FinnDave

I'd lost interest in most of it by then, settled into my niche and stayed there!

Back in the 60s and especially the first half of the 70s, bands were generally either singles bands (TOTP stuff) or album bands ('serious' music, pretentious prog, depends on how you feel) and most people I knew were interested in one or the other - very rarely both.

Even if we could only have 30 or so at our gigs (and that just wouldn't work financially) they would all be crushed around the stage - very hard to imagine everyone (or anyone) maintaining social distance at a gig.

Yeah, takes practice to get used to that!

Like 'Hark, the Herald Tribune'?

The only band I have listened to for the last few years is the Grateful Dead, my recommendation to anyone who expresses an interest in them is the live CD from May 8th 1977 at Cornell. It's a good introduction to the their music, played live, as it should be, and is available on CD or digitally from a variety of sources.

The self-styled 'investigative reporter' is indeed a smug git, and I say that with some authority having working with plenty of smug gits in real television. At least most of them had something to be smug about, even if it was only that they were getting paid to do this sort of rubbish.

I have had a few new Fenders over the years and can't remember any having the relief more than very slightly out. I bought a new Sandberg a few months ago and that was, and still is, absolutely spot on.

When I started playing in the first half of the 70s, pretty much the only instruments available to ordinary kids were British made guitars and basses from ten to fifteen years earlier. Burns and Vox might have been OK when new and treated well, but after many teenagers had had their grubby mitts on them they were really were fit for little more than the bonfire. Hence my comments, seeing things like this reminds me of the bloody awful things I had to try and learn on!

Two hundred and fifty quid? What planet are these people on? I wouldn't have it for free as it looks like it'd be a bugger to burn, wouldn't produce much heat, and that's the only use I can see for it.

I don't think there's 10% of that that I understand!

Interesting to read that the American Original 60s Jazz has a 9 1/2" radius fingerboard - I prefer the 7 1/2" 'board on the MiM 60s Classic Jazz (of which I have two) which for some reason is also used on the MiM Jazz de Luxe. At least your post has killed off any GAS I may have had to upgrade one or more of my MiMs to a US model! I played one of my 60s Classics for a couple of hours this morning - sounds very 60s, very West Coast, strung with light LaBella flats and played with a pick.

I have a very clear recollection of Hammy (Furniture's drummer) calling me at work one time for a chat and he asked what I thought of their latest single, which I hadn't heard. As luck would have it, it came on the radio while we were talking, so I was able to praise the appropriate bits. Lovely chap, Hammy, and an incredible drummer.

There's a simple answer - everything I don't like is obviously over-rated, and everything I like is obviously under-rated.

I knew the guys in Furniture quite well - took a bunch of photos for them and the drummer lived in a flat in the same building as I did. I played with some of them in earlier incarnations of the band around Acton in the early 80s. Ofte saw them play around west London.

Our band's drummer owns a rehearsal studio which is where we rehearse (or used to, in the days when we were allowed to go out and see people). He has equipped them all with Mark Bass rigs and I was somewhat wary of them to start with, and found it very difficult to get any sort of useable sound out of them intuitively. Then I downloaded the manuals for them, and suddenly they came alive. The only problem I have with them now is that I've forgotten how to get the best out of my Ashdown gear!

As always, there is a flaw in even the most perfect of plans. For yesterday's bass practice (2 hours 40 minutes of playing along to a couple of live Grateful Dead CDs), I used the Precision which has had flats on it for over a year now. In that year, I might have played it once. Now I know why - the flats really don't suit it. I've still got the barely used set of D'addario rounds I took off and am very tempted to change back. That buggers my perfect bass plan right up!

Most certainly, especially after their very helpful and friendly attitude when FedEx managed to deliver mine to a house miles away. Drew from Kenny's was on the phone everyday keeping me updated on the progress they were making with the courier, despite to being only a ten quid sale. They're top of my list for whatever I buy next.

I can't begin to express the relief I feel now I've read that. I expect to sleep soundly tonight, last night I was up all night worrying about my bass strategy.

Same here!

The Sandberg has a two octave neck - that's enough for me! Playing the Dead, I spend more time around the twelfth fret than down in the mud below the fifth, believe me!

I've had a few fretless basses over the years, but now I am restricted to pick playing only, I can happily give them a miss.