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@chris_b Not treating your customers like mugs or insulting them? Showing some expertise? Just trying to make a sale with knowledge and interest rather than assuming you deserve it? Not telling the customer what they want without listening to their actual needs? Those things cost nothing. I'd rather shop locally, but I'm not going to be treated like a mug in the process.

A few weeks ago me and a mate went to a couple of gear shops in Bristol. My mate wanted to buy some for of drum machine. He'd narrowed it down to the Roland Aira TR-8, the TR-09 and the Arturia DrumBrute. We went into PMT first, they didn't have the DrumBrute in stock. But the guy was mega enthusiastic, without being annoying, he gave a brief and knowledgeable rundown of the workings of the TR-8 and then left us to it, popping back every 10 mins to answer questions etc. We had a quick poke about with the TR-09, but counted it out. Chatted about gigs and stuff with the PMT guy for about 20 mins and then we left. We then headed to Elevator Sounds, a synth shop a mile or so away. After being stood in the shop for 15 mins looking at things the owner sighed, looked up from his laptop and asked if we wanted to try anything. My mate asked about the DrumBrute they had on display. Owner sighed again, wandered over, switched it on and pointed at some headphones. He then went back to his laptop. Meanwhile I was looking at all the modular synth stuff. He had a used module I wanted at a decent price. I asked about it, he replied with no enthusiasm "urgh, If you want it that means I'll have to get it out of the rack... "Don't bother" I said I'm not interested now. I asked my mate if he was getting the Drumbrute. In a loud voice he said "F**k this guy, we'll go back to PMT". and off we went. I'll never go back to Elevator Sounds. EDIT: The guy lost nearly £600 in 2 easy sales.

Is that Anton Du Beke on Les Paul as well? 🤔

Yep, they made the Squier PB-331 in black, white and sunburst. They also pop up slightly earlier than the E-series... below is mine, it's an A-series dated '85 (plus, I believe, Fender Japan made them in late '84 under the Squier JV series, though likely not exported... and they also came as regular Fender Japan models, but that's another can of worms). Great little basses.

Me - Do you sell Rotosounds? Them - Yes Me - Why?

I'm not wasting my time with a shrink when I could be running through the streets with ten mini capes flowing in the breeze behind me.

I've just ordered ten. With a five pound saving on each one I've just saved fifty quid in a matter of minutes. I can now get a 'free' set of flats with the money I've saved, and still have some left over.

So yes, anyway - this was today... The songs are coming together, so I had a bit of time to do some A/B-ing. Basically, as they have the same pre, the characteristics are the same - the richness & clarity. But the WB-100 is bigger and 'bloomier', whereas the R-400 is more focussed. So no surprises there, then...

Sorry Mate, but that's a contradiction. He either does a good job, or the frets are buzzing. You can't have both. Don't know what he had it for, but if it needs adjustment it would have taken nothing to do it. If the frets need leveling, he should have called you and got your agreement to do it while he had it.

