# Fender Strats



## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Seems to be a few guitar players on the forum.

I personally love strats, and have played them for years. I don't think that there is a lot of other guitars that are as versatile or easy to play. However, like watches, this is a subject that can polarise opinion.


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## philjopa (May 18, 2005)

mrteatime said:


> Seems to be a few guitar players on the forum.
> 
> I personally love strats, and have played them for years. I don't think that there is a lot of other guitars that are as versatile or easy to play. However, like watches, this is a subject that can polarise opinion.


Used to own a 1963 pre CBS strat when I was a kid. Paid about Â£300 for it back in the mid 70's. I had to work the entire summer of my school holidays to buy it but it was well worth it. It got well used and abused in a band that I was in (Sephira). I used to love the sound you got when you jammed the toggle switch in between the rear and middle pu's for that sort of out of phase sound. Played through a couple of Marshall 100w valve tops and 2 4x12 cabs, a Boss overdrive and a Vox echo pedal.

Over the years the trem seized up and the coils went in a couple of the pu's. I couldn't afford to get it repaired at the time and so I sold it for about Â£250. Wonder what it would be worth now if it was in working order?


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

I have been "learning" the guitar since 1960, when at school, I built my first electric from whatever timber I could scrounge, I also built the first of many valve amps...how we didnt electrocute ourselves is a minor miracle, valve amp production was a "good little earner" for me.

I now have a 1992 Strat in Sunburst (real USA strat, not mexican or japanese!) and a late 1960s Commodore semi-solid.

My guitars have gotten better...my playing not much better than 1960!

I,m not pedantic about Fenders, I just prefer them, although I could be tempted by a nice Gibson Les Paul, even a good copy!

Roger


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## makky (Jul 14, 2004)

I'd only ever play a Les Paul. It's the richness/creaminess of the sound. I learnt on one and I'm a Peter Green / Gary Moore junky.

When you get used to the weight, a Strat feels like a lightweight plank.

The only thing missing is that "bell" like sound that cuts through the mix you get with a Strat.


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

Stevie Ray Vaughan

and

Richie Blackmore.

Need I say more in support of strats.









Alasdair


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

I have no musical talent but I'll go along with Eric Clapton's choice of instrument maker. Always sounded good to me.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Love mine but I basically love guitars, as Roger I am not very good and haven't improved much either but that doesn't stop me









Worryingly I'm seriously thinking of losing 1 or 2 strings! Have we got any banjo / uke players on here, would love some advice?


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

After a good few years playing a strat i finally purchased a musicman axis. Sounds sweet. Never used a marshall, never liked the "british" sound. Used a Fender twin, bit just recently picked up a boogie f30 second hand.

Fave Strat players....

Gilmour

Knobfler



Roger said:


> I have been "learning" the guitar since 1960, when at school, I built my first electric from whatever timber I could scrounge, I also built the first of many valve amps...how we didnt electrocute ourselves is a minor miracle, valve amp production was a "good little earner" for me.
> 
> I now have a 1992 Strat in Sunburst (real USA strat, not mexican or japanese!) and a late 1960s Commodore semi-solid.
> 
> ...


Tokia's are quality, better made then the real thing...pick up some bargains on the bay


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## AlexR (May 11, 2003)

Strats,hmmm,hate em














Only Hendrix and Gilmor have ever made a Strat sound decent.Look at Clapton,one of the coolest axe players ever until he stopped playing a Gibson and picked up a Fender














I am Gibson through and through.The Telecaster is not half bad though.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

AlexR said:


> Strats,hmmm,hate em
> 
> 
> 
> ...


wonderful tonight, layla, both used and recorded with a strat. Your right about the hum, however set of noiseless coils (such as kinnman) would sort it.







