Stub Mandrel

I will immediately return to 1990 and instruct my past self to amend his ways. TBH, most people who write off piezo never encountered properly designed PA horns rather than the tatty little cheap ones.

In the 90s I used to gig with a 150W Laney Probass and two 2x12 cabs... one a guitar cab the other with two Mackenzie PA twin cone) speakers (the original FRFR cab? 🤣). And a pair of piezo horns on top!

Apparently all BV's go through it (me and guitarist) and he's louder, but noisier, than me. To be fair, as it was my first time singing with them, I was holding back a lot.

Interesting last night with the Fortunate Sons. It was in a very large rehearsal room so we could try out a new PA system. Each of us gets a little 12-way mixer so we can set our own mix for either an onstage monitor or an EIM (Only the keyboard player and vocalist have gone down this route). Guitarist tried being ampless, but wasn't happy with it. I'm, OK to go ampless but only for venues where space is at a premium... bear in mind a 12" monitor takes up as much floor space as my 2x12 vertical cab but doesn't support the PA. They were happy with my backing vocals but want me to be louder as sometimes I wasn't triggering the noise gate. As for my playing, I have most of the songs nailed but there are a couple I know I can do better.

I missed my planned debut with the FS due to illness, so instead it's next Saturday.

Awesome publicity campaign! 🤣

Sorry about the first song on this clip... we just wanted to keep people dancing 🤭 The second one is more representative of us. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/16xPj2EtMy/

I'm thinking of songs that would suit fretless that I do. What Is and What Should Never Be would work well. Crossroads too, I think Jack Bruce may have used fretless on the original.

Just a fun anecdote from last night. Valerie came on the jukebox and a bit later as we were setting up the rhythm guitarist started playing it very quietly. The started singing it and I started singing the bass riff scat style then the others started singing and we even harmonised some bits. We impressed ourselves but sadly the pub was still virtually empty! If only our proper BVs were that good 🤣🤣

Drumming with a bad knee? That's determination!

I played my two gigs this weekend with a Jazzn because it's my easy-playing comfort zone instrument. On friday I used my pedal board for colour, but we were short of space last night so went direct - choose one: mike, effects, jumping around. It was sounding good, switching between both pups on full and neck with about 20% bridge. When we did Uprising I boosted bass on my head as no octaver and it was ok. We encored with Saturday Night's Alright and I played right over the neck pickup really hitting down on the strings Entwistle style. Pushed the Orange Terror well into overdrive and it felt awesome hearing the roar.

Perchlorazine (or something like that) it damps down your sense of balance... prescription strength seasickness pills!

Bendricks Rock played Edmondes in Cowbridge. Originally meant to start at 8:30 there was virtually no-one so we started at 9 when we had a bit of an audience. It rapidly filled up although it was a bit tidal with people moving around thd pub coming in to dance to songs they liked. There was an engagement party in the pub. Their friends wanted us to spoof them so we got them up for a slow dance and played War Pigs 😂 Our original singer (didn't get as far as gigging) came to see us and said we were good. I took an anti-nausea pill again as squatting and standing to set up the gear set me off again. After tgat I was fine and managed to join in on backing vocals but was pretty shattered by the end of the night. Worst thing is the nausea means I can't drink... so had three pints of alcohol free - then spent the night waking up to pee.

I thought 'accident waiting to happen...'

It was Bluesfire, but now Al the guitarist's other venture has become a charting indie band, Bendricks Rock is the main one. Long term I have about the same number of FS gigs in the diary. Joined Bluesfire 4 years ago alongside a band who only managed three gigs in 18 months, so I left that one and started Bendricks Rock about 6 months later. Just joined Fortunate Sons. Fractured Persona is more of a recording project with a limited lifespan, probably will do a handful of gigs. I had 7 gigs across these bands this month, but due to illness have missed three Ideal for me is three or four gigs a month. Maybe more.

Back in at the deep end. Bendricks Rock just played the resurrected Barry Bier Keller. Felt a bit light headed and queasy setting up with all the squatting and standing so I took an anti-nausea pill. It worked. I decided to avoid the complexity of backing bocals by forgetting my mike stand. 8:30 start but they said they would be happy with 2x45 minutes. Warned us fridays can be a bit quiet... Our first set was just over the 45 then we went back on at 9:45. Finally got finished about ten past 11. Fortunately we had a full complement so had plenty of material to do and finished with a few songs in hand. First half not too busy, we got up to about 35-40 people, with sporadic dancing but it's a big place. Halftime some of our followers arrived then the dance floor got busy early in our second set (war pigs gets people dancing around here!) and by the end it was packed. We ended up calling all the songs on the fly to keep it up. I even managed to do a bit of dancing with some friends in one song! Bar staff delighted and want us back. Got some good sounds out of my effects and Flea Jazz. I had to cut the bass and boost mids on my Orange Terror as my rear ported cab got a huge bottom end boost from the gard wall behind it. Think I'll sleep tonight... and now I have to repeat it all again tomor... later today! Not photos of us... lots of people filming us so hopefully something willpop up on Facebook.

Really, reallt teensie ones.

And Dave Mattacks on drums. That man grts everywhere!

The headline specs of the pups used in the 40th Anniversary P (and possibly the CVs?) lie in between the Fender Vintage 60 and Vintage 63. All Alnico 5 just very slightly different winds. Interestingly, the VIntage 60 spec has slightly lower maximum resistance specced for the treble (fender call it 'lead') half of the pickup, although minimum resistance is the same.

She's got the most bass-facey face in rock. A risk thing - as my mum would have said, "If the wind changes your face will stay like that!"

Nah! Red h green works I have gigged the C4 with an Elf too!

This is my home practice rig. Sexy 🙂

Why would I want a less gainey amp with a cleaner sound? I chose Orange for the Orange sound.

The key is to play along to tracks and ifyou can get it so your notes 'disappear' you are tight. For straight 8s and 16s I often push certain beats deliberately when I want it to have more energy.