uk_lefty

What if the sound person just had a sudden bout of food poisoning? There's no contingency to run the night! Surely someone working there, or in one of the bands can run a PA? Understand you/ the other band don't want to deliberately offend someone. If the band had written something truly and directly offensive then I get it but this is a misunderstanding so surely the venue should have tried to soldier on? Bad venue I reckon if they didn't even try to check the facts or continue the night.

Second hand Hofner ignition or any of the copies of it. Harley Benton do a shorty p bass that lots of people like too. Ibanez do the Talman in lefty too. Rondo music often has some weird and wonderful stuff also

It won't make much difference. It's not the scale you're changing, just the length... If you follow. The distance between each and every fret is scaled down on a short scale, if you drop tune your long scale and just play a little bit further down then yes, you are playing the closer together frets but so what? I really can't see it making much difference apart from being a bit of a mind-fudge when the muscle memory wants to go one way but your ears are telling you something else and finally the brain catches up and you've missed the note anyway (well, that's what would happen to me!). I say just buy a cheap short scale to see if you like short scales and take it from there.

They look pretty good. A hint of Retrovibe about them. The Re:belle series that is... Some of the others don't look up to much at all, sadly

I've had a parcel force driver decide to sign for the delivery himself and leave a 3 foot long parcel at the doorway to a posh block of flats just off central Leicester. Needless to say the parcel was not there when I got back from work. A few days later the marketing reception (they handnt sold all the flats) had taken in the parcel and they eventually tracked me down - the flat was rented by the company I was working for so they didn't have the names of the occupants. I called parcelforce and pulled their leg saying it was irreplaceable family items of sentimental value, their £250 compo was nowhere near sufficient. After the poor girl on the end of the phone had sufficiently sh!t herself I came clean and said actually I have got it, through luck more than anything, but that driver needs firing... Out of a flipping cannon!

Depends. She could recover the cost if she divorces the relevant band member.

I just worry our fan might buy a ticket for the festival and end up disappointed.

Same has happened with us. We are on the promo video for a (paid) festival. We were the first band on, got excellent reviews on the festival Facebook page, haven't been asked back. But they use some shots of us including video. It annoys me that they haven't asked us, yet they use video of us... We can't play it anyway but you still want to be asked.

This is how revolutions start

A wipe down with a dry cloth before going in the case then a cleaning solution when I get home or the next day. I have an alcohol rub type thingy, might be planet waves. I bought it when I was at Uni so it's been going well over ten years. Probably 12 or 13 now I think about it. A few drops on a cloth, rub down the strings and you're sorted.

I use a dish sponge as a string mute on my P bass occasionally. Now I just have nylon coated strings. They last forever. Save money on effects pedals and all that paraphernalia by buying a decent multi and learning how to use it. I learned that a few months back. Made a profit on my old gear and have far more possible effects combos at the end of my toes. The excellent multi effect unit cost me just £100 on BC market place. Save your strings by cleaning them at the end of practice/ gigs. Of you like a bright sound this is a must. If you want a muddy, thuddy sound, and there's nothing wrong with that, then save on vintage amps/ pickups and basses by just never, ever cleaning your strings. Save loads more money by never going in to guitar shops. Ever. Especially if you've just had an unexpected tax rebate. You might end up with a brand new stingray. They ain't cheap.

I have always listed after Ibanez basses, they're bound to be excellently put together. I have got a Sire Vintage V7 though, and got it with options that you just can't find off the shelf in lefty basses under a grand. It was my main gigging bass from the day it arrived until the day a Stingray arrived... Excellent value basses, great feel, very versatile pre amp that's easy for someone like me who isn't great with active electronics. Still, feel is so much more important than any other factors. I'd say go for which one gave you the biggest grin when playing.

Whereabouts are you based? If you're somewhere accessible then people will probably drive to get it if at a good cash price. To me if it says Peavey on it then it's a good sign that it's indestructible so if I were in the market and had storage I'd go for it.

There's something about this that looks really low budget, that and it's not a cinema release. Still, despite that I'm booked in for 22nd March and I have hope it will be utterly amazing.

The various breeds of Stingray could be good. I have a full blown USA Stingray and it's the mutts nutts, but to get within budget you could go for two of the cheaper Sub or Sterling ranges. Not sure if they do fretless off the shelf but buy second hand and get to work with your pliers? I'm waiting for a nice used Lefty Sterling to come up for sale so I can have a fretless stingray

Honestly I could barely move my feet! It was a multi band thing and they all seem to have brought as many shoddy guitar practice amps as possible with them to "decorate" the stage

We've got a vinyl banner with big eyelets in each corner. Sometimes it gets hung up behind us, sometimes on the front of a stage. Sometimes it's just too much p!ssing about so we don't bother.

I think it's to do with the bass itself for me, and also strings. I thought it was output but I'm not so sure. With my Kramer fretless (a cheap passive low output bass) and with my old MIM Jazz I had to dig in like hell and end up with blistered fingers on a gig, the tips would harden after lots of rehearsal. But in the past I've had flatwounds on each bass and not had blisters or calluses. With my MIJ Precision, Sire V7 and Musicman Stingray I don't get this at all. And I use roundwound strings on them. But I don't need to dig in because I get the tone and presence I want without needing to do that. The tips of my plucking fingers have a little hardness to them but not much. I've been playing the Stingray pretty much exclusively since the start of the year. I've done three gigs with it and not come close to blistered finger tips, even a very long function gig.

Get a Sire...

Just as I was discovering the possibilities with the EQ I've had to put it up for sale!! I love a jazz style bass though and in future if circumstances allow me to have more than enough basses again I'd go for a Sire all day long, it's not the simplest EQ to use (hence this question) but it is the most versatile I've found.

You can bypass the active very easily, just flip the switch and it's passive with a load of extra knobs.

Purchased a practice amp from Neil. "As new condition" means just that, even came with the instruction manual in its plastic sleeve. Professionally packed. Also, very well priced. All round excellent experience dealing with Neil. Thank you!