Paul S

Sorry folks, pantomime season finished yesterday. (oh no it didn't!) (oh yes it did!)

They tick a lot of boxes - as you say only made for a year, funky colours available, the matching headstock thing made them a little different. None of which would matter except that they are exceedingly good basses.

If you can put up with a slightly scruffy black one I will probably be listing it soon for a fraction over half that price (I am fully paid up).

Have you played one? Or even seen one in the flesh?

The oldest reason in the book - sex. I was in a really promising 80s rock band. The drummer was amazing, ex-pro, toured with names, worked in the pit. Best drummer I've had the honour of working with but such a lovely laid back guy. Guitarist had a great touch. Keys player was the weak link but it was his band so that was that. The problem was the two singers. Male and female, both extremely handsome specimens who really looked the part. He had a great voice, real character. She claimed to be a vocal and dancing coach so no shortage of confidence. We rehearsed for some months, had 2 gigs, spent ages recording a demo - all the while it was increasingly apparent the two singers fancied each other. She was a single parent, he was married with kids. He left his family, took up with singer and suddenly it was their band, didn't want to do rock tunes any more, didn't want to rehearse where we had been rehearsing any more. Etc. Everything became a battleground. A few ultimatums later the band broke up. Such a shame. Not so long afterward I heard they'd split up.

Aran joined the forum to buy my Short Stingray. Perfect transaction, great comms - a pleasure doing business!

The most recent stage appearance I have seen for one of these is the bass player with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. He is tiny, so it looks huge on him. Picture nicked off the 'net

Bought a strap from Mike in the simplest of deals. Superfast comms and dispatch. Perfect!

Actually, since you mention it, it is the same thing. It is yet another example of exactly the same intolerance. Time and again you post about awards/lists/whatever mentioning artists that - as far as you are concerned - have no merit and go off on one about them. You seem to find it impossible to understand that other people may have a different opinion or different taste. Same old same old.

Must be a few weeks since you last posted a shouty rant against music you don't like! 😂

I had a set of custom mould earplugs which I'd stopped using. I had a pair of KZ-ZS10s but was never happy with any of the ear buds I had fitted. So I popped out the attenuators from the earplugs and, using clear silicon mastic, stuck the KZs in them Making sure I didn't gum up the ends by sticking some tubing over them, which I later pulled out. Worked a treat.

if you think that is bad, every time I see the thread 'playing in church' my mind says 'farting in church'.

Click on your messages, panel down the left hand side shows messages. Just scroll down until you find the ones you are looking for. Mine go back to 2017, just. Another way would be to track it through yoyr feedback, assuming you both left it, or a search of old threads.

That's bad luck!

Historically I had only ever played 4 stringers. Then I joined a Bon Jovi tribute band and found I needed a 5er, as many of their songs have notes below E as recorded. After trying a few I discovered what I liked about 5 stringers, put all my 4 stringers in their cases and just played 5ers. After a while I found I favoured the 5ers and sold all my 4 stringers (apart from a JV Precision I was particularly fond of), including some that were irrreplacable, thinking I wouldn't ever go back. Stayed exclusively on 5ers for quite a while, then joined a blues rock trio. Thought I'd dust off the Precision and that set me off looking for 4 stringers that suited the blues rock band. Towards the end of the lockdowns I decided to step down from the Bon Jovi band, my need for 5ers had gone so I sold them all and investigated more 4 strings. Then I got a shorty. Found it SO much easier to play so have now sold all my long scale basses and have a rolling population of shorties.

My current band. I've listened to blues/rock music all my life, it communicates with me in a way most other music doesn't. The rockier stuff like Hendrix, SRV, Jeff Healey. As long as the guitar playing has 'that' edge. The reason I play bass is because I'd never managed to play blues guitar as well as I aspired to, which was frustrating on the one hand but opened up a whole new world of bass on the other. Anyhoo, I've always been on the lookout for a blues rock band but never, ever discovered a guitarist who could cut it. December 2018 I answered an ad in Join My Band - an Ipswich based guitarist with a drummer looking for a bassist for a blues rock trio. Own rehearsal space in Braintree - drummer is a farmer and has a huge old barn available. I was sent a video of him playing at a jam night and a few songs to learn from a longish established set list - I knew most of the tunes in the set anyway. Turned up for a 4 song audition in the March and we just all clicked - jammed the whole set over 2 hours. Over the ensuing months we tightened up, my first time in a trio and I absolutely love it. Alan hadn't been gigging for a long while, kids and Life etc, and the more we played the more he relaxed with the band and the more he started to let loose with his playing! We came to the attention of one of Suffolk's prominent guys on the music scene - Stephen 'Foz' Foster, who at the time was a DJ on BBC Radio Suffolk, now Radio Caroline. He kind of adopted us - puts some nice gigs our way and plays tracks from our live CD on his radio show. He has described us as 'one of the best bands to come from the region' which puts a warm glow inside. It is everything I have ever wanted from a band and worth the hassle of travelling to gigs. I am 66 now and some mornings feeling my age - got a growing portfolio of back issues and a spot of arthritis in my hands. All things considered I reckon it is my last hurrah and, however long this lasts, I intend to enjoy every bit of it.

Tact and empathy, generally.

I'll add my Scottish Power veto to the growing list. Long story short, we bought a house which was demolished and all the services notified, final meter readings done etc. 4 months later we got a gas bill from them and despite numerous phone calls, live chat exchanges, photograph of disconnected meter sitting on a heap of rubble, plus a complaint, it took a letter to the CEO to stop the demands for payment. And someone still called round to do a reading about a year on. Could have done without the hassle. Oh, while I am here - another 'Spoons veto. Not because of the way they treated staff but because the food was absolute sh!te on the single occasion I ate in one. Thought I'd play it safe with burger and chips but they still managed to ruin it. Worst food I have ever eaten out, I'd hesitate before feeding it to foxes.