Just got offered (and accepted) a gig this Sunday - only thing is the venue is not allowed to use amplification, so it's going to be my trusty Blueridge dreadnought acoustic. Or at least I hope it's trusty - I haven't actually ever done a gig with it before. The other musicians are saxophone and drums, so hope they are able to play not too loud also. I guess it will just be strumming chords all the time pretty much, as the single note soloing isn't going to work with just a drummer for accompaniment. Should be an interesting one anyhow, will see how it goes.
How did the acoustic gig go Megi?
Cheers for asking Terry - OK basically. It was a bit of a tricky one to do without amplification, and as a band we did have to make some adjustment on the day to get an acceptable sound balance. The drummer (who turned out to be a pro, hired by the same agent who hired myself and the sax player) was excellent, and used brushes the whole time, with a very small kit (no floor tom). The sax player used a much softer reed than he normally would. All of this was because the acoustic guitar otherwise just wouldn't have competed volume-wise. As it was, I was playing quite heavily all the time, although I did try to get a bit of variation and light and shade in there as well. For me it was strumming nearly all the time, although just once or twice I was able to play fingerstyle in some softer latin numbers. Playing jazz chords on an acoustic for 2 hours is a good work out for the left hand muscles, I can tell you that! Overall, I think I was lucky to be working with some excellent and intelligent musicians, and together, I reckon we did about the best we could with an unusual situation. Even a bit of subtle amplification would have helped enormously, but it just wasn't possible.
And all that said, it was a private function event, and really we there to provide a bit of background ambiance, and beyond that, I don't think people were actually all that interested in the music. No one complained anyhow!
And thanks Terry! You're right, I think some good experience was gained. We (sax player and me) are hoping the agent gets good reports, and maybe we'll get a few more dates booked through him.
Sounds like you made the best of the situation. Hopefully you had a good time doing it, and if you gained some new experience along the way so much the better. I hope you get some more gigs out of it.
I knew that's what you'd be asking Reg, and yes, it was last Friday evening. It was a bit of a long evening (they finished playing after 11), since there was a support band (not mentioned in the publicity at all - I wish they wouldn't do that) - I had to be up early the next day, and my dad is not too good with late nights these days. But that aside, it was a good evening, and I was pleased to have seen/heard the Carthy/Swarbrick duo.
My impressions - hard to summerize really - folk really is not quite my "thing" and although I know he's very liberal-minded musically, Martin Carthy is quite a deep and intense folk artist. But in a way, I'd rather have something pure and real like that, rather than some kind of "folk-light" compromise, aimed at pleasing the masses. I cannot but admire Martin Carthy - I honestly feel he is a truely extraordinary artist, one of those very few of the absolute highest level. If he was working in another musical field, he might command much bigger audiences, but it seems folk (like jazz) is a minority thing. But really a privilege to have seen him. What a wonderful accompanist he is also. Dave Swarbrick is wonderful also, and the partnership clearly shows a great empathy. Perhaps unfair of me, but just at times I did feel that Swarbrick is maybe a bit past his absolute best, and that his undeniable musicality was carrying him through. But the music was complex at times (yes folk music can be complex..) and the easy, assured way they handled uneven bar lengths etc. was very impressive.
I could say more, but have to fly out the door shortly, as I have a modest gig of my own to do...
Glad you sort of enjoyed it even though it's not really your thing. I agree with you about Swarb, and mentioned that in my review. I think he's just too ill these days to properly recover his old heights. Even so I got the impression he was playing for the pure joy of it rather than just going through the motions to turn a cynical buck based on his name. I can respect that. I was glad to have seen them play together again as it really wouldn't surprise me if I didn't get another opportunity.
Glad you sort of enjoyed it even though it's not really your thing. I agree with you about Swarb, and mentioned that in my review. I think he's just too ill these days to properly recover his old heights. Even so I got the impression he was playing for the pure joy of it rather than just going through the motions to turn a cynical buck based on his name. I can respect that. I was glad to have seen them play together again as it really wouldn't surprise me if I didn't get another opportunity.
I hope your gig went well.
Cheers, Reg.