The neck pick up is what relly makes them sing









Here's a few of my faves

David Gilmour

Edward Van Halen

Reeve Gabrels

Mark Knobfler

Joe Satriani


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## Mothman (Oct 11, 2005)

Most of the Strat players already mentioned would also be on my list, but as you will have gathered from the other thread, for me Rory Gallagher was greatest ever exponent of the Strat. Though all guitars should of course bow down to BM's 'Red Special'







I should add however that I couldn't play a note myself if my life depended on it









Rich


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## AlexR (May 11, 2003)

mrteatime said:


> AlexR said:
> 
> 
> > Strats,hmmm,hate em
> ...


I rest my case














Clapton in Cream was his best stuff,IMO.His Armani suit stuff does not grab me at all







Eddie VH,swapped out his pickups for humbuckers,at least the bridge one,so it sounded more like a Gibson.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Mothman said:


> Most of the Strat players already mentioned would also be on my list, but as you will have gathered from the other thread, for me Rory Gallagher was greatest ever exponent of the Strat. Though all guitars should of course bow down to BM's 'Red Special'
> 
> 
> 
> ...


aaahhhhhh not the red special!!!!







Rory was a genius with a strat, But Brian May and that...thing!

There is a signiture model that i tried some time ago and it was the worst thing i have ever played. Granted, he did coax some wonderful sounds from that thing, however, live its sounds awful. Why he still uses an old six pence piece as a pick i'll never know. Sounds AWFUL.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

AlexR said:


> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> > AlexR said:
> ...


i stand corrected about evh swapping his pickups! h: And clapton in his cream days far outshone anything else that he did post cream. Oh and by the way, did you know that he uses a stacked single coil at the bridge? This aside, im not really a clapton fan (!)

How about this guy then... Matt Bellamy from Muse...........


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## Mothman (Oct 11, 2005)

mrteatime said:


> Mothman said:
> 
> 
> > Most of the Strat players already mentioned would also be on my list, but as you will have gathered from the other thread, for me Rory Gallagher was greatest ever exponent of the Strat. Though all guitars should of course bow down to BM's 'Red Special'
> ...


No polarizing of opinions yet then









Rich


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## hotmog (Feb 4, 2006)

mrteatime said:


> And clapton in his cream days far outshone anything else that he did post cream. Oh and by the way, did you know that he uses a stacked single coil at the bridge? This aside, im not really a clapton fan (!)


Not forgetting also his time with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers  I still play my (mono) Beano album regularly. If he'd used a strat on that it just wouldn't have grabbed you by the guts in the same way.


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Mothman said:


> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> > Mothman said:
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no!


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

This is very subjective and personal and I have no particular preference, both strats and les pauls seem suited to particular types of music and have an individual sound.

I opted for a japanese strat, as I thought it had a more mellow and pleasing sound on the neck and middle pickups than the usa one. However, I still own a les paul and a les paul custom (lg with 3 pickups) and use them all. I find the les paul is best for balls out rock, but the strat is definately the most universal guitar of all.

As I said, the sounds are very different. No matter how much you change your amp or fx settings, Oasis sounds crap on a strat and likewise, playing sultans of swing on a les paul just does not sound right.

My fave strat players...

Gilmour

Blackmoor


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Garry said:


> This is very subjective and personal and I have no particular preference, both strats and les pauls seem suited to particular types of music and have an individual sound.
> 
> I opted for a japanese strat, as I thought it had a more mellow and pleasing sound on the neck and middle pickups than the usa one. However, I still own a les paul and a les paul custom (lg with 3 pickups) and use them all. I find the les paul is best for balls out rock, but the strat is definately the most universal guitar of all.
> 
> ...


right on the button!


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## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

I've never been fortunate enough to own a Strat, but I do have an 82 Tokai (copy of a 52 Strat). I also have a Gordon Smith GS1, G&L ASAT Classic (Tele but better) and a Shine double humbucker semi (can't remember it's model name).

I love them all as they all have a unique voice and completely different neck feel. But the one I always go back to in the Tokai, for sheer range of tonality it can't be beaten and yet it is always identifiable, no matter how distorted and despite my attempts at playing. It also always cuts through a mix even on the neck pick-up with the tone rolled back.

