Recover EP by Chvrches on transparent tangerine vinyl

According to the Official Chart Company, UK sales of vinyl records in the first quarter of 2013 rose 78%, compared with 2012. In 1993, only 300,000 vinyl records were sold in the United States. In 2012, according to Nielsen SoundScan, 4.6 million vinyl records were sold across the US. What the hell happened? Vinyl was supposed to be dead. Why such a remarkable comeback?

In 2012, independent record shops accounted for only 3% of all physical albums sales in the UK. However, the same indie stores contributed to an incredible 38% of all UK vinyl album sales.

While digital downloads have had a negative impact on physical music sales over the past decade, vinyl sales have seen steady growth since 2007 – the same year that saw the launch of Record Store Day. Coincidence?

Graph based on data from IFPI – International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

Around the world, Record Store Day is celebrated each year on the third Saturday of April.  Michael Kurtz, co-founder of the event, believes that the growth in vinyl sales can be tied to the increasing popularity of Record Store Day. By offering in-store performances, special events and limited edition releases by hundreds of artists from around the world,  Record Store Day has raised the profile of vinyl and brought it to the awareness of a whole new generation. Research by ICM suggests 18 to 24-year-olds are buying more vinyl records than any other age group under 50.

For many music lovers and audiophiles, myself included, vinyl has always been important. It’s special for so many reasons. It’s fascinating to find that in an age when convenience is supposed to rule, people are coming back to a very inconvenient format. On a good turntable, vinyl offers an audio experience that is far superior to CD and low resolution digital formats, such as MP3. Listen to a track on vinyl and you’ll get warmth and detail that you just don’t hear on mainstream digital formats. Things may change when high resolution digital is readily available some time in the near future, but for now vinyl offers a very different experience when compared with digital.

An analogue album comes with added value. Over and above large scale cover art, records can include sleeve notes, lyric sheets, limited edition coloured vinyl, posters etc. Special boxed sets offer even more. A Super Deluxe Box Set  for “Push The Sky Away” by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, for example, includes painstakingly reproduced song notes, unused verses, alternate song titles, photographs, drawings, 7″ vinyl – the list of extras goes on. New vinyl releases often come with a CD or digital download code – so you can have quality and convenience. There are also quirky details to explore. Many bands write little messages that get pressed into the run-off groove in the centre of records. And audiophiles can get a bit obsessive about vinyl weights. For many years a standard record typically weighed 120 to 140 grams. Nowadays heavier records, in the region of 180 to 200 grams, tend to be the norm. Heavier records are made of thicker vinyl which allows for deeper grooves and more dynamic mastering. They take longer to press and are more expensive to produce, but heavier records tend to be better for tracking, and are flatter and quieter than thin vinyl. The there’s virgin vinyl, which is manufactured without the impurities normally associated with recycled vinyl. This is all part of the vinyl equation for the anally retentive audiophile. When was the last time you got excited about an MP3?

Despite the extras, the key to vinyl’s longevity as a format is the listening experience. Yes, well-pressed heavy vinyl offers a superior audio experience compared with CD and MP3, but what’s almost as important is that when you put vinyl on a turntable, the process is ritualistic. It’s reverential. You have to stay in the room to listen to the music properly. You have to give it your full attention. You’ve got to turn the record over when it’s halfway through. It demands something of you. It demands that you show the music and its creator respect. When you switch on your iPod and listen to digital formats on the move, are you really listening? Probably not. You hear the music, but most of the time you’re not really listening. There’s normally a world of distraction around you.

I’m off now. I’m going to pour myself a glass of wine, place Bowie’s album “Aladdin Sane” on my turntable and show it the respect it deserves.

Ruby 6L6GCMSTR Power Tubes

I recently fitted the power stage of my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with a pair of Ruby 6L6GCMSTR tubes. I gave a full review of the Ruby tubes in an earlier blog post. What I want to discuss here is the bias setting for the power stage in a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

I did a lot of research before deciding to replace the Hot Rod’s factory-fitted Groove Tubes GT-6L6 C(HP) power tubes with a pair of Ruby 6L6s and learned much about 6L6 variants and their different power requirements along the way. It’s all a bit of a mine field. But thankfully help is available in the form of an old article by Justin Holton at The Unofficial Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Owner’s Guide.

