WalMan

Don't say that!! I'm just about to try to sell mine with flight case as it sits on the floor in the study/studio and I have other options to use for recording (also I quite fancy, and selling might go a way towards funding, a Darkglass Anagram)

A Barefaced 1x12 however... I have two (and should sell one!). I have only ever used both cabs in anger once and more often than not am being asked to rein it in by the rest of the band

Welcome If you're using a BF BigBaby cab I would suspect it's more down to the amp than the cab

Our singer has for years had a splitter from his mic receiver going to his IEM transmitter and the desk and relied on bleed for everything else. Having got a better Sennheiser system myself, read the manual, checked which system he has and checked its manual I’m suggesting he take his own aux feed and fun a mix of the bits he wants (no bv’s) in low focus mode. Got my new moulded plugs but for some reason I can’t get the cable to stay fixed so went back to my old set that have lasted 4 years and will do as spares in future. The new moulds have a bit more mould on them that should keep them in place better. They were a bit more expensive but spreading the cost over 4+ years is worth it IMO. The annoying part is fitting the cables to stay connected. Last set once fixed were good until I needed to replace the cable, then I couldn’t remove them 🤦🏼‍♂️

Forgot photos. Anyway not a bad night at a venue that is normally busy but slightly less so. Another band on the same circuit as us that generally seem to have a big pull were down the road a couple of miles, though apparently someone went and came back and said it was also quiet there so 🤷‍♂️ I had some major brain fade moments towards the end. Read the set. Saw the song. Thought it was a completely different song and was expecting something different to start which confused the 🤬out of everyone while they started and I caught up. As anticipated from the rehearsal thread putting a new song as the closer for its first outing whilst a bold move was not the best plan. It sort of worked but fell apart at the end and was a close run thing. IEMs worked well though the leads would not stay attached to the new moulds so I had to revert to the old set. Gear was: FrankenJazz Helix effects Darkglass Microtubes Barefaced BigBaby 2 shoes…comfy barefoot Took the Hardpuncher as a spare tonight as it had sounded nice at rehearsal but not so good against the Jazz so that needs some more thought.

Phew... I had a sudden worry having said 21 when what I have is 20, so it'll fit a 20 pocket with an overhang

Not a bad night. Worked through arrangements for two new numbers, one new, the other just as a change of style. The new one took a while but it was all good stuff to sort the ending and work through arrangement of links between verse, chorus, etc.. Then we were looking for a different way of finishing the set for the next gig - landlord (who plays) has the occasional sideways comment of 'always the same songs'. There are certain standards, but we do change the set around and regularly add in new stuff, added to which the guitarist writes the sets and keeps track of what we play and where so things change around. We have, however, been running through variations of: Don't Stop Believing, Don't Stop Me Now, Final Countdown, Living on a Prayer for a while now. Works well, and all bangers for a crowd up for a dance and a sing but it's good to mix it up sometimes. Difficulty is shifting stuff around the set like that in 1) finding equivalents to replace them with, 2) adding some intros; and 3) if they are being moved back in the set not peaking too soon...sticking them into encore options seems a waste. So decisions, decisions that ended up with a suggestion of finishing with the newest song we'd been working on near the end of the evening and quickly sorting tweaks for intros. Runs the risk of falling apart putting it there as its first outing or just being met with blank looks and a killed evening, so fingers crossed!! Good news was that the Tokai Hardpuncher that I acquired recently was bang on it. Sounded great through the studio's Ashdown head / Eden cab combo. Great solid fundamental tone with lovely zing and bite on top of that. It's slightly strange that after years of active 5's I have come back to loving my first J (albeit a FrankenJ with an active pre) and now a P copy with noiseless EMG's. Hipshot d-Tuner/Extender now added to both as I love those.

…and done 😁

The FrankenJazz - Geddy Lee Jazz body, Status neck, Audere Jazz pre, Hipshot d-tuner/extender Line6 HX Effects - I was going to sell this but have started using instead of the bigger pedalboard where space is limited. Rochester compressor always on, a couple of synthy patches, flanger, chorus and a switch for a 6db boost that I managed too step on instead of the chorus at one point 🤦‍♂️ Darkglass Microtubes 500 Barefaced BB2 with the horn at about 50% and stood on the amp case Most of it hiding behind me and our youngest ‘fan’, one of our drummer’s granddaughters

Outside under a gazebo & windy. Down one guitarist - not a problem as we have managed as guitar bass & drums plenty of times before, and evolved out of a band yonks ago that was just that - but guitar was having problems with his TwoNotes pedal switching that gave him a load of alien abduction moments in the first couple of numbers, but we soldiered through and all in all a good afternoon. No IEM's for me but you work with what you have for those gigs. Back to full strength and the usual PA next week. Reasonale crowd up dancing and singing by the end which is always nice. Vocalist again said to me "Your rig was sounding awesome tonight" ... and I have to agree. Had to push it a bit more as no PA support, but a nice twangy growl.

