lowlandtrees

Had old vans all my life(current van from year 2000). I would repair it and punt it/px it to a dealer. If the gearbox is gone then other parts may/may not follow. Some vans are partial to particular problems eg had 3 diffs in one of my transits. You could be lucky and be OK but they are always a lottery. The AA btw do an excellent insurance cover that will pay up to £500 (I think) towards failing parts like this. It has to be part of a breakdown. My starter motor went the first year of the cover.

Land Down Under ...Men at Work. Saw Colin Hay live....just him and an acoustic....he was brilliant but I can only name one MaW number

Saw them early 70s .....think it was supporting Santana in Glasgow Greens Playhouse.........they were probably one of the best live bands that I have ever seen. And the horn section....Phoenix Horns? as tight as.

Mick McDonald ruined the Doobies for me. I hear that Tom Johnston (?) the lead vox before him has re joined.

£165 just about gets you a round of Carlsberg in Sweden. That bass was free

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1456057824' post='2984883'] I need to listen to more of them, I think. We were going to do this in one band but, in the end, decided that our backing vocals didn't come up to scratch... [media]http://youtu.be/hFzG7vD_bZ4[/media] [/quote] Sounds like the Doobies on backing vox

i think that the Little Feat 'Sound' owed so much to the bass playing timing of Kenny Gradney. Lowell George,, I remember, commented this himself. Interesting what happened to the original bassist. Always loved them. That mix of rhythm and melody. There is a kinda hesitancy in the rhythm/bass. Lowell for me though..

Not playing in a band at prez but I remember the days of lugging WEM 4x10 columns and Marshall stacks and PA slaves and 2x15s and mixing desks up 3 flights of stairs. Think it has taken a few years off my bones. The new lightweight stuff is a dream. The whole bands gear in a suitcase. Apart from the damned drummer.

The modified end pin looks like a good idea. I don t intend to use the stand as anything but a stop gap practice thing. While trying to stop the EUB spinning I find that I am missing a lot of important finger stuff. As said my eventual aim is to get a real DB but that is an investment (which I would make if there was a band on the go)/

So I have been playing my Kania upright for around three years now. I find it difficult to balance especially when bowing the low E. There is no weight or real substance to it so some things I struggle with as it tend to twist away from your body.....like everything that you learn Anyway I remember that some EUBs are are mounted on a stand or support.....so I put the Kania on its stand and adjust it to playing position and suddenly it is just so much easier to bow and fingering is a dream. The type of stand it is....with neck support means that you cant access the top notes. Anyway....is this regarded as a kindof amateur way to proceed? I don t envisage getting enough funds in the near future to afford a full size real thing so was thinking along the lines of a different type of stand that would give me access to the top of the fretboard. Btw ..I still like the Kania a lot for other things like portability and the amplified sound is good.

I have the Gretsch 6129. I love it. Has a very distinctive twang and cuts through any mix. The neck is perfection it feels great especially for someone like me who is mainly an acoustic player but it does not hold its tuning well. Think it is related to the Bigsby. Was thinking about trying locking tuners, It is quite an expensive instrument and I am not sure how the other models hold up in comparison.

Parcel Force the worst here. They use contractors. Got an PM slot last time and they turned up AM.

I have a Kania small bodied contra bass strung with Silver Slaps. Been playing nearly 3 years so relatively new to it. I played guitar and sax and took up DB in my late 50s. I have noticed that the position of the note D on the A string is not directly in line with the G on the D string. There is a half centimetre difference in the distance that you fret the notes. The two lower strings (E and A) seem to match and the two higher (D and G) match in fingering positions. Another problem with the instrument is that the angle that the strings take from the bridge to the tail piece is very sharp. This means that when you tune, the strings tend to stretch then jump as opposed to slide. I have tried rubbing in graphite. Now it could be my duff left hand technique but I was wondering if it is possible that the instrument needs set up. I bought it from a forum member but am ignorant of the history of the instrument. I am concerned that my luthier will recommend cutting a new bridge. Don t really want that expense....can the existing bridge be adapted? I do like the instrument. Sounds good through my EA doubler/wizzy M line and is very transport friendly

Wish You Were Here

Led Zep

Rail Fan in Stirling. They were brilliant. Think they are playing somewhere in Glasgow on Thursday. They had just signed to a Swiss record company that day so they were in great form

It has always been my lifelong dream to sing. I took a few lessons later in life and discovered that you can learn to do it and if you practice every day then you improve. I started too late unfortunately but I would encourage every musician to learn. I sing on my recordings but can t see me singing live. There are lots of good books but one to one lessons are best even with a classical teacher. I would suggest that at first you should not play an instrument and sing at the same time.

I am learning to bow on my half size contra bass. It is said that bowing is very useful for intonation etc. I love the sound on the Kania except for the E string which is difficult to balance properly. I am very tempted to get a proper DB but the ease of transportation and storage has seduced me for the time being. Not to mention the cost but I can t see me going on without giving in to the slippery slope. I also like the idea of two instruments with different types of strings,,,,nylon and steel ......but where does it end......poverty and isolation and finally madness

Never been in a band without issues...........ever

I changed to flats on my MM SUB. I loved the sound with round but I had flats on my Ric 4001. I love the feel of the flats and the action but very disappointed with the sound so when I can afford it I will switch back.

I have been using a firewire card in my PC to connect to my DAW (Focusrite saffire 24 pro). I want to switch to a dedicated laptop. Was thinking that I would have to switch to a USB connected DAW (thinking F/R 2i2) but was wondering if I could use a firewire/USB adapter or some other device. I am not producing great recordings...mainly used as a writing tool although I do post to Soundcloud and other sites and like to do a good job.

Bought an EA Wizzy M Line from Phil. Excellent transaction Very pleased

Had a problem with the fridge a while back.......the drain was blocked and it was flooding. Used an old D string to push down the drain hole......solved. Today the main kitchen drain was blocked. The pipe has 3 bends on it so the purpose made tool would not go round the bends. Found an old B string and pushed it down there using pliers to turn and wiggle it round the bends......and done it. I know......what a rock n roll life ! But take note..........don t chuck yer old strings...you never know when they might come in handy...now I m sounding like ma old man

Am more or less at the same stage as yourself. Problem that I have is that I have silver slap strings fitted and I still want to do that slap stuff as well. Started bowing in the band and it sounded great so decided to learn proper like. The mirror works great. Found some good stuff on Youchoob. I practice with a tuner for about half the practice. Intend to get lessons next month. Found it very valuable for my pizz playing too. I have a quarter size bass that needs amplification so I can use earphones and play without getting asbo ed