casapete

Slightly OT, but we’ve found putting each other on both of our cars resulted in the price being slightly reduced, despite my doubtful profession. 😆

The best compromise is the use of small valve combos, 15/20 watts is usually fine for a band. There has been a growing number of these being made in the past 20 years or so, negating the use of 50/100 watt heads and accompanying 4x12 cabinets. Also powersoaks and attenuators can help tame loud amps to a certain degree. (Vox AC30s are renowned for being louder than many a stack though, so the general rule is that stuff is as loud as it sounds I guess?).

That’s exactly the combination that made me leave my band! AC30s are killing machines.

Sure, no probs.

You did the right thing, well done. I’ve recently left a blues rock band, mainly because the stage levels were ridiculously loud. Gigs which should have been very enjoyable were becoming significantly less so for me, and my hearing is far more important.

I was told exactly the same thing! It must have been the stock reason given by insurance companies around that time for refusing cover for musos.

I’ve been insuring my cars for business use (as a musician) for around 40 years. When I first started out doing this it was a lot harder to find cover than it is now, for me anyway. I used the AA for a few years and then they stopped covering me, and later whilst a member I used the MU insurance. More recently I’ve tended to go with the best price from companies I’ve heard of, via comparison websites. They want to know all the details like what type of music you play and where etc, along with the usual stuff like mileage and ratio of business / personal use. I stick with the same company until their renewal price starts taking the p*ss and then look around for a better deal.

Couple of gigs for me this week. Regular Wednesday evening at the rock and roll club - busier than the last few weeks and we played tighter too, we’re really starting to gel now. I’m thinking of trying my Danelectro Longhorn out down there at some point, may fit in nicely. Last night saw our acoustic duo playing at a birthday party for a farmer a couple of villages from where I live. He sells sunflowers from one of his fields, so the marquee was suitably decorated. I took my Fender Kingman bass, and we used his PA - RCF tops with Mackie bass bins, a throwback to his previous life as a DJ. The initial brief was 3 x 40 min sets - first one background stuff as the guests arrived, second one taking requests as they ate ( gourmet burger van, excellent!) and then the last set playing stuff for dancing. However, largely due to the free bar people got up to dance early on in set 2, so we had to keep it going. Really pleased we had the large PA, as it needed to kick a bit and it did! Last set was full on, lots of the audience on the makeshift dance floor. We finished around 11pm, absolutely knackered though. We packed away and left the party which remained in full swing. Still, we were paid handsomely, well fed and watered and also gave out a few business cards so overall a good gig. Just glad I have today to recover. 😆

Still got my Bells catalogue, from the early 70’s I think. Pored over it constantly, and then I discovered the ads in the back of Melody Maker for mostly London shops and that became my bible. 😁

Wow, I’d forgotten Bulmers! Bought a few things from there when it was a general s/h shop, and then later they actually had a dedicated music section, with the occasional gem or bargain to be had. Great shop.

I can still remember getting a train down to ‘that’ London when I was around 14, with a mate who wanted to buy a guitar. £5 return on the train! We walked from Kings Cross down Tottenham Court Road, and went in every music shop we saw, including the Fender Soundhouse where we gaped at all the latest models. Then on to Macaris etc, and down Denmark Street, and eventually Shaftesbury Ave where we got my mate a brand new Avon SG for £39, cardboard box included. Carried it all the way back to the station, and sat with it on our knees playing cards on it all the way home. Happy days.

Honourable mentions also go to - Carlsbro Sound Centre, Mansfield / Sheffield etc Wavelength Music, Sheffield. Guitar Player, Rochdale.( vintage stuff) Alpha Music Leeds ( bought my first P bass there) Kitchens, Leeds ( Acoustic bass amps!) Tim Gentle, Southend ( bought a Les Paul there) Chandlers, Kew ( great vintage gear) Bernard Deans, Scarborough A1 Manchester - great shop Cranes, Cardiff - missed out an a lovely old Kay bass there. Guitar Zone, Halifax. Used to visit as many shops as we could when I was in a touring band, sad to see so few now remaining.