As stated before it's entirely subjective and bear in mind that these are my observations based on a Strat copy.

Cheers

Gary


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## AlexR (May 11, 2003)

Gordon Smith makes some stonking axes,very good vfm









I forgot to add in an earlier post.When people say I got a real strat a US one







Have these people ever played a Japanese Strat?As most things Japanese,they are superb,and the Mex ones are built about a hundred miles across the border from Fender US.Not that much different


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## Regal325 (Aug 5, 2005)

> Have these people ever played a Japanese Strat?As most things Japanese,they are superb,and the Mex ones are built about a hundred miles across the border from Fender US.Not that much different


MMMM well if you couldnt tell the difference in the action of a Â£99 mex strat ( AKA Squier et al) and a real one.....maybe a saxaphone might be a good buy?


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## Regal325 (Aug 5, 2005)

each to his own I guess on reflection


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> Not that much different


The comment was mine and was intended to point out that the vast majority of Mexican offerings are not Fenders, and those that are are resemble their ancestors in shape and colour only. They are built to a price such that Argos, Woolworths et al, can offer an instrument and a usuable practice amp for Â£99.

The difference is like chalk and cheese.......Pick up a Â£99 Mex strat, play a few riffs, the pick up a real Fender and do exactly the same...if you can't tell the difference, I will be amazed. Look below the surface and you will find the operation of the machine heads, the truss rod, the tremelo, the switchgear all tell you they are price-led. Go into any music shop, go to the budget selection, pick up a cross section and sight the necks...some are more bent than many politicians! bad storage? possibly....more likely a nonexistant or ineffective truss rod.

Dont get me wrong...not all replica copies are bad...someone earlier pointed me in the direction of a certain LesPaul replica, which I have taken note of.

I would certainly like one.

As for sound??? well...harder to say...electronics, amp design make it difficult to say for certain. Some like the harder Marshal type sound...this certainly used to be a result of "hard cross-over distortion", which put simply is a result of 2 or 4 or more output transistors operated in push-pull mode.The distortion occuring where one half of the pair handles the negative portion of the signal and the other half, the positive...usually the cross-over point is slightly mismatched. Some folk like this...

My preference is for the Strat/AC30 valve sound because it is more relevant to the music I like.

Copies are a lot like replica watches....they work and look the part, but the buyer (usually) and the informed observer know the score.

Roger


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## AlexR (May 11, 2003)

No offence meant Roger.

Â£99 for a Mex strat,show me where and I will buy a load







That money will not buy you an squire Korean made strat.

A Mex is about Â£300,Japanese Â£450,US Well I can get em for Â£550,in case 

I have many copies of guitar mag reviews and it seems the Cheaper strats can sometimes get better reviews that their more expensive cousins.I don't want to get into a slag off Fender thing,but they own a couple of Major guitar companies as well,and the quality of these guitars has gone down since the take over









US guitars aint what they used to be at all


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Roger, this



> Copies are a lot like replica watches....they work and look the part, but the buyer (usually) and the informed observer know the score.


 Is the most accurate thing Ive read in ages


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> US guitars aint what they used to be at all


Alex, could well be.....I bought mine in 1992, so I bow to your more recent experience...hope it 'taint so!

Jase,

Thanks mate









Roger


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

AlexR said:


> Gordon Smith makes some stonking axes,very good vfm
> 
> 
> 
> ...


mine's a mid 90's jap strat, red, maple neck...its the best i've played. Actually better then any american that i've played!


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

AlexR said:


> No offence meant Roger.
> 
> Â£99 for a Mex strat,show me where and I will buy a load
> 
> ...


i think that roger meant the sqire "affinity" guitars. to be fair, they aint bad for the price. need to back off the treble, or even better replace the pick ups (plenty available cheaply)

as someone mentiioned earlier, a good guitar thru a bad amp is just as bad as a bad guitar thru a good amp.

