KingBollock

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1351525515' post='1852164'] Maybe she wants you to get out there and play! [/quote] That's pretty much the truth. I have erm... issues that make it difficult, but I am now set up so that if an opportunity were to arise I would at least be ready gear wise. She is a wonderful woman.

I have four Basses. I have a 5 string for standard tuning and a 4 string for Eb. I also have a second 5 string in standard and a second 4 string in Eb. Those second Basses are "back-up" Basses... I also have a full, 500W rig with a 4x10 and a 1x15, and a 500W PA rig... I haven't played live in over 18 years, infact not since before I met my wife... I mentioned to my wife that I'd kind of like to sell one of the back-up basses and she was actually disappointed.

A cheaper alternative to a second Bass, if you're really worried about it, would be a tool kit including a gas powered soldering iron and associated stuff and screwdrivers and allen keys. Maybe some spare parts like a jack socket, certainly carry spare fuses for your amp. And a lamp/head torch to work by. This means that if someone else in the band has some kind of failure, you might be able to help them too.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1351373261' post='1850688'] Don't worry about that. I've had many guitarists try to tell me how parts go. I'm sure their ears are different. Their fingers definitely are which is evident when you hear them trying to play bass. [/quote] He's a music teacher that also teaches Guitar and Bass! Though he wasn't at the time, he was a luthier putting himself through music college back then. I think I've got that right, the rest of the band were 18+ (I think the singer was in his 30s) whereas I was only 13, so I didn't hang around with them socially.

In my first proper band (back in 1988) we played Megadeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying. I'd never heard it before and the lead Guitarist came 'round to my house to teach it to me, along with the rest of the set. So, I'd been playing it for a couple of months every week at rehearsal when one day the Guitarist says "You still play that wrong" (meaning the intro), I'd been playing it the exact same why he taught me to play it! Anyway, after the demise of that band I finally got the album that it's on, but the whole album is played a quarter step tuned down, so it never sounded right playing along to it. It wasn't until [i]last year[/i] that I finally got around to learning it properly.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1351207974' post='1848866'] Old bearded guy ( clutching a dodgy guitar) goes into a 2nd hand bookshop..."Do you have Guitar Restoration by Mark D Phillips"? [/quote] Bookshop owner hands him a hacksaw, some Beeswax and a sack of cow dung.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1351202601' post='1848783'] [color=#000000][font=Arial][size=1]"the most perfect example of a Satellite Les Paul that I have ever seen outside of a wall hung collection!"[/size][/font][/color] [font=Arial][size=4][color=#000000]Ah yes, all those wall hung collections of Satellite guitars.........[/color][/size][/font] [/quote] They'd be the ones with an inch thick coating of dust in the back storerooms of every Cash Converters.

[quote name='harleyheath' timestamp='1351096306' post='1847320'] Lmao! Well at least it won't ever rot!! [/quote] I know someone who used Creosote on his bedroom furniture. It made his whole house stink of it and he completely refused to admit that he'd done anything wrong. Hmmm, I wonder if that's what made him go nuts and attack his wife and kids (and my brother) with a sword?

I've found some Creosote in the shed... I wonder...

I had never oiled my fretboards before, just a bit of furniture polish when I changed the strings, which is incredibly rarely (I'm talking years in between new sets). The only reason I thought of it was because I watched a Guitar repair video where the bloke used Linseed Oil on the fretboard before he refitted the strings, then, while rummaging around under my desk amongst my paint stuff, I found a bottle of Linseed Stand Oil and wondered if it would be any good. Yesterday I decided to give it a go on an old Guitar that has a very dry fretboard, this thing has been through the wars, including spending several years in bits in a box. The Stand Oil has made it come up lovely. I don't think I'll bother with my other Guitars and Basses because they don't need it, but it worked on this one.

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1351004611' post='1846088'] There was a biggie thread on talkbass about this. in a nutshell, lthe concensus was: lemon oil - scented mineral oil that cleans well but will dry your rosewood out after time. I found this to be true (Dunlop) [b]BOILED linseed oil - Roger Sadowsky himself chimed in and said this is what he uses on all his basses, he's never found better. I also found this to be true.[/b] Linseed oil - leave well alone, only good for cricket bats! Hope this helps. [/quote] Looking on Wikipedia, Boiled Linseed Oil is also called Stand Oil, which is what I have and what prompted me to start the thread. Are you saying that it will work then?

maybe a Midi sized Van, something like a modern version of the old Mitsubishi L300 that we used to carry our Disco around in. They aren't huge, having a similar footprint to an estate car, so it's easy to get around in and park, but they carry a lot. But with only two seats in the front it wasn't very versatile. Something like a Bongo would be good, again not a massive footprint but carries a lot and it has seats that can be taken in and out so it can hold up to 8 people, or 5 people and a bit of gear or 2 people and a lot of gear.

[quote name='karlfer' timestamp='1350936168' post='1845358'] 3 months old, been on a skateboard and towrope at the rear of a tranny, up and down the M6. [/quote] You don't have child seats where you're from?