Don't get me wrong Reg - I really did think it was bloody good. I think in the 30-something years since I previously saw Martin Carthy, I must have changed a bit, because I certainly did enjoy the gig a lot. I'm sure Mr Carthy must have matured as an artist somewhat in that time too. I don't think folk is a particularly natural type of music for me to enjoy, but perhaps the very best artists have the ability to override such considerations. I'd really recommend anyone who hasn't seen Martin Carthy before to go to one of his gig's if they get the chance - I will probably go see him again myself if he's ever doing something in my neck of the woods.
The gig was fine by the way - the first for the band in question for a few months, so a bit rusty perhaps, but also that seemed to give things some new life - when doing regular gigs things can get a bit jaded after a while.
I seem to have got myself into another band - the lineup is keyboards, guitar (me), drums, bass guitar. We are doing restaurant gigs (light jazz, dare I say even the dreaded "smooth jazz") but also some pubs. The band want me to use effects, which is a change from what I've usually done before, but interesting. Anyhow, I've just ordered a pedal board - a Palmer Pedalbay 60L to be precise, and I'll be organising that soon (should arrive tomorrow). So I'll be using the board not just for ambient noodling at home, but for gigs also. Best part of £90 though - so much for not spending money...
As long as the gigs pay for the board you come out ahead. You have to speculate to accumulate.
I guess so, that's a good thought to keep in mind, cheers J. Somehow I think I did need a bit of retail therapy also - the GAS builds up over time, and has to be released every so often.
I do like tracking parcels - worth the extra couple of quid for next day delivery just for the fun of this, let alone the advantage of getting the item sooner. My pedalboard is being sent with DPD (bought from "Gear4Music" in York) - DPD seem fine so far. Parcel was picked up from G4M at 17:41, then made it's way to Hinckley (near Leicester) arriving at "hub 4" at 23:01, late yesterday evening. And then it started making it's way back northwards, arriving in the Lincoln depot at 03:32 in the morning. At 08:55 they assigned a delivery time to me (I'm a bit further north-east of Lincoln, in lovely Grimsby) between 16:12 and 17:12. Quite a roundabout route, but of course this is the way these companies have to operate for overall efficiency. I wish it was a bit earlier delivery to me, but considering I ordered the item at 3pm yesterday, I'm just happy I'll get it today, and not after the weekend.
I have a restaurant gig with the new band tomorrow evening, in Lincoln as it happens, so I'll be getting the music for the set-list in order, and making sure I can play something vaguely acceptable for each number.
Waiting for the parcel to arrive - I'm like a coiled spring, ready to leap up the instant I hear the door bell.
...and wouldn't you know it, just before I had chance to click on "submit reply", the bell went - it's here! Pics forthcoming when I've had chance to unpack and check things over.
So - it's here, and it's fine. Palmer is a German brand, and I detect a air of German quality about everything, so that's good. Without further ado, the unboxing pics:
The box did look on the large side - I was thinking maybe I should have gone for the size lower at this point...
The box opens to reveal a well-made, small suitcase sized "soft" carry bag.
Yep, the bag looks good - I would say all the sides have about 5mm of some sort of padding - probably high density foam. In addition there is some sort of flexible but hard board inside the large front and back surfaces. There is a very robust looking shoulder strap, which I've neglected to show very well in the picture. However this attaches with very strong looking metal catches - it looks like it's designed to last.
Inside, there is a bag, with the board inside, but a few other bits:
The underside of the board - each of the bars going across is reinforced with a box section - it all seems very strong, but the board also feels pretty light to pick up. The two feet at the back can be adjusted a bit to alter the angle the board sits at. There is an attachment point near the back for a dedicated power supply (something I may acquire in the not too distant future). The bars going across can be adjusted forward or back if desired - as received they are evenly spaced, which will probably do fine for me.
The board has the loop velcro already attached (they've done a neat job), plus they have supplied about 3.6 metres of the hook velcro to attach to the bottom of pedals - I think this is going to be way more than I will need! A small bag contains some elastic band type things, a bit like a larger version of hair ties, which are intended to hook around a power supply to fix it to the botton of the unit. Also there's a hex key if one wishes to adjust the position of the bars - some reviews I've read said this is made from rather soft metal (at least in early versions of the board), and that this can cause issues with wearing on the screw heads. So if I do any adjusting, I'll probably use my own hex key, and be a bit careful.
