Paul S

My one and only dalliance with the world of tube amps - a Mesa Boogie Four:88. The very first time I used it in anger one of the valves blew during soundcheck and it took most of the pcb with it. It wasn't a cheap repair. Had a back up amp in the boot so all good in that respect. Truth be told I preferred the sound of my trusty old Trace Elliot anyway.

I think it would only be a fetish if you showered whist wearing a gig bag, rather than simply accompanied by one, and were unable to take a shower unless so attired. Anything else is just harmless fun.

Headstock looks 'right' somehow, unlike the Fenderbirds (IMO etc etc)

😂 It's like a scab you can't stop picking, isn't it! 😂

is it good?

The place I got mine from is out of stock, obvs, but it seems eBay has come up trumps! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285966903916?chn=ps&_ul=GB&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=285966903916&targetid=2361039923645&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9194237&poi=&campaignid=21697381820&mkgroupid=170109506289&rlsatarget=pla-2361039923645&abcId=10027101&merchantid=6995734&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAs5i8BhDmARIsAGE4xHxl3nhyi7PcPfFBUTxxKakp2RC-ApwwqpPj_tnMKsVWURunQbs0bVUaArHzEALw_wcB

I recently bought a couple of sheets of Decadry white dots, much the same as the old Letraset, which is a dry transfer - put the thing dot side down then burnish the back so it leaves the paper and sticks onto whatever you have stuck it on. In this case the side of the neck. Similar to the one ozzyrocks mentions above but massively cheaper (yes, I am a tightwad). It is undetectable to the touch and seems pretty durable. So far so good. Maybe a quick lacquer would help, if necessary. But it saves all that business with the UV pen which I found doesn't really work that effectively for long enough with glowdots or luminlay.

That's nice Nik. What bridge is it, just out of curiosity?

I had an MIJ Faker that the massed brains of Basschat couldn't pin down to any particular maker/distributor, blank trc, nothing on the pickups. It was fantastic - looked and sounded just like a real one to my ears and eyes. But heavy! Too heavy for me to wear comfortably for any length of time. Broke my heart to move it on but it now resides with @silverfoxnik I believe.

Oh oh. Better hope @prowla doesn't spot this. Ah. 😂 Some of the nicest basses I have owned have been Squiers. My old JV P bass was the best P bass I have held in my hands. Absolutely gorgeous. I've always tended to listen to my basses with my ears, not my eyes*. *Apart from anything with a tort plate, obvs...

Menorca - the most beautiful of places! Where in Menorca is home?

Wow! 😂 I guess 'people' might struggle with the complicated bits, Sherlock, but you could always give it a try. 😂

Good heavens, no. It is just that bragging how clever you are in front of a load of strangers seems such a weird thing to do that it is kind of memorable. And you've done it twice, now, not once. There's another guy on the forum who is also fond of mentioning his astronomical IQ. Could he wrong - in fact clearly I am - but I had the notion that MENSA folk had a code not to mention it.

Here we go again. The weight of a bass is not remotely important right up until something happens to you whereafter it is the only thing of importance. If it doesn't matter to you - well done, pray it stays like it. For those of us with back issues saving the weight of 4 mars bars at the headstock end can actually make the difference as to being able to move the day after a gig. Saying 'then honestly you need eat more red meat or hit the gym to build muscle mass' is just shallow thinking and rude - from a guy who frequently reminds us he is a MENSA member even more so. Remember, children - other people's experiences may vary from your own. 🙄

All of the above strikes a chord. In 2022 my lot were invited to play a monthly residency at a city centre pub in Ipswich 'because we were the best band they had play there'. We asked for £250, they actually paid us £300. In the next 12 months we got a following and started to pack the place out - had a stock of our live CDs, recorded there one night, behind the bar and a signed picture on the wall. Staff were friendly, free drinks, space cleared by the time we got there. Everything was rosy. Towards the end of the second year our regulars stopped coming. Bar staff changed. No more free drinks. We had to prompt the tables being shifted. The atmosphere in the pub changed - from being a family, music orientated place to the usual revolving door city centre pub with huge screens showing sports. One time we were asked to start at 9.45pm, rather than 9pm, because of some match or other people were watching. Beginning of this year, after playing to an empty pub a couple of times, we mutually agreed with the owner to pull the regular gigs in summer, leaving just 2 more - September and November. Ipswich for me is 1hr 15mins on a good run. The night of the September gig (a Friday) took me 3hrs 30mins because of unscheduled roadworks on the A12. I was late - we started at 10pm but still played for 2hrs without a break. There was a fight in the main bar, people left. Our last tune we do a segue of the start of 'Money For Nothing' into 'La Grange' and some idiot wanted to start a row over us 'not liking Dire Straits' because we only played a few bars. Stood in front of us staring while we packed up. Once we were clear the guvnor paid us £200 because we started late and he wouldn't listen to reason. So that was that, 3 years of goodwill down the Swanee. We found out that the reason our 'gang' stopped coming was because of the intimidating atmosphere of fights and drugs that was going on in the room behind and, especially, the toilets. To name and shame, it was the Shamrock, in case anyone is interested.