As for Jap/usa/mex strats...the quality of the mex and jap (if you can get them) has been getting better and better, whilst the usa have been slowly getting worse.

Or get a Tokia...quality is even better!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

mrteatime said:


> Or get a Tokia...quality is even better!


Are you knowledegable about Tokai's?

I've had my flying Vee for 15 years or so and it was 2nd hand when I got it, I don't really know much about it (or Tokai) apart from it's a cracking guitar to play (as long as your standing with it on a strap, it's a pain when sitting as it keeps falling off your leg!).


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## Garry (Feb 25, 2003)

Some of the Tokai's were top class and can now command very good money.

I use a Jap strat, metallic red with a maple neck, one of the best guitars I've owned and I'd never sell it. It was about Â£150 cheaper than the USA ones, but I thought it had a nicer, less harsh sound.

I had a genuine les paul in wine red back in '82, sold it to buy a car. About 5 years ago, I decided I wanted another les paul. I went to the local guitar shop and tried a Gibson les paul alongside an Epiphone les paul in a soundproofed room. The only difference I could find, was the Gibson had better sustain than the Epiphone - this is easily cured by replacing the pickups in the Epiphone with some super distortions or some seymour duncans. The actual finish on the Epiphone was better than the Gibsons, I kid you not.

I agree that the latest USA strats are not what they used to be, but neither are the les pauls.........


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Garry said:


> Some of the Tokai's were top class and can now command very good money.
> 
> I use a Jap strat, metallic red with a maple neck, one of the best guitars I've owned and I'd never sell it. It was about Â£150 cheaper than the USA ones, but I thought it had a nicer, less harsh sound.
> 
> ...


very true...a friend has done the same. Saved Â£500 by buying an epiphone and bought a set of new gibson humbuckers..... a saving of Â£250. Now if he would just invest the money in a decent watch...he has a kluas kobek from bid tv aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh



pg tips said:


> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> > Or get a Tokia...quality is even better!
> ...


might be worth something??? there was an article on tokia's in guitarist magazine about 6 months ago. A funny point about tokia's.... James Dean Bradfield from the manic street preachers is a massive Gibson fan, and on the new album uses a vintage flying vee on lifeblood. whats intersting is that on the zane lowe show on mtv2 he was using a white tokia! Other noticable users are Stevie Ray Vaughn (he was on the front cover of tokia's catologue in 1983 (if you have texas flood, on some early pressings you can see the tokia logo on his white "Strat") Another suprising user is Billy gibbons of zz top, who used a tokia with the headstock covered in gaffer tape so not to upset the bosses at gibson. I kid you not!!!!

i would just like to add that I do not work for Tokia!!!!!!


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

Did some one mention Epiphone LP.

Here's Alex R's old guitar and my Son.










Now where did I put my earplugs
















Mike


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

pg tips said:


> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> > Or get a Tokia...quality is even better!
> ...


sorry, didn't answer your question....could be worth a bit. They can be highly sought after, especially some of the early start copies, owing to fender making some really quite awful guitars at that time. Tokia, were the first to start the whole vintage "thing" up, as more and more guitarists of the 70's realised that strats of that time were rubbish, and were starting to use the "pre cbs" models (or the ones with the smaller headstocks) They were called "springysound" with the tokia logo done in the same stringy writing as a fender, so from a distance they looked like the real thing. They had to stop using that logo some time ago, so yours looks like it could be a "vintage" tokia. I will try to dig out the mag where the article was because im sure that there was a link to a website dealing with them. I'll let you know mate!











MIKE said:


> Did some one mention Epiphone LP.
> 
> Here's Alex R's old guitar and my Son.
> 
> ...


quality looking guitar mate


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## Regal325 (Aug 5, 2005)

> mine's a mid 90's jap strat, red, maple neck...its the best i've played. Actually better then any american that i've played!


