RhysP

[quote name='Jon B' timestamp='1355593109' post='1900372'] if the drummer sucks, then you all suck, no matter how good the rest of you actually are, sad but true [/quote] This is so true - no amount of great playing by the other members of the band can compensate for the drummer being terrible, and nobody notices a terrible drummer more than the bass player. [quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1355595130' post='1900426'] Bass playing is a life of woe and tears. [/quote] This, sadly, is also true.

Spector Euro 5LX basses have a bridge string spacing of 0.66", which converts to 16.7mm, which is pretty damn close.

I'd go for a secondhand Laney LC15 or LC15R (the same but with reverb). Fantastic little valve combo. There's a nice one on Ebay at the moment for £129.00: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laney-LC15R-Valve-Tube-Combo-Great-Christmas-Present-Marshall-Fender-FREE-P-P-UK-/251197758980?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item3a7c8d9e04

The Akai Headrush is a good basic looper, and is also a really good delay pedal too.

Sad but not unexpected as he's been in poor health for some time now. He was an inspiration to me & generations of amateur astronomers.

Most orchestral music would sound pretty sh*t played on an electric bass.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1354983550' post='1892639'] I think a huge amount comes down to available finances. The poorer you are the more ruthless you need to become with one in/one out etc. [/quote] This. I never thought I'd sell my Zons, but I was made redundant & for the past 8 years I've had a crappy poorly paid job & no sign of anything improving financially for the forseeable future. There was no way I could justify having a few thousand pounds worth of basses stuck under the bed & only rarely being played. The thing that really made my mind up about getting rid of the Zons was buying a Spector Euro 5LX for a great price earlier this year. It's a fantastic bass & does everything I want so the Zons became even more of an unjustifiable luxury. One of them was a fretless & I've decided that I really don't like fretless bass at all anymore, so that one was pretty easy to let go of to be honest.

One of my favourites is the wonderful fuzz bass part on "Think for Yourself" from "Rubber Soul" [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpRyrhYoUoo&feature=fvst[/media] This also happens to be one of the first bass lines I ever learned, playing it through an old Jen fuzz box that plugged into the bass. I'm not a big Beatles fan, but listening to this again now makes me realise just what a huge influence this track was on me & my playing style.

There are plenty of people on here that play guitar as well as bass to varying degrees of proficiency, myself included. I would think that most people started off just playing bass or guitar and took up the other instrument after they'd been playing a while. I myself didn't really start taking playing the guitar until a good 15 years or so after I started playing bass. There was a similar thread recently, where lots of people said what they started off playing & what they graduated too. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/193108-bass-player-by-choice-or-relegated-guitarist/

Just bought a rather fine Glockenklang Heart core amp from Ben. Great bloke to deal with, and met me at the station with the amp which was very kind of him. Highly recommended, Cheers!

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1354812318' post='1890750'] I've seen them before. Thing is, credit cards are pretty thick, and how often do you get rid of one? they don't really work for things of paper thickness either. [/quote] Also, the plastic that credit cards are made out of is pretty crap for using as a plectrum.

Does anybody know how heavy these are? I just wondered if it was a Light Sabre.........

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1354612692' post='1887928'] [/quote] That ties in nicely with my psoriasis related gift idea.

Don't worry about the 3 hour gig for old people - they'll all be asleep after 20 minutes. I knew a guy who used to go around old peoples homes with an electric keyboard providing musical entertainment - he gave it up because he couldn't handle the amount of people who died while he was performing.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1354623265' post='1888173'] Has she shaved her head and poked her eardrums out too? [/quote] And ditched her husband via Fax?

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1354616867' post='1888005'] I don’t get your drift. Any style of music is fine if they're good at it, it makes them happy and there is an interested audience. [/quote] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRNIFyPVHvo

I've got a pile of old flaky skin from a recent bout of psoriosis I can let you have for a tenner.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1354535146' post='1886989'] If it plays nicely and sounds good and the price is right does it matter whether or not it's a "real" Fender? [/quote] I agree with you up to a point, but how do you know that "the price is right" unless you have some idea of what the guitar is? It could be a really nice £100 Tele copy, but bidding on it when it's already at £195 would be a bit stupid wouldn't it?

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1354539294' post='1887069'] The fact you don't like them is a perfectly valid point of view, but fundamentally different from saying they're made without neck finish to save money, as you did originally. [/quote] How can using an oil finish instead of a sprayed lacquer finish NOT save money? A minimum wage muppet with an oily rag compared to somebody with the necessary spraying skills is going to be cheaper, and is also going to increase the number of basses produced as they don't have to wait for multiple lacquer coats to dry & be buffed. With the amount of guitars & basses they produce that is going to save an enormous amount of money over time on both materials & labour costs, and whatever marketing crap they spout to justify using oil finishes instead of lacquer their prime reason for doing that would be to maximise profits.

[quote name='Mr H' timestamp='1354518775' post='1886803'] Hey, nice one Rhys - that's turned everything on its head somewhat. That looks exactly right. Well, now I will do the other decent thing and email the seller (and thus the owner) and let them know. [/quote] Glad I could be of some help. I've got a bit of a soft spot for Telecasters.

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1354494685' post='1886752'] Rhys you really should go and try some more basses out. [/quote] I've played more than enough EBMM basses to know I don't like them thanks, and I know that I'm not going to get on with any bass that has an oil finished neck - I can't stand them.

It's a Mexican Fender Special Edition Koa Telecaster. Google that & you'll find plenty of pictures that look exactly like the one you posted, even down to the double string tree. Nice guitar, if it had a maple fingerboard I'd probably bid on it myself.

[quote name='paul torch' timestamp='1354471618' post='1886369'] can I use this? What could rhyme with drummer? ;-) [/quote] Be my guest. "Dummer" & "Bummer" are the first two things that come to mind........