coffee_king

Hi Guys Before I take this to my usual repair guy I thought I'd drop a quick post on here to see if anyone has any thoughts on a home repair? My Ashdown ABM500H seems to me creating quiet a lot of hiss. (Its not due to having the treble up high) Its also coming out of the DI (Its very annoying in my IEM) so it wont be the cab. Now of course its not noticable once the band all kick in, but it is very hissy. Any thoughts on whats up with it? I'm using it with an Ampeg SVT 410HE by the way. Cheers dudes.

[quote name='IzzyT2807' timestamp='1416934201' post='2615226'] turn up, play softer [/quote] I realised that I can play this fine at home to the orginal but when I'm rehearsing with the full band I struggle. I now think its because I play quiter as a full band then when I do by myself at home. So I've cranked it up a bit in rehearsals and its all much better now. Thanks for the helpe everyone.

Hi Cheers for the responses. Its worth pointing out that how you store a lead (And coil it up before so) has nothing to do with it becoming coiled up/tangles/twisted while on stage. I've tried wireless but occassionally I would get drop outs, so I really dont want to have to go down that route again. Hmm, maybe its time someone invented one, if they can make a kinkless hose eh.

Hey all Anyone know of anyone making untwistable guitar leads? I'm very active onstage and I'm always twisting mine up. I can't find jack on Google. Ta

This is exactly what I've struggled with! I've had Endsleigh cover in the past, £100/year for £2k gear - but figured it wasn't worth it because of the "vague" surrounding the times I need it. Here's where I'm coming from... 1) our transit doesn't have a "divide" between rear-seats & storage area. While the gear is totally out of sight, there's no separated/manufacturer fitted storage area as such... [b]Have you thought about trying to make one? What van do you use? I'm sure they must make a "Bulkhead" for most vans out there?[/b] 2) sometime's it's plain impractical to NOT to leave gear in unattended vehicle [b]Totally but out of site in a locked vehicle you ARE covered.[/b] 3) we all rent in shared houses so don't have home insurance as such [b]This is not what this thread is about. But if you live in a shared house surely you have contents insurance, so then an amount will be covered? If not then more fool you. [/b] 4) of course we leave gear setup on stage, or in "communal" cupboards etc & can't always be monitoring it with 100% attention [b]Yep, this is an issue. But NO insurance company will insure you to set your gear and walk away from it. Its a risk you have to take. You could maybe set up a small video camera on stage soewhere if your really worried? Just a thought.[/b] I expect most gigging musicians are in this position & while I'd expect to pay more for this, expect such cover does exist? ...Anyone know who to talk to?! Allianz seems the best shout so far? [b]Every insurance company out there is as bad as the next. They will do WHATEVER THEY CAN to NOT pay out.[/b] Also, what do you think about cover for your personal equipment versus cover for the _band's_ equipment? [b]You insure your stuff, let everyone else insure their stuff. You'll find that theres no real discount for having everyones gear insured together rather than seperate. It all pretty mich work on a percentage of the total cost of the gear.[/b]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1417013920' post='2616097'] I'm guessing from the lack of responses this is a no then?[/quote] I have a friend still going through a theft from the boot of his car at the moment. We both doubt they will pay up. [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1417013920' post='2616097'] When I've looked into specific insurance for my gear before there were so many exclusions it didn't seem worthwhile... not covered if your in a different room etc... Am I supposed to put my bass in a gigbag after soundcheck and carry it around for hours until we play? My gear is unlikely to get nicked whilst I'm playing it, I need cover for the times it's vulnerable. [/quote] 100% agree with you.

[quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1417013041' post='2616080'] I use Allianz too and can leave my bass in an unattended car as long as it is covered with a blanket or suchlike. It costs about £4.50 a month for £2, 500 worth of bass. It could be that an upright bass is less nickable in the first place. Another option is to join the Musicians' Union which will also give you public liability insurance. [/quote] Public liability insurance has nothing to do with insuring your equipment.

