Recent content by Cap'n Redbeard

I met Rod Argent and Collin Blunstone from The Zombies a few years back at a venue in Milwaukee. Super-nice and soft spoken guys. Shook hands, signed my record and had a few laughs. They were going to let me buy them a beer but someone important looking wisked them away to start their show.

I have a small shop with a CNC mill and I'm slowly acquiring other equipment. Been picking up small jobs along the way and now I'm considering offering some products I can market on my own.

Which methods of string spacing do you guys prefer?

...which features would be important to you? Which materials would you use? If you knew someone with a machine shop who could produce a prototype, would you be interested in being a guinea pig?

My first "real" bass rig was a Mark IV with matching 1810 cab that I picked up cheap at a local shop. I never had an issue finding the sound or volume I needed. Nostalgia has lead me to tracking down another old Mark head, this time a III. Even through an 8 ohm cab, I have plenty of volume for...

I've worked in manufacturing and fabrication most of my life. It can be mind numbingly boring and takes its toll on my body. Currently I work for an aircraft manufacturer and have been allowed to stretch my legs a bit working with engineers on prototype projects, designing and building tooling...

The first band I've been with in probably ten years just decided that rehearsing once a week to pin down a set list is too much work. I explained to them that once we have a workable set list rehearsals will be very few and far between. Instead, they just want to host a regular open jam which...

As far as mileage, I don't really know. I've had bikes with 10k miles that were a pain in the butt, and bikes with 50k that never needed a thing. So, ultimately I let the general condition of the bike determine whether it's a go or not. If a bike has high mileage but is still in excellent...

I like the old Yamaha Virago 750 and 1100. Not a ton of power but comfy with two people, reliable and cheap. Ditto for Honda Shadow, Suzuki Intruder, Kawasaki Vulcan, Yamaha V-Star... As far as what to look for, most obvious things: brakes, tires, fork seals, oil leaks, etc. Anything else would...

I play mostly small bar gigs with a Little Mark 250 and a 4 ohm Traveler 210, no PA support. My main bass is a passive P (Roger Waters Sig) With preamp set just below clipping, Master is usually around 11 o'clock. Bigger rooms push it up to noon or so. It's starts hitting the limiter hard at...

Markbass Blackline 250. On sale now at GC for $260. I love mine and I just played a show through a 4 ohm 2x10 unmiked and rocked the place

Birth certificate says 1981.

That about sums it up for me.

I'm 34 and have been playing since age 12. I believe I've put in plenty of practice time. I can hop on stage and play 30 wrong notes to arrive at 10 right ones too. I choose not to.

I met my wife on Plenty of Fish... Had to weed through some BS and one nighters but we found each other. The more people you meet, the more likely you are to find "the one".