My initial setup will probably look something like this. When I look at the board like this, I'm happy that I didn't go for a smaller one - it doesn't seem too huge, and I don't want to be having to cram the pedals together in an un-ergonomic way, which I've seen some people having to do. Plus I've deliberately left just a bit of space to expand - I fancy an expression pedal for the Zoom G3, plus possibly a high-gain type of distortion pedal for sustained singing lead tones. Possibly a tuner pedal as well, and I might think of some other things...
My "German quality" comment may be a bit daft - of course it says "made in PRC" on the sticker on the bottom. Everything like this seems to made in China these days, why would I expect anything else? It does seem well made though, no complaints there.
After the news about VW this week "Made in Germany" has other connotations!.
Well yes, but they still have a reputation for manufacturing quality, even if VW seem to be just as good at fiddling the emissions figures. Anyway, none of that German rubbish for me, I'll stick to good old solid Chinese-made for my gear...
Great stuff Megi. I don't mind a bit of smooth jazz actually. I look forward to hearing you playing in this context - I suspect it'll be superb!
Cheers
Derek
Cheers chaps! Still pleased with the board, although I don't quite have the energy to fit it out with all the pedals and wiring this evening. Thanks for the kind words re the "smooth jazz" venture Derek - it seems a much-maligned genre (at least among some jazz musicians) but I too think some of it's pretty good. I like Chuck Loeb a lot:
Heading out to restaurant in Lincoln shortly for the second gig with the new band. Am taking the Zoom G3 to this one (will just have it sat next to me on top of the amp) to add chorus and the odd bit of subtle delay to a few of the numbers (no raging distortion!). Hopefully we will wow the diners with our sophisticated smooth sounds, or something like that... Wish me luck!
Good luck Megi, sounds like a better night than mine, I'd bought some Sci Fi blurays cheap off ebay & was going to have a few beers & watch them on me new cinema theatre sound system but the Missus has just informed me her mates coming around for a chinwag & boy can she talk lol. I lose the will to live after 10 minutes.
My "German quality" comment may be a bit daft - of course it says "made in PRC" on the sticker on the bottom. Everything like this seems to made in China these days, why would I expect anything else? It does seem well made though, no complaints there.
Palmer seem to manage to have a good solid build on all their gear that I've seen, as you say wherever it's built. I have a Palmer Roots O/D Pedal that is by far the most solidly built of any guitar pedal I've ever had. It also has a solidity and feeling of reliability to its audio aspect that is a refreshing novelty.
Looks like a good choice of pedal board and it's very wise of you to leave room for expansion.
Best of luck Graham. I am sure the punters will be delighted.
Originally Posted by lancpudn:
Good luck Megi, sounds like a better night than mine, I'd bought some Sci Fi blurays cheap off ebay & was going to have a few beers & watch them on me new cinema theatre sound system but the Missus has just informed me her mates coming around for a chinwag & boy can she talk lol. I lose the will to live after 10 minutes.
Thanks for the good luck chaps - it was a successful gig, and the diners in the restaurant did seem to like the music. I think it helped that "live jazz" had been advertised by the restaurant in advance, so hopefully there was no one there who would rather have had no music. We are really trying to keep things hip and fun, rather than just appeal to the jazz purist - going for a younger audience really. An engagement party there had a large table, and got just a bit inebriated, but at least they were enthusiastic. Someone asked if we knew any Eagles songs - "erm, no, sorry we're a jazz band..." - why do you always get bizarre requests like this? Keyboard player had an attractive lady talking to him throughout the evening - why does that never happen to me?
Originally Posted by Mark P:
Originally Posted by Megi:
My "German quality" comment may be a bit daft - of course it says "made in PRC" on the sticker on the bottom. Everything like this seems to made in China these days, why would I expect anything else? It does seem well made though, no complaints there.
Palmer seem to manage to have a good solid build on all their gear that I've seen, as you say wherever it's built. I have a Palmer Roots O/D Pedal that is by far the most solidly built of any guitar pedal I've ever had. It also has a solidity and feeling of reliability to its audio aspect that is a refreshing novelty.
Looks like a good choice of pedal board and it's very wise of you to leave room for expansion.
Good luck with the gig!
