lozkerr

I'd love to suggest a Land Rover Defender, as I have one and I love it to bits. Except that I can't. They're like an inverse Tardis - much smaller on the inside than the out. Especially if it's a 90 station wagon, which mine is. The wheel arches protrude into the body, and when you have to fold up the seats, the internal space is a lot smaller than it might look from outside. The rear seats can be removed if you're happy unbolting them from inside the rear wheel arches. Chances are the nuts will be rusted solid. I can get my backline - Eden Metro, 118 cab, WTP600 backup amp, pedal board and a bag of electric string - in OK, with the basses on top and a bag of stage clothes, make-up and assorted gubbins stuffed into a corner, leaving room for me in the driving seat and my SO in the passenger seat. With some Tetris skills, I can squeeze a small lighting rig in as well. But that's about it. If the gig needs the full lighting rig or the PA, it's van hire time. @la bamwill confirm that getting a powerful PA into a Landy is... um... challenging 😊 I have thought about replacing the Landy with something like a Vauxhall Zafira - the rear seats fold flat, transforming it into a van with windows. But the thing is, that truck is my baby and I love it to bits. I'm currently thinking about converting a horse box to a gear trailer - security locks, wheel clamps, tracker, lining it with marine ply backed by razor wire to lacerate any scrote who decides to try to cut their way in - as a folding ramp would be ideal for wheeling flight cases in and out. Only snag is that I'd need to find somewhere to store it.

Is it good for metal?

Thanks! I've been looking for something like this. Just ordered one - I hope it's better than the crappy wee folding trolley I'm using at the moment.

And the band is called The Incels. The vibe I'm getting from that is a hormone-riddled teenager who hasn't yet grown out of staring women in the chest. "Use your knowledge and influences and make something else" is the sort of pony I'd expect to hear from a snotgobbling brat who struggles to distinguish between Internet ads and real life.

I suspect I'm in a minority here, but the hiss and crackle of old vinyl gives it a sense of history. I still have most of my records, including about 1,500 singles. IIRC, the oldest is a 7" of the Platters' The Great Pretender, which is dated 1956. I've got quite a few from the 60s and 70s too. The hiss and crackle increases the sense of them coming from a long time ago. Sometimes it's nice to play them and remember my youth. And there's something about seeing the spinning disc that makes it seem more immediate compared to a box of blinkenlights. But anything I buy nowadays is CD by default. If stuff gets pulled off a streaming service, I still have it.

It was. I kinda got the impression it might go a bit Pete Tong when they strode in and confidently stood in front of the wrong mics. Not an easy thing to cover up, given the difference in their heights!

You mean do we let her back in? Yes, please!

I work from home, so that wouldn't have been an option. It did cross my mind. And I did offer to pay for the car, but she refused point blank. Buying the Les Paul was a compromise, as she can still play it whenever she wants to and crucially, she still has her PRS, which is the one she was looking at selling.

Well, I'm well and truly out. My other half was faced with a rather large bill for her car today and was looking at selling one of her guitars for well below its market value because she needed the cash. So I bought it instead. It's a black Gibson Les Paul Studio and it's hardly been out of its gig bag since new. I guess I'll need to learn how to play it now...

Like-for-like replacements. Ernie Ball 45 - 130 roundwounds.

Double post nuked.

I made it out of there yesterday with just a new set of strings. Which AFAIK doesn't count. I was dreading finding a nice five-string Precision on sale.

The Sid Sings album - I have a copy which I bought when it first came out. If the poster is inside and in good condition, and the roundel on the label has the guitar-neck swastika, it'll likely be a first release. That might push up the value. IIRC, the poster disappeared pretty quickly, along with the swastika - that was replaced with a blank roundel in later pressings. Although I aye thought that the title 'Sid Sings' violated the Trades Descriptions Act 😉

This ☝️☝️ I'm in two bands, and when I was offered the place in the second one, I made it clear up front that if a diary clash ever occurred, the first band took priority. That wasn't negotiable. I suppose it helps that the first band's gigging and the second one is still in rehearsal-only mode, but if the second band lands a gig that clashes with a commitment to the first one, it'll have to go by the board.

I'm tentatively in, on the basis that I'm not planning on buying anything to go between my fingers and speakers - PA add-ons and lighting gear are for the whole band, not just me - but I know myself far too well to be certain that I won't blow it big style. Fingers crossed!

I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Skrewdriver yet...

