EliasMooseblaster

Heaven: walking into a shop like the Bass Gallery, and seeing all the beautiful instruments lining the walls, which quickly becomes... Hell:...when I see the price tags hanging off them.

It's quite a practical design, really - it doubles up as a bottle opener

Ah, I didn't realise they were flogging the HT as all-tube...that is a bit cheeky. I do like my HT-1, but there's no way an amp that small has a valve pre AND power stage! I have opened up an Artisan 15; didn't really stop to examine the wiring, but judging by the size, weight, number of valves and lack of PCBs, I could believe it's all tube. That, and it does sound incredible!

Actually, his computer hid it automatically, before jumping off the desk and claiming to be a Golden Retriever. PC gone mad, I tells you...* *hoping Rich isn't a Mac user so that this tenuous sub-Dad joke holds together...

How rife are these porkies? I was aware that the HT series were a valve pre but a SS power stage, but I was fairly certain that the Artisan series were all-tube...have I been mistaken all this time?

Children's songs take a dark turn as Bananas in Pyjamas Forget The Safe Word...

Yeah, phrases like "valve-inspired" make me think it's probably SS circuits modeled to sound like valves - and I suppose valve bass combos are a bit of an unusual beast as it is. I suspect you're right - if there were any, you'd expect them to be waxing lyrical about how many different 6L6s or KT88s are in each stage, and so on.

So does anyone know if these actually contain valve stages, or are they just simulated valve stages in some of the voicing options? I know valves aren't every bass player's cup of tea, but I always felt the great strength of Blackstar guitar amps was their valve tone - I'd certainly be interested to hear how it translates to bass.

Can the filter pick a random element from an array of strings? I'd personally be all for randomly replacing 'snowflake' with 'farty old witch', 'toilet smell', or any of the other mature and witty epithets found in the highly cerebral Viz comic strip "Spoilt B*st*rd"

Wasn't it also Johnson who called Chuck Berry "a c**t," then, when interviewed years later and asked "is it true you once called Chuck Berry a t**t?", clarified his stance said, "that's not true; I called him a c**t." Always tickled me, that did. Perhaps I've too long since accepted that a lot of my favourite music was made by horrible people, and if they turn up to be nice people then that's a bonus. I think if they come across as nice or funny people then that gives me more time for them as a person, but not necessarily their output. I've certainly found more time for Noel Gallagher (certainly in comparison to his obnoxious brother) and James Blunt more recently, but it doesn't warm me any more to their music. Similarly JK Rowling: I think she can be very entertaining on Twitter, and I like what she stands for, but I still can't get on with Harry Potter.

They certainly didn't: there's an interview with the group from around that time where Townshend expresses his surprise that some writers and critics were devoting so much time to analysing the song, when he was just going through a bit of a whimsical phase and being a bit more light-hearted with his writing. Further evinced by the single they were there to promote at the time, which was I'm A Boy.

Oh, I don't know...I'd say gin is definitely superior to Coke!

As it happens, Daltrey actually sings the "US version" one of the better-known live albums (think it's IoW 1970). I agree that the line almost certainly bore no ill intention. It does sound rather ham-fisted nowadays, but then so do plenty of other lyrics from that time. You can understand why the US label wanted it changed - the context is very important. The US release went out in April 1966, while the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing (coincidentally, two years almost to the day before the assassination of Martin Luther King), and I can imagine that the label would have been wary of any lines - however neutral their intention - that might have inadvertently whipped up any further tension. I don't think anyone's going to accuse your band of racism for singing the original line, but I also understand why it makes you wary. Maybe it's worth pointing out to the singer that there's an alternative lyric, which sounds better. You don't even need to make it about the racial sensitivities of the line - I've seen equally spirited debates over whether the first verse of The Kinks' Lola should end with "cherry cola" or "coca-cola"...

That is a gorgeous specimen...I'd be tempted if I didn't already have something which looked very, very similar: http://www.schecterguitars.com/vault/model-t-lh-detail !

I would encourage you to go for it. I've had one of the passive version (Model T Studio?) since 2013, and it's still one of my favourite basses.

Oh my...I do rather like the look of that Schecter CV - anybody on here had the pleasure of trying one of them?

I had a similar problem when I first started using mine in a band setting. For the longest time I was frustrated with the tone going quite "woolly" when I turned it on. So I cranked the tone control higher and higher in the hope of getting more definition, and it didn't seem to make a difference. So I went back to the instruction manual...and I *think* the tone control actually works more like an "enhance" or pre-shape control, i.e., turning it up creates more of a "smiley face" EQ and sucks all the mids out of your tone. By contrast, "my sound" is built on a strong mid-range - no wonder it seemed to disappear when I had the pedal's tone up at 8 or 9. Nowadays it hovers around 2 or 3!

Just curious, but whose standard gauge sets are 50-105? I think all the different sets I've used in "standard" have been 45-105 (some variation on the A and D gauges), though I have wondered about experimenting with a heavier G on one or two of my basses.

