Paul S

I was having this very conversation yesterday with the guy that does my tech stuff. He also makes guitars and ships them out all over then country. He says he researched it all as thoroughly as he could because, with all the other plates he keeps spinning, each guitar takes 3 months to build and he doesn't want to have to keep on re-making broken ones. He ended up using UPS and has never had an issue, costs him £50/60 fully insured.

A Fender Precision Lyte has a Strat sized and shaped body if you still fancy one.

I used Black Beauties and Neons for a while. I liked the sound, not as harsh as new uncoated rounds. They look fab at first, too. I play with a pick, am pretty rough, and the coating wore off in no time where I hit it. If you play fingerstyle then this won't be an issue, of course. But, also the back of the string where it rubs against the fret loses the coating - in itself not a problem but if you have to ever take the strings off then put them back on again it is impossible to line up again.

I assume you need a scooped EQ for this specialist item.

Me too. An '83. I've had it longer than any other basses (but still only 5 years, which says a fair bit about my revolving door of basses). But I'd describe it as being the bass I am least likely to sell. I never say never.

Didn't even know they made fretless spoons. Every day is a school day.

I don't see a problem. if I want it, can afford it, have room for it, I'll get it. End of. If it turns out to be less than expected, I'll move it on. If it is better than expected, I'll keep it and move on something else. Or not. At least I would have had the experience of playing it for a while. I call it 'curiosity' rather than GAS and certainly nobody else's business. Of course if it meant not being able to meet debts or put food on the table that is another thing.

Danny then went on to be a founder member of Thunder and now presenter on Planet Rock.

I'd say it is worth hanging on. It's been a while since I checked in but, back then, one of the guys on there was one of the founders of the whole Shergold/Hayman/Burns thing. Norman Houlder. He might be dead by now, of course.

That is lovely! I had one - my first proper bass! Sold it because it was heavy. There is a Shergold website that includes a forum. Hayman are basically the same and often get talked about on there. https://www.shergold.co.uk/forum/ I even bought a nos perspex bridge from someone on there. If they don't have one, they will know if it is possible.

Gives new meaning to 'Jigsaws for aged 3 and under'

You've seen me solder then? I have shaky hands that are getting worse (something called Essential Tremor, another story) and have decided to stop before I do some harm or burn the house down. 😂

I had a Pantera X790 Deluxe for a while. I think this was Westone's top end of the range then. Beautifully made instrument. I read about it somewhere, fell in love, waited a few years before one came up for sale in the Netherlands - I collected it from there! @Andyjr1515 did a headstock renovation on it as the paint had chipped off from around one of the tuners. But having GASed for so long I didn't bond with it when I actually got it plus it was too heavy. Boy did I take a hit when I moved it on! Say lar vee.

Sold a gig bag to Lee. I truly cannot envisage a simpler transaction! Perfect!

I'd be worried that it suddenly grew to 50 times bigger, sprouted wheels and started to destroy the world.

It might be nice under all that filth. Difficult to tell.

I think you have to use Pyramid strings.

It's my impression, Bas, that you play everything with a smile on your face

Covfefe au lait, anyone?

I like to imagine how the newscaster Moira Stuart would have pronounced it. Like some West African despot. N'WOB'm

Thanks Bas. Rather than fade out on that folky thing at the end my aim is to segue it with Tequila for a while. If it works out OK I'll post it here. Of course if it doesn't I won't mention it again

I've not played much. Maybe once a week for an hour, if that. The enjoyment I get from music is not so much sitting and listening or even playing on my own, it is watching and/or participating. To either watch or participate in making music from nothing. Neither of which has been possible during the lockdowns. As it happens the last couple of weeks has seen me pick up my guitar, rather than bass, as I feel driven to record something. Specifically 'La Bamba' - the back story being that in my former covers band I suggested that we play 'la Bamba' towards the end of the 2nd set as a good dance/singalong tune - we played precious few. And I was offering to sing it. I can speak un poco de español so can pronounce it properly and I reckoned I could manage the bassline at the same time with practice. Come the rehearsal day, guitarist and erstwhile band leader hands over his mic. I got as far as the first line 'Para bailar la bamba'... and he stops playing and says 'If that is how you are going to sing it then forget it'. So, just to prove a point, really. Still rusty as hell but slowly improving. I'm going to try to do the vocal, BVs, guitars and bass. A mate will do drums, maybe some BVs and, if possible, doing some sort of midi accordian-a-like at the end. Wish me luck!

Taking the old adage that 'forewarned is forearmed...' I wonder what the radius is on the neck? Ulna sleep 'til I find out.

^This, absolutely.^ I mean, the first 4 strings are just exactly what I would want. Except I'd have flats. The rest is my worst nightmare. But that's me. Give me a P bass or a simple double cutaway and I'm happy

But at least they are real, Jack. Disclaimer, I have never seen HJ's boobs, this was said purely for comic effect.