The rehearsal studio we use has a PJB 300 watt 4 x 5" combo. It handled my active five-string Jazz OK and had a nice sound, but even when cranked to eleven, it couldn't keep up with two guitar amps plus keys going through the PA. I record all our rehearsals and it was next to impossible to hear the bass. We don't play at a ridiculous volume, either. After a couple of sessions, and gripes from the rest of the band about not being able to hear the bass, I started bringing my Eden Metro along instead. Same rated power output, but a gazillion times louder. OTOH, the Metro is a big lump - more than twice the size of the PJB - and it weighs a ton. Based on that admittedly limited experience, I think the PJB would be fine for home use and probably OK for gigs with a couple of acoustic guitars and vocal PA. I can't see it working in our six-piece rock band without going through the PA.

Same here. I neck far more than is good for me, but I have a golden rule of no booze or pharmaceuticals before or during a rehearsal or gig. It's disrespectful both to the punters and my bandmates.

Well, he certainly sounds like someone who's feeling himself. It is possible to play by feel - I've done it in marching bands as a side drummer when marking the beat and as a trad jazz trumpeter a long time back. But playing by feel doesn't mean you expect the others to read your mind and throw toys out the pram when they don't - you lock in with the beat, count on autopilot and if you're taking a improvised solo, you know exactly when to cue the rest of the band back in. Our normal MO was to turn towards the next player for one-two-three-four while making eye contact so they'd hear the solo getting louder and have enough time to take over. It came together after a lot of practice. And crucially, you need enough humility to recognise when you've f**ked up and work on what needs to addressed. Your approach to learning songs is absolutely fine. That's exactly what we all do in both the bands I'm in - agree the version to learn, put it on a Spotify playlist and work on our parts. If either singer is struggling with the key, we change it. If anyone has some changes they'd like to try, we run through them at rehearsal and decide yes/no. Seriously, do not blame yourself for Ego Guitard's attitude. This guy is an insecure arrogant cretin who has no idea how to play ensemble. You shouldn't have to cope with his impromptu adaptations, just as he shouldn't be adding them unless he can count bars properly and agree cues with the rest of the band. From what you've said on here I think you've shown commendable patience in dealing with this fool. Walk away and find better people to play with. At the very least, you've learnt to spot warning signs! Onwards and upwards.

It was the tantrums that raised the red flag for me. Unless you gave him a gobful of abuse for not being able to eclipse Gary Moore - something I don't for a moment believe - toddler tantrums seem a gross over-reaction that suggests either deep-rooted insecurity or a belief that that's how proper rock 'n' roll people behave. The whole point about rehearsals is to tighten songs up, and to work on things that people may be having problems with. Couple of cases in point - our drummer was having problems with the Cure's In Between Days so I spent ages running through a piddly wee bassline with him so he could identify what to take away for homework. The bassline's a doddle but it never occurred to me to get stroppy about playing it over and over again - a band is supposed to be a team, not Ego Guitard And His Band. And on the flip side, I needed a lot of help with the bass solo in Atomic last week so I got him to run through it with me for about twenty minutes. He didn't complain about playing four on the floor all that time and I wouldn't have expected him to, just as he was happy to work out a cue for coming back in if I got lost. It's the overall performance that's important and if this eejit thinks he's a cut above the rest, you're doing the right thing by walking away.

Which makes the visual side that more important. If you can communicate the vibe that the guy's an utter tool, you'll have salvaged your rep. If he's loud enough to drown the rhythm section, the audience will react to that as they won't like being bombarded with 500 decibels of screechy widdling.

Backing tracks don't get narky when you make mistakes. That tells me that you need to put your rep first. If you decide to go ahead with the gig, make sure you can stay locked in with the drummer at rehearsals between now and the gig. Forget about the guitarist's widdling. When you set up at the gig, make sure that (a) you're standing upstage of this tool and (b) ensure that no-one's masking you. Then, when the guitarist goes off-piste, stay with the drummer so the rhythm's consistent and deploy every venomous glare, tightened lips, eye roll and head shake you can when he screws up the song. He won't see it because he'll have his back to you, but the audience will. Keep it subtle, though. If you have a volume pedal, you could try cranking it slightly so that the audience can hear you're trying to hold it together. Then quit after the gig, citing the guitarist's reply as the reason. If you're concerned about being badmouthed by this fool, get someone to video the gig. Then, if they start slating you on social media, just reply with some clips showing the biggest howlers.

Bought an Eden all-valve head from Vin. Great transaction, he met me for the handover, gear exactly as described. Really chuffed with my new amp. I'd deffo buy from him again. Top bloke.

Excellent! The first time's always the worst. Well done!