Dom in Dorset

They all appear to be the same make and model , I prefer the fretless at the top. Beware import duties!

Flute by Riviere and Hawkes made some time between 1876 and 1889. No family history, I don't even play it much, it's primarily for research purposes and part of my pension fund.

If you aren't taking the piss, I can help you, I'm a bagpipe maker. No you can't use a puncture repair kit, it won't do any harm but won't be up to the task.

Interesting to see how many people from a folk background are here. I also played Anglo Concertina for a few years , dabbled in mandolin, fiddle and I still keep a twelve string for writing purposes.

When the Fenders arrive would you mind posting pics of the packet and details of the strings (ball end, other end , texture if poss) I'd love to see if you have old stock or new and what the new ones are like.

If it doesn't turn up soon, we'll have to wait some more.

I earn my living making bagpipes and wooden flutes for folk music.[url="http://www.djallan.co.uk"]http://www.djallan.co.uk[/url] I used to play pipes fairly seriously, but I find it hard play them these days without being back at work and wanting to make adjustments , take them apart and generally fiddle with them. I also have young children and found that I can practice un-plugged bass late at night but bagpipes... I still play flute occasionally with my band and for Irish music in the pub.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1325793322' post='1487923'] I read that the Fender tapes had changed since D'Addario started making Fender strings. [/quote] Bugger! I'd not heard that, The set I have on my twin neck is going strong and it's not my main bass at the moment, who knows what Fender tapewounds will be like when I need to replace them.

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1325792928' post='1487913'] I could plant it on the hill to replace the holly thorn that got chopped down. I could be picking basses by the bushell by spring time A [/quote] As long as the basses are cut with a silver sickle by the light of a full moon they'll be good.

I've only used them on fretless but I've tried: Picato- too much trebble in the sound and I had problems with two sets where the tape came unwound. Fender- personal favorite, cheap, slightly textured feel, lots of bass in the sound , but only available in fours(being played as I type in my profile pic) Status- again cheap, smooth feel, I've only tried these on my active five, a wide range of tone but this could be down to the pickups and preamp. I suspect that they are a bit less bassy than Fenders on a passive.

Total immersion in the Chalice Well overnight should do it, then send it to me for it's scrumpy baptism.

My guess is that it was last tracked at a Birmingham depot, and the system won't update until it turns up at another depot or delivered.I doubt that it's in Brum right now. It had better be worth it after all this!

She's concentrating so hard on her magazine that she can't see what I'm doing with my left hand.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into them in depth over the next few days. I might look into graded exams.

I've just finished a job in a pit band for a panto, one of the most challenging things I've ever done! Unfamiliar set with many songs outside my comfort zone, eight gigs in quick succession playing to tight cues etc. There were some show tunes and songs from Disney films that , due to their complexity required sight reading, I made a lot of progress in a short time (having never sight read before) and now I want to build on it and get more fluent. Without another job like this on the immediate horizon , any ideas as to how I can work on my sight reading? (and keep it interestig)

I toyed with this myself and considered putting a single coil type vintage P pickup in the neck position. I did check out the spec of a few and some will fit (possible mod of the scratchplate needed) with poles lining up. I didn't pursue it further and I'm not sure exactly how "P" those pick ups sound.

If it is Parcel Farce's fault (I blame the poor packing myself) it's up to the sender to sort it out. Personally I'd just take the £15, walk away, and slag the guy off on an internet bass player's forum. If you are going to pursue it stay within ebay/paypal, it's what you pay their fees for.

I don't think that the neck makes a huge difference (maybe if you get into high end/graphite etc) but on low to mid range basses, not a lot. I tried a Westfield P next to a Squire affinity PJ, the Westfield was better in every way, nicer neck, (I couldn't set the Squire up as nicely) far better tone. Westfield Ps are cheap good basses.

In order to keep the cost of my twin neck down I went for a G&B Precision Pickup £15 from Axesrus on the grounds that it was a 10k (ohms?) pickup. I have no idea what that means but it's the same spec as Fender use. I was very pleased with it, however they don't seem to do a P/J set.

I'll get my coat.

Update on finding my sound: I couldn't quite get the ooomph out of my Jazz, I'd fiddled with amp settings, the knobs on the bass etc. Sometimes it would sound great at home , but with the band it would fade away or just sound ropey. A new set of D'addario nickel strings and the bass has twice the output, twice as much bass, twice as much trebble and 99% more va va voom. Best £18 I ever spent.

I recently had (still on going) a similar mountain to climb, a set full of show tunes and songs from musicals. Although I've had a longer time , I've also had to learn to sight read. I just played through the set as often as possible, don't worry about getting it perfect for now, just try and get some improvement each time you play the tunes.

The Fast Food Rockers song is one that I've had to learn for a pantomime after Christmas. On the good side, it's the most challenging thing I've ever done (lots of sight reading and playing stuff that's outside my comfort zone) , I get to play in a 9 piece band, the band is hidden in a covered orchestra pit and I'm getting paid.

When you're short of cash do you sell a kidney or ...