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Been reading a lot of accounts re: the changing landscape in live music/cover bands in the last year or 2. As my band is a part of that broader category, I stumbled on an interesting approach in adapting to it. The gripe I read/hear a lot is that opportunities to play out are drying up. Not going to debate this but I agree that around my parts, there are fewer venues still booking live music. It needs pointing out that our band doesn't need to play music as a revenue generator. After coming together 4 years ago, we've only had one paying gig. That's not saying we haven't played out. A quick visit to the band's FB page will confirm that. Like most bands, that's our objective, secondary to playing for audiences, period. But we've had several hard stop setbacks that called for significant resets. Personnel changes, major medical issues, etc. In short, couldn't gig. Each time we got our shit back up to speed, we'd pound the pavement and call up venues trying to get gigs. Bupkis. Nada. Zilch. Venues that do book bands usually have that shit locked in by December of the previous year. Trying to get a gig, say, in March or September has pretty slim chances of success. So, to satisfy our performing jonz and to keep our stage chops up, we started doing open mics nights (OMN). Yeah, those grabass-tic crapshoots where it could either be a total shit show (shitty PA equipment, inadequate or unsuitable space, laughable backline, pathetic attendance and etc) or a well organized, equipped and attended affair that features some serious local talent. Here's how it works for us: show up to an OMN, gut it out playing thru their PA/backline, counting on our tightness and energy (borne of countless rehearsals) to hopefully impress the the shit out of the organizer. If so, negotiate playing a "feature set" as the lead off or marquee segment of a future OMN. Rinse, repeat. We get a chance to play and hone our live chops, AND create opportunities for actual paying gigs. Funny thing is, as an advanced years rocker , I kinda like this set up. Playing one set, minimal set up (though admittedly, it is done in a hurry and we're at mercy of whatever passes for a board/PA) less gear to hump, I get in and out there within 1.5 hours depending on how many other acts I stay to watch/support. And arguably best of all, doing one 40-50 minute set means I remember how to play all of the songs and I've got energy galore for the entire segment. 😆

Ha! YES! Redd is a monster freak player but also a genuinely nice person. I did play with him not long ago on a Redd and Bill Kirchen duo run, and it was so fun! I've known both of them since 1999 or so, we all go way back from my Austin TX days, and it was a blast! Redd is a gem of a human being. Nice to see you two together man!

He did a minor midwest tour a few years ago. Just picking up talent locally. My jammin buddy got the nod playing bass at one of these gigs. As did @JGravelin. I got to hang out at my buddys show. Just a funny sweet heart of a guy. Tons of storys!

Remembering my days 1995-2010 in Austin.. Redd showed up and sat in with other bands I played in: Guy Forsyth Band and also with songwriter/engineer/producer whiz Mark Addison band MAD6 that he tapped me for. The coolest thing about Redd is that he could hop up with anyone, huge f'ing ears on listen and just REACT in a musical way .. no hesitation at all, just a human - a musician - playing guitar like it was an extra arm that he'd been using his whole life. What a pro. What a good dude. Super Pro Bro pal. Bill was a regular visitor at the guitar shop I worked at: South Austin Music. We became friendly, shared laughs, and it was such a cool thing to finally play together on that Redd/Bill run! Also, because I sing the high stuff so good - I surprised him, learned all those bits for his songs, and put it forth. With Redds too but Bill was like "woah, wow! "

There's a standard with humbuckers and 99% of every maker does them exactly the same way because it's a built-in way, across all time, and instant death if the collective We do not. Coils wound clockwise, South magnetic polarity to the screw side, North to the slug side. There's pretty much no deviation from that because we all want our products to work together with everyone elses offerings. Regarding single coils, yes: plenty of deviation from whatever "norm" there is! Fender messed around with different wind directions and magnetic polarity over the years and it wasn't until the early 70s post-CBS takeover that they standardized. Years ago I decided that all middle Strat single coil pickups would be wound clockwise, and magnetic polarity South up to the strings. Because this works and is in phase with nearly all humbuckers. This build quality was done historically, works with other humbuckers... so, like, why not! Also, regarding the wiring diagram: hey, that's just electronic wiring - wind direction is same with all - and I think you meant "Phase" ? Polarity is magnet orientation. They are different.

🤣 borrowing~

One problem is aging out. When I was a 20-something, I wouldn't be caught dead listening to what my Dad was playing. As good as he was, as much fun as he had on stage, it was not for me. Granted, his music (polkas and the like) is another genre, while Rock'n Roll has the ability to span generations. My kids (30-somethings) would come out and hear us, dance and have fun. For old guys like us (who don't really want to do the 4 or 5 hour grind every weekend night), I look for an opening slot - maybe an hour or hour and a half - where we put together our best set, get in early/get out early, and not kill ourselves. I have never - not even close - made enough on a gig to matter. If it covers my bar tab, that's a good night. So we can go and play for free, get some stage time with no pressure, and have fun. I went and got a used electric drum kit, a decent little bass amp, and a small PA. With all the amps here I can set up a jam in my garage where guys just have to bring guitars and plug in. The last one had a dozen or so players rotating in and out all evening, making some pretty great noise while having zero expectations or worries. It was a BLAST!