Already done the gig Mark, it was last night, but thanks for the retrospective good luck all the same. Still pleased with the board, although when packed into it's bag, it is like a small suitcase. Funnily enough, when on the ground, the board doesn't seem too large at all. Palmer do seem like a good company I agree - I remember you getting that overdrive pedal - rather a nice thing as I recall, with the ability to blend in the clean signal to improve clarity, not to mention a nice and robust design. They don't seem to have a big profile in the UK, but Gear4Music do seem to be selling their pedal line now, as well as the pedal boards, if anyone is looking for a UK seller.
Woke up with some music buzzing around in my head - I think I may have been dreaming with it or something. A piano melody, a bit of muted trumpet or flugelhorn in there, subtle and reflective, rather lovely. I knew I must have listened to it quite a bit, as I'd remembered it vividly, and with a fair bit of detail. But bugger if I couldn't figure out who the artist was. Took me a while going through my cd collection to find out - the fact that the track is not particularly guitar heavy, and with the piano, was a good red herring. But finally got it - it's "Song For Lynette" by Eric Johnson - the melodic part I was remembering comes in from 1.10 on the Youtube vid below:
Never paid this track too much attention before (consciously at least) but isn't it lovely?
The pedalboard project is still ongoing. I now have a dedicated power supply with isolated outputs, installed on the underside to save space, plus I have bought some more bits to put on the board - a Donner "Morpher" distortion (basically a clone of a Suhr Riot), a buffer unit to put at the beginning of the pedal chain, and a new Zoom FP02M expression pedal for the Zoom G3. I really want to get a Zoom MS70CDR as well, as it has a bigger range of modulation/delay/reverb effects than the G3, including some really great reverbs. Am going to spend some time today getting the board set up with the latest bits. I did do one gig with it, and nothing went wrong. Must get a picture of the setup posted soon anyhow, in case anyone's interested.
Comments
Just got offered (and accepted) a gig this Sunday - only thing is the venue is not allowed to use amplification, so it's going to be my trusty Blueridge dreadnought acoustic. Or at least I hope it's trusty - I haven't actually ever done a gig with it before. The other musicians are saxophone and drums, so hope they are able to play not too loud also. I guess it will just be strumming chords all the time pretty much, as the single note soloing isn't going to work with just a drummer for accompaniment. Should be an interesting one anyhow, will see how it goes.
How did the acoustic gig go Megi?
Cheers for asking Terry - OK basically. It was a bit of a tricky one to do without amplification, and as a band we did have to make some adjustment on the day to get an acceptable sound balance. The drummer (who turned out to be a pro, hired by the same agent who hired myself and the sax player) was excellent, and used brushes the whole time, with a very small kit (no floor tom). The sax player used a much softer reed than he normally would. All of this was because the acoustic guitar otherwise just wouldn't have competed volume-wise. As it was, I was playing quite heavily all the time, although I did try to get a bit of variation and light and shade in there as well. For me it was strumming nearly all the time, although just once or twice I was able to play fingerstyle in some softer latin numbers. Playing jazz chords on an acoustic for 2 hours is a good work out for the left hand muscles, I can tell you that! Overall, I think I was lucky to be working with some excellent and intelligent musicians, and together, I reckon we did about the best we could with an unusual situation. Even a bit of subtle amplification would have helped enormously, but it just wasn't possible.
And all that said, it was a private function event, and really we there to provide a bit of background ambiance, and beyond that, I don't think people were actually all that interested in the music. No one complained anyhow!
Sounds like you put in a very professional performance. Well done.
Thanks Jocko!
Sometimes its good to do something a bit different and it sounds like the boy did good. Well done Megi
And thanks Terry! You're right, I think some good experience was gained. We (sax player and me) are hoping the agent gets good reports, and maybe we'll get a few more dates booked through him.
Sounds like you made the best of the situation. Hopefully you had a good time doing it, and if you gained some new experience along the way so much the better. I hope you get some more gigs out of it.
Cheers, Reg.
Sounds like a good gig. Any mobile phone footage?? )
Megi,
Have you been to the Carthy and Swarbrick gig with your dad yet? If so, what was the verdict?
Cheers, Reg.
I knew that's what you'd be asking Reg, and yes, it was last Friday evening. It was a bit of a long evening (they finished playing after 11), since there was a support band (not mentioned in the publicity at all - I wish they wouldn't do that) - I had to be up early the next day, and my dad is not too good with late nights these days. But that aside, it was a good evening, and I was pleased to have seen/heard the Carthy/Swarbrick duo.
