Slipperydick

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1168225' date='Mar 19 2011, 01:43 PM']I wish I could of been able to play as well as I can now when we were still young enough to get a record deal, This is why pop has to be produced because most of the artists cant play well enough or at all to risk the big money on a crap performance. I used to play in an indie covers band with an age range of 30-55 and in many cases musically we could do other bands songs better. Without trying to sound a knob and still giving the credit to the fact they wrote their songs, We could blow the Kaiser Cheifs away musically live, That doesnt say that much about us as they are dreadful![/quote] 40 is a distant memory for me, I've given up playing twice now - once for nearly 15 years - but always come back to it. As you get older it does get harder to find good bands though. Although there are a few good bands of old gits, the majority are full of dreamers who, are now financially in a position to spend a lot of money on new flash gear, smell of Werthers Originals, rehearse for ever, and are just trying to relive a youth they didnt actually have. Can play, but got no 'Soul'. Music shops must love em though ! I wouldnt want to play in a band where everyone else is noticeably younger any more than I would have wanted to play with old farts when I was in my 20s, 3 gigs a week ( doesnt happen all that often ) leaves me knackered though, but as long as I'm having fun and earning a few bob I aint planning to quit.

[quote name='Paultrader' post='1164699' date='Mar 16 2011, 05:51 PM']Those were my black loon pants - I loved them. I think I actually bought them pre-decimalisation for 13/6 so this may have been Summer '71 in fact. The thinnest cotton, no pockets and very sexy at the time. [b]I think it's time we re-assessed the seventies; I had a wonderful time![/b][/quote] Yeah, cant argue with that. How about a thread with pics of members in the 70s ? Somebody else will have to start it though, might take ages to find my old photos..lol

I'd insure it for the cost of new replacements. If you replace it with second hand, and the replacement turns out to be unreliable, or knackered, the insurance co wont want to pay for repairs. nor will they take your time looking for replacements into account. Antiques are usually insured for what it woukd cost to replace them, but I doubt if your insurance company would see it that way, to them a 10 year old amp is old, and probably worth next to nothing.

[quote name='dougie' post='1162448' date='Mar 14 2011, 09:48 PM']when looking for replacement pups and get offered "original p bass pups"....which later turn out to be off an old Squier....whats visual differences should i look for??[/quote] I had a similar problem, 2 sets of not great 'original Fender' Preicision pups later, I bought some Kent Arstrong 10K vintage ones and tbh they are excellent for not a lot of dough. [url="http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Hot_Vintage_P_Bass_Pickup_Alnico_PBV-1"]http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Hot_Vinta...up_Alnico_PBV-1[/url]

Keef is one of my heroes, even named the cat after him, but this has to be one of the worst things I've seen. Except for maybe some Ronnie Wood stuff, (Named the other cat after him) [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2D_WF0ZdU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx2D_WF0ZdU[/url]

Oh Come on ! They have never been molested, and they are better than the photos depict, where else could you find a bargain like that ? Worth seven and a half grand of anybodys money. So how much would the guitar with them on be worth ?

If you cant find a tab, try and find the chords and then work the bass line out for yourself. Myself, I cant get on with tabs so its usually the way I do it (might just be old age). Play just the root notes at first to make sure the chords are right though. Sometimes you can find a live version on youtube that helps, even a rubbish cover version will sometimes help crack it. Wonder how many other forum members are as tone deaf as I am ! I know when its wrong, but cant always decide if its right-if that makes sense.

Hate to sound negative, bit it sounds like a lost cause to me. You could try booking some gigs and see if it livens em up, but having been there myself I reckon you just might start hearing excuses again before long, maybe even end up cancelling the gigs at the last moment and losing some of your own credibility with the venues. You dont seem happy anyway, so probably time to vote with you feet and just write it off to experience. Spent 2 years rehearsing with a band, all competent experienced musicians, great ideas, big talk. but in that time 4 freebee gigs, 15 numbers in the set, 4 diabolical tracks recorded. just didnt gell. Everybody was fed up but didnt want to be the one to pull the plug.

