leftybassman392

[quote name='Stacker' timestamp='1328214537' post='1523962'] Typical eBay mess-up happened today. Am fkn furious and have got to vent my spleen! Some of you on here may also be guitarists so listen to this one. Surfing ebay yesterday, I began to think about the Fender Bassman. Always wanted one so went and had a look. There were two '59 Reissues and I found myself drawn to [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FENDER-TWEED-BASSMAN-BRAND-NEW-JENSEN-P10RS-LACQUERED-TWEED-BROWN-COVER-/160720741533?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item256bb3e49d"]this one[/url]. Had the 5U4G rectifier and although it was 100v (step-down included) I quite fancied it. So, put in a bid and won it. Seller then asks when I'm picking it up. The auction did say collection only but when I offered courier pickup the fella wasn't happy. He then emails me, saying that there might be a solution to this and then asks me to call him, which I do. He tells me he has fallen out with his band and is giving it all up and selling the Bassman and his Gretsch, which was being picked up that day after being supposedly sold. He then says that he will cancel the auction and knock £40 off the price, which would help me with my fuel down from Scotland to Brum and back. I asked him if we had a Gentlemen's Agreement and he said 'yes' so we went ahead . He cancelled the deal (along with me) and then......... he just disappeared. I sent him a few texts/emails last night about it all but when I heard nothing back I presumed he was doing other stuff. This morning I texted him, stating that I was coming down on Monday and could he confirm. A few emails and texts later, there was still nothing back. Now, I knew he wasn't working so he must have been accessing mail so I began to wonder what was going on. I decided to leave it until early evening and then texted, emailed and phoned both his moby and land-line, leaving messages on the latter two. Still no repllies. Then, about an hour ago I get a text. He says he's changed his mind and has - suddenly, inside 24hrs - gotten a 'hot, new band' and is keeping all his kit!! I told him I thought he'd gotten a better offer elsewhere and why couldn't he just tell me the score, even if his story about keeping his gear was true! So, I missed out on the other Bassman as well. I'm fkn furious about this guy. I know some of you are gonna say that I should have refused his offer to cancel and should just have paid via bank transfer or paypal. But this carry-on has happened to me before, so neither of these payment methods would have guaranteed me the amp. I'm really angry and feel well and truly shafted. There, I feel a bit better after that! [/quote] I stopped using eBay a few years ago because of stuff like that. These days I deal with people I can shake hands with.

[quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1328213815' post='1523945'] It's a no-go for me. my band work all 3 nights every weekend. bar once in a blue moon. Ah well. Enjoy and report back. [/quote] No worries. We'll just take lots of photos of the gear so you'll know what you missed.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1328195560' post='1523444'] They don't have any left handed amps in stock, sorry. [/quote] I've a good mind to tan your hide you little scamp!

Done and done!

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1328099797' post='1521717'] Hi mate Well I'll wear mine for sure. Problem is that the stock isn't held at my house so I can't get a bunch to sell as they are made to order, you see. [/quote] Well in that case, can you remind me 'cos I'm stupid, what do I need to do to order one? (Perhaps I should've done that up front and saved all this tedious typing . Ah well, hindsight's a wonderful thing...)

Ped, if you do manage to get to the Lefty Bass Bash can you bring a selection of these with you? I suspect you'll get a few orders if you do. If one of them happens to be black polo in XXL with a Jazz logo, one of them will be me!

[quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1328044329' post='1520951'] May be a good opportunity to time my purchase of a new rig from Bass Direct with this event. Has anyone invited Macca? [/quote] Bass Direct will be there with some of their gear. Macca, sadly, won't. We took the executive decision at an early stage that we weren't going to invite any superannuated has-beens. If he turns up unannounced and wants to donate some of his fortune to the cause, that'll be different of course.

[quote name='ped' timestamp='1328032898' post='1520650'] Just been talking to Patch about this. I'm moving house on the 1st but might be able to come for a little while. I'm trying to sort out some BC goodies for the show. Cheers [/quote] That would be great if you can - we'll make you an honorary lefty for the day!

I'd like one with a lefty headless Sei Original logo please. In aquamarine if it's not too much trouble. Cash waiting...

[quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1327916529' post='1518553'] This is going to be epic. My old man and brother (both guitarists) are coming as well just to see a room full of lefties! Does anyone know a close hotel (ideally walking distance) I might stay up the night and enjoy a drink. [/quote] It's not far from the town centre. I'm pretty sure there's a hotel on the same site. If enough people want to stay over we may be able to negotiate a party rate. Some people are travelling long distances to get there. If any of you think you may want to stop overnight can you let Patch or myself know so that we can try to organise something? Ta. While I'm on the mic, if you haven't already done so can you please let Patch know via PM if you are definitely coming. There's no entry charge, but we need to get an accurate idea of numbers. We will assume you want the buffet unless you tell us otherwise (so have your folding ready please - £7 rather than £6 for the full spread - slight miscommunication on my part, sorry). If you want more the venue does full meals (at normal prices of course). Any questions, please ask.

Some major changes there, but a relatively minor issue nonetheless.

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1327873096' post='1518145'] Equally, customers don't value the service and advice though. They turn up in shops, take up an hour of an assistants time and advice and try the instrument for free, then threaten the shop with a 'if you don't price match I'll buy it elsewhere/where its cheaper' line. I saw a guy in my local music shop try to barter off £70 from a sub £200 guitar. The assistant said £50 was the best they could do, plus £10 worth of in store vouchers through a loyalty card scheme and the guy walked out claiming he was a loyal customer who was being betrayed by the shop because they wouldn't be held to ransom. If it was me, I would have payed the extra ten pounds. [/quote] Point taken, but I can't help wondering whether the retail sector - not to mention the insurance industry - hasn't brought some of this on themselves. For many years now businesses have been shouting at us how much cheaper they are than their competitors - witness the current 'price war' going on between the major supermarket chains (as it happens I think it's a phoney war, but that's another thread).