Hey Scenario - You need to take a dump on the way to/from a gig? You pull into a service station, or anywhere there is a toilet. Your not about to lug all your gear into the loo with you are you, so it has to stay in the vehicle (Not visible in the boot). But your not insured for that. You stop over for a gig somewhere. Where is the gear going to be stored? With my insurance it can be in the vehicle or in a locked room and its fine. But what if your not staying at the venue? Where's it going to be kept so its insured? Lump it all into a hotel room after having loaded it all into your vehicle earlier, to then load it all back into the vehicle again in the morning? Regarding "Theft from stage" Good luck claiming againt anything that. The T&Cs for that are very clear for me that I MUST NOT LEAVE THE ROOM while my gear is there. - But OK, prove I wasnt in the room eh? So theft when exactly? Apart from loss at an airport? I'm only insured in the UK so no doubt they would claim it was lost OUTSIDE the UK? Damage? Fair enough, but apart from an amp or guitar falling over and breaking (20 years and this has never happened to me) when else would it get damaged? It is all ridiclous. But I would DEFINTELY consider the extra cost to have it insured in your vehicle. As far as I'm concerned thats the most likely place it will ever get stolen from. All I'm trying to say here is CONSIDER exactly when things can get stolen, damaged etc and then read the T&Cs and you'll generally find your not covered that much at all. Peace out.

Cheers for the response but I never said it was hard (As in complicated). Ive been playing it for months now and can play it with my eyes closed. Its just incredibly painful to play.

[quote name='Jazzjames' timestamp='1416922025' post='2615024'] Just to echo some thoughts by other members- allianz are a good insurer, they seem to be very reasonable from my experience. Allianz will cover equipment left in an unattended car but it costs more. It would have been another £200 a year for me. Endsleigh on the other hand will work hard to get their way out of paying for your claim, so leaving it in a vehicle even if the vehicle is parked inside a locked garage would probably be enough for them to say they won't pay. Don't try and think you can get one over on them on a technicality- they will find out and not pay. Is it worth a little extra carrying at the end of the night to make sure your gear is safe and insured? Yes. [/quote] You may find you are wrong there I'm afraid. Unless you only have accidental damage cover, then as far as I'm aware your equipment is always insured stored in a vehicle (As long as its not on show) if its "Away from your home". Whats the cover for otherwise?

Currently learning the Britpop classic 'Hey Dude' by Kula Shaker and its a right bee-otch on the fingers and wrist during the intro/verse as there's a load of hammer-ons up at the 8/10th and its bloody relentless for the first 1m08secs until there is a slight pattern change. Its more about doing the same patterns for this very long time that gives me major hand cramp. Ive been playing bass for 20 years so I feel a little daft asking this question but does anyone have any suggestions on technique / help to make this all a little easier? I'm a Precision man and it was obviously written and performed on a Jazz, so thats why its harder to play on a P-Bass, but I'm not about to buy a Jazz for one song. I play my bass not too high or too low, so I guess I could adjust the strap up a bit, but I really don't like having to slow down the tempo of the set by adjusting things inbetween songs. Ive been outvoted at not playing the song, but have managed to convince everyone to slow it down by about 5% but the cramp is still excruciating.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1416493047' post='2610811'] If the gear is in the van and the van is disabled; ie clamped, and in the garage, is the gear covered then? [/quote] No, even though my Garage door has two locks, the side door has a 5 lever mortice British Standard lock on it. The van has a steering lock (Like all cars), but I also bought a Thatcham Cat 3 approved Stoplock (£50) for it and 95% of the time there is a car parked up to as close to the front of the garage door as you can get so there is no way you could gain entry (while the car is there) and take ANYTHING out of the van or the garage.....unless you stole/moved the car first. Also 5 houses look directly at my garage and I have a security light on both the front and side of the garage.

Hi All I recently took out equipment insurance for all my musical gear. My gear was stored in my locked van, in a locked garage at my home address. I purposely bought a van to store my gear in as it was getting too much to have to load it in and out of the house before/after every gig. Makes sense doesn’t it. After a lot of back and forth with my insurance company (Music Guard) they tell me that my van can NOT be used to store the equipment in permanently and therefore it is NOT insured if I do so....Even though the van is in my garage. The equipment IS insured when stored in my garage though, as long as it is NOT in the van. Why? Well they say that there is more of a chance that the ENTIRE lot of my equipment would be stolen if I kept it in my van. So thieves would steal the van with ALL the equipment in rather than stealing as much as they could run/drive away with. Also it’s worth pointing out that any IEC/XLR/Guitar cables etc under £30 are also not covered. Probably like some people out there I have way over £1000 worth of cables, so if all of these get stolen I will be £1000+ out of pocket. I’m sure some of you know this already, but I thought it was worth advising any that don’t realise such things. (Sorry if this is in the wrong forum I couldn’t see anywhere else more relevant to post it). Cheers

The desk is right next to us on the "Stage area".

