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Alas, I knew him well!

A Squier. No question. Frankly any type of Squier. Just so long as it's a Squier. Of 231 BC poll respondents, 93.51% said that you could do pretty much anything with a Squier. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware of these important facts on my 50th and had to make do and mend with a Sandberg. I guess if I hadn't come across this ground breaking piece of research about Squiers, I might still be tempted by a Yamaha BBNE2 (black or white but probably not the limited edition grey). But no longer, only a Squier will now do...and frankly I don't even care even if it's been relic'd. At heart it will still be a Squier.

I know the subject of hearing protection has been done to death, but it still bears repeating regularly I think. I’ve had a bit of tinnitus since gig going days when I was younger, which was made worse by my first practice after deciding to join a band a couple of years ago at the tender age of 48 having forgotten how chuffing loud an acoustic drum kit is, and I’ve used generic plugs ever since. Move on a couple of years and I’ve just got some ACS Pro 17 earplugs. Not had a chance to try them out properly yet, but doing the same "test" as I’ve done with the different generic ones I’ve used (ACS and Alpine), i.e. listening to some music through full over the ear headphones, all I can say is “wow!". I was quite nervous about parting with £140 quid for these, but they really are a world apart from the generic stuff. It may not be absolutely 100% perfect, but it is 99% - it essentially is just like turning the volume down. To be fair I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they’re not worth the money, but for anyone thinking about going the custom molded route and, like me, wondering whether it’s worth it for the improvement over generic plugs, I’d say absolutely yes - do it.

I think the most important thing is to use something to protect your hearing, and I'm sure the generic ones do the job fine. If you can afford the extra for custom ones then the difference in fidelity is pretty marked. It did make me wonder, though, why the difference is so marked - if you can get a reasonable seal with a generic plug then could they be made with better quality filters? Mind you, the filters are £50 a pair if you buy additional ones. I've heard that it can be a problem, in particular for singers. Fortunately (for everyone concerned...) I don't sing. On top of that, I have absolutely no stage presence, so breaking into a smile is about as animated as I get when I gig. I tried smiling with my new plugs and all seems well. Now I can go back to my customary scowl!

Does this count?

One can go quite a long way down the 'alternative materials' route. I have a set of these; they're environmentally friendly, and very good indeed... Aerodrums ...

I stacked up the templates so far and it actually gives an idea of what it will look like!! One more template to go then I can start cutting stuff.

50 is long gone... but on my birthday last year I had a little day trip up from Manchester to the excellent and dangerous Promenade Music in Morecambe, and came back with a Michael Kelly Dragonfly fretless acoustic 5, for half list price with a new set of chrome flats thrown in. I know there's not much love for acoustic basses here, and the look of this one is a bit Marmite (someone on BC at the time described it as "looking like a tart's handbag") but the build quality and tone are excellent, and I love the feel of playing it. https://michaelkellyguitars.com/en/products/view/dragonfly-fretless-5

Have received the Labellas and very happy so far, nice low tension, feels comparable to Ti jazz flats, tone is nice but strings are only 24hrs old so will need more time to break these in

Fair enough, since she'd just launched into the PA speaker.

New wife for your 50th. What is this 2 bass nonsense?

I was interested to read elsewhere in this parish of drummers who use metronomes in practice and on stage. These are of course gigging musicians. I hesitate to use the term professional since its meaning has been severely diluted in recent years and it does not serve well for this topic. To me it makes sense for the drummer to use it as opposed to the bassist but since both roles are crucial for the rhythmic drive of a band, others may have an alternative view. I am referring mainly to the use of metronomes (as opposed to the click) when performing. I assume that no bassists do this on stage. Correct me if I am wrong please. ***** At home, I am very weak willed when it comes to practice with a metronome. I have a few of them. Most of them are bundled with tuners in pocket sized devices powered by battery. To access either the tuner or the metronome functions I have to press and hold a button for a few seconds. Further, I have to cycle the time signature options and if I miss the one I am looking for, I have to go around again. This is so off-putting that I seldom bother unless I have a specific reason. The result is that I don't spend enough of my practice time with a metronome. It's shameful of me to be so neglectful. This morning I have taken my grandfather's (latterly my father's) clockwork metronome off the shelf and I will put it in my practice area for easy access. Standing alone and with no other responsibilities than to keep time, I am optimistic that I will use it more than the others. My tuner need only work as a tuner and its nested functions can rest in peace forever. There are no wires or batteries, just a winder for the mainspring in the mechanism. I have removed the excuses that bundled devices allow me to get out of jail with, so to speak. I am optimistic that I will get more use from this metronome than the others. It's also a lovely bit of kit if all I ever do is look at it. Wish me luck. PS: I'd love to see one like mine being used by a drummer even if it is out of sight of the audience. Then again I would like to see a world united by peace and the pursuit of a Winter home in a new solar system. Silly me.

