NancyJohnson

If you're in the Woking/Guildford area and have a spare hour or two tonight, my band are guests on the Keith Woodhouse WOT Show on (the quite wonderful) Radio Woking between 6-8pm. The show will also be streaming online (http://www.radiowoking.co.uk/listen/), DAB, TuneIn etc.if you want to have a listen. For those not in the know, Keith has been active musically in Surrey and the surrounding counties for over 20 years and is somewhat of a celebrity in these parts...he's put his weight behind G-Live, Guilfest and the Big Day Out festivals and has compered these events regularly.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1484790471' post='3218527'] Why are they putting those thunderbird style pickups on everything. They belong on a tbird I bet they are even in a similar space. I honestly wish some manufactures would give a little more variety from one bass to the other in terms of tone. [/quote] The only bass I owned that sounded different straight out of the box was a Rickenbacker 4003. I know what my tone is and honestly, it doesn't matter which bass I use, the end result is pretty much the same irrespective. We're just going through a phase where old designs are being resurrected and, in part, bettered. The old Embassy basses were probably dogs, but have become cool again. It's just a shame that it's taken a company in the lower ranks of Gibson's ownership to actually start making a more authentic looking representation of one of its classics.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1484751924' post='3218089'] Hope not, the Tbird is supposedly replacing the current Pro 1V, which sells around £350/£400. Certainly not going to pay pushing a grand for an Epi, as good as they can be. [/quote] I for one am happy to see the back of the PRO IV in it's various guises. It just looked like a copy...the headstock was wrong, that bridge was wrong and it had too many knobs. At least the jack socket is in the right place.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1484753622' post='3218113'] ...surely the Thunderbird should have "Gibson" on the headstock. [/quote] eBay is your friend and a lot simpler than sanding off a Squier logo, eh?

I am most definitely up for the Thunderbird and I doubt it'll be anywhere like £950. Realistically, this is what Gibson should have done years ago; they have no qualms about issuing a plethora of reissue <insert year here> Les Pauls and should have just sucked it up and done this. Idiots.

There's a 60s style Thunderbird too. A real oldie classic looking one and it's gonna be available in black.

I worked for a company that had brand ambassadors that took our money and never went near the product, so I'm always wary of stuff like this. He's too associated with his original bass and I kind feel that many perspective purchasers would likely be going, 'Mike who?' before going to look at the Fenders. Maybe a year down the line, I'll be proved wrong. Sure, I know people will go, 'Well, Geddy Lee, blah blah blah.' He didn't actually play a Japanese build one live though did he?

That's pretty! [EDIT] Why do manufacturers insist on putting different coloured scratchplates on guitars? Black on black, Peachy.

I like the look of that. Never seen one of these before...stick a chunky high-mass bridge on it, a mudbucker and paint it black. Reminds me of Gene Simmon's Lobue bass.

Basses have come and gone but the one I'm still hankering for is a series one Hamer Cruisebass in any if the solid finishes they did. I was smitten in the early-80s, so more than 30 years ago, but at the time the bass would have sucked up about three months salary as an office gopher. They rarely come up on eBay and when they do, they're in the US. Once I factor in shipping and taxes, I can't justify paying nearly a grand for a decent one, but one will turn up someday. I still check the interwebs every day. Someone on this group probably has one gathering dust! Here I am! Take my money!

Just watched the Andertons review. It's a strange one...I like the concentric pots and the way the machines (appear?) to have elongated posts so they sit higher, but whether or not I was in the market for a Jazz believe that I'd still give it a wide berth. It sounds decent enough through that Darkglass head too. Positives out of the way, the voice of reason kicks in. For me, it just seems off-putting having a bass that is pretty much chip for chip identical to hundreds of others out there (and yes, I know there are thousands of pristine Ps & Js out there in identical finishes, but the clone of an already distressed bass is a little different). While I like the relic look in general [i]and [/i]if it's done sympathetically I'm certain you can get a unique looking instrument but here though, it's not the case. There's also the issue (again for me) that as the instrument is associated with Flea, there is an expectation to play it like Flea. I actually like that my primary instrument is one of only a small number on the planet and it would just seem plain strange turning up for a gig and having another bass player on the bill with the same instrument, with the same chippage..

