Stub Mandrel

Chatgpt... so near and yet so far. I even told it the number of strings and tuners should be four. Thunderbird 2-Inspired Bass Guitar Design Body Shape: Form: Sleek, asymmetrical body echoing the curved, aircraft-like lines of Thunderbird 2. Inspiration: The body mimics the green fuselage with a forward-leaning, aerodynamic front horn and a shorter, angled lower horn reminiscent of the craft’s landing gear pods. Material: Swamp ash or alder for weight balance, with a matte olive green finish and subtle panel lines etched in for a metallic look. Color Scheme: Primary: Military green (Pantone-matched to Thunderbird 2) Accents: Yellow striping around the edges, black detailing (like warning markings), and "2" decal near the lower bout. Neck: Construction: Bolt-on or neck-through maple neck with a matching green headstock. Fingerboard: Rosewood or ebony with dot inlays shaped like tiny landing pods or retro-futuristic circles. Headstock: Design: Shaped like the cockpit of Thunderbird 2, with curves and a visor-like top edge. Tuners: Four chrome or black tuners (2 per side or 4-in-line, depending on balance), styled with angular gear housings inspired by VTOL jet nozzles. Pickups & Electronics: Configuration: P/J or dual humbuckers for punch and clarity. Controls: Knurled metal knobs for volume/tone, with toggle switches that look like control levers from the show. Bridge: Chunky, aircraft-inspired design—possibly custom-machined aluminum with industrial-looking vents or gear-like detail. Special Touches: LED edge lights under the pickguard or body perimeter (subtle, green glow). Engraved serial plaque on the back: "International Rescue Equipment Division." Thunderbird 2-Inspired Bass Guitar Design Body Shape: Form: Sleek, asymmetrical body echoing the curved, aircraft-like lines of Thunderbird 2. Inspiration: The body mimics the green fuselage with a forward-leaning, aerodynamic front horn and a shorter, angled lower horn reminiscent of the craft’s landing gear pods. Material: Swamp ash or alder for weight balance, with a matte olive green finish and subtle panel lines etched in for a metallic look. Color Scheme: Primary: Military green (Pantone-matched to Thunderbird 2) Accents: Yellow striping around the edges, black detailing (like warning markings), and "2" decal near the lower bout. Neck: Construction: Bolt-on or neck-through maple neck with a matching green headstock. Fingerboard: Rosewood or ebony with dot inlays shaped like tiny landing pods or retro-futuristic circles. Headstock: Design: Shaped like the cockpit of Thunderbird 2, with curves and a visor-like top edge. Tuners: Four chrome or black tuners (2 per side or 4-in-line, depending on balance), styled with angular gear housings inspired by VTOL jet nozzles. Pickups & Electronics: Configuration: P/J or dual humbuckers for punch and clarity. Controls: Knurled metal knobs for volume/tone, with toggle switches that look like control levers from the show. Bridge: Chunky, aircraft-inspired design—possibly custom-machined aluminum with industrial-looking vents or gear-like detail. Special Touches: LED edge lights under the pickguard or body perimeter (subtle, green glow). Engraved serial plaque on the back: "International Rescue Equipment Division."

Best of British, Snorks. It was nice knowing you...

I am within a week or so of completing my banjo restoration project. It seems that I only need to learn four 'rolls' (that are easy enough on guitar) and a handful of chord shapes and I will be a fully qualified bluegrass musician.

Cruel. But fair. 18s don't bring the words 'crisp' or 'detailed' to mind.

Once upon a time, long, long ago, you could put your phone number on a piece of paper and pin it to a noticeboard in your local music shop!

The uncomfotable thing about that is it resembles my guitar soloing... which is why I'm a bass player!

Incidentally, I saw Walter Trout last night. He played a solo, then said "I enjoyed that so much, I'm going to play it again, because it's my band and I can!". The whole night was full of things like signalling people how many turns around to take for a solo, or to take another one. I'm sure even the encore was unplanned as the band were watching him, and he called out 'Going Down'. James Oliver (a very different style of guitarist) stood in for a song. Walter just called out let's go with Am, and started playing. That doesn't mean there wasn't a framework for the night, but it was wonderfully loose and immediate. He was also incredibly generous to his bandmates and guests, it felt like a really special performance.

Some live stuff in this video.

I had a stand with a few issues, so my experience may be helpful. The pivot pins that hold the lifting mechanism in place are not rivets. One end is a short pin that is a friction fit in the larger pin, which is hollow. I had the small in fall out and disappear. The large pin slid back and this allowed one of the 'lifters' to disengage and stop working. The fix is: First cgeck the srew holding the lifting tab on isn't loose (easy fix). If a pin is loose already skip this step. Use a small flathead screwdriver to prise off the end of a pin, can be either but lower pin makes the next steps easier. Push out the loose pin completely. Push the head down against the spring, and looking in the holes at the back of the head you should see a metal loop and a moving pin on the back end of the lifter. By pushing the head forward, you will be able to jiggle the pin(s) on the lifter(s) into the loop(s) without too much difficulty. The skill is keeping one engaged whilst fitting the other. To put the long pin back in, push the head down and use a small screwdriver in the gap to lift the arm so the hole aligns and you can get the pin right through. Re-insert the small pin in the far end of the long pin. A drop of low strength retainer would be a good idea and not prevent future repairs. My small pin disappeared weeks ago so I used a drop of superglue on the end of the long pin. If the pin is completely missing you could make one from stout wire bent over at the ends so it can't scratch your lovely bass. Sorry if this makes a relatively simple task sound complex, but it's hard to see how the mechanism works. I hope this helps keep otherwise ok stands working.

