casapete

IIRC the VL-503 was a 1x12 combo? Had a hefty speaker, maybe a Celestion or something I think.

Sounds like the Ampeg combo I had in the late70’s. If it was a valve 2x12 job it would most likely to have been the same as mine, an Ampeg VT22. 100 very loud watts, clean sounding up to a glorious sweet spot where it was sheer perfection. Mine had 2x12 inch Altecs fitted ( a factory fitted option) and weighed a ton. No wonder The Stones, The Faces and other bands used them for years.

Not again, recently did that to match my car reg number…..

I always keep my nails fairly short, not only because of the ‘plucking finger click’ thing but also because I can’t stand it when the nails on your fretting hand touch the fingerboard. 😖

I think it makes Noddy Holder and co-writer Jim Lea a shared £250,000 every year? Still a nice pension though.

I actually played this on a gig last year! Was my mate in our duo who suggested doing it, I wasn’t sure but it went down really well in the pub. Alcohol is a mysterious thing…..

I always wonder if the keys player could keep that opening figure going all the way through the song….😆

You obviously aren’t playing the ‘age card’ well enough then Paul! 😆

Same with my band - ages range from 70 to 25, and it's definitely good to have that mix of experience and youth! Everyone respects each other, and it works really well.

With me it’s that thing of when I move nearer to the drummer onstage, the drums get quieter! Still not got quite used to it yet after a number of years. (I’m the only dinosaur left in my band who still uses a wedge monitor, everyone else on IEMs….) I’ve spent all my previous time in bands with acoustic drums. I’m not wholly convinced by e-kits, but must admit they’ve got to a point where the difference is minimal. Our singer did insist on e-drums, and for our band the different sounds that can be had are an essential part of how we do stuff. I do like the fact that some gigs I can have the drums kicking if I want, then other nights just have a quieter stage level to suit me. ( Never got on with IEMs, and am leaving the band in Spring 2024 so whoever takes over from me will make the band 100% wedge monitor free.)

Final gig this year at my favourite venue ‘The Lookout on the Pier’ in Scarborough with our acoustic duo. It was their Christmas party for invited guests so plenty of familiar faces and song requests. We did a smattering of Christmas stuff, ( Run Rudolph Run, Please come home for Christmas etc) but also plenty of others including’Happy Together’ by The Turtles (great tune I’ve never played before) and ‘It’s getting better’ by Mama Cass ( ditto!). Played two sets, 1x45 and 1x70 mins, fingers aching a bit today! Used a little Rok Tek graphic eq for the first time which just cut an annoying touch of feedback. We have two gigs a month booked in starting Jan 2024, so really pleased. (Sorry for the crap pics, too busy playing to take any others)

Ampeg did make a 4x12 bass cab for a while, around the late 90’s I think. IIRC the model was something like SVT412HE. Never seen one in the flesh though!

Reading some of the comments on here, I’m amazed at how some of the bands mentioned manage to exist at all! Imagine the scenario with say a sports team, who have scheduled matches against others and then one or two of the players decide to arrive late / can’t make it / will only play if their other half is in a good mood etc etc. The team wouldn't last five minutes. Surely it’s no different with bands. Whether it’s just a hobby or something more serious, there is no point in band members having such a lack of commitment. Of course things in life occasionally happen which mean changes need to be made to rehearsal schedules, but isn’t it funny how when a paying gig is on the cards then people seem to be able to commit to them more readily? In an old band of mine, getting everyone to agree on a mid week rehearsal was a nightmare ( mainly down to two band members who were also full time teachers) but if we got a mid week gig offered they always seemed to manage it!

Are they generally light weight wise? Asking for a friend.

Totally with you on all these points. They’re almost Danelectro like in their appeal for me, albeit with more options and better built.

That’s a great looking bass Bill. Although not anywhere near as far away from Glasgow as you, it’s probably still why I haven’t managed to try out any Reverend stuff. One of those brands where I’m drawn to their entire range!

Tonight ( Friday 8th) at 9.15pm on Sky Arts - Carole King & James Taylor ‘Live at the Troubador’. Celebrating 50 years of the club, with the original band who played with them too.

Had a lifetime of shifting reasonably heavy bass stuff around, and now at 65 I’m amazingly not too bad in the back department. Getting a Barefaced Compact in 2009 has certainly helped with things as have class D heads, and for smaller gigs my Fender Rumble 100 combo has been a godsend too. Used my Precision Lyte on all my theatre gigs for more than a decade now, which at 7lbs hasn’t given me any trouble in my shoulder / back. I do struggle to put PA speakers on stands with my acoustic duo, but fortunately my guitarist mate is younger and fitter than me. I do take more care not to pile in and try to lift stuff that would be daft for a man of my years, and don’t do any stupid lifting round the house etc. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep gigging for many years to come, if other circumstances allow.

Just got tickets for Sheryl Crow next June. One of the few of my favourite people I’ve never seen , so really looking forward to it. Her band are just amazing, especially both guitarists - saw them on TV playing at Glastonbury and was blown away. Should be a great gig. 😊

I’ve used mainly Jim Dunlop plastic strap locks / retainers for over 30 years now, and never had any problems with them. They are secure, easy to use, don’t cost an arm and a leg, easily transferable to all my instruments and don’t need to change any of the fittings on any them either. ( Did have some red ones too which are a lot easier to find when you’ve dropped one on a darkened stage.) Personally I’ve never understood the whole thing with metal strap locks, just too much faff and expense. I’ve also used Grolsch swing top bottle washers occasionally, again with 100% positive results. These are still available in larger supermarkets, and I do like the beer too. Again, easy to find if you drop them. Not as easy to secure as the Dunlops, with larger strap buttons being sometimes difficult. Fender did some similar ones a while back , as did Basschat too.

Agreed, but bear in mind that the other half may be the bride & groom and their friends? A few good recent tunes can help please everybody. The real gift for wedding bands is when old songs become known by younger audiences, often when used in films etc. I’m thinking of all the Blues Brothers / Commitments stuff which made classic soul more popular, all the Glee stuff, Shrek (I’m a believer), Peter Kay ‘500 miles’ etc etc. These songs work on multi levels, ideal for weddings.

Double post, soz.

Being in a wedding band involves having a set list to cater for probably the widest audience demographic you’ll ever encounter! As you point out, the most often played stuff is in the safe zone of classic pop/ soul/rock which appeals to the widest section of the guests, but IMO you shouldn’t ignore some newer stuff for the younger people ( maybe even the bride and groom!) as well as having a few old tunes up your sleeve for the older folk or those guests who may want to show off their ‘Strictly’ moves. This is especially important when there isn’t a DJ to cater for these guests. In my old function band, we’d maybe start with a bit of Sinatra ( so the older guests could have a dance or two), then go into the pop stuff for the rest of the first set. Second set would be gradually getting more current as the younger guests would often be the only people left, and usually hammered by this time! We used to get a lot of wedding work because we catered for all ages, which many bands could not. It helped being an 8 piece with a brass section, enabling us to authentically cover most eras. For us the hardest stuff was often the most current, but done in the right way we managed to pull it off. With the majority of couples getting married (and their friends) being late 20’s to mid 30’s it would be foolish to ignore their preferences.

Wowsa - didn’t think it looked plastic! Any more details?