Annoying Twit

I don't know anything about double basses, and am not likely to buy one any time soon. But, I see double basses occasionally and am curious about them. As an example, is the following a good instrument, and worth the asking price? Or is it a wildly overpriced thing? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Great-1950-Belini-Double-bass-set-up-for-Jazz-playing-/251875693209?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa4f61299"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3aa4f61299[/url] EDIT: This http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Double-bass-upright-bass-/161633107434?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a2157dea should give an idea of the market price of an unbranded double bass. If it were closer, not in Southampton, I would have put a silly low bid on it.

CSL. Very low starting bid. Postage is £25 but the seller says that they'll see if they can get it delivered cheaper. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Rare-CSL-Bass-Guitar-Possibly-1970s-/111619240098?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19fd0670a2"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item19fd0670a2[/url] I'm guessing it's Japanese, not being fully up on the entire history of CSL. (I think all CSLs of this vintage were Japanese, but risk being put on the naughty step by Jon if I risk saying it is and it isn't ).The headstock shape looks a bit modern, and IMHO is nice. Is that brown finish original?

There are some comments here that Rickenbacker has to protect its brand and look at all the Chinese fakes that are now landing for Gibson and Fender. Rickenbacker has significantly discouraged the sale of Rickenbacker copies (rather than instruments inspired by) by genuine companies. However, they haven't discouraged fakes and counterfeits any more than Gibson or Fender has. A quick look at Alibaba or similar sites show that there are large numbers of 'Chickenbackers' to choose from.

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1426095765' post='2714366'] A musicologist writes: [url="http://joebennett.net/2014/02/01/did-robin-thicke-steal-a-song-from-marvin-gaye/"]http://joebennett.ne...om-marvin-gaye/[/url] Essentially, despite different chords, underlying rhythm, basslines, key, vocal melody, lyrics, they sound a bit like each other and have highish pitched male vocal. The concluding sentence is interesting: "The act of putting an electric piano together with a cowbell and a 120BPM disco beat would need to have been judged a creative act in itself, making instrumentation and possibly even genre into protectable Intellectual Property. Which would have had massive implications for future creators of music". [/quote] Having read the article, I think this copyright suit was madness. It's like if Link Wray's estate suddenly sued all rock bands for stealing his idea of a distorted electric guitar and won.

[quote name='Storky' timestamp='1426073382' post='2713996'] Does any one know any thing about how to get instruments manufactured overseas? [/quote] I'm told that if you take a trip to visit the appropriate part of China, that you'll be able to meet and talk to potential factories and set up deals. I've seen internet evidence of people who have negotiated deals with Chinese factories by contacting potential manufacturers through AliBaba and negotiating. However, I've also heard of this having variable results. Not that the first method also doesn't have this risk.

I think the song is reasonable as a Eurovision entry. However, I agree with the "why are we sending in a non-league team". It would have a lot more chance of winning if it were sung by Charlotte Church and Robbie Williams, depending on how well known they are across the entirety of Europe. Look how well we did with that song by Andrew Lloyd-Webber. Imagine where we could have come had the song not been utterly dreadful. They had a segment on a previous Eurovision where they asked people from Eastern Europe what the UK could do to do better. The answer was to send over a top flight artist, such as Leona Lewis. We still aren't doing so.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1426056636' post='2713776'] It's melody and lyrics that hold copyright. No copyright on chord sequence or bassline or anything else. [/quote] I'm not sure, but I think this isn't quite true. I thought that for something to be copyrightable, it had to be distinctive and an important part of a song. Hence, a chord progression or bassline could be copyright if it is both distinctive and original. E.g. I'm pretty sure that if someone lifted the bassline from Pink Floyd's "Money", that would infringe copyright due to the distinctive and original nature of it. But, "Us and Them" bassline? Root fifth-fifth. Root fifth-fifth. No way. The Joe Santriani/Coldplay suit seemed to be based on a chord progression. There's no distinctive melody there that I notice. IMHO the JS piece sounds completely generic, and I think it's very unfair for Coldplay to be found to be in breach of JS's copyright.

£14 pounds something wasn't it? It's good to know that my posts here are still useful. With the time between listing and disappearance becoming shorter and shorter, I wondered if even racing here at full speed and posting was introducing too much delay.

[quote name='Vixivi' timestamp='1426024338' post='2713642'] Just ordered the nylon electro acoustic guitar. Will just use it to fool around and probably use as a festival guitar, for 20 euro's it doesnt really matter if it has a few flaws. [/quote] I listened to the samples and it sounds pretty decent to me. Were you prompted by my post, or did you find it independently?

Dekos. Up. I'm tempted to buy this quickly before it disappears. Just competitive spirit, I don't actually really want it. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_l_500_bk_vintage_serie_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._serie_deko.htm[/url] EDIT: All gone except for a black nylon electro acoustic. EDIT: Classical guitar gone too.

Could you make a shorty flextool bass?

My offer of £28.72 has been automatically declined. LOL at the idea that he might have a bulk lot of these to sell.

