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Interested. Can't be at Birmingham so will wait for the first couple of issues to hit the stands.

Maggot Brain - Funkadelic

Kraftwerk are an interesting example to bring into this, they were innovating and creating original works *despite* the fact that what they were doing was technically (and financially) very difficult, and out of most people's reach. Rarity, innovation and skill and craft are all fundamental to works of art we perceive to be special and meaningful. As a couple of more contemporary examples, Aphex Twin was (is?) an innovator, and his process and tools were shrouded in mystery. Similarly, Photek pushed samplers beyond what people thought they were capable of, and his tools and techniques were also mysterious at the time, and on top of that, his records were not easy to get hold of, especially in the early days. In all 3 cases, innovation, craft and skill and rarity played a huge role in what made people value those artists and their works. Meanwhile, if my fat uncle Dave can ask chat gpt to crap out an acid techno banger or a Kraftwerk-style song in under 12 seconds, all of that craft, skill and rarity goes down the toilet. If you played an Aphex Twin tune and an AI generated ambient acid techno track to a 15 year old, they would probably assume both were AI generated and move on. The lines between 'digital' and AI are becoming very blurry. In the art/graphics world, people can often no longer tell the difference between 3D modelled / Blender-made artworks and AI generated images. And people attach zero value to anything AI generated, which in turn means they are increasingly attaching zero value to anything digital at all. Digital tools might be convenient and clever, but if the output of those tools has no perceived value, then people will stop paying to use those tools. (Which is partly why AI companies are starting to be in such deep financial trouble right now).

Stand still sir while I open your cavity with a plectrum.

I think the biggest reason they've fallen behind is that John was the main woodworker, and losing him has probably impacted their capacity by at least 50%, possibly more.

Love it! Great job, Peter and team!

Wishing you all the very best with this venture 👍

GarageBand is free and surprisingly capable, so start with that and see how you go. If and when you run up against its limitations you can consider upgrading to Logic or look at other options.

I used DR strings on Laklands, Wals and Stingrays, for more than 15 years, and I loved them. Faced with the same problem I'd cut my losses. I have D'addario NYXL's on my Sadowsky Jazz right now. I'd recommend those as well.

Give them some time. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to Fat Beams when I put a set on my Jazz bass, but I ended up liking them a lot.

Hi Mike, I've never played one of Bernie's basses but I know enough about them to appreciate the quality is top-notch and with a sound to match. I've heard you playing yours and the sound is up there with the best. It's just that they're not a brand that appeals to me. I couldn't give you a rational reason why but I've just never fancied one. Buying more basses for me at this stage in my life is more about wish-fulfilment than addressing any practical needs. I've been playing the bass since I was twelve years old and I've always gravitated towards the best instruments. I love playing the bass, but I'm not ashamed to say I love the gear, too. I've got some nice basses, and I'm going to get some more when I see something I like. I've realised recently that, not only am I not getting any younger, I am actually getting old. Maybe that's why I'm looking at the basses from my youth and thinking about what I might enjoy revisiting, or finally getting my hands on. Which brings me back around to JayDee. I remember back in the mid-1980's when Level 42 and Mark King were at the zenith of their success and the demand for JayDee basses was at it's peak. If I understand correctly, to try satisfy demand John Diggins had to set up a kind of production line with a few apprentices and helpers to keep up with the orders flooding in. Where I lived there were two shops with Jaydee basses in stock. Across the UK there were retailers with Jaydee basses in stock you could cash and carry. Availability was plentiful. However, I think John would admit that, with hindsight, quality control suffered as a result and a lot of Jaydee basses from that era are not as well-made as they should have been. When I got my custom JayDee a bit later on John told me that era had been a bit of a nightmare and he was very glad to be back to building basses mainly himself as a smaller concern. The point of all this is that it's a double edged sword when it comes to hand built boutique basses. We all want bespoke quality, but to get that level of craftsmanship it takes time and you're probably going to have to wait. You can't have it both ways. If it's handmade then it needs to be made by skilled hands, not just anybody. That means very limited supply of labour. I'm not trying to condone shoddy business practises, if and when they occur, but John's sons will be well aware of the pitfalls that came from lowering quality control to increase production. Maybe they've made a rod for their own back to some extent by insisting that the basses they put out are of a consistently high quality. Hence the wait times and pushed back delivery dates.

My jazz: Allegedly it is seafoam green but definitely seems more blue to me. Is it my eyes or is it really bluer than green??