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Welcome back. Glad to hear that it all went well. I can't cover each point in detail however here's what happened to me. My initial musical influences come from the late 1950s/1960s era and I started playing just pre-Beatles. After a few years of Pop, British R&B and Soul I took a 23 year break for career/family/other interests, etc. During that period I pretty much only listened to the pop music of the day. I eventually returned to music to find styles, techniques, etc. had all radically changed. Since then I've played in a number of bands each of a different genre and influence. This gave me the opportunity to discover some of what I'd missed during those 23 years and broaden my outlook. Following radical surgery 14 years ago I found that the side effects were too problematic and I was unable to even think about gigging for a couple of years. Eventually joined a covers band playing the area pubs however that was big mistake as I really wasn't right and after a year or so I walked. Eventually I had further surgery which fixed the problem meanwhile I had hooked up with a local Elvis, then in his late 70s, and played with him for 6 years. I was never a great fan of Elvis back in the day however learning his repertoire gave me a better appreciation of him and especially the TCB Band. I was in my early 70s and it allowed me to keep playing but at a much reduced level. It was a good band, no egos, only occasional rehearsals and all gigs were to raise money for local charities. Last year I moved away from the area and had to leave Elvis's band. I knew no-one in the new area and was definitely classed as old so I resigned myself to never being in another band. The local musicians wanted ads pretty much bore this out however a casual conversation whilst walking my dogs lead to an introduction to another similar aged musician who had a fairly new band playing funky blues and who just happened to be looking for a bass guitarist. He's plays keys and sax and is well known in Cornwall. The guitarist and the female singer are slightly younger. No drummer at present, just drum loops however one may be added later. The aim is to rehearse most weeks, in a morning, and gig once a month. They are a great bunch and very easy to get on with. No-one has any ambitions, we're all far too old for that but we enjoy making music and will continue to do so as long as we can and there is an audience who are prepared to listen. The current setlist is all covers however I have been categorically told that they are not as per the record and to play what I like so there is a mental and creative challenge for me. So at 75 I'm 3 rehearsals in and the first gig is in 2 weeks time. Trouble is the GAS has started again.

Well you've spurred me into action. The Sony Wireless has come back out of its box and is now back in use. That will solve the problem for the time being. I have some ideas about how to retain the jacks however it requires some experimentation. The down side is that I now have to build a pedal board to take the receiver, BDDI and a PSU and I suppose while I'm about it a few other little gizmos.😀

Has anyone solved how to stop the jacks from pulling out. I've tried cable ties and Velcro but I still seem to pull them out with and accompanying lack of sound. 😒

What brand of cable? Have you got a photo of the inside of the jack?

Interesting. We went too see some relations this afternoon and they gave me an acoustic that belonged to their daughter. It not at al bad but needs a set up and some new strings so it's a start on a budget. What strings do you use? If I get on OK then I'll get an electric.

but then I'd have to get some heavy rimmed glasses 😉

Having played bass on and off for around 60 years I thought it was about time I actually learned to play a guitar. The problem is that, being small in stature, I have fairly small hands and short fingers. The obvious answer to this is go to a music shop and try some however living in the wild west of Cornwall music shops are pretty sparse and choice very limited so visiting and trying is a bit pointless. I've read up a bit and it seems that it is best to have a guitar with a thin neck and because I want to play fairly quietly on headphones I need an electric, not acoustic or electro-acoustic. Initially I thought the Fender mini-Strat might be the answer but I am now thinking that it might be a bit too small. Are the bottom of the range Squier Strats a reasonable starter and do they have thin necks. Any suggestions based on personal experience would be appreciated.

Ready for if I start again, Ashdown Retroglide head into Berg CN cabs.

Thanks. Cleared the Cache but it's still the same. I've gone over to using MS edge.

Not that I'm aware of. Just as-it-comes Firefox. It doesn't happen with Microsoft Edge.

This is only happening on BC but down in the bottom left corner I get this continuous flickering "Read.m.stripe.network" while at the same time the refresh icon in the browser menu bar is fickering between "refresh" and "stop". Why? Any ideas?

Here we go again. When we moved west last year I was pretty convinced that my band days were over however I kept an eye on Bandmix, etc. just to see what was going on. Nothing much of interest apart from the usual metal, punk and function bands. That was until a couple of week ago when something interesting came up. A guitarist looking for vocalist, bass and drums to form an Americana style band. I met up with him yesterday and we hit it off straight away. Like me he's retired and has very similar musical tastes and ideas - Tom Petty, John Fogerty, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Earle, Jackson Browne, etc. . It was interesting that he didn't want to dip into the pool of exisiting local musicians as he knew that they would drag the venture back into rock covers so as a newcomer to the area I was very welcome. He has a second guitarist lined up so now we need to find a like minded vocalist and drummer. I'm not holdng my breath but it's a start. Next step is an initial jam.

Sounds interesting but unfortunately "Access Denied"

Get a lead made with Sommer LLX cable and Neutrik NP (Professional) connectors. Top specification. It doesn't kink or curl, doesn't remember it's been coiled and lays out flat on the floor when you unwind it.

Very sad news indeed. RIP Martin.

a. I have these on my own board In most cases you cannot see both ends of the cable so it doesn't really matter unless you have severe OCD, just be ure to put them all the same way round. The first cables I started making for sale were adaptors to go from Boss 2.1mm co-ax plug to EH 3.5mm jack. Initially I would solder both connectors but then I realised that by buying a moulded male to female 2.1mm extension lead and by using 300mm from each end I could make a male Boss to 3.5mm jack and a female Boss to 3.5mm jack for only half the effort. The offcuts were kept for one-off custom dc leads. b. A small multimeter is essential to check and test the final result. I used to buy almost all my bits for these from CPC/Farnell. Get them to send you a catalogue, it makes great reading.

I think you'll find that it's 1+ and 2+ at the amp end and normal 1+ and 1- at the cabinet.

We spent the last year in limbo waiting to sell and move. Since we got here we've got planning permission for an extension and internal changes so we're back in limbo again waiting for a builder to become available. Due to lockdown we've not been able to get out and about and the weather has been dreadful but hey ho lockdown is ending and the summer is coming and hopefully the temperature will rise so things are looking up. Absolutely no regrets at all. 😁

I still have a few bits so could convert to right-angle Speakon if you want.

I only ever used Klotz LY240 4-sq.mm. Subwoofer cable.