Blighty.......

The tour ended on a high note with a great show in Amsterdam.......it was a bit strange to be doing an indoor show after being outside for the whole month - you slowly get used to the whole feel of doing the outdoor shows and the difference is huge!........Travelled on the tour bus overnight to the UK, with people being dropped off at various locations on the way, to catch trains, planes and buses home...........arrived back mid morning with just enough time for a quick wash before heading over to rehearsal studio to unload the 40' truck, which was unsurprisingly but irritatingly packed to the roof and to the back doors with other touring equipment added to the usual pack ...which all had to be unloaded! .................a busy couple of days with meetings and site visit to arrange logistics for recording setup as we will shortly be moving everything in to an empty house in the country to continue with recording...................Getting some new Kent Armstrong pickups to try out in Colin's Jazz bass, which needs completely re wiring.............also making a start on servicing and sorting out the large pile of backline!.......The Yamaha U1 piano that has been used on the last few tours and recording will shortly be for sale, I will post this up in a couple of weeks after collecting together info and pics......... plank :-)

Ready ?......

A very busy day after a weeks holiday.......Collecting up and dusting off old keyboards, drum kits and guitars from around the studio and rebuilding some of the touring setup ready for the next session of recording..........we are setting up in a large empty house and today saw the electrics, backup generator and ups power supplies installed, along with cooking equipment and provisions......
the pressure is on as there is still an enormous amount to do this week and as usual at this stage it looks impossible............
Guitar Q's... Thom's Rickenbackers are standard 330's with no mods........... Ed's FC200 is controlling a custom built switching unit linked to the pedal boards and rack............I make the guitar and link cables using angled and straight switchcraft 1/4" jacks and VDC oxygen free instrument cable which works nicely............these jacks are lighter and less bulky than others also putting less strain on pcb mounted sockets..............
pic is of rare and beautiful Palme speaker for the Ondes Martenot....... should have U1 pics and info up next week once we get settled in........tomorrow sees an early start once again, loading trucks and rebuilding the machine.............. :-)

Kitchen Sink......

This week has disappeared so fast !....... very long days setting up - I had forgotten just how much equipment there actually is when we build the studio too! - I guess it is probably near two artics full...........
Many hours spent getting the control and live rooms to feel right , with plenty of building and rebuilding screens and booths and hanging panels in the ceilings............ as we started with an enormous empty building we have needed to get together lighting, furniture, carpets and various drapes and baffles and a thousand other things !!........... not only are the acoustics important, but the overall appearance and feel of the rooms has to be just right...............
Back to it in the morning, starting with piano tuning before it gets too noisy!............rebuilding Ed's rack and a couple of amp repairs - it doesn't seem to matter how careful you are , things will still break...ho hum...........
A few Q's: guitar switch is an Apem 300 series momentary push button, normally on and with gold contacts - Apem are based in the US, link below - if in UK they can be obtained from RS components - I will get stock number in the next day or two............. Main piano has been Yamaha U1, the other piano used for recording is an old Young Chang which was made in Korea with the original Yamaha tooling, the new ones are made in China and are quite different......................
Anyone with a '73 Fender Rhodes that needs servicing / tuning, I have a manual which I can email if needed...............pic is of my twin brothers................plank :-)

» That weblink... http://www.apem.com

Scooby Dooby Doo.......

Back at home for today, catching up on a pile of emails and some sleep !............have been buried deep in Scooby Doo house out in the english countryside with no internet and no telly !, everyone is hard at it, working very long days and sounding great
Q's.... Ed's FC200 controller is running a Switchblade 16 channel programmable router which connects anything to everything else!!...................haven't had time to get pics of the touring / recording Yamaha U1 piano but it is for sale for about £2500, the case has plenty of knocks and scratches but is mechanically sound, having been tuned and serviced continually since new.
re: Fender Rhodes I will email requested manuals asap - I have left my laptop in the studio so it may be a few days....
A good few hours spent in the week replacing broken switch and wiring in Jonny's new Gretsch guitar - a very difficult and slow job as the only way in is through a small hole under pickup, and the switching is weird anyway !..........re: Shredmaster pedal, the replacement switch is original item direct from Marshall, there are tougher switches but they tend to be very noisy.............also the Shredmaster is not run through the overdrive, they are separate ...........Pic is 1971 Telecaster Bass.... :-)

Armitage Shanks interface....

A very slow day today, feeling terrible with monstrous headache........Well, the last four weeks has seen an incredibly busy and productive recording session, we weren't sure whether it would work when we started, as the whole place was falling to bits, with the rooms thick with stale air and water gushing through the roof during stormy weather............
After much effort by all and tons of equipment, we managed to build a nice few rooms inside which made it feel good and it worked !!
It's good being able to actually listen to the songs now - it's not possible on tour as always watching and listening for problems and being prepared to sort them out demands such a different head space, which is a very long way from having a couple of beers at the end of the night and listening.........great !!
Q's..Headrush volume control problem sounds like a broken solder joint on pcb.............replacement shredmaster switches can be obtained direct from Marshall (01908 375411)
When buying switch cleaner, try to get switch cleaner / lubricant mix, as the cleaner on it's own can dry everything out and speed up corrosion, Servisol is good !...........Guitar pickups are standard except:
Ed Clapton strat has Fernandes sustainer on neck and bridge pickups and gold lace sensor in centre
Plank is fitted with Kent Armstrong humbuckers
Thom's hybrid tele 3 has a '57 Gibson PAF in bridge
Tele 2 has Seymour Duncan stacked humbucker in bridge
Fender Jazz bass has Seymour Duncan STR-J1 in neck and bridge..............pic is of secret bookcase door into drum room....... off to make a cup of tea and shake off this headache
ttfn :-)

Gretsch......

Here is a pic of Jonny's Gretsch, a lovely example of a great guitar....... weird switching and very difficult to rewire ... ho ho !