chrkelly

Cheers BassJase, If anyone is after an orchestral chair, most in the world are advertised on [url="http://www.musicalchairs.info/"]http://www.musicalchairs.info/[/url]. Sometimes they come up on [url="http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/recruitment/default.asp?css=1"]http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/recruitment/default.asp?css=1[/url] too but that site mainly covers teaching jobs.

Yes, I always use a credit card on any purchase from the net just in case something like this happens. Never actually had to use them to chase money for me though. Hope it works out ok.

Finally got a reply to my lengthy email today. Someone must have really thought long and hard about the reply. It read... "Your order did get processed ,I assure you" That's it! The entire response simply cut and pasted. He didn't even bother to attempt putting the comma and space in the right order! If you're ever thinking about ordering anything from this company, DON'T!

Check out some Squarepusher, the Ultravisitor album has quite a lot of effected live bass on it. And anything by Lightning Bolt!

Fair play to Rich for getting Fly in to play a gig at the Con cellar bar in Camden tomorrow night. Fly are Mark Turner on sax, Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. It's going to be one hell of a gig and a brilliant to have such big New York names playing a great tiny intimate venue rather than the massive Barbican or Festival Hall.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='294945' date='Sep 29 2008, 10:17 PM']I'm really surprised by this Chris, I used to be based in Manchester and have had CS supply PA on many gigs. They've always been good. Perhaps their retail skills are not up to their PA service. It's bad news. Hope you get your money back Jake[/quote] I'm surprised too Jake. They're a big company and have a lot of very high profile venues (Albert Hall, Wembley, NEC, MEN etc) on their client list. I've not personally dealt with them before but I was certainly expecting better than this given who they usually work with.

[quote name='noelk27' post='294929' date='Sep 29 2008, 09:53 PM']You don't specify how the order was placed - but it's worth noting that, other than for contracts concluded face to face, the term of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 apply. Regulation 19 allows the retailer 30 days to make supply, failure to do so allows you to cancel - which must be in writing, either letter or email. The retailer is allowed 30 days from the date of cancellation to make full reimbursement.[/quote] Cheers, that's good to know. The order was placed online via their website. I have emailed them stating I want to cancel the order on Sat when it didn't turn up but they chose to ignore it and seem to not want to discuss it with me on the phone either. I've had some problems with mail order before from other companies but they've always been amazing at sorting it out. These guys just couldn't care less.

[quote]Yes, I agree, but I've been noticing a big trend lately where there's an increasing number of f*ckups by companies who don't give a sh#t! Look at the time/hassle/stress the OP has gone through. With SC now long gone, there's no excuse not to be using your local music shop.[/quote] While I do like to support my local music shops, a lot of the stuff I buy is very specialist and most of the time I have to buy from the US to get them for an affordable price. Anyway, I gave them a third rather impatient call and got the same old story, they promised they'd call me back with a full explanation before closing and didn't. I immediately then sent them an email and again recieved no response. So I've now phoned my card company and set the wheels in motion. I've also sent one stating what I've done to Concert Systems. I wonder if I'll get a response :wacko:

Cheers guys, I think if it isn't sorted by the end of today the card refund is the way to go. The company in question is Concert Systems in Manchester.

Terminal in London Bridge is a good one [url="http://www.terminal.co.uk/"]http://www.terminal.co.uk/[/url]

Right, here's the story... On the 24th of August I ordered a new double bass pickup and an mic cable from a supposedly respectable company here in th UK. A week later and there's no sign of the order. No big deal at this point so I email the company and find out they have no cables in stock and I'll have the order by the end of the week. It would have been nice if they had told me that when I placed the order. Well, next week comes and still no order. This happens another couple of times and starts to get very annoying. Then during a phone call last week I was told the order had been dispatched and would definiteley be with me on Fri. No order. Since then my emails have now been ignored and my two phone calls today have been responded with 'I'll look into it and call you back in 10 mins'. Like hell they will. No apologies whatsoever and considering my card got charged for over £400 when the order was made over a month ago, I'm slightly worried I'll be severely out of pocket for quite some time. I have asked to cancel the order for a full refund and guess what? No reply! I'm now running out of ideas so if anyone has any suggestions they'd be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Chris

+1. Pickups have come a long way since the Bp 100 was designed back in the 80's. Swapping it for a Full Circle or Realist will give much more bottom end and warmth through your amp. I wouldn't use a mic for monitoring through my amp, way too many potential problems (feedback, need for seperate mic pre etc). However a good mic like a km185 on an H clamp sent to FOH will sound great in the hands of a good sound guy, then use the pickup through your amp for on stage monitoring.

Wanted one of these for years and years and I'll hopefully be picking it up tomorrow! It's a lovely all maple '78 Gibson RD Artist. Can't wait but definitely not looking forward to finding a gig bag for it. Any suggestions?

Steady! Obviously if the space is needed by a wheelchair user you give up the space. However, 99% of the time I used trains with my bass, the space is not occupied so why not use it for a bass? The conductor usually has an idea who will be getting on and at what stop, so they can advise you if the space will be needed or not. Chris

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Hi Owen, Before I got my car I used to get the train everywhere. To be honest though, I would never even consider using the train anymore. It's just such a hassle and you end up in so much pain by the time you get to the gig, you just can't play properly. I had a complete nightmare on the Eurostar earlier this year (thank god they had Duvel at the bar). If you must get the train, travel at times that are least likely to be busy. Virgin trains have plenty of space (the freight carriage is fine but you don't know what gets thrown in there during the trip, bring a long strap so you can tie the bass to something. Wheelchair spaces are perfect for the bass but you'll usually have to beg someone to give up their seat. There is a corner outside the big circular toilets that the bass can stand up in although you'll have to stay close in case the bass goes flying). If you're getting the Aberyswyth (spelling?) to Birmingham line you can expect a load of earache off the conductor. The only place is the doorways and you'll have to keep moving it depending on what side the platform's on. Bike slots are way too small for my bass on this train. The London tube by constrast is easy. Just do not travel at rush hour! Get your escalator technique sorted and don't forget your wheel. *Practise your fake smile for when you're asked 'Don't you wish you played the flute?' for the 1000th time* Hope this helps mate.

Gear-wise, you definitely need a small amp, anything with a small footprint like the GK microbass is perfect. I'm using my aggie for my current show but it's a bit OTT. You shouldn't need to bring your own di or music stand. They should be supplied by the theatre company. Don't forget your blacks or a pencil. Playing-wise, make shure the pad is marked accordingly for page turns etc. It's very easy to be caught out by fast changes and all of a sudden you're trying to read the part upside down off the floor wondering what the hell went wrong. A simple marking of 'open all 5 pages, move to left or VS' in massive letters makes all the difference. Oh and bring some earplugs, the brass can be painfully loud in the confined space of a pit.

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