Steve Browning

What's a nice vintage Fender without a nice tort pickguard? 🙂

Just ordered a couple of the scratchplates and will see what they're like in the flesh.

Yes. I've asked for serial numbers.

Yes. It was in Bremen. Thank you for your assistance.

I've asked Maggie (Brendan's wife) for any serial numbers.

Band of Friends features my chum Brendan O'Neill and Rory's old bass player Gerry McAvoy. Unlikely to pop up in the UK but please keep an eye out nevertheless.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/02/brighton-pier-owner-to-delist-from-london-stock-market-and-go-private Get out your little violins.

That was the gist of it, and going on about the customer becoming his friend. Sounded really rather weird and slightly uncomfortable.

Just returned from a very pleasant couple of hours in Michael's company. He and I first met about 35 years ago. Today, I took along one of the basses he had a go on back then, and came away with a really lovely Fender Japan Precision fretless. A lovely guy and an excellwent chat. Super easy from start to finish and great to catch up after half a lifetime (based on 3 score years and ten).

Just looked and they're distributed in the UK by Rotosound. Happy days!! I sent my newly delivered 1983 '62 Precision reissue back to Fender because the scratchplate looked so awful. I was put off Spitfire by an extraordinary tale of woe on BC a few years ago.

But it's a perfectly valid argument and one most people can understand.

That must be a real freak occurrence. Having visited the factory, I can tell you that each person makes one string each day and the strings are packed by hand (which is something to watch I can assure you!). Getting the wrong sizes in a pack would be close to impossible. That's not suggesting that hasn't happened, but the chances are infinitesimally small. I'd be buying a lottery ticket.

Blimey Simon. There's bound to be one where you are (and I don't say that as someone coming from Pompey - we have our own variety).

Surely you just put the price of tap water up to £5 a pint (I think it's only free when served with food), free to band members (as some drink water 'onstage'). Possibly under-investing in bar staff gives the seagull his reward.