Hamer Chaparral USA 1988 - all original with quite a few dings and scratches as you can see. More than plenty hairline cracks. But plays nice and smooth. The neck is straight, no buzzing anywhere and string height is about 1.3-1.5mm over 12th fret and the flame on that neck is ridiculously nice. Unfortunately this one came to me with Gibson gigbag and that's how it will go out. $1300 PPFF + shipping Hamer Centaura USA 1990 - All original, also with few cosmetic spots and plenty of hairline cracks. As the previous example it plays very nice. Straight neck and same setup. Also came to me long time ago with no case. I guess it was white and black granite, but turned yellow over time. $1300 PPFF + shipping Hamer Daytona 1994 - Beautiful guitar. Fralin PU's. No major dings or scratches. Very good condition. Two small cosmetic spots. Perfect strat, no need to say anything stupid like "plays like butter". We all know it's on par with any CS strats. It's been with me since before I can remember...about 2 decades probably. This one comes with the case fortunately, few rips, but all latches and hinges in place working fine. $1400 PPFF + shipping

That sounds pretty damned close to what we do. I've outfitted my studio with a very solid PreSonus 16 channel board that allows us to record as well as mix our sessions. More importantly, it allows us to dial in our own individual Aux mix for IE monitoring via phone app controls, with the whole band using over-the-ear "cans" headphones. Running silent, as I call it. This gives us greater individual control of our sound and keeps my incendiary-tempered asshole neighbor away. Given the responses of people who have heard us, I hope to be reporting back about some paying gigs. Have on coming up in August, a 5 band bill!

Absolutely NAILS it!.. Tone AND swing!.. even live 😳

Pete: “We’re getting too old, I can hardly play and you can hardly sing any more, perhaps we should retire this summer” Roger: “What?” Pete: “ I said, perhaps we should retire this summer” Roger: “Ok - we’ll fire the drummer”

Thanks man! Just used your tip👍

Not a problem at all. What you've got in the single wire is going to be the start or finish of one of the coils. The braid (ground) will be the opposite lead of the other coil. For example, if the single wire is the Start of the North coil, the braid will be the finish of the South coil. The connection between the two coils is there, just not visible. I have been lambasted for suggesting the use of a compass to determine polarity, so I won't make that mistake again because apparently owning a compass is tantamount to owning a sextant or a gap tool for spark plugs. Hook them up and see how it sounds. Polarity only matters when both are selected together. If it sounds out of phase (you'll know) and you don't like it, reverse the leads on one pickup and see if you like it better. My Hamer Special was wired out of phase from the factory, and I thought that sounded very cool. All that said, I have found Duncans to be out of phase with most everything I've used with them. The Gilmour set for Strat (passive setup, not the EMG set) is a prime example: two Fender pickups Neck and Middle and that glorious Duncan SSL-5 in the bridge. The leads on the Duncan require flipping the wiring (ground / output). ETA: to clarify, the "lambasting" took place on the Strat Talk board and not here. The typical HFC member is likely old enough to have actually used a compass. That I have one sitting on my desk at home and still find it useful (not to mention far more accurate than my iPhone compass app) was astonishing to those there. I say regularly, we're about two generations away from losing the ability to make fire.

If the neck pickup is also single wire, no problem. If not, look it up the information from SD. The hot is on the pot terminals, ground on the pot body or a wire/terminal connected to ground. Some find out of phase wiring sounds cool in the middle switch position. Otherwise, it's just preference mixing pickups. @Jeff R or @JGravelin here can wind something for you if you are undecided about production PUs

Yes. Just be aware of the differing conventions when it comes to polarity:

Who does that though, besides Jack Blades?

Annual Herding of the Co-Eds for me. And there really is nothing available in Tuscany I think.

$1,450 for local pickup (I'll meet you somewhere halfway if possible). $1,525 shipped to the lower 48US.

Selling my late brother's two basses after much deliberation and a long time in storage. Disclaimer: Many of you are aware of this bass and its story, but I'll lay it all out here from the beginning. It is also listed on TGP (the price below is TGP price (hint hint), and much of what you will see/read is taken directly from that ad. What we have here is a bass from the heyday of BC Rich, a 1981 Eagle Bass in splendid Blueburst. My big brother, Joey, custom ordered this BC Rich from Sam Ash Music on 48th Street in NYC, paying a whopping $981 for it (some of you may remember that was a LOT of money for a guitar back then) and we all thought he had taken leave of his senses. It is 100% original. Outside of the strings, nothing has been changed, and even those are reeeeaallyy ollld - at least 20 years old. Likely older. Condition is Excellent+. You won't find a finer example, and if you did I'll bet it's in Japan, and I'll bet you it's not Blueburst. Comes with OHSC. He used this bass and his 1976 Fender Precision Bass exclusively until his band split and he stopped gigging in around 1988. These are the only two basses he ever owned. They rarely saw the light of day again until his passing in 2012 and have been in my care since. I don't play bass so not much has changed, as I said before not even the strings. More knobs and switches than you'll know what to do with. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the preamp battery will need to be replaced. Q: How sexy is this? A: All the sexy. The head. (Notice the absence of headstock dings). The serial number. (Notice the... serial number). $4,500 for local pickup (I'll meet you somewhere halfway if possible). $4,600 shipped to the lower 48US. BONUS MATERIAL: The Eagle in action onstage at some random punk club, c.1982.

Yep, those came out about the same time. Thinner bodies, tummy cut AND a carved top.

You can always select "ship to your local store" where they will hold if for you. I thought there was nothing available in Tuscany! yes, pretty solid, they sometimes ID Hamers as Vintage but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it...

Oh, gee. I feel for you... 😑

You know how I feel.

Those are cool. They had another model called the Vixen that I think had rosewood for the board and dot inlays and solid colors, no binding etc. Found the info: https://www.zzounds.com/item--GIBLPVX

A judge recently ruled, in the case where a kid offed himself on the urging of an AI, AIs have no free speech rights, so owners, cuz the AI can’t complain.

Dude, you would not believe the lyrics I come up with. Just to prove how good they are, my wife doesn't find any of them funny.

Last I looked they had a great return policy too. No risk. 45 days for non vintage stuff

Found one. Thanks, all... 😀

Are humans supposed to be able to play this stuff? If you ever meet Redd Volkaert you will find him to be as nice as he is talented.