NancyJohnson

Despite me being a bit of a traditionalist where guitars are concerned, I have to say that that's really nice! Expensive? Spill the beans!

[quote name='DBerriff' timestamp='1462373696' post='3042488'] How does a bass look cheap these days? You are paying for Musicman build quality I suppose. Having said that, the pickups did make me think of Sandberg's Electra models. Which are cheaper than some. Not £350 cheap though. [/quote] I suppose cheap should imply and be applied to their core basses as 'not as well appointed' or 'less classy'. While I've only owned a lone MM (a Bongo 5HH), I've always felt that MMs (specifically Stingray basses) always kind of carried themselves head and shoulders above the competition in an over-saturated analogous marketplace. Up against the Stingray, the Caprice looks a bit like a lower-cost model, more in line with the Sterling/SUB models. While I've only seen a few stills, to me it doesn't look like a £1,500 instrument. What I'm trying to say is £350 does buy a lot of bass nowadays. £1,500 should buy you an awful lot more.

I like the look of the Caprice (the P/J), but haven't watched the video (yet). Thought it looked a little [i]cheap [/i]looking, not as lush as other MM basses and was staggered to find UK retail will be c.£1.5K. It looks like a £350 bass.

These posts read like a eulogies to lost basses, but hey, ultimately hasn’t everyone sold on gear because they have something better incoming? I think that despite all the good ones and bad ones I’ve owned, the only one now that I’m kind of wishing that I hadn’t sold on was my Thunderbird NR reissue; while it played like a dream tonally it was a polar opposite to my other Thunderbirds. Plus, I had a Rickenbacker incoming. I know where the TB is (don’t I, Gus?)…maybe he’ll sell it back in a while.

Late to the party, but it's really dependent on the type of glue on the sticker. I've found that any one of three things will remove the residue; white Spirit, meths or good old Mr Sheen style polish.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1462055448' post='3040025'] I've heard on TB that Spector do not give their endorsing artists any basses for free. Any truth in this do you know? [/quote] Doug says this in the current video. They gave him a loaner, he bought the amber one he uses all the time.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1462035356' post='3039852'] Fair point, maybe I was a bit harsh. I get a bit of a reaction to people who can afford stuff in the first place and companies who indulge them. FWIW I think he's a decent guy too. [/quote] While I'm certain that there's loads of uber-rich musicians, conversely I suspect a lot of these musicians have very little. Hell, if any manufacturer/builder offered to build you something, you'd be a knob to turn it down!

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1462028370' post='3039764'] I have a lot of time for these guys. Saw LC in the nineties just after Doug had taken over. Excellent. But... Vernon Reid's endorsee whore waffle about PRS... and Doug blasting straight into another guitar distortion sound... [/quote] The Ishibashi video explains the PRS situation pretty well; Vernon doesn't diss on Parker Guitars...he just says that the team he dealt with at Parker were effectively pushed out of the company and his relationship deteriorated as a consequnce. He was still very positive about Parker. The PRS thing came about via the introduction of Vernon to Paul Reed Smith from the (Australian) English speaking representative at Ishibashi (the guy who fronts their English speaking videos). It all seems fairly genuine. Mr Reid has always struck me as really nice, passionate and genuine bloke...he might waffle and there may be some corporate loving going on, but I'd find it difficult to quantify this as whoring!

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1461704420' post='3037019'] [url="https://instagram.com/p/BErTjSPuQRr/"]https://instagram.com/p/BErTjSPuQRr/[/url] The end. Did a couple more passes at it and I'm glad I did. [/quote] Tip top. Way better than my effort! P

It's funny because I wouldn't have known about this particular rig rundown if I hadn't been watching the Vernon Reid interview on the Ishibashi channel.

This just popped up on my You Tube feed. It's long. Very long! P [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtHd2v9YiEA"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtHd2v9YiEA[/url]

I had a MM Bongo 5HH a few years back. I think that if I could have somehow removed the active circuit and gone passive, I'd still have it today.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1461681121' post='3036691'] Never found a Bartolini pickup I've liked unfortunately. [/quote] Not wishing to hijack the thread, but why?

I know him from Stevie Salas and the Colorcode/Electric Pow Wow projects. I think Salas and Rojas became associated when they played for Rod Stewart about 25 years ago.

Me and Brains have spoken. I'll keep an eye on the thread but I've nothing more to contribute.

I don't think it's a [quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1461603443' post='3036068'] In my experience the problem is simply that the specialists available on the NHS just simply don't understand WHY the problem is such a big deal for a musician. I was asked why, if I could straighten the fingers out with the other hand, I didnt just "do that" and carry on playing! Between that and the two friends who had been butchered by this idiot I am so glad I decided NOT to let him operate on me. [/quote] I don't know that it's a specifically a musician issue or whether there's an element of trolling here. Ten times worse [i]and [/i]kidney failure? If your fingers trigger, it's an issue period, doesn't matter whether you play guitar, golf, paint or use your hands for work, you can get it fixed in under ten minutes. It's 2016, it can be treated successfully with a [b]very [/b]minor operation and I can't really see how a qualified orthopedic surgeon would be [i]butchering [/i]anyone, especially as the cut in the palm of your hand is barely 5mm deep, about a centimeter and a half wide and requires two or three stitches. Frankly, I've done far worse stripping mains cable back with a Stanley knife and sharpening kitchen knives in the past. The guy who did mine was pretty implicit that the surgery was the only 100% cure for the condition and as a consequence I've had four procedures with maybe another one when my pinkie gets worse; I've explained that the condition is caused by inward/outward growth of the A1 pulley and resting up isn't going to make the growth shrink back. It will not resolve itself on its own.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1461583797' post='3035799'] NJ - would I be correct in saying that from the picture above you had a general anaesthetic? If so, was that purely because of the other issue with your arm? I read the page you linked above which indicates the procedure for Trigger Finger is generally done under a local anaesthetic. Is that how you had the others fixed? [/quote] Nope it was done under a local - they've all been local anaesthetic. The thing they dug out of my arm was a circular mass about an inch in diameter, it was done the at the same time. Seriously though, insist STRONGLY on the operation. I was referred to a health centre for the last one and the doctor I saw pretty much said, 'I'll give you a cortizone injection and that will sort it out.' She was actually saying this as she made her way to a locked cabinet to get the syringe out! I declined this immediately insisting the cortizone shot would only prove to be a temporary relief and that I didn't wish to go through the whole rigmarole again when the shot wore off and the symptoms returned in a few weeks time, plus, I had previous experience. Paul

