Cat Burrito

[attachment=168336:West Berkshire-20140605-00984.jpg] I don't have such an impressive bass as some of you guys but my Czech made plywood bass does me & I like it.

Playing music I like with people I can get along with is the main thing. I'd add that the band has to at least do something, be it record or certainly play live but that is basically it for me. I'm not massively driven by finances or a quest for fame. I think I've succeeded in that in 25yrs of playing I've always done what I set out to do, albeit with any desire for it to be a main source of income long gone.

It's one of my favourite combinations although I prefer it with rosewood to maple. I've only owned a white pickguarded version 20yrs back in the days where I didn't think to change the pickguard!

I've had both very good and bad experiences with these types of shows. I think it is worth checking out who is organising it to see what they offer in way of experience. Questions like "do you need electricity" are certainly concerning but equally some charities have offered a token gesture of food and drink which has been great whilst not cutting into profits. It costs pennies to cook up a curry or order a pizza along with a small rider backstage and it makes the world of difference. I don't personally want to incur too many expenses if I know the band are the only ones seemingly losing out.

I had mine go, emailed Orange and they sent out a replacement FOC. Could be worth a go?

Life goes on without it but I suppose I was quite nostalgic for my Fender Precision Blue Flower 55 bass. That or the 51 P bass but I have them covered by my 2 Squiers I play these days. In terms of disappointment, I was a big Epiphone user for a while and the Flying V was a real let down with weak sounding pickups.

We did a house gig in Chelmsford last night. I haven't played a house gig since 1990 and it seemed a long way to go from West Berkshire but it was a great 4 piece all acoustic show with a good audience.

A friend who produced our demos circa 1999 went on to play with Paul Weller (Andy Lewis) and my current guitar player is also the guitarist for ex-Mott / Bad Company 6 stringer Mick Ralphs. I don't know that makes either a household name but they are making a living out of music which is cool enough in my books.

I'd just been doing some research myself on this & pending a better suggestion from anyone else this seems to be the place http://www.classicguitarboxes.com/thumb_rests.php Mine weren't orange though but this guy seems to do custom orders.

I've got albums that I never play that were so key to me at points in my life and I guess this thread isn't about those. The ones I will always come back to that were so important when I first got into them include; That'll Be the Day - OST Blonde on Blonde - Bob Dylan The Harder They Come - OST With the Beatles - The Beatles Black Magic - Stax Soul comp my parents had when I was a kid No Cats - Lee Rocker The Fine Art of Self Destruction - Jesse Malin West - Lucinda Williams Exile on Main St - Rolling Stones The Band - The Band

I have a Fender Blues Jr and modded the tank, adding a reverb tank bag too and the thing is simply incredible. I've had the same amp since 2007 (not that I play a lot of guitar these days) and it really holds its own. I think those Jr's are incredible when modded.

Following on from the black basses, white basses, precisions etc etc etc I thought it might be fun to have a thread where we celebrate basses that were tweaked from stock so we could customise them to our tastes. I'll kick things off with some purely cosmetic changes. My Squires have ashtray covers and one hole thumb rests in the vintage position. The blonde adds a Bass Doctor pickguard and both have flatwound strings now. I haven't changed the pickups etc as they both sound just great as they are. [url="http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Tim_73/media/cd271a5d-b293-4002-ad4f-01c52fc49cf6_zps9ad84c73.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Tim_73/media/WestBerkshire-20140723-01138_zpsf3356cdf.jpg.html"][/url] Over to you guys...

Know your place within the band (different from being a doormat). Show up on time, only moan if you really have to and buy the odd round. I've not been fired from a band in over 25yrs and I am sure there are better players out there.... not that any of that is an excuse for not playing well.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1405881407' post='2506126'] It is about fifty quid off the new price, I suppose - you could put it towards a proper repair job. [/quote] Ah OK, to clarify the shoddy repair wouldn't put me off but the pathetic discount would

I'm just pleased the sonic performance will remain unaffected. It is a bit of a cowboy job but to be fair I wouldn't be put off is I wanted one.

I'm going through the same thing right now & worryingly have a week in the studio from tomorrow. I had it last summer too but I don't think it is bass playing. It is from spending more time in the office on a computer... and getting older I've used a bit of ibruprofen gel and am spending less time online (typing with my other hand if I am online). I think if symptoms persist this time I'll go and see the Doc.

I was impressed with the customer service when they helped me upgrade my double bass so this doesn't surprise me. Good to hear.

I got 50 Euros off my upright bass which was great but then foolishly reviewed the bass and forgot to spend the now expired voucher. I guess it is always better to get something you will use (cables???) rather than a flash in the pan idea that winds up in a kit bag after a couple of uses.

It looks "ok" but not really something I would go for. If you like it, do it

It's weird reading Pat Badger's name all these years later. I remember the kids in the year below at school all being big fans of Extreme "back in the day" but then they all got into grunge. I guess my year were into the crop of bands beforehand. I think playing with a pick over the pickup would get you in the right ball park regardless of bass / rig. I assume the trade value of those Washburns is pretty minimal in 2014 but happy to be corrected.

I played one back around 2008 and was really disappointed (no omph!) but they've upgraded them twice since. The last one I played was much better so I reckon the 2014 ones would be bang on the mark.

My main player [url="http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Tim_73/media/ValentinesBass_zps39ea07b7.jpg.html"][/url]

Both are brilliant basses, I've owned both. As said the 57 is slightly wider at the nut and there is a small difference in tone that you only really notice if you play them alongside each other but basically both deliver classic P tones. I played the 57 for years and years. The 62 lasted a fair while with me too

The G starts heavier but I picked some up just the other week http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-7350-Stainless-Steel-Flatwound-Bass-Strings-9050L-9050Ml-9050M-/231279579479?pt=UK_Guitar_Accessories&var=&hash=item35d9565157

I'm with Jono on the Grolsch bottle tops as strap locks. They've been used by me for over 15yrs and never let me down. The violin basses are light as anything and a cheap strap would be fine.