Stub Mandrel

I see no evidence of a thin-lipped, grey estuarine pescid...

That's fascinating - from the horse's mouth that Fujigen were knocking the spots off Fullerton. Also some more interesting background on the Performer; I reckon it is going to get either copied or re-issued at some point.

Solid spruce may not be expensive per se, but it adds a premium that's better directed to better tuners or other aspects of playability. It's a long way down the list of what I would prioritise in a first guitar and when a salesman is using it as a way to push someone think is uninformed towards £400+ guitars rather than ~£150 ones I question their ethics. What matters for a beginner is a guitar that is comfortable, well sized, easy to fret and pleasant sounding. The Fender fills all these categories, certainly doesn't sound like a toy; lack of bass is more down to body size than a laminated soundboard. If someone asked you what to look for in a beginner's guitar would the first thing you recommend be a solid spruce top? I doubt it, it's like telling someone looking for their first bass that a through neck is essential. That said, there are some nice, affordable solid spruce parlour guitars - the Gretsch Jim Dandy is my favourite, even if it looks like the lining was painted by a three-year-old. Could be a good beginner guitar although they generally aren't as well set up as Fenders, and the look can put off people who want a 'traditional' guitar.

My valve addicted brother has an AC4 as his 'living room amp' it is very nice.

I have three Squiers. The guitar is mediocre, the two basses, both Indonesian, are very good. Wheh I bought the Jaguar SS I tried it out immediately after a Warwick which had a price tag seven times as high. The Jag's pickups aren't the worlds best, but playability wise it made the Warwick feel rough (and I like long scale 24-fret basses). Is that a histrionic response?

And like Clarkson, his opinions are delivered in a cartoonish, exaggerated way but do contain a genuine opinion underneath. We have to accept that if your YouTube channel is going to be followed by more than five people (your mate, you cat and three bots trying to get you to subscribe to a service to get more followers) it has to be ENTERTAINMENT front and centre. As I think i said earlier my brother has a similar opinion of my Vox Valvetronix emulating amp. If I was a guitarist in a band, I'd be looking for one decent amp to give me 'my' sound on stage. But I'm not, I just want something to have fun with in the living room - small modelling combos are ideal for this. That said, I am regularly tempted to add a speaker out to it and put it through a 2x12...

Then that's what must be done!

Well heavy Weather was one of the albums that convinced me jazz wasn't a complete waste of time (along with Birds of Fire). If you think Jaco only did crazy chops, listen to this for some of the most lyrical bass playing I've ever heard: I love Hejira too 🙂

I've got a 1987 Japanese Fender Performer. The Performer is absolutely without fault and IMOH has the edge on tonal flexibility and attention to detail (which is at the sort of level associated with custom-shop Fenders - full shielding, quality jack socket, rubber insets on controls, micro-tilt neck, lovely tuners, neck profile that makes most jazz basses seem chunky, TBX tone control). Playability is better than any American Fenders I've played (OK, any bass I've ever played). Its only fault is that it is fairly low output (it won't do a Precision growl) and back in the day sound engineers preferred the earth-shaking output from my Hohner B2. Presumably it came out of the same factory as the 80s MIJ Squiers and while they don't share the same level of attention to detail it certainly demonstrates that they would work to the highest standards.

Steve, the drummer in the first band I was in, started with a prize winning marching jazz band. He was rock solid, except when we deliberately played with the tempo. The best musician in the group.

Looks like you are right, at least it is all discrete components though.

You seem to be doing them down!

Great music, AWFUL video 🙂

Twelfth Night live at Reading Rock 1983. It's a DVD that arrived today. I have ahd an image in my mind of the singer dressed as a WWI offcier in my head for the last 34 years, so confusion when he was dressed perfectly normally... Then song 2 he has a labcoat on, and goes off stage for song 3. Last song, Sequences, he comes on in full WWI kit exactly as I remembered. Amazing that a memory of such a detail can last so long! Good DVD too!

As a generous fool, I gave my brother a Marshal 16-ohm 1x12 cab I bought years ago for using with a head as a practice amp. It's small and light and with a Celestion greenback in it sounds great with his Tiny Terror.

He is actually.

Staying with the delightful Ms. Andrews, I've always fancied doing Fairport Convention's folk-anthem Matty Groves to the tune of Supercalfragilisticexpialidocius. It's a perfect fit.

🤣 Wikipedia describes his style as being a cross between Don Johnson and James Dean. Perhaps they meant James Blunt? A troubled career with some short sojourns in same bands, one exit being down to an unfortunate 'wardrobe malfunction' in the zipper department. Still his influence spreads far and wide,or at least as far as Joe Bonamassa, every bluesman's favourite accountant. Hmm... Bonnett, Bonamassa, Watts - the seeds of a potential sartorial supergroup?

h yes, Rainbow. Graham Bonnet era...

I saw a review where some said 'it was even in tune straight out of the box' 😳

And when teh music gets boiring it isn't time to moan - it's time to REBEL!!! Do you remember lying in bed With your covers pulled up over your head? Radio playin' so no one can see We need change, we need it fast Before rock's just part of the past 'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me Oh oh oh oh, oh oh

I'd like to play in a Hawkwind tribute...

This is wot K3WL looks like:

Lots of fun to be had! I'm happy just to be able to do the 'chorus'!