It does seem to be a general malaise in the sales sector generally. Companies don't appear to value customer loyalty like they used to (and no it's not me being an old fart complaining that fings ain't wot vey use ter be). Most of the thrust seems totally focussed on pinching customers off their competitors - once they've got you, your importance to them drops like a stone. Save yourself £400. No contest. I'd even be tempted to tell the store manager what you've done, and ask him why he couldn't do a better deal for such a loyal customer.

Word of warning on the Gotoh 201 - I fitted one on a MIM Jazz a couple of years ago. Ignoring other considerations (most of which are subjective anyway), the thicker baseplate made it impossible to get a really low action on the Jazz. I (just) achieved an action I was happy with, but only by having the 'G' saddle virtually flat on the baseplate.

[quote name='Subbeh' timestamp='1327801552' post='1517119'] We had a police van turn up and cut us off once. The gig was out the back of a Sutton Coldfield pub on a Saturday night and apparently there had been a bunch of noise complaints. We did get paid though and resolved to sound less offensive in future [/quote] Loud music? In Sutton Coldfield? Oh dearie me no! Not on your nellie old thing!

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1327366884' post='1510246'] Not sure about the DZ info. I hadn't heard that and I'm heavily into the Zappa thang Agreed regarding talent over gear, but there are some expensive pieces of kit that just have a tone that you can't get anywhere else! [/quote] Maybe I got the Zappa thing round my neck somewhere, but I'm sure I remember something along those lines. Ah well... As to tone (and feel for that matter), I couldn't agree more - I have a Sei Original that cost me around £1200 from it's first owner, who would have paid around £2.5k for it; and it will need to be prised from my cold, dead fingers. It's what I was trying to say with the 'good gear making your job easier' comment (but obviously didn't make clear enough - Vogon Poet strikes again! ).

Wasn't it Dweezil Zappa who used to gig with a cheapie Squier Strat? The instrument is a tool - it's the person using it that's the really important component. It's nice to have cool gear (and I've had plenty through my hands over the years), but at the end of the day your skill and/or talent as a player is what matters most; nice gear just makes your job a little bit easier.

I recall many,many years ago doing my grade 5 guitar exam at the Marshall factory in Bletchley. The exam was conducted on the stage of the performance area, under banks of searingly hot lights. The amp setup Marshall had provided for us was an 8x12 stack that stood taller than me (I'm 6'3") and could have blown both of us off the stage at full tilt. Unfortunately they'd forgotten to provide something for the backing tapes (remember them?), so the examiner had to nip to the nearest branch of Comet where he purchased...... an Aiwa mini tape player (total output 5 watts - at a push). The smooth jazz track was an interesting prospect. Thankfully I passed, but when I got the report back it said he felt the tone for the jazz piece had been 'a trifle harsh'. No, really?

Spot on. It's the reason why decent P.A. systems have separate subs.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1327155003' post='1507104'] Do it, do it! We need a Bass Banjo Build Bulletin! [/quote] Easy for you to say!

I had an old Fender Twin on loan once. Jesus it was loud! And heavy!! Getting back on topic, I don't think I've ever owned a 4x12 - used one at a festival once though. I'm pretty sure I got the amp all the way up to 2... But then again the festival sound crew had done their job properly and put them on stands at the back of the (big) stage.

[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1326841653' post='1502810'] He's a monster player. He's still with Roscoe basses and has a signature with Bart pick ups. [/quote] Looks like his loyalties may have shifted somewhat... [url="http://www.mayones.com/en/useful_news/special/haslip_news_s"]http://www.mayones.com/en/useful_news/special/haslip_news_s[/url]

It's meant to look like a Musicman I think - possibly one of the John Petrucci range, or perhaps a JPX - but the proportions are wrong, and MM guitars have a 4 + 2 headstock, not 3 + 3. Don't know what it is, but I wouldn't be overly optimistic about it at this point. It's possible that it's a 1-off made by a private luthier and inspired by the MM range. Without holding it and playing it you have no real idea as to it's quality though. Could just as easily be a cheap Chinese knock-off from the available evidence.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1327066403' post='1505934'] Their porn site, Markass, is worth a look. [/quote] As is their gambling site, [url="http://www.Markcard.com"]www.Markcard.com[/url], and their nagging phoneline 0800-Markmywords. This could get out of hand i fear.

Ethical debates like this are fraught with danger. The basic problem is one of ignorance. I don't mean people are stupid, but that it's not uncommon for the sources of certain resources to be all but untraceable. For example, I watched an item on the Beeb a little while ago about the use of child labour in cotton farming in India. It's clear that employers are using children as young as 10, quite openly and often without pay, in the cotton fields. By the time the processed cotton reaches the big textile plants in places like Mumbai however (where work conditions are immeasurably better), it's pretty much impossible to trace the source of the cotton being used. Western companies buying this cotton insist they do not do trade with sources involved in this practice, but the honest answer is that for the most part they don't have a clue one way or the other. So what do we, the consumers, do? Hope that the cotton clothing we use has been produced ethically, and buy it anyway? Refuse to use cotton in case it might not be from ethical sources? Trust the retail industry to be telling the truth about their sourcing practices? Investigate every item we plan to buy just to make sure? Or do we stick our fingers in our ears, sing LALALA and carry on as before? Much as we like to consider ourselves enlightened and articulate and caring, my worry is that most of us will take this last option.