No love for 18" cabs? I used to have one when I started out. Provably why I went to a pair of 2x12 cabs decades before most bassists!

Just Stryper...

Now you have to drub yourself out.

Walter Trout. Extraordinary guitarist, extraordinary band.

Which could be rapidly disproved by looking at the forum database.

This isn't the sort of legislation where someone will be checking everyone for compliance. Like Health and Safety, only high risk organisations will be inspected. For others it's a case of 'if something goes wrong, you had better have your ducks in a row'. And just like H&S, that means risk assessing and then taking any required action. If something bad happens but you can show your assessment of risk was reasonable and you took appropriate actions to mitigate that risk, you have a sound defence.

Copyright theft. Taking someone else's work and passing it of as your own.

The original is a monster, but this is for a band that plays about 25% CCR songs.

Heard it through the grapevine (Creedence CR version). Interesting walking line, no two tabs remotely agree, I will have to use my ears...

From basses on the sofa... only two of these are shorties, but they are all compact.

Which do you prefer? Hamer vs. Hamer... I'll get my coat.

It fascinates me to see this. Social mediais awash with ripped off content, rarely with acknowledgement of the original creator beyond cynical and meaningless disclaimer statements. What appears different here is not reposting someone's work, but studiously reproducing it and putting it out there as original. Thevthing I don't get is the guy is clearly talented. Even if he doesn't reach Rick Beato's gold standard and relies on editing tricks, he can learn and play complex music well enough. It seems he struggles to improvise or create at even a relatively basic level (even the level we do). It's reminiscent of the phenomenon known as the 'idiot savant' - ability without understanding (I'm not saying he's an idiot, though he may be a fool). There are hints of other psychological issues around disregard for others or lack of consideration. Presumably his instagram started small, and its growth may be driven more by his personal needs rather than base greed. He may be dealing with a range of issues that don't excuse what he's done but provide an explanation.

An interesting question. I knew I couldn't afford a 'year of birth' bass. I already had the Squier 40th P as my first 'proper' precision (I won't count the kit), and wanted a more 'authentic' vintage experience. I looked at the Squier CV, then the Fender Vintera. Each step up brought a bit more, as well as ramping the cost. But because a lot of my work was delayed through Covid I had a very good year with some big contracts finishing. I could afford it, so I looked around for a chance to try the AVII. A Strings in Treforest had one in stock and their price was the best I could find in the UK, they are fairly local to me and a great place to go. They let me play with it for ages, it sounded great, and I liked it, but the action was a bit high for me and too much neck relief. Their tech took it away for twenty to thirty minutes and set it up for me. After that, it felt great. Retrospectively, it doesn't sound dramatically different to the Squire 40th; basically both have a great vintage sound. The neck on the Squier with its satin finish is nicer to play. But it is a real experience to play and I do love gigging it. The one thing is the clay dots disappear into the amber varnish and rosewood board under some stage lights, which can be disorienting. My partner has a vinyl cutter and made me loads of tiny 1/16" dots I put over them, and they work brilliantly - I haven't rubbed any off yet either, although they are removable. Sound: One day I set up my home rig tweaked it for a good, natural sound and did a lot of A/B tests, and I was sceptical the AVII would sound particularly distinctive. Actually, it sounded incredible, which I felt validated my first impressions. Finish: it was (and still is) immaculate, lots of lovely case candy. The attention to detail is great. A steel sheet under the pickguard, not foil. Vintage style electrics. Lots of modern makers marks. Mimicing but not faking 60s style e.g. dated 2022 but in the vintage style. Reverse tuners, hootenany button, thumb rest, bridge and pup covers. Feel: The C neck is big, but not baseball-bat chunky. It is not super light, but neither is it very heavy, and it balances well. The very glossy neck is a bit sticky, and I fight the urge to flat it a bit. It's hard to express, but to me it feels special and it inspires me to play my best, but it's not as easy to play as my Flea Jazz, the Performer or the Hohner B2 - which are three of the easiest playing instruments I've ever played. Looks: it looks like a nice instrument, but I think relatively few people would realise it is in the early 60s style; at a distance it's only the style of the sunburst that marks it out as such. The G&G hardshell case was listed at about £300, so knock that off the price (£1,925) and it felt like a steal compared to anything from the custom shop. The cases are now £389(!!!) and the basses are £2,179 and don't include a case... so not such a deal. Long and short, I gig it a lot, but it's not the bass I choose when I want an easy time of it. I hope I'm able to put some honest wear on it while I am still able to gig it.

Perhaps that is why I like the music I like so much. You can view videos of Hawkwind gigs, and they don't play the same song the same two nights running and will sometimes randomly improvise a song (notably Delilah on one recent live album). Seeing Arthur Brown when the guitarist's combo blew a fuse mid-song, and Arthur helped him fix it while the drummer and bass player improvised for three or four minutes. Or any band where you can see the little mistakes and recoveries or the bits where they pull it all together. The best live music is like kintsugi. The flaws are the golden bits that raise it from the ordinary to the exceptional.