flyfisher

Oh man! VdGG were among the earliest vinyl I ever bought. I still regularly listen to H to He and The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other. Proper album covers too! Sure sign of getting older :-)

'Road worn' basses remind me of that Harry Enfield sketch . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgysRim_zT4

[quote name='jude_b' timestamp='1358548026' post='1941382'] If I could go back to myself as a fifteen year old and had the choice of playing in a bands as big as Joy Division/New Order or having amazing chops, in all honesty I'd always probably go for the former. Isn't that what it was all about for most of us when we started? [/quote] I'd answer yes to that, which is why I play in bands rather than noodling in my bedroom, but there's room for all types of players . . . even ones without amazing chops, like me.

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1358557914' post='1941540'] I'd no idea he was in the Wrecking Crew and he was such a gifted guitarist! Obviously I knew he played guitar, but not to that sort of standard for a long long time. Must learn more. What an enigma! [/quote] I love discovering the background to musicians we've all heard of but may not have really 'bothered with' - they are frequently surprising. Like discovering the amazing musical credentials of Chas Hodges in that recent Chas & Dave documentary.

I'd suggest there's a tendency to over-analyse such things. I'd bet that U2 didn't set out to create a particular sound, they were just a bunch of guys who got together to play stuff and 'their sound' simply emerged from their respective skills and styles. Then, it just so happened that the public loved the result and the rest, as they say, is history. So why change anything? And the same is probably true for every other successful band. Now, given their popularity, it's quite possible that other start up bands may try to copy a particular sound and style, but how often does that really work (ok, Oasis obviousl) ?

[quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1358368335' post='1938056'] This post will no doubt piss people off, but I gather Peter Hook is doing a masterclass at the Bass Guitar Show. A masterclass? He seems a very average player who happened to be in A successful band. Am I missing something? [/quote] Perhaps it's a masterclass about how an average player can become a well known and successful player?

I'm not entirely sure I'd like to go and watch someone knowing they'll likely not be alive next year. :-(

[quote name='kerley' timestamp='1358256266' post='1935641'] He is the person who is ultimately accountable. He signs off on major strategy, he leads etc,. If the non-exec directors are not putting in place the best strategies it is up to him to know that and change them (the people or the strategies) If it is anybodies fault it is his. [/quote] Yes, he is accountable, but it isn't necessarily his fault. How on earth can one person be expected to [u]know[/u] everything? And if they did, then they wouldn't need a team of advisers around them in the first place would they? Fault and responsibility are entirely different things.

I've got one of those mics and I bought a shock mount and pop shield from Studiospares. I can,t remember the exact details but I don't recall the price being particularly scary and they seem to work fine.

I reckon Conan's post pretty much sums it all up. Mind you, I suppose one real advantage of paying extra for US fenders if that they seem to hold their value pretty well, precisely because of the snobbery thing perhaps? Having said that, I bought my new MIJ Fender P in the early 90s for £450 and reckon it's still worth that, so that's not too bad either.

[quote name='Johngh' timestamp='1358265442' post='1935945'] One thing to remember about name and shame threads is that if Basschat have any reason to believe that the facts are NOT correct and therefore the site is at risk, the threads will be removed. While we do try to be fair in these situations the integrity of the site must come first. [/quote] Can't see any problem with that. I'd expect nothing less.

Naming and shaming seems fine to me IF the full facts have been aired, tested and proven. An analogy might the gutter press stirring up a sh*tstorm against someone who is accused of something heinous versus a report of a criminal trial where due process has been followed. It's also wise to give an offending company every opportunity to resolve matters when things go wrong. Everyone makes mistakes - it's how they handle things afterwards that is the really important thing. If fact, as has been previously noted many times, a company cock-up is usually the ideal opportunity to really discover how seriously they really take customer service. I've certainly been on the receiving end of poor quality goods where the supplier has juped through hoops to get resolved and left me feeling better about then than I did before the problem!

OK, but even if the labour DOES account for the huge price differences, aren't we still talking about basically the same end result? In which case why pay an extra £1000 or so for the 'MIA' label? This isn't just a bass guitar issue, it's a huge problem for 'western' manufacturing. Increased automation might be able to drive down the labour hours in a product but reality is that the higher average standard of living enjoyed in the USA trickles through to the cost of their manufacturing compared with the Chinese. I wonder how long before labour costs begin to equalise as the Chinese standard of living increases rapidly in coming decades?

Entirely agree with those sentiments. BC is as entertaining as it is informative and helpful. But if everyone always replied whenever they smiled or laughed then then we'd never see the humour for the LOLs.

It's all very well to blame the MD for being a useless dinosaur, but what about the rest of the board? What about all the non-executive directors wheo are supposed to help steer the business strategy? Sorry, it's too easy to lay all the blame on one guy. Another view here that some good might come out of HMVs collapse: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21023602

I'd guess that the hotel would probably have some local contacts for such things. Might not be the cheapest deal as the hotel would probably take a cut, but could be a starting point.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358173405' post='1934190'] If you play a gig for free, it is most likely that other people are still making a profit from your performance - usually the bar at which you perform. If you give away your recordings for free no-one else is profiting (although it could be argued that if you paid to use a recording studio, then they are, [b]but then again that's the musician's choice[/b]). [/quote] Exactly my point.

I know the old argument about cheap far east labour making prices much lower than US-made instruments, but how much actual labour is there in a bass guitar anyway? As someone has already pointed out, CNC machines make light work of most things so isn't it really just about assembly, and how long does that take? Even allowing an hour per bass, how does that equate to a price difference of around £1000 or more? I don't think US workers are paid THAT much more than their far eastern counterparts are they? Smells like a lot of marketing hype is involved to me . . . . and expensive bass has got to be better than a cheaper one right?

I agree. So remind me again what's wrong with playing for free?

So it's OK to give away unpopular stuff but not to give away stuff that people actually like? I'm not disagreeing with your basic point, just trying to understand the inconsistency with the general distaste previsoulsy expressed on here about playing for free. Or perhaps playing jazz for free is OK?

Interesting. So, given the general hostility to 'playing for free' in these here parts on the basis that it makes life tougher for bands trying to scrape a living, what's the general view on musicians giving away their music for free?

[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1358118258' post='1933558'] John Entwistle's until about 30 seconds before the heart attack. [/quote] Well that's entirely feasible isn't it? A couple of grand should do it.

No website, no advertising, no PAT testing, no insurance. It's bad enough buying gear without all those other costs! In fact the more I see of our end of the 'music business' the more I realise how much hard work it is to make money, so we don't really bother trying. I'm not in it for the money but still manage about 20-25 gigs per year with the two bands I play in. I guess we're really just 'hobby' bands, but we have fun playing mostly our own stuff, which is all we're interested in really.

My school physics lessons included wave theory demonstrated using called ripple tanks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8a61G8Hvi0

Macca for me. Not only for the musical stuff but for also being a pivotal part in real social changes during the 60s.