When you replace the power tubes on a Fender Hot Rod you should always have the bias setting adjusted to ensure that your tubes are operating within safe limits and you’re getting the kind of tone that you want from your amp. Unless you know what you are doing, never attempt to adjust the bias on your amp yourself. Without a good working knowledge of electronics you could blow your amp, or your tubes, and possibly kill yourself in the process.

When you adjust the bias on your amp you are adjusting the level of current available to the power tubes. Setting the bias on your amp is like setting the idle on your car. The higher you set your bias, the hotter your tubes will run and the earlier your sound will break up. They will also burn out sooner. This may be just what you want. But never set the bias current so high as to exceed the plate dissipation limit set by the tube manufacturer at any portion of the tubes operation. Beware that different types of 6L6 tubes have different operating level ratings and recommendations. The lower you set your bias, the colder your tubes will run and the longer they will last. You’ll get more headroom and a cleaner tone. But set the bias too low and your tubes could sound flat and sterile. You don’t want your tubes running at one extreme or the other. So long as your bias is set within the safe operating limits defined by the manufacturer of your tubes, there is no single “correct” bias point. It’s all a matter of taste.

Trawl the web and you’ll find that recommendations for setting the bias level of 6L6GC tubes vary greatly. This isn’t a problem. You can run your bias at what ever millivolt (mV) level you want, so long as you set it within the safe operating limits of your tubes. The problem is that many sources cite Fender as recommending this, that or the other particular bias level. But take a close look at the schematics from the old Hot Rod Deluxe or the newer version III and you’ll see, in very small writing which you may need to magnify a few hundred percent, the following:

Set bias adjust pot R82 to obtain a reading of +60mV at TP30

On the electronics schematic, R82 is the bias adjustment wheel and TP30 is the location of the test point for your multimeter.

Extract from schematic for Fender Hot Rod Deluxe showing notes which include bias setting

Fender has never recommended any setting other than 60mV. Now, if you know anything about amps and tubes, you’ll know that 60mV is a little on the cool side. Fender recommend 60mv to ensure your safety and tube longevity. But Hot Rods tend to leave the factory with their bias set somewhere between 60mV-70mV.

I run my Ruby 6L6GCMSTR power tubes at 68.3mV. I find that this setting offers maximum headroom, warmth, shimmer and chime on the clean channel. I’m not too interested in driving the tubes for early breakup. I tend to use my Suhr Riot Pedal for crunch and higher levels of distortion. 68mV works as the sweet spot for 6L6GCs and similar power tubes, but is unlikely to work so well for other types. And it may be way too hot for some power tube varieties.

Download Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III schematic (PDF 796KB)

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of simplicity. Less is more, and all that. Stagger Lee by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds exemplifies how, in the hands of master magicians, the simplest musical structure can provide a foundation for incredible texture, emotion and narrative. The song, from the album Murder Ballads, is an astonishing work, packed full of pulp obscenity and brutality, built around only two chords – D minor and A minor.

Interior of Banquet Records on Record Store Day 2013 (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet Records.

Saturday 20 April 2013 was Record Store Day. If you didn’t visit and support you nearest vinyl emporium, shame on you. My 15-year-old son, Harry, and I had the most glorious time at Banquet Records, Kingston upon Thames, London. We bought some very special vinyl.

Record Store Day is celebrated globally and occurs each year on the third Saturday in April. It started in the USA in 2007 when over 700 independent stores got together with artists to celebrate the art of music and the culture of independent record shops. It has since taken off around the world and April 2013 saw the sixth celebration of Record Store Day in the UK. Hundreds of artists across the globe made appearances at special events and released unique vinyl and CDs in limited runs exclusively for Record Store Day.

