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Indeed so. That's about the size of it. Which, funnily enough, I do. The appearance and sound of the 4000 range is very much to my taste and many of my favourite players have sported Rics at one time or another. The first 'expensive' new bass I bought was a high-end Ibanez faker and doubtless I might have gone on to buying a real one in late life had not fate intervened (see below) When hero admin Hamster found himself on the sharp end of bellicose legal threats and outrageous personal obloquy I invoked the NATO principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. I suspended with immediate effect my then imminent purchase of a JetGlo 620 until such time as either Mr Hall is looking at the grass from the wrong side or I am.

So looking to be GAS free for 2020, I decided to buy myself a new bass this week. Since I’m going to not be in a band soon, and for quite a while I think, I want to expand my range of playing and styles, and also not be solely a Precision player. So I’d been looking out for a Stingray in my favoured black/black/maple and fortunately our very own @tom1946 put one up, so did the deal, and it arrived today. Plays like a dream, am very happy with it though I can see already it’s going to make me play differently, which was the point really, less hamfisted hammering away, a bit more relaxed playing with more dynamics. Oh, the beauty in question, well as below.

Elvis Costello's Shipbuilding.

That's it. To sweep aside the post election gloom I've ordered a HX Effects. Free next day delivery from Peach Guitars too. Cannot wait!

It's an ice-cream cone in Northern Ireland.

First proper gig with a new band on Wednesday. Massive black tie gala dinner event for a football club. The band grew from the ashes of a previous line up which the BL burned to the ground in a fit of pique when I left. The four of us fulfilled a commitment to play a wedding not long after the band split and decided to stay together. A midweek gig is always a massive bonus to any musician but not going on until 11.15pm after the celebrity guest had finished his role as auctioneer guaranteed a very late finish. Our singer had fallen ill the day before but was determined to battle on. She had virtually no voice, was almost fainting from the pain of stomach cramps and ended up nearly passed out in the loo minutes before we were due on. We clambered onto the stage debating how to fill an hour and a half instrumentally, when she staggered on and croaked an introduction. Come 1pm she was still going and although we had padded an amended set with lots of long unscheduled instrumental sections we got away with it. What a woman. What a night.

1. Most memorable (for good reasons) gig played: 2. Most memorable (for bad reasons) gig played: And/or 3. Most memorable (for good reasons) gig attended: 4. Most memorable (for bad reasons) gig attended:

...or do the gig and just play absolute nonsense on the bass with your foot up on the monitor and introduce every song as a tribute to the former leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia Klement Gottwald.

Walk away on the day of the gig 😃

I wish much joy to those who play, buy, trade and otherwise cherish Rickenbacker basses. I defend to the death their right so to do. That said, the controversy occasioned by these legendary events is such that I have recently been dabbling in a Western movie screenplay which I intend to shop around the major studios at such time as it is completed. I reproduce below two key scenes which go to the heart of the matter The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this draft script are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Maybe you two need to see a DOC

Steve Lawson asked this on Facebook a few days ago. This was my suggestion.

Quitting band etiquette. Shout "fx#@ you guys. I'm done" at the top of your voice, then stomp to the door and slam it as loudly as possible behind you. Come back five minutes later and spend an awkward half an hour sheepishly packing up your gear whilst trying not to make eye contact with anybody.

Just the one Gecko now. I have been very detached from the music community for the past 5-6 years and only just happened to log in today as I had PM. I had some success with my last band, but we broke up 2 years ago and have only recently started to care enough to start trying again though on the skinny stringed thing for a change. Also trying to start a family soon so I have stuck with the same bass for the past 5 years as well. Musicman Stingray, with a backup Jazz parts bass I have put together. Just havent been interested in buying and selling basses anymore. Lord knows I have had enough!

I can see where this is headed.

.....and coming away with a complete set of organs*. *specifically, the same set of organs with which the day was started and all of them in their original location. You can never be completely sure with Dr. Mondeaux

Listening to songs that I don't listen to very much, but remind me of a much nicer time...

I believe nothing changes now for 2 years, while the real discussions about leaving take place. After that, we become the 51st state.

