chris_b

It might be difficult for the Blue states to actually cede from the Union, but they can stop paying the Federal Government their taxes. Without the money being distributed from Blue states to Red states, the Red states will quickly go bankrupt.

I'm a Precision guy, so I want fat, warm, articulate and clean. Thump and low mid fullness required in spades.

Guys, has anyone experience of replacing the standard pickups on a Sandberg TT5 Jazz bass with Bartolini Dual In-line Hum Cancelling pickups? I believe these are the 59J model. I have a Sandberg TT5 which sounds OK, but I need better than OK, so I'm looking at these Barts as a replacement. Any comments. Cheers

Sire, @Merton's ACG and Lakland Skylines would be on my list.

The French don't call it the English Channel but that doesn’t seem to be an issue, so if everyone calls it the Gulf of Mexico, that's what it is.

I haven't seen any gigs restricting the number of musicians! I do a lot of guitar, bass and drums gigs. The money is better but there's no room for other musicians in the arrangements.

I have bought basses that have been Pleked, but never had a bass Pleked, so I have no before/after experience. I've owned several basses that I thought were the best and played like a dream. I had a full service and set up done by the Bass Gallery, and my fantastic basses came back playing even better. Now, whenever I buy a new bass I take it to the Gallery for them to wave their magic wand.

I've used a bar stool as well. Depends on the band, sometimes it doesn't look right and other times it doesn't look out of place. Like most things bass, no one else seems to care.

I have Pro 17's and Pro 26's, for when I'm playing with a certain guitarist!!

If Trump controls law enforcement and the Military he can dissolve Congress and the Senate and write whatever he wants into the Constitution. That's why he's so keen to destroy the FBI and CIA. The Military is a different matter. If they have the courage to do the "right thing" they might be the ones to thwart Trumps plan, but will they ignore a direct order from the President? Whatever Trumps' endgame looks like in his head, a civil war of some sort is on the cards.

IMO the leader Western World, or any Head of State, publicly insulting someone's wife makes me cringe and shake my head. Trumps disgusting, ill-mannered behaviour should not be accepted or normalized in any way.

My solution to extend my gigging life was to get a Barefaced 112 at 10kg/21lbs, a folding trolley, a D class amp at 5lbs, and as a backup, just in case I need to go even lighter, I have 2 Barefaced One10's at 7kg/15lbs. I now have 3 basses that weigh less than 3.2kg/7.1lbs and use a bar stool if my back is playing up.

Glad to hear you finally have finally resolved your back issues.

There's a great gig, The Oval Tavern, in East Croydon. It's worth coming back just for that!

It's still safer compared to somewhere that is very "shooty". On the other hand, I've heard Croydon is on the up.

I've heard good things about the Alexander Technique. Coupled with a good work out routine, to strengthen your core, should resolve most problems.

ACS, ACS, ACS

We had a guitarist do that, except no message. One day he was here, next day he wasn't. Didn't answer any calls or other forms of communication. It was a good band but without him it just folded! A waste of a good band.

65? Tut. . . . a mere youngster.

Those 4" heels were killers. I was glad when I stopped wearing mine!

I hope the floor is reinforced!

I was watching a podcast last night and in their view this tariff nonsense and the BS about Gaza, Panama, Greenland etc is just a smoke screen. Putting 10,000 soldiers on the Mexican border was something Biden had already negotiated!! The media is fixated on the BS and they are missing, or wilfully not reporting, the real issue. . . . Musk and Trump are attempting to steal the US Government. They are trying to shutdown the various federal law enforcement agencies and trying to destroy any opposition within Government. They are trying to put tens of thousands of government workers out of work, have arbitrarily made inoperable various government websites so programs for the poor and needy cannot work. Many of these actions are illegal and against the constitution, but that doesn't seem to be of concern to Musk/Trump. Where cases have been brought, Federal judges are stepping in and have put a hold on these actions, but a Trump lawyer has just told a Federal judge that it is irrelevant if actions are illegal or against the constitution when Musk/Trump have ordered them!!! This isn't being reported in the media and is a far more serious situation that any pseudo trade war.

Shame you're thinking of hanging up your bass. Bass has never been a hobby for me. Even if a band felt like work, it was always a million times better than w-o-r-k! I've worked with some a-hole band leaders but the a-hole managers were always worse. Good luck. . . . don't sell all your gear. . . . you'll be back.

Why give Trump credit for anything? He hasn't done anything that deserves credit. He lacks any scrap of integrity, knows nothing, lies about everything and threatens those who tell the truth. Name one conflict he's solved. He hasn't weaponized the media, he's bullied them into submission, like the GOP and now the various departments of Government. Soon there will be no independent media and the independence of the Police and other law enforcing bodies is looking precarious. There is not one positive thing that's come out of Trump's existence. He's in the process of throwing thousands of people out of work, denying millions healthcare and destroying treaties and pacts around the world. He word, and unfortunately now the word of America, is worth nothing. Don't give Trump credit until he's done something that deserves it.