dlloyd

[quote name='lobematt' timestamp='1328608688' post='1529758'] I've got an audition in 2 weeks as a teacher in a new music school. They've asked me to prepare a grade 8 standard piece of at least 5 mins. I'm not too sure how hard a grade 8 piece should be, I've had a search on youtube and anything that comes up doesn't really look too bad. I was thinking Come On Come Over but that's about a minute short of the 5 min mark. What do you think to Continuum? Or maybe Master Blaster or Sir Duke? Or any other suggestions you've got or songs you have played in the past would be helpful! Cheers [/quote] Grade 8 under what awards body? I sat gradings (not on bass) under the ABRSM a good few years back and would put most of those pieces at grade 5 or 6 in terms of difficulty/technicality under their standards. But then, listening to some of the "Rock School" grade 8 pieces, you may be in the right ballpark.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1322243359' post='1448605'] ^ That's the wonderful thing about scientific research. For every "right" answer, there's an opposite. Like this one: [url="http://geniusblog.davidshenk.com/"]http://geniusblog.davidshenk.com/[/url] [/quote] Shenk isn't a scientist.

Vinkhuyzen, AAE, van der Sluis, S, Posthuma, D and Boomsma, DI (2009) The Heritability of Aptitude and Exceptional Talent Across Different Domains in Adolescents and Young Adults. Behavior Genetics 39, 380-392. Abstract: The origin of individual differences in aptitude, defined as a domain-specific skill within the normal ability range, and talent, defined as a domain specific skill of exceptional quality, is under debate. The nature of the variation in aptitudes and exceptional talents across different domains was investigated in a population based twin sample. Self-report data from 1,685 twin pairs (12-24 years) were analyzed for Music, Arts, Writing, Language, Chess, Mathematics, Sports, Memory, and Knowledge. The influence of shared environment was small for both aptitude and talent. Additive and non-additive genetic effects explained the major part of the substantial familial clustering in the aptitude measures with heritability estimates ranging between .32 and .71. Heritability estimates for talents were higher and ranged between .50 and .92. In general, the genetic architecture for aptitude and talent was similar in men and women. Genetic factors contribute to a large extent to variation in aptitude and talent across different domains of intellectual, creative, and sports abilities.

[quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1322166759' post='1447562'] To kick off the controversy i dont believe in the word "talent" as its commonly used. Many people say it like you were born to do it. No i think you just enjoy it and improved your skills more than someone who doesnt enjoy it. [/quote] Playing music has a major physical element, and like all physical endeavours, we are not equally built and not equally able. I see it in Judo all the time... some people are simply more physically capable than others. They might have more natural coordination, balance, etc. than a fellow club member and it doesn't matter that they both train equally hard and as often and with as much enjoyment, with exactly the same training regime... one progresses quicker than the other. The same is true with music. No two peoples' hands or ears are the same and the same amount of effort spent studying the same material will not yield equal results.

It's an eight string unlined fretless Hamer Blitz.

[quote name='phatkat' timestamp='1320699018' post='1430319'] Ok so they are good.... how hard are they to come by and are they crazy expensive? [/quote] I bought one for £140 and sold it for the same on here a few years back... No idea what the going rate is now.

Personally, I put a Status neck on my EBMM for the simple reason that [i]I could.[/i] There was nothing wrong with the tuning or stability of the neck. It was rock solid with the stock neck... if anything it was worse with the Status neck, but only because it was an unlined fretless. They look cool with that almost holographic effect the carbon fibre weave has, they feel cold and glossy. Sound is difficult to compare between a fretted maple neck and an unfretted carbon fibre neck, but it was quite bright compared to the other fretlesses I've owned. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/dlloydbass/DSC02618.jpg[/IMG] The necks were originally made for the NAMM 100th anniversary in 2001 for these guys... One day...

[quote name='cocco' timestamp='1320437404' post='1426994'] Hi guys, Been offered a Lakland duck dunn as a trade for my 'ray and I'm just wondering what the tone is like. This particular one is Lindy fralin equipped. I'm after a nice growly, throaty passive tone. Just wondering if it would suit [/quote] US or Skyline?

[quote name='mercuryl' timestamp='1320331167' post='1425411'] I just wouldn't feel comfortable standing there playing a copied design. However much "better" it is than the original. [/quote] I personally don't give a damn what I'm playing, as long as it plays well. Fenderish designs seem to work for me. My main bass at the moment is a Japanese Fender Jazz. It's a nice instrument, very well built, nice weight, sounds good, better than most American Jazzes I've owned or played. It honestly wouldn't bother me if it said Tokai on the headstock, which is essentially what it is.

They make them because people want them and will buy them. Lakland's first Fender copy was the Joe Osborne bass, which was an artist model made as a direct copy of Joe Osborne's 59 Jazz. Dan Lakin was a fan of Joe's playing and wanted to work with him. The same, I believe goes for the other Fender copies that Lakland make. They're copies of Bob Glaub's and Duck Dunn's precisions.