Played at a fair few charity gigs in my time, usually for free, occasionally for expenses which have been paid back to the charity. Just a thought, but is anybody bothered what the charity actually is before they accept ? And have you ever wondered whether all of the money, or just some of it is going to the charity. Did one in a pub a while ago, the normall quiet rural pub was packed out, after 3 sets, each one well over an hour, the landlord still cahrged us for a drink even though his takings must have increased tenfold for the night. So where do you draw the line and start to feel exploited ? Seems to me that in a lot of cases, the pub makes more than the charity.

Every kind of vice, Feelgoods.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='1148662' date='Mar 3 2011, 05:47 PM']An amp tech told me about one of his customers who'd owned a 60's Ampeg B15 fliptop - valve job. It broke down, so this guy took it down the tip. This was 3 years ago [/quote] In the 70s a lot of valve amps got scrapped, cos valves were considered old fashioned, by some music shops, or at least that was the sales pitch. I can remember repairing a Bass AC30 fro a guy that played accordion through it, 6 months or so later he offered it to me for £15, which is what a large retailer in Birmingham had offered him for it PX against a Yamaha combo. At the same time, some so called amp engineers - not techs them days - didnt like, or werent very cofident working on transistor stuff. But with Guitars and Basses, I reckon most people recognise Fender or Gibson, punters in Workie clubs probably wouldnt consider a band any good if they couldnt see one or the other on a stage, along with a Premier or Ludwig kit.

[b]Unlucky and only meet assholes.[/b][i][/i][u][/u] Thats favorite. My limited experience of bands that dont want to gig, or rehearse forever never getting round to it, is that they generally are full of either dreamers, or arrisholes with even bigger ego problems than gigging bands who actually want to get the job done. Dont give up, personal experience tells me that you will only regret it for years and years if you do. might take a while, but you will find something else, probably better, when you least expect it. End of last summer I was in the same boat for what I felt would be the last time, and I felt like jumping off, now I got 2 bands ( one I found on this forum, the ad was why I joined, the other from an unepected email which came out of the blue ), both trouble free so far, and both playing the kind of R & B and rock n roll that I had been looking for for ages.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1147859' date='Mar 2 2011, 11:16 PM']Just because they are not for sale doesn't mean they are not still around. I think a lot were badly ignored & wound up being thrown. My friend runs our local music shop & he often sees beautiful instruments now only fit for the skip. The rest (I hope) are on Basschat! [/quote] Given the value, or at least the going rate for em, and with the facilities available to sell them these days, what can go wrong that would make them only fit for the skip ? Not all 70s precisions were great when they were new, but they were still playable, are still sought after and surely would still have a value, even if they needed work. I can remember being offered a white second hand precision for £70 in about 1973, didnt buy it cos the tuners were dodgy. A new one was only £125 at the time, but I felt to turn up with it, when even well off mates could only afford Antoria copies, and when I could hardly play would have seemed big headed, so I paid £69 for a good Jazz copy.

If Its not too daft a question, where have all the old Precisions/Jazzes/Mustangs/SGs etc. gone ? If you consider that from the early seventies, and even earlier, there must have been thousands and thousands of good basses sold in the UK alone, Not just the Fenders and Gibsons, but the Hofners, Antorias, Ibanez’s, the good JapCrap - Some of which were great, or is that just my memory playing tricks. I cant believe nearly all of em have been scrapped, why would they be ? Who would throw a well known make of instrument into a skip, and why ? So how come they are so rare ? I can understand it with amps (just about), But not instruments. So are they all in the lofts of old guys who stopped playing years ago, in Japanese collections or what ? If you think about it, 70s and 80s Fenders for example, should be 10 a penny, and in boot sales everywhere.

