Len_derby

True, thinking about it his situation is probably fairly secure. But if Sir Mick and Keef were planning side-projects I doubt if telling Daryll about it would be very high on their to-do lists. Perhaps not telling Charlie either!

My take on it is that if those two have played for a while as a duo you'll probably always be a marginal semi/detached member of the band. I was in a similar situation when I joined a band run by a husband and wife duo. You just need to decide if you're happy with that. Think about Darryl Jones. Played with the Stones for 22 years and not considered a proper Stone...

I had a chat to Glaswegian Alan Nimmo (Nimmo Brothers, King King) a couple of years ago and I asked him why Scots could be so soulful. He said something along the lines of 'we come from somewhere where we should be miserable but we're mostly upbeat and happy'.

Congratulations on the planned move and I hope it all goes well. With a wife who was born in Germany and spent her childhood there (army baby) and having worked there myself for BASF I know what a fabulous and under-rated (to Brits) country it is. My experience is that they treat live music with a bit more respect than is often the case here. Thanks for all the effort you put into the Bashes. I've always had a good time and made some 'real life' friends.

My experience of pub and club bands now is that you very, very rarely see a Gibson bass. In my neck of the woods anyway.

Excellent news. I've played in that room as part of 'Dovefest' in 2017. 1. jebroad 2. Len_Derby

I've been following this thread with interest and over the last week had the opportunity to do a little comparison with retail outlets in a different market. Mrs Len is a keen sea kayaker and I've just come back from a week in Anglesey north Wales. Brilliant coastline and relatively empty of tourists. Anyway, we visited 3 different specialist gear shops for sea sports. These are my observations. All had on-line/website options, what percentage of their turnover this represented I don't know. There is great local knowledge and experience in the people that work there but their attitude is very laid-back and you don't get hassled. Newbies didn't get patronised either. I tried asking a few silly questions as a test. They'd all dumped the high street presence. All three were in edge of town business-park/warehousing type locations. Not pretty, but lots of free parking on-site. Water sport is similar to music in that, for most of us, if you haven't got wheels you're stuffed. They were all very definitely 'hang out' spots. All had tea/coffee machines, seating areas and lots of info and notices on the walls. For participants of the sports these are the places to go. My patience was rewarded when Mrs Len bought me a nice Rab base-layer top. At the till the bronzed and buffed chap said 'we're doing a special offer on these on the website, I'll give you that price'. He didn't have to, we would never have known, but it was a nice touch. Not a scientific comparison, but it was interesting to see how a different high-value specialist retail sector operates.

Julian very generously donated a Peavey bass cabinet to my local open-mic. A true gentleman in the best Basschat tradition. In collecting it I also got to see the stunning Mid-Wales location where Julian and his family live.

Although you can group them into broad types I’ve found that every room has its sound quirks. I’ve eventually accepted that at some places, no matter how much fiddling is done and time taken, We will never get a sound we’re happy with. If you have a poor rehearsal room that should make (hopefully most) gigs more fun! 😊

If you're ever in Anglesey, north Wales I can recommend the RoadKings Truckstop just outside Holyhead. It's a continental-style roadhouse and was built to serve the drivers going to and from the ferry to Ireland. Big, clean, good choice of well-cooked food, cheap accommodation too if you want it and open 24 hours a day. http://www.rktruckstops.co.uk/locations/road-king-holyhead/

If you're referring to 'The Guitar Spot' Paul he's just announced that he's closing the shop although continuing with lessons. He has some family circumstances that have driven the decision but sadly it's not a surprise. Another one gone.

Those little hand-written cards stuck on the wall saying 'bass player wanted...' I like those,

Ha, ha! I understand where you're coming from but for a lot of us, at the gigs we play at, in the bands we play in; people ask "have you got any CDs?" With real money in their hands! I think the obsession with wanting to have a physical product to store music on is a very 20th century phenomenon. In the history of music it will probably be a weird consumerist blip. Anyway, that's a different topic. I've got a house full of every medium since shellac 78s so I speak as an addict. 😉 Back on topic - we pool the revenue and finance further recordings.

Well, I've had the bass for a few days now and I thought it would be nice to post some feedback. The top line is that the 'vision' I had for a custom built bass has been brought to wonderful life by Andy. The main design brief was for a Jazz-influenced 'working' 4 string that looked good but didn't scream 'look at me'. For me, a triple tick has been achieved. The light weight of the bass, at 6.5 pounds, was almost disconcerting when I first picked it up. But after playing it for a few days I ask myself 'why are most basses so heavy?'. I set Andy the challenge of block markers on a maple fret board. They look and feel beautiful. So far, I've only used the bass for personal playing and one band rehearsal. Through a Phil Jones Bass Cub the Norstrand NJ4 pickups I went for sound sweet although there's still some experimentation to be done on bass and amp settings. The whole attention to detail and quality of build is fantastic. Andy is a great craftsman to work with. He doesn't impose his views but will advise where things can be done better. Bottom line; a very happy customer.

For me, it's the Ripley Music Festival in Derbyshire. We've done it for five years now. It's a genuine charity event. No one gets paid and the money goes towards the survival of the local small hospital. It takes place in a park in the middle of the town and has great support from the local community and crucially the local council. The stage, sound and general facilities punch far above their weight and ii's always a joy to play there. If the weather is fair it's common to play to a thousand people. As you might expect from a town built on coal mines and heavy industry the people are warm and bullshine-free

In a small town in Derbyshire beginning with a B by any chance? 🤔

Hi Tom, I somehow made it to 60 last month, and considered buying a YOB bass as a special treat. Looking around at what was available from 1958 I decided that a better option was to commission our own AndyJr1515 to build me one. It looks like it's going to come in at about 6 and a half pounds in weight, Andy being a master at making light instruments.

Luckily I have a two-gig weekend that's going to keep me occupied. Otherwise, like a poorly-trained spaniel, I'd be chewing up the furniture. Seriously though, when I asked Andy to make me the bass the idea was always 'when it's done, it's done'. No time constraints.

Just took delivery of a Phil Jones Bass Cub from Kris. Good and prompt communication throughout and beautifully packaged. Another top-drawer Bass Chatter.

I think Nathan East plays 5 strings all the time. In public anyway 😉

Mmmmmm, could this be Andy's subtle comment about the music he's heard me play with a couple of bands? 😂

A very happy birthday to our master-builder Andy. I hope you can put your tools to one side today and have a great day.

Congratulations, and welcome back to the fold! I played in a church band for several years; I've now bowed-out to give a couple of teenagers the opportunity to play bass. I found the church band experience a really good one for developing musical skills. It was also the only place that, at the age of 60, I was still addressed as 'young man'.

I feel your pain - literally, as I had to quit a busy and successful band last year due to shoulder pain. I'm currently having a light weight custom bass made by andyjr1515 of this forum. That's one solution. Alternatively, what about a semi-hollow? My Yamaha Bex, in my profile pic, is very light although a bit neck-divey. I've got a bass Uke and use it live often, although only for certain songs (where poor intonation isn't noticed 😉). Why worry about what it looks like and what other people might think?

Indeed it is. The Diamond Jubilee!