Paul S

Played a small country pub in Roydon near a river outside in an open sided wooden gazebo. The great thing about the temperature dropping to just above freezing once the sun set was it drove the small biting insects away.

Mrs S is very creative and has a knack of coming up with some of the best names for my bands, once the agonising process has been started. So I was in a band for a few years called 'May Contain Nuts' which morphed into a band called '5 Shades of Grey' - with a different, older singer - seemed appropriate. My current little band is 'Illegal Tender'. But even relatively straightforward names can cause problems. My Bon Jovi tribute band is called 'Just Jovi' but since we started another 'Just Jovi' has popped up in Scotland. We played a gig in Suffolk and the venue posted the logo and a link to the Scottish version

Fantastic stuff Warren. Adam is particularly spot on, isn't he.

Another Essex boy here. My parents moved to Westcliff when I was 4 - 56 years ago, how did that happen? -and apart from a couple of years in London have always lived in southeast Essex. Benfleet for the last 24.

I had a Shure 58, now got an AKG D5. I sound just as bad through both. That wasn't much help, really.

Indeed. Here are mine - a Squier JV and a Maruszczyk Jake 5

Essentially, yes, bass, amp, cab. Except I am wireless, have a tuner and compressor in between somewhere and a BDI-21, switched off, in the chain for emergencies. Which kind of necessitates a rudimentary pedal board, even though I don't use effects.

Georgie Fame at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds last night. Guy is a legend - at 74 he sings and plays exactly the same as he ever did. Could have done without him indulging his 2 grandchildren who wailed their way through a handful of numbers, mind.

I bought a Yamaha BB425 and it blew me away - for the price it is amazing. Following the logic that the top end models would be even more remarkable I sought out an 80s BB5000, finally tracked one down in Japan and had it imported. Cost me top dollar. It arrived and was truly magnificent. However, I just didn't bond with it and felt more comfortable playing the BB425. Moved on the BB5000 and, due to an unknown to me truss rod issue, took an absolutely mahoosive hit financially.

I use one of these - cheap and cheerful! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-Multi-Purpose-Fold-Step-Stool-Plastic-Home-Kitchen-Foldable-Easy-Storage/291844039756?epid=1580482339&hash=item43f342a44c:m:mDARXUakRiMKTVartyTLlpQ

He seems to be struggling with the word rhythm. (as am I - is it rhythmn?) It isn't rythym and certainly not Durham. Or perhaps his predictive text just has a vivid imagination.

I don't know why but whenever I read the word 'peccadillo' which, to be fair, isn't that often, I always get these images in my head in true Reggie Perrin fashion.

All manner of reasons, really - do something to one of the tuners, give the body a polish, change the pickup, put them on another bass. But you only have to do it once. The ball end shifts from how it was seated originally and the black/pink/green/whatever string coating has a little silver mark where the fret has rubbed the coating through that is now on show. Even just loosening them off enough to release the tension on the ball end is enough to do it. Spoils the look a bit. At least - I found they were problems that I encountered with the basses I put them on in terms of my own perception of what I wanted the coated strings for. Everyone else will have different expectations and experiences. And, yes, any string will wear in this way but we are talking specifically about coated strings with a coating that wears through. Can't believe I just wrote the line 'release the tension on the ball end'

I've used both Black Beauties and Neons in the past - I am a heavy pick player (+/- 100kg ) and it wears through in no time. The other issue that put me off was where the string rubs against the fret it wears through on the underside - which is ok if you never need to take off the strings but, if you do, it is almost impossible to match up again.

There is, naturally, a Shergold discussion forum. You could do a lot worse than join that for the most accurate info. Assuming he is still alive - I haven't been on there for a couple of years - there is even one of the original Shergold luthiers joins in discussions. https://www.shergold.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=58d1c55a8f6df950a5941f35424348ef

Actually, pedant is the wrong word. It means 'a person who is too interested in formal rules and small details that are not important and what you said was factually incorrect, not merely a small unimportant detail. However, I accept that this post may have been pedantic.

Yeah, I know. Always makes me sleepy when facts are pointed out that get in the way of a good rant.

To be fair, the people that work for HMRC are just a bunch of normal, overworked pen pushers doing their job*. It would be the Treasury, then the House of Commons, who made and passed the laws, who you should be directing your ire towards. If you disagree strongly about how import duty and VAT are calculated, you should lobby your MP because, ultimately, it is their responsibility *I don't, never have, although I know a couple of people who did.

No contest, my new Maruszczyk Jake 5 custom shop.

Squier make a few 5s. Precision and Jazz in various guises and trim levels, also the MB-5.

All good stuff. The first I remember being aware of slap/pop bass was on this Al Jarreau tune 'You Don't See Me' 1975 - starts about 1 min into it. Not as percussive as most.

I would correct this and say 'one of the benefits....' - another benefit you have discovered is that finding notes on or around the 5th fret can be easier without ever dipping below the low E. I would also add the extra choice of where to play the note gives you the choice of what timbre the note will have - eg E played on an open string doesn't sound like E fretted on the B string so you can play what is most appropriate. I changed to 5 strings about 2 years ago and most likely won't change back even if there was no longer a need for 5 strings. But, as has been said, do what is most comfortable for you - from what you say it sounds like you want to explore 5 strings so I'd say go for it. If it doesn't work out, go back to 4. No-one will get hurt, it is only a bass!

Having never noticed one before, bizarrely there is a black one of these passive P/J Jacks just come up on eBay for £200. Twice as much but less than half the work. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/hohner-the-jack-bass-2/123048663927?hash=item1ca6459b77:g:8CAAAOSwk4tavPm6

I didn't know you'd met Mrs Brig, HJ...

Interesting- looks like a passive p/j, too. I used to have a passive p/j B2B cricket bat and I much preferred the sound of that over the EMGs