neepheid

In the meantime, have a pic of a slightly less "short of the mark" NR Thunderbird. That's as much chrome as I care to see on a bass if I'm being honest, but the black hardware did look pretty naff To me, this is the right blend of modern (which it is) and vintage (which it is influenced by). That probably didn't help, sorry! I am keen to see how the subject of this build diary turns out. Hope you get it sorted.

I'm pleased and delighted if anyone says anything to me after a gig. Sometimes I feel like I'm pissing in the sea, to use a vulgar analogy. Friday was ok though - there was a guy taking some photographs and I spoke to him after. He said something like "I got a few pictures of you with a massive grin on - bass players aren't supposed to grin!" I replied "oh, but I love my job!"

Ebony boards look great, clean and sharp, like a fitted suit in deep, deep black. I don't really pay any attention to how they feel - maple, rosewood, ebony or whatever are all suitably hard woods with which to make a fingerboard. I've got nothing to say about tonal differences, partly because I've never noticed, I've never studied it in any depth, and frankly, I don't care. It's purely an aesthetic choice as far as I'm concerned.

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1422573304' post='2674341'] Today I received my first ever Fender - albeit a crafted in China modern player series. [/quote] You shouldn't feel like you have to qualify it like that. It's a Fender, and as long as you're happy with it, who cares where it was made? Enjoy

I'd be more concerned about "The neck has been slimmed to aid playability." than any pickup augmentation.

My Gibson Midtown Standard (modded with a DiMarzio Model One and series/parallel on a push/push volume pot)

I have no problem leveraging the free trade between European countries, and I've got no problem with others doing it. Not that it's any of my business.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1422664545' post='2675526'] You know what mate, I'm really not surprised. Not these days. Unless it's got at least 500,000 hits on youtube it's not worth the bother. And even then most peeps will only watch it hoping it's something they can take the piss out of or criticise. [/quote] I'd be happy for any proof of life out there. Piss taking and criticism is heaven compared to the silence and apathy which is what really makes me wonder why I bother doing .. anything to be honest.

For what it's worth, seeing as the conversation is heading that way, for all my non-participation I don't feel like there's any badgering going on. I don't feel like I've been harassed, badgered or inconvenienced in any way by threads relating to the Composition Challenge. I just don't read them, or more likely spy them, think to myself "I should look at that some time" then never do. Sounds to me like some people have way too many ways to feel offended or put out. It's just another thread in a forum, if you're not interested, move on and look at something else.

Eh, opinions.

Oh, nearly forgot, there's also a bit of bitterness on my part. I shared music once in the appropriate forum and despite following the rules and offering my thoughts on a couple of the other posts I got diddly squat back. Nothing, not even a "hopeless, you should give up". It was up for about a month. I asked for my thread to be deleted. So I'm not particularly predisposed to participating in stuff because of that. Petty and childish, perhaps, but it peed me off.

Aware, but don't get involved at all, composing or listening/voting. I've just never made the time because I'm a selfish, lazy so-and-so. I'm also too busy pouring whatever creative efforts I do come up with into songs for my band. I don't know what would make me get involved. Me being less lazy would be a good start. It's nothing you're doing wrong, and I don't think there's anything you can do to put a virtual hoof up my backside either. Sorry.

Do research for past prices, eBay, here, gumtree. Decide how desperate I am to shift it, versus condition, rarity etc. and adjust accordingly. Hold off if Thomann are doing daft end of line prices (new stuff for second hand prices)

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1422510969' post='2673502'] ^^^^^^^^ Neepheid, thanks for that, I think, quite impressive what lightweight tuners can do, how much are they? Got a cure for falling forward? (the bass I mean, not me) then I'll buy one. [/quote] I got my set of four second hand, can't remember how much it was, £60 maybe? I don't get the falling forward thing - doesn't one's forearm prevent that from happening while you're playing?

One of the venues in town has a "don't play anywhere else in town 2 weeks before/after you play here" type of policy, but that's the only restriction I've come across in our neck of the woods.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but talking about it beforehand eliminates the need for excuses and subterfuge.

[quote name='skelf' timestamp='1422487342' post='2673431'] And nice guy as well. I had expected more interest from my part of the world in the Bash this year but unless it arrives fairly soon we are currently down on numbers from last year. [/quote] Yeah - come on, Scottish bassists, it's going to be a lot of fun.

Epiphone EB-3. Long gone, no regrets - turned out it was not really what I was looking for in a bass, I just didn't know it at the time

And it's here, and it's the correct pickup. Thank you Gibson, top notch customer service, can't argue with that.

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1422446288' post='2672696'] Fixed [/quote] Fixed even better. Boom!

Some "definitions" of key characteristics here: http://biteyourownelbow.com/keychar.htm None of it bothers me, besides the "kick up the backside" moving the key up a semitone or a tone can sometimes do to a song. Keyboard player complains about "too many black keys" sometimes, but plays it anyway Keys mean little to me the way I compose, which usually consist of me finding a riff on the bass in a random place, retrospectively working out the key and the chords, trying to make a vocal melody over it, then shifting it if the singer ends up bottoming out on his range. It's probably completely the wrong way to go about it, but songs seem to come out the other end, so does it matter?

I forgot to mention something. My wife does have one rule. She can't stand pointy basses and says she'll divorce me if I come home with one. Her definition of "pointy" is Flying V and pointier.

Hipshot Ultralite tuners + wide grippy strap (like the Neotech Mega) = no neck dive. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2sGLrv0jWg[/media] Yup, that's me acting the goat

Honesty all the way. Half the time I float the idea of buying a bass then swither, and my wife says "if you like it you should get it"