I always liked Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction

This too:

Anything Bob Dylan wrote. The studio version of this was getting played a lot by the soldiers when I was playing the US bases in Germany in the early 70's. When being sent to Vietnam was a real possibility for many of them.

Just need to purchase the upgraded recordings. All the bass tracks have been digitally enhanced to himass bridge sound rather than BBOT bridge sound.

Excellent choice, with the added bonus of the great Ron Carter on bass.

It bothers me that OCD is not in alphabetical order...

Man this seems cruel, if they want to fire you surely they can't expect you to play the Jan gig? I wasn't totally clear from your post above, but do I assume that because you didn't tell them to fork off there and then you agreed to doing it? I'm not sure I would have, any enjoyment I may have taken from performing would be too over shadowed by this negative experience. I certainly wouldn't want to be around those people again. Really sorry for you! I hope the new year brings you better things.

Another from Samsara 🙂

Not that I'm in the immediate market for one, but if I were that sort of behaviour would have me looking at another brands wares.

Fortunate Sun, Creedence Clearwater revival. In fact, everything CCR did was blummen brilliant.

Changing tack from posting charts of tunes that I have to play and turning my attention to things that I want to play: Meshell Ndegeocello - 'The Way' bass transcription PDF

You Brits always find the most exquisitely polite way to express "and shoved it down the guitarist's throat"

I told my band in August that I’d be leaving due to health issues - did a thread about it a few weeks back - but that as it was for the good of the band I’d play any gigs I’d already committed to unless a replacement was found prior to that. I did also say however don’t book anything else. would have taken me up to May next year, however it looks like it’s going to be sorted sooner than that. Additionally I have told them that if a gig comes up that whoever is playing bass can’t do, and it’s a gig that the band can’t afford to turn down then by all means ask me if I can do it. It’s week in, week out gigging I can’t manage anymore, one-off gigs not a problem and will be happy to help out.

Couple of other pics. The “Slap contour”, recessed jack and interestingly carved back. And the control cavity. Any help welcome! 😀

From the profile gauge measurements that @scrumpymike took of his Rascal neck, I made a plasticard template: I was pretty sure that the new neck was going to be already pretty close to this. And I was right - Difficult to see on the photo, but there is the teeniest bit of asymmetry showing from Mike's measurements from the original Rascal - shallower curve at the treble side - that I will replicate when I sand out the heel-carve marks and sand off the protective finish from the neck and fretboard.

This is a pretty definitive statement from the public about what they want. Prehaps a level of introspection is called for.

Liver took a bashing!

Joni Mitchell's 'Big Yellow Taxi' has only grown in relevance as the decades roll on.

Funny this should come up now as i was thinking the revolution will be live streamed the other day. Except in this country where we just roll over and take it by the looks of things.

Rage against the Machine's generic but effective 'flip you I won't do what you tell me' ? edit: great bit of sensorship. I suppose no protest shall survive our looming sense of common decency.

This bass has the handle of a kitchen drawer screwed trough the body in lieu of a thumbrest. I'll say that again: A kitchen drawer handle. Screwed through the body. MDP's got competition.

Agree, it simply has to be CDO

On a more serious note I can understand your quandary completely. No matter how beautiful it is or the amount of work done to repair it your personal experience with this particular bass has nonetheless been jaded. It’s really very little to do with the physical item itself, It’s much more psychological than that. I actually think you need to ignore all of us and see if you can reconnect with it, if you can then great, but if you can’t I don’t think you shouldn’t worry. Our relationships with things as personal as musical instruments is finely, finely balanced. Good luck Sir.

Wait ... does this mean the bridge on my P bass is terrible. Looks the same as a jazz bass bridge. Sounds good to me though. 😉

They were probably fine, until the internet told us they weren't .... A high mass bridge will change the tone of the bass, but it's only an improvement if you prefer the change. If you like the tone of what you have, there's no guarantee you will like the 'improved' tone. The only real test is your ears, if you can do side by side tests, you can judge if it's a change that suits you. There's probably millions of Jazz bass' running the original bridge without issue.

Careful, if you say the R word out loud in front of the mirror 3 times John Hall appears and files a petty lawsuit against you.