If I could drop £5K on new ears to get rid of my tinnitus which is beginning to make it tricky to actually play then I would be flogging vintage kit right left and center. I am not joking. £140 for being able to play for the rest of your life is absolutely nothing. Just peanuts. And if you do not like the isolation but play with a drummer or guitarist who has no restraint, and we all do, then get over it and look after yourself. Until you have tinnitus then it is just something which happens to idiots. When get that 'oh :(' moment it is just too late. It is not if but when it will happen. No, really.

I once bought a 1967 Volvo 123GT from a chap in North Devon. Whilst on the phone to him asking his location (pre mobile phone and Internet days) he told me, "A small village called Woolsery", he pronounced it 'Woolsree'. No matter how much I studied the map I couldn't find 'Woolsery'. I said, "All I can see in that area is a place called Woolfardisworthy". "That's it" he said, "Woolsree". Turns out 'Woolfardisworthy' is pronounced 'Woolsree', who knew? Even the signposts up there have Woolfardisworthy, with Woolsery bracketed underneath on them.

Dunno about EUB but, if the sound is similar to a DB, have you tried the obvious ... Fishman Platinum Pro?

Why am I thinking about Worthers Originals?

Here's a superb tool for deciding the ideal string gauges for a given tuning! @daddario_uk http://www.daddario.com/DAstringtensionguide.Page?sid=304dc307-655e-4790-915e-4d4a3818ad6c

And yet the BBC on-air staff pronounce Newcastle as if they are but recently returned from an elocution seminar led by Mr Jimmy Nail. I would welcome a scenario where BBC presenters were required on pain of death to pronounce British place-names exactly as does the gnarliest-accented local. It would be most entertaining, particularly the football results. Snozzle. I like it.

Thanks! Now I cut into the end of it, starting to rough out the shape and cut across the join, it doesn't look too bad. I think the end of the wood had a bit of a rounded off edge

although... they dropped the ~ from the N... the 'real' Spanish name would have been Ibáñez

Since the 'n' has a tilde, it would be ee-ban-yeth.

Looks good. I had the violin ignition model and was similarly impressed with the quality. Also changed to flats and was further impressed. When the opportunity arose to buy a HCT, I sold the ignition and was further impressed with the quality of Hofner MIC models. I find the PU's very powerful. And just to annoy some BCers, what a lovely SUNBURST!

Mate you've seen nothing yet lol

We'll have to think about that, we'll get back to you in time...

Update - the head shell is coming along nicely. Looks well built - good job too, it’ll weigh 25Kgs or thereabouts when it’s done! Thanks for all your suggestions, guys. If anyone’s keen I’ll post pics of the finished shell and the head in place!

Oh you Wal owners, stop it! The one thing the rest of us console ourselves with, is the lack of the second mortgage

I used to use Sunbeams all the time too but when I tried Pure Blues... wow! Definitely a string that's halfway between Sunbeams and Fat Beams.

Yes that’s the style. I have to put new bolts on the drivers this week so will take a picture of the actual drivers.

I was looking at images found with the search string "eminence speaker U shaped magnet" to see what the U shaped magnet looks like. I found very little to clarify the image in my mind's eye. I am assuming that this is the sort of thing. It was very common to see in valve sets back in the day.

They are both original Eminence drivers with U shaped magnets, however one has been re coned by Wembley Loudspeakers.

If I was to get anything it would probably be a shuker uberhorn 5, but I would never be able to justify that for myself, especially as it would be useless as a gigging bass as I wouldn't want to take it into any of the pubs we play

Mrs WB had this beautiful ACG made for my 50th, but it was a bit too heavy for me. So we sold it, and bought my first Franz instead. She's very understanding is Mrs WB!

Although my 50th is long gone, if I were treating myself to something it would be an early Stingray fretless.

Here's an old gig pic. Anyone got any idea who's playing? The guy on double neck guitar? That's Pino Palladino!!!

If you own a Trace then I’d recommmend one of these. One careful American owner.

`Twas a no brainer for me, I had the lovely chaps at Alpher build me a Cobia 5 string (still the only one in the world), my choice of everything and the serial number is my birth date, cool as you like!!

Our drummer *is* a metronome. His tempo is so consistent I was recently able to mix and match bits of the multitrack from three different takes of the same song. Was impressed.

It sounds better than Lemmy. But that's not hard!

On a more serious note there is a trend in modern music where an upcoming swear word is telegraphed by the rhyming structure of the lyrics but the word itself is partially obscured, so for example you only hear the initial 'f'. If you listen to Radio 1 for any amount of time you'll hear a few of them. I always wonder what the point is. Much like writing s**t. People just automatically fill in the blanks for themselves. Hence the unfortunate misunderstanding at my f**k music night. I'll never forget the disapointment on their faces as I launched into 'This Land is Your Land'.

Dingwalls and Laklands in all its glory, but NOTHING with four strings sound better than a real all carbon fiber/epoxy Steinberger through a good amp and ditto cabinet. Nothing!

I was in a punk band once called The Premature Ejaculators. The name just came really quickly