MiltyG565

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1423354583' post='2683956'] Designed by the same bloke who designed the BMW and Audi trafficator switches. [/quote] Douglas, are you suggesting that the average BMW or Audi driver is confused by the controls of their traffical indicators to a degree at which they just don't bother to use them? Or are you suggesting that they drive along with their indicators off because off is on, and when they turn them on, to turn, they're actually off? Either way - burn 'em!

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1423350902' post='2683928'] OK, the car analogy was a mistake! I'm not trying to draw any comparisons between the two brands, other than what you have just said. All I was saying was; to suggest that Fender and Gibson are lazy for relying upon a handful of core products is ridiculous. [/quote] It's not lazy because it's worked for them. What would be really crazy is if they dropped the J/P/T/S lines and started making something completely different. Some companies push at the boundaries of what's possible. Fender and Gibson don't serve that market (anymore). They have a reputation, and they sell their instruments on that reputation. Their reputation isn't for constantly changing to stay fresh, it's for making iconic instruments.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1423338561' post='2683743'] I'm late to the party on this but can someone tell me how the Hofner control panel was ever signed off on? [/quote] Hmm, that is a bit convoluted. I suspect the problem is that they didn't have people like you working at Hofner back in the 50s.

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1423335952' post='2683721'] This is one of the issues I believe Fender (and many others) have to face up to. How hard is it to source reasonable timber, CNC machines and then apply excellent QC. Fender (and others) should be able build at lower prices, build to order and thus give the customer what they want and deliver quality. With CNC machines, custom pickguards, pickups, even body shapes etc are not a serious issue. I have several (recent model) cheapy basses, the quality certainly gives my USA / German / Luthier basses a good run for their money - 90% of the performance at 20% of the price? [/quote] Well, These £109 guitars I wouldn't say were 90% of the performance of a genuine Fender, but they certainly aren't the 10% that they should be, considering that they're about 10% of the price of a Fender. They're maybe more like 40%/50%, and that's not bad going! But I will say that they are that price because the range is restricted to a few models, in a few colours. But, they are well made, and they look fantastic. And when I think about getting a Fender, I sometimes just wish that this brand would make a higher-priced range to compete with big-name brands. Perhaps you're right, and Fender are taking for granted just how easy it is to rival the quality of their operation today? [quote name='M@23' timestamp='1423331873' post='2683675'] The Mondeo was it's successor, I think? Anyway, the point I was trying to make was that you can't label a company 'lazy' for releasing the same products for years. Those cars are the staples of Ford in Europe and whilst they release other models, that's their bread and butter. You said it yourself, bits of wood and string don't become superseded, so why mess with a product that has worked for years? Like Ford, Fender has produced MANY other products, but the continued popularity of a couple of models attracts the vast majority of attention. Someone, I don't recall if it was your good self, said why not put a preamp in a Jazz?! Which already happened 20 or 30 years ago. Fender have produced some crazy, weird things as times and fashions changed, but the Standard P and J remained. [/quote] Gents - Ford, and most car brands DO release the same thing over and over again. The reason why the Fiesta and the Transit brands have stuck around so long is because they're synonymous with those types of vehicles. A Focus is basically an updated Escort. A Mondeo is an updated Sierra. The only new vehicles to come into popularity in the last while have been MPVs/people carriers, and soft-roaders. Everything else remains as it was, although periodically updated and released under a new name. Fender's success was built on the J Bass, P Bass, Tele, and Stratocaster. They're the recognised 4 main food-groups of Fender. Any company would meddle with that at their own peril. It's a fine line. But Fender have and do make many other instruments. The sane thing for Fender to do, really, is to [i]stop[/i] producing other instruments that aren't J/P/T/S.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1423317758' post='2683460'] That's the thing, he doesn't have to. It's up to him how he wants to sell stuff, and at what price. We can try to negotiate, but his is the last word, he has the right to put whetever conditions he wants to. You have the right to pass. [/quote] True, but it is easier to sell if one accommodates the buyer. He doesn't have to, you're right, but for the sake of closing the deal, he should. [quote name='ambient' timestamp='1423317815' post='2683462'] I sold an amp on here last year. It took 48 hours for the money to arrive in my account. He banks with Santander. [/quote] Yes, sometimes it isn't instant. I sold my iPad on BC last week, and the buyer paid by bank transfer, and even though his bank said that it could take until the end of the next banking day to go through (which would have been Tuedsday, as the deal was done on a Saturday night), it was in my account almost instantly. It's often quite quick, although not always.

