dmccombe7

We've done a few afternoon / early evening slots with the Glam band too and its great getting home before 9pm. Dave

Gotcha Paul. Hope the surgery goes well. Take care and keep us all posted. Dave

I've been to a few of the dealer days and the band is more background music than a show. Only time people take time to watch the band is when they have been to the burger stall and still eating. Shame its the last gig in the diary this year ? Is the band folding or something else happening there Paul. ? Dave

Looks brilliant Daryl. Would love to have made the trip to see the HD Museum. One small point tho when playing that particular venue its "firing on all 2 cylinders" Dave

Now when you say "queer punk gig" it creates a rather odd image in my head. Dave

I gig my HB WB-100 and its loud enough to cover the larger clubs i do with 150-200 people in size so it can be done. Dave

Daryl could maybe put a good word in for you Pete. I reckon you could manage that if you share the driving. Dave

Straight into PA then was my other question Daryl. ? Dave

Got a rehearsal booked for tomorrow afternoon 11am - 5pm with the Glam covers band to go over some new songs we fancy trying out. We'll also run thru some songs in the set that we feel need a polish up or that we haven't played for a while. We'll also discuss the usual band issues which this time around is how we manage the PA ie who controls the desk and do we go for PA hire at every gig rather than use our own. Most gigs are clubs varying from 80-200 people. Always look forward to a rehearsal. We only have them 3-4 times a year more so when things are slow. (less than 2 gigs a month) Dave

Saw them early on in 80's at my local pub venue. Was very impressed by them and all excellent musicians too. I preferred Fish era personally and even bought his first solo album last month. I also followed Pete in Transatlantic for a while mainly because i thought he brought a lot to the bands he's played in, but got a bit bored with them to be honest. Definitely a very under-rated bassist. Dave

Have you gone IEM Daryl. Can't see an amp there. Dave

Thanks Mike, its not something i need to do very often and always check the correct practice before adjusting the truss. Dave

I use feeler gauges on the 7th fret while using a capo on 1st fret and holding down 12th fret (i'd need to confirm the 12th fret as its been a while and might be where the neck meets the heel) Generally i just eyeball along the neck and make sure it has the slightest relief. Once happy with that i'll measure it and move onto the string height and intonation. I usually reference a set up guide i found on Fodera basses. Dave

I guess that's really how i do it, until i'm happy with a bass but being an engineer i like to measure the end result. That's probably why my VM4 is slightly lower than other basses. I adjusted it after changing to Elixir strings which have a little more tension and it just felt right and when measured it was 1.8mm no fret buzz. Some basses i've tried taking lower but i either get fret buzz or choking and when i reach that point i just bring it back a touch and then measure it. Its more a reference point in my head. Dave

Yep that's the Sandberg bug. It sneaks up on you and when it bites you get it big time. Just great basses. I've never had a bad sound using my VM4. Its why i tend to take it to every gig these days. It just never lets you down. Dave

Its weird but my VM4 arrived set up perfectly for me at 2mm altho i think it was done by Classic and Cool guitars. I think its down to 1.8mm at the moment. My MarloweDK which i had assumed would have a very low action arrived at 3mm at 12th fret. It was 2nd hand. When trying to set it up i had some major issues with the saddles bottomed out it was still high no matter what i did. I eventually had to shim the neck very slightly and its now around the 2mm at 12th fret too. I usually start at 2.5mm right away if its not there or lower and then slowly work my way down to 2mm. Anything less i tend to get some fret buzz when i play harder which is something i'm trying to remedy. Play lighter, save my fingers but 2mm is usually my target figure. The VM4 was tweaked a bit further by mistake and it was fine so i left it there. NB : i play fingerstyle. Dave

And all thanks to our Rob. Dave

Possibly people away on Easter hols causing less footfall in local bars. We use Google Calendar with each different 2nd band having a different colour for fast recognition. We all put in our various gigs / rehearsals or personal events that might prevent taking a booking. Only the band members have access to it. Works really well. If our singer gets a request for a booking he can quickly see at a glance what dates are available and book it. Dave

Standard British lacing i reckon. Dave

All in you've made quite a lot of changes to how you play these days Lozz. I've had a set of the Elixir steels on my Warwick Thumb for over 12 yrs now and they still sound ok. TBH i only play it in the house on rare occasions. My gigging basses will get approx 6mths to a year before i notice the tone rolling off. I need to try the steels on my VM4 to see if they sound any different. Dave

It all helps. My basses are set up to 2mm at 12th fret or just under. I guess if you use a pick you probably need it a bit higher than that. I'm not great with a pick. Have you tried lighter gauge strings @Lozz196 ? I'm using Elixir Nickels 45, 65, 80. 100 Dave

A Vans guy that doesn't tie his laces makes you supercool and young at heart. I hate loose shoe laces. Dave