Shaggy

It does seem to me to be a core part of the British psyche to diss anything popular and / or successful. Having been on here since it was BassWorld, I soon noticed that any new thread posted about the Beatles, Stones, Ric basses, Wal basses etc will pretty much instantly attract a post(s) about how utter crap they are, as if it were a self-evident truth. There are some bands who if they're played on the radio I have to turn it straight off - UB40 come to mind - but I can appreciate why they'd appeal to a lot of people. Morrisey may well indeed be a complete dick, but to me he's a fantastic singer and talented songwriter. I'm generally not a huge fan of Wetherspoons, but whenever Mrs S and I go to Brecon we always have lunch at The George, an attractive and convivial 18th Century coaching Inn - and part of Wetherspoons. Haven't found anywhere better.....yet. I guess it would be a dull old world if absolutely everything -as that Paul Whitehouse character in the "Fast Show" was always saying - was Fantastic and Brilliant...... "Sugar sugar" famously offered to The Monkees of course, who refused it as saccharine commercial bollocks, then given to fictional cartoon band The Archies (session musicians I assume) who made it a massive global hit

Don't think you can beat this accessory for a bit of groin orientated stagecraft whilst simultaneously relic-ing your bass......

Root beer, if MusicMan.

AI or not; still interesting. Probably my favourite Fender finish, ever since the lead guitarist in my school band circa 1977 turned up with a brand new Antigua finish Strat (maple neck, which IMHO looks much better with it than rosewood). Rather unfairly referred to as "snotburst" I think......

I had one of these many years ago; facing was indeed quilt maple veneer, I think mine was original spec with a passive circuit and a very weedy pickup (definitely the weak point). Good value for what they were, but I sold it on pretty quick. Edit: should have clarified that I sold it on pretty quick because that's what I always do with 5 string basses. A pointless repeated cycle I eventually managed to break.....

I think we've all of us been here at some point, and it can apply to any part of our lives, not just bass In my case, learning other instruments whilst I've taken a long time off bass not only kept music as the main theme of my life (which it always has been) but also improved my bass playing no end when I came back to it

This dismantling of intact instruments for parts by dealers has been commonplace in the US for a long time, and I'd be sorry if it became the norm here too Having said that, I know that anything vintage is viewed through rose-coloured glasses these days, but I never played / owned anything made by Hondo that wasn't completely cr@p. Crazy pricing

"I'm Mandy..." was the first single I ever bought! Brilliant band, although I think when Godley and Creme left much of the unique creativity went with them - "Deadlock Holiday" in particular was dire IMHO...... Surprised that no one has mentioned source of the band name yet

Saw them live around 1980 - superb Back to the OP, I know Mick Karn and Pino are the obvious contenders, but my favourite has always been Barry Adamson's bass tone and playing with Magazine. Ovation Magnum 1 with aforementioned chorus and compression.

Likewise, I saw Rush at Deeside Leisure Centre around 1979 /80, saw most of the big name rock and New Wave bands around at that time, never paid more than a fiver. These days I occasionally catch older bands playing the smaller venues (OMD most recently), wouldn't contemplate going to the bigger ones. I think tours used to be seen as potentially loss-making promotion for album sales, now like everything else it's just a money-making machine.

Going to the tip soon unless someone wants......

My roommate at Uni (1979) had the entire radio series on cassette - I think we pretty much listened to them back to back whilst indulging in a bit of wacky backy As soon as I saw it mentioned here, I heard the theme music in my head......

A good friend who had emigrated to New Zealand came back to do the custom build course with Crimson guitars - built himself a very nice "Superstrat" guit*r. Really enjoyed himself, and said how fantastic the instruction and support was.