is that there is a mad scramble for tickets months and months before the acts are announced, because there is this huge things about being seen there and saying you've been. It's hardly about the actual music anymore and fans of the bands concerned rarely get tickets to see them. The only bands guaranteed to go down well are 'the legends' and any with suitable hype behind them.

Nothing wrong with taking the odd freebie if its going to pay dividends down the line, we once took a freebie playing for Katie price just because we wanted to see how big they are irl 🫡

Hello there! Just thought I'd let others know about this - basically I needed a replacement neck for my Sire P5R and got in touch with Thomann.de They told me they can order one and would cost me £40 plus £10 shipping. I was a bit cynical as it sounded far too cheap but long story short I got it today and it's the real deal, Rosewood fingerboard and all. Only things not included are the tuners, string tree and back bracket but apart from that it's good to go and an absolute bargain so I thought I'd share the info! Only downside is the waiting times from the Sire factory, mine took about a month and a half but hey it's a minor inconvenience all things considered.

That brings up a good story. There's no bigger lie in audio than that about high end cables making any difference. That doesn't stop audiophools from believing anything and everything. Going back a while Peter Walker was introducing his latest Quad speaker model at a show for the audio press at a hotel in London. When he got ready to set it up he realized that he'd forgotten to bring speaker cables. The drive back to Huntingdon would have taken too long, so he found a local hardware store and bought what he needed. The speakers got rave reviews, of course, but more than a few of the reporters noticed that the cables were orange, and assumed there must have been something special about them. At the press conference after the demonstration one reporter asked Peter what the brand of these cables was that surely had an influence on the purity of the sound. To which Peter replied "Why, Black and Decker!"

Vernon was born in the U.K., he deliberately used the U.K. spelling when setting up Living Colour.

I think its a tribute band, Shed 70…

I have the weekend off! Then seven gigs in July, then just two in September!

That's old school but always works. Back in my acoustic guitar days in the 60's all set lists were taped on the guitar and now when I use my "beater bass" for bluegrass I do the same thing and as an old guy I can write the titles as large as I need. I have played with musicians who use an ipad on their music stand and I tell them that I have an "eye pad" and they laugh but my list is always there and the battery won't die and it's much better than having it on the floor, it's not pretty but I am the only one who sees it.👍😊

Thanks Pete, You noticed the backlined Rumble 500. I've always been critical of Fender Bass amps. However, I was impressed with the Rumble 500. It had a very nice punch. Daryl

I'm still working on it. We play the song so fast it's hard to come up with something. Daryl

A lesson in How To Be Cool In 100 Degrees...loved it; you can see the fella on the left in the sun's suffering the heat... Great groove and feel, you're making it look easy...which is the hard bit... 🙂

This. My gear is all repairable and/or replaceable - it might not be cheap and it might take some time but it can be done. Myself, particularly now I'm in my 60s, maybe not so much.

I had a Monaco and swapped it for a ......Monza. It's hard to compare many makes but compared to Barefaced, you have a number of BF ranges to compare to. Some are coloured, some not, some are full range but IMHO none sound as good as the LFSys cabs. While both Barefaced and @stevie have now a few years making and designing bass cabinets, the important thing is that @stevie has spent decades designing crossovers. He tunes that cabs both by measurement and by ear, then gets the designs road tested before release. AS for high end 112s, Vanderkley seem to have disappeared, and I have covered Barefaced above. You do not say where you are based but try one if you can. Your ears and bass will love you.

So, to be clear, we're not talking about playing for free at a street party. I do this all the time. We're talking about commercial music festivals that generate a profit (which Glastonbury undoubtedly does.) The system that exists effectively tells artists who play for free that they're worthless (by choosing not to pay them), while charging people for tickets to see them and making a profit. You may be happy to support this system or shrug it off as somehow being a natural order, but I don't think we should. As well as devaluing the contribution small artists make to festivals like Glastonbury, it also constructs barriers for those who lack the means to play for free. We'll end with music being the same as the rest of the arts, populated almost entirely by middle and upper class people who are subsidised to play. In my view, either nobody gets paid, or everyone does. Even if that means Coldplay, Rod Stewart or whoever else earns less money, then so be it. In my industry (writing and journalism), people are routinely asked (and some will offer) to work for free to gain experience and exposure. I've always refused to work for free and paid other people if they have done work that generates a profit for me (or the company I operate).

