Happy Jack

That's because he's not advertising the rubbish he puts in his adverts; he's actually advertising his shop. His adverts are so outrageous that they attract the curious, looking to scoff. When they see his actual site they realise he's a shrewd businessman with some pretty decent stuff at decent prices. Then they buy something and leave 100% Feedback. Simples.

I dunno ... the English are very fond of saying that Germans have no sense of humour, and then get all po-faced about a very obvious joke.

I don't have a few Musicmen, but I get your drift.

Ever since I first saw the nature of a typical YouTube comment I have ensured that any videos I post have Comments disabled. YouTube truly is the natural habitat of the Internet Troll. Now I see this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-46559772 They claim to be removing nearly one billion comments a year. Really? If that really is the case, then I guess they need to target 5bn removals a year in future ...

And in celebration ...

Yup, absolutely agree. Which is why the "woodiest" sounding bass I own is ... erm ... a Status Streamline, comprising 100% fibreglass / carbon fibre / plasticky stuff / whatever. Pickups? It has a set of Status P/J in it rather than soapbars.

Regardless of origin, it's a wondrous beast to be sure. I have to say that I remain genuinely and constantly amazed at the number of people who try to sell a £4k bass using 50p worth of photos.

That's a lovely thing.

Don't get excited Douglas, he stood up to to it!

Ah yes, the The Bassic Theory Of Relativity, in which the relative weight of a bass can only be tested by your relatives.

I can't do it sitting either, and yes - I've tried. The weight of the bass cut off the circulation in my leg and it all went numb! Seriously.

But now we all have a much clearer idea of what was obviously a formative moment in the History Of Skank.

Much better to take both basses into Earth orbit and A/B them in freefall. Weight disappears but mass remains. If the bass with greater mass still sounds 'better' (for a given definition of 'better') then you have the opportunity to start a whole new argument!

I've had good basses that were heavy and good basses that were light. I've had bad basses that were heavy and bad basses that were light. Weight has nothing to do with it. Your ears are all that matter.

Where's Boris Island when we need it?

Yup. I learned early on that most of the audience, any audience, are actually listening to the song in their head, not what the actual band is playing.

As to the OP, well done mate. I've winged a few in my time, but it sounds like you played a blinder. Instead of worrying that you're an imposter, surely this just proves that you're really rather good at what you do?

I started in live music by playing at one of the better jams in West London (the Drayton Arms, Ealing, formerly the King's Head, Acton jam). Quite literally everybody in the room was a better musician than me, and the great majority (including the guitarists) were better bass players than me. So? You have to start somewhere. If I could get in a time machine and go back those years - taking my bass with me, natch - there would still be plenty of better musicians there. There will always be better musicians than yourself somewhere, if you look hard enough. So stop looking and enjoy what you do.

In truth, then, I'd expect you to have a pretty impressive contacts book already. Just call a few friends ...

The whole information harvesting thing used to worry me in its early days. Now it is so pervasive that I notice it less than traffic or bad language. I still don't like it, but if someone is absolutely determined to know what brand of toilet paper I buy and how often I just can't be arsed to lose sleep about it. I'm four years younger than you, live in London, and use whatever channels are available ... my own network of musos, dedicated JMB-type sites, Facebook, whatever. I go with whatever is out there and hope that some of it goes somewhere. Usually I'm disappointed, but even the disappointments lead to more experience, new material learned, and a wider network of musos. Starting your own band is hard work but, at your age, chances are you already have decent kit, decent transport, and a bob or two in the bank. It's easier at 66 than 16, IMHO. If you go that route, though, give some thought to what sort of bands are actually in demand round your way. Starting yet another Dad-rock outfit, especially if your area is already stuffed with well-known Dad-rock outfits, may be a road to nowhere.

I was watching this:

For best effect, (1) play the whole song, (2) play it loud, (3) try to keep a straight face. And yes, this is the actual single as released in 1961, unaltered.

Now this guy could have posted "I play rhythm guitar and I want to join a band". Nope. Not a bit of it. Hi at the moment I'm looking for a drummer, bassist and lead guitarist and vocals and songwriting would be good too.