So many really. Probably the one I miss the most was Electro Music in Doncaster. A wonderful shop, crammed with so many instruments. They had separate departments for guitars, basses, drums and studio stuff, as well as a brilliant second shop over the road for PA related gear. The owners and staff were all lovely people, knowledgeable and friendly, it really was a pleasure to visit there. Me and the various bands I was in bought a lot of things there over the years, including a PA - the Electro guys brought 3 different set ups to a club where we rehearsed near Hull so we could try them out side by side to make sure we were happy. Brilliant service and shop, very sadly missed Music Workshop / later Antones in Hull was the first call for all bands in my area. Again, well stocked and staffed by musicians, it was always a friendly and interesting place to buy from. Owned by a good friend of mine, it closed when he retired. JSG / Spectre Sound in Bingley near Bradford was another superb shop. You entered down a long tunnel like corridor into a shop rammed with guitars and amps. Plenty of new and s/h kit, I bought many items there over the years, and well worth the 100 mile round trip for me. Last but not least, the shops run and owned by the late Lynn Blakeston in Hull, a well known and respected man who sadly recently passed away. Lynn started out with Gardner Music which is where 14 year old me used to hang out and get to meet all the great local musos. Lynn lent me some brand new Marshall amps for my band’s first ever gig, and then went on to make flightcases under the ‘Greyhound’ name as well as establish a popular PA sales and hire business ‘ The Gig Shop’. His influence and help with the local music scene could not be over estimated, and without his shops I would probably never have chosen the route I took. I genuinely feel sorry for young musicians who will never know what it was like to have great shops to receive advice, try / buy stuff, and meet other players.

Three gigs this week. Tuesday was our monthly gig at a local pub ( acoustic duo). Plenty of great requests, including a few for the inevitable ‘Paranoid’ which we left until the end. Probably the busiest we’ve seen it, a lovely crowd all up for a good time and a laugh too - we did ‘Sylvia’s Mother’ and don’t know how we got to the end TBH. A fabulous gig, best we’ve done there I think. Wednesday was my weekly gig playing rock and roll at a local club. I’m getting a few songs together to sing , to give my guitarist mate a break mainly. I did JJ Cale’s ‘The Breeze’ and also ‘High heel sneakers’ which went down well with the dancers. Then Saturday I was depping with a local band at a garden party 6 miles from my village. We played under a gazebo at the end of the garden, and I had a tortoise keeping me company throughout ( see pic). One of those rare occasions where I wasn’t the oldest guy in the band, sax player was 83 and played seated unless soloing when he stood up and rocked it. Material was a mix of ska / reggae / soul with a few pop standards thrown in as well. Well lubricated audience loved it, and we got fed and watered. Nice to play with people I’ve never worked with before, doing stuff I’ve not played before too. Tunes included ‘Lip up fatty’, You can get it if you really want’ , ‘My boy Lollipop’ and ‘Everything I own’. Finished by 8.30pm, home around 9.15 so fine with me.

QI’ve had a G4M Bass Guitar Foam Case for over 10 years, and done over 800 gigs with it. I can’t recommend them enough - fitted shape, lightweight yet offer amazing protection. Best of both worlds really - gig bag weight and convenience with hard case durability. ( They have back straps too, although I just use mine like a conventional case.) £49.99 at G4M, incredible value for money.

