elom

Loads of good stuff on this thread which I shall freely pilfer!

[quote name='tauzero' post='91847' date='Nov 20 2007, 09:43 PM']Eee, they don't come much better than this... Midday till 2 PM at Dudley Beer Festival with the ceilidh band [url="http://www.newcoronaband.co.uk/"]New Corona Band[/url] - and to put the icing on the cake, it's my birthday and I'll avoid having some party that I won't be able to cope with So if any BCers are in the vicinity, it would be good to meet you. Just look for the bloke with the WAV-4 upright who hasn't mastered that 3+4 finger thing yet.[/quote] As I read this I am sipping cold beer from a Dudley Beer Festival 1988 half pint mug - just thought I'd share that! I remember when I first arrived in Dudley as a very green student in 1987 looking up at the castle hill and being dumbstruck that there was an elephant wandering around up there. I told my fellow freshers who thought I was making it up. It was weeks before we realised that Dudley had a Zoo...

Playing a gig last night and I was struck once again by how well certain songs are always received. You know, the ones where people just have to get up and dance, even if nobody else is dancing. We've got a few of these in the set but could do with some more so I'll show you mine if you show me yours! Any genre, whatever you play - what gets 'em moving? Not merely the good stuff, the real guaranteed killers. For us (rock/indie covers band) they are: Song 2 - Blur She sells sanctuary - The Cult (an oldie but it seems that everyone knows it) I predict a riot - Kaisers and the daddy of them all... Place Your Hands - Reef (just the opening chords of this and people are on their feet) So what are yours?

Nice [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WESTONE-THE-RAIL-HEADLESS-BASS-GUITAR-80s-CLASSIC_W0QQitemZ200174696918QQihZ010QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]Westone Rail Bass[/url] up for sale on t'bay. I remember these from the 80s, weird looking things but strangely wonderful too. Want a different tone? Just move the pickup!

[quote name='simon1964' post='89692' date='Nov 16 2007, 10:46 PM']PS I would have a go at fitting a Badass for your next project - a real improvement on the Fender Bridge, and IMHO would look great on that bass[/quote] If you do, let me know and I'll have the Fender Bridge off you - will be miles better than the bit of bent tin on my cheapo!

Hi Paul, I understand your trepidation. I'm one of those non-practical blokes who can't fit a plug without a diagram and takes an hour to change a washer. I was too worried to start messing about with my own bass so I bought a [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mb222t.htm"]cheap HB[/url] (actually mine was a kit and putting it together was an education in itself) and a copy of [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bass-Handbook-Complete-Mastering-Guitar/dp/0879308729/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195164593&sr=8-1"]The Bass Handbook[/url] and just set about it safe in the knowledge that if it all went pear-shaped then there is no great loss. It took a few goes but now I feel reasonably confident to set up my own basses. It really isn't as hard as you'd think. So to sum up, practice on something cheap! elom

Thanks Aussie for this thread because I've been thinking along these lines myself. I've just commited every spare penny I have to buying a rather fine piece of wood from BassBod otherwise I would be looking very closely at the Markbass 121H. That looks the business if you ask me.

[quote name='Lorne' post='88736' date='Nov 15 2007, 12:05 AM']I've met both of them and they are assholes Only kidding,great guys,especially Telebass,Plymouth get together-too far away for me Oooops,I live in Plymouth [/quote] Shall we have a Westcountry mini-bash then?

[quote name='lwtait' post='86393' date='Nov 10 2007, 09:14 AM']I've not heard the dirnt plugged in but it feels really nice to play. i just don't like the star on it.[/quote] Interestingly the [url="http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0138400306"]Fender Mike Dirnt [/url]doesn't have the star, plus its also available in Vintage White & Sunburst.

could you play it as an upright? That would make an impression!

I really think that Squier have raised their game recently, as can be seen by the reaction to the VMJ on these boards. There will always be some that turn their noises up at the label but stuff 'em. Seems like you don't need a lot of money to have a lot of bass these days!

Get down wid der kids and avoid being attacked by purveyors of lard based confectionary 'PHAT RASCALS'

That's a nice looking bass. Someone on here used to have one of their butterfly basses didn't they?

I've found the [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Pages-Leonard-Publishing-Corporation/dp/0634033263/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/203-3244317-1610347?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194302045&sr=8-1"]Bass Tab White Pages [/url]to be really good at covering loads of songs from a range of styles, (Rock, Metal, Motown, R&B, Pop...) most of which I've heard of too. And it includes lots of great basslines so whether it's 'Sir Duke' or 'My Generation' there is plenty to get a bit of inspiration from. It has both notation and tab for all 200 songs.

My 7 year old is heavily into McFly at the moment so I am not unfamiliar with their stuff. Am I the only one who thinks that sound more than a little like the Bay City Rollers? (who were popular with 7 year olds 30 years ago)

The skinniest of skinny necks is on a Fender Performer - it's like playing a chopstick, brilliant! [attachment=3197:full.jpg] Finding one is a different matter though. There was someone on here recently though who had a mint one that they were thinking about selling - worth a search. That's the only one I've ever seen (almost) for sale in the UK.

Obviously its highly subjective but the Bass Collections (original or reissue) are small, well balanced and incredibly light at just 3.1 kg (7lbs in old money). Could play it all night!

[quote name='andyonbass' post='81660' date='Oct 31 2007, 11:27 AM']Hmmm...... lets hope the new web site marks an improvement in customer service as well. I dont think so, somehow, seeing as I am still waiting for a response from them regarding an item I have had on order for 3 weeks My fault, really, 'cos I am aware of their reputation, fortunately its not an expensive item.[/quote] Yes but remember [i]"The Bass Centre's commitment to service applies equally to professionals and enthusiasts alike"[/i] - so that's okay then. Poor web site too with lots of deadends and 'awaiting further information' pages which seems to add to the overall impression of a company that's not really bothered. Such a shame.

We use the [url="http://www.lemonrock.com/"]lemonrock.com[/url] web site a lot and as I've never seen it mentioned here I thought I'd bring it to your attention. We've been using it for about 6 months and it seems that a lot of the bands on the westcountry circuit do too (though it is nationwide). It's been really useful for finding out about venues, checking out other local bands and some other quite cool stuff too. The gig listing gives us a direct feed for our own web site and will send out email or text alerts when you we add new gigs. We encourage people to leave reviews on there for us and that in turn has helped to generate quite a few private bookings. I think that it costs £20 for a year but it has been well worth it in my opinion. It's well run, easy to use and does exactly what it says on the tin. Just don't ask me why it's called lemonrock! elom (I'm not on commission, honest...)

Saw them last weekend at the Bristol Academy - just awesome. Been one of my favourite bands for a long time but the first time I've seen them live.

I had a long email conversation with John at Longbow about a year ago and came close but decided that I couldn't justify it. I still keep an eye on the web site but it has been 'closed to new orders' for a long time now so I'm guessing that they are no longer in business.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='76384' date='Oct 19 2007, 10:37 AM']Have you got that Status high enough?[/quote] It has to be that high for those new-fangled nipple straplocks...