Norris

I think it depends a lot on the guitar. My guitarist has owned a 70's strat almost from new. There are large areas where the laquer & paint have come off. He is very careful with his guitars though. There is the usual wear on the top where his arm rests/rubs, but there are other areas where you would not expect contact wear. The guitar has been knocked over a few times in it's long history, but not to the level you'd expect when looking at it. Looking at some old photos recently I was surprised at how different it used to look with a full coat. These days getting on for 25% of the paint & laquer has been replaced by mojo . It still sounds great though.

I do try to move around a bit. In a trio with a guitar/vocalist and drummer I'm the only one that CAN move usually. I also try to remember to smile once in while as I usually (unconciously) look such a miserable git when I'm playing - or so I'm told. Recently I've had an annoying habit of holding my breath while playing. So 'mouth slightly open, show teeth' helps in both respects

I am lucky that in my covers band we are all reasonable at picking up songs. We usually learn the songs at home then just gig them straight away most of the time. Occasionally we do have a get together for more complex songs & arrangements, in which case we use what my wife calls the study (I have filled it with music stuff, so it's actually the music room/home studio ). A cheap electronic drum kit & a couple of practise amps do the job. Bring your own beer.

[quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1378338079' post='2198996'] The next big thing WILL be 3d printing. Most if not all the big players (Fender, Gibbo etc) are investing in it for RnD. Within a few years you will be able to download and print a bass as quick as we use itunes etc now. [/quote] 3D colour printing so that the whole body is coloured and no more road-worn basses ever

A couple of days before a rehearsal call up the guitarist and ask a technical question ("What's that riff you're playing after the second chorus" type of thing). Then cue the guitarist frantically trying to learn the track [b][i]before [/i][/b]the rehearsal rather than during it.

I sold a 4001 in 1985 and quickly regretted it. I bought a 4003 a couple of months ago.

Make a band rule that anybody who turns up more than 15 minutes after the agreed arrival time carries their own kit in

Make sure you turn up at the correct venue at the right time on the right night and that you've brought your bass with you.

Red Red Wine ... I'll get my coat

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1378203203' post='2196875'] Yep. And old ones are increasingly hard to come by now. Although there are ways around it - the L-2000 is close and can be modified in the right direction. I have a '80 L-1000 in my collection and use it as inspiration to build a bit of Wunkay into all my own personal use basses. My latest present to myself is letting everything else I gig or noodle with just gather dust. It's not even finished yet but I've gigged it twice now. [/quote] Nice cat, but he's never going to get the hang of floating thumb technique!

You can use whatever you like of mine providing you a) ask me first, don't put any glasses on top of my amp and c) pay for any damage. Apart from that I quite like to hear what my kit sounds like from the back of the room occasionally

In the eighties [i][b]the [/b][/i]amp to have was a Trace Elliott, although I never fancied one myself due to the close association with slap. In 1985 I bought a Traynor Mono Block and matching 2x15 cab - good job we had a band van back then, 'cos it weighed a ton! I used that for many years.

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/d-c-fix%C2%AE-Plastic-adhesive-Woodgrain-346-8219/dp/B005ELO650"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/d-c-fix%C2%AE-Plastic-adhesive-Woodgrain-346-8219/dp/B005ELO650[/url] - sorted

I've never had a problem with any of my basses needing tuning except in extremes of temperature & humidity. As long as the strings are bedded in properly when you change them they can go for weeks with out tuning. ...and by bedding in I mean grab hold of the string and give it a darn good wiggle with around 1" deflection, which evens out the tension in the machine head wrappings, string trees, nut, etc. Don't be afraid of breaking the string, as if it's gonna let go then now is the time to do it rather than at a gig.

Not leather, but none more comfortable than ... [url="http://www.comfortstrapp.com/"]http://www.comfortstrapp.com/[/url]

How is it for floating thumb technique?

Schaller strap locks are the only mod you need Having said that I fitted a vintage tone switch to my early 4003 last week - first gig tomorrow night .

Has anybody called the church to tell them one of their pews is missing?

[quote name='lowlandtrees' timestamp='1376642986' post='2177160'] ... I had always assumed that string gauge and tension were directly related. How do you know which strings are high tension and which ones lower (probably a tigga nooby question) ? [/quote] They [b]are[/b] directly related. The note pitch depends on the length of the string (scale), the mass of the string (gauge/thickness) and the tension. The length of the string is usually fixed - by scale length & fret positions. The gauge and tension are then inversely proportional - the thicker the string the tighter it has to be to achieve the same pitch; to get lower tension you need lighter/thinner strings. Edit: Many years ago (before the days of Internet forums) I had a 4001 and adjusted the truss rods without any prior knowledge that it was [i]supposed[/i] to be a difficult job. I didn't have any issues and got the action nice and low to suit my strings. Just be careful & logical and make sure the neck doesn't twist i.e. that the two rods have the same tension. Make small adjustments to both rods and never use excessive force.

Like matski, my Ric sounds great whatever I do. However, I can't get a nice round funky Precision-like sound even with a severe mid cut. It sounds cleaner on a single pickup than on both, but still has that Ric 'fizz'.

Active basses 'Coffee table' basses Brown painted basses Maple fretboards Pickup covers Non-triangular plectra (plectrums?) Slap bass Stickers on basses

I don't like active basses or thick necks ... but have GAS for a Stingray

If you're mainly after looks rather than sound, check out [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/197657-spector-rex-20004-holoflash-thunderbird-and-upgrades/page__p__2166289__hl__holoflash__fromsearch__1#entry2166289"]Cetera's Spector[/url], 'cos that looks gorgeous

I'm nowhere near Windsor, but if you're ever in the Leicester area you are quite welcome to try mine - although the TRC has been removed .