Hmm, I thought it was a lot less these days.

Hey all I was just wondering if anyone had tried out using Bluetooth technology as opposed to radio technology yet for IEMs? Don't get me wrong, I wouldnt swop my Audio Technica M3 for anything, but it sounds like a cheapish alternative to have spare perhaps (Or if you need more than one set of IEMs for use in multiple places where you cant move them from one place to another - Say if theyre perminently wired into a rack) Thoughts?

Anyways, I picked up an 18" floor fan and its totally changed my world. I should have purchased one years ago. I (And those around me are) a lot less sweaty on stage now. Cheers for the advise.

[quote name='Westie9' timestamp='1412094533' post='2565595'] We use a floor fan but we have to be careful that's it's not directed at our singer as it dries her throat out... [/quote] Typical female singer thing to say. Water anyone?

I worry about the noise of fans though. Do you sing too? Does it get picked up by your mic?

Hey guys Anyone know of any cheapish/quietish floor fans for use on stage? Cheers in advance.

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1403612569' post='2484435'] Ever tried helping him get the drums set up? You could help load in, get stands up & place cymbals so he can get them set up for him, you could get drums & cymbals out of cases, hi-hat stand etc, etc. While he's faffing about getting them all into position, you can set your gear up. Being in a band is a team effort after all, so if everyone pulls together as a team, all good for the "common cause", which is why you are all in a rehearsal room together in the first place... surely? [/quote] We all unload ALL the bands gear before starting to set anything up, but we do all arrive at different times in different vehicles. Like I said, myself and the guitarist usually have EVERYTHING else set up before the drummers even finished though, so the "Common cause" and "Team effort" statements I feel do not apply to myself and the guitarist.

Thanks for the input so far, I googled Memory Locks and found this guys set up videos http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWE86wmUIDOfBakbuAALZmQ/videos He has to be the most organised, clued up drummer (For setting up) I've ever seen. I think everyone on here should show these memory lock, colour coding, markers etc videos to their drummers and we'll all be in 10-15 minutes set up heaven.

Hey all I don't mean to moan at all drummers, but how long does your drummer take to get set up? Mine takes like 45 mins to an hour and its really doing my head in. We're only a three piece (He uses kick, snare, 2 toms, hihats, ride and about 4 crashes) but by the time the drummers set up myself and my guitarist can get ALL of our gear set up, and the PA, and all the lighting. I know drummers have "More gear" to set up than any other member but I really do think 45 mins to 1 hour is excessive. I'm probably on the wrong type of forum here, but I'd love to know how your drummer sets up and how long it takes them? I think what also annoys me is the contact banging of the snare. Yes, I realise he needs to get the height and the angle right but surely this doesnt take 3-4 minutes each time he adds a piece of drum equipment. My guitarist and I dont even make a sound from our amps or the PA until we're ready to sound check. Again though I realise he has to get it all "Into position" Maybe I just need to understand drummers more?

Hi guys The keyboard with a constant tone would be a brilliant, but Ive now decided to give up and find an alternative solution and here's why. I borrowed my friends entire unit wireless for my guitarist to use at a gig and he experienced very similar problems. When he hit a heavily/loud played chord the unit made the guitar volume drop considerably. I'm guessing these problem are why they don't make these anymore. I just cant waste anymore time on it now. Thanks for all your help though, its much appreciated.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1401469192' post='2463984'] Easiest way to diagnose this is to plug the bass directly into the amp as a starting off point. If it all works fine then add the other equipment piece by piece until the problem reappears. As soon as the pop\crackle happens you know it is related to the last thing you added to the setup. [/quote] Yes, you'd think wouldnt you. I've done all this (and more by doing each item on its own too) I still cant figure out what effecting it. Even the wireless rig works fine on its own without any pedals etc. But put them all back together and the noises occur again.