I've had a pair of newer Honda CRVs and it's amazing how much you can get in there...certainly enough space for my rig, a bass, five piece drum kit and three people.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1483980693' post='3211668'] Pardon????? Try harder at what? Your opinion is you like Noel, and thats fine with me. [/quote] I'm still struggling as to how applying a boldface format to a post response and using the idiom [i]Pot calling kettle...[/i]has any actual context given my original reply (however, if I'd said, 'God, that Noel Gallagher is a total cock,' you could have cheekily responded, 'Pot, kettle, black.'). My usage of [i]Try harder, eh?[/i] supports this. I don't particularly care for Oasis or High Flying Birds, but I love Noel Gallagher as an orator and find him hugely entertaining.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1483885902' post='3210826'] Pot calling kettle there If I am not mistaken. [/quote] Hmmm? I think you'll find that the expression, 'don't get your panties in a twist' is, when used in context, similar to saying 'don't worry' or 'calm down' and doesn't refer to name-calling in the slightest. You'll remember also that I didn't refer to the aforementioned Mr Gallagher as a knob either. Try harder, eh?

I like Noel and that clip made me laugh out loud primarily because it's succinct, well timed and delivered with humour. I don't really get why people resort to name-calling just because his opinion differs to yours. Why should he skirt around in an answer for fear of isolating or upsetting anyone? Some people love sprouts, loads don't. Christ on a bike, what a dull place the world would be if everyone just conformed and everybody liked the same thing. Don't get your panties in a twist kids.

[quote name='BabyHands' timestamp='1483705514' post='3209370'] so the fretless side is like an extra neck right next to it? [/quote] One neck, part fretless. Or part fretted. Whatever way you look at it.

Have to say I'm not really a fan of Ibanez basses, but the new SRAS7 has piqued my interest. It's just a bit mental; three fretless strings (for some reason factory tuned at A/D/G), four fretted (E/A/D/G). The fretless side is piezo only. If it was me designing this, with a neck that wide, I'd go the whole hog; tighter string spacing and have it as two E/A/D/G setups.

I love that Blue actually takes the time to reply to pretty much every response to his threads. Too many times someone starts a discussion and then just leaves it to fester, ne'er to return. Class!

Just checked Amazon... £102. Blimey. I mean, how bad can these actually be?? Surely no worse than the crazed pursuit of those Sue Ryder basses from a few years back. To be honest, I've played some munters in my time, but these have tended to be other peoples basses (all of which could be rectified by a 30 minute set up) and a few of these were US Fenders.

I know this thread is a few months old, but I really like the overall design...ok, it's Fenderish, very cheap and I really like the look of the headstock and what they've done with the scratchplate. Prices up to 190 notes now.

I'll just add to this that Mick Karn died six years ago today. f*** cancer. P

My main band has undergone a few upheavals in the last year and while I'd stress that losing our guitarist (to another project) was just plain sad and awful, even he's admitted the new guy is a far better fit. From the experience perspective, we've all been doing it for decades; the new drummer and guitarist both have what qualifies as experience but for one reason or another neither had played in about a year. With both guys, I spoke to them at length on the phone and circulated audio ahead of the first get together, but if either of these guys had been asshats, it would have been apparent during the first conversation and they wouldn't have been invited along. I'd rather play with guys who want this to be fun rather than virtuoso fret-w***ers. Obviously with the prevalence of social media, it is quite routine to do some online checking to support any credentials - just a few minutes ago I read a Facebook entry on a musicians wanted page where some guy said he's played 'over a thousand gigs in the last ten years'. Clicking on his photos showed up loads of photos of trees and his dog, but not one of the guy playing with anything other than a football. What does that say?

I'd listen to some EARLY Japan stuff; they were a lot more rocky/punky/funky at the start, although their material smoothed out with each album. Mick Karn's lines are fluid and still quite amazing to my ears; the way he weaved his playing into, it has to be said, some fairly formulaic tracks, makes the Adolescent Sex, Obscure Alternatives and Quiet Life albums inherently listenable 30 years after they were originally released. I'd also recommend the Polytown album Karn did with David Torn and Terry Bozzio. While it's difficult to find a CD of it, it is up on Spotify.