Rogers comment about replicas is very true.....however good they are, its still not what it pretends to be.

Give me the real thing anyday


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> however good they are, its still not what it pretends to be.


Well, just enjoy it.....plenty of folk actually collect replicas/copies.

Not my own taste,.......you pays yer money..........etc

Roger


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## mrteatime (Oct 25, 2006)

Roger said:


> > however good they are, its still not what it pretends to be.
> 
> 
> Well, just enjoy it.....plenty of folk actually collect replicas/copies.
> ...


those cheap squire's aint to bad







just had a bit of a blast earlier today and it wasn't to bad. Admittedly, it had had a pro set up, and the intonation was spot on, and it kept in tune. It was a little harsh through the little practice amp, but through a boogie, it didnt sound at all bad! It wasn't quite "close your eyes and you can't tell the difference" good, but for Â£149 (with the amp) you can't go wrong.


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## djacks42 (Nov 21, 2005)

As mentioned earlier, Gordon Smith are excellent vfm - I play a GS-1 (in the one true colour - black of course  ).


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## Steve264 (May 29, 2006)

I love the sound of a Strat on the neck pickup for atmospheric lead sound. And obviously the "fourth" position between middle and bridge for solo lead squiggling.

I used to have a fine 60s sunburst, but sold it in a stupid moment years ago.

My favourite guitar was a 1970 Telecaster played through my valve AC30 (I used to use a little patch cable to bridge the normal and bright channels so I had quite a toppy, distorted sound coming through with a bit of phasing).

These days I'm a bedroom rocker, use a practice amp (usually on headphones







) with my Zoom707 fx pedal to approximate a "proper" sound. I suspect it's irrelevant in sound terms what you play through that. I do wish I had the feel of a real strat rather than my current cheapo copy, though.

I only ever play the same half dozen chord patterns anyway


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

Thought it might be fun to revive one of mrteatime's old threads while he's moving house. 

I've had a '72 Strat since my teen years. It's fitted with a Seymore Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge position, with a push/pull knob replacing the lower tone knob for swapping between single coil/humbucker. I also installed an odd locknut tremelo system stamped "Floyd Rose Patents", though I don't think it's true Floyd Rose.










If I had to, I could restore it back to it's original configuration, but I love it as is.


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## Agent orange (Feb 11, 2006)

mrteatime said:


> Tokia's are quality, better made then the real thing...pick up some bargains on the bay :rockon:


I'll go along with that. I've got an 82 Springy Sound, basically a '52 Strat hommage. Great guitar and far, far better than the rubbish CBS were producing at the time. Rumour has it that Stevie Ray Vaughan a Tokai on 1983's Texas Flood and not a Strat at all. The Tokai headstock labeling was removed before the album covers were printed. However, the giant pre-release music store posters plainly displayed the Tokai headstock labeling.

I've got four electrics at the mo, thr Springy Sound, a Gordon Smith GS-1 (fantastic Gibson Les Paul Junior alike but again far better made and much more versatile), a Cort M600 and a Shine semi. The Tokai is probably the most versatile for sound but the GS-1 has the best neck of any guitar I've ever played, wide, flat and fast basically.

Cheers,

Gary


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

MIKE said:


> Did some one mention Epiphone LP.
> 
> Here's Alex R's old guitar and my Son.
> 
> ...


Well revived  And some two years on my son has not had his hair cut 



















In fact it a bit longer as these are few months old h34r:

Mike


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## bunchie32 (Jun 27, 2008)

here's a few shots from our recent studio session.....

steve, rhythm guitar, les paul std



















dan, lead, vintage les paul custom


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

I may as well re post the pic, still got them both.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

*WAS* a Gibson aficionado myself - SG 330 TD Sunburst. Played itself almost, beautiful action. Selmer amps in those (olden) days, the "Treble and Bass" series. A whole 100 watts -we knew it was loud! :lol: (SNIFF - Harumph - all before you whippersnappers time I suspect :yes: )

