lozkerr

No, this was a couple of years ago. I was not long past the toddler tantrum stage back in 1969...

The Haunted Amplifier. Our flat in Berkhamsted was directly above the Rex cinema, and one evening I heard voices coming from my little practice amp. No, I hadn't been on the sauce or smoking anything naughty. But it freaked me out when I distinctly heard, "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that" coming from the speaker. It turned out that the cinema was screening 2001 that evening and the jack cable was acting as some sort of antenna and picking up the sound.

Great minds think alike... I have one of those pedals too, as I wanted a DI with decent EQ available without having to cart the Metro everywhere. I've put a four-way mains extension on my pedal board and leave the PSUs permanently plugged in. Seems to work OK.

Thanks @Teebs. Aye, the Eden Glowplug does the biz. The crossover and mix controls are quite sensitive, especially with active pickups, but it really does warm the tone nicely. Turn it up a bit more and you can get a very full overdriven sound without losing warmth. I run mine with an Eden Metro, which also has a valve pre-amp, and it adds extra warmth there too. The only downside is the PSU which is a bit flimsy and runs at 15v. I'm guessing that's an Eden standard, as the 12AX7 data sheet states the heater can run happily at a lower voltage. But if you can live with two PSU voltages, it's definitely worth thinking about.

Bar stewards. That looks fabulous.

I've wondered that too, and I cannae escape the suspicion that it's largely because it has the L-word in its title, and the tone of the title track captures the post-industrial dystopian zeitgeist of the Thatcher years while a former imperial power struggled to find its place and rebuild a fractured society... (continued p94 of the Grauniad). I thought Give 'em Enough Rope was a better Clash album, and there were others released in the late seventies that were far more memorable and captured the mood more accurately - Crossing the Red Sea, A Tonic for the Troops, Parallel Lines, Rattus Norvegicus, Out of the Blue, Damned Damned Damned, The Adventures of Hersham Boys and Never Mind The Bolloxx spring immediately to mind. But in spite of that, I did like the exhibition and I'm going to visit it again, as it's a nice trip down memory lane. It was nice seeing the singles on display and thinking 'yeah kids - I bought that for 50p from Boots when it first came out'.

Instead of watching online, do what I do and download the video. That lets me scroll back and forth without any faffing about with buffering or intrusive ads. Once I've learnt the song, I convert it to MP3 and pop it on my mini studio. You can also use something like Audacity to make usable, abeit not perfect, backing tracks.

You too, Dave!

I'm going to have to think about trying contacts. Specs and the rock chick look don't really go together!

Happy New Year (when it comes - it's 22.20 as I'm writing this) to you too, Shelley! And to all Basschatters. I cannae think o any other forum where I've felt so instantly at home. We're not bothering wi Jools. Our Hogmanay has consisted o a meal and drinkies in oor local, to be followed by a trip onto the roof to watch the fireworks from the castle, assuming I stay sober enough tae open the attic hatch. Hic!

I'm learning the title track from Ellen Foley's Night Out album as an aside from tidying up our set list and transcribing a whole bunch of Passions songs. Technically it's Fosters-easy, but getting the feel right is proving quite taxing, particularly the not-quite-ghost notes in the main riff.

Thanks! I've just ordered one. It'll look fab on stage! 👍

OK, I gotta ask - where did Mrs Mep get that from? I so want one...

+1 for The Goat. It was our local when we were living in Berko, and they put some great bands on. Jules and Jules were lovely landlords, too. I miss that pub.

Drop ten kilos and tone up amidships. Improve my sight-reading and ability to transcribe by ear. Should keep me busy for a while 😊

I bought my own. A set of IEMs, the score for The Wall and a day on my own today in a studio. Much better than enduring crap Christmas telly.

I think that's a little unfair. This musical... thing... is clearly the reference piece - the yardstick, if you like - by which any other track's suitability for inclusion on the next Now That's What I Call Music For Budget Hotel Bars album is to be assessed.

It is awesome! I had a play with it at LBGS, and it's a gorgeous instrument - very easy to play, reasonable in the weight drpartment, well finished, nice light action and a lovely tone, at least as far as I could tell. The stand opposite was swamped with a bunch of Spinal Tap wannabes and I eventually had to stop because I was flinching from the noise, even with cans on. But in spite of that, I'm pretty much sold on it!

Okaaayyy... I'm in, so I'd better get those IEMs ordered pronto. I thought I'd breeze it last time, and I've ended up with a new Hercules stand, two more pedals, a 118 cab, a couple of widgets for my Steinberger, a Vox Amplug and a Zoom H2N recorder. Oh, and a keyboard that was going free on the Meadows Share. I think that freebies are exempt, though? So I should be OK, unless we land a gig that needs me to add to my lighting rig, or I find that I can afford a Chowny NT5. Wish me luck...

Queen - Hammer to Fall. Loved that song ever since I first heard it.

My other half and I have been toying with mastering Canon Rock and trotting along to an open mic, just to do exactly that 😉

You won't be disappointed. There's some great stuff on show.

It's well worth a visit. I popped in on Thursday. But sheesh, did it make me feel ancient to see stuff that was throwaway tat back in the day being so lovingly cared for. Forty flippin' years since that album came out. And the merch prices were an eye-opener. Thirty-odd quid for a scrapbook, sixty-five for a repro tour jacket. Ouch.

Good thinking, but... not long after the stabbings at London Bridge yesterday, I had to get the train home. I had a wee wait at the Kross, carrying the Steinberger, and walked right past a group of eight coppers. None of them gave me a second glance. Having said that, if I'd been an Asian guy in his twenties instead of a white woman in her fifties, it might have been a different story.

I've been asked several times if my Steinberger gig bag has a gun in it. Not by Mr Plod though. Which made the bag searches at this year's LBGS all the more daft. I wandered in and out several times for a bit of air and to let my hearing recover. Every sodding time, they insisted on looking in my handbag which had just enough room for my vape, purse and phone, and my hippie rucksack which held a bottle of water, the show programme and a set of cans. Not once did they ask to look in the bag on my back which could easily have been concealing a self-loading rifle. Security theatre at its most tedious.