My impressions - hard to summerize really - folk really is not quite my "thing" and although I know he's very liberal-minded musically, Martin Carthy is quite a deep and intense folk artist. But in a way, I'd rather have something pure and real like that, rather than some kind of "folk-light" compromise, aimed at pleasing the masses. I cannot but admire Martin Carthy - I honestly feel he is a truely extraordinary artist, one of those very few of the absolute highest level. If he was working in another musical field, he might command much bigger audiences, but it seems folk (like jazz) is a minority thing. But really a privilege to have seen him. What a wonderful accompanist he is also. Dave Swarbrick is wonderful also, and the partnership clearly shows a great empathy. Perhaps unfair of me, but just at times I did feel that Swarbrick is maybe a bit past his absolute best, and that his undeniable musicality was carrying him through. But the music was complex at times (yes folk music can be complex..) and the easy, assured way they handled uneven bar lengths etc. was very impressive.
I could say more, but have to fly out the door shortly, as I have a modest gig of my own to do...
Hi Megi,
Glad you sort of enjoyed it even though it's not really your thing. I agree with you about Swarb, and mentioned that in my review. I think he's just too ill these days to properly recover his old heights. Even so I got the impression he was playing for the pure joy of it rather than just going through the motions to turn a cynical buck based on his name. I can respect that. I was glad to have seen them play together again as it really wouldn't surprise me if I didn't get another opportunity.
I hope your gig went well.
Cheers, Reg.
Hi Megi,
Glad you sort of enjoyed it even though it's not really your thing. I agree with you about Swarb, and mentioned that in my review. I think he's just too ill these days to properly recover his old heights. Even so I got the impression he was playing for the pure joy of it rather than just going through the motions to turn a cynical buck based on his name. I can respect that. I was glad to have seen them play together again as it really wouldn't surprise me if I didn't get another opportunity.
I hope your gig went well.
Cheers, Reg.
Don't get me wrong Reg - I really did think it was bloody good. I think in the 30-something years since I previously saw Martin Carthy, I must have changed a bit, because I certainly did enjoy the gig a lot. I'm sure Mr Carthy must have matured as an artist somewhat in that time too. I don't think folk is a particularly natural type of music for me to enjoy, but perhaps the very best artists have the ability to override such considerations. I'd really recommend anyone who hasn't seen Martin Carthy before to go to one of his gig's if they get the chance - I will probably go see him again myself if he's ever doing something in my neck of the woods.
The gig was fine by the way - the first for the band in question for a few months, so a bit rusty perhaps, but also that seemed to give things some new life - when doing regular gigs things can get a bit jaded after a while.
I seem to have got myself into another band - the lineup is keyboards, guitar (me), drums, bass guitar. We are doing restaurant gigs (light jazz, dare I say even the dreaded "smooth jazz") but also some pubs. The band want me to use effects, which is a change from what I've usually done before, but interesting. Anyhow, I've just ordered a pedal board - a Palmer Pedalbay 60L to be precise, and I'll be organising that soon (should arrive tomorrow). So I'll be using the board not just for ambient noodling at home, but for gigs also. Best part of £90 though - so much for not spending money...
As long as the gigs pay for the board you come out ahead. You have to speculate to accumulate.
As long as the gigs pay for the board you come out ahead. You have to speculate to accumulate.
I guess so, that's a good thought to keep in mind, cheers J. Somehow I think I did need a bit of retail therapy also - the GAS builds up over time, and has to be released every so often.
I do like tracking parcels - worth the extra couple of quid for next day delivery just for the fun of this, let alone the advantage of getting the item sooner. My pedalboard is being sent with DPD (bought from "Gear4Music" in York) - DPD seem fine so far. Parcel was picked up from G4M at 17:41, then made it's way to Hinckley (near Leicester) arriving at "hub 4" at 23:01, late yesterday evening. And then it started making it's way back northwards, arriving in the Lincoln depot at 03:32 in the morning. At 08:55 they assigned a delivery time to me (I'm a bit further north-east of Lincoln, in lovely Grimsby) between 16:12 and 17:12. Quite a roundabout route, but of course this is the way these companies have to operate for overall efficiency. I wish it was a bit earlier delivery to me, but considering I ordered the item at 3pm yesterday, I'm just happy I'll get it today, and not after the weekend.
