My gigging week started at The Vault in Kalamunda at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7, 2025. I arrived with plenty of time to load in, using the lift to cart my equipment up to the Tree Top Bar. It took me one trip with the trolley and one trip carrying a few things up the stairs. I set up my Bose L1 with my Roland Street Cube. The Street Cube is great—very light to carry—and I find the volume easy to adjust, loud enough to hear myself without being too loud for the room or my ears. I plugged in my Maton Performer, only to find I’d lost all the bottom end sound from the pickup. I was left with a tinny sound that was quite awful to hear. I had changed the strings prior to the gig, and that might have contributed to the problem. Luckily, I always carry my Mini Maton acoustic guitar with me. So, after the first song, I raced down the stairs, grabbed it from the van, raced back up, and plugged it in to find a much better sound coming from my trusty backup. I still had tuning issues, though, which isn’t ideal when you’re a professional entertainer. Shirley was there for support, and I played to an appreciative crowd that sang and danced until 9:00 p.m. I packed up while chatting with the punters and headed home along Tonkin Highway, getting into bed by midnight to rest for what Saturday morning had in store. I lay in bed dreaming about a new guitar, convinced I had to replace the Maton by the next day after my morning markets gig at Dawesville.
The alarm woke me at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025. After a shower, a quick breakfast, and packing the van, I replaced the Maton 808 Performer with my Martin D28 and set off. I headed south along the Kwinana Freeway, arriving at Dawesville an hour later. The day was superb, and Meagan had a new location a bit further into the markets for me to set up. I trolleyed my equipment to the spot facing north and set up my battery-powered speaker system on two stands about three meters apart, joined by a single guitar mono lead. After a quick coffee, I began entertaining the market-goers around 8:00 a.m. My Mini Maton got a workout with four hours of strumming and blowing on my harmonica. Tuning issues cropped up again, not ideal.
As I strummed away near a tree wholesaler, my eyes wandered to the tall, established trees in pots for sale. I had my eye on two Illawarra Flame Trees, thinking they’d be perfect for my front yard. In years to come, they’d provide great shade from the intense afternoon sun that heats my house in summer. During my break, I purchased two for $30 and put them in the van. They fitted nicely by slightly bending the stems to fit in my low-roof Ford Transit van.
I finished the market gig and finished up with a reasonable earn in the kitty then packed the van, and headed straight to Mega Music in Myaree. When I got there, the place was buzzing with customers, so I went straight to the acoustic room, sat down, grabbed my dream guitar off the wall, and started playing it. It was a Maton Nashville 808—similar to the one I already had but with a wider body, a different pickup, and a beautiful sunburst color. As I strummed, the warm sound it produced was immaculate. I was confident I had the right guitar in my hands. Time was pressing, though—I had another gig that evening at The Oyster Bedz in Mandurah to get to. Just then, Zac, the salesman, entered the room and said, “How can I help you?” I replied, “I need to purchase this guitar. Do you take trade-ins?” “Absolutely,” Zac answered. With that, I raced to my van, grabbed my Martin D28, and presented it at the counter for inspection. Zac opened the case, strummed it, and said, “Very nice. How much do you want for it?” I had no idea. So, we walked to the repair room and showed it to Rory. Rory grabbed it, strummed it, nodded with approval, and asked me the same question: “What do you want for it?” Still clueless, I suggested a quick Google search on Reverb.com. We decided $1,500 was a good price. The new Maton I wanted was $2,700, so $1,200 was the balance I had to come up with. With a simple transfer from my savings, I became the proud owner of a stunning Maton National 808, complete with a gleaming new case lined with luxurious golden velvet plush.
I jumped in the car and headed back south to Mandurah. Circular Quay was busy with punters out for their Saturday session, drinking and eating at the restaurants along the boardwalk. The air was cool and salty, with slight humidity. I snagged a good parking spot and loaded in my equipment up the ramp. Some old friends from my Oyster Bar days were there—I used to play there back in 2021. I said a quick hello and then continued setting up my equipment. I ordered a dozen oysters, a serve of Parmesan fries, and washed them down with a cold pint of Great Northern. By 6:00 p.m., it was time to start playing. This time, I faced the speaker slightly out toward the undercover alfresco area. The sound was a little better but had issues with loud feedback from the new Maton. It had a built-in microphone—a new feature of the AP5 guitar pickup—and with the concrete walls and terrible acoustics, it was feeding back immensely, to the point of being unbearable. With a quick EQ adjustment, I fixed the problem and was able to play the guitar, producing a lovely sound.
Three hours went by as quick as a flash, and I had packed the van and was heading home around 9:40 p.m. I arrived home, took two CBD gummies, and went to bed. The next morning, Sunday, March 9, I woke up around 9:00 a.m. I had slept in. Panicking, I looked at my clock and realized I was late for the gig that was due to start at 9:00 a.m. I made a quick phone call to Ari Davis, the organizer of the markets, to let them know I was running late. They said, “Don’t panic, and drive safely.” I hopped in the van with my new guitar and arrived just after 10:00 a.m. The traffic flowed weirdly well, and I hit green lights all the way. I quickly set up and was playing within 15 minutes of arriving. The day was absolutely stunning, and a barista made coffee a generous tip from a listener—was a great touch since I hadn’t had time to order one on arrival. “A flat white, no sugar, please,” was my order, and a tall takeaway cup was presented to me in minutes. It was a welcome beverage. Shirley arrived a little while into the gig. She took some photos while I was playing and sent them to me via WhatsApp. It’s great having Shirley supporting me. We’re good mates, and I’ll support her when she goes in for her life-changing double knee operation on March 14, 2025. We each purchased bonsai trees for $35 and were given an A4 instruction sheet on how to care for them. Mine now sits under my back veranda on my outdoor table, a nice addition.
That ends my blog for this week, ending Monday, March 10, 2025.