If there's a bit of time still I may have rather more immediate interest for a P than I did at the start of the week 🫣

Hot one tonight minus one guitarist who had to go to see to a plumbing emergency at the London flat. Ran through a couple of new songs that are fine but not a lot for me to do other than AC/DC root note pedalling. Works for the song but … Annoyingly something more interesting I had suggested that I saw mentioned in the “how was your gig” thread and thought ooo we could do a good version of that - the Lillian Axe version of No Matter What - drew a load of blank stares and “never heard it”, so I guess that’s a No then 🤬 Got home and said to wifey “do you know this song” and she said “yes I love it and I’ve been telling you to do it for months” (not to my knowledge she hasn’t but that probably just proves I never listen) 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Only slightly shorter than ‘Thunderbirds are go’ our opener years ago. A song that had a longer walk on tape intro and generally left pub crowds confused 🤣

I picked up a DAddario mic mute last week out of interest and used it for the first time last night. It seemed to work well and was easy to set up. Phantom power to my BV mic and a quick tweak of the proximity sensor wheel and my mic automatically muted when I moved back so my head was more than about 9 inches away on direct line of sight, or if I moved off axis to the mic. I suppose you could probably achieve similar by setting a gate but this seemed a good and not hugely expensive option at between £80 & £90 on most sites. I did go slightly boss eyed watching the sensor light go on and off 🤪 Sound guy seemed to like it and said he’d watched my channel mute/unmute on its own so maybe we need to invest in a couple more for the other BV mics. It wouldn’t work with a radio mic or entirely as intended for a vocalist holding the mic and moving

Not a bad night at this evening’s gig. Reasonable crowd. Sound was good. IEM’s set nicely and the ambient mic I put under the kit between hi hat and bass drum worked well for all the cues I needed. Bass was sounding great and everything seemed to be going smoothly until midway through the second set one of our guitarists felt unwell and left the stage to sit outside for fresh air, though he was still not 100% when we finished so vocalist who had travelled with him drove him home. I used the DAddario mic mute I picked up last week and it seemed to work well, though I do go a little boss eyed watching the infrared light go on and off. I had the proximity set quickly and as well as moving back out of range it was easy to move just off axis and for it to cut the mic. Sound guy said it worked well and was watching how it muted my mic when not in use. May have to invest in a couple more for the other two BV mics 🙂

Last gig I connected to our A&H CQ mixer with the CQ4U app on my phone. Pretty much set it and left it with just a few tweaks. Great for me as we were using an electronic kit. Maybe OTT for small pub gigs but I wouldn’t be without it now. Takes a lot less space than having floor monitors and I can hear what I need. 🤷‍♂️

Spot prizes…? Only two I can remember at this remove are…The first person to the stage with: a wooden cigarette lighter a pair of stockings/tights over their arm (round their neck if the crowd weren’t pensioners and/or on the larger side 🤣)

Indeed. Happy days when we did loads of gigs and played two sets, 99% originals 🙂

Two gigs on Saturday. Started with a dep at 12 just down the road from home … just as well as I pulled in and remembered I hadn’t loaded my IEM transmitter, so a quick return home to collect then set up. Early start for a festival gig and next to no one there but fun all the same. Took a little while to get the IEM mix right but the sound guy was new to the desk 24 hours previous but we got there by the end and no stress. I’d spent a while getting the dots sorted and down for Footloose then it got dropped for time and two of us depping - me and drums. Annoying but a good workout for me and I’m sure I’ll get a chance to run it at another dep so no problems 🙂 Home for a shower and a nap then out to gig two with my usual band. Small (tiny) venue and we used an electric kit for the first time. Worked great for me on full IEM’s and seemed ok in the room. Good tight night though not a lot in with the heat. Happy with the BV’s and getting properly sorted on those with some of the newer ones that are now working in nicely. Bit of a moment towards the end when guitarists were telling me I was in the wrong key - I wasn’t, sounded fine in ear - and whatever it was apparently sorted itself in the chorus, so no idea what happened there.

Dangerous to go round before the gig? 🤣😵‍💫

Photo of the GAK guitar section today from #2 son

A few years back now I wandered into GAK’s old bass section out the back of the store and was chatting to the bass guy who knew I had a Wal. He said they’d just had an old Wal traded in and offered it to me for £900 😱 I had no funds in those days and had to pass 😢, though I did come back and give a heads up here in the evening - I believe it was gone at 9:05 the next day 🤣

Take it easy and make sure you look after yourself!! Lost my mum unexpectedly just over a year ago, and had a tough year with my assistant off on maternity from April, plus an op that had me largely immobile for 6 weeks and still getting back to it. I know I overdid it at the day job December and January that I still haven’t properly shaken off - finding it difficult to shake off “what’s the point and why should I care?”. Still haven’t managed to delete mum’s phone numbers from my mobile and it still catches me on occasion - ridiculous really as we’ve sold the house, the phone accounts are cancelled and her mobile is on my coffee table. Dr Gig helps, but if you’re taking responsibility for all the associated gig stuff and burning yourself out then you really need the others to step up to the plate before you crack.