I have a restaurant gig with the new band tomorrow evening, in Lincoln as it happens, so I'll be getting the music for the set-list in order, and making sure I can play something vaguely acceptable for each number.
Waiting for the parcel to arrive - I'm like a coiled spring, ready to leap up the instant I hear the door bell.
...and wouldn't you know it, just before I had chance to click on "submit reply", the bell went - it's here! Pics forthcoming when I've had chance to unpack and check things over.
So - it's here, and it's fine. Palmer is a German brand, and I detect a air of German quality about everything, so that's good. Without further ado, the unboxing pics:
The box did look on the large side - I was thinking maybe I should have gone for the size lower at this point...
The box opens to reveal a well-made, small suitcase sized "soft" carry bag.
Yep, the bag looks good - I would say all the sides have about 5mm of some sort of padding - probably high density foam. In addition there is some sort of flexible but hard board inside the large front and back surfaces. There is a very robust looking shoulder strap, which I've neglected to show very well in the picture. However this attaches with very strong looking metal catches - it looks like it's designed to last.
Inside, there is a bag, with the board inside, but a few other bits:
The underside of the board - each of the bars going across is reinforced with a box section - it all seems very strong, but the board also feels pretty light to pick up. The two feet at the back can be adjusted a bit to alter the angle the board sits at. There is an attachment point near the back for a dedicated power supply (something I may acquire in the not too distant future). The bars going across can be adjusted forward or back if desired - as received they are evenly spaced, which will probably do fine for me.
The board has the loop velcro already attached (they've done a neat job), plus they have supplied about 3.6 metres of the hook velcro to attach to the bottom of pedals - I think this is going to be way more than I will need! A small bag contains some elastic band type things, a bit like a larger version of hair ties, which are intended to hook around a power supply to fix it to the botton of the unit. Also there's a hex key if one wishes to adjust the position of the bars - some reviews I've read said this is made from rather soft metal (at least in early versions of the board), and that this can cause issues with wearing on the screw heads. So if I do any adjusting, I'll probably use my own hex key, and be a bit careful.
My initial setup will probably look something like this. When I look at the board like this, I'm happy that I didn't go for a smaller one - it doesn't seem too huge, and I don't want to be having to cram the pedals together in an un-ergonomic way, which I've seen some people having to do. Plus I've deliberately left just a bit of space to expand - I fancy an expression pedal for the Zoom G3, plus possibly a high-gain type of distortion pedal for sustained singing lead tones. Possibly a tuner pedal as well, and I might think of some other things...
My "German quality" comment may be a bit daft - of course it says "made in PRC" on the sticker on the bottom. Everything like this seems to made in China these days, why would I expect anything else? It does seem well made though, no complaints there.
Congrats Megi, It looks like a great bit o kit.
Great stuff Megi. I don't mind a bit of smooth jazz actually. I look forward to hearing you playing in this context - I suspect it'll be superb!
Cheers
Derek
After the news about VW this week "Made in Germany" has other connotations!.
After the news about VW this week "Made in Germany" has other connotations!.
Well yes, but they still have a reputation for manufacturing quality, even if VW seem to be just as good at fiddling the emissions figures. Anyway, none of that German rubbish for me, I'll stick to good old solid Chinese-made for my gear...
That must be why the Mercs put on a bad showing at Singapore last week, someone must have fitted the wrong emission chip.
Congrats Megi, It looks like a great bit o kit.
Great stuff Megi. I don't mind a bit of smooth jazz actually. I look forward to hearing you playing in this context - I suspect it'll be superb!
Cheers
Derek
Cheers chaps! Still pleased with the board, although I don't quite have the energy to fit it out with all the pedals and wiring this evening. Thanks for the kind words re the "smooth jazz" venture Derek - it seems a much-maligned genre (at least among some jazz musicians) but I too think some of it's pretty good. I like Chuck Loeb a lot:
Heading out to restaurant in Lincoln shortly for the second gig with the new band. Am taking the Zoom G3 to this one (will just have it sat next to me on top of the amp) to add chorus and the odd bit of subtle delay to a few of the numbers (no raging distortion!). Hopefully we will wow the diners with our sophisticated smooth sounds, or something like that... Wish me luck!
Best of luck Graham. I am sure the punters will be delighted.
