tauzero

They all sound the same. Just get the one that looks nicest.

After last week's nightmare, we had a much better time of it at a pub in Walsall. Friendly, danced a bit and sang along, gaffer wants us back.

I'd be up for it. Can't make the first or third weekend (3/4 and 17/18).

If you've got a [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Clifton-Downright-5-String-Electric-Bass-Guitar-/280711155647"]Clifton Downright 5-string for sale[/url] and you're starting the auction at £1200, is it wise to include a link to the [url="http://www.cliftonbasses.co.uk/page10.html"]Clifton Downright page[/url] where a potential buyer can find out that the same bass can be had brand new for £1300?

My Variax guitar is rather heavier on power than the average active bass - I run it off rechargeables (6xAA) for up to half an hour or so, but if I'm playing any longer than that, I use the phantom power system. It's all very simple, either I use a normal mono lead and run off batteries, or I use a stereo lead to the floor box and a mono lead from that to the amp. I'm not sure how the switching is done at the instrument end.

It finished up as a rather annoying and upsetting gig. It was the celebration of the first anniversary of a landlord taking over a pub (the Horseshoe on the Alcester Road in Birmingham), and he booked the rock/blues covers band to alternate with his resident DJ. We were at the back of the lounge - the pub has narrow everything, rooms, passages, and minds. There was a minor hitch when smoke started appearing from one of the speaker leads running to the monitors for the vocal PA. Not entirely sure what had happened, I unplugged the lead and carried on, we coped without monitors. After the first set we went outside. Mrs Zero wasn't with us when some big bloke said "You need a singer". After he said this for the second time, I said "we're happy with the one we've got, ta". Later, one woman wanted to get up and sing with us so Mrs Zero let her, then a couple of girls did the same, and then the big bloke started shouting abuse at them. We finished our second set to some applause and loud booing from this bloke. Mrs Zero told me that afterwards he'd followed her up the room, repeatedly saying "fat bitch, you can't sing". My opinion was that he was a cloth-eared ignorant bullying cnut. We decided that if we ever played there again, it would be without sharing with the resident DJ - it seemed that a lot of the people were there for him, including the obnoxious shitbag. Personally, I'd be happy never to play there again. It did upset Mrs Zero quite a bit - her self-confidence can occasionally be shaky, the legacy of bullying former partners, and she needed quite a bit of reassurance.

Almost 100% fingers, occasionally use a plectrum. Nothing to do with the sound, it's that some fast repeated notes I can't manage properly with fingers since someone broke my hand 30+ years ago.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1305380' date='Jul 16 2011, 12:48 AM']A friend lent me Jaco Pastorius[/quote] Did he have to dig him up first? [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1305380' date='Jul 16 2011, 12:48 AM']So that fretlesss sound, devoid of skill or ability does link up to Jaco pretty easily.[/quote] Hmmm. Many years ago, I recorded a demo with one band which we sent (among other destinations) to the monthly magazine [i]Brum Beat[/i]. They commented that one particular track would sound good on a fretless. I completely agreed with them, which is why I had recorded it using a fretless. Doh.

No-one's mentioned the necks. Why has no-one mentioned the necks? Early Warwicks had lovely slim necks. Then they got all fat and treetrunk-like. Apparently they are now slim again (I haven't tried a new one out). So if you go second-hand, be prepared to try a few out.

What a shame it's not 5-string necks. Um, and that I haven't got £1800, of course.

Never got round to doing the hectic weekend report from nearly two weeks ago... Friday night, self and Mrs Zero played as a duo in the local Battle of the Bands. Just for a change, we did it with bass, drum machine and vocals. We didn't come last (we know that for certain, one of the bands didn't turn up). Saturday night, played a barn dance in a church for a couple's anniversary. All went well. Sunday, played one set with Mrs Zero as an acoustic duo, two sets with the ceilidh band playing tunes, and two sets with the blues covers band, all in Stafford park on the bandstand for the council's "party in the park" thing. Mrs Zero managed to get a barn dance booking out of it, which was nice. As I also did the PA, that was quite an exhausting day.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1301522' date='Jul 12 2011, 08:08 PM']I can't forgive Berlin for that stupid 80's video with some wrestler/boxer in it. Embarrassing.[/quote] I thought his "Take my breath away" was pretty good, although I was surprised that he used synth bass. Who is this Jaco Pastorius of whom he speaks?

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='1303308' date='Jul 14 2011, 10:50 AM']Seriously? Harmony Central reviews are the biggest load of gutter trash out there. Full of kids proclaiming that their latest toy is the best thing ever... 10 across the board... or they've done a review on their dads archtop and slated it "because it's sh1t for metal". C'mon, we've all seen them. The problem is, with the internet, everybody is an expert.[/quote] Harumph. I've done a few Harmony Central reviews, and used them to find out about things I was interested in. I tend to discount the illiterate, the wildly enthusiastic, the irrationally negative, and those where the reviewer proudly proclaims his six months of experience, and carefully read the remaining review, which is generally very helpful.

[quote name='bode' post='1297813' date='Jul 8 2011, 11:11 PM']Any guitarists who need to use capos simply don't know enough chords.[/quote] Utter and complete nonsense.

[quote name='TimR' post='1298393' date='Jul 9 2011, 05:59 PM']Mustang Sally.[/quote] Which of us is the evil twin?

The headstock face has been repainted. There's no sign of anything nasty on the rear of the headstock so I suspect that's merely a bit of cosmetics. Looks nice.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1289352' date='Jul 1 2011, 05:59 PM']Bolt on doesn't mean cheaper. if you snap a neck on a fixed neck bass the repair cost will be twice as much.[/quote] For some reason, I don't actually consider the possibility that I will break the neck of a bass as part of my assessment of whether to buy it or not. Am I unusual in not having broken the neck of any of my basses?

[quote name='Earbrass' post='1279898' date='Jun 23 2011, 05:33 PM']And by the same token, unless you actually [i][b]have[/b][/i] shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die, I'd avoid the Folsom Prison Blues, too.[/quote] Under new EC regulations, shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die must be done alongside a control experiment where a man in Reno is not shot.

Hofner violin bass which I could have had for £75. However, I played it, and it was such a pile of sh*t that I didn't buy it. Shame, I could have made a lot of money on that.

I do wish I could like the look of SCs, but I just don't. I've played urb's Sei at a Northampton bass bash, and it was jolly nice, and I've played mcgraham's W&T Cronos 5, and that was extremely jolly nice (the nicest 5-string neck I've encountered) but I can't afford one anyway, but I just don't like the looks. Ah, forgot to say this - I think the Les Paul shape works better than other singlecuts because it started with a symmetrical body and then a chunk got cut out of it, rather than starting with an asymmetrical body and sticking a chunk back into it.

[quote name='lanark' post='1277708' date='Jun 21 2011, 08:44 PM']But that's just nomenclature, why isn't it also an Extended Range Guitar? A guitar with its range extended downwards, rather than a bass extended upwards?[/quote] Perhaps because the first people to have them built were bassists.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1283273' date='Jun 26 2011, 07:46 PM']Company gets cheap products in Cheap factory A over the years with experience the workmanship gets quite good. Then for economic reasons parent company shifts production to cheap Country B. Lack of experience and the first run of instruments are a bit rough. Over time experience is built up and the products get better. Unfortunately by the that time Internet gossip has took off from the first run and Country A will always be better than Country B.[/quote] Although Country B will put together a few instruments as a prover to show that they can do the job, and those instruments will be extremely good. The best Squier Strat I ever played was one of the pre-production models built in Korea IIRC - I think Machines' dad bought it.

In 20 years, when it comes up on ebay again, there will be an outbreak of keening from the Fender massif, saying "why oh why has someone cut big holes in this to put in another pickup?".