Well I can tell you exactly what I'll be playing and it's not very interesting or original 😂 Fender Japan 60's Classic Precision with LaBella Deep Talkin Flats. Sansamp BDDI, Ampeg Opto Compressor, Boss or MXR Octave and TC Electronic Tuner. Boring but a solid workhorse setup 😂

Nearly a year ago my brother, and our singer, suffered a stroke live on stage at a festival. For a while we wondered if we'd ever get to play a gig again. Luckily, that chance came last friday! A filmmaker friend brought his camera along, and I arranged to record the set. We put together someof the footage and mixed a brand new song that we played. It was the hottest day ever, but in my 20 years of being in this band, it's the gig I'm most glad to have been able to do, and I know this video will be something to look back at and cherish as long as I live. Hope you enjoy!

Picks are for guitarists- you’ll go blind

Yes, that's the experience most people have. Odd, isn't it? The orientation of the horn is one aspect. Another is that the compression driver takes over from below 2kHz, which means you get a controlled dispersion throughout the range of bass guitar frequencies - no matter where you're standing. I've written a short article for @Sean and will probably post it on the website once I get some explanatory diagrams done. I already have some frequency response curves that show what is going on.

Was that a subtle nod by Alanis' bassist - using a Flea Sig jazz? Also, Blossoms bass tone is my new target sound. Bloody great!

Watching En Vogue. As expected, the rhythm section are a bit special.

Never mind principles, what about the music? I'm very poorly today and only have Glastonbury for company. In most instances, I hope these bands aren't getting paid much. They don't deserve to be rewarded. It will only encourage them in the deluded idea that they're important and the music is worthwhile. For the most part, they're not, it isn't. What I enjoy most is the discrepancy between the rhetoric of the BBC and the reality. They threaten you with "a spellbinding cultural commentary set to groundbreaking soundtrack of edgy intricate guitar pop" and, inevitably, what turns up is just another crap indie band largely indistinguishable from the last one.

Infamy! Our worship band has had a little recognition - we've been invited to play at another church next week at a special diocese-wide service. I'm going to dust off my upright for the occasion

I've never needed it to be that loud as the dispersion is excellent. I have literally walked over to the guitarist (on the OTHER side of my drummer) and heard myself almost as loud and clearly as standing in front of my rig.

Thanks Dclaassen, I put the MIJ 2000 Fender P away for a while. I'm back with my 1994 G&L. Daryl

I've found the easiest thing is to just weigh the bass from time to time. As the battery charge gets used up it gets lighter. Only a fraction of a gramme but kitchen scales are good enough.

Nobody has yet mentioned that refinishes, even really well done refinishes, generally reduce the value of the instrument. That said, refinishing was very popular back in the 60’s & 70’s so a lot of ‘vintage’ instruments have had a refinish at some stage in their life. As you seem to be proposing a refinish simply to suit one gig, albeit your main gig, have you considered wrapping instead of paint? Easily reversible if your gig ever changes and no impact on long term value?

I have a Monza, the little 1x10" brother of the Monaco, but I can only begin to imagine how incredible the bigger cab would be! I replaced two Barefaced One10s with a single 1x10 Monza, and the cab is louder and goes way lower in a much more controlled way at 8 ohms, than the other two 1x10 cabs combined, at 4 ohms! The cabs are hifi, but without sounding harsh, you get out what you put in, but better without adding colour. The Monza handles low B like an absolute champ, and I'd be more than happy to gig with the single 1x10, having previously had no issues gigging with a 1x12, so the 1x12 Monaco will be even better. As also noted above, build quality is fantastic on the LFSys cabs too. Some BF cabs can feel a little fragile, have issues with peeling tolex or chipping finishes, but no such worries with these guys. I also highly recommend these cabs. Eude

