Skybone

Like a few others, I've always stretched new strings after putting them on. Put them on, tune to standard, give them a good stretch, tune up again, stretch again, tune up again. Is it beneficial? Good question. I think it is beneficial, tuning stability is achieved almost immediately, great if you're on the road or in the studio. Does it effect your "tone"? I've never noticed any detrimental effects from doing it, so no.

Do you do any stretching/warm up exercises before you play? Might be worth getting into the habit of warming up your fingers before you play. You can also try one of those finger exercisers you can get at music shops. Has your GP sent you for X-rays? Is the finger worse in the cold? It could be the onset of arthritis (I have it in my wrist & knee because of an RTC), Ibuprofen & Paracetomol help, exercising and building up your muscle tone is better.

I used a Zoom G5 bag. Got one off eBay for a reasonable price, it fitted the B3, psu, expression pedal & leads comfortably.

Real shame.

Looks like a relatively recent PE to me. Less than 10 years old I think.

I loved my Tokai Love Rock's. I had a Gibson LP Studio, and bought one as a backup, it was soon relegated to the backup, and spent more time in the case. So I sold it & bought another, and kept that one for over 10 years. Saying that, I love my Rockinbetter Fakers too. I'd still like a real Ric, after I had to sell my old 4003, but if I do, I'll still use my Fakers.

Did you have a good relationship with your old drummer? Might be worthwhile getting in touch with him and seeing if he was up to getting something going again. It does take some time to find the right people to play music with, and a lot of trial and error

How about a Multi FX?

The good news is that the rehearsal went well. He's a very good drummer and seems like a nice bloke, and seemed into what we're trying to do. Spent most of the session working on one song, but by the end of it, we'd got it sorted. Took my wee Tascam along and the result was sounding pretty good (more bass needed though! ). My first finger is raw and sore, but I don't mind after a good rehearsal. Feeling quite positive about it. Meeting up with the guitarist next week for another writing session.

Must resist buying analogue pedals... Yeah right...

Cheers. Have a good one for Monday.

Not gigging, but it's the first rehearsal with our new drummer... finger's crossed!

The "new" Rockinbetter's that are making an appearance on the market now aren't quite as good as the ones that were on the market 4-5 years ago (when they started to peter out), some of the detailing isn't quite there, but the hardware appears to be the same, and they are at least through necks, not the "Chinabacker" set neck versions.

1. Rockinbetter Rickenfaker 2. Rockinbetter Rickenfaker

That would be excellent kodiakblair, cheers! Do you know anything about it? I'll no doubt get it in the neck if another bass turns up unannounced...

I wouldn't say precious per se, but I do like to look after my gear as best I can. Yes, usually a bit gutted if they get damaged in anyway, but it happens.

Looks excellent

I'm already a member of the FB Faker's group, unfortunately, nothing interesting has come up for a while. I know about the Renegade, it's an option. I've looked into the Bach Riverboat's before, they have a Jazz-like 38mm nut, where my old 4003 & my Faker's have 42/43mm nuts. Love the look of the Riverboat, not sure I can get on with the skinny neck. The last Jazz I had, after the 4003, just didn't feel right at all. All the J style necks I've tried since haven't felt right either, which is a shame, as I'd love a Thunderbird. The Italia's have a Precision-esque 42/43mm nut, but typically, there's no one around here that stocks them.

The dreaded GAS is building up again... As some may have noticed, I like my Rickenfaker's, and love the sound of the Ric-style neck & mid position pickups. Been having a bit of a scout around the internet for anything that has a similar kind of pickup arrangement, and not really having much luck finding anything. The Burns Bison Bass looks pretty cool, 3 pickups, 40mm nut width: anyone got one, tried one etc? The Italia Rimini has a 4005 style vibe, looks quite cool, long scale, though the pickups are more neck/bridge than neck/mid. 2v & 1t controls. Anyone got one or tried one? The Italia Imola is a seriously cool looking guitar, taking inspiration from the Ampeg Scroll bass. Pickups are J bass style single coils in J bass positions (mid/bridge), with J bass controls (2v 1t). Obviously, it's not going to sound Ric-esque, but a slab of retro-kitsch-cool. Any other suggestions??? I think I'm just window shopping, but some opinions/experiences would be welcome. I would love another Ric, but can't afford one or justify one. Another Faker would be great too, but decent one's are like rocking horse poo just now (there's quite a few not-so great one's about though).

EHX Small Clone

I've always helped with load in & set up for everyone else, especially the drummer. The sooner we're all in and setup, the sooner we can start.

I tried playing by ear, but found it was far easier to use my fingers... Someone had to say it...

Christopher Guest is British, he's actually the 5th Baron Haden-Guest.