Never been sight seeing in London, only ever there working. But this summer I'd love to try and catch this blokes tour of the tower. Like his sense of humour. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWFq-v7TKdQ&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWFq-v7TKdQ...feature=related[/url] Comes in 4 parts. "Cram it all in before you die"

Tried febreeze or something like that ? then ebay it ! Nothing to lose have you.

First was an unknown, precisionish shaped thing, with a row of holes about an inch dia around the top of the body, and lipstick pickups. I have seen 60s/70s pics of similar, if it rings a bell with anybody I'd be interested to know what it was. Go To - would be my 91 Precision. Mine - Hmm, heve to be my bitsa. Fender Jazz neck on an unknown Precision body.

Sounds like he's a guitarist, they always seem to want to set up with a low action. If you do want to try and do it yourself, as has been said on here before, the Fender guide thats on their website is pretty good, start from there, and then adjust to your taste. A pro will no doubt do a better job, but it will do you good to try and learn how its done.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1124301' date='Feb 11 2011, 08:17 PM']I tend to assume all strings are crap so buy the cheapest I can find. I've found the Olympia and Hartke sets pretty damn good value and failing that I'll go for Warwick Red Label. Had them all on the basses for the last 18 months and only changed the main Spector 5's last week because they were getting a little dull, rather than they were dead sounding.[/quote] Thats philosophy as well, although I found Hartke ones horrible and klanky. I bought some Alice Strings just to try em, £3 a set off ebay so didnt expect much. Put em on my daughters P copy and they dont seem too bad to be honest. Well worth a try at that price.

[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1124054' date='Feb 11 2011, 04:59 PM'][b]As a starting point with no strings or tension the neck should be straight.[/b][color="#0000FF"][/color]Truss rod adjustments should ideally be made with little or no string tension and therefore takes a bit of time to get right. As already mentioned only small adjustments at a time. Don't get impatient. If truss rod breaks its a serious repair job. I also found the Fender guide to set up pretty useful. I think Warwick also have similar procedures on their website. Its all part of the fun. Cheers Dave[/quote] Wondered when someone would mention that. Also worth a mention, as the OP has never done it before. When you shim the neck, and alter the 'rake' the action will be a lot lower, so you will probably have to raise it again to taste. For me, a pound coin should just fit between the strings and the fret at the 12th

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1123761' date='Feb 11 2011, 12:44 PM']That's true. It was on the off that someone had something similar in the past. I've tightened everything up that a screwdriver or allen key will fit, from the strap button to the last screw in the machine heads, some things wouldn't turn at all & others moved just a ball hair & it seems to have reduced it dramatically I wish I'd just tried one thing at a time & played a string so I knew what the change was. [/quote] just cos a screw wont turn it doesnt mean its properly holding down what it should hold down, might be best to loosen them, then tighten them. Is it still there if you dampen the other strings as you pluck them one at a time ? My daughter had a Westfield Precision copy that came from ebay that did something similar, a tweak on the truss rod improved it, even though it felt tight.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1110994' date='Feb 1 2011, 01:55 PM']Would you play for Gary Glitter? Not even for a million pounds?! [/quote] Paedo or not, I think most people would have drawn the line there...lol

[quote name='Vinny' post='1109602' date='Jan 31 2011, 03:45 PM']Wot he said!![/quote] Me too

[quote name='Slipperydick' post='1105563' date='Jan 27 2011, 08:55 PM']Anybody know anythything abouut Ridgewood ? Bought this for my daughter a few years ago, It plays well, similar looks anf feel to to a passive Bass Collection, although not the same quality of finishing. Doesnt sound too bad either. Never seen one before or since. [attachment=70210:Image006.jpg] [attachment=70211:Image007.jpg][/quote] [i]Nobody[/i][b][/b] heard of em ?

Anybody know anythything abouut Ridgewood ? Bought this for my daughter a few years ago, It plays well, similar looks anf feel to to a passive Bass Collection, although not the same quality of finishing. Doesnt sound too bad either. Never seen one before or since. [attachment=70210:Image006.jpg] [attachment=70211:Image007.jpg]