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I'll take more pics, but a few close-ups with the phone

If I sharpen it, it could double as a Lockaber axe....

Not long back from picking up the six string from Robin at Manton Customs. The six string is a beast! It is a comfortable size though. It weighs in at 9lb and has a 32" scale. The front is English Walnut and a Yew accent layer delineated with a black veneer both sides. The body is Maple/Sycamore. It has a through neck laminated from Maple and Wenge and the fretboard is Wenge. I play the viol (viola da gamba) and the Titan model is loosely like a viol, especially the older 'festoon' type of Renaissance viol. I will post some of my own photos of it shortly, with some close-ups, but I've got a concert to play in later. Meanwhile, some photos from Robin.

I will be picking it up on Friday...

Sounds very much like temporary modulations to Gmaj and Fmaj then

As you say, the key signature for Cmaj has no sharps or flats. However, that does not preclude them appearing as accidentals, especially if modulating between keys. For example, it would be fairly common for a piece in C to modulate for a while to the dominant, which is Gmaj which would require F#s. Or to the sub-dominant, Fmaj, in which case Bbs will appear. Often a modulation is temporary and does not justify changing the key signature. Also, the harmonic language of the chords being used might require the accidentals, especially in jazz where things like a #4/b5 or #11 are fairly common. As a general rule, you tend to sharpen if the melodic line is ascending and flatten for descending. The other aspect is how the chord being used is 'spelt'

I've never played one, but with playing in various orchestras, obviously encounter them a lot. I know from talking to brass players that there is a serious shortage of orchestral trombone players (and tuba) - if you can play, you can get regular paid gigs depping in amateur orchestras on concert day. Most trombone players I know recommend getting a pBone (they're plastic) to see how you get on with it: they're relatively cheap and remarkably good. https://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/pBone-Plastic-Trombone-White/QM6

I ordered a new block of Melos dark rosin for my cello from Caswells Strings. The pack cannot be more than about 75mm perhaps 100mm square and weighing less than 100g? It's been sent by DPD? Why on earth... hmmm... maybe it is RM as that's what the invoice says, but the dispatch notice says DPD... Maybe it's Schrödinger's Rosin and both will arrive but it can only be in one....

My sax ensemble is scattered over a wide area that's nearly a hundred miles across: a guy near Wrexham, me in Shropshire, a guy in the Peak District, two guys over Liverpool way, a guy up by Oldham, and two around Stockport... Apart from the Stockport two, everyone else has an hour's drive to get to our rehearsals (we meet not far from Manchester airport).

In this 'instant on demand age' few people seem to have the patience to wait 12 months or so for a hand-made instrument made by craftsman. They woudl rather pay a lot of money for a 'premium' mass market item, which however much it is 'customised' is not really a genuinely customised item, and is still essentially mass-produced with different final finishings.... My relatively inexpert view

Had an update... it should be ready to pick up soon...

Bit slow to update this... tonight will be the last rehearsal this term of my Monday evening orchestra. I play cello there and we're looking at Schubert Symphony No. 5, which is ideal for a small chamber orchestra like this. Last Friday was Chester rehearsal and the last before our short concert on 8th July. Last week's bass playing was a double hit. First it was Rock School, which includes a jam session at the end, followed by a one-to-one lesson. I know some people will think me weird, but I find playing from lyric sheets really hard going - there's not enough information on there for me as I'm used to reading notation.

Nice piece of Boolean algebra!

This discussion seems very reminiscent of the debates you used to get in hi-fi magazines back in the 80s and 90s mostly about valve vs transistor amps... (and LP vs CD). There was valid justifiable criticism of early CD recordings, which were awful (I'm talking about classical recording here). That eventually got sorted out. Older technology tends to have a distinctive tone. More modern technology tends to be much more neutral and less 'coloured'. It's most obvious in the differences between LPs and CDs, but it applies to amps as well.

I should have added.... they all use Making Music as they're all members of it. MM has a blanket policy which each member group can pay a small piece of. Much cheaper than each group getting its own insurance. It's a racket though. Until about mid-90s local authorities etc all covered any PLI. Then they decided to only provide it for events they organised and everyone else had to get their own. The dishonesty here is that the local authorities don't actually take out PLI...

All the choirs/orchestras I've been a part of have had to have PLI since the 90s... can't even rehearse in a school or church hall without it, let alone put on a concert

Yep as it has extremely good acoustics - it was part of the design of the hall back in the 1930s, like the shape of the side walls to reduce reflections / standing waves. There's a permanently mounted PA system suspended form the roof and sound desk. Many (classical) concerts are broadcast live from there on Radio 3. I've only ever heard Clannad and Capercaillie performing there and that wasn't recently, but I don't recollect any sound issues.

I should add by way of explanation... that in some form of just intonation, flats should be 'flatter' and sharps should be 'sharper'. For example Eb (the note I was dealing with above) needs to be flatter than an equal temperament Eb and the related D# should be sharper than its ET value. ET averages them out meaning they are slightly out-of-tune compared to just intonation.

From what I can tell, some of this probably relates to trained and untrained sound engineers. Trained sound engineers will have done courses in the subject possibly to masters level. A friend of mine has a masters in sound production which was sponsored by EMI. He's fussy about sound being clear, clean, and neutral. He likes my hi-fi system as he says it's very neutral with good articulate bass. I am aware of a local guy that does sound for a local venue - he's utterly clueless. My friend offered to help him to improve the sound, but the guy thinks he knows what he's doing which translates as 'loud' and 'incoherent'.

Your ears could well notice that. I’m working on some movements from a Bach cello suite with my cello teacher. The movement is in d min, but has a crucial Eb and my teacher has me playing it much flatter than I’d expect to for fingering Eb on the bottom C string. It makes a noticeable difference using ‘just’ intonation in this case. On a fretted instrument I’d have no choice, it would have to be an ET Eb which would be sharper and not as good.

I have all my instruments insured. I have saxes on one policy, the cellos and viols on another, and bass gear on a third. They're all with Allianz. New Moon gets good reviews as well. If you are a member of the MU they offer insurance as well. My insurance includes being locked in unattended vehicle. I only have my piano on the house insurance rather than its own.

I find that for most of my teachers aren't nearby - my singing teacher is 35 miles away and is about to move to being over 50... 😕 At least my cello teacher is nearer! For instruments like DB you may have to go further as there will be fewer of them. Also, I've found that if you're using e-mail links from web site like 'musicteachers' they could be out-of-date or they're not being forwarded.

If your hand is tiring very quickly, then you're holding it wrong. You need a teacher as bowing is quite technical and it's easy to get bad habits. Although I play the viola da gamba, which uses an underhand bow technique (Simpson or Forqueray), it's not quite the same as DB German bow. For cello, I play normal overhand (French) style, which will be very similar to DB - but I am sure that there will be differences.

My Jay Haide is minus the 'antiquing'. My German cello is just old and worn

The weekend started with a chamber orchestra rehearsal on Friday where I play cello. This group meets alternate weeks. We're doing a suite by Delibes "Le roi s'amuse" and the movements are based around renaissance dance forms. One movement has a 4/2 time signature, which is pretty common with renaissance music (four minims to a bar). It's a quickish piece so the conductor decided she'd beat it in two, which in effect makes the time signature 2/1 - two semi-breves to a bar... the crotchets are quite short...