Turned my hand to a bit of folk-blues and churned out an EP - somewhere between Ralph McTell and Tom Waits, if I do flatter myself: https://ralphbeeby.bandcamp.com/album/first-light

There's a lot to be said for this approach, as it's one thing the online shops can't really compete with! I do know a guy who had a workshop in Deptford and made most of his living doing setups, repairs and mods for people. In between this work, he made the most beautiful acoustic guitars - don't know how many he sold, but at nearly two grand a piece, he probably didn't need to shift them too regularly! Last I heard, he'd moved to Wiltshire, and business is still brisk. (If it takes off, there's nothing to stop you building up a stock of other companies' instruments and developing more of a regular shop onto the business, of course...)

Wouldn't surprise me. I remember reading an article about The Who which contained the eye-opening fact that for most of the '60s they were only getting something like 2% of the royalties their record company was collecting...which they later negotiated up to a princely 4%!

1. Do you prefer buying from a music shop or online shop? Typically, a shop. I'm very much a try-before-you-buy type when it comes to guitars; in fact I don't think I've bought a bass from a shop or second-hand without going and trying it first. (I did buy a Telecaster without plugging it in and testing it fully, but that's only because it was more convenient to meet Rumple in a boozer halfway between both of us.) I think the main thing is being able to decide whether I like the individual instrument - there's always a risk that a duff one has slipped through QC and it's easier to be able to quibble that with people in the shop, and maybe try another one. Similarly if it's not well set up, a good shop can do some basic tweaking before you take it away. As chris_b rightly points out above, having a strong online presence is also essential these days - I will confess to having bought pedals online without trying them! 2. Do you prefer to try before you buy? Yep! See above; I got a bit carried away with my first answer. 3. In your experience what is missing from most music stores you have visited? If you have the space: booths with amps in, so that I can have a conversation with staff without having to shout over the kid who's been sitting there for an hour trying to nail a riff in front of his mates. Also, employees who don't automatically assume that any women who go into the shop must be in there to buy something for a man - I think this is on the wane but I still hear stories from friends now and again... 4. How far would you travel to go to music shop London's a bit of an anomaly, because people will get a train in from miles away to visit Denmark Street, or the huge Galleries in Wembley. In terms of sheer bloody awkwardness and distance, I have, in years past, cadged a lift from Elephant & Castle to Guitar Village in Farnham and Anderton's in Guildford, if that helps! 5. What would attract you to a music shop ie range, price etc A good range is always nice - obviously you'll need some standard gear for your bread and butter, but people are likely to come back if you can put a few rarities in the window. Also, onsite set-ups and repairs are a real boon - one of the things I like about Wunjo (Denmark St) is that they always offered a couple of years' free service, and they've always honoured that on the couple of occasions one of my basses or guitars has needed it.

Hang on... "Original '50s / '60s / 70s"? Could this be an attempt to recreate the earlier success that Squier had with the Classic Vibe series? I agree with all the above points that Fender are basically damned if they do, damned if they don't. To wit, I've always thought it a pity that the Blacktop and Modern Player series seemed to sink without trace. I do wonder why they don't try a series that addresses some of the perceived problems with the original designs - a 5-string that doesn't divide opinion and actually gives them serious inroad into the ERB market; or a standard bridge which isn't just a BBOT (even Gibson seem to be moving away from the dreaded 3-point, for crying out loud...).

After a couple of years of playing fretless bass, I'm starting to consider the moving towards upright. The question I'm currently weighing up is: do I look for a cheap DB to begin with, or an EUB? I'm sure everybody has their own preferences, but I'm leaning towards EUB given my present circumstances: Reasons for an EUB: Takes up less space / easier to transport Easier to practise (mainly restricted to evenings whilst trying not to wake a sleeping baby) Any use in a band setting is likely to need amplification either way (at least judging by my current band) Maybe a safer bet price-wise (i.e., I think I can get a half-decent EUB for less money than a half-decent DB)? Reasons against: Won't feel the same as "the real thing" May have to dodge the minefield of EUBs which are actually just "perpendicular bass guitars" May receive disapproving tuts if I feel brave enough to bring it along to a Jazz jam night Am I completely barking up the wrong tree? Are there any other massively important pros or cons I've missed? I'm eyeing up one of those Stagg 3/4-size EUBs for context.

One of my favourites: slide guitar / pedal steel guitar One my least favourites: slide guitar / pedal steel guitar No, I haven't contradicted itself - it's all down to context, and how it's being used. Throughout the Blues, ranging from the acoustic fingerpickers in the Delta, via electric pioneers like Elmo' James through to modern exponents like Derek Trucks and Erja Lyytinnen, I love slide guitar in the context of Blues. Ditto pedal steel, not only a rarer gem on some Blues recordings, but also found adding layers of atmosphere to Dark Side of the Moon. But somehow - and I can't quite put my finger on what they do differently - take that shimmering slide playing to a Country ballad, and it sets my teeth on edge. Something about the way they seem determined to make it "whine" in between the singer's vocal phrases, I think.