mark555's Blog

I applaud you for keeping your cool and letting it settle down.

Thanks for sharing your band adventures. I have never played in

one and it's fun to hear your experience.

You would look good with this one on stage!

Thanks for the kind comments, as for guitars, I have always been drawn to the cool looking sparkle stuff, but getting sparkle and quality is not always easy... \i don't know if you have played a Duesenberg, but they are excellent. I am generally drawn to anything bright and shiny.

Yes, your patience is something I envy. I probably would have been more direct and made the situation worse. But the "playing" members of the band should all have an equal vote on band matters (not wives or girlfriends). It is really petty and selfish of the band member (with the wife) to back out of a gig when he agreed to do it. If the band says "yes" that should be the end of it.

I can also speak from experience, that there are no amiable separations from a band. Leaving members will hold a grudge and say, "Let's keep in touch" but like when your girlfriend breaks up with you and says, "Let's still be friends" both parties know you will never speak again.

I guess the moral of the story is; at all costs try to work it out before leaving because it will be hard (if not impossible) to restore what you once had.

 

FWIW, I LOVE my Gretsch Penguin. I had a couple hollowbody Gretsch guitars, but the feedback was a real problem with stage volume so I sold/traded them. I would go with a solidbody or semi-hollow for more flexibility and an actual usable guitar on stage. That Duesenberg is HOT!!!

Thanks for the comments John, the Duesenberg is a semi solid in the same way a 535 is. the trem on the Duesenberg is without doubt the best trem I have ever used and is beautifully engineered. The gretsche would be purely for pleasure but I would really use the Duesenberg. Many players will not consider them because for a guitar that is not American, they are not cheap guitars - something like the blue one is about £1600 over here. But the equal Gibson easily and play and sound fabulous. If I come across one at the right price and I have some gig money saved up (I always save gig money) I just might get one. The more I look at it the more I want it !

Interesting blog post, I agree band members should be the only ones involved.

 

wives/girlfriends etc can unnecessarily complicate things

 

but I don't understand...to resolve the situation, you did nothing? and it went away?

I had, on the evening concerned told Carole to be quiet as I was trying to really get us in with this venue for repeat bookings, having had too much alcohol she was very agitated and said she didn't care about the fee's, to which I replied that I did and that she should be quiet and not cause any trouble. At the next couple of gigs she was quietly difficult to be around and also she was sending me some stupid e mails. I think that because of a few weeks off gigs (about a month) both her and her husband perhaps thought about things and didn't push it any more and were fine with me the next time we all met. So, I did get the result I wanted, but I became so close to quitting, it was by a thread.

ah, got it, thanks!