I think I failed to actually post something I wrote for here. I thought I had posted showing a deko jazz bass going even quicker than before. [code] 2015-03-08 08:25:26: Notified: Harley Benton JB-20 SB Standard Seri Deko 2015-03-08 08:26:06: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton JB-20 SB Standard Seri Deko [/code] And for me to comment that while I don't know electronics well, that I don't think a disconnected earth wire is enough to explain the lack of sound from RickyV's bass. I would have thought that would just give you a hum that disappears when you put your hand on the strings. Though, I still suspect that a bit of work with a soldering iron and multimeter will be enough to fix it.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1425903883' post='2711943'] It's been ended due to an error in the listing? [/quote] "an error in the listing." No sh*t

[quote name='RickyV' timestamp='1425841714' post='2711367'] Does this spell the end of the deko bass acquisitions for us mere mortals? Sounds like it might. Sad times. [/quote] For me I would have to write a competitive programme to automatically buy deko instruments. This is always risky as it might suddenly order me 1000 banjos or something if there is a bug in it. RickyV, how is your Jazz bass? Is it making sound yet?

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1425832241' post='2711212'] Available on an online auction site soon? [/quote] Quite possible. Could be a bricks and mortar shop as well.

I would guess that they have just run out of them. The HB60s disappeared for a while and then reappeared.

It happened again. Standard Jazz bass appeared and disappeared within seconds. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_20_sb_standard_seri_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...d_seri_deko.htm[/url] [code] 2015-03-08 08:25:26: Notified: Harley Benton JB-20 SB Standard Seri Deko 2015-03-08 08:26:06: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton JB-20 SB Standard Seri Deko [/code]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1390807662' post='2349613'] Its not really about the voice though is it.... They are listening trying to work out how attractive the singer is by the sound of their voice. After the first round it's basically xfactor. [/quote] They should keep paper bags on their heads all the way until the live final.

I immediately think of BEADGCFBb "Unplayable?" IMHO, not.

I haven't noticed these HB Gretsch-alikes before. I don't know how new they are, but they only have one rating each for the white and orange ones so far. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_bigtone_vintage_orange.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...tage_orange.htm[/url] I'm not going to be buying one even if a 'deko' turns up for £50-60 or so as I have no plans to expand my guitar collection. But they look pretty nice IMHO. Even the headstock, often the ugliest part of HB instruments IMHO, looks nice. (I don't like the 'missing the central fold open book' headstock their LP copies have). Any comments? [url="http://bdbo.thomann.de/thumb/bdb2500/pics/bdbo/9671599.jpg"]http://bdbo.thomann....dbo/9671599.jpg[/url] (massive picture warning) EDIT: The wood visible through the cutaways looks rather odd. Like it's particle board or there's cardboard inside there. What's that look like to other people.

From reading reviews, I think the TE-80 may be the Harley Benton telecaster to go for. http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_te80_nt_deluxe_series.htm It's a copy of an original MIJ then MIK Hohner, as used by Prince. There's a fair amount of discussion online, and the general opinion is that they are very good. Some people have claimed that the playability and sound wouldn't be out of place on a £1000 guitar. It is true that this guitar is £112 versus £63 for the basic model. But, it's not that much extra money to get what appears to be a much better guitar.

Sneaky!

When you can buy a second hand one for £150. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-String-Acoustic-Bass-Guitar-/261803882477?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cf4ba37ed http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Electro-Acoustic-5-String-Bass-Guitar-by-Gear4music/ENH?origin=product-ads&utm_campaign=PLA+Shop+-+G4M&utm_medium=vertical_search&network=google&adgroup=G4M.+Electro+Acoustic+Bass&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=18989d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=101294228239&gclid=CKH40ty2lsQCFWTItAodC3EA6Q Perhaps the seller thinks that because it's rare to see a Gear4Music acoustic bass in one piece, people will buy his/her bass out of shock.

Whole lot of dekos just went up and disappeared within seconds. There was a maple necked vintage jazz bass. IMHO someone is using a computer programme not just to look for them. But to buy them as well. [code] 2015-03-07 12:28:46: Notified: Harley Benton D-120NT Deko 2015-03-07 12:28:46: Notified: Harley Benton JB-75SB MN Vintage Ser Deko 2015-03-07 12:28:46: Notified: Harley Benton L-450Plus Cherry Burst Deko 2015-03-07 12:28:46: Notified: Harley Benton RX-40 Black Progressiv Deko 2015-03-07 12:28:46: Notified: Harley Benton S-620 TR Rock Series Deko 2015-03-07 12:30:07: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton D-120NT Deko 2015-03-07 12:30:07: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton JB-75SB MN Vintage Ser Deko 2015-03-07 12:30:07: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton L-450Plus Cherry Burst Deko 2015-03-07 12:30:07: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton RX-40 Black Progressiv Deko 2015-03-07 12:32:02: Notified: Bye bye Harley Benton S-620 TR Rock Series Deko [/code]