skankdelvar

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1402662533' post='2475738'] [color=#000000]AMG: Another musician that he is [b]not[/b] is the Texan sometimes credited as [url="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/james-famous-jones-mn0000123167"]James "Famous" Jones[/url], who shows up on blues, gospel, and country projects beginning a few decades later.[/color] [/quote] And yet ... the James "Famous" Jones is credited by All Music and other sources as playing on a 1966 T-Bone Walker live album Back On The Scene. Track listing: 1. Good Boy 2. Natural Ball 3. Why Don't My Baby Treat Me Right 4. Further on Up the Road 5. I Used to Be a Good Boy 6. Please Come Back to Me 7. She's My Old Time Used to Be 8. Back on the Scene 9. No Do It Right 10. Baby She's a Hit JFJ is credited as a 'young but veteran' bass player in a review of an obscure 1993 blues release by John Weston entitled 'So Doggone Blue' ([i]Fat Possum / Evidence[/i]). It is also alleged that JFJ played bass for bluesman Willie Cobbs who was active into the 1990's. Cobbs is said to have influenced Weston's harp playing, so there's another suggestive connection. As Jimmy Jones Jr., (another nom de gig) JFJ is credited with an appearance on Freddy Fender's 1976 'Rock 'n' Country' album. Thinking about it, I reckon James 'Famous' Jones is your man. That said, there's possibly more than one James 'Famous' Jones - there are credits for keyboards, sax, drums, guitar, r'n'b / pop arrangements, engineering, production, cover design and - er - comic books against the same monicker.

I've seen them offered between £500 - £1000 and selling for £450 - £700. The earlier small logo Mk II usually fetches a bit more than the later big logo. By coincidence, I sold a 1977 'Big Logo' here a few months ago for £400-ish as part of a combined deal. Weird thing is, the reissues cost about £1100 - £1200 new.

Are not Mr James Tyler's headstocks the ugliest of all? Allegedly Mr Tyler gets into a fearful bate about the subject, flying wildly off the handle when people denigrate them.

Bought a Danelectro pedal from Mark. Splendid chap, clear communications, nice easy transaction and the pedal arrived beautifully packed. What more could one ask? Trade with complete confidence

xgsjx - I completely understand where you're coming from. There's something you feel you have to do at this point in your life but something else is standing in the way of doing it. The obstacle - in this case, playing music - is not an activity you feel you can simply cut down on, so it's your conclusion that you've got to park it. Fair enough. It is not simply a question of how much time you devote to music but the space it occupies in your mind and the energy it may draw from you in pursuit of objectives that may (or may not) run counter to other goals. Getting shot of your gear is a practical response and - realistically - it's not much of a problem as everything you have is replaceable at a later stage if circumstances change. The practicalities of the decision will sort themselves out. I would counsel you against the danger of seeing your relinquishment of music as a 'necessary sacrifice'. Self-abnegation is a tool, not a panacea. Try instead to view the divestment process as being in the nature of a gift from one part of yourself to another part. If it later comes to pass that music can (without self-interest) support your primary endeavour then so much the better.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1402400426' post='2473008'] James Joyce died of exhaustion I presume? [/quote] Funny yet rather touching story, how James Joyce met his end. Decided to become a pirate but nobody took him remotely seriously. [size=3][b]James Joyce as unfulfilled Pirate[/b]: Yargh! (...sigh). Yo-ho-ho! (...sigh). Avast there! (...sigh).[/size] Donning a pirate's eyepatch, Joyce would approach passers-by, declaring 'I'm a pirate, give me your gold' and people would say, 'F**k off James Joyce, you're the sh1ttest pirate ever'. Shortly after an abortive attempt to board and pillage a branch of WH Smith it so happened that Joyce's perforated ulcer commenced to burst and that was the end of him. [color=#ffffff].[/color]

A week before hearing back doesn't sound like a particularly long time but I suppose we all get on tenterhooks at times like this. FWIW, other possibilities might have been an outright rejection or (as is depressingly common) never hearing another peep from the auditioners. It's a positive outcome - enjoy your second visit and see how things go.

An overlooked aspect to 'too loud' is the issue of EQ. Too many hobby guitarists negligently over-emphasise the top end - the dreaded 'icepick in the ears' thing. They may not necessarily be very loud but it bloody hurts, particularly if they're wielding a Telecaster. If they'd just roll the tone knob back 25-50% it eases the pain and the guitar sits better in the mix, IME.

