Lozz196

Very interesting as a few Les Paul players I know bought Tokai Love Rocks as backups to their Gibsons then moved on the Gibsons keeping the Tokais as their main, and then buying an Epiphone as their backup.

Very interesting programme on Gary Numan on Sky Arts at the moment.

It all depends on the player, the MIJ/CIJ basses are perfectly good enough, it just depends on how the player views them imo. I’m not sure about different ranges within the Japanese Fenders but I do know that although I prefer the US ones, specifically it’s the 2013-16 range that I really like. So there may be differences within the Japanese ones as well. Bit of a minefield really.

Going by the amount of Fender basses for sale that come with Fender hard cases that have damage on them I’d say Hiscox.

Good call, Vintage make very good instruments, the V4 Tony Butler Sig Precision I had was very good, not for price, just very good.

Many moons ago I used to play in D and in those days didn’t know anything about brands or gauges, so whatever I bought I used and all worked fine.

I use my little finger on my left fretting hand a lot, but thats due to the reach factor - if I had 5 fingers & thumb it would still be the one furthest from my thumb that I would use so in your position @break-evenI would still play right handed and just utilise the wedding ring finger.

Not mad at all, it’s part of the fun, finding the right instrument. It might set you down the GAS path but it also might not, it sounds like you never really gelled with the Pro ii, whereas it really looks like you love that Tokai. I think that if any musician finds an instrument that they love they should snap it up, if in a position to do so of course.

When I was both rehearsing & gigging on pretty much a weekly basis I’d charge it before each time I was using it.

Would you say you can get nearer to the ABM600 with the GK than the Ashdown RM amp?

I`d ask the guitar chap to check the fret levels as well - might be a raised fret (or two). I had similar on a Precision, just couldn`t get the action down, took it to our very own @gary mac who levelled the frets for me, he found about 2 or 3 that were slightly proud, once sorted I got the action much lower.

A Mars a day helps you work, rest & play - I remember that well, still love them as much as I did as a kid.

Difficult one, going by current chart music people might assume the bass is history but we could look at the chart music of the early 80s and think synths were pushing guitars out of the way. Music seems to go in cycles so another punk/Brit Pop type genre with guitars must be on its way soon.

At a gig I did a couple of weeks back the bassist in the band on after us used an Elf. I only heard the on-stage sound but it was both very loud and very good - was through some form of TC 1x15 cab.

My constant dream & longing is for an ABM Preamp/DI pedal. I wouldn`t bother with Compression or Octaver or VU Meter, but just all of the eq on the ABM600. The OriginAL was nearly there but different eq points meant I couldn`t match the sound. But a Mini ABM would be great too - make it so that two could fit width-ways in a standard rack and it would be an ideal gigging rig and possibly no heavier than a real ABM head. Even if they were too wide for that a bespoke made rack to put them one above another would still work nicely.

Looks great, have to admit I did miss playing Rebellion this year

From recall the earlier cabs - I had a Compact & Midget - weren’t quite as clear sounding as the later cabs - I had a Big Twin 2. Def nearer in sound to the later cabs than to the Retro range tho.

Buy used - the US Professionals go for around £1000 to £1300. US Standards of the immediate range before are a bit less.

No he’s got more stock…..

Cats just know……

Reminds me of a guy I used to work with, Brian. A new couple moved next door to him, and were doing up the house, hammering/drilling etc til well past 11pm. after a bit he knocked on the door and asked them if they would be mindful of the sound & time, he got a mouthful of abuse & threats in response. Now Brian wasn`t scared of anyone, he was ex military and a boxing coach, but he just smiled, left and thought "you`ll get yours". A couple of years later the couple had a baby, whose bedroom was next to Brians house. In the evenings when he got home from work, every hour on the hour he would place a piece of wood onto the adjoining wall and hit it with a hammer until 11pm/midnight. For some reason this woke up the baby who started crying loudly every time. When the man of the house (and chief responder/hurler of previously mentioned abuse & threats) asked him to stop he replied as per the response he had received years before.

Pretty much the first thing I did when I met my new neighbours was to mention that I was a musician and that if my practicing ever got on their nerves to just knock on the door and ask me to stop, and that it wouldn`t offend me at all as I was aware that people might be ill/working shifts/have visitors over etc. Reverse psychology practiced very well indeed methinks as 18 years on and it`s yet to happen 😄

Reminds me of the old saying, hope you don’t mind but we’re having a loud party at the weekend. Which actually means we’re having a loud party at the weekend. But it gives the illusion of manners which in a lot of cases satisfies people.

Sounds very similar in use to the Ashdown Shape control.