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Dave Vader

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Everything posted by Dave Vader

  1. The red light comes on above the mute switch, which made me think it was that. It didn't feel terribly hot either, but it's certainly an option, will run it without the EQ for a few rehearsals (am borrowing a Peavey for gigs from a mate). Didn't think it was clever enough to do a thermal shutdown. I do hope that's what it is though. I'm certainly not going to use it as an excuse to buy a Hartke HA3500 that I saw on ebay and really want now....
  2. Some of you may remember the craze about 5 years ago for Ibanez promethean clone amps. I bought one, I'm very fond of it, and it's served me well these last 5 years. However, in the last week the mute switch has started to turn itself on randomly for as long as it wants. I took it apart and cleaned it out with servisol the first time it happened and it seemed to come back. But it happened again at rehearsal last night. It has coincided with me starting to use a behringer BDI in front of it for more EQ as well, but I can't see how that would make a difference. I have seen in the manual that sticking a footswitch in should disable the mute switch - which is all I really want to do at this stage, am going to put a spare jack plug (nothing on it) in the footswitch socket for now. My question is, is this fixable? Can I permanently disable the mute (never use it anyway) or should I be glad that a very cheap amp lasted me 5 years, cut my losses and buy a new one? Any help much appreciated (or offers of old indestructible 300 odd watt amp heads like Trace, Hartke, Peavey etc for not too much money)
  3. [quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1483433258' post='3207006'] Just got my weeks gig list from Lemonrock, for those who don't live in an area where Lemonrock is active it's an emailed list of most of the pub gigs in a 15 mile radius. A year ago there would have been 25-30 gigs at this time of year. This time it's down to 14, two of them are open mics and five are solo artists with backing tracks. [/quote] If Lemonrock is anything like it is here (and I'm not far from you IIRC Phil) then an awful lot of bands have stopped using it - making it a much less reliable indicator than it might once have been. I'm optimistically hoping that's the case anyway.
  4. I have one of these that I gigged the hell out of a couple of years ago. Built like a tank, and sounds marvellous. The bridge did leap out of it on the beautiful days stage, but me and the sound guy got it back in and retuned while lead vocalist was still doing the guitar/vocal intro to the next song. My fault, didn't check it over properly before gig as too busy filling self with cider. Making sure the bridge is at the right angle is paramount to these things, as the output drops significantly if it goes on a bit of a wonk (led me to think it was broken when I first got it). Didn't spin on me, but I have a rather unconventional technique that involves jamming my knee into the back of it most of the time, and don't use the tubey frame thing. Enjoy it.
  5. Just to add, it originally had a pair of chrome lipstick tube pickups in it, before I put the hot rails in. Wish I'd kept them, they were fun.
  6. Yep, since Fender Flatwounds have gone from £18 a set to £30 odd since I last bought a set I grabbed some 45-105 legacys for a tenner, since I used to use them before I went flat, and my ears are so shot now I can barely hear the difference anyway. Sounds fine, all good, but rough as a badgers arse, my fingers are sanded clean off after rehearsal last night - not helped by the fact I've been buried at real work for a month so haven't been playing much at all in the time. Also, the tone control on my old P is back being used again, as it makes a difference ow. Hoping my fingers adjust soon, got a lot of gigs coming up next year.
  7. Never The dog is sometimes incredibly generous towards me though.
  8. I've had this tele for the last twenty years or so, picked it up for 25 quid in a junk shop and fell heartily in love with it. It only ever had the word 'telecaster' on the headstock which looked to have been done in letraset and what seems to be the remains of a badge rather than a decal or inlay next to it. I had it refretted, bone-nutted and seymour duncan hotrailed for big loud noises, and have used it pretty constantly ever since. I always thought it was home-made, especially since it seems to have been refinished in some kind of fence-paint. The body is a 3 layer ply (not really ply then) and the neck is 3 piece as well. Then I came across another one for a tenner at a car boot sale, and realised it was an actual japanese production instrument - which clearly means it would have an impossible to find out history and would have had a million different badges on the headstocks. I hacked that one up even more and gave it to my stepson for his 14th birthday 11 years ago. Anyway, I saw something that looked like it on a vintage and rare site for about £550 the other day, and thought I maybe should have left it stock. The closest I have found to it is badged as a National Finger Talker https://drowninginguitars.com/2015/04/26/the-finger-talker-1972-national-telecaster-ft440-2-tc-51-guitar/ I'm just curious to find out a bit more about the history of these cheapy teles, as they are lovely, but I had always assumed them to be pretty much worthless. Any information you have would be much appreciated (I'm looking at you Jon).
