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I don’t blame anyone for changing away from LaBella flats. They sound the business on a P bass: pure Motown but they feel horrible to me. Sticky is the best way of describing them. I have heard others say that they can be cleaned up with lighter fluid, rubbing alcohol, meths,, etc. I have tried all of these and it doesn’t work for me, they still feel sticky. The best flats for me are D’Addarios but each to their own and they are quite bright. As to the original question: rounds sound great on a P bass and I would have thought would fit in very well to your band situation. Personally, I don’t get any issues with the strings squeaking but then other people don’t find LaBella flats sticky.

So here's the story : I purchased a AVALON U5 preamplifer/DI at Musicstore about a decade ago for ca. 500 €, and in February 2025 it broke down. I sent them an e-mail so they replied to please send in the unit for repair. They took several weeks to reply with a cost estimate of an outrageous 426 €, because "they had no technical information from the OEM and so they had to replace a significant amount of components to make sure the repair job is durable" !! Of course I refused and asked them to send me the unit back, but then they claimed 85€ for the cost of estimation & shipment back unrepaired. I had no other choice than to pay to get my unit back, which took another several weeks for them to do !! Upon receiving the unit, I brought it to a professional workshop nearby and they quickly found the problem's root cause : 1 burned resistor and 2 faulty capacitors. Parts cost : less than 3€ !! Labour : less than 1 hour. This professional workshop recommended me to replace all 24 capacitors in order to make the repair job durable. Parts cost : ca. 45 € Labour : less than 2 hours. So, in the end it cost me LESS THAN 1/4th of Musicstore's claimed repair cost ! When I wrote to Musicstore to claim refund of at least the 85€ for their totally exaggerated cost estimate, at first they ignored my e-mails. Upon my insisting, they arrogantly replied that they did what was necessary and won't accept any blackmail. This is absolutely outrageous : Musicstore keeping some equipment in hostage for totally unjustified repair costs & cost estimate fees. BEWARE OF THOSE DISHONEST MUSICSTORE PROFESSIONAL AFTERSALES SCAMMERS !

I’ve done teaching, function gigs, and a bit of live sound. It’s a juggle, but keeping your skills broad really helps cover the gaps between jobs. Connections matter a lot too.

@maidens97 Martin just replied to an email I sent the other day. Although he closed shop in 2023, he still does a small amount of non urgent repair on selected amps/pedals. Definitely drop him a line, he is a really nice guy to deal with.

If you think that's disturbing:

Nope

Back To Front - Stiff Little Fingers

Yes, all of these things. The guys metaphors are a bit excessive, but what really made me smile the most is that depressing experience when the band finishes the first number in their set and then realises the background bar music is still playing. And nobody seemed to notice or even care. 😳

Transcription #50 of 2025 is up! This time it's 'Fred' by Allan Holdsworth, featuring Jimmy Haslip on bass. A 9+ minute track from the 2009 live album 'Blues for Tony'

Wipeout - The Beach Boys

Well that’s something else I don’t have - chisels that are sharp, or that I can make sharp. Might be time for a tool investment!

Wheels of Stool - Saxon

That was unexpectedly disturbing.

I've recently acquired a US mad Stingray which I'm loving but I do find the neck a bit of a handful. I've noticed that the US made Sterling model has a narrower (38mm at the nut) neck but can anyone here comment on how thick the neck is? I find Fender's Slim C jazz neck to be to my liking and I'm wondering how the Sterling's compares? Cheers Chris

Absolutely spot on. £4995 I think. Seeing some big reductions on vintage gear at the moment. Maybe this is priced a little too high