NancyJohnson

Today has been all about Band On The Run and Wings Over America. I suspect that seeing McCartney on that Karaoke thing with James Corden might have seeded this.

Open all the way here. Why would I want to muffle it? I'd sooner put cotton wool in my ears. I've wired a couple of basses straight to the jack socket before now.

It was that one.

Just going back to the OP, how does one quantify 'aren't well known'? The motorbike remark was pretty succinct as the marques have disappeared apart from an enthusiast perspective. A few of the names mentioned (Vintage, Tanglewood) are produced in huge numbers aren't they? I love when I gig when I pull a Hamer or a Lull out of it's case. Hardly anyone I've knows these names...I played a place in Kent once and took my £3k Hamer FBIV, I delighted in overhearing this exchange: 'What bass is that bloke playing?' 'It's a Thunderbird thing. It says Hammer on the head.' 'No, look. Hamer. H-A-M-E-R. Sounds like a Chinese guitar. My friend has an Epiphone. It's like that.' Much chortling.

Brother Toboggan

Kind of weird juxtaposition here. Radio doing a report about angry bees at the moment.

The Firestar basses are beautiful things and Frank makes some great stuff. While you're likely to just settle on one of the switching options, the actual combinations you can get off the three pickups and the piezo are extensive. Frank has just done an updated version with different pickups. I did get a price off him for a Firestar about three years ago (sub £2k) and it was a toss up between that or the bass I eventually went with (Mike Lull). While I love my Lulls, I still have this soft spot for the Firestar, even though the prices are now over £3k and there's a 18-24 month waiting list.

I've had numerous conversations with other bass players (and geetarists) about what draws them to particular instruments in the first place. It is surprising how many times you read/hear the comment, 'Ooh, that looks nice,' and the lust, the need, the craving for ownership starts from there, a wanting that kicks in without any perception as to what the instrument will play or sound like. I've been there (from the first time I saw Overend Watts with his white Thunderbird and Johnny Thunders with his Junior) and I've worn several t-shirts, but my desire to own my first Thunderbird was driven simply from the association and way it looked; I had no idea how it (or the dozen or so that followed) would sound or play. I got lucky.

It's really nothing different in the true sense - it's still just a pink Jazz (50+ years old), with a different/Stingray-cloned pickup option. I do wonder whether people are in love with the shape or that it might sound like a Stingray (that pickup could just be a P-bass one under the cover), because there's nothing radically new about it - Sandberg have been doing similar stuff for yonks. The guitar business is all so incestuous; limited designs and everyone copying everyone else. In reality, no one is producing anything that's really unique and for that reason it's disappointing. When was the last time anyone really saw a production instrument, that bucked Fender or Gibson designs, that was new and truly head turning? Kubicki Ex-Factor? Maybe a Spector NS2. Something by Status? Steinberg?

Blimey...are you sure you didn't gig with us? LOL His wife said he was borderline autistic as well. If anyone had to use his gear all he would do was complain they'd changed all his settings (even though the settings were done ad hoc every time) and it was murder if he had to use someone else's amp. I could never understand why he didn't put any stickers/marks around the knobs on his gear to put him in his desired ballpark or at the very least remember his settings; I mean, it's not like he wasn't familiar with his amp. But no, twiddle twiddle moan twiddle.

Not this so much, but the guitarist in my old band ran a 20 year old Les Paul into a 30 year old Peavey; soundwise he'd be on the money, but not before spending an age knob-tweaking to actually get there. I could never understand how he would sound brilliant on a Friday gig and so utterly shite 24 hours later. And yes, tweaking happened between songs.

So it's essentially a Stingray masquerading as a Jazz Bass. Oh, and two too many knobs.

*COUGH* The one I have up in the for sale section. *Cough*

The key with any older/vintage guitar comes down to originality, I suppose. It would be impossible to put a price on this as you'd need to factor in costs to try and reverse the modifications and get it back to stock. Harsh as it sounds, I don't think there'd be may people who would go, 'Wow, I really want that bass!' If it were me and I didn't want it any more, I'd probably think about putting it up on eBay with a low reserve. If it's got an original Hamer hard case, it's feasible that you could do two auctions too; the Blitz bass should fit the case and they're always in high demand.

If we're talking sound, then a real drummer will sound better than a machine. There's other alternatives to machines though. This is my current squeeze, live loops: https://soundcloud.com/user-331350717/spookwaffe

I've been through many drummers in my time, good ones, bad ones, lovely guys and some that have been complete asshats. I'd say the only one I miss playing with is the last one (but don't tell him that); he was a fantastic player and in the main was fun to be round although he had dark moments as he had some personal poop going down. That said, right now the new band are recording using midi-drums and loops; flexible and way more complex patterns. I'm sure we'll add a drummer at some stage, but right now we're just writing and recording. No need.

You know the one thing I love about these basses is the headstock. Every Gibson with 2-a-side machines should have cloverleafs, binding and that big inlay.

I don't really know what you'd qualify this as to be honest. Bought a Squier Badtz-Maru here yonks ago, a bit of fun really. I think it was more Bronco than Musicmaster or Mustang. Decided to swap out the machines but it suffered a major headstock failure when I was trying to enlarge the holes. Junked the neck and the body sat under the bed for ages. Bought a '70s rosewood Mustang neck from the US, truss rod maxxed out, forward bow, so sold that on as a project and the body went under the bed again. Bought a loaded Squier Mustang neck from The Stratosphere, stuck a Hotrails pickup in it and changed that wretched bridge to a Mustang one, so at least it intonates now. Dunlop Straploks. It plays nicely, the pickup is hot, so that helps. I've used it tons on home demos...space is tight in the home room, so it's an easy thing to just pick up and play.

In answer to the original question, I always strived to get in someone better after a member decided to move on and the band did improve with each iteration, well, until I left. Their new bass player kind of sucks.

Sell both the Fenders and buy a Thunderbird. Job done! 😂

Find myself more in love with the band members and these documentaries than the music to be honest. As individuals, they are very entertaining guys, but as a band I fell out of love about the time of Power Windows.

I'd put my money on there being more than seventeen.

Except for the ones made in the far east, eh?

This is a great album. They've 'gone country'. Don't get it.