leschirons

You know that bit in Lord of the rings where the Elves, Bilbo and a few others load themselves onto some sort of Viking barge and sail off to somewhere, citing that now, is the time of men and it's all over for magical beings? Well that's how it feels to me. I started out, in the unreliable group van, playing to 6 people in the back room of a grubby London pub, and then having a row to get your £15 for the gig because the idiot landlord was too tight to put a 30 bob ad in Melody Maker. No-one has to do that nowadays and all the work, the effort and the s h i t gigs back then only strengthened our resolve to carry on and make it, whether you made it or not. At nearly 70, I'm tired and worn out, with no real interest in playing but, will no doubt finish my days playing 4 village fete charity gigs a year with three other old lags who did the same things I did 50 years ago. Not so much the music, but the way things are done has changed beyond recognition. We (bands) are now merely passengers, on a sinking ship.

Always expect......the unexpected.😆

Seulement jusqu'à ce que la colombe soit abattue par les chasseurs😆

Mon père est un éboueur, il porte un chapeau d'éboueur.

As a natural progression from the original thread, what's your preference of wood for lolly sticks? Poplar seems to have a nice sturdy yet flexible quality whilst teasing the consumer with a feint earthy background taste. But, the dependable Baltic birch gets my vote. A totally different density leaves one with a confidence that your stick won't result in your Magnum hitting the deck. Of course, many still revere the legendary 64 Mivvi stick ( the go to lolly of choice for legends such as Anthony Newley and Screaming Lord Sutch ) To find one in original condition....one can only dream.

Okay, I've just done my own test. Same bass. Same amp. Same flat settings. Finger style in same position over pickup. Only variable, three glasses of Fitou in between. It does actually make a difference to the perceived tone. Tomorrow evening, I will repeat, but with a Montrachet and see what transpires.

Good point.

Maybe I just wasn't listening then. 😆

I seem to remember being into Robben Ford, some rock, some funk, Prince etc but thought I was always up on mainstream pop music due to being in loads of covers bands but evidently, that wasn't the case.

That was 25 years earlier.

I only ask because I've just watched an old TOTP from 1990. The ONLY two numbers I'd heard before were Take my breath away, and Un-chained melody😳 There were big names in there, Elton John, George Michael, Paul Simon and Wings but I'd stake my life on never having heard any of the songs before. Is it me? or was 1990 really that unmemorable?

Cool, gimme six.

Had this 24 hours now and loving it although, it may be partly that I'm loving playing along with the Brand new heavies, Brian Bromberg and Daryl Hall😆 Yes, it's a little noisy but the aux in from my tablet works great and I can easily achieve a great bass tone for playing along to some favourite groovy tracks. It's been a life saver mentally speaking and really only has to last until we move in to our new home in a couple of months and I get my gear over from France. Happy days.

Well, it arrived, and whilst I can understand the construction concerns, I must admit I'm pleasantly surprised with the sound and functions. Cables getting in the way has never really been a problem for me when using phones however, at some point, I know at some point I'll give it a knock as it's quite vulnerable on the edge of the bass body so, I'll get my bro to make up a male / female jack cable and keep the unit on the table. As a tool to keep me from dying of boredom in lockdown, it'll do fine.

That is a seriously kind offer so thank you very much. However, I took the plunge and ordered the Vox which will arrive tomorrow. We are currently in a rented flat in Harlow Essex but have found a place to buy in Norfolk. We had previously been looking in the South west around Crewkerne and Beaminster but couldn't find anything suitable so now moving to Norfolk, in between Swaffham and Dereham. Thanks again for your kind offer.

Got one of those, it's in France😆

Thanks for your replies everyone.. All taken on board. Bit more investigating to do then.

Thanks for that, might as well give it a go then and just try not to sit or step on it😆

We've moved back from France and all my gear is still there apart from one bass so, I need something to play through whilst in lockdown. I was thinking of getting one of the Vox plug things for bass but keep hearing reports that they're poorly made and break easily. Anyone got opinions on this and if they are actually worth buying for noodling? Thanks

My wife.

Didn't get a close look I'm afraid. As you say, cracking band. Loved the drummer especially but class playing all round.

Not of a religious persuasion at all but there's a Christmas day gospel service on BBC at the mo. What a band. !! Superb.

No, don't get one. I think they just go clank clank clank.

For what it's worth, here's my two cents worth. Years ago, I wanted a cheapy fiver to play dodgy venues with so I picked up an OLP Stingray 5 from Basschat well under £100. They're a bit dearer now, maybe £150. Same narrow string spacing as a real MM as they're licenced MM copies. Ended up using it on over 200 gigs in preference to my Fenders, Music Man and Status basses. Really comfortable to wear and play. Not the largest tone pallet in the world but certainly sufficient for 90% of gigs. Only sold it 3 weeks ago as I was cutting down on stuff to bring back to the UK. Huge mistake. I'd get another tomorrow if I thought I'd start gigging again and if you can find the Tony Levin model, that's even better.

Great write ups on the USA Fender Dimension 5s. In your budget secondhand too. I don't have one but did try one out for quite a while. Loved it. Sort of a Stingray that does loads more tonally.