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I really don’t understand the grief people have for the earlier Ric trussrods. I have a 4001 and 4000 with the old style rods. They are not difficult to properly set , and are more stable than the later modern style. I have only adjusted my 4001 twice in over twenty five years , they do not do the seasonal shift like Fender style instruments. They are rock solid. I adjusted the 4000 once about five years ago when I first bought it and have not touched it since. These are the original spring style rods that were used up until 1984. And my experience of using them for well over 25 years. I have also helped set up at least a dozen other Rics that friends have bought and asked for a little guidance setting up.

Can’t wait your future avatars.

During the holiday season they ramp up the stops , and get a lot of people. The limit here is .5 so two beers will put you over. It’s an expensive ticket. You can expect to be stopped if you’re out much. I hadn’t been stopped for a while so I was expecting a stop on the road where they were. It’s a perfect spot to set up a stop. They had about a dozen police cars there and were stopping everybody in both directions. They don’t fool around.

A pic of the band last night

Our little Mexican instrumental band , The Spurs played last night in our favourite dive , not a great crowd , it was a dirty old night , but a warm and appreciative one. This time of year the police set up checkpoints to nab drinking drivers. I drank ginger ale all night and had one beer for the tear down and wait for the pay. Sure enough , there was a check point on the way home and I did confess to having one beer so it was the breathalyzer for me. Blew into the tube and the officer said “ You did have just one beer”. Don’t have any gig pics yet , but here’s the stage after drum check.

That is a lovely looking mini rig !

Mini rehearsal rig , recently picked up a Barefaced One10 , to replace an Ampeg 210AV I had been dragging around. I’ve been using Monique and the Forte with it. Big fat tone. Mini rig. The Barefaced might manage some quieter gigs , but I’ll usually switch over to a 112.

2Young 2old did a matinee in the old dive. Band was jumpin. Great crowd. Wonderful to get a last one in before Christmas. great gig

Great cabs , impossible to find over here though.

Had I realized I’d still be dragging my gear into dive bars almost fifty years later , I might have had second thoughts.

I was asked to go to an audition , local touring band. I was the only one to show up. Got the job.

Uprights are a misery to lug around. but there’s nothing quite like them … nothing

Welcome Jacopo! I’ve noticed some ground breaking gear coming out of Italy.

Here’s the poster for the upcoming gig.

Last Sunday , with the new Gretsch , at the Sunday jam.

Last Sunday jam until January. We had a bunch of old friends dropping by and sitting in. The new Gretsch is proving to be popular.

I use a tube preamp that does the trick , and bypass the preamp and tone stack in my Forte. The Forte alone is clean , transparent, modern hifi , and with the tube pre becomes warm , thick , old school tube.

I thought I was done. I have twenty something basses. And then came across a picture of a big orange hollow body Gretsch. Showed it to my wife and she suggested I should get it. I managed to find one near Boston. And the next thing I knew I had just purchased a big orange Gretsch. Here’s a couple of the dealer’s pics. It’s big for medium scale , but I’m loving it.

Didn’t have any issues with silk or winding , It was either LaBella flats or Gibson BriteWire rounds I was using. I’m shallow enough to switch the bridges over because they looked better.

I had it bad , this is from that limited run for Guitar Center in the US , there was a later small run in Europe , never for sale here in Canada. It was a Korean made Electromatic that had TV Jones pickups. I had been looking at them since they were introduced about a dozen years ago ,the G5123B , medium scale. And showing pics to my wife who thought they looked beautiful. So a couple of weeks ago I came across a picture , showed it to Herself , and she said that I really should buy one. And so I went looking and found three. Two in California and one near Boston. I bought the one near Boston. After the exchange , duty , broker fee and shipping it turned out to be quite a bit more than I initially expected. That said , it’s a beautiful thing, with a nice woody thump. Oh , it’s big. But I do love it.

Great thread!

I was always able to set them exactly where things needed to go without any drama or cursing. And yet I’ve replaced three of them with Hipshots. I just thought they looked better. They are much better for palm muting , and they certainly have much greater adjustability.

I just received a Gretsch hollow body bass I ordered from a place near Boston. After the exchange duty and shipping it had become considerably more than the asking price. And then I got dinged with about $130 for a brokerage fee. I do love the bass , bit it didn’t turn out to be the bargain I thought it was.

Noble is a one man shop struggling to keep up with the demand. He’s found an audience. A friend has a Simone by Jule for sale. Good price. I’ve been tempted , but love the pre I’ve been using. After looking at the Noble I was looking at the Broughton P15. There are some beautiful preamps around. Most amp companies have them now as well. I think that the gear selection we have today is better than it’s ever been.

Big gig in our favourite old dive coming up right after Christmas. We managed a quick band photo, and then a great rehearsal. Things are sounding great. I’m the geezer. From the left … drummer , bass , two trumpet players , and two guitar players.