prowla

1 hour ago, Rich said:

Bloody typical... 7 miles away and everything's ground to a total stop on the M42. Two fire engines gone past. Haven't moved an inch for 20 mins. FFS.

I woke up to freezing fog, so I'm glad I stayed in.

I've done a couple of jobs which had been sitting around for a while and now it's wings & roasted peppers for lunch!

Well, today I'm reverting the V2 bridge on my 2013 jetglo back to the original.

The V2 saddles are bottomed out and won't go low enough, so the action is too high and I've been reaching for other basses instead.

@briansbrew had the same issue too.

I'm hoping the guy who fitted the bridge (whilst it was in for a refret) didn't fill in the original screw holes!

7 minutes ago, Lord Sausage said:

 

 

Can't believe their career pinnacle hasn't been mentioned.

 

Alex said that Neil and Geddy were not at all happy about that.

But the next day Neil apologised after some of his friends said how great it was.

I might give it a miss - there's a couple of people on that list whom I'd like to give the opportunity of insulting me F2F rather than online, but I don't think it's worth a 2-hour drive for the pleasure.

On 25/02/2025 at 12:08, neepheid said:

Gibson 20/20 bass anyone?

 

I don't quite understand headless basses with tuners on the headstock.

I’m still debating whether to go. 

10 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Picked up this 2013 recently. It's not a Fender so I think it's just staying with me temporarily, but nevertheless it's a stunner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ditch the Fenders!

Richard Hammond seems to have a T-40.

55 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

Peart playing Jazz with that Buddy Rich thing was 'uncomfortable'. He played on Jeff Berlin's first album and had to be doubled by Steve Smith from Journey to make it work. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan but Peart stopped being interesting a loooonnng time ago and couldn't really move around freely outside of Rush.. So many players out there with more chops and fresher ideas. His first decade with Rush, though, was incredible.

As for his lyrics, he had that enviable ability to make you think you were thinking. Some really great lines but some of it was, frankly, rubbish. As I said, I am a fan but I don't think they live up to the hype. And I agree, Lifeson was the more creative of the three.

(Not Permanent Waves?)

You could look at a Vox Starstream.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vox-Starstream-1H-Guitar-Humbucker/dp/B08N9Q27SX?th=1

For me it's F2F or Paypal G&S; I've stepped away from a couple of items where the seller wanted unsecured payment.

I have upgraded a number of basses with a Hipshot drop-D eXtender.

(I do keep the original tuner to put back if needed.)

One issue is when the sellers says it "owes them" however much and expects to recoup the full price of the upgrades.

I'd normally look to pay 1/2 to 2/3 of the new price for a used item in good condition.

I've seen some things offered for almost the same as new (eg. used item £325 + postage, new £354 inc VAT & free postage).

19 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

I remember I was listening to Steve Wright In The Afternoon and the did a “tracks from albums coming out soon - guess the band” and they played a track from Counterparts. I recognised Geddy’s voice but thought, blimey, that’s a change of style for Alex with the grungy guitar.

Yep - despite the title of the song I previously linked, they never stood still.

They might ask for pictures...

I'd suggest adding a couple of photos showing the headstock.

Hipshot do loads of tuners and there can be variations in post diameter on the same base plate.

52 minutes ago, zbd1960 said:

As a now retired IT guy I get frustrated with the use of the term "AI". The media, inevitably, misuses the term, and PR/marketing departments hype it death.

 

In most cases, AI is a series of algorithms backed up by a large database and a rule set. It is not 'intelligent' it's just quick at searching. We've got the same issue with AI that we've had with previous technology shifts. In the 50s everything was 'atomic' or 'rocket', in the 60s we start to see "Twenty-first century", in the 80s everything had to be labelled 'digital', in the late 90s it was "e-...." and then with Apple it became "i-....". Now it's "AI".

 

The stuff it's good at is pattern recognition and it's going to be a big help with processing scans for cancers etc.

 

The big area of concern at the moment is no-one has worked out how or what needs regulating about it. As with any technology there is potential for harm as well as good. The issue at the moment is 'deep fakes'.  

As someone who works in IT, I agree.

Pattern recognition algorithms and wordings arranged according to syntactic rules but with no comprehension of the meaning.

There is no intelligence in an algorithm.

The big danger is if companies use "AI" output as if it were fact and without need for scrutiny.

If you're going to scan the internet for the input then there's a lot of misinformation there.

If you're not going to validate the training data and feedback loop then the system will likely reinforce incorrect content and conclusions.

A recent example is Apple's fake BBC news story.

2 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Can you explain how it comes up with so many three banger Fenders?

It doesn't see strings - it sees lines, so the binding might confuse it.

I think AI is rubbish; I commented today that it's a bit like "Military Intelligence": two words which don't belong in the same sentence.

4 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

I can’t bear the production on Clockwork Angels. That’s opinions for ya!

 

They actually wanted Trevor Horn to produce Power Windows - that’s how they ended up with Anne Dudley arranging the strings.

 

Big fan of Drama here, btw. I think he does a great job on the vocals. Fly From Here - Return Flight, too.

 

Live in 1980 though? Not so much of a fan. Not his fault, tho.

Well - it would've been funny seeing if Trevor Horn could sing Geddy's songs! 🙂
I think his production is great, BTW.

Two Tribes is a fine bass line too.

9 minutes ago, mikebass456 said:

That would have been an interesting collaboration - unless he tried to join in like he did with Yes! 😆😆

I listened to Drama the other day - I do wish they hadn't given him the microphone.

Also the lyrics were like someone trying to be enigmatic but failing.

There is some great musicianship though.

20 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

I think the production is perfect, in an 80s way. Very Trevor Horn.

To my ears it's a bit of a muddled digital mush; not in the same league as Moving Pictures or Clockwork Angels.

I was going to say no you don't pay VAT twice, but I'll defer to @Steve Browning!

(Oops - I said it anyway...)

18 hours ago, Agent 00Soul said:

Reverb etc are loaded with cool old/vintage instruments, some priced to "market value" (which is still a lot of money - like a 1990s ES-335 for 2500GPB or a Rick 330-12 from the same decade at 2100GBP) and others at rock star-only prices (1964 Fender Jag for 6000GBP).  Yet neither seem to sell very often.  I have several instruments and also amps in my feed that I've been watching for years out of interest without a bite among them.  What's going on?  Are people hoping that one of the few rich musicians left is going to see that your item is "the one" and buy it?  How long do you expect to list high-dollar, but still market value, stuff before it sells?  Is the term market value even legit these days?  I ask because I have a decent collection myself of instruments and boutique amps that are worth something on paper, some of which were new when I bought them but are vintage now, that I imagine I'm going to have to start downsizing within the next decade.

Reverb asking prices are always a bit "optimistic" and I'm not sure that they define "market value", as opposed to what similar items are genuinely selling for.