NancyJohnson

I'm just a progressive old fart and want my audio well produced and delivered with clarity. About 30 years ago, I watched [i]Tomorrow's World[/i] dreaming of a future where everything would be delivered via the Information Superhighway; I distinctly remember a piece where one of the presenters, possibly Michael Rodd, explained that there would be a future where every song ever recorded would be delivered in ones and zeros via a little cube of some sort (suffixed with the quote, 'Like this,') while he fumbled around with a small opaque plastic box with a couple of wires coming out of it. Well, that future is now. Why are so many people uneager to embrace it?

[quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1498814579' post='3327203'] The only reference point I have to my first band is on a copied tape. My 2005 vw actually had a tape deck. It destroyed that tape. Tape must be not just dead but extinct by now surely?? [/quote] To (mis)quote the author Jasper Fforde, we seem to be taking these [i]great leaps backwards[/i] where deliverable media is involved, the slow slide back to vinyl, wet film etc. I'm sick of the vinyl is better argument...sure it is! Well, if you like to listen to your music while living next to a railway line while eating crisps. Surely artists would prefer to have their music played back in the pristine quality of how it left the studio? Anyhow, tape. Sigh. Someone (let's just refer to all these fools as 'hipsters'), some [i]hipster[/i], has come up with this ridiculous concept. It's just a matter of time before old cassettes, ghosts of Christmas-past stored for years in shoeboxes in hot attics, will make a resurgent return along with people saying, 'Maaaan, I love the sound from those old TDK D tapes. The hiss is great, it really adds to the ambience of the piece.' World. Gone. Crazy.

Don't mind a bit of RB, but it's all a bit samey. On the gear front, and in consideration that he's now in the warm embrace of the Fender custom shop, I'm suprised he hasn't gone with some kind of stereo/Rick-o-sound thing on the basses rather than splitting his output signal via crossovers and various Pog-type pedals.

Four operative procedures for trigger finger conditions (all successful), but now both thumbs are giving me arthritic issues. There's a surgical solution available (search You Tube for 'basal joint replacement'), but right now I'm able to keep the pain down via a combination of medicinal turmeric and glucosamine. [EDIT] The turmeric is in capsule form (CostCo) and is a proven anti-inflammatory; I was a tad sceptical to be honest, but the pain I was getting has lessened. Believe me, things got very sore after a four hour session and even a slight knock to either thumb from the wrong angle was agony. The Glucosamine is supposed to lessen deterioration speed of the cartilage and encourage regrowth...I'll take the first one, but the second part I'll take with a pinch of salt.

Fender won't entertain a direct approach; you need to go through a store with a Fender account. Crazy.

Cough. Basses for sale. Cough

At one point I owned seven or eight Thunderbirds. They were all wonderful basses, but the RRP (or even the discounted sale prices) were ridiculous outside of America. I've been trying to work out how much Gibson basses work out at as a percentile of take-home pay...assuming you're on the 2014 average pay (last figures April 2014), that's £27K...or around £1,8K a month after deductions. The last series of Thunderbirds carried a UK SRP £1.8K, so based on this pretty much a full months salary. The average US wage (September 2014) is quoted at $52Kpa (or £40K). Granted there's individual state taxation, but this would equate to a $3.1K take-home (£2.4K) and in the US, the 2014 Thunderbirds had a SRP of $2K. So c.64% of a months salary. Whether or not this is relevant to this thread, I don't know, but gear always seemed cheaper in the US. Yes, I know you need to factor in import duties etc.

I always find it shocking how many derivatives there are of Les Paul guitars. Want a bass in a different colour? Ker-ching.

It's disappointing, but I'm not in the market for another Gibson. Money going elsewhere this year.

...or don't worry as it's been reported that there aren't any basses at all in the 2018 Gibson price list.

