Stub Mandrel

Well that's sorted. 😁

I came out of the rehearsal studio and saw the sky... dark night!

Just got back. Was asked to help out a band I know whose bassist is planning to move to keyboards, after their keys player left for health reasons. We had fun going through the eleven songs I'd learned, then jammed a whole load of others. I already knew I was invited to join them for a drink and a discussion on the future of the band... Long story short, I want more gigs but not too many. They want a similar amount of gigs and are happy to go out as a four piece (keys move back to bass) if I can't make a gig. The great thing is, every time I've seen them I've really enjoyed it and felt that it was songs I'd enjoy playing. About 25% CCR, the rest is music in a similar vein.

The start of the silk will end up the same distance past the nut wherever you cut the string. Tipv do the 90-degree bend for the post-hole before cutting to stop the string outer unravelling.

God. Spent ages looking at the label for something new... then finally read the quote. Doh!

No pelting when I saw them in Aberystwyth, but I made the mistake of putting my pint next to the PA. Huw Cornwell disposed of it with a deft kick...

Nobody's perfect...

Me too. But today I've been playing my P with a vintage C-profile neck. Although it's wide, it isn't deep and it makes me less likely to wrap my thumb right around it. This is good for my arthritis ... food for thought.

I know a guy who does local gigs under one band name and originals gigs at festivals etc. under his own name with the same band.

Bootleggers on Womanby Street would score highly...

The Stranglers come to Wales.

The dark night colour is great (more than great), but please get that sticker off... it's got me scratching at the screen!

Presumably it's too late to tell them to RTFM?

One of my bandmates is in a (much younger and trendier) band. They hit number 1 in the UK physical singles chart last year with an EP. (CD) It was recorded 'as live' at a well known studio but was still surprisingly affordable. At our last gig he told me it had broken even at last. The two biggest financial boosts they have had are a creative industries grant and being playlisted by Radio 1. Everything is being reinvested in the band and they are gigging like mad*. *which is a pita as it means the band we are both in isn't gigging much.

Of course you could sell t-shirts with a qr code to download your latest single. If your t-shirt caused people to download a virus, would that make it malicious soft-wear?

My brother gave me a block-type one at Christmas. I think it was to make sure I don't break the headstock of any of his Gibsons when tiddling about in their internals.

Pull the other one!

Poor Scott really could do with a script. If only he could get straight to the point now and again.

I've finally finished my 100 year old(ish) John Gray and Sons 'Dulcetta' zither banjo. I had to silver solder the tailpiece and tension ring, then make a flesh ring (I cut down an embroidery ring). I fitted the goatskin myself, having last done this on a banjo mandolin in about 1983. I also had to make the bone nut from a guitar size blank. The first string snapped twice but I was able to thread it through a bit of plastic tube for protection from the rather severe ben in the tailpiece. Strings are Aquila nylgut. Tuned GDGBD. Or will be when they stop stretching! I love the engraved cover for the tuners. The positions of the tuning knobs bears minimal relationship to the strings. I fitted them all so winding away fom me increases tension... for my sanity.

What makes you think he hasn't?

I repaired sheared off neck screws on my 1976 Epiphone acoustic this way. An inexpensive set of plug cutters included one suitable to remove the screw and one that produced a mahogany plug that was a tight fit.

I have an MA-10B which makes this an unlikely purchase, but the bluetooth would be good. I use the wee amp to practice in my partner's front room and fortunately I can now BT into the stereo which takes the gas away...

And try different PSUs in the switcher.

What happens if you move the bass around or rotate it?

Yes. Lots of valvey goodness with enough class D headroom to crank up.