I have an old Seymour Duncan humbucker that I'd like to fit into an old Epiphone SG. The shielded wire is rather short though... is this the correct stuff to use to lengthen it? [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/4-core-overall-lapped-screen-137"]http://www.maplin.co...pped-screen-137[/url]

I did it the other way round... [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/dlloydbass/DSC02604a.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='max363' timestamp='1320079969' post='1422043'] I do like MM Stingray, BUT price for me is too high. Way too high. So a though hit my mind couple of weeks ago, and up to today i think about it: to build my own ray! Status graphite ray neck, MM replacement pup and mechanics, and myself build high quality ash body. This way i could get ray for its 30-50% of price. Only question is - will it sound like ray? So by chance someone already done something like this? I would really like to hear your opinions [/quote] You can pick up a used Ray for £650. You'll be able to pick up a SUB for £350. You won't be able to build a ray with a Status neck for that price.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1319632393' post='1416626'] sh*te, that's my cock up for calling ST a 'distributor' - good job you've got a streak of pedantry to back up the good advice So do you reckon it's not worth contacting EBMM? I'm still in favour of dropping them a line, given the bass has been tampered with somewhere along the line - though I wouldn't be expecting them to put things right (although Lakland did, in the example above), as the contract is with the retailer. [/quote] The retailer in this case is the shop, The Bass Merchant (BM). Gareth has a contract with BM. It is up to BM to make right his order. The distributor is Strings and Things (S&T). Gareth does not have a contract with S&T, they have no obligation to deal with him directly. They do, however, have an obligation to deal with BM. The manufacturer is obviously EBMM. Neither Gareth or BM have contracts with EBMM. EBMM are not obliged to deal directly with either. Their contract is with S&T. Had I experienced a situation like the one described in this thread, I would certainly be contacting EBMM's international department to try to resolve it.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1319629134' post='1416566'] Some good points, there. I thought the contract with the manufacturer was simply to report the anomalies experienced with the bass... ? I still think it's an avenue worth pursuing, although I would expect the distributor - the source of the current issue - to be the one resolving it. [/quote] The contract the consumer has is with the retailer. The retailer has the contract with the distributor. The distributor has the contract with the manufacturer.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1319566185' post='1415912'] I think before you agree to any but a full refund plus interest, you should get a definite timeline for EBMM/S&M/BM to sort this problem 100% to your satisfaction, with definite penalties to them if they fail to meet the agreed deadlines. The least you can ask. If they can't do this them take the money and walk away otherwise I have a feeling that you'll get strung along for several more months with nothing but aggravation to show for it. [/quote] I would stick to enforcing my statutory rights rather than making additional demands. You have rights of cancellation through distance selling regs. These give you seven working days in which to cancel a purchase on the completion of the contract. i.e. when the product is in your hands. The business is not allowed to charge a restocking fee. The business can charge for the cost of return of the item only if it is stated in the contract. They cannot charge for the cost of return of replacement goods. You have no entitlement to interest. Do it all in writing, recorded delivery, etc. Remember that the contract is with the retailer, not with the distributor or with the manufacturer. Speak to your local trading standards office for additional advice.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1319583560' post='1416171'] not in the content of humour, I have no idea if he drinks or not, whoever made that caricature depicted him drinking... hence my humour. [/quote] Honestly, it didn't come across as humour. I had assumed that you were still angry about having been banned from the EBMM forums.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1319557929' post='1415772'] In that case it wasn't only EBMM instruments, it was also some Laklands. Although seven (IIRC) of us had ordered Laklands, our deposits had not been passed on to Lakland nor the order placed. However, we were credited with our deposits by Lakland and supplied with our basses. Lakland then, I believe, chased the dealer concerned for the missing money. That's customer service. [/quote] Didn't that come later, after Dan Lakin had publically defended said dealer, then had his hand bitten?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1319466990' post='1414408']3. Strings and Things are in serious financial difficulties, which means they have more pressing concerns than simply sorting a customer order that's gone wrong. [/quote] I would imagine that the recession has hit musical equipment distribution companies fairly hard. There's a distinct possibility that companies like Strings and Things are working so hard to keep their heads above the water that they're having difficulty providing service beyond their core business. This is increasingly reminding me of a situation a few years back. A bass dealer who was highly prolific on bass forums (and hence well-known) was given a dealership just as EBMM were announcing one of their limited edition runs. Dozens of basses were ordered through him the moment the order window was opened, and everyone started the usual waiting game. Fast forward a few months and the limited editions started pouring out... except to the people who had ordered from this guy. Weeks and weeks passed with anger being directed at EBMM until it eventually came out that the dealer hadn't actually paid EBMM for the orders he'd placed. He had gotten into financial difficulties and ultimately couldn't juggle the money long enough. Hopefully this is not an analogous situation. Is there any evidence that Strings and Things are in financial difficulties? I know D'Addario have recently terminated their distribution deal with S&T... coincidence?

You're angered by caricatures?

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1318852678' post='1406795'] It is used as an anchor point for the CNC machines during milling. I thought only MIM basses had this. [/quote] No, US standards and deluxes (IIRC) have them. US reissues don't. Ugly, isn't it?

Yep, the Earthwood is as small as you can go and still expect to be heard.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1318418876' post='1401813'] 11 pages lol. Well, the conclusion may well be an upgrade to a Classic Ray. [/quote] Have you figured out where the f***-up happened?

[quote name='lollington' timestamp='1318375567' post='1401483'] Google search, 'crazy bass guitar'. First result [url="http://edge.ebaumsworld.com/picture/skatesnow67/funny_picklez_015.jpg"]http://edge.ebaumswo...picklez_015.jpg[/url] I can't imagine what the headstock looks like, given where the tuning pegs are. (This must be in a BC post somewhere already...) [/quote] It has a cobra's head. It's owned by a guy called Alvin Harrison and he has photos of it (and other equally interesting creations) on his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000204382104