Burns-bass

I don’t need this, having got the Bryant DB set up but for some mad reason I absolutely love it.

These threads can often just become a vintage love-in, but my favourite bass for the last 4 years is this FSR jazz with an incredible jazz neck. OK, so it polarises opinion a little bit being pink and with a Fender logo mechanically etched into the headstock, but it plays well and sounds amazing. In the end, I've sold all my other basses (aside from a spare I take to gigs and the obligatory vintage one). To upset the purists even more, I bought this from PMT. https://reverb.com/uk/item/42965899-fender-fsr-american-pro-jazz-bass-shell-pink-rosewood-neck

But they don’t look like elaborate balloon sculptures.

There’s no need to justify your spending. You’re also supporting a local business during tough times and I’m sure that money will be spent locally. I’m visiting a local luthier next week to chat about getting a bass made. The amount of hours that go into it is incredible.

10 or 15 minutes for a couple of times a day is best as you build up strength. This was the advice I was given and I’m currently following as I put in the hours to get back up to speed!

I've got mine in the loft room (sloping roof!) I can confirm that the Hercules stand works just fine. I can take a picture if you need me to.

I’ve seen both and I thought both sucked. My GF at the time paid for golden circle tickets so we were a few metres from the stage for RHCP. Was just dire.

You need to give it time. Often new Fenders come with dried out boards that look anaemic. You need to oil every 6 months and play a lot. After a good few years they will age to a dark finish that’s similar to rosewood, it just takes a bit of work. Dont try to accelerate the process and add too much lemon oil or you could effect the wood and make it soft, and prone to dents (especially if you’re using rounds). Personally, I’ve never noticed a difference in sound between the 60s Rosewood boards on my vintage Fenders and a brand new Squier, but I’m perhaps a little less discerning that the average Basschatter.

Went to see the Pixies reunion show and it was dire. Frank Black wasn’t interested in playing and never spoke to the audience once.

Like all pub tales, there’s probably a kernel of truth here, but I imagine it’s exaggerated in the telling.

Reformed by who? Labour have had a crack, as have the Tories. Your option to depoliticise it is a good one, and I think is probably only the reasonable solution. I worked with the NHS for several years and the idea that it’s overly bureaucratic and wasteful is nonsense. In fact, for many of the stretched staff (clinical and non-clinical) it’s offensive. People always complain be NHS is hugely wasteful but can never provide an example, aside from diversity officers.

What's funny in the way this is portrayed is that these people are attacking us (the general public) when in most cases (railways, the NHS specifically) they're pushing to establish a service that's safe and fit for purpose. Nurses are warning that ongoing issues are affecting patient care. They're not holding us to ransom, they're trying to protect the UK's proudest acihevement.