paul_c2

But that's due to a different issue.

No I mean, you're being hysterical as in hysteria.

Hysterical. We are not even close to a monopoly situation.

You need to find out what's causing the glitches - it might not be storage bandwidth, it could be any number of other things.

Fender are the ones who did "price fixing" and got admonished for it? I wonder if they're put something into the contract with Thomann, that they can't supply UK? I've heard similar, for US-based suppliers.

Personally I'd keep downloaded files for as long as you can - in the future, some downloads will become unavailable, so if you ever needed to replace/rebuild the computer, you'd be stuck (forced to upgrade to a newer version of some software, possibly at a cost). There's no right or wrong way to organise files over multiple disks. There's obvious general principles (like....do backups....never rely on one spindle...etc) Personally my split is similar to yours (256GB fast SSD, 1TB slow SSD, other external backup drives) and I wish I'd gotten 512GB! I keep this for OS and programs, no data on it unless temporarily there for fast stuff.

Indeed - everyone (individuals; or UK-based shops) has to import bass guitars to the UK, they'll all pay the same duty so there is no imbalance there. Its that some non-UK shops will choose not to import, while others will. Sure, there will be a rebalancing. It might mean that other non-UK shops, for example USA ones, have an opportunity instead. Also, there might be a lesser choice. For basses its basically a non-issue. But it might impact other areas short-term. Longer term, the trend would suggest more items are manufactured/sourced etc in the UK itself (ie less importation). Personally I think it will take a generation for that type of effect to occur.

In my experience small businesses are more nimble and able to adapt quicker to changes in the business landscape. Of course, there are some big businesses who are good at this too. So I don't see a skew towards larger firms (rich get richer etc). Its also diluting the point that we probably agree on though - that while yes an EU trade deal was done, it was done so late in 2020 that its left very little time for businesses to adapt for the changes. Resulting in firms like Thomann unable to update their systems on time, so that people can buy a bass on 2nd Jan and have it shipped to the UK. Its all a bit of a mess.

I think its a bit unfair to conflate/confuse the two. I gave an account of my personal experience, only because I think its inappropriate to comment (or become offended on behalf of...) someone else's situation. It DOES NOT automatically make me selfish though!

I can only speak from personal experience - it was easy for me to import my bass from Japan.

Do you have evidence, or is this an opinion?

This doesn't sound right. When the UK was in the EU, it was not possible to have trade deals directly between UK and non-EU countries - the deal was doing at EU-other country level. The UK is now able to make deals with other non-EU countries precisely because we have left the EU.

Isn't this precisely the point though? We are discouraged from buying from foreign shops such as Thomann, by additional import duties (but also by additional admin) but there is no actual bass guitar shortage in the UK, its more of a first world problem (I am having difficulty sympathising with the guy who is trying to buy a £1700 bass which isn't available elsewhere....I suspect it is). There are other shops (eg UK-based ones) which can cope with the additional admin and which will take Thomann's trade, if they choose to no longer serve their UK customers. Or they could do the necessary admin to make it happen (that might include setting up a UK base). It puts the EU on a level playing field with the rest of the world, for shopping.

....Then you could fix it and send it back to them (or send another working one) instead of refunding. The vendor has the option to repair/replace/refund in the case of faulty goods supplied - there is no implied right to a refund.

That was true when the goods were faulty/not as described etc, but it was never true for the "I've just changed my mind" situation under DSR.

The DI box is just a "thing" and it can probably cope fine with the voltage/current of the speaker output - indeed if its wired in parallel with the speaker and high impedence, then those voltages are going to be very much less than 12V or so anyway, so approaching its normal operating range. Its whether the desk could cope with such a "hot" input which would be the issue. IMHO I've always preferred the DI box before the amp - this way it guards against some kind of amp fault and acts as a backup in case of amp failure too. Also the tone the amp imparts is really not that big of a deal (IMHO of course...), definitely not worth losing the backup (or taking a 2nd/3rd input etc).

Haven't rehearsed since March 11th, looks like our one and only Xmas gig will be cancelled, no further gigs in the pipeline. We are very much waiting for a return to normality and trying to carry on rehearsals in the current situation is a non-starter, so it will be a long time before we're back to normal here.

Are your hands getting dirty while playing it?

I've never had strings become discoloured like that, or be dirty if/when wiped. It doesn't look right at all. I know that most basses are fitted with the cheapest possible strings when new. If it doesn't change the sound though......???? Strings should be resistant to the normal moisture level from a player's hands. I don't know why you'd play a bass with not-completely-dried hand sanitizer (its not water though, they're alcohol).

Trying to "game" the system on eBay is incredibly stupid. They have algorithms and permanent staff which recognise it. I like the principle that the onus is on the seller to make it a smooth sale, so they are demarked for incomplete sales, irrespective of fault. As a buyer, of course. eBay has moved on from the average member of the public selling their cheap tat online for a bit, when they recognised there is a consistent income to be made from small business pro sellers. One of the factors in being "pro" is accepting Paypal and sending everything out, free and PDQ too.

What about a small solar panel on the headstock? It could be angled to point directly at the guitarist's tiara during rehearsals and gigs.

What about carving a bigger compartment so 2 batteries can fit into it - but only having one connected? So you can keep a spare handy. To ensure you can always gain access to change it, have a tiny holder containing the allen key to unscrew the compartment's cover, neatly placed on the reverse of the head? Don't forget to swap the discharged battery for a fresh one each time you forget to unplug it, and have to swap the dead battery with the handy spare.

Who?

Who? j/k Fortunately, I am not!