Happy Jack

And let's not forget https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11478645

When you say "most venues", are you looking for one rig for pubs and clubs, one rig for concert halls, one rig to rule them all and in the darkness bind them? One rig probably won't be suitable for everything unless (like me) you mainly play one type of venue. You'd probably do better to go a bit modular. One really nice head, a small cab (1x10) for smaller venues, a bigger cab (2x10) for larger ones, and the ability to combine them for really big ones, by which time you're running a DI to FoH anyway.

Well someone needs to disagree, and that would be me. 😂 I use a compressor to tame my famously agricultural playing style (a trait that I can't imagine @Thunderbird or @Doddy suffer from) so I run Tuner --> Compressor --> Drive If I had a preamp on my board (which I don't) I imagine that I'd put it before the Drive.

That is a really cunning plan. 😎

Ha! Of course ... it's an entirely new neck, so of course the headstock matches the back. Doh!

Have to say I'm not convinced by the 'natural' maple ... for me it neither complements the body not matches the back of the neck. Obviously I'm basing my comment on how the headstock looks in my screen's depiction of your uploaded photograph, so I'm aware that reality may differ. I'm now thinking that the headstock should either be tinted maple (to match the rest of the neck, or at least get somewhere close) or plain white (to match the body, or at least get somewhere close). White would also bring the benefit of providing much better context for ebony swifts.

Is there any way you could do the swifts using tort? 😆

That was actually a list of the 100 best-selling singles (in the UK) for that year. 😉 But you piqued my interest as to which of them I chose to buy at the time, and the answer turned out to be just nine of them. Some interesting choices too ... I bought When I'm Dead And Gone but not Lola, for example.

Auld Lang Syne, sung acapulco and very badly by the entire pub. Landlady was ticked off with the band for not leading the singing. I told her they'd done a much better job without us ...

Many people have suggested making this an annual thing, and certainly that's possible, but it really is a helluva lot of work for me and @Silvia Bluejay. The Junkyard Dogs were happy to help out since not only were they formed out of that very jam but also we routinely rehearse on a Tuesday evening anyway, so that's all good, but for me and Silvie this is more work than an actual paid gig, with far less time on stage for me to compensate! Jury's out, mate. Mention it again during the Autumn and we'll see what happens. 🙂

I thought I was doing well playing with the same guys for 12 years! I keep telling them that we've lasted longer than The Beatles - you've lasted longer than most modern music ...

Best quit while you're behind @Silvia Bluejay! 😉💋

Keep the votes coming, guys ... 😂😂😂

Nooooooooooo!!! 😱

The neck is a piece of sheer craftsmanship by Andy, and his logo is the only thing that should be on there. I draw the line at his mobile number and website, mind ... The idea of a matching headstock is very tempting and would look as cool as the other side of your pillow, but that's a 10-year-old white nitro finish on the body so I can't imagine that it would be an easy match!

