Why it's all worth it...

Reading back over the whingeing I've done here and I'd imagine anyone who reads this is wondering why I bother at all, given how rotten a time of it I seem to have. I guess generally it's just easier to put the downside into words, but I'll try and explain here why we carry on regardless.

We had a gig at an Estate pub on Saturday & walking in I figured it might be a tough crowd. We'd picked up the cancellation from a heavy rock covers band (Whitesnake, Deep Purple, that kind of stuff) but the first couple of numbers went down well and we found our swing. It never seemed like we had the crowd 100% - the applause was thin on the ground for at least a few songs each set and I felt like I was working hard to keep them, but then when we finished there were at least 6 or 7 people who came to tell us how much we'd enjoyed it and ask when we were next playing. The next day after about three hours sleep, I wander around Birmingham with a spring in my step and an optimistic view of the world.

Alternatively on Tuesday we did a support slot at the students union. Now it is hand in week & the headline band were a zombie-techno-metal combo that didn't seem the most natural fit with our stuff, and we largely played to an empty room while the crowd watched the football in the bar next door. However when we hit a groove it can almost not matter what the crowd are doing as long as we can feel the vibe off each other and we played solidly and had fun in spite of all that.

So I suppose it really just comes down to loving every second...even on the rubbish gigs...

Guitar Troubles

So my dirt cheap, but generally pretty trusty chinese resonator (seen on the left in the picture) started to stutter and crackle on Saturday. I went in to my local guitar shop Monday and there was no sign of the crackle so was told there was nothing wrong, but I noticed at rehearsal last night that the neck pickup isn't picking up the top two strings.

Just phoned a better regarded guitar tech and he suggested a rewind or a new pickup and probably not a rewind on a guitar so cheap. Which means £100 on a pickup that's probably worth more than the guitar. Alternatively i could start shopping for another guitar...or I'm considering getting a pickup put on my better quality steel resonator.

Meanwhile in all the listening extra carefully to try and diagnose the problem I've noticed my amp has a new faintly metallic rattle (re-tube time?)

Also have a gig Saturday, so will be sliding on the Yamaha Pacifica, for all it's thin tone.