I haven’t tried any of the Ampeg RB range, but have always loved Ampeg’s earlier stuff. I’ve been using a Rumble 500 combo regularly for a couple of years, ( and a 100 for four years). The 500 has been one of the best amps I’ve ever had - relatively lightweight, great sounding and reliable. As mentioned above, using the ‘vintage’ button is where the magic lies and I rarely need to make any radical eq changes in any room. I’ve used mine in a very loud blues rock trio where it’s never been lacking in volume. Also paired it with an extension cab which makes it even better. Few downsides really - handle on top isn’t the most user friendly, the DI is post master which means any volume or tone changes affect the output to the FOH sound, and the included cover isn’t very robust although okay if you’re careful. If you’re okay with these then I’d heartily recommend you giving one a try. 😊

Our duo played at a birthday party last night, augmented with a drummer we often work with. Venue was a large Memorial Hall, with a high stage and about 80 guests attending. There was a Martin house PA which annoyingly we weren’t allowed to use, so carried all our stuff in and then up onto the stage. Room didn’t sound as bad as it looked it would, so no probs there. Used my Rumble 500 combo and P-Lyte, my go to set up these days. The booker wanted 3x30 mins sets of dance stuff so we obliged and had a full dance floor for most of the time. 3 sets is weird for pacing the evening, along with fitting in the buffet and announcements etc - rock n roll or what? 😆 Still, we managed it and just got packed down by the 11.30pm curfew. A strange gig, but very well paid and happy punters so all good.

Blimey, it sounds like your guitarist is in the wrong band! If he doesn’t appreciate that most weddings rarely run to schedule then I’d suggest he finds another band rather than holding you all to ransom over a final song.

I have a U5, and like you was concerned about the ‘digging in the arm’ effect of the bound body. Happy to say that there is a small amount of contouring on the body to ease this - see pic below. I’ve used mine without experiencing any problems. ( Mine is a natural / orangey tinted version, probably a couple of years old.)

Another Wednesday night for me playing rock n roll at a local club. A three piece band ( guitar, bass and drums ) using the house PA for vocals and our own backline. A reasonable crowd all wanting to dance, so we obliged with a good selection of stuff including ‘Flip flop and fly’, ‘Lipstick, powder and paint’, ‘Sea cruise’, and some more recent tunes like ‘I knew the bride’ and ‘Rockabilly rebel’. We ended the evening with ‘Tennessee Waltz’ as a tribute to Connie Francis. I used my P-Lyte into a Hartke 3500 and my old Loud 4x10. Couple of musos commented it didn’t sound as good as my Rumble 500 I used last week, and I have to agree. We get to leave the gear at the club though, and I use the Rumble on other gigs so it’s easier for me to use this set up , but I maybe do need to consider getting another Rumble at some point.

Me too - brilliant things. I’ve had my Dunlop ones for eons now and have never let me down once. ( Also used to use Grolsch bottle top washers which were also reliable, albeit a bit awkward to get on and off.)

I also have a Kingman V2 bass, and have just got a sound hole plug off eBay. I measured the sound hole to be 96 mm, and could only find anyone selling this size on eBay and the few I found who did were all based in China. Still, ordered one and it arrived a couple of weeks later. Around £7 & fits perfectly, but only used it on one gig so far where it seemed to do a good job of reducing the likelihood of feedback. I play my Kingman into a Rumble 100 combo often with little distance between them so am hoping this helps. I did notice the lack of acoustic noise at first, but a small price to pay for the cut in feedback.

Number of strings: 4 Number of frets : 24 Scale length :29.75” Number of pickups : 2 Number of controls (switches/knobs) : 2

It’s a lovely gig Dave. We don’t do it much in summer as it’s too busy, but once the season is over we generally do one or two gigs a month there. The views both behind us and in front are fantastic, as the venue is on a pier sticking out in the harbour. Only thing to sometimes spoil it is when you come out to find your car covered in seagull sh*t!

I’m exactly the same. Even though I know IEM’s are undoubtedly a good route to take, I know they’re just not for me I’m afraid. Fortunately doing what I do now, it’s not a problem - with the acoustic duo I mostly use a Rumble 100 combo, and anything else with electric just the 500 version. Loud gigs are definitely now a thing of the past for me, which I’m very happy about as I still have a reasonable quality of hearing left!