Always enjoyed your blog. Well-deserved recognition for your splendid collection. Now to find a shop that stocks G&B - Tesco and Sainsburys seem to have given up on it

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1402152681' post='2470501'] Perhaps give them a form to fill in while they're waiting![/quote] Well, one probably would want to slide these sorts of questions in before and after the run-through. And probably not all of them. Thing is, getting an idea of someone's circumstances helps avoid hiring the guy who works mostly unpredictable evening shifts, is going through a messy divorce, every other weekend blanked out because that's when he has the kids, plays in a serious five-a-side league and insists on gigging in one of those Australian hats with corks hanging from it. Yes, I was in a band with someone with all the above. There were 'issues' from the off. [quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1402152681' post='2470501']EDIT: @Skank - is the hat a no-no then? [/quote] See above.

Your audition plan is well thought-out. It strikes me that you and your band are more organised than most. At some random point during the audition you might try asking them to turn down a touch and see how they react. [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1402135393' post='2470283'] .Are there any sort of standard audition questions that we should be asking to gauge their commitment level? [/quote] Dunno what the standard questions are but I'd also be asking: * Do you write your own songs? Can you do backing vocals? Do you play any other instruments? * What do hope to get from being in this band? Regular(-ish) money, musical work-out, making new friends? * What's your day job? Shift work? * Do you have any other skills that might be useful? Web design, print, electrician, etc? * Do you have any hobbies? Team/group stuff will mean a competing schedule. * Are you married / in a relationship? Do you have children? How old are they? * How would you feel if we were offered an unpaid gig and we had to cover our own expenses? * What amp would you bring to a tiny back-room pub gig? * Do you 'dress up' for gigs? Do you wear a hat and, if so, do you have any pictures with you? Good luck and let us know how it all goes

The whole question of what sounds 'good' or what is 'best' is so fraught with subjectivity and so confused by variables as to be a debate akin to nailing a jelly to a wall. We may recline upon science yet experience tells us that what is stated to be 'right' does not always sound right. Examples abound of 'perfect' rigs sounding good one night and bad the next. We pursue the chimera of tonal excellence through GAS, deep reading and microscopically detailed enhancements to our equipment. Yet in my opinion it is only at the highest levels of the trade and in the most controllable performance environments that near-consistency can be sustained from one night to the next. At the end of all, we must simply accept that for most of us a definitive and repeatable outcome is beyond reach. All we may hope for is the occasional delight when everything comes together by chance.

16-18 year old prospective bass students are an incredibly narrow target market so getting to them is always going to be difficult Direct approaches, etc., may throw up a few individuals in the short term but most students don't suddenly decide to do a bass course because they were handed a flyer. They'll have arrived at the decision to pursue a musical education over a period of time. At some point they start to do some research and the same big name schools will keep coming up. They construct a mental 'long-list' and dig deeper into those names. They narrow it down to two or three schools and make an application. Game over. The only way to disrupt this process is by addressing the potential student's awareness and pre-disposition at a very early stage. This means having a year-round presence in a narrow range of highly specific media, both on-line and traditional. A good example might be to buy a monthly fixed number of views in the BassChat Technique section and in the Tutorial section. Another approach might be to approach BGM or iBass and offer an unpaid monthly 'lesson' column in exchange for a free ad elsewhere in the publication. One stitches together a number of media deals like this then sits back and waits. It's the best way (IMO) to address the problem of low awareness in a narrow target market. This approach also supports any tactical initiatives like flyers, master-classes, gig-mugging etc., because when people see the name they think 'Oh, yeah, I've heard of them. Might be worth a chat.' It may not address this September's shortfall, but get something long-term in place over the next couple of months and next September will be much less of a problem.

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1401893598' post='2467957'] Small world isn't it [/quote] Not half. I used to shop there between '85 and '88. Quick rummage then some delicious Canterbury cake in the tea-shop just up the road.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1401893941' post='2467970'] Didn't take long to go downhill - and it wasn't even my fault! [/quote] It's [i]always[/i] your fault. Now you've gone and destroyed Clarky's thread. How can you live with the shame?