I remember - - - The Quarrymen who became The Silver Beatles (five of them) who became of course The Beatles. Playing the Star Club, top of the bill was a piano player called Ray Charles, we did the crap shows at the bottom of the bill. Getting paid a fortune (Â£15.00) to play rythym guitar on Johnnie Duncan's "Last Train to San Fernando" in a basement studio off Wardour Street, London. Playing the Top Ten Club in Germany as well, big time, third top of four bands on the bill WOW! Going into Polydor studios in Germany and thinking this is BIG! Coming out with about the same in marks as I got for the Johnnie Duncan tracks. :blink:

Ending up back in the smoke in "Hair" the musical at the Shaftesbury, playing in the band there along with Alex Harvey - well we all needed steady money for a while.

It was fun, but a real career it surely wasn't.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

And I meant to add - if I had ten percent of all the money I never got - the gigs where the promoter F8~ked off with the dosh before we finished playing, and the agents who shafted us - yeah, that gig'll pay you Â£250, and the booker/hall manager/owner complains at paying Â£400 for a band! I'd be a happy man. :yes:

Bought a leather jacket for Â£150, sold it two months later for Â£20 to get petrol money home from one of those promoter run-offs gigs. Glamorous world Rock 'n Roll 'n Music! :blink:

Mind you, would I have changed much? not really - University of Life - if I'd known then what I know now - wouldn't have been ripped off so much. :lol:


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## SuperBrother (Jun 1, 2008)

Amazing Mel, simply amazing.

Along similar lines my (much older) cousin used to do security for the Birmingham Odeon on New Street when it was a music venue. One night she worked security for a gig by "some bloke called Hendrix or something"!!! :shocking:

I dabble in guitars too albeit playing to a very shoddy standard. I've currently got a Mex Fender Tele standard but I did have a '76 USA Strat a few years back which I sold in a fit of madness, I'd love to have that back.............. :crybaby:


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## squareleg (Mar 6, 2008)

Nice one, Mel - playing on the same bill as Ray Charles. That's a little bit of Pop history, that is.

Had a similar experience playing North London Polytechnic in the early 80's. We were support band to John Martyn (he of the gangrenous leg) and that was nice enough because he's always been something of a hero. But this was a particularly good gig because Phil Collins was drumming for him that night. Got to do the whole soundcheck thing with him and chat and have beers and whatever, before and after.

But I have another nice story.

When we were in our late teens and just starting out, we became good friends with Manfred Mann's Earthband - in particular with Chris Thompson, their singer at the time (remember "Blinded By The Light" and "Davey's On The Road Again"?). Chris was just about to leave the band, in order to form a new band with his wife*, so Manfred was looking for a new singer. One day we travelled with them down to Brighton, where they were playing the Pavilion to promote their new album, 'Angel Station'. In Brighton we were introduced to this guy who they reckoned had a decent enough voice and may fit the bill. None of the Manfreds knew this guy very well, so they asked us to take him out for a beer while they were setting up and, well, look after him and get to know him a bit. The guy was very nervous and asked us lots of questions about the band and told us a bit about himself. It turned out that he was Canadian and had been the singer in a band called 'Clover'. We spent the afternoon with him, and the gig, and had dinner with all of them, and he seemed to get along fine with everyone.

Several months later we knew the guy hadn't got the job because we recognised him on Top Of The Pops, singing for another band. The band's name? Huey Lewis And The News.

* Chris' wife, Stevie Lange, later became a fantastically successful session singer. Chris' new band, 'Night', was not a great success despite two fine vocalists and an outstanding guitarist. That guitarist was a guy called Robbie Macintosh, later of the Pretenders. I remember watching him rehearsing stuff with Chris and thinking, "I can do that", not knowing then, as I do know now, just how hard it is and how much work goes into making something look that effortless.


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## bunchie32 (Jun 27, 2008)

at our last gig, we got our biggest pay day ever.

we got Â£41.

:lol:


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