neepheid

Have you ever tried replying to one of those texts with "new phone, who dis?" just to wind them up?

Hands down it's got to be the Hotone Harmony pitch shifter: As well as being comically small, and being super cheap (like about £40), it has far exceeded my expectations. Sure, it's a little warbly on low notes when detuning (and I wouldn't dare go lower than -3 semitones) and I wouldn't record with it but it's more than adequate for live work and it has ALL the intervals you need for when the vocalist says "can we raise/drop this one by X semitones?". The Pitchfork (everyone's go-to answer) has no 2 semitone interval. The Drop only goes down (duh, clue's in the name). This one couldn't be simpler - choose direction up/down, choose number of semitones. That's it. I'm thinking of buying a second one as a backup in case it ever makes it clear why it's £40...

If you've ordered and paid for it in this calendar year, it doesn't count for next year. Even if it's a deposit now, pay the balance in 2025 it's still OK. It's the order date that's the crucial part. I've got a bass on back order which is slated to arrive in mid Feb, but I ordered (and paid for) it back in September. This bass's arrival will not affect my participation next year.

Amen!

OOh aye, less than a week to go! If you intend to participate next year (and you aren't still in this year) then you'd better get those last minute purchases in! Succession planning - I have been delighted to be your host/thread custodian this year, but my duties are almost done. So perhaps someone in the next few days would like to start a 2025 abstinence thread and take over this highly illustrious and sought after role from me?

And it didn't quite make it in time for Christmas, but there's a Spectracomp on its way to me also...

Nah - not a fan of those on anything except an actual Tele bass. Also, much like I dislike when people debadge cars (usually in an attempt to hide humble underpinnings), I'm not a fan of disguising what a bass is. I like my "rat" basses to wear their origins on their sleeves. I want people to write them off, then change their minds when they hear/play them.

The surf green reverse P volume only job: If it ever arrives, it will be the basis for a "giggable bass for £150" project/challenge. Parts all bought, just waiting on them to pull their finger out and get a new batch made.

Awesome news! Offer of accomodation gratefully accepted. Stuff coming: The (relatively) unmolested... Yamaha BB1200 G&L CLF L-1000 Epiphone Thunderbird '64 Sire Z7 Sire D5 Reverend Triad The "modfathers"... Epiphone Les Paul (not very) Standard - modded with DiMarzio X2N-B pickups, series/parallel options and hardware improvements Squier Jaguar "ATJ" H - modded with an Ibanez ATK quad coil pickup and series/single/parallel switch Gear4Music "Rat" P bass - modded with a Lace Aluma-P pickup and hardware improvements Fazley "Ratlet" P bass (if it ever arrives) - modded with an Entwistle Neodymium P pickup and some silly mods The ampage... TC Electronic BH250 Markbass New York 121 cab

I'm still waiting for my bass - now projected to arrive week 6 2025. Just as well I'm a stubborn so-and-so.

Et tu, Brute?

Well, Merry Christmas, you bunch of sentimental, low frequency noise generating, filthy animals!

Covers band - I'm easily replaceable. I am myself a replacement, so I've already proven how easy it is if a chancer like me can do it Originals band - more difficult to replace me (if anything because I haven't documented what I play - job security innit?) but obviously not impossible.

Or lazy. I effing hope we're entertaining.

Shaggy dog story/sidebar related to having standards - I once declined to join a band because I had expectations of basic professionalism which I think were (and are) completely reasonable. I played a couple of gigs with them as a dep and at one of them, the singer and the guitarist had a pretty heated argument on stage during the set about eff knows what. Singer asked me to join a few weeks later and I politely declined, and told him why.

Well, isn't that exactly what the OP was getting at? The pining for old times notwithstanding, he didn't like the songs provided to him, he didn't seem to care for what he seemed to consider delusions of grandeur on the part of the band RE: their quality, so no, I don't think his expectations are too high - it's just not the right opportunity for him. No initial spark, no play. Of course things take time to improve, but without that initial feeling that it could go somewhere, what's the point?

We're talking original music - what effin' pay packet?

Between Christmas and New Year, I'm going to take my BH250 and a single cab to the rehearsal room and face off against my drummer. For Science!

Respectfully, I disagree. You can't deal in absolutes when it comes to people. If the material doesn't immediately speak to me in some way, or show some degree of promise or potential, then I'd rather not waste my time with it. My current originals band (The Inevitable Teaspoons) formed out of the ashes of another one semi-imploding (which finally died this year). We started afresh with a clean slate and without the main songwriter. I'm terrible at tooting my own horn, but I think we sound quite good.

You either like the material or you don't. I've quit bands because the new stuff the band leader was coming up with was not to my tastes.

Eh, I'd take a BC Rich Ironbird to a folk gig, fsck genres.

Uh oh - shots fired!

No wonder scammers are having a field day out there, with folk this gullible!

Gruesome packet loss...

Well, 2024, it's been a blast! Last gig of the year, playing with Nine Lives at the Kirkie Bar in Elgin. When we arrived we were shown to a rather small alcove which had a dirty big Christmas tree in the corner of it. Didn't throw a diva strop and worked around it - the sort of space that the drummer has to move cymbal stands out of the way in order to extricate themseves from behind the drumkit! Anyway, we managed to squeeze ourselves in and got going. Wasn't super busy but the folk who were there were into it and up for a dance. After the gig, we got a lot of nice comments from people, including wishing we had been the band the night before when it was apparently heaving - "Mad Friday" and all that. Guy behind the bar was very enthusiastic and expressed an interest in booking us again, so it looks like we passed the audition. 4 weeks of nothing now! It's been a good year - new singer has settled in well and we're very happy with both her performance and how she's fit into the band socially. 2025 to-do list - freshen up the set list with new songs! Gear used - the Epiphone gang - the Les Paul (not very) Standard followed by the Thunderbird '64.