I too had a Monaco and it was a great single cab gig rig Highly recommend

I have a Monaco. Used it for the first time in anger at an outdoor festival last Sunday and I've done a few rehearsals with it. Bloody brilliant. Dispersion is fabulous and the cab didn't break a sweat with a 5 string Spector. The build quality feels better than my Barefaced BB2 cabs I used for 10 years - they never failed on me but the cabinets always felt a bit fragile. I've used various Bergs as well and sold them all after a couple of gigs - they didn't have enough booty for what I was looking for at the time. The thing I haven't seen anyone mention so far is that the Monaco is really good at lower volumes too. The BB2 was always a bit full on for home use - it just sounded huge all the time which isn't necessarily great for in the living room. Wholeheartedly recommended

It sucks. But if you are reading this and you do not have it, then get some proper earplugs now when you "don't need them". The only thing that it will stop you doing is writing about how much it sucks on internet forums. Because it truly does suck, and it is avoidable. £140 odd.

Used mine on Sunday with the two 1x10 matching cabs that I acquired from @fleabag Outdoors, drums, guitar, vox, keys and, a surprise late addition of a harp player with (loud) amp. Kept up easily and sounded super with my Flea Jazz. All easily packed on the back seat of my 62 year old Morris 1100 which gets to take me to gigs when the weather is nice and the venue is local. Love it.

This argument has been had here a million times. Artists like Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters etc. can afford to do the odd charity gig. It's probably got tax benefits for them to do so. Smaller artists, bands and other performers shouldn't be asked or expected to play for free, especially not when Glastonbury is charging £300 a ticket or whatever it is. In many cases, it's these unique performances at smaller stages that make the festival what it is. Venue owners love charity gigs because they get to put up posters, sell beer and feel they're doing the right thing while nobody else gets paid. I'm sure it all comes from a good place, but I don't like it.

I hope this does not turn into a rant, but... here goes: In general, the main difference between mains cable and speaker cable is that the speaker cable is more flexible and generally has more strands. The good brands are also virtually oxygen free. You will not really notice the difference sound wise, just the lack of flexibility. So why use speaker cable? It's more flexible, less power is absorbed in the cable, and it is generally no more expensive than cut cable. Many sites sell Van Damme Studio (blue). This is a rigid (in comparison to tour grade cable), cable designed for Studio Installations where they do not move. They do a tour grade speaker cable, but it seems to be quite rare. I use Sommer Meridien, for my speaker cables it has even more cores than the others (120+ Vs 80+) on the market and coils beautifully. The best speakers cables won't make you play like a pro, but they are designed for the job. The same is true of many instrument cables, although there the benefits can be huge and the reliability of cheaper cables is suspect. As I make cables for people, I often get sent, or given, faulty cables. It may sound strange, but I learn a lot from them. The first thing is that the name brands often don't make good cables. It is often style over substance, with a posh tweed covered cable attached to a poor riveted plug moulded inside a rubberised or PVC boot. Similarly, speaker cables with Speakons can only be recommended if the speakon is from a reputable manufacturer. Neutrik, of course, but REAN (Neutrik subsidiary), Cliff and Amphenol all make good speakons to the relevant standards. A £15 cable eBay/Amazon will not usually have "legal" speakons. One look at the cost, even in bulk, of a decent speakon is close to £5. A decent 2.5mm cable would probably be £4/metre. So there is little left for profit and postage on a £15 cable. Anyone that has bought cables from me will know I am happy to chat about cables, I have made speaker cables instrument cables and wireless cables (to connect instruments to wireless backpacks) as well as unusual cables, so I now have years of experience. Despite SWMBO* moaning about the amount of stock, I am almost as happy to lose a sale rather than sell something that is either wrong, or where a viable version is available from elsewhere. *She who must be obeyed does not moan and has the patience of a saint really.

I'm playing Glastonbury 2025, I have 4 gigs lined up, playing with Andrew Maxwell Morris. Wednesday 25th: Toad Hall - 17.10-17.50 (40mins) Thursday 26th: Mandala Stage - 14.00-14.45 (45 mins) Friday 27th: Open Arms - 12.00- 12.45 (45 mins) Small World Stage - 14.10-15.00 (50 mins) I so can't wait 😁

Why does that matter? 😉