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Drunks damaging your gear (long post feel free to ignore, but great tip at the end)


steve mac

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After half a year out with a sore finger ( 2 doctors say it's repetitive stress and basically give up the guitar forever or put up with the pain), I was asked to be the entertainment for a charity day-long event. So manning up for a good cause, I agreed to perform. It was an outdoor patio type gig and with only about 70 people there it was a chance to try out my new Yamaha Dbr 10 speaker. Have to say it performed faultlessly and so light as well, easily and clearly covered the seating area with its volume set at well below half and it set 3ft behind me slightly of to the side. I also decided to forgo percussion of any sort and instead use a looper far more than I ever had, this also turned out as well as I hoped. However, as it was a charity night I was asked to take an hour and a half break whilst an auction could take place which was a bit dissapointing as the crowd were rocking, lots of banter and singing along. But getting money was more important so after an hour or so I told the crowd what was happening and put on some tunes via my iPad, whilst the auction stuff was organised. As I was performing on a stage type area and no one really had any need to go near, I just left my gear set up and went and sat down, not five minutes later I watched in horror as a drunken old lady tottered past my stuff and deliberately reached out and seemed to push the mike stand with my iPad attached over. I have never moved so fast as I sprinted over, amazed to find that the stand had got caught on a padded stool and hadn't either crashed to the floor or and my guitar which was on its own stand. But the music had stopped and as I pulled the stand straight I realised that the cable which I run from the iPad's headphone socket to the board had been snapped leaving a tiny bit of the jack plug behind. The old lady who had caused it wandered back and said she felt a bit unsteady and so thought she would steady herself :( So the upshot was everything's no was fine except the iPad thinks that headphones is plugged in and therefore doesn't produce any sound. I took it to specialist stores who say either it can't be fixed or maybe they could take the screen off and see if they could push it out. So this morning, I searched the internet and apparently this happens a lot and there were various ways people have managed to get the offending piece of metal out, some involving superglue other with a fine drill both of which scared me. So this what worked for me, a Faber-Castell cheap biro ( other makes didn't work for me). I took cartridge out and snipped the end with no ink in off, placed it in the headphone socket and then tapped it with a hammer, a quick pull and as the photo shows it came out. Hopefully this is helpful to someone. Cheers Steve

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Steve, I'm considering a DBR10 yet the only thing that bothers me is that there are no handles. Is that a problem for you when lifting it onto a stand?

 

Your pedalboard is interesting with even your small mixer attached. Also, you could run your ipad to the speaker via bluetooth if that would help. You'd need an XLR bluetooth transceiver.

 

 

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That worried me as well Bob but it does have a fairly good grip at the top and it is very light so one hand underneath and the other on the side it really is fine and I am certainly no gym bunny 😅

Re the blue tooth idea, it just feels like one more complication whereas a simple wire seemed easier. Also I use OnSong and that eats the battery on my iPad, add having Bluetooth on as well would concern me. But it's an idea to consider.

Cheers

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Steve, sorry to hear that your finger is still causing you grief. Hopefully you can prove the doctors wrong.

 

Although it was touch and go, it looks like (due to your tenacity) you dodged the old lady.

 

I've told the story before (somewhere) about taking a break in a Jazz trio. When we came back the sax player's tenor was unplayable. Turns out some "old lady" had fallen right into our instruments, and his sax bore the brunt of her fall. The gig paid $100 each, and his sax repair was $600. Since then I try to pack up my guitar and such, if I'm sharing the stage, or leaving it for an extended period of time. Many events have people that seldom drink, and just can't handle themselves when they do.

 

Re: fingers, as I mentioned before, I keep my action very low on my guitar. In fact, guitar techs sneer and scoff at me, but I just smile and say I'd rather keep playing than have their version of the perfect guitar set-up.

 

All the best in your recovery.

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I watched it topple in slow motion and thought it would smash to the ground, couldn't believe it when it landed and stayed propped against the stool I was using (first time ever sitting whilst performing as well). Still can't believe that an Apple specialist basically said it was unfixable.

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Steve, sorry to hear that your finger is still causing you grief. Hopefully you can prove the doctors wrong.

 

I had trigger finger about three years ago. I would come and go over a span of about three years but I finally had to go to a surgeon and get it taken care of because it wouldn't go away. An orthopedic surgeon opened it up and fixed it. I was out of commission for about a month but after a week or two of practicing I was at 90% and improving. Best thing I ever did, though I hope Steve's situation doesn't require those measures.

 

 

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Good tip. If I ever need it, I hope I remember it!!!

 

You might try the arthritis-bursitis diet. I gave this to a person with arthritis in her hip, and it helped the RSI in her hand.

 

For both arthritis and bursitis, treatment is similar:

 

Try the dietary approach first, and if that doesn't work, take stronger action.

 

Foods that may contribute to chronic inflammation are foods with a high glycemic index (foods that convert to sugar quickly), such as fruit juices, sugars, simple starches, or rice cakes, foods heavy in polyunsaturated or saturated fats, and foods high in arachidonic acid. Some specific foods to avoid are:

 

* Fatty cuts of red meat (high in saturated fats)

* Organ meats: liver, kidney, and so forth (very high in arachidonic acid)

* Egg yolks (very high in arachidonic acid)

* Poultry - chicken, duck, turkey (very high in arachadonic acid)

* Pasta (high glycemic index)

* Juices (high glycemic index)

* Rice, especially rice cakes (high glycemic index)

* White bread (substitute whole grain breads such as rye or whole wheat)

* Nightshade Plants bother many people (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, paprika)

 

Glycemic index charts can be found on the Internet.

 

Better choices are foods with a low glycemic index and foods that are heavy in monounsaturated fats. Some specific good foods are:

 

* Salmon and other fish

* Oatmeal

* Low glycemic fresh fruits and vegetables

* Olives and olive oil

* Peanuts and other nuts

* Whey proteins

* Lean beef is good, 100% grass fed is better

 

 

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