Musowear could be the salvation of small independent music retailers, as long as the Saturday boy does not insist on sashaying around the shop in the selected T-shirt before the customer is allowed to try it for size. [color=#ffffff].[/color]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1401889578' post='2467885'] Black has always been associated with heavy, in music, whereas Candy Apple Red even [i][b]sounds [/b][/i]lighter-weight. [/quote] Having 'spent an evening' in the company of Ms Candy Applered I may assure you she is no lightweight. Plenty of give [i]there[/i].

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1401888130' post='2467865'] Very well then - I shall withdraw to my atelier and live the life of a hermit. Goodbye! [/quote] Goodbye [size=3]Well-wishers bid adieu as Discreet departs for atelier in his float-plane 'Bessie Mae'[/size] [quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1401889322' post='2467880'] I should add, skank you may be on to something there. Ever since I got my Jazz I have suffered from stomach pains at night, and resultant insomnia. [/quote] I would recommend you consult Sir Impey Biggs of Harley Street. He is the outstanding man in the field of aestheric miasmas.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1401871825' post='2467612'] But it's the only big difference I can think of between those two basses. [/quote] Sir, You occlude - perhaps wilfully? - the most obvious difference between a P and a J. [i]The bodies are of a different shape.[/i] It is widely known that - compared to a P - the visibly 'offset' nature of the Jazz body shifts the node of fundamental psychic resonance 22mm to the left* relative to the player's ribcage. Moving this node away from the liver increases the stimulation of atrabilious humours, resulting in a false sensation of wariness and uncertainty. It beggars belief that you purport to be unaware of this effect. When a gentleman commits a solecism of this nature it is customary for him to withdraw from public life. I confidently anticipate your announcement to this effect in the London Gazette. [size=2]* Or to the right if a LH Jazz. (Source: Tomkins. Thomkins - Univ. Auckland, NZ. 1972)[/size] [size=2].[/size]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1401810373' post='2467117'] What I am told ... is that it is pretty much impossible to fail these qualifications as there is enormous pressure on the lecturers to pass everyone so that the college/university performance statistics look good. [/quote] I suppose it depends on the nature of the course and the establishment that provides it. I'd imagine that the Royal Academy Of Music might adopt a somewhat more rigorous approach than the Scunthorpe College Of Rock'N'Roll. The first of these 'Rock Schools' was launched many years ago and they have since grown to enjoy considerable vogue. My opinion then as now was that in the wrong hands these places would serve only to enrich the owners at the expense of starry-eyed unemployables. If the educators themselves are now admitting that the thumb is firmly on the scales, I regret that it comes as no surprise to me.

Posted yesterday on Wilko's FB Page: [quote] [b]Wilko 'Goes Back Home'![/b] [size=4]We're sure you will be as delighted as we are that after making excellent progress at Addenbrooke's over the last few weeks, Wilko is now convalescing back at his home.[/size] [size=4]Naturally after such an extensive procedure, Wilko is extremely tired, and it will take him some time to recuperate, so he asks that you respect his privacy, but we had to share this incredibly positive news.[/size] [size=4]On behalf of Wilko and his family, another huge thank you for your magnificent support over recent months - it really means a great deal to Wilko - and please join us in thanking the staff at Addenbrooke's for everything they have achieved in some extremely difficult circumstances. [/size] [/quote]

[quote name='waz23' timestamp='1401702887' post='2465904'] Undecided whether to replace it or not before it gets sold. [/quote] Speaking only for myself, I'd leave the guard in place. Replacing it means removing some 'originality' which might (technically) devalue the bass in the opinion of some cork-sniffers. You'd also need to get a new guard that exactly matches the existing drill holes, which is a bit of a faff. Also, IMO, it's an honest repair and adds 'vintage mojo'. Let the buyer decide what they want to do about it - they might even fancy putting a black guard on it.

Credit where it's due. All outbound packaging duties are handled by Mrs Del Var

yes, indeed, post some pics Waz. Always nice to see a 70's natural here. Brought up on them, I was. Thing is, the BC market's a bit weird at the moment. Lots of 70's stuff around at very good prices. As for dealers, well, Andy Baxter's got a fair number of late '70's P's going between £1600 - £1900. If one assumes that a dealer will buy at 50-ish% of what he sells, that's £800-£1000 in the mitt [i]if[/i] he'd take it. Best bet might be to stick it up for sale here on BassChat (paying the tiny £7.00 fee, of course) and see if anyone bites. We can talk you through the process, if needs be.