Thanks guys, Lemon Oil it will be. Now I'm torn between the Planet Waves and Dunlop, the Planet Waves is a couple of quid cheaper. EDIT: Not so torn now, the Planet Waves is only a 2oz bottle, compared to the Dunlop 4oz.

I was sort of under the impression that Lemon Oil was Lemon scented Linseed Oil. Though now I'm looking I can't find anything that says what is in it.

I was just making a mental note to myself to get some Linseed Oil for my Rosewood fretboards. In all these years I have yet to treat them with anything, only furniture polish on the very rare occasions that I change the strings,,, Anyway, I suddenly remembered that I have some oil but it's Linseed Stand Oil for Oil Painting. On the bottle it says that it's more viscous than normal Linseed Oil. Will this work for my fretboards, or should I just buy some normal stuff? Or should I avoid Linseed Oil all together?

[quote name='spinynorman' timestamp='1350777910' post='1843500'] I hope you [font=Arial][size=4]dropped the bridge height first as a safety precaution against making major blunders[/size][/font]. [/quote] The saddles were flat on the deck, which is how that Mark bloke described them, there was nowhere for them to go. I'd done the truss rod and shaved some off the nut, too. Shimming the neck wasn't a problem and can easily be undone if needed, though it's fine now. The only other options would have been to grind some off the bottom of the saddles or route and sink the bridge into the body. But, like I say, shimming sorted it.

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1350760336' post='1843278'] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Phil-pro-Korean-bass-with-full-set-up-on-new-Johnny-Brook-strings-/190738588285?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c68e7e27d"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2c68e7e27d[/url] this one makes a cracking read i like how he decides to angle the tuners `toward the driver` thus leaving 4 unnecessary holes in the back of the headstock, in his own words `dead weird!!` [/quote] I've got one of these Basses but it has Westfield on it where his has Phil Pro. I saw another on here not long ago with Rogue on it instead. Both the Phil Pro and the Rogue had the same neck, where as my Westfield has matching paint (the same metallic grey) and a slightly different headstock. There were loads of them about when I bought mine new for £200, so his price is a bit steep. I also had the same problem with the bridge setting, I ended up having to shim the neck. The electrics in it were nasty and I had to replace the pots and socket. The reason for his miss-matched knob might be due to the plastic ones that came on it that broke as soon as you looked at 'em. It does play beautifully though, I love it to bits.

With all the trouble he has fretting lower notes, I'm starting to wonder if he might have some sort of physical affliction causing incredibly weak fingers. Would explain a lot.

I can imagine mine wouldn't get much attention... [i]Fat bloke wants to play something heavy. Hasn't played in a band in over 20 years, with gear just as old. Can't drive and I live in the middle of nowhere. Not bothered about making money at it, or even playing live.[/i] They'll be knocking down my door to get to me!

[quote name='sprocketflup' timestamp='1350505464' post='1839907'] old lamp parts....dont he play for Chelsea? [/quote] Old Lamb Parts? There's a dodgy local Butchers that sells 'em.

It seems to me that the blame for the perceived fault actually lies with the venue. And the claim that venues are closing down because they put the wrong bands on (because they've been tricked by people charging less or nothing) makes no sense whatsoever. If that really is the case then those people have no business being in business in the first place. If there really is a pattern where hiring cheaper bands = losing money, and they don't spot it, well... If you can accept that, then you really should accept that those who aren't bothered about making money at it might feel the need to stick up for themselves in a thread intended to moan about them.

[quote name='swanbrook' timestamp='1349911397' post='1832299'] Look I said it twice already it won't effect me, I do see both sides and agree I think to a point playing for free isn't the best idea in the world but in general it's not going bother me. When I moved to this town the standard fee for a band was 80 quid a man ( again in pubs not weddings) now because bands where under cutting the standard is 30. And if the guys are happy doing it than fair enough. I don't look down at anyone who has the balls to play live. Sorry about the prat thing ! But I take what I do very seriously made too much the fishing stands but I will be watching from the side with a beer and practicing brown eye girl [/quote] In which case my posts weren't really meant for you, but to the few posts in this thread that expressed a very different view. I might join you with the Uke that I like to take fishing with me, so I can widdle about on it while waiting for a bite and trying to drown out the sound of the ducks laughing at me. Here's a thing, though, I don't even play live, I haven't for over 20 years, I'm not in a band. A few years ago I was talking to a local musician who asked if I was looking for a band. I told her the sort of thing I wanted to do, but said that I was just in it for fun, not interested in making any money at it. She suddenly seemed to turn into a Gollum type creature and hissed "Well some of us have to!".

I'm not looking down my nose at anyone. I was showing that there is another side to many of the things that have been said in this thread. I agree that doing free gigs isn't going to affect you. So all I am asking is not to be looked down on just because I want to play for free. It doesn't make me wrong, it doesn't make me an inferior player, which is what I've been reading throughout this thread. And sticking up for myself doesn't make me a prat.

I don't have a problem with bands who want to charge, get what you can get away with. What I object to is being told that by not charging I am ruining it for those who want to and I am obviously an inferior musician. I can understand charging if you're being asked to play a crappy gig that's not going to be any fun. But I just wouldn't do the gig. If there's no fun there's no point, as far as I am concerned.