Frank Blank

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1981? An unspecified pub in London, I was much refreshed when I got in the van, so I have no idea where I got out, Peckham came to mind so I'll go with that. Arrived to find we were the third band to play on a bill of three so I had time for more snakebite. I remember lots of people arriving who had come to see us from my home town, by gig time the place was rammed. I sat down behind my drums (yes, I was drumming in this band), counted the first song in with drumstick clicks and, on the third click, I vomited profusely over my entire kit. When I say vomited, I mean gushing geyser-type, dam busting style, a proper outpouring tinged pink from the blackcurrant in the snakebite. I managed, somehow, to complete the count in and begin the song which was mostly a floor tom/snare pattern and, as both drum heads were just lakes of pink sick, this first song was very splashy indeed. The throwing up cleared my head a bit and I got through the song, some kind soul took pity on me and brought me over a pint of what I thought was water which I downed before song two, it was actually lemonade and, half way through song two, the fizzing lemonade decided it didn't like my insides so it flew out spectacularly all over the back of the singer. Still, managed to finish the gig somehow, can't remember getting home nor how my kit got back but it did. We were finding little dried lumps of pink puke everywhere for weeks. Luckily for me everyone, including the singer and the people from home, seemed to find the whole thing hilarious so I counted myself lucky and did another years worth of gigs with them. I still have the t-shirt I was wearing that night that which I obviously used to wipe down the drums with, it is streaked like it's been bleached. Excellent.

Just sold a HX Stomp to Alex. Great comms, swift problem-free payment, top man. Naturally I have no hesitation in awarding the Frank Blank Seal of Approval...

Right, first addendum to this post. Grace design used to do case for the Felix and Alix but they are discontinued. I have just discovered that the Alix fits perfectly in the Protection Racket Line6 HX Stomp Proline Soft Case (HXS-P002-00).

Look what the nice DPD man delivered right on time... Oddly packaged as in no GD box but securely packaged nonetheless. There was a memory stick in the box which apparently has the latest manual/paperwork. Unsurprisingly the build is superb, it just oozes quality, it has that pleasing weight of something beautifully built. Anyway, now I just need a compressor that can match it and I'm away. I'll report back with a review (of sorts, I'm the least technical man you can imagine).

Of all the purples, Spaking Purple was always my favourite.

Let's face it, most wouldn't notice the difference if you were playing a euphonium made of cheese that was on fire.

Yeah, same here, then again I will insist on gigging in budgie smugglers, I suppose it's a risk that comes with the territory.

One of the things you don't realise when you join BC is just how many motorway services you are going to become familiar with. Fleet Northbound M3 today for a halfway meet to sell @knicknack my Nordstrand Acinonyx. Great comms, prompt payment, an excellent deal all round with a top notch Bass Chatter. Naturally I will be awarding the Frank Blank Seal of Approval...

He'll be along in minute to tell you he is the recipient.

I think this is it. I have finally realised (or perhaps admitted to myself) that the buying and selling of basses has (for me) become something that I'm doing because I'm enjoying it, which is fine, but I'm thinking about it more than I am about my actual musical needs which are wholly and completely satisfied by the two basses I already have.

No. I bought an earlier fretted build of his to 'see me through' so to speak until my fretted 'twin' is built. Excellent.

Jabba is making me a matching pair of basses, a fretted and fretless. I have taken delivery of the fretless and he is in the process of building the fretted bass. What are you looking to replace it with?

As the actress said to the Vicar.

exactly. I have these two gorgeous basses (and a third on the way) that are perfect for the music we play but I also buy other basses, just to try out, for no real reason, and that is simply because I can, but they are also a distraction, so I am going to spend the money that I recycle by buying this extra bass and invest in a nice lens instead.

'Fraid so. I'll still (obv) have the Jabba basses and an Ibanez SRC6. I'm going to bring my camera too and take plenty of pics.

Funny old game this bass malarkey. I played the Acinonyx exclusively up until early last week when I put it back into the rack and picked up one of my @Jabba_the_gut built basses and wondered why I play anything else. I stick by everything I said about the Acinonyx, it is a superb bass, but it is a distraction from my Jabba basses which are absolutely suited to the music I play. I'm going to spend a lot of time over the next six weeks trying out the HX Stomp vs a Grace Design Alix in a rehearsal setting to really see which suits best and, of course, I'll be using the Jabba basses because they are so suited to our music. I'm kind of saying all this because, yes, I'm selling the Acinonyx tomorrow but, and I realise this sounds odd, the Acinonyx is so good it's actually distraction from the perfect basses (thanks Jabba) for me and my music. </end self-analysis>

Don't listen to them @tauzero, I think it looks very nice.