[quote name='lonestar' timestamp='1423317062' post='2683442'] The sellers financial or banking circumstances are neither here nor there. [/quote] Agreed! [quote name='lonestar' timestamp='1423317062' post='2683442'] For me the question would be was I comfortable buying a complex electronic device with no comeback or spending a considerable amount more, 400quid is quite a chunk for me,to buy a nice shiny new one with warranty from a local dealer. [/quote] Indeed, it is quite a chunk of money. But, I feel that if I had saved up £1600, that saving an extra £400 wouldn't be that much bother.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1423316523' post='2683428'] At the end of the day how he wants to accept payment is up to him, not anybody else. [/quote] True, but the seller has to be accommodating of the buyer's needs/wants too. As I said, I'm happier with a bank transfer at that sum of money. I might consider a cash sale, but if it feels wrong to me, I will either insist on a bank transfer (which makes it seem like something dodgy to the seller), or walk away from the sale. This is why retailers offer multiple ways to pay. Some people are just happier with certain formats.

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1423281427' post='2683135'] No real point trying to claim the moral high ground if you give enough information to identify the seller and item in question quite easily without naming names - there are plenty of valid reasons to ask for a cash sale, and not everyone is willing to be trusting on high value transactions regardless of who they are dealing with (which is quite understandable IMHO). [/quote] I'd prefer an instant bank transfer, tbh. With real, physical money, there's always a risk of counterfeited money, and there's also a risk of getting mugged and having the money stolen from you. Straight into the bank, for me, please. It's where the money will end up, anyway.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1423293500' post='2683151'] Two things: 1. As previously stated that keyboard sounds overpriced and 2. There's a reason he doesn't want the cash showing up in his bank account. And re the comment about him being overdrawn - don't we pay our debts any more? [/quote] The sellers financial circumstances are his, and not for us to pass judgement on.

I'm really not sure what to say, as we don't know all the details. But, as the saying goes - The customer is always right. If it feels wrong to you, walk away from the deal. When we get to the sum of £1650, is it really worth the bother to save £400?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1423237935' post='2682646'] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]Baked bass with bananas..? I like fish recipes, but that's a bit too extreme, even for me..![/size][/font][/color] [/quote] Baked bass with baked beans. Duh!

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1423095495' post='2680838'] I wouldn't be surprised. I tend to think the instrument industry has grown to a size that just isn't sustainable long term. There are almost too many companies making too many things. How many tubescreamer variants does the world need? How many P basses? [/quote] It is an incredibly saturated market. One upside of that, though, is that it has pushed quality of cheaper brands up, while pushing the price down. You should see some of the £109 electric guitars we have. They aren't some Stagg crap, they're actually really good, and a £109 price tag doesn't do them justice.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1423220790' post='2682306'] That's why most of my strings get changed... well, you have to try 'em all, don't you? [/quote] Indeed! I had half rounds on my Jazz bass for a while. I changed them after a while, simply because I wanted to see what some other set of strings was like.

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1423053207' post='2679990'] My main bass is getting on for a year old, and I've never changed the strings. My other bass had a set up and strings replaced about the same time. On my six string guitars I only really bothered changing strings if I couldn't keep them in tune - normally the unwound ones would get dirty or corroded but on my basses the strings still sound OK. Do you regularly replace strings? Am I just a lazy slob? [/quote] Yes. It depends on what tone you want, and what strings you're using, though. If you want a bright zingy tone, and the strings you have die quite quickly, be prepared to change strings 3 or more times in a year. If you're a more mellow+midrange player, and you're using something like half-rounds, you could easily get 9-12months out of a set. This is based on use of maybe 10 hours a week.

Steve bought an iPad off me. Nice chap. Easy to make arrangements with. An absolutely trouble free sale! Thanks Steve

Gents; Thanks for the kind words Hope you have plenty of mind-numbing, sleep-depriving hours on the ol' iPad, Mr. H.

