KevB

That's my gigging rig on the right in all its '15 on the top, 10's underneath' glory : [URL=http://s30.photobucket.com/user/KevB64/media/Rapture%20set%20up_zpsnef9tqix.jpg.html][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/KevB64/Rapture%20set%20up_zpsnef9tqix.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Interesting Rik, we are doing a MC annual bash at the end of this month so will be interesting to see if we are met with the 'wall of indifference' too. Our last night in a small pub out in the sticks, was never going to be a big crowd and it was a fixed small fee plus a percentage of the bar take, however we ended up with about same as a few of our other low end pub gigs so fortunately we drove them to drink

I have a trace 1x15 combo and SWR 2x10 extension. The footprint of the 2x10 is deeper than the combo so it's much more stable for me to stack the 1x15 on top of the 2x10 and it also means the control knobs of the combo are then at a convenient height. Some people squirm at the idea of the 15 on top and the 10's below but it sounds fine.

Will give Nottingham Drum & Guitar centre something to worry about. Looks like it is somewhere near Maplins and the Post Office building, bit of a no mans land for parking but there are street spaces a street or two back iirc. Suppose if you buy a heavy cab you just go in tooled up with a trolley.

The other?

I sympathise with the guy, after toiling with a cheap acoustic about 15 years ago I soon decided that 6 strings were not for me and I've had no desire to pick up a guitar since.

I'm guessing possible neck dive issues but maybe it's made of ultra light materials. Utterly mental but fun to watch.

Pete, when you're famous and they do a signature model for you, folks will say 'exceptional detail, it even has the mickey mouse burn pattern on the body'.

Last night at The Crew in Nuneaton, the pub under the Queens Hall venue. They let us use the 'proper' changing rooms upstairs and I had a sneak down onto the big stage itself. Our drummer had actually played up there in a support slot years ago. The format is a bit odd on a Sunday, acoustic acts from 2pm then a break then an electric act on from 7:30 with a 9:30 finish. It was an agency job and he came in to check us out. He had used the singer and guitarist when they went out as a duo but hadn't seen the new full band. We expected him to watch a few songs and go but he ended up staying to the end of the second set and immediately went to the landlord to get us back in on a Saturday night. Some positive feedback from punters after the gig, even a few coming up randomely to shake our hands as they were leaving. One punter told our guitarist in the half time break it was the best opening set he'd heard there in ages and they like their rrock bands down that neck of the woods so we left with a feeling of job well done. Considering the football and tennis finals were that day it wasn't a bad turnout (football on screens whilst we were playing) so hopefully a good crowd in for our return in August.

Routine pub gig last night, ridiculously hot&sweaty onstage but we made it through, got the obligatory 'Youre the best band we've had here in ages' from one of the locals so at least someone took notice. Main reason to report was that our very own Raymondo turned up with friends & family so it was good to see him again, been a while. Amazed folks really read the 'gigs' section after all! Playing again tonight and apparently the booking agent is turning up to see us so we'd better be on best behavour...

Sound of gnashing teeth from Milwaukee...

Comes across as a nice bloke in interviews. If it's music you like then as long as you can spare the time to do it then great stuff. Prob just get him guesting with your band first to see how it pans out? It would look good on your posters for festivals with the 'featuring Uli Jon Roth' sub header. I still occasionally play one of the Electreic Sun albums in the car. Barking mad in places but it always puts a smile on my face.

£75 or £50 for seats in my closest venue for next years gigs...

Re auto page turner imagine a few dozen of those whirring away at intervals during a quiet classical piece...

As I've said in the past (and Blue has just reiterated) it's rather genre specific. Orchestras pretty much the norm, jazz gigs frequetly have readers off music stands but then jazz bands are often 'scratch' affairs and they couldnt really work without them. Knocking out rock covers down the dog & duck? no, not really cool. On my very rare depping outings I might keep a chord sheet or two for some songs on the top of the bass cab but that's about it. Having said that some of the very small holders that can hold something little bigger than a smartphone, clipped to the mic stand, can look fairly unobtrusive with judicious set dressing.

Yeah, I was going to add 'in the context of what we are generally discussing here' but I thought it too early in the day for the die hard pedants to be out and about to bother...

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1467886032' post='3086954'] [b]Almost think writing out the letters for each note would be easier to follow quickly[/b]. Can you guys seriously sight read tab? [/quote] It's not, I've been there. I can almost sight read tab (but don't need to), certainly much more easily than I can trad notation and I'm old enough to have been around before the advent of tab. It was a godsend to me, as was GuitarPro later and more recently youtube demos and lessons. Each to their own. I'm not playing in bands that require sight reading, in fact it would be rather frowned upon in a live situation so I have to commit it to memory anyway so it's just a matter of finding a system that gets it in there quickest and most reliably [i]for me.[/i]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1467880888' post='3086880'] That's alright. We're ageing musicians. [/quote] Don't remind me, I'm trying to get an endorsement deal with 'Just for Men'

I've had 3 US Fenders and they've all been good, 2 of them are my current main gigging basses but I'm just a dirty rock n roller. I got the impression from various threads on here over the last few years that the QC consistency at Fender had actually improved quite a bit, especially the Mexican ones. They can be overpriced brand new but I'd say that is probably true of just about any 'big name' mass produced instrument.

Yes as Peteb points out it's a rather different market over here. However there probably are more outdoor events in the summer than there used to be (I don't recall there being that many in my youth apart from the 'big' rock festivals). I think some of the extra opportunities is borne out of our current obsession with food & drink. More food festivals aroundf which will have a stage somewhere for a bit of live entertainment. My current band don't really do festivals much, I think they view them as more trouble than they are worth with the lack of control over the sound etc. We probably should look into making some contacts to do biker festivals, that would be our main market with our set list but as Peteb also says there arent as many as there once were and it is something of an ageing audience.

Because it's hard enough finding one reliable keyboard player never mind 2 or 3?

Well there's no lack of bass in that live mix!

#9 looks a bit muddled - how do you 'convert' people if you are not seen & heard?

Definitely not, in fact if at all possible I make an effort not to play the day after I've gigged the night before. It's good to have a break. If I know I've got a period with few gigs and/or rehearsals then I try to put a bit of time aside so I don't get rusty but this would probably still leave whole days without me playing a note. I notice when I've been away on hols that I get a bit off after a long period so I know I need to keep it up to some extent but not every day.

Sack trolley gets my Trace/SWR rig in most venues unless upstairs. No covers, if its lashing down I always have a spare tarp in the boot of the car. Basses in either hard or soft case depending on space. All pedals, leads etc in a Maplins alumin toolcase. Anything else (mic stand, bass stand) doesn't need cases.