DavidE

Yup, my singer insisted on 30 minute breaks. I think 20 minutes max. And I got tired of people coming up to me asking whether we were ever going to start again. I always responded that I was ready, but they'd have to find our singer. ;-) Amazing we were actually still going pretty strong after 9 years. It just goes to show you that there's really no formula. Some people didn't mind the extra talking and thought the act was fun and funny. Some people didn't mind the 30 minute breaks but others did. Ultimately, I know what I like and I like what I know. A band I used to be in did 45 on, 15 off. That worked great.

1. Don't take yourself too seriously. 2. A good to great front man, or at least someone who can engage the audience is HUGE. 3. A good set of songs. 4. You don't have to be great, but don't suck. 5. Marketing. (Ask Paults about this. His band is tops in this regard.) 6. Look like you're having fun. 7. Like what you do. If you absolutely hate playing Mustang Sally and Brown Eyed Girl, don't play them. Your disgust will show. 8. Remember that the audience doesn't care about your internal band shit, so keep it off the stage. No drama. 9. Treat the clubs and agents as you want them to treat you. Build a relationship. Don't book a club through an agent and then go behind their back and book directly to make a couple of extra bucks. Be honorable in your business dealings. Some of these folks may actually become friends. 10. Understand that the club has you there so THEY can make money. They'd rather hire a band that sucks if that band brings in a lot of people who spend a lot of money. 11. Make sure you sound good. That often / usually means hiring a good sound company with good gear and a good engineer. Not only will it save your back, it will make for a better experience for you and the audience. Mixing from the stage with a p.a. that's just too small is a huge mistake. 12. Here are some things that my band/frontman did that helped me decide it was time to shut it down and things I would suggest you not do: a. start late. often b. talk too much between songs (my frontman thought he was engaging the audience but I heard too many complaints about it) c. after talking too long, turn your back to the audience, stare at your song list and discuss what to play next d. don't mention the website during the gig... ever... e. don't do anything to add to the email list f. don't learn new songs h. blah blah blah....

Hard to beat that. For $225 shipped, I have an Audio Centron 12 channel mixer with built in effects. Rack ears too.

That was a Monaco Elite Mahogany. Just not too popular. People want the maple tops. Still, a steal.

Ok, maybe it's not as cool as the one BCR Greg sold recently, but it's dayum cool and about 1/2 the price. Search for it through www.bing.com and get 8% off the $1199.99 buy it now price (with free shipping). Not mine and I may kick myself for not buying it myself, but I'm trying to resist. http://cgi.ebay.com/USA-Hamer-Duotone-12-G...id=p3286.c0.m14

Butch Walker's is white if I remember right...

HBD! I hope you like the Crunchbox. I got home late last night and the SF arrived. Thanks!

Met lots at a couple of Hamer open houses. Hung with several multiple times at the Ohio Guitar Shows. Stayed with Mike and Regina Lee when the NAMM show was in Indianapolis. Great hosts. blah blah blah. ;-)

+1

Highly recommended seller. Heck, I'd even go FOUR FIDDY on this one! ;-) All that being said, I gotta start a separate thread on the "Hamer Custom Shop" thing.

wowwwwwww

He had two Incase bags on there last night at pretty much new price. I asked if he had any flexibility on the price and never heard back. They were gone quickly.