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1422950274' post='2678643'] Morning all, Been doing a bit of thinking regarding the relay of late and had a chat with Donnyboy about it the other week. On 16th Febuary 2013 I played the first gig with the bass and thus kicking off the relay. With the 16th slowly getting closer to mark the two year point, I've decided that this will be a good date to bring it to a close. To date the bass has gone up and down the country, been played by many, followed by even more, had press coverage, signed by some of our idols, been helped along its way by the kidneys of many, brought people together and helped raise money for cancer research UK. Since starting the relay we have collectively raised £2423.31, an amazing effort by all those involved. Come the 16th, I'll arrange getting the bass back to myself and from there decide what to do next with it. The just giving page I'll keep open until the 1st of March to allow for any additional donations. Although I can't thank you all enough for helping, keeping the relay going and raising awareness, an extra thank you goes to all those directly involved with making all this happen (I'm not going to name names, but you all know who you are). The relay has been a shining example of what is achievable and how great a sense of community there is amongst the members of Basschat. Never did I imagine the relay getting as big as it has or raising as much as it did, so thank you. James [/quote] Well done, James It was very selfless and generous to offer to send your own first bass all over the country to be played at gigs to raise money for charity. What about your second bass, now? Seriously though - Thank you. You've made an incredibly valuable contribution to society through this one enterprise alone.

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1421542001' post='2662646'] All the amendments just knocked back in parliament were intended to do were to make the process transparent. Apparently they would prefer people to remain in the dark over precisely who we're buying the tickets from. [/quote] The government loves to not do things on the grounds that they believe that markets should run themselves free from government interference as much as possible. And that's a lovely little idea that works right up until entire industries and economies collapse due to mismanagement. Or maybe they've just payed some ministers off. It's very difficult to tell the difference between the 2... if there even is a difference.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1421429972' post='2661185'] The problem currently thats not what happens. The extra margin goes out the window as to compete with the online pricing... it's an ever downward spiral. [/quote] Exactly.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1421428332' post='2661145'] This is True.... Dealerships will have different levels of discount dependant on what markers you hit. Quite a lot of the manufacturers will have a discount structure that may involve extra discount for quantity but this is is normally on realistic quantities as opposed to say being 10 pcs or 100 pcs. More like 1-4pcs 5-10 pcs 10+ pcs. It's not in the manufacturers favour to offer massive discounts for quantity.... it only ends up de-valueing the marketplace for them and their customer base. [/quote] And yet, they do offer quite significant discounts to bulk purchasers. But the idea behind quantity discounts is to allow the retailer to make more money on the product, not to sell it cheaper. It incentivises higher order numbers.

The buying power of big online retailers can't be forgotten about. They can sell cheaper because they can command a cheaper price from their supplier. Buying 100 of something will always be cheaper per-item than buying 10 of them, which is the difference between online and high-street retail.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1421330106' post='2659926'] This isn't true...... Suppliers cannot dictate pricing by law so they have no choice. If the re-seller decides they want to make a small margin or even sell at a loss they can and the supplier can have no say in that. [/quote] True, but the suppliers aren't happy about that. They generally like to see their products sold around RRP. But there is a very simple technique that can be deployed - Minimum advertised price. Suppliers can dictate the lowest price you can advertise a product for, although they can't dictate the final sale price. Apple has MAP for all their products, that's why there's no retailer who undercuts another retailer on Apple products, on the surface at least. Once you've committed to buying, sometimes the price drops, but I've never encountered that myself.

[quote name='andy67' timestamp='1421316817' post='2659671'] Really?? I never once called a business greedy but if the cap fits huh? [/quote] I wasn't suggesting that you had said that, but I suppose you have said it now, so what odds? As explained - Suppliers only like companies selling their products cheap if they're high-volume sales (i.e. online). But the fact is that selling things too cheap devalues the product, the brand, and the market. The only people it benefits are certain businesses (high-volume internet sales again), and consumers who buy from them. Absolutely everyone else in the chain suffers. The people who suffer the most are the high-street shops who absolutely can't compete with online sales. It isn't greed. It's trying to keep your business in profit.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1421266855' post='2659231'] Joni Mitchell told us this years ago... [/quote] Notice the lack of bass in that song? Her local music shop must have paved paradise already at that point

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1421265264' post='2659203'] So Fender/ Gibson are putting increasingly difficult demands on smaller dealers who desperately want to hang on to dealer kudos and once gone what else is there to offer? I can see why they may have given up. [/quote] Fender are changing how they do business. Their minimum order used to be quite reasonable, but in one year, they both halved the amount of shops they supplied (by jacking up the minimum order), and increased their sales in a big way. Now, the shops have no choice when they have a Fender dealership. From what I hear, when they sell an instrument, Fender automatically sends them out another one to stock in their shop, and charges them for it, regardless of whether the shop wants to stock it or not. It's not a deal that I'd be happy about. I'm also glad that you agree with me, but my point wasn't to support your local music shop in the face of any failings, more that if we want a healthy supply of bass gear in our shops, that we need to buy a healthy supply of bass gear in our shops. If not, that's fine, we can buy online, but there's no use in crying that they don't do enough bass stuff when that happens.