Good luck Megi, sounds like a better night than mine, I'd bought some Sci Fi blurays cheap off ebay & was going to have a few beers & watch them on me new cinema theatre sound system but the Missus has just informed me her mates coming around for a chinwag & boy can she talk lol. I lose the will to live after 10 minutes.
My "German quality" comment may be a bit daft - of course it says "made in PRC" on the sticker on the bottom. Everything like this seems to made in China these days, why would I expect anything else? It does seem well made though, no complaints there.
Palmer seem to manage to have a good solid build on all their gear that I've seen, as you say wherever it's built. I have a Palmer Roots O/D Pedal that is by far the most solidly built of any guitar pedal I've ever had. It also has a solidity and feeling of reliability to its audio aspect that is a refreshing novelty.
Looks like a good choice of pedal board and it's very wise of you to leave room for expansion.
Good luck with the gig!
Best of luck Graham. I am sure the punters will be delighted.
Good luck Megi, sounds like a better night than mine, I'd bought some Sci Fi blurays cheap off ebay & was going to have a few beers & watch them on me new cinema theatre sound system but the Missus has just informed me her mates coming around for a chinwag & boy can she talk lol. I lose the will to live after 10 minutes.
Thanks for the good luck chaps - it was a successful gig, and the diners in the restaurant did seem to like the music. I think it helped that "live jazz" had been advertised by the restaurant in advance, so hopefully there was no one there who would rather have had no music. We are really trying to keep things hip and fun, rather than just appeal to the jazz purist - going for a younger audience really. An engagement party there had a large table, and got just a bit inebriated, but at least they were enthusiastic. Someone asked if we knew any Eagles songs - "erm, no, sorry we're a jazz band..." - why do you always get bizarre requests like this? Keyboard player had an attractive lady talking to him throughout the evening - why does that never happen to me?
My "German quality" comment may be a bit daft - of course it says "made in PRC" on the sticker on the bottom. Everything like this seems to made in China these days, why would I expect anything else? It does seem well made though, no complaints there.
Palmer seem to manage to have a good solid build on all their gear that I've seen, as you say wherever it's built. I have a Palmer Roots O/D Pedal that is by far the most solidly built of any guitar pedal I've ever had. It also has a solidity and feeling of reliability to its audio aspect that is a refreshing novelty.
Looks like a good choice of pedal board and it's very wise of you to leave room for expansion.
Good luck with the gig!
Already done the gig Mark, it was last night, but thanks for the retrospective good luck all the same. Still pleased with the board, although when packed into it's bag, it is like a small suitcase. Funnily enough, when on the ground, the board doesn't seem too large at all. Palmer do seem like a good company I agree - I remember you getting that overdrive pedal - rather a nice thing as I recall, with the ability to blend in the clean signal to improve clarity, not to mention a nice and robust design. They don't seem to have a big profile in the UK, but Gear4Music do seem to be selling their pedal line now, as well as the pedal boards, if anyone is looking for a UK seller.
Woke up with some music buzzing around in my head - I think I may have been dreaming with it or something. A piano melody, a bit of muted trumpet or flugelhorn in there, subtle and reflective, rather lovely. I knew I must have listened to it quite a bit, as I'd remembered it vividly, and with a fair bit of detail. But bugger if I couldn't figure out who the artist was. Took me a while going through my cd collection to find out - the fact that the track is not particularly guitar heavy, and with the piano, was a good red herring. But finally got it - it's "Song For Lynette" by Eric Johnson - the melodic part I was remembering comes in from 1.10 on the Youtube vid below:
Never paid this track too much attention before (consciously at least) but isn't it lovely?
The pedalboard project is still ongoing. I now have a dedicated power supply with isolated outputs, installed on the underside to save space, plus I have bought some more bits to put on the board - a Donner "Morpher" distortion (basically a clone of a Suhr Riot), a buffer unit to put at the beginning of the pedal chain, and a new Zoom FP02M expression pedal for the Zoom G3. I really want to get a Zoom MS70CDR as well, as it has a bigger range of modulation/delay/reverb effects than the G3, including some really great reverbs. Am going to spend some time today getting the board set up with the latest bits. I did do one gig with it, and nothing went wrong. Must get a picture of the setup posted soon anyhow, in case anyone's interested.