Keen to get our hands on some of the good stuff, Harry and I were up early. We knew there’d be a queue at Banquet Records. In 2012 some hardcore vinyl heads were camping outside at 11.30pm the night before. But I had to play a gig Saturday night, so we decided to get up just after 5.00am rather than spend the night on the street.

Vinyl, ready and waiting at Banquet Records (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet records.

As I drove to Kingston, we talked excitedly about the discs we hoped to buy. A few days before, we’d trawled the catalogue of Record Store Day releases on Banquet Records website and made a list of our priority vinyl. Harry was keen to get his hands on a Tame Impala EP, an old Stooges number (No Fun) done by The Black Keys, Pretty Vacant (hand numbered) by Sex Pistols, and a special US Record Store Day release of Hey Joe in mono by Jimi Hendrix. My list was longer, but my key objective was to pick up a few special pieces for Andy, the drummer of Feature Creep – one of the bands I play in. He would be playing his last gig with the band that evening, at The White Lion, Streatham, London. It was kind of cool that we would playing our final gig together on Record Store Day.

There was no guarantee we would get the vinyl we wanted. Some of it was available in such small numbers there was the distinct possibility that (a) the store would sell out before we got through the door, or (b) some titles would not be allocated to Banquet Records.

We arrived at the store just after 6.00am to find that the queue was already running along Eden Street, round the corner and about 50 yards down Ashdown Road.

Outside Banquet Records before opening (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet records.

We hit the back of the queue and waited very, very patiently for the store to open at 8.00am. We estimated that there were about 150 people in front of us.

View from the back of the queue (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet Records.

When the store opened, we began to shuffled along bit by bit, a few feet at a time, making slow progress toward the store entrance.

Harry and me, second couple in from the right, only yards from the store entrance (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet Records.

As we got closer to the entrance the anticipation was unbearable. Some people couldn’t help themselves; they just had to press their faces up against the store window.

Faces pressed against the store window (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet records.

Eventually, after queuing for about five hours, we got into the store some time around 11.15am.

Jay McGeehan adding price stickers (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet Records

Inside was a vinyl wonderland. It was so tempting to go crazy with my credit card. Everyone was frantically checking their lists and scanning the shelves. To prevent the the unfair purchasing of multiple copies, each customer was only allowed one copy of any particular item. This meant some difficult choices would have to be made if, like me, you were there to get treasures for yourself as well as friends.

Me, right, checking my list inside Banquet Records (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet Records.

The store had received a lot of Record Store Day releases in abundance. But some discs were in very short supply, such as Transient by Depth and Current. When I paid for it I said to Adam, who was serving, “I was lucky. Got the last copy.” He replied, “You got the only copy.”

Adam Sait at the counter (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy of Banquet Records.

Many of the staff had worked well into the night, preparing the store for the big day. Some hadn’t left until about 2.30am and were back, ready and eager at 7.00am, an hour before opening. Despite the long hours, every member of the Banquet Records team remained cheery and couldn’t have been more helpful. Chris sat dutifully by his laptop and answered question after question from customers desperate to know if items on their list had sold out or not.

Chris Ouseley-Moynan by laptop ready to answer questions (click for larger image). Photo by James Perou, courtesy Banquet Records,

We didn’t get everything we were after. But that’s not the point. The purpose of our trip was to support one of our favourite places – Banquet Records – and share our enthusiasm for records and music we like-minded folk. Both inside and outside the store, the spirit and camaraderie were life affirming.

Harry was disappointed not to get hold of the Tame Impala, The Black Keys and Hendrix discs that were on his list, but we had a marvellous day and still managed to get a nice haul between us. And Harry very kindly bought a few items on my behalf whenever I found something I thought Andy would like, but also fancied myself.