I was 13 so this was pretty much my last year of preferring singles (we called them '45s') to albums (we called them 'LPs'). Arrival - Friends - 01-70 Badfinger - Come And Get It - 01-70 Shirley Bassey - Something - 07-70 The Beach Boys - Cottonfields - 06-70 The Beatles - Let It Be - 03-70 Black Sabbath - Paranoid - 10-70 Bobby Bloom - Montego Bay - 09-70 Blue Mink - Good Morning Freedom - 04-70 Blue Mink - Our World - 09-70 Bob & Marcia - Young Gifted And Black - 03-70 Bread - Make It With You - 09-70 The Brotherhood Of Man - United We Stand - 02-70 Butterscotch - Don't You Know (She said Hello) - 05-70 Glen Campbell - Honey Come Back - 05-70 Glen Campbell - It's Only Make Believe - 12-70 Canned Heat - Let's Work Together - 02-70 The Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You - 10-70 Clarence Carter - Patches - 10-70 The Chairmen Of The Board - Give Me Just A Little More Time - 09-70 The Chairmen Of The Board - You've Got Me Dangling On A String - 12-70 Chicago - I'm A Man - 02-70 Chicago - 25 Or 6 To 4 - 08-70 Christie - Yellow River - 05-70 Christie - San Bernadino - 11-70 Jimmy Cliff - Wild World - 09-70 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Travelin' Band - 05-70 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Up Around The Bend - 07-70 The Cuff Links - When Julie Comes Around - 04-70 Dana - All Kinds Of Everything - 04-70 The Dave Clark Five - Good Old Rock 'n' Roll - 01-70 The Dave Clark Five - Everybody Get Together - 03-70 Deep Purple - Black Night - 09-70 Desmond Dekker - You Can Get It If You Really Want - 09-70 Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie - 11-70 Sacha Distel - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - 03-70 Joe Dolan - You're Such A Good Looking Woman - 04-70 Clive Dunn - Grandad - 12-70 Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - 01-70 Dave Edmunds - I Hear You Knocking - 11-70 The England World Cup Squad - Back Home - 05-70 Fair Weather - Natural Sinner - 08-70 Horace Faith - Black Pearl - 10-70 Family - Strange Band - 10-70 Don Fardon - Indian Reservation - 11-70 Fleetwood Mac - The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) - 06-70 The Four Tops - I Can't Help Myself - 04-70 The Four Tops - It's All In The Game - 06-70 The Four Tops - Still Water (Love) - 10-70 Aretha Franklin - Don't Play That Song - 09-70 Free - All Right Now - 06-70 Frijid Pink - House Of The Rising Sun - 05-70 Marvin Gaye - Abraham Martin & John - 06-70 Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky - 04-70 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Chile - 11-70 Herman's Hermits - Years May Come, Years May Go - 02-70 Herman's Hermits - Lady Barbara - 12-70 The Hollies - I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top - 05-70 The Hollies - Gasoline Alley Bred - 10-70 Mary Hopkin - Temma Harbour - 02-70 Mary Hopkin - Knock Knock Who's There - 03-70 Mary Hopkin - Think About Your Children - 10-70 Hot Chocolate - Love Is Life - 09-70 Hotlegs - Neanderthal Man - 07-70 The Jackson Five - I Want You Back - 02-70 The Jackson Five - ABC - 06-70 The Jackson Five - The Love You Save - 08-70 The Jackson Five - I'll Be There - 12-70 Jethro Tull - The Witch's Promise / Teacher - 02-70 The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Chile - 11-70 Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon - Sweet Inspiration - 08-70 Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon - Blame It On The Pony Express - 12-70 Tom Jones - Daughter Of Darkness - 05-70 The Kinks - Lola - 07-70 John Lennon, Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band - Instant Karma - 02-70 Marmalade - Reflections Of My Life - 01-70 Marmalade - Rainbow - 08-70 Lee Marvin - Wand'rin' Star - 02-70 Matthews Southern Comfort - Woodstock - 10-70 McGuinness Flint - When I'm Dead And Gone - 12-70 Melanie - Ruby Tuesday - 11-70 Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi - 08-70 Gerry Monroe - Sally - 06-70 Gerry Monroe - My Prayer - 12-70 The Moody Blues - Question - 05-70 The Move - Brontosaurus - 05-70 Mr. Bloe - Groovin' With Mr. Bloe - 06-70 Mungo Jerry - In The Summertime - 06-70 Gilbert O'Sullivan - Nothing Rhymed - 12-70 Freda Payne - Band Of Gold - 09-70 Peter, Paul & Mary - Leavin' On A Jet Plane - 01-70 Pickettywitch - That Same Old Feeling - 03-70 The Pipkins - Gimme Dat Ding - 04-70 The Poppy Family - Which Way You Goin' Billy - 09-70 Elvis Presley - Don't Cry Daddy - 03-70 Elvis Presley - The Wonder Of You - 07-70 Elvis Presley - I've Lost You - 11-70 The Rattles - The Witch - 11-70 Cliff Richard - Goodbye Sam Hello Samantha - 06-70 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Tears Of A Clown - 08-70 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Something's Burning - 03-70 Diana Ross - Ain't No Mountain High Enough - 10-70 Diana Ross & The Supremes - Someday We'll Be Together - 01-70 Jimmy Ruffin - Farewell Is A Lonely Sound - 04-70 Jimmy Ruffin - I'll Say Forever My Love - 08-70 Jimmy Ruffin - It's Wonderful - 11-70 Shocking Blue - Venus - 02-70 Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water - 03-70 Edwin Starr - War - 11-70 Status Quo - Down The Dustpipe - 06-70 Steam - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - 03-70 Cat Stevens - Lady D'Arbanville - 07-70 Ray Stevens - Everything Is Beautiful - 06-70 The Supremes - Up The Ladder To The Roof - 05-70 The Temptations - I Can't Get Next To You - 02-70 The Temptations - Ball Of Confusion - 10-70 Ten Years After - Love Like A Man - 07-70 T. Rex - Ride A White Swan - 11-70 Nicky Thomas - Love Of The Common People - 07-70 Three Dog Night - Mama Told Me Not To Come - 09-70 The Tremeloes - Me And My Life - 10-70 White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin' - 02-70 White Plains - Julie, Do Ya Love Me - 11-70 Roger Whittaker - I Don't Believe In If Anymore - 05-70 Andy Williams - Can't Help Falling In Love - 03-70 Andy Williams - It's So Easy - 09-70 Andy Williams - Home Lovin' Man - 12-70 Stevie Wonder - Never Had A Dream Come True - 04-70 Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours - 08-70

Just so long as they're not expecting us tonight!

Happy to be of service, SAH!

Lest anyone is taking any of this seriously, I strongly advise you to go to that FB page and read the comments. These people are apparently world famous for their non-existent service, non-existent communications, and appalling wait times for their basic product which is ERB strings. By all accounts they do eventually deliver, and allegedly the strings are worth waiting for, but the idea of handing over several thousand pounds to them and settling back to wait for a barely useable prototype to come through the letterbox is deeply, deeply unappealing. 🤨

Assuming that Bojo the Clown doesn't throw a cordon of SAS around the venue, this will be going ahead.

I'll be wanting to see a video of the Countdown to Midnight, then ...

Always thought that Rusty Polepiece was sadly under-rated as a bassist.

And on eBay you may be able to find necks for guitarists with really big hands. 😗

Neither, it's definitely a bass. https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Brian-May-Bass-Guitar-Antique-Cherry/1R29?origin=product-ads&gclid=Cj0KCQiAk4aOBhCTARIsAFWFP9GLgizGEaVNX6GQjrLg_T2nDObFnCV166Ci7PmyTElfNO7pcad19uoaAjBGEALw_wcB