Happy Jack

I use these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/222397374035?chn=ps&dispItem=1&adgroupid=46343423714&rlsatarget=pla-324946495379&abcId=1128926&adtype=pla&merchantid=9413144&poi=&googleloc=1006886&device=c&campaignid=856845593&crdt=0 I can easily afford to use the high-end self-locking Hercules type instead but I can't see the point. No 4Kg instrument is going to seriously challenge an all-metal wall hanger, and I've used these cheapies for years without a problem. It has nothing to do with the value of these basses. The cheapest bass I have hanging right now cost me £185; the most expensive cost me over £4000. They both hang just fine. More concerning is that the hanger part is invariably covered with a neoprene sleeve. You should be aware that long-term contact with neoprene will gradually damage a nitrocellulose finish.

Yes, but are they salted or dry roasted?

I'm guessing that a beater bass will fall over quite often and be in constant need of upgrades ... well that's how it works for beater websites anyway.

And of course it's only irritating when it works ... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MILLER-Carbon-Fibre-Fretless-Headless-4-Bass-German-made-c-w-gig-bag/162639743078?hash=item25de158866%3Ag%3AHPIAAOSwDd9ZdF1e

Can't you just wear it on your belt?

Not sure I follow, Steve, or was that a Zen thing?

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1505227525' post='3370374'] Nein, nur zehn [/quote] Well make your mind up ... is it nein or zehn?

https://youtu.be/Bxz6jShW-3E

Is it a hippy re-fin, or was it originally natural wood? If a re-fin then whoever did it must have been delighted when he saw the grain that he was revealing.

The signal to your powered tops will be through standard balanced lines, i.e. XLR cables like you'd normally use for microphones. You will need to place your powered tops close to power supplies of course, and you will have two cables running into each one instead of a single speaker lead. Powered tops weigh a great deal more than otherwise equivalent passive tops, natch. Make sure your stands are up to that, and your band mates are happy lifting 30Kg speakers above shoulder height. I never really understood the attraction, myself.

http://www.junkyarddogslondon.co.uk/index.html Originally designed for us by Steve Gee (Stingray5) of this parish, and subsequently kept up to date by Silvia (Bluejay) and Steve working in perfect harmony.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1505147880' post='3369809'] At a rough count, something like 10% of the comments on this 3.5 year old thread are negative to extents varying from "he's a bit rude but they've got some lovely gear" to "wouldn't go there again even at gunpoint". I hardly think this constitutes a 'let's ALL bash...' mode or a 'negative topic' really? And if people do have genuinely bad experiences, why shouldn't they share them? [/quote] Looking at the comments since the latest thread revival a month ago, and stripping out stuff that is neither a criticism of, nor praise for, Bass Direct, I get nowhere near 10% negativity ... it's nearer 50%. Take another look, Rich. I have no problem with people sharing bad experiences, but I'm well aware that an unhappy customer is (according to marketing lore) ten times more likely to complain than a happy customer is to praise. I'm also aware that complainers tend to re-visit and re-complain within the thread. And I'm also aware that online complaints have a habit of attracting people with no knowledge of the transaction in question reinforcing the negativity. Anyone who hasn't dealt with Mark personally, or visited Bass Direct, is likely to come away from this thread with at least a partially negative view of his business because the silks were the wrong colour and someone was asked to move his car. If the UK was inundated with specialist bass dealers then I guess we'd all shrug and get on with our lives. In practice, even during my own brief bass-playing career over half the specialist bass shops in the UK seem to have disappeared. If you want to carry on shrugging and getting on with your life then that's entirely up to you. I beg to differ and will take a different approach.

Logically, we'll all end up storing our amplification in the Cloud. As long as the pub has decent Wi-Fi, there'll be no need for physical backline at all. Or something.

[attachment=253432:2017-09-12 09.46.44.jpg]

It's something to do with the amount of money I've spent trying to get on with the bloody things. I've had Jazz & Superjazz, active & passive, vintage & modern, new and pre-loved, and all I ever seem to do is end up trying to make them sound like a Precision. I've had to reach the conclusion that I'm just not a mid-scooped kind of guy.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1505128993' post='3369612'] Waiting for the head to arrive. [/quote] Well you're hardly alone, Mick. Half of bloody Basschat is waiting for your bloody amp to arrive.

While people seem to be in let's-all-bash-one-of-the-few-remaining-specialist-bass-dealers mode, I do hope similar negative topics will now be created to attack anyone else who is trying to supply us with a decent choice of high-quality basses. After all, we wouldn't want any of these deluded fools to survive in business, would we? And then just think of all the great topics we can start, bemoaning the good old days when there were actually real shops in the UK which would let you play a bass before buying it. As somebody famous once said: "I may be right, I may be wrong, but I know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."

[quote name='Graham' timestamp='1505128645' post='3369609'] Those Lull T-bird pickups are fantastic, some of the best I've ever heard. [/quote] That's really the key. I loved the T5 from the photos & spec, but the moment I decided to buy it was the instant I started playing it in the shop. [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Basses%20CURRENT/Mike%20Lull%20T5%202014%20CURRENT/Thunderbird_zps6wltrwkh.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Basses%20CURRENT/Mike%20Lull%20T5%202014%20CURRENT/Thunderbird_zps6wltrwkh.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[quote name='Steve Lawson' timestamp='1505119630' post='3369522'] Actually, scratch that, I'll bring my 5 string fretless Rick Turner Renaissance... that's up for sale Sx [/quote] Please don't Steve. I have enough basses already, and even Silvia's legendary patience can only be pushed so far ... I'd prefer it if you'd bring a Jazz of some description to sell. I hate Jazz basses.

I use this https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/996012051/live-vocal-fx/tc-helicon-voicetone-h1-intelligent-harmony-pedal in conjunction with a TC Helicon Mic Mechanic. The Mic Mechanic is a superb tool, and really helps if you sing in a band but you're no Robert Plant. The VoiceTone H1 is probably the easiest to use of their harmony pedals. If you play guitar (or bass) then you run a signal from your instrument to/through the pedal, set the key to 'Guitar', and it works out the key for itself. If you sing and play no instrument, then you simply set the key manually to whatever the song is in. Like all such tools, it pays to spend some time rehearsing with it to see what works and what doesn't. [Blindingly obvious] If used without an instrument, it's harder to use as a pedal since you need to place it where you can change the key easily. [/Blindingly obvious]