T-Bay

I have often wondered about the ‘refused insurance’ question. If you go a comparison website quite often there will be companies that won’t insure you. And when I changed my car a couple of years ago I had to change my insurance company as the one I was with wouldn’t even quote for it (they have a cut off at 10 years old for some reason). Just wondering whether either of those would count as ‘refused insurance’.

For me it would be the RHCP/ Pearl Jam/ Nirvana gig just after the release of Nevermind. Some Sex pistols ones come close, but that one with such a great line up and the buzz around at the time would sell it to me.

Skybone is a not half bad name skybone.

But surely the exact same risks would apply to anyone going to a pub? I never set foot in pubs unless I am playing but a lot of people are regular visitors. I have never heard anyone having to declare that they visit pubs to their insurance. I am not trying to be awkward, it just seems that there is an unnecessary fear of insurance, be honest, answer their questions and I can’t see how there can be any issues.

But I DON’T think it’s pertinent, YOU do, so you would need to declare, I wouldn’t. Simples ;-)

But if there is no payment then they have no leg to stand on. If it’s unpaid it is a hobby, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter whether that hobby is music, golf, photography or whatever, unless they specifically ask a question to which you have purposefully withheld information, or been ignorant in your declaration to the point it would not be considered reasonable in law, then it’s their problem not yours. It’s only an undeclared fact if they ask for it and you fail to declare, it’s not undeclared if it wasn’t asked for in the first place. Whilst I agree the insurers will avoid paying out if they can this can only be done within the framework of the law, they cannot illegally and if they do there are systems of recourse and heavy penalties for them if found at fault.

Why presume it’s professional? I have given talks on subjects that are of great interest to me but I have no professional experience in. Similarly I have played gigs for free (all for charity bar one) but don’t count myself as a professional musician based on that. If no money is exchanged then it’s an amateur arrangement, if refreshments, or possibly even expenses are covered then I don’t see that shifts it over the threshold to be professional.

Still not sure refreshments count as payment. As an example, If someone was booked to give a talk for instance, no payment asked for or received but they get a cup of tea and a biscuit, that would count as payment under your system but I don’t think any reasonable evaluation of it would even come close to that. It’s no different if you play a couple of songs.

I’m barely good enough to be semi amateur!

Not sure on the last one, I got a free beer at an open mic I did last month. I wouldn’t count that as being employed or feel any great need to submit a self assessment tax form off the back of it.

But prices have risen 25% in a day! They will be a grand by Friday (or possibly not)

Really? It looks nothing like it, head is completely different shape, only vague similarity in pick guard -as the case with many basses, and generic bass shape, again common across many many makers

I use a compressor as an always on pedal dialled down pretty low. I don’t use if for the compression as such (hence the setting) but do find it adds a nice extra fullness to the tone. I was sceptical at first but tried it after reading threads on here and pleased I did. I don’t like the way they clip at higher settings, it removed the possibilities that playing finger style allows me.

So I presume you will be posting pics of a £70 Harley Benton’s on every Thread that shows some Fender for £*&#@?

Indeed! He was very nice about it, as is his way, but it must have been a nightmare. She kept trying to get him to go home with her, it was all ‘I only live around the corner’, ‘isn’t it much nicer to drink at home?’ I have some beer in the fridge’ and my favourite ‘don’t you find when it’s get to half nine you just want to go home and sit watching the telly with someone”, Father in law replied ‘nope, I like sitting in pubs with a full pint’. I do feel sorry for the poor old dear as well, she must have been very lonely I think. She was properly soaked by the end though, she tried to leave via the gents first until someone stopped her, then I saved her from falling over the bar. Father in law said she was properly effing and jeffing by the end as well and despite over thirty years in the army I have never heard my father in law swear. We half expected to find her waiting outside to follow us when we left.

I helped out a mate at an open mic night last night and ended up playing about an hour, my father in law came along to watch. He is ex bomb disposal but is a very quiet gentle bloke who is very very shy. After my first 20 minute stint I came back to sit down to find him talking to this old lady, I assumed he knew her and as it was my round I bought her a drink as well. Anyway to cut a long story short it appears he had ‘pulled’ the local drunk. She was with him all night and was hassling me for his phone number by the end. I think he was quite taken aback and embarrassed by it but I found it very funny.

Not a formal gig but helped out a mate with an open mic night, turnout of other musicians was low so we ended up doing a bit over an hour in around twenty minutes slots. I took my own bass but used the house rig. I was keen to do well as we are booked in there in January (Landlord is a top bloke and really wants the pub to become a venue for live music so happy to support where I can). Unfortunately from where I was standing the sound was terrible, having little control over it threw me as well. There were several points when I was thinking ‘bloody hell. If they are hearing what I am hearing we won’t be back’ but the feedback was very positive and apparently FOH sound was very good, where I was all I could hear was a muffled bass heavy sound with the vocals over the top and occasional kick in of the lead guitar. I tried backing my volume down so I could get what seemed a better sound to me but then I was too quiet out front. Luckily my father in law was there with me and he was in a band for years so could give good feedback on the sound. Needless to say when we play there in January I will be taking my own rig.

You bought your girlfriend?

Hmm, that’s what I thought. I have toyed with the idea but love my Thunderbird too much to completely give it up. I have wondered about trying to adjust my technique and start resting my thumb on the B string (except when playing it obviously) but not sure if that will do the trick, I presently do a sort of half arsed floating thumb technique where it floats from the pick up to the E string and back but no lower.

Did you switch exclusively to 5s? Or do you swap and change?

This is where individual taste comes in, as a fellow thunderbird lover I am a self confessed Gibson fan, but I hate clover leaf tuners. They are just so,big and clumsy and look stupid to me (dons hard hat in readiness for fenderclub hate). That would have tipped the balance for me and made it look too head heavy. Gibson and Grover are a match made in heaven. Build quality on the one I had my hands on was far better than the Fenders I was looking at in the same shop which were far more expensive.

Thanks, it’s cheap enough and local so may as well take a look.

I had a go on one a couple of weeks back it played very well, I was impressed with everything about it and had it been a four string it would have been mine now. Still wondering if I should just bite the bullet anyway.

Is it worth going to the Bingley Hall event as well? It’s close to me but wondering if there will be many basses/ bass related stuff there.

Using the thread title idea - Neck Shim