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Not sure what model you got but all of my LED lights, including the new one from Aliexpress have a 4 digit LED on the back with a select and up down button. I have a manual with mine, but it seems that the code is similar to my older lights so maybe it is a standard?

From experience, you would want to change one course of three at a time. I did make the mistake of taking them all off at once to restring and it took the neck almost a full day afterwards to equalise back. Which was a bit stupid.

Yep, this 100% nails why I have some anxiety about it. Context matters (to me anyway). I think the lines and boundaries around this can be blurry, and I'm genuinely curious what people see as a line they won't cross. Is it ok to play a cover of Sunday Bloody Sunday? Is it ok to do it if you're from Surrey and have never been to Ireland? What if you're playing it to an Irish audience in an Irish pub? What about a Bob Marley cover? How about if it's to a black audience? Should a 52 year old white guy ever do a rap cover of Fight the Power by Public Enemy - at a street party in Brixton?

Unsurprisingly I like that a lot and if I had a spare €2000 and a use for a 4-string bass I might be making an offer. Made some time between 1963 and 1967 and originally costing 68,000 Lira. And in what looks like surprisingly good condition for a Wandré. All the ones I have seen in real life have been considerably worse for wear. More information on this Fetish Guitars web page.

Yet another stunner. I've decided my new project is going to have a bound body thanks to you!

Yes! Go for the modern suction method rather than the old school syringing. It's a strangely pleasant experience.

So how will you now amplify your Hamer @Sean? I know you've mentioned bi-amp (from an HX Stomp was it?) and @Wolverinebass has been kindly offering advice.

Roland have a shop in Denmark st. Obviously just Roland gear though.

I agree however there is a difference between this white middle aged British man playing a Blues about going out and drinking too much as opposed to a Blues about being a slave or a descendant of a slave living in a violent racist time. I think sometimes one cannot play a song if one does not have the lived experience to do so.

Oppressive governments using coercion and violence against their own people. Working class and oppressed people being used by the military to further their own agenda. Feels like fairly universal concerns to me. I think this song is as relevant to the victims of ICE, the residents of Gaza, the people of Kiev, the immigrants detained in hotels facing a howling mob as it is to the people of Nigeria in the 1970s. To me it’s a universal message that echoes our common humanity and sense of injustice.

I guess that's why my 5-string Warwicks don't have fret markers.

To thine own self be true. I think your concerns are spot on. If you don't feel comfortable playing it then don't. There are certain songs that you just can't play if you do not have a link to it either culturally or through family history. If the band must play a Fela Kuti song there are plenty others to choose from. As Pulp sang, "Everyone hates a tourist".

And then mixed with country and folk music. Bloody cultural appropriation. Edit: I would also trace the blues back further to Mali and the roots even further back. People have travelled and traded, migrated and integrated for milenia. There are so many cross overs and parallels in religion, folk stories, music etc. Culture is not a static or exclusive concept IMO.

If you’re worried have the conversation with the band. In my bluegrass band one of the players had a problem with some of the lyrics. She raised it, explained why and we changed them. No stress.

An interesting debate. Most modern music is ultimately derived from the Blues, a genre born out of slavery and the field hollers that regimented their work.

Oh, I think that the motivation was definitely the price.

You can over think these things. Some of the best songs tell a story, you don't have to have a connection or even empathy for that story in order to retell it. Indeed sharing stories is one of the ways that people learn about each other. Having said that I'd feel pretty silly if I had to sing Redemption Song in front of an audience, so there's definitely a 'Partridge' line somewhere, but it's probably very much an individual decision rather than a blanket rule you can apply to all situations

https://www.growlerstore.co.uk/collections/glass-beer-growlers

I took a punt on a not-well-known auction site and got a Headrush FR112. Not eBay to be clear. I got it cheap for £84 but it turns out that it doesn't work. It came with a blown 6.3A fuse and putting in another 6.3A fuse gave me a matched pair of blown fuses. Not quite as a nice as a matched pair of EL84 valves but still glassware I'm in discussions with the auction site but assuming that I don't get my money back, caveat emptor etc etc, any recommendations for somebody in NW England who can look at these things and repair them. The Headrush site shows somebody in Leeds and also somebody in Castleford. Both are a fair old schlep. If I don't get my money back, I suspect I'll be making them into a home made cabinet. Any sensible suggestions welcomed. Rob

It’s a pretty upbeat song unless It’s another one I am unaware of. If Fela Kuti wanted folk to sit around and mope it would have been a different tune altogether. I also doubt he released it hoping it would only be appreciated and played by and to a very limited audience who could fully appreciate and embrace its cultural context. Its a tune and a damned good one.

The issue is more about playing it as a tune to dance to without being aware of the context. And potentially to an audience that is more aware of the context than members of the band are. That’s the part that gives me Partridge vibes.

It depends what "everything you'd need" is! I've done ampless gigs with nothing more than my bass, a clip on tuner on my headstock and a basic DI box before now. If you're not much of an effects user, that might be all you need and about as simple/compact as it's possible to be.

Thanks Steve, that's really kind. They'll be touring to support the album in October/November.