I thought people here might be interested in the review of the Mark V posted on www.birdsandmoons.com: flyingvee Dazed and Confused Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Stranded in Iowa Posts: 699 My first crack at a Mk V - boy am I happy -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, I am ecstatic. Because at least from first play, I have absolutely no desire to go grab a new Mk V. It is very versatile and has buckets of various sounds and options - but at least from first go round, the majority of them are not pleasing to my ear. backstory - I had a Mk I in '77; I have had at least one Mk ever since, plus a half dozen or so other Mesa products. I'm currently gigging with a Mk IV, Lonestar Special, Bad Cat Hot Cat 30R and a Bogner Shiva EL34. Back to the V. And before I get into detail, let me point out the one thing that struck me more than anything else - on the V, more than any other Mesa amp I've used, the difference between the 10/40/90 watt settings are huge. We're not talking about a touch more or less amp saturation here - the difference is more like going from my Gibson Skylark to a 100 watt Super Lead. The 40 watt setting is usable - I could probably voice one channel at 40 watts, another at 90; but at least from one short audition, I wouldn't be using the 10 watt setting for anything except bedroom playing. 10 watts isn't just more saturated, with "Class A boutique goodness" - it is more like indistinct, undefined mooosh. I'm using a couple Class A amps - there is no comparison. Sry, Mesa. That said, I do like channel 1. That is where I started, and frankly, if I owned a Mk V, that is where I'd spend most of my time. With the toggle set at fat, the clean channel was pretty sweet. Musical, nicely rounded. "Clean" was a bit antiseptic, and "Tweed" was just too tweedy - almost a parody of a real Fender tweed. And that, to my ears, was where the Mk falls down. In trying to emulate 30 years of Boogies, it doesn't really come a lot closer than the Heartbreaker did 10 years ago. The Mk 1 settings in channel 2 don't sound like either of my Mk 1s; and in channel 3, the Mk IV setting sounded like my IV in the hands of an neophyte, and the IIc+ setting was just plain weak. I'm sure Mesa will sell a lot of them; but I'm willing to bet that they turn up used in almost equally great numbers, as users find that there just aren't any great sounds to be had. Again - it seems to me like another Heartbreaker, albeit with a more options. And if I hadn't been burned by the promise of the Heartbreaker, I might be more excited. But the V, like the Heartbreaker (an aptly named amp if I've ever owned one) sounds ok in the store - lots of variations, few of which are actually very good or usable, but all of which keep whispering into your ear "Buy me, take me home, play with me, tweak me, and I'll be a goddess." When really, all you have are 50 sounds, of which 45 or so are worse than what you already have. My Lonestar Special does the class A thing much better than the V; my Hot Cat 30 does saturated leads with far more depth and complexity than the Gain channel of the V; and my Shiva does everything better than any channel or setting on the V. My two cents. Luck to everyone who has one; I'm sure you'll find something to justify dropping 2k. I just couldn't. (and lord knows, I wanted too. )

Only if there's a cryptic connection to a popular steak sauce. I love me some A1pep sauce.

Gary Cooper = Super Duper

I have one of those as well and it's great. I picked up a modded Blues Driver last week and I'm not quite sure about it yet. I need to try it at some different settings. DavidE, I think you mentioned before that you have a Timmy. Is that your favourite OD box? How much do those go for used? thanks. I have a Tim and a Timmy and many others. But right now I'm using a Bluestone by Rockland Amps (my brother's new venture), a rotating bunch of drives and my Line6 M13 which really could do it all. Look for a used Timmy on The Gear Page. There's still quite a wait for them new. I waited.

I have one of those as well and it's great. I picked up a modded Blues Driver last week and I'm not quite sure about it yet. I need to try it at some different settings.

I contacted him and bought the 4 digit Std. Let's just say it wasn't tree fiddy!

WCR Crossroads:

No, it isn't. I owned one a long time ago. It sucked. The Stetsbar is far superior.

Me thinks you answered your own question. Bring your amp and know what you're in for. You'll be happier not looking back at the amp the whole time if you don't like what you're hearing. Good point. Then do I bring the Shiva since I'll be able to open it up or do I take the Matchless and hope it has enough headroom? LOL.

Too much effort for a one hour set! ;-)

Is that a reflection of your new age, Dan? ;-)

"FTW"??? Not sure what that means. I thought about that as well, but it's a big place and I need some clean headroom. Still, for the harmonic content of the guitar tone it might be a good way to go. We're talking about a place that holds 1500 people, though I'm guessing there won't be too many people there.