lowregisterhead

Blimey, I just caught up with the thread... my query was a simple question of what it was that people LIKE about them, to try and help me grasp what it is that has made them so hugely popular - i.e. fastest selling album of 2012 in the US, etc. I'd just like to understand what their appeal is, because I'm afraid it passes me by completely. No need for the all this vitriol being spewed forth. As my dear old Scottish grandad used to say with a twinkle in his eye "If ye canna say somethin' nice, shut yer feckin' hole!"

Despite being in my 6th decade on this little rock, I still try and stay informed about the latest trends and musical fashions, and I've heard the above mentioned talked about a lot, but I've never really given them a chance, so I sat down and watched at least 20 minutes of their Glastonbury Festival performance tonight. Despite being a little older, I'm not uneducated musically, and I've always considered my tastes to be pretty catholic, but try as I might, I just don't get it. Even my dear lady wife, who's not especially musical bless 'er, looked up from her copy of Sporting Life and commented "All the songs sounds the same - and I haven't heard one I can remember." So could someone please enlighten me as to what it is that so many find commendable, memorable, edifying or uplifting about them. I must admit I'm veering towards agreeing with Charlie Brooker's somewhat uncharitable but perhaps not completely inaccurate appraisal of them, quoted elsewhere on here, as "Trust Fund Wurzels". They are posh boys from Wimbledon, I suppose. It was nice to see bassist Ted Dwayne looking hale and hearty after his recent health scare, though. He was having a great time. Y'see, I'm not completely heartless.

[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1372082728' post='2121324'] Anyone have a link to the Martin Taylor/Eddie Gomez thing that went round the bass forums a few years ago? [/quote] I have an mp3 of it - not sure how to post it though!

Wonderful work, gentlemen. Last night, in a moment of rare clarity, I presented our findings to She Who Must Be Obeyed, and within minutes was handed a sheet of paper with the following typed on it: "Bollocks." I'm not certain what that means, but I'm fairly sure it's not an equation.

An accurate formula has finally been developed for calculating the optimum number of basses you can own: It is: x-1, where 'x' is the number of basses which when reached, will cause your wife/husband/partner to leave you. (With thanks to Robert Elms, whose version of the formula was for calculating the number of bikes you could own.)

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1371757057' post='2117873'] The best drummer was Macca but Lennon sent Ringo a postcard. [/quote] According to Ringo's book 'Postcards From The Boys', the one above was sent to him the day after the Apple rooftop gig by McCartney, not Lennon. I'm not sure what that says!

Just a random thought, with apologies if this has been done in some form before... which bass players do you think should receive free basses for the rest of their natural lives for services rendered to a particular make or model of instrument? For the purposes of this discussion we shall ignore the obvious fact that some already do, and the bass tarts who change their bass more often than they change their underwear... we're not talking cynical, mercenary endorsement here, just the players who you can't think of without also visualising their instrument of choice... Just to get us started: Rickenbacker - I would like to nominate Chris Squire, Lemmy and Bruce Foxton.

Paul just took a very lovely bass off my hands, and it couldn't have gone to a nicer chap. A seamless transaction - deal with compete confidence. Thanks Paul!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1371465640' post='2114092'] It might have been a problem in the more primitive 70s, or if you live somewhere that has proper cold weather, but here in the UK its very much a non-issue. I've owned several guitars and basses with aluminium necks and bodies and have never had a problem with either cold or tuning stability. Even going to gigs in the winter the instruments never spend more than a couple of minutes outside of a temperature controlled environment (my house, the car, the venue) and then they are always in proper cases. I've also never noticed any significant tuning problems over wooden instruments subjected to the same temperature changes. Maybe if you had to travel for several hours in cold weather with the bass in the unheated cargo area of a van and then were expected to be on stage and playing within minutes of arriving at the venue, it might not be too good, but I doubt the average Fender bas would fare very much better. And besides the sensible owner of an aluminium bass would take precautions against situations like that happening. [/quote] A fair point, well made. Unfortunately in the depths of winter in the North East of Scotland in the late 70's there was an exact confluence of those precise circumstances that I witnessed on a couple of occasions. I wasn't the owner of the Kramer in question, and there were other variables, i.e. perhaps the owner's bad ear for tuning on-the-hoof and old strings, as well as possibly questionable playing skills, but although the bass was pretty, the sound it made sadly wasn't. All that mounting misfortune aside, my main gripe was just the way the neck felt - it appeared cold to the touch whatever the prevailing temperature. Great looking thing, though.

A cool looking thing, but I bet it also suffers from the main issue the aluminium-necked Kramers had - very cold to the touch, especially coming into a warm gig from outside on a cold night! Tuning could be an issue under those conditions. Did someone say 'coefficient of linear thermal expansion'??

I remember trying one of these in Denmark Street when they were first made - really solid, well made bass, great tones and lovely to play, very well finished, but weighed a absolute ton, IIRC!

No sh*t!! I'm actually quite tempted.

Very pretty. Seems in great nick, apart from the missing truss rod cover. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Celinder-custom-6-strings-/261228398228?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cd26d0694

Nick bought my Stingray 5 Classic. A charming fellow, a smooth-as-silk transaction, all round good guy - deal with confidence. Thanks!