Paul S

Yup. Looks like I'm too late 😢😁

So sad to hear. I had a couple of meet-ups with Sam and, as anyone else who did, felt as though I'd known her for years after our long chats. One time in snow and ice at Thurrock services and we both got frozen We all know that Life isn't fair and Sam certainly had her hand dealt from the bottom of the deck.

There's a sparkly red one in Sheffield at the moment that is £300 on eBay but reduced to £250, I think, on Reverb (or somewhere other than eBay, anyway). Collection only. For £250 it is tempting to strip and oil, except I have no way of colleting from Sheffield.

Thank you. Quite an endorsement! I've had a few BB Yamahas and really liked them but a decade on the long scales are too much of a stretch and too heavy - one of these would be a a nice way back.

One of the lesser known side effects of slap bass! We should be told.

Some random Googling just now winkled out the existence of this model - a medium scale BB bass that by most accounts weighs 3.5kg. Seems they came in flat red, sparkle red, burst or black. A black one of these ticks every one of my boxes and addresses all the issues I have with BB basses. Has anyone owned one and formed opinions? Muchas gracias!

My lot - nothing after the end of April. Not one. Nowt. Zip. Rein. Nada. Zilch. Niets. Nichts. mitättömyys. Niente. 无 . لَاشَيّءَ . 何も･･･ない Which in some ways is OK as I may be having some surgery coming up, depending upon what they decide to do with me.

I don't have children but the summer before last drove from Cardiff to Bangor. I had all day, took my time, drove up through the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia national parks. Probably the nicest drive I have done in the UK, especially as the next morning I went along the north coast back into England.

I was in a Bon Jovi tribute band for a period and, for some shows, we used back projections that were relevant to the music so, for some songs, used a click track. Also, for some songs, we used backing tracks that added a layer of BVs or maybe the odd sound effect or extra guitar - just to beef it up a bit. So, again, used a click track. Some songs we just played bareback. IMO it made us a better band, putting on a more polished show. But I wouldn't dream of doing it at the Dog and Duck with my blues rock trio. I think it entirely depends upon the type of music you play and where you are playing it. @diskwave how old are you? I'm curious as you are always harping back to how much better music was in the old days but I suspect I am actually older than you yet don't share your views.

This, oh so very much this. At one point I tried to compensate for my ever thickening waist and jowls by playing a Gibson Thunderbird. Then I saw sense and sold it. But I missed it - by which time I decided I couldn't give a toss what anyone thought. I bought a white Epiphone Classic Pro, as detailed above, and the Epiphone was the better of the two basses. The tone and neck were par but the fit and finish of the Ephiphone were better, plus it was lighter. Something to bear in mind - the Classic Pro and 60s Vintage Pro have bigger headstocks and not all the Epiphone T-Bird cases fit those models. I think it is the coffin shaped one that does.

Bought some strings from Ash in the most straightforward of transactions. Perfect 🙂

I saw them at Wembley June 1978 and, for me, it set the bar for live music. I was 20 and the gig completely resonated with the type of music I was into at the time - and poignant for so many personal reasons. Great memory.🙂

I once owned at the same time a Hofner Ignition Club and a Danelectro '56 SS single cut, which is chambered, The Dano blew the Hofner out of the water in every way so maybe consider adding one of those to your shortlist?

They are, aren't they - ventriloquist dummies. Well, maybe not so much Orville or Lamb Chop but the dolls. Did you ever see the film 1978 film 'Magic'? Anthony Hopkins cutting his creepy teeth.

Get that gridge grounded!

I believe @Happy Jack has or had one of these, maybe he can flesh it out a bit.

Tonebubbles, the new argument! Big bubbles vs small bubbles?

Maybe its my eyes but the bodies seem to be made of bubblewrap. Looking for positives, are they less likely to be damaged in transit?

I am surprised that the 'weight deniers' haven't jumped in to disdainfully suggest you simply grow a pair, eat more red meat and go to the gym. 😂 Weight is a big issue for me, as it is for many of us. A wide padded strap makes some difference but, as has been said, at the end of it all a heavy bass is a heavy bass. I recently bought a Yamaha SB-35 - a quality, rare bass which has zero re-sale value. Mainly because nobody has heard of them. Very much a heart over head purchase as I had one before and think they are brilliant. Anyway, it weighed 4.1kg - not massively heavy but a bit too much for me to comfortably wear for any length of time. I handed it over to my usual tech guy who (gasps from the back) routed out a cavity beneath the pickguard - reducing the weight by 400g, which was around 10% and has made a difference to how it feels on the strap. I believe his next move would have been using a biscuit router to delve even further into the body from the same outline but that hasn't proved necessary. Lightweight tuners can also usually save 200-300g in overall weight. There are lightweight bridges available. It all starts to add up. Or subtract down, if you prefer. I had a '79 Fender Musicmaster for a while and found both a Squier Vista Series Musicmaster and VM Mustang were more to my liking. But that's me. Bottom line - it is your bass and you know how much it makes you happy - if you really like it and are not bothered by taking a hit on the resale value - which to be fair is the bottom end of the old Fender market anyway - then it is worth investigating. You won't be destroying a priceless artifact.

Saw them around about then. Totally fab. Always thought they needed to put a more more effort in though

I only play short or medium scale these days but I used to be a huge fan of the Fury, had three at various points, including one from Davie @kodiakblair and one from Eric @FlatEric. Think P bass with very hot pickup and really slim, shallow neck - similar in feel to the Geddy Lee Jazz.