BILL POSTERS

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1337934215' post