  9. I've been proper busy at work, so not been on here for a while. Thanks for the kind words (and the pressy suggestion Douglas, thanks ) (BTW, next book isn't a sequel, or about bands, sorry)
  10. [quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1476612256' post='3155570'] Compared to Clun, Bridgenorth is Bright Lights Big City! [/quote] My brother lives up near Clun - sadly he is tone deaf and can't play anything, so that won't help you.
  11. Sorry for late reply, been all over the place recently. They are beyerdynamic DT511s which I have had lying about for about 20 years. If that helps.
  12. I will look at the model number next time I walk past them (have been forgetting to for a few days now) already lost the original cradle (I made one out of some broken sony headphones and coathangers) and the material inside has perished away a long time ago. There's a D in it though, will get back to you with hope in my heart.
  13. [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1476198952' post='3152215'] You have no way of knowing that, he could get hit by a bus tomorrow. [/quote] and that's why we don't invite you to parties Rhys...
  14. Marshall JCM 800. Although that was probably because I didn't understand it properly...
  15. I've been gigging solidly since I was about 14 - I say solidly when in fact, at least once a decade I have a meltdown and leave every band I am in saying i have retired and will never do it again. Currently got more gigs than I can shake a stick at (4 bands, and dep for another 3) and wondering when the next meltdown is coming. Have had some very good times post-meltdown and having a normal life without sitting in pubs waiting to play/for the rest of the band to turn up/for someone to find out if the place has closed down now/for the scary lady to stop groping me/for the ****ing money. Having now made more money from, and got more recognition for writing a book loosely based on the experience, I think I should stop messing about with music and get down to writing a bit more. Except somebody just asked me to go and play bass for them and they said we could do Prince songs, so there you go. More bands, less writing.
  16. That's what I thought, and no, they don't. Will need internal tinkering, and a bit small for me to bravely wade into.
  17. Anybody know of somewhere I can send a set of now-dead headphones to to be fixed for not too much cash? (or if you know somebody in mid-Devon I could take them to) My knackered old beyerdynamic openbacks have stopped putting out any sound, and I don't want to shell out hundreds for a new set. Also, mixing on my closed back headphones is proving problematic (just like recording with the openbacks used to be) All help gratefully received.
  18. You are Mr Manson and I claim my five pounds....
  19. 1988 playing acoustic guitar every second I could get Asking a man in a music shop why that guitar only had four strings Getting a very sarcastic answer including the words Bass.
  20. Damn it, I'd forgotten these existed, and now I want one (but without all those pesky frets)
  21. [quote name='blue' timestamp='1473206530' post='3128048'] They tried it on US TV. It was about a wedding band. Bloody awful. Blue [/quote] Just out of curiousity Blue, have you read the book? And does it work in the USA? I'm not too sure my overly British humour would work, and if the situations would cross the atlantic too well. Not sure whether to start pushing it in the US or if it would be a massive waste of time? No worries if you haven't, just looking for a US perspective.
  22. I've played both bass and guitar (and a bunch of other things) for nearly 30 years now, Please don't make me choose between them - I love them both equally.
  23. Thanks Ubit, glad you're enjoying it. Free until Wednesday if anyone else hates paying for stuff (I know I do) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weekend-Rockstars-Dave-Holwill/dp/1534785973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471200476&sr=8-1&keywords=dave+holwill
  24. [quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1472221176' post='3119588'] Or a school/college/uni as a teacher. Or a theatre company may hire you as an MD. Or film/Tv company as a composer. Or a church as a choir leader. Or another musician who needs you to arrange/write parts. Or an orchestra as a conductor. [/quote] Yep
  25. In defence of guitarists, I play guitar in lots of bands, and I always take my old 15w Wem Dominator, it never goes above three, and it seems surprisingly loud to me anywhere above 1. I will always turn down when asked, and know just how helpful a horrid ugly tinny sound can be once everything else slots in underneath. Similarly, my bass sounds utterly dreadful solo but sits very nicely in the mix.
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