I kinda feel sorry for the staff in music shops. I also feel enraged about the staff in music shops. I remember having a good chat with one of my friends (somebody who has worked in the one of the music shops in the midlands for many, many years). I said it annoyed me that whenever you go into a music shop and ask to try something out or be shown how something work, 9 times out of 10, the staff are clearly winging it. They have no idea how or what the device/software does... and even start telling you a load of horse shizz in the hopes of selling you something. His response to me was that the guys in shops cannot possibly know everything about everything they sell - and it looks worse because customers have often done research before getting to the shop (who would have thought eh?). I said that I agreed - but even the nominal level of understanding is rarely displayed. What angers me is that these same shop staff are usually sitting on their derrières - they could be learning about the products that they are selling in the times where the shops are quiet. I understand that not every member of staff can not be clued up on everything - so how about divvying up the products so there is at least one member of staff that has some understanding. I would have a lot more respect for a member of staff that says to me, "I can't help with the product in depth - but if you wait for xyz, they will be able to take you through it all in detail...." It's funny - the desire to be clued up seems to have vanished. A guy I knew, sadly no longer with us, could never afford any of the equipment that he was interested in but had a real passion for synths. This was back in the day before all the information was available to download on the manufacturers websites. He would often contact the manufacturers and purchase the operating instructions and tech manuals just so he could learn about the products that ultimately, he could never afford. Anyway, cut a long story short, he used to go into shops to play on this gear - and his knowledge of everything blew the shops away - especially when they found out that he was showing them all the advanced and deep editing features. Before long, he had given up his job of fruit machine repairs and went into music retail. Within 6 months, after the synth reps came in and saw what this guy was capable of, they were fighting over him to join them. Shortly before his death (very sad botched appendix operation), he was consulting on the embedding programming aspect of much of the stuff found in modern DSP. I often think about him - and his passion for learning - compared to the guys selling stuff that they haven't spend 30 seconds looking at or even having a brief look through the instruction manuals. It's though it should be a given that anything should be instantly usable to the nth degree with zero learning curve. Very sad. So yeah, it upsets me that the selling staff are mostly clueless about what they are selling...

There's an album i haven't heard in a while - it was brilliant tho wasn't it? Must get on Amazon and find a copy...

We used to play Girl Like You by Edwin Collins. Practically a one note bass line for 4 mins. I used to read a book during that one. Audiences liked it though.

If it's like I'm visualising it's reasonably common, though a pic would help to confirm. I've seen it on basses and guitars at all prices points (cheapys, Warwicks, US Fenders amongst many others) and it's simply where the wood has moved. Being three different pieces of wood they can all move at different rates and directions. There isn't a fix unfortunately, but it usually doesn't result in anything too disastrous. In extreme cases the wood can burst at the seams, but 9 out of 10 times you just get the lines like your'e seeing now as the wood has already moved to the position it wants to be in. People don't really think of body wood moving/warping, but it's actually quite common. That being said, if sending it back is an option, I'd definitely do so.

It'd be really useful if people described how they use their boards and the logic of the signal path. There's so much variety and so little overlap between boards, that I often have a really hard time imagining what combinations of pedals are being used and what kind of noise can be achieved.

Can I join in? Some wonderful suggestions here and so much I can learn from all of them. This little gem also springs to mind

Saw this on Instagram the other day - not the usual “any good for metal” finish...

I had to...

I"m 65, not a whole lot of time left. If I collapsed and fell into an inch of urine while playing a bar gig I'd be cool with it. I say, go out with a bit of dignity.😁 Blue

I've been fortunate to gig all over the world and still do, but recently started playing back in pubs and I love it. Its where I started and probably where I'll finish. The main thing is the company you keep!

Yeah.... I used an RH450 for a year or so a while back. The WB-100 is in a different world. It's just there. Big, fat notes. I'm not going to use the word 'heft'. Oh, bugger. I just used the word 'heft'.

If you're using Android. Click on the photo which expands. Click it again to make it fill the screen. At the top right there is the share symbol. Click that then the first option is save to gallery. Job done.

Bit late to the Dave Smart party, Dave

Why do you think I have all those mirrors??

Ah - I've had an issue with Bax in the past also. Ordered loads of Neutrik sockets and jacks for making up all sorts of cables. They all got there in the end. Eventually. Although I was surprised to get the big cardboard box with just one single female XLR end in....(!)

Add me to your list please @tonyxtiger - might also be interested in renting the Geddy pre to try alongside it if that will still be an option!

Gave it a good soaking - it ruined my iPhone. Have you tried a touchscreen pen? I don't use any form of touch device, can't get on with them. I do have problems picking up M3 nuts and washers and similar small parts.

I'm working on it - number 17 should be leaving Manchester today!