We ended up with:

• Chvrches – Recover (12″ EP transparent tangerine vinyl)
• Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant (7″ hand numbered) x2
• David Bowie – Drive-In Saturday (7″ picture disc) x2
• Vic Godard & Subway Sect – Caught In Midstream (7″)
• David Bowie – The Stars [Are Out Tonight] (7″ white vinyl)
• Depth and Current – Transient (7″ transparent white vinyl)
• Nick Cave – Animal X (7″ picture disc) x2
• Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – The Bottle (7″ transparent green vinyl) x2
• Edwyn Collins and The Heartbreaks – What Are you Doing, Fool? (7″)

I asked Banquet Records what they thought of it all, and they replied:

It was considerably our busiest day ever. Record Store Day has a real unique vibe and is a special occasion.  We’re super grateful for everyone who took all that time queueing up, and there were so many smiling faces and great people buying great music.  Great day.

Further information about:

Banquet Records
James Perou
Record Store Day – UK
Record Store Day – USA

Vintage tuners on a Fender Mustang

I know a few guitarists who have a tech restring their guitars for them. These people are not stupid or lazy. They are quite happy to restring some of their guitars themselves. But they fear the open slot variety of tuner, worried by the technique required to bind the string to the tuning post. But it’s not difficult.

The key to mastering the technique is to ensure that:

• you keep good tension on the string, by pressing the string down against the headstock with your thumb or finger, as you wind the tuner and begin to wrap the string
• as the string winds round the post, each wind runs below the other so that the string gets progressively closer to the base of the post – this ensures a good break angle at the nut.

Below is a video I found on YouTube which demonstrates the technique. I don’t recommend removing all your strings at once when you restring your guitar, as shown in the video, because you’ll probably have to adjust your truss rod to re-set your neck if you do. If your guitar has a trem, you’ll probably have to adjust that too if you remove all the strings. I change mine one at a time.

Here is another video demonstrating a variation on the technique above. In this video, the strings are wrapped around the tuning post a couple of times by hand before winding with the tuner. If you do this, don’t forget that you are twisting the string each time you wrap and lift the string over the top of the post. So make sure the other end of the string can move freely at the bridge and that there is enough slack so that the string can untwist itself before you begin to wind the tuner.

Andy in full flow at Indig02, London, 2012

It’s a rare thing, but occasionally I come across someone with a lust for life who is so packed full of talent and verve they can’t help but carry all around them on a wave of energy and enthusiasm. They have impact and generate affection. Such people are special. They add value. And so it is with Andy.

I play in a band called Feature Creep, and we’re about to lose our drummer – the rock, the giant that is Andy. He’s no longer able to balance the demands of family, work and band, so something had to give. The band is in mourning. We have to say goodbye to a founding member and the guy who leads from the back of the room.

Drummers keep time. They help everyone in a band to stay on track. Everything hangs on the beat. They are key. Drummers can’t make mistakes. If they do, the music begins to unravel. A good drummer elevates a band, but a great drummer, like Andy, does so much more. Great drummers add energy, intelligence, innovation, viscerality and emotion. Andy’s drumming is greater than the sum of it’s synchronised parts. He puts something into the ether that the rest of the band can feed off. He brings panache to the party.

We’ll miss more than his drumming. Yes, he adds musical value. But Andy also brings a sparkle to rehearsal sessions and gigs. If you’ve had a shit day, he makes you feel better just by being in the room with him. He’s able to switch on the sunshine, and that’s a rare quality. We’re gonna miss him. We’re gonna miss him big time.

As Andy would say, “Here’s to you, fella.”

Andy during a soundcheck at Indg02, London, 2012

Close-up of Andy during a soundcheck at  Indig02, London

Ruby 6L6 valves in my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

My Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III recently developed a glassy rattle. It was only evident at certain frequencies – prevalent when I strummed low chords or struck low notes. At first the rattle was faint and only occurred occasionally. But over a number of weeks the rattle grew in prominence and occurred almost every time I played a low chord or note.