I just found some photos of when I had the second one done. I also had a lump cut out of my left forearm hence the big foamy support. There's also a very grizzly one (detailing my forearm bruisng - the consultant wanted to know if any bruising had come out) taken a few days after if anyone wants to yack up their breakfast. P Before: After (blue matches my eyes):

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1461182121' post='3032300'] [url="https://instagram.com/p/BEbxCaVOQXt/"]https://instagram.com/p/BEbxCaVOQXt/[/url] After searching far and wide for a close match...I could start tonight. It looks lumpy. The wood was dented underneath the finish. It's had one more coat since, and I have a new tip to share if it proves successful... [/quote] It's just a case (much like any finishing) of building up the coats and cutting back. The finish on my Aria is in pretty poor generally, but the ding I used the varnish on was a bit too much. I've done maybe five or six thin black coats (it's in the dark edge area on a sunburst finish). It's self levelling and it's fine for purpose; I will probably do more and cut it back, but for now, it's OK.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1461330133' post='3033758'] Do't suppose you have any advice on arthritic bone growth in thumb base joints, do you? [/quote] My consultant remarked I may need a CMC Anthroplasty at some stage as I have (arthritic) pain and general clickiness deep inside in my right thumb joint. I've been told this has almost definitely been bought on by my playing over the last 30+ years. I wear a Mueller Thumb Stabilizer (Amazon!) when it gets too painful/inflamed and this helps restrict movement. The operation for that baby looks freaking horrific.

The image below is pretty succinct to those in the know. The pulley is effectively a bridge of cartlidge-type material (much like the stuff you get on chicken wings), that the tendon moves through to allow your finger to flex back and forth. The A1 is the pulley in the palm of your hand, the A2 is between the lower two knuckles on finger (and so on). In a case of trigger-finger/thumb, the pulley grows both inwards (squeezing and restricting the tendon) and outwards (producing a pronounced bump on the palm), so as I've posted previously, acupuncture/cortizone etc. isn't a cure. The operative procedure simply slices through the pulley, turning it in a bascule (ie Tower Bridge), releasing the tightness and allowing the tendon to move freely. I've suffered zero ill-effects; I am however experiencing the telltail signs that the little finger on my right hand is going the same way as the four I've had done previously. Ominous occassional triggering, but nothing bad just yet.

*Oh, and it's nothing to do with playing guitar either. It's in your genes and is passed down through the male side of the family. Nordic/Viking bloodline, apparently (yes, I'm being serious!).

I've had four operations on different fingers (so far). Left thumb, left middle, right ring, right middle. Just for the record two were done privately, two on the NHS, all by the same consultant (Charles Pailthorpe [url="http://www.circlehealth.co.uk/consultants/charles-pailthorpe"]http://www.circlehealth.co.uk/consultants/charles-pailthorpe[/url]), all were done professionally and without issue. The procedure is a quick and it's a fairly simple surgery (just look up A1 pulley release on the tube of you); under ten minutes and the fix is [u]instant[/u] and permanent. The first evening after the operation has always been uncomfortable but thereafter recovery time is [b]very [/b]quick. The only reason I didn't play bass for a few days was just as a precaution to pulling open the lesion. If I can give you one or two bits of advice, it would be to always insist on the surgical procedure. Cortizone injections, acupuncture, snake oil and any other miracle cures will categorically not resolve the issue and it will certainly not 'get better' on its own; the very nature of the condition is growth of the gristley pulley restricting tendon movement...it will not ungrow any more than your fingernails will recede back into their nailbeds. Resting the joint will not make the pulley shrink. In closing, I'd say get it sorted sooner rather than later. Much as I love the NHS, their slacking and sidestepping on one finger caused the condition to worsen, resulting in damage both to the tendon and the sleeve surrounding it (the evening of that op was [i]very [/i]bad; worse pain I've experienced and it wasn't restricted to the hand). My consultant remarked I would likely experience issues with the finger in later life, but as of yet, it's been fine. Get it sorted.

Everything I use has been made by Dave.

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]01. Hamster -[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]02. Silverfoxnik - BC Rich Eagle, Hayman 4040, Schecter Diamond P5, Ampeg V4BH amp & 115 Classic cab[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]03. TheGreek - not sure what I'm bringing yet...[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]04. Happy Jack - I'll be there with a love that will see you through[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]05. JapanAxe - probably everything in my signature. HERBIE FLOWERS - woot woot![/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]06. Macdaddy. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]07. obbm[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]08. Billy Apple. Spectors, Marshall valves and EAD[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]09. Nancy Johnson; Thunderbirds/Whatever amps I'm running.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]10.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]11.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]12.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]13.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]14.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]15.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]16.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]17.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]18.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]19.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]20.[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]