misrule

I'm in the same boat as you -- but I gig occasionally. I do it for fun, I'm not a great musician and I'm not after rock star status. I'm not much bothered what other people think. If the crowd seem to enjoy what we do, that's enough for me. If you enjoy your music, whatever level you're at, that's all that matters. Don't leave us yet Cheers Mark

[quote name='Machines' post='64264' date='Sep 23 2007, 06:13 AM']Have you impaled you guitarists yet ?[/quote] Because if they're anything like mine, it's time you did Great bass, Lorne. Cheers Mark

I like the Les Paul idea. Very 1970s. How about keeping the maple top and having a trans white finish? Would that work? Anyway, I love the style of BCRs and I look forward to seeing it. Cheers Mark

+ 1 for the Hercules. I went to buy one as a present for my nephew but was so impressed I left the shop with two. And I'm shortly going back for another. Cheers Mark

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='61804' date='Sep 17 2007, 05:49 PM']It was about 30ft up and I think all that would have happened was she would've got wet!![/quote] Oh, well -- it was good of you to save her from a dunking Cheers Mark

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='61794' date='Sep 17 2007, 05:38 PM']Went away on a "team building" weekend with work. We were on a bridge building exercise and one of the girls decided she was going to walk backwards off the edge of the gorge. I managed to grab her in time but as she slipped it pulled my fingers out of their sockets. Sounds more dramtic than it was, but I'm pretty miffed. Luckily no gigs for 2 weeks though[/quote] So you saved a girl from falling into a gorge? Well done, mate. That's hero material. Sorry to hear about your injuries. Cheers Mark

[quote name='Old Horse Murphy' post='61778' date='Sep 17 2007, 05:07 PM'](don't ask).[/quote] But I must -- what happened? Cheers Mark

Lovely colour, and fantastic, even stripes on the top. It can't be long now. Cheers Mark

[quote name='Alpha-Dave' post='60302' date='Sep 14 2007, 11:13 AM']That really does look great! Bud has a great eye for design.[/quote] Cheers. He certainly has. Mark

Not great pics -- I spotted a huge smear across the lens when I'd finished. But they give some idea. Cheers Mark

Thanks, guys. I decided not to wait for Parcelforce and went to collect it from their Gatwick depot. Actually, after all the flak they've had here, they were pretty good. It took seven days to get here, including the weekend. And their customer service on the phone was great. Cheers Mark

Finally, in my hands -- My first impressions are that it's tiny! It looked huge in Bud's pictures. But that makes the fretboard easy to get around, especially compared to my Thunderbird. It sings unamplified, which is a good sign, and the neck is smooth, flat and a joy. I haven’t had a chance to plug it in yet, so I can’t comment on the sound, but I’ll let you know when I can. Cheers Mark

I think you'd have won your argument, shxmusic -- if your reply hadn't been so heavy-handed. Potential customers may draw the conclusion that you'll lay in to them like this, too, if there is a problem. You've even had to "waste time" putting your case across, as your last paragraph explains. Wasn't this an ideal opportunity to win hearts and minds? Cheers Mark

I'd find a store that has one, play it, then haggle if you are ready to buy. I doubt stores will haggle over the phone. They're more likely to if you're there with cash in hand. And you get a bass you like without waiting for online firms to find and deliver it. As to percentage, I don't know. I doubt you'd get more than 10 per cent off. Cheers Mark

Well, it's in the country at least -- in the careful and sensitive hands of ParcelForce Their site says it's at an International Hub -- an airport, presumably -- but they don't say which. Now I wait for customs to work their gentle magic. Cheers Mark

Buy a single carpet tile -- or a slab of foam or rubber (ooh, er). B&Q has loads of stuff like that. Cheers Mark

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='58567' date='Sep 11 2007, 08:36 AM']After putting out a request for a new track to learn the other day, someone suggested a Rush track. Since then I have been discovering more Rush tracks I like (Geddy Lee is just brilliant) I have the following tracks so far Leave that thing alone Far Cry YYZ Driven Freewill Tom Sawyer The Spirit Of Radio. Save me trawling through gazillions of albums, can anyone suggest any other tracks worth downloading (especially those that show off Geddy Lee's playing) The only one gripe is that his voice tends to annoy after a while.[/quote] I'd say the whole 2112 and Farewell To Kings albums are worth a listen. Cheers Mark

The millionaire writer Ken Follett plays bass -- I saw his band once at a club near the Borderline, off Charing Cross Road. I wasn't into bass at the time but he seemed okay. Somebody told me he bought a house in Soho so he wouldn't have to travel far for gigs. Cheers Mark

[quote name='Mike' post='58003' date='Sep 10 2007, 07:30 AM']Exciting times, Mark. Congrats![/quote] Thanks, mate -- boring times, actually. The bass left on Thursday but USPS don't even acknowledge that they have it yet. I've spent so long checking for emails and scanning the net that I won't know what to do with my leisure time once the thing's actually here. I'll have to play it, I suppose Cheers Mark

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='57870' date='Sep 9 2007, 07:32 PM']Are you gonna post your gigs up Mark - perhaps BIYF could go along and watch? Unfortunately the Ferrets play British Legions and such that are not open to non-members.[/quote] We don't play often, and then only for fun. Our last two gigs were in East London and Ramsgate. And we now have three Lizzy songs in our set -- Waiting For An Alibi, Don't Believe A Word and Suicide. If only I had frizzy hair and a pencil 'tache Cheers Mark

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='57822' date='Sep 9 2007, 05:57 PM']I'm gonna have a stab at the Rush track (far cry), not before i've slowed it down to about 85% of the speed first though!...I think attempting a Geddy Lee bass line 12 months in is a bit insane. As someone once said to me..."to play fast, learn it slow and speed it up "[/quote] I'm in the same boat, mate. Wife, kids and 20 years too late. Get yourself in a band with other people in the same position who want to do it for fun -- guys at work, for instance. I'd never played bass before I joined my band three years ago. We started on easy Lizzy songs and similar. I worked them out by ear then practiced with a CD player. And I live by the "learn slow, play fast" mantra. Grab anything you like the sound of and have a go at learning it. If you're really stuck, look for tab online but you can probably work it out yourself, given time. And it's rewarding, like a crossword puzzle. Good luck -- and have fun. Cheers Mark PS -- I just noticed where you're based. I'm not too far away. Let me know if I can help (blind leads blind ).

[quote name='charic' post='57008' date='Sep 7 2007, 02:49 PM']Have to say you picked the best shape by far! I need to have a holiday from this site. Theres too many basses i want but dont need [/quote] Have a look at a couple of one-offs in the special projects section To be honest, I hedged my bets in terms of looks and pick-ups in case I ever had to sell it on. The ST SS ones look great but I suspect they would be a bit extreme in person. Bud's package -- at 51lbs in a flight case and packing -- is on its way. However, I suspect ParcelForce may become involved at this end. So I'm holding my breath. Three to five days, they say, so sometime at the end of next week no doubt. I'll post pics and a review. Cheers Mark

[quote name='The Funk' post='56982' date='Sep 7 2007, 02:17 PM']Try this, head all correspondence with big, bold "WITHOUT PREJUDICE SAVE AS TO COSTS". Might scare 'em slightly.[/quote] What does the Save As To Costs bit mean? I understand Without Prejudice means it can't be used as evidence, that you are just having a discussion. Cheers Mark