Rich

[quote name='finnbass' post='127073' date='Jan 24 2008, 05:00 PM']This is mine: [/quote]That is achingly lovely. The back view especially... the neck joint is a masterpiece.

[quote name='David Nimrod' post='135818' date='Feb 7 2008, 03:28 PM']It's amazing what crap customer service we've got used to when someone just doing the job right seems exceptional...[/quote] nail => head

[quote name='Shockwave' post='135779' date='Feb 7 2008, 02:34 PM']Jazz and funk is pretty few and far between[/quote] Yeah, don't bother trying to interest anyone in fusion. I was in a fusion 3-piece for a while, but in the end we gave up cos we couldn't find anywhere to gig. We were too loud for jazz venues and too jazzy for pubs. The only place we ever really gigged frequently was the Prom, which is sh*t. I tried to form a jazz/funk band a while back but just couldn't find any interested musos.

Weren't we thinking of having some t shirts made with 'I SURVIVED JON SHUKER'S WOOD STORE' on them?

Bloody right. EXACTLY what I've been trying to say all along, only put more eloquently than me Perhaps all those big bands have a big comfort-blanket problem..? I can't understand what exactly is wrong with taking along a second bass 'just in case'? What's so difficult about chucking two gigbags and gtr stands in the car, instead of one, if you feel the gig warrants it? Why is it such a bad idea?

Yup, they (and Strings Direct) get all my string business. Most of my experience with them is similar to neep's... if you get an order in by close of play on a Monday, it's pretty much guaranteed to turn up on Tuesday.

Sod's law being what it is, the first time you don't take one, you'll need it. In the past I've been let down three times by a bass at gigs, luckily none of them was a big paid affair. Nonetheless each time, I wished to god that I'd had a spare bass with me. It would have been rather more than a comfort blanket.

...and the lord looked upon the Wood Store, and he saw that it was good... not to mention potentially expensive...

[quote name='kdphysio' post='133083' date='Feb 3 2008, 03:36 PM']It's just like women......there's always a more beautiful one out there....... but luckily guitars can't say no! [/quote] Yes, and thankfully they don't point and laugh when you're naked either.

[quote name='Ant' post='118139' date='Jan 10 2008, 08:18 PM']hello all, thanks for the replies and help - ive decided to go with a shuker. and i shall keep you all informed!!![/quote] Good call... but if it were my money, I'd have at least tried the Ibanez first.

For everyone who said "Why do you need a backup..?"... [quote name='nottswarwick' post='134741' date='Feb 5 2008, 11:50 PM']my view....if you are doing semi-pro or pro gigs, you need a spare instrument on stage, without question. Possibly rare, but strings do break, batteries do die suddenly, electronics do fail...rare I know, but if this happens and you are being paid you need to be able to pick up your spare immediately and carry on. If you have to cut short someones wedding gig, you are really not going to be popular.[/quote][i]...this[/i] is why. If I take a backup to a gig, it's a 5... but that's just because I happen to have two 5s Before I got the Shuke, my backup was a 4 with a D-tuner.

How about another totally colossal pedal board Joe? I reckon you could do with some more FX

Liking that very much. Yum. It's as nice as the Fly bass is awful, which is very. Shame, because the Fly guitar is simply brilliant... if I was a gtrist, I'd have bought one years ago.

For someone who complains about a lack of open-minded towards your particular instrument of choice, you display a remarkable lack of it towards anything other than that which you feel to be cutting-edge or innovative. I can almost guarantee you that in 20 years time there will still be far more call for 4/5 string groove-merchants than there will for ERB-wielding 'innovators'. Both will continue to co-exist, and this is a good thing. I'm not going to slag you off for looking up the side road and thinking "I wonder where that goes?"... more power to your elbow, good luck and I'll be interested to hear where you end up. Me, I am quite happy with my big wide A-road thank you very much, and I'd appreciate it if you could show me (and all the others like me) the same courtesy and not constantly sneer at us. And yes, you do.

[quote name='OldGit' post='132067' date='Feb 1 2008, 05:11 PM']I'm bringing some "UK Luthier product" .. or a couple of Shuker basses as I prefer to call them :0 and Rich is too [/quote]Yup, and I'll also bring my Alternative UK Luthier Product -- or 'Wal' to you

Said it before & will say it again... the Hipshot detuner thingy is the single most useful mod you can make to a 4-string bass.

I'm using [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD280pro-Closed-Monitor-Headphone/dp/B000065BPB/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1201860864&sr=8-1"]Sennheiser HD280 Pros[/url]. Love 'em.

What a fabulous choice to have to make! I'm quite jealous. What dood said... have you got any pics?

Got plenty of tone, thanks.

Being a cheapskate, I still use Warwick Reds 40-130 on my fives... got a nice low action with minimal buzz, but I think a lot of that is down to the fact that I don't play too hard these days (the ramp has sorted that out). I've got Elixir 45s on my Yam fretless and they feel broadly similar tension-wise.

Try everything you can lay your hands on. If a shop is reluctant to let you try stuff, walk and take your cash elsewhere. For a classic look, the Squier VMJ as mentioned before. For a more contemporary vibe, the Yamahas are IMHO unbeatable value for money. A 6mm action is more than a little high... you can drive a truck under it! Definitely needs to come down. Looks like your best option is to spend your 200 sovs immediately.

Clip-on horn mics are a great idea, but are they man enough for some jobs? Baritone sax for example?