jimmyb625

Nice! We've had some reviews where they didn't even get my name right and used the old bass player's name.

Does the fan have to stand there all night? What happens if they need to use the bathroom, or get a drink from the bar?

Yeah, the way they operated was almost an exact lesson in things not to do. I think they expanded too far and certainly took on premises which weren't the best choices. The Manchester store looked great, but I'd imagine the rent was ridiculous. When they sold the Warrington store (which I think they owned outright) you knew they were finished. I used to go into the Altrincham store every week, after the kids had piano lessons and we bought their first keyboard and then digital piano from there, plus a clavinova for the theatre. I think I also bought child no. 2's 3/4 scale Yamaha classical guitar from there as well, as well as a Farida acoustic. It was a real shame when it eventually closed. Didn't the MD get given an O.B.E or something similar? I remember seeing an interview with him at some point that made him out to be a retail expert, in which he stated he had no interest at all in instruments. A great choice...

It's a really useful reference source, thank you. It might be worth highlighting the above paragraph, as the Ofcom website is really confusing when it comes to this bit. Some channel 70 gear has these frequencies available and it's easy for people to fall into the trap of using them without having the licence.

Yeah, Butlins pulled both the Blues/Rock and the Folk festivals, stating they weren't viable anymore.

1. Why you don't have any gigs? We haven't been pushing that much. As we're an originals band, the pub scene isn't a particular option for us (although there are some places that would suit). We've also apparently come to a decision that we're not looking at small gigs. 2.Do you rely on an agent ? Not an agent, but we do have a manager of sorts, who has good connections in the folk world. 3.Who finds coordinates and confirms gigs? Mainly the manager, although the drummer has a few connections as well. We all look out for potential festival slots though. 4. Are you or any band members in this for the money? Fortunately not! I'm lucky enough to have a job that covers the bills, so my share of the pot usually goes back into paying for studio time. 5.How much do you want to gig? Personally, a lot more than the rest of the band seems to want to! We've got a few festivals in this year, but there are still some more we'd like to do (if anyone has an "in" for Black Deer, that's one I'd really like)

I think for that sort of budget, you may want to take a look at something like a second hand Yamaha analogue desk. There's one on ebay at the moment for £75, although that's likely to go up. If you want to go for an eq, I'd look at an external one (£100 to £150 for a dual 31 band). A lot of people are getting rid of them now, given that even the lowest cost digital desks have them in-built, so you can pick up some decent ones at a reasonable price. If you're going down the route of active speakers, then Alto TS, or Wharfedale Titan offer good value (again secondhand). There are likely to be some Mackie's in the mix as well. Separate amp and speaker systems may work out to be better, as again a lot of people are getting rid of them in favour of active speakers. There seem to be some very low cost old Peavey cabinets around (I've never used them, so I'm not sure what they're like) or again, there's things like Wharfedale Titans (I have a pair of 12's, which I now use as spare monitors, they're OK, not the best, not the worst). One thing when using the older stuff, apart from the lack of warranty, is weight and bulk, plus possibly in some cases increased setup time. If you've got space, manpower and a willing bunch of folk, thus may not be too much of an issue for you.

I'm often thanked for my fretless playing. Specifically, not playing it.

You're in a precarious position...

Here you go! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196157214340

Still in by a long way. There is a bass on ebay right now that I really, really like, however there's no way I can afford to spend that much on it.

Who was playing bass for them that night? Usually they use a jazz, but a change is always good.

Blackpool Winter Gardens? Edit to add, that was before I noticed the really big clue!! 🤣

Another fan here. I've just ordered two sets of acoustic guitar strings and I probably need to order another set of bass strings, to replace the ones I've just put on.

This was the one we used at our last gig in the theatre:

I use Mixing Station, with both my A&H QU's and the XR18. For me, having a similar layout across both types is very useful, especially if you use the custom layout options.

For anyone interested, ACS have a discount code running at the moment: "Don't miss a beat! ACS Custom In-Ear Monitors offer precision sound for drummers. Use code DRUM15FB to save 15% on your custom monitors. Your ears will thank you!" I'm not sure if they'll actually check if you're a drummer or not... I'm assuming these would be a step-up from the ZS10's, but I'd be interested in hearing any thoughts from users.

I'm in Cheshire. Apparently we don't have gigs.

We get those as well, on the Theatre account. We've also started getting the "I'm looking to sell my tickets" replies on our posts. They're always looking for ways to scam you.

You can never have enough...

It's for a banjo, so it doesn't count as a musical instrument.

By a strange quirk of fate, RCF have just announced the Mk5 version of the 7 series. https://www.rcf.it/en/products/by-family/details/-/of/serie/ART+7+SERIES/3/4 I'm a little surprised by this, as I thought they wouldn't bother, now the 9 series is out.

I really like the 945's. Strictly speaking they belong to the theatre, not me, but as I run the theatre I've made an executive decision... I've not noticed any comb filtering effects, but from memory I've only ever used them indoors, most commonly supported by a single sub, to "clean up" what goes to them. I agree that they can be a bit of an unwieldly beast though and I'm thinking that a stand upgrade may be prudent. I "only" have a Skoda Rapid saloon, but even that has a huge carrying capacity. I think with a Superb estate, you can probably carry a small planet! Plus, there's rumours of a VRs version on the horizon, for your inner hooligan!

I have the 945's, not the 7's, but in response to your point about transporting them, I'll just say: Skoda. 🤣

The Behringer is a good little unit. Thomann also do one under "The Box" brand, which is pretty much the same and slightly cheaper (there's some irony in products being "influenced" by Behringer that are cheaper) I'm trying to remember which one I have, but it escapes me at the moment.