But the clue, I think, is in your last phrase... Changed the world for those kids, I'd agree, but not 'changed the World'. A major effect on those that 'were there', but much less important (as a TV show...) for most of the planet; even less so for those who'd already been exposed to them and their peers. I remember their first passages on the Light Programme (we had no TV at that time...), and was well aware of the hysteria surrounding their every appearance, but to say it was like St Paul's epiphany would be a great exaggeration. There were many other groups around at the time that also caught our attention. A greater impact was the passage of John Peel on the airwaves to many in the UK, and possibly Europe. I'm wary, in any case of fanaticism in any form.

A mate of mine had a similar experience in a guitar shop that I would say is usually absolutely brilliant. He wanted to try a Gibson Nighthawk, with a view to buying one, and the shop, who carry a lot of Gibsons, had one listed on their website as "sold - available to order". So he pops in and asks if they can get one in for him to try, and has the same exchange - "only if you're going to buy one" "well, how do i know if i want to buy it unless I try it?" Their explanation was that they'd had a couple in when they first came out, and everybody hated them It's not a sale or return business and they'd had to knock them out at a loss a couple of years later in a sale, and just didn't want to order in a guitar that they were pretty sure my mate wouldn't actually like, and that they wouldn't be able to sell. Didn't help my mate, but can't really argue with their reasoning - was a bit more solid than "we don't get a lot of lefties". And he was happy enough that they did it in a manner that may not have been the answer he wanted, but didn't put him off the shop at all. they even offered a huge discount if he did want them to order one for him to buy (which he didn't take them up on). Top customer service And he did then track down a Nighthawk to try out. Hated it

Yep, that sounds about right, plus many preamp pedals also have inbuilt tones to them - though from recall the MXR M81 is apparently clear of this, but a good shaping pedal.

Fabuloush, Mish Moneypenny.

Got mine finished. Roli Equator for the double bass & one of the violins, FExpansion Strobe 2 for the other violin & trumpet, Logic EXS24 for the piano & the drummer in the box that the guy's sitting on is Logic's very own drummer. Apart from the drums, all was played on the Seaboard.

Oh yes.^^

I'm planning a mary kaye style see-thru white for my jazz

I`ve seen the pictures, I would have treated you like a vagrant as well

An 80s E-series Squier medium scale!

So what's that, given their obscene prices, about 3 guitars...?

Here's another great song where the bass is pretty sparse throughout, with the exception of a slight wig-out in the middle section!

* whilst walking through Ashdown section * Me - 'scuse me, I don't suppose you have a light?

Recently some better shops have opened up in the South Wales Area, but before that it was dreadful. We got a PMT in Cardiff City Centre, and I hear good things about 'A Strings' which is in Pontypridd. Before that we had the ridiculously overpriced Cranes in Cardiff/Swansea (now closed), and Gamlins is still there in Cardiff, but they're not the most 'interested' bunch really. Also GM Music in Cardiff where you literally cannot swing a cat.

There seems a certain kind of idiot who who has a mental image of a woman as 5’2” and either on a violin or piano. I know a local bass player who was asked by a (sober) punter how she could play bass on account of him not thinking her arms would be long enough. She is 6’2”, arm length Is NOT an issue. We spent a few minutess suggesting various things she could have wound him up with, her actual response was ‘are you f’kin serious?’ Which is unsurprising.

You're on a hiding to nothing with this one, lad. Your blinkers are showing.

I've always been quite enamoured by Stings bass lines, always tuneful but often very empty, so I'll offer up the obvious Walking on the Moon

No clues I`m afraid, but message Ashdown direct - they`re on here, or go e-mail via their website. They`re very good on customer service so you should get a response pretty quickly with a diagnosis.

He is certainly entitled to his opinions, as he may be right on some things, and overblown on others. On McCartney I would severely disagree with Q. I disagree with what his mental state as some have said here. I do think he has hit the grumpy old curmudgeon stage, however. Eddie Van Halen was quoted saying that "Robert Fripp (King Crimson) couldn't play 12 bars of good guitar music ." Mr. Fripp, when approached by the press, was asked what he thought about Eddie's comment. He politely said "I do not comment or make remarks about other artists." That's class. Learn, Quincy.