Graham

I won't know which date until Christmas Day, but my wife has booked me tickets to either the penultimate or final Lounge Kittens gig in February, not sure if I'm going to London or Southampton yet. In March a group of us from work are going to see Nordic Giants in Brighton, should be fun that, especially as it's two days before my birthday. I'm surprised I work with as many fans of instrumental post-rock as I do. I'm thinking of going to see Petrol Girls in Brighton in January too, femenist hardcore is a genre I've been enjoying recently.

Steve Brodsky and Marissa Nadler have just released two covers from when they did their Droneflowet collaboration earlier this year - Phil Collins Something In The Air Tonight and Extreme's More Than Words. Really like them, particularly the Phil Collins one

I saw Torche with Slow Crush in support last night in Brighton. I had a great night, Slow Crush are a bit of a different vibe from the headliners, being something of a shoegaze band, but they were who made me buy a ticket and I loved their set, really engaging stuff. I bought their album afterward, just wished they'd played for more than half an hour and there'd been more people there, definitely want to see them on a headlining tour. Torche were brilliant - fun, good humoured - despite problems with the bass amp (the SVT2PRO had been on briefly without a load and that may have been the issue) and super tight. Really enjoyable to watch and played some great material, I've only recently got into them, so not that familiar with a lot of it. Well worth catching this tour if you get the opportunity.

Great review, at that weight, I might keep an eye out for a second hand one and then look at changing the pickups and pre-amp

Well worth a watch if you have small children and haven't caught this yet, I think our smallest has actually just fallen asleep during it. Porter sings Moon River over some really nice illustrations, it's a great performance CBeebies Bedtime Stories, 728. Gregory Porter - Moon River: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000bhmq via @bbciplayer

I've been going round and round trying to think how I could pay for it, and I just can't justify it. The only way is if I sold my Lakland, which I don't want to do, even though it's weight is what's making me want to buy this Sandberg. We're not rational creatures.

Awww shite

Fortunately sunburst and black don't do much for me either If there'd been white or red however.....

I saw a 3.3Kg five string jazz on the Bass Direct Facebook page this morning, if it was in a different finish I'd have been hard pressed not to get the credit card out. At £1400 it was far cheaper than I was expecting for a quality bass of that weight

If I'd seen one of those in the wild, with that headstock I'd have assumed it was a Ken Smith, certainly doesn't look like a budget instrument

To close the loop on that anecdote, I've pre-ordered their new (digital) album on Bandcamp, which is where I tend to buy music now. Physical albums I tend to buy either second hand on Amazon, or new directly from the band at gigs; or if the postage isn't exorbiant, Bandcamp

Cheers Jack, will give that a go

Thanks for the replies chaps, I think I'll make a doctor's appointment as it's taken longer for my hands to recover this morning. I'd never considered seasonality as a factor, but I'm sure the temperature/climate will be playing a role. My wife's quite into herbal remedies, so she's going to look at a termeric paste to keep in

This morning, and the morning after the last last few gigs, I've woken up with my hands/fingers feeling stiff; I've had it before and it'll go away before too long, but it looks like I'm now getting it consistently. There's a history of athritis in my family and I've had auto-immune responses before, so I'm guessing it's related to that. Has anyone else experience of this or found exercises that helped? As I'd like to try and address it before it gets worse?

Do you use the G string much? If not, you could trade it for the four string version and tune in BEAD? Or would that not really help in your circumstance?

Great choice in hats too

I really wish they did a five string tribute model of this I miss my SB2, not that it got a lot of use as I've switched to five strings, but this is the closest I can probably get to a SB2 fiver. I just can't afford a new USA made G&L at the moment

Is that micro switch on the control plate? Edit: Just realised there's already a micro switch on the Elite control plate

Drug Church You'd think with a name like that they'd be a stoner doom act, but they're actually a really melodic, uplifting hard-core band - great stuff

Only one musical purchase this year, which was a TC Spectracomp, it's a great piece of kit, have it on permanently

If were a seller, the reasons you state for wanting the seller to arrange the courier, are the reasons I'd want the buyer to arrange the courier. Couriers are too cheap, we don't want to pay what it actually costs to ship something, so drivers and depot staff are overloaded and under-paid, so they don't care. Insurance covers damage, so long as the courier can't wriggle out of it, which they often do with arduous conditions on what they will and won't carry and packaging requirements. When selling, I only offer collection: either by yourself or you're nominated carrier - essentially FCA incoterms for those in logistics - because I don't want to be responsible for a third party handling the instrument. I do have the advantage of being a Logistics manager, so can get my packing department to help with the packaging up of anything I sell

Just booked to see Torche and Slow Crush in Brighton in December

AFI They were my favourite band in my late teens, I drifted away from them in my twenties but have come back to them in the last few years. They've evolved a lot over their twenty five year history, but they're great songwriters and underrated musicians.

Sounds great, I love how consistent the low B sounds in comparison to the other strings. Brilliant bass face too

A PJ bass with a pointy headstock and strung with rounds, played with a pick into Sansamp. Also, some tight jeans.