tauzero

Looks really good. I trust that the dislocated fingers weren't linked to the construction. As for valuing it, I have no idea. One-offs get valued at all sorts of prices, including the totally delusional. I would guess at a bit more than an intact headed T24, it's going to depend on how much someone wants a headless.

You can have a fliptop battery holder rather than having to undo screws to get to the battery. I know that Warwicks after around 1990 had a clip-on rear cavity cover but that's a bit of a faff. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256081542485

Here comes the question which I'm sure you'll have anticipated - isn't the wireless connection good enough, or is there some other reason for not using it?

It's a good opportunity to move over to fingerstyle! Sounds like you've had a good latter part of the year. It also sounds like there isn't going to be an advert in Basses for sale saying "Just don't get on with five strings".

Quite a busy night for me last night, finished up bassing for about half the acts on. Some songs I knew, some I'd done before and had written the chords down for, some I could read the chords over the guitarist's shoulder, and a couple I just had to wing (but one was four chords and the other was two). I'd been using the TC BAM200 and homebuilt Plenty cab, but last time when the guitars got a bit loud and I turned the BAM200 up to match them it started sounding a bit shouty (for want of a better description) so I decided to use the Tecamp Puma 900 instead and it was much better sounding.

I had to look very closely at my Space 5 to see that the top wasn't a single piece of wood. There's about 5cm between the pickups where there's a slight difference in shade between the two sides. If GG said they were inspecting it, and presuming that the mismatched top was explicitly stated as unacceptable on the first instrument, then it seems like a very good case for returning it and expecting the shipping cost to be covered. Or ask them for £200 off the price and put veneer on the top, thus making an attractive and unique instrument.

Then I remembered that tucked away in a cupboard I had a Wilkinson bridge 4-to-5 string conversion. Dug it out and it's a J neck so 38mm and I can cope with it - a 42mm nut should be fine.

Some time in the 80s, I was offered one for £75. I had a play on it, hated it, and passed on it. That could have been my pension.

Christmas open mic at the British Legion in Shirley last night. Because there's generally a full list but it's quite a big list, the number of songs here is almost always limited to two. A few Christmas songs, of course, with Mrs Zero and I doing Spaceman came travelling and Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby. The elderly sax player and his daughter were there - normally another female guitarist/singer and me accompany him but last night it was just me, on My Boy Lollipop and Blanket on the Ground, which TBH didn't sound great. Got to accompany another couple of people including the aforementioned female guitarist/singer on Merry Xmas Everyone and Last Christmas. Everybody brought food and so we got to eat plenty of mince pies, Heroes, and Celebrations.

No changes through the year with my main band - had a reasonable number of gigs, no conflicts in the band, bringing new numbers in a little slowly as our singer also performs in shows so we can be a bit limited for rehearsals during show runs and show rehearsals. We were chatting after a recent rehearsal and the singer and the drummer both said they were happier than with any previous band (and had stayed for longer). It's the guitarist's first band, but he's happy, and I'm as happy as I've been with any previous band. I went to a new (to me) open mic and when there got invited to be house bassist at another open mic, an opportunity that I jumped at. That then led to the open mic organiser asking me to dep for his band as their bassist couldn't make a gig, which then extended to the next gig, and a couple of further gigs, and then being asked to join the band on a permanent bassist, which I accepted. I joined an originals trio - however, the drummer dropped out after he became she (not anything to do with we other two, she just had a lot going on and don't think she could cope with the extra stress). Then the BL went on holiday with his boyfriend (that he was living with), and when he came back he let me know he'd split up with the boyfriend and was moving to Leamington from Coventry. He still wants to carry on with the trio when we can recruit another drummer, but at the moment communication is a bit erratic. So current status is permanent bassist with two covers bands, indeterminate status with an originals band, house bassist for two open mic nights (well, three, but last Wednesday was probably the last one for one venue). I've been asked to play with a couple of other people on an ad hoc basis, stemming from the open mic nights, which is nice.

As it happens, that's exactly it. James Bartholomew of Jayler who are supporting Deep Purple for their late 2026 tour.

On the subject of "words of one song to the tune of another", last night at the Cavern in Tamworth had the house band (really excellent drummer and guitarist, and me on bass bringing the quality down) backing various singers - one did "Billie Jean" to the tune of "Smells like teen spirit".

Surely it qualifies under distance selling regulations?

Indeed, and my suggestion elsewhere of a multimeter between the battery and the clip wouldn't show up battery drain if it only happens when the preamp is in situ. I think you could detect that with a multimeter and a stereo jack plug by checking the resistance between ring and sleeve, which should be open circuit (have been trying to work out if you could have a situation where the preamp powers up with ground and battery negative not connected to each other, and I don't think you can but ICBW).

McMillen Batt-O-Meter. Tells you what the battery voltage is under load. https://www.thomann.co.uk/keith_mcmillen_batt_o_meter.htm