I spent a few hours sitting at the back of the amplifier, strumming chords trying to identify where the rattle was coming from. It seemed to centre around the power valves (also known as tubes) that hang behind the steel cage at the back of the amp. My Hot Rod is 18 months old and only gets an outing a few times a month, but if they were the culprit I wasn’t that surprised. Valves are mercurial beasts. You have no way of knowing how long they’ll survive.They can last a a couple of weeks or a couple of years. Power valves are more prone to failure than those in the pre-amp stage. The more you play and the louder you play, the greater likelihood your valves will wear out sooner rather than later. Combo amps, like my Hot Rod, are particularly cruel to valves. Unlike a head and cabinet partnership, the valves in a combo live is a highly violent, reverberating environment directly behind the speaker. Ouch!

Unless they stop working altogether, power valves begin to fail in a number of ways. Tell tale signs are:

• your bottom end becomes loose and flabby
• fluctations in power or power loss
• loss of some top end
• inconsistent sound
• loss of punch
• humming
• rattling
• miscrophonic noises.

Pre-amp tubes exhibit the following symptoms when they are on their way out:

• hissing
• humming
• loss of gain in the gain channel
• loss of dynamics and sensitivity.

If valves do rattle, the rattle will normally only be heard at low volumes. A cranked amp will drown the sound of filament rattle.

I used a quick test for tube rattle. I let the amp cool down and unplugged it. I unscrewed and removed the back panel to expose the power tubes. I gave the one on the right a few gentle taps with my fingernail, nothing.Then I tapped the left power valve. Ahh…it rattled like a broken light bulb. Bingo! I’d found the cause: valve filament rattle.

I was a bit lucky with this test method. Often, tapping very gently on a cold tube won’t tell you anything. Tube internals expand when they are hot and contract when they are cold. So a tube may rattle when it’s hot and not when it’s cold, and vice versa. We are really only concerned if the tube rattles when the amp is on and the tubes are hot. To test for rattle when the amp is on you could very gently tap the power valves with something non-conductive, like a tooth pick. But be careful. Valves break easily. And never attempt to poke around inside an amp with the back cover removed and the power on. You are likely to kill yourself or at least blow up your amp.

As standard, Fender fit the Hot Rod Deluxe III with a pair of Groove Tubes GT-6L6 C(HP) valves for the power stage and three Groove Tubes GT-12AX7-R valves for the pre-amp stage. The GT-6L6 C(HP) tubes produce a tone and response that is warm in the mids with good harmonics, has a decent top and bottom end, and has some natural compression. I love the tone I get from my Hot Rod, but I fancied experimenting with a bit of a valve upgrade. So I did a bit of research and spoke to my local amp dealer. After much consideration I purchased a matched pair of Ruby Tubes 6L6GCM-STR valves. It’s important to get a pair that are matched for the amount of current they draw.

The Ruby 6L6s were packaged in a Peavey branded box and sold as Peavey Super 6 Power tubes. It is more than likely that they are available under a number of brand names. They can also be purchased as straight Ruby Tubes 6L6GCM-STR valves from a wide range of online suppliers.

The pair of Ruby valves cost less than £40 – outstanding value for money. After fitting the Ruby tubes – a delicate operation – my  Hot Rod has the same clarity, shimmer and chime it always had, but now has a bit more punch overall with a slight boost in the upper mids and a clean, tight bass response. Some Hot Rod owners argue that the Ruby tubes out perform the factory-installed Groove Tubes. They certainly offer maximum clean power and headroom. If you want to upgrade and stick with Fender’s stock variety, Groove Tubes sell a number of premium 6L6 valves. Many valve enthusiasts argue that the Ruby tubes closely match the tone and response of the much loved classic Philips-style STR tube. I can’t fault them.

When sapping out power tubes, remember to bias your amp or have a professional do it for you – YouTube video on how to bias a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

Album cover for Push The Sky Away, by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

It’s been a long time coming, but the 15th album from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds proves to have been well worth the wait. It is, quite simply, extraordinary. Arguably the band’s finest work.

For the past two weeks I’ve been listening to this album every morning on the train as I head to work. By the time I get to London Waterloo, I am astral.

The album is softer and more melancholic than the band’s previous projects. Nick Cave’s baritone vocal is as dark and brooding as ever, but less menacing, more melancholic. There’s not a bad song on the album, but standout tracks are “We No Who U R”, “Jubilee Street”, “Mermaids” and the astonishing “Higgs Boson Blues”. Anyone who can reference Miley Cyrus, Robert Johnson and the Higgs Boson in the same song to deliver an existential masterpiece is ok in my book.

The album’s greatness owes as much to the talents of multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis as it does to the poetic inventiveness of Nick Cave. Warren Ellis’s distorted guitar tone is organic and sonically rich. His haunting riffs float in the ether. They exude fragility and vulnerability.

Throughout the album Warren Ellis uses his signature 23″-scale 4-string tenor solid body electric that he developed with Eastwood Guitars to serve up some unique tonal qualities.

Eastwood Guitars Warren Ellis Signature Tenor

Nick Cave says:

Well, if I were to use that threadbare metaphor of albums being like children, then Push The Sky Away is the ghost-baby in the incubator and Warren’s loops are its tiny, trembling heart-beat.

Compared to a few weeks ago, the early morning commute by train to London Waterloo now offers an altogether different kind of journey.

Cake’s guitarist Xan McCurdy gets incredible tone from a basic rig.

For live work, McCurdy pairs a Gibson Chet Atkins Tennessean, which he customised by adding a Bigsby trem, with an old Fender Blues DeVille he got in 1998. The only other bit of kit in his rig, apart from a tuner, is a Rat Distortion pedal, which is always switched on and sits on top of his amp. He tends to set the bass on the Blues DeVille to 12 and the treble to 1, and uses his pickup selector switch to vary his tone. Simple, but in the right hands, effective.

In addition to great tone, what I love about the video above is Xan McCurdy checking his fingerboard patterns before he plays (30 secs in) – even great guitarists do it.

Instrument – front cover

Photographer Pat Graham spent more than ten years documenting the intimate relationships between musicians and their instruments. The most fascinating of these have been brought together in this beautiful book. Accompanying the images are personal stories and reflections from, and about, artists such as Johnny Marr, Modest Mouse, Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Jerry Dammers, Nick Zinner, Kurt Cobain, Ben Bridwell and many more.

Pat Graham says:

Most of the instruments pictured in this book carry personal stories about their owners, and I’m lucky to have been given the opportunity to both photograph the instruments and document their hidden narratives.

Johnny Marr and his 1963 Fender Jaguar

The book includes a foreword by Johnny Marr, in which he states:

This book is about relationships. The relationship between musician and instrument, craft and machine, artist and muse, friend and companion.

Bernard Sumner’s Moog Source synthesizer

The book is packed full of high resolution, large scale images, many close up, which show guitars, keyboards and other instruments in all their battered, road-worn glory. The set of photographs which feature Johhny Marr’s Cherry Red 1959 Gibson 355 are among my favourite. The book includes some fascinating stories, such as the one Johnny Marr tells of how he acquired his 1959 Gibson 355. He was in New York, about to sign The Smiths to Sire Records. He persuaded Sire boss, Seymour Stein, to buy him a guitar if the band signed up. Seymour agreed and took Johnny to “We Buy Guitars” where he bought him the Cherry Red 355. Johnny took it back to the Iroquois Hotel and wrote “Heaven knows I’m miserable now” and “Girl afraid”. It became his favourite guitar for a while.

Wayne Coyne’s Alvarez 12-string acoustic

Over the years, Pat Graham’s photographs have been published in numerous magazines, including Rolling Stone, Spin Magazine, Art Forum, NME, Dazed & Confused, Raygun, the Village Voice, the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, the Guardian, Punk Life, Punk Planet, Time Out, VICE, Tokion, Guitar World, the Chicago Reader, and more. Trusted and respected by many musicians, he has been given privileged access to capture artists and their most treasured instruments during live performances, back stage, in tour vans, hotel rooms, and studios.

Stick this book on your coffee table and you’ll enjoy picking it up again and again.

John Doe’s Fender Jazz bass