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1498484760' post='3324921'] Reading 1999 It always tickles me to see Coldplay's name down there at the very bottom of the list for the second stage. You'll also spot Muse in there, if you've got your magnifying glass available. S.P. [/quote] The company I worked for at the time did the wristtickets for the Mean Fiddler fronted Reading/Leeds festivals, so we always got freebies from them. That said, this was the only year I went. I had an operation on my left eyelid Friday night, couldn't get a contact lens on Saturday (no glasses, either!) but we made it along for Sunday. Proper bogs in the backstage area.

Monsters of Rock at Donington. Motley opening, Van Halen, AC/DC headlining. We were guests of Warner Brothers, all access...it was amazing being waved through security, under the track and parking behind the stage. Watched Motley Crue from the mixer tower, went round to the hospitality area right after and had a wee next to Mick Mars and chatted about the Roy Thomas Baker remix of Too Fast For Love. Got bitten on the arm by Tommy Lee, saw the OGWT filming. We watched Van Halen from the side if the stage. Beyond this is was a bit of a blur really. I do remember it all got a bit Wayne's World for a while.

I like Dave Grohl as a bloke and despite them falling into my chosen musical genre, I've never really made a connection with Foo Fighters. I own everything up to Wasting Light, but rarely listen to any of it. Same goes Weezer.

Ed Sheeran. Don't know any of his stuff, heard him interviewed previously, seems a nice enough bloke, so I thought I'd give him a punt. Lasted maybe less than 90 seconds and had an early night. Each to their own.

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1498474047' post='3324781'] I guess you're not overweight. Some folk struggle with weight and self respect because of it. Maybe your prejudices aren't helpful? Oh and I thought it was pretty damn awesome. Peter [/quote] Come on Peter, Mr Alpha did put a smiley after his post. Christ on a bike, I'm a bit tubby, but I had a chortle at it..

[quote name='crag42' timestamp='1498420376' post='3324500'] Oh no the bass player is slapping a solo!!!! Where's the MK haters? [/quote] Don't worry yourself, I'm here. My wife is watching the Nile Rogers set at the moment...while couldn't perticularly care less about Chic, the bass playing is exemplary.

Thanks for the heads up! The track up on You Tube sounds a bit Zappa-esque. I'm really not a fan of Mark King, so I did hit the play button with a degree of trepidation. The bass playing here is nice and phat, reasonably subdued and there doesn't seem to be any of that slappity-pop-pop-slappity nonsense going on; the lines as the track progresses remind me of Billy Sheehan for some reason. Elements of this track remind of Primus too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygZyuB21gMU

The ABY is by far and above the easiest way to split things into two. While this isn't a vanity thing, here's the floorboard I use for recording and the occasional live thing. The important stuff (tuner!) feeds into the ABY, which then splits into two channels, channel A routes the mild-dirt/cleanish whump (Sansamp BDDI) and the dirt is carried through channel B (choice from Boss ODB/Sansamp GT2/VT Bass DI). On channel B I tend to leave the VTBass +10db on as this makes the signal hotter into the poweramp. You can follow the signal path by following the cables. The beauty here is that I can run a pair of cables into a stereo power amp and into two independent enclosures, giving me control over both channels. The BDDI and the GT2 give me a dUg Pinnick type tone...it's quite mental.

[quote name='Hazy Bass' timestamp='1498159070' post='3322904'] The Fender ABY does exactly what you need for about £30 [/quote] This.

Now then, if I were running a music shop, I'd ask a few astute questions:[list] [*]What sort of music are you playing? [*]What's your budget? [*]Anything you don't like? (pointy, sunbursts, Fenders, etc.) [*]Active/passive? [*]Desired pickup configurations [/list] And so on. Your request is a little too open...

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1497629445' post='3319668'] Quick heads up.. This year's SE Bash will be at the school in Addlestone as per normal, and will be held on [b]Saturday 23rd September[/b]. Will do a brand new thread for it over the weekend. Nik [/quote] Wee and ack. I have a gig in Chatham that day. I'll be able to swing by for a bit to ding one of Gary's Spectors, get the winning raffle prize again and jump in my car for the off.

John Hall.

There's a few village halls near to me (Crowthorne) that would be ideal; most have staging areas that would be good for the clinics, plenty of parking. I'd be happy to enquire on pricing.