mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Sept 21, 2023 10:30:13 GMT
I'd never really heard much of him until a few weeks ago when I caught his set at Greenbelt. I was walking past the main stage where he was playing on my way to hear someone else, and I ended up standing there for the rest of his set. He did say that he's had to adapt his playing in recent years because of arthritis - you would never have known it from listening to him, but he said that he's rearranged some of his earlier songs to make them more playable for him now. All I can say is that I wish I could play like that without arthritis.
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Aug 12, 2023 14:47:13 GMT
I've used a mic in a couple of different settings. When I was accompanying a cello player with an audience listening quietly, it worked well (I don't know what kind of mic that one was). It was less successful when I tried it with a few other musicians and an audience that was singing along. It's definitely better suited to situations where you're not competing with other instruments or much background noise. But I also agree with a few others that there's a big difference between sitting and standing. I mostly play standing and I like to be able to move around a bit, but even if you're trying to stand still it's surprisingly hard to keep the guitar position consistent. I think if I was a sound engineer in that situation I'd want to nail the guitarist's shoes to the floor...
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Jun 22, 2023 13:07:40 GMT
I'm surprised no one said piano. So I'll say it. Played well it's just lovely. I love the piano but when I tried learning I just didn't connect with it. I eventually realised that I wanted to listen to other people play it much more than I wanted to play it myself. The instrument I wish I could play is the double bass. I play bass guitar, but there's something different about the double bass, especially when it's in a jazz rhythm section with someone who can really play.
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on May 11, 2023 12:23:09 GMT
Brilliant - thanks, Keith!
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on May 11, 2023 11:06:18 GMT
Hi all,
I'm looking for a bit of advice on using an external power supply for a phantom-powered acoustic pre-amp. I usually play all of my acoustic instruments through an Orchid pre-amp, which will only run on phantom power. This hasn't been a problem before, but I'm now starting to play a bit in a venue that doesn't have a PA with phantom power. I want to keep using the Orchid and so I'm looking at some external phantom power supplies that I can run off mains electricity.
Does anyone have experience with any of these? I basically just want something reliable and quiet. Any recommendations?
Thanks, Simon
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Post by mandovark on Apr 6, 2023 12:51:34 GMT
A friend who also happens to be a professional jazz guitarist let me try out a couple of his Dugain picks recently. They're much thicker than I've used before - from a look round online, they seem to range between 2.5 and 5mm. I was genuinely amazed at how good they sounded, for single notes especially but they worked far better for strumming than I would have imagined. I'm thinking of investing in a couple of them, but unfortunately after looking at the prices I think 'investing' is probably the right word
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Post by mandovark on Apr 6, 2023 12:46:45 GMT
The choice of "plectra" is as personal as underpants True, though as a general rule I've found that my friends are more willing to let me try out their plectra.
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Post by mandovark on Feb 7, 2023 11:47:24 GMT
Mostly my ones that got away were instruments that I either didn't or couldn't afford to buy at the time I found them. But just recently I've been thinking about a Moon 10-string bouzouki that I had for a couple of years in the mid-2000s. At the time I was really looking for something more suited to rhythm playing, which the Moon very much wasn't, and I ended up selling it to raise money for my Oddy cello-mandolin. I have no regrets about buying the Oddy, but occasionally I do miss the sweetness and delicacy of the Moon. It would never have worked in a loud ceilidh band, which I was playing in at the time, but it was a really nice instrument to relax with.
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Post by mandovark on Jan 27, 2023 14:06:39 GMT
I like guitars with cutaways because I play a bit of slide and I like to be able to get to the higher frets, ideally to about the 17th.
In terms of aesthetics, I think cutaways are like most other parts of guitar design in that they can be done well and they can be done badly. The possible issue with cutaways is that the aesthetics can have an impact on the practical uses. If you plan to make use of the higher frets, you do need to think about how deep you need the cutaway to be and where your hand would need to be (different if you're playing slide rather than fretting). No point having a nice cutaway if you still have something around the neck join and heel that's going to get in your way.
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Post by mandovark on Nov 16, 2022 13:47:51 GMT
So I had a Marshall AS50D, which was perfectly fine if you don't have to carry it too far, and filled a reasonable sized pub room with as much volume as you would need. I've had a Marshall AS50D for years, and I agree with this. It's a perfectly decent amp for home playing or if you need some extra volume for a gig. I mainly used mine playing rhythm in a ceilidh band where I needed to be heard behind a lot of fiddle players, and it was fine for that.
I think the main downside to the Marshall is that it's a bit limited in the way of EQ options and it doesn't have phantom power for an external preamp. If you have something else to do the EQ (or you're happy with the basic bass and treble dials) it's fine, but there are better options out there if you want more subtle EQ controls on the amp itself.
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Post by mandovark on Nov 7, 2022 20:28:45 GMT
I don't know if it's a dream guitar exactly, but I do have a "one that got away". When I worked in Manchester around 2008 there was an Australian guy named Daniel Hoban working in Hobgoblin. He was just starting out as a luthier and I got to play one of his guitars. It was only about the third or fourth guitar he'd made, a mini-jumbo (he said it was very loosely based on a Martin M) in sitka and Queensland maple. It was really impressive - he was definitely onto something with the design. I know he's building in Australia now and I've seen the occasional picture of his guitars online, but I've never seen another in the UK. I'd love to play one of his more recent builds.
The guitar I tried was for sale, but money was tight at the time so I had to pass on it. I do that regret that.
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Post by mandovark on Jul 6, 2022 16:20:09 GMT
Just to throw something else into the mix, I think that body shape and size are at least as important as scale length. I've had a Moon bouzouki with a smallish, thin body that had a really sweet tone but didn't have much bass for rhythm playing. I currently have an Oddy "cello-mandolin" - technically a short-scale bouzouki with a bigger, almond-shaped body - and it's an absolute rhythm cannon. Comparing the two is like comparing a parlour guitar with a dreanought - technically the same instrument, and they might even have the same scale length, but a very different experience to play.
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Post by mandovark on Apr 6, 2022 13:09:06 GMT
And of course I now have a 'spare' 3-er which, you never know, might just get filled ..... Don't think of it as an empty stand. Think of it as a challenge
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Post by mandovark on Mar 3, 2022 14:59:02 GMT
Just here to add one more to the general chorus of praise for the rosette Looking forward to seeing this take shape.
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Post by mandovark on Jan 21, 2022 17:14:55 GMT
I saw him live around the time that Bat Out of Hell 2 came out. No question the man could put on a show. Totally over the top, but it worked because you always felt like he knew it was bonkers and was just having a great time doing it. RIP.
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