spinynorman

Some time around 1977 I saw them at a cinema in Birmingham, probably the Odeon. Those were the days, when you didn't have to stand in an aircraft hanger to hear a big name band.

Just been converting some old vinyl to mp3s. Camel, "Mirage" and "Moon Madness" - given that it's mid 70s prog rock, they stand up rather well, and Doug Ferguson on bass - never even comes up in the "under-rated bass players" threads, but he gets my vote. Really strong, melodic, driving the song.

I remember a lot of pain and effort, at the end of which I could strum along to "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes". You tell kids today that, they won't believe you.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1334861108' post='1622611'] Makes you wonder what the point of having a regular band and rehearsals is. [/quote] On the other hand, it works for Jethro Tull.

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1334762178' post='1620828'] It's a hell of an effort, what helps is putting the 'no deps' thing to one side. It makes things very difficult as you end up cancelling and any good working band will have deps. I have deps for everyone in my band and have had to use them for all but the singer. After all most function bands (assuming thats what you do) will share a fair majority of the set so learning new tracks tends to be minimal and quick and painless. Hope you get sorted! Dan [/quote] Thanks. We're a pub band, with quite a wide range, so there will be some overlap, but some of the set could be difficult. Also the band's named after the singer, so it would be a bit odd turning up with someone else. She's a bit insecure as well, so don't know how she'd take it. If we were a function band and deps were part of it from the start it would have been easier.

Parallel to this, although I've slimmed down my own gear to a combo and a stand, the PA has grown, and the lighting, and I've picked up my share of that. So by the time we start playing I'm ready for a lie down. It has to be a really really good gig for me to get much of a buzz out of it. Add to that a total absence of GAS. I still look, but nothing stirs any interest. Maybe I'm just too old for all this. Is approaching 60 time to switch to jazz?

Last year we really started to get on a roll with regular gigs. This year the diary was filling up nicely and we've got people coming to us for gigs rather than having to chase them. But there's also been a whole series of personal issues in the band, which means we've only played two of the gigs that were booked, and now the singer wants time off because she's got problems with her voice. We're in real danger of pissing off most of the venues with cancellations. No one's really comfortable with deps, and it was hard enough to find one singer, let alone a spare. So it really feels like it's going to fall apart, just when it seemed to be going so well. Is that what happens?

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1334587807' post='1618058'] I don't know anything about drama. I could go to a play full of glaring errors and still have a good time. I don't think that's a sad state of affairs! [/quote] Glaring errors in a play would be things like a) the actors don't project, so you can hardly hear a word that's said b ) actors constantly waiting for prompts c) parts of the script being missed so you can't follow the plot d) actors rooted to the spot with nerves e) props not being on-stage when they should or scenery failing. I've been involved in village hall panto and farce productions where all of those happened and more, and, yes, everyone still had a good time. But outside of that environment, nobody enjoys it.

There's a slightly more complete report in the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/04/paypal-buyer-destroys-violin It seems unlikely we'll really get to the bottom of this unless "Erica" or the buyer go public. The implication of Paypal's statement is that the buyer had evidence the violin was a fake. The question then would be whether, in the violin world, that matters, and whether the seller was given the chance for any kind of defence. If she didn't have the authentication in writing, that wouldn't help her case. I can imagine with some sales of fake Fender basses, smashing the counterfeit would be quite popular in the Ebay forum on here. The lesson, I guess, is don't sell valuable vintage instruments through ebay, use a dealer or an auction house.

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1334659287' post='1619169'] Surely God Save The Queen would be a great cliche choice I don't THINK there's any swearing in it anyway! [/quote] Depends how many verses you're prepared to go through. Gets a bit xenophobic in parts. Lord grant that Marshal Wade May by thy mighty aid Victory bring May he sedition hush And like a torrent rush Rebellious Scots to crush God save the Queen

I think it partly depends on your perception of sound. I know some people who can come up with detailed and florid descriptions of the differences between two similar pickups, but I can't. So either they have a vivid imagination, or they're hearing something I don't. I put it down to having low-fi ears. I replaced a MIM Fender 5 string jazz set with SD Basslines. I think they made the bass easier to sell, but no effect on sound that I could hear. Replaced a Japcrap Ibanez Jazz set with Dimarzio Ultras, and put the originals back very quickly. Replaced Fender 51 P single coil with SD Antiquity, made no difference at all. I get more noticeable difference in sound from tweaking the mids on the amp. I guess if you replace a pickup with one of a different type, putting a Darkstar in for example, then there'd be a difference.

I was watching an episode of 2012 with the wife last night and speculating it might actually be pretty close to the truth.

[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1334325439' post='1614593'] sounds entirely reasonable to me. IIRC, Guitar Rig works as a standalone bit of software on your computer and is happy to accept any audio input that works with your computer. Are you sue the line6 software wouldn't work with the guitar to usb cable anyway? [/quote] I couldn't get Gearbox to work without the UX1 box being plugged in. Just seen the price of Guitar Rig, and also the Markbass Studio plugin. I think the problem is going to be the price of stand-alone software vs the acceptable solution I have that just has a slightly inconvenient box attached. I've downloaded the free version of Amplitude to see if that's any good.

I use my laptop for play-along practice. In the past, with old Thinkpads, I just plugged the bass straight into the line-in jack and it was ok. Ironically, as I've upgraded to more media friendly laptops, the option of just plugging in has got less and less usable. So, I tried an M-Audio Fastrack, which I didn't get on with at all, and now have a Line 6 UX1, which is fine with the right setting on the Gearbox amp modelling software. However, at the same time I bought a relatively cheap Lindy guitar jack to USB cable from Amazon. I really can't see what the Line6 interface box is doing that the Lindy cable doesn't, it's the Gearbox software that's the added value. So what I'd like to try is stand-alone amp modelling sw that works with the Lindy cable, so I can get rid of the box. Any recommendations, or am I mad to even try?

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1333626756' post='1604453'] Now the oli's running out you've got no further use for us... until they discover that peat is the fuel of the future. [/quote] I'm having my car converted to run on [url="http://whiski.hmet.net/index.php/Tesco_Value_Scotch_Whisky"]Tesco Value Scotch Whisky[/url].

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1333497923' post='1602676'] Maybe I am missing something but ... How could you not know that the bass was undelivered for nearly two months? Were you not tracking it for the delivery signature? Were you not communicating with the buyer to see that it had arrived safe and sound? Were you not communicating with the shipper to find out what had happened when it hadn't arrived? Did you not realise that when the shipper took the package from you after you contracted with them to deliver on your behalf that, as the supplier of the item, you still held responsibility for it being delivered? [/quote] On reflection, I think this is a bit harsh. Leaving tracking aside for a moment, the only way I would know if an untracked item arrived would be if the buyer leaves feedback, or contacts me directly. If I get no contact, I assume everything is ok, and pretty much everyone I deal with on eBay does the same. If it's a business shipping lots of stuff, that's the only way it can operate. I can't remember the last time anyone contacted me to ask if an item arrived if I haven't left feedback. I never get Amazon asking if my stuff arrived. Add in tracking, and, yes, it's easier for the seller to check, but usually the buyer is making contact asking where the parcel is long before the shipper would accept it's lost. So, while I agree it's a good idea to check, and even a bit dumb not to, I don't think it's the flogging offense that's being implied.

Is it the perspective of the shot, or is everything in that picture unnaturally large?

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1333352931' post='1600260'] While we're on the subject of really bad body shapes ... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Early-70s-3-4-Shaftesbury-Bass-made-in-Italy-/320877351530?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4ab5c7d26a"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item4ab5c7d26a[/url] [/quote] Kind of reminds me of this

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1333551760' post='1603433'] google [/quote] I was betting myself that would go straight to tradetang. But not so, quite. Superstrat for $67-$87, minimum order 6. Yum. http://jwtone.en.made-in-china.com/product/poiQtlEVRKRA/China-Guitar-JW-SD002-.html

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1333549080' post='1603361'] Contest it man. AB is where I am - Aberdeen. We most definitly are not Highlands and Islands. [/quote] It's way north of you though, Moray, on the coast. From map on the H&I website, it is, even if only just. I can't see how they justify the extra cost though. If postman pat can get his van along the A96, you'd think UPS could.

Interesting discussion, as I'm sitting here with an ebay parcel all sealed up and addressed to .... Italy. I've sent basses and other things there without problems. So is my luck about to run out? Where I have just got caught out with the larger parcel sitting beside it, is I sent the buyer an invoice for standard UK P&P, then when I came to book the courier found his AB postcode is classed as Highlands and Islands. All but 2 of the courier options disappear and the ex VAT price goes up from £4.50 to £12. No way to recover that now I guess, except to shave a bit off the cost by sending it parcel post. So that's Scotland added to my block list

I thought it was a new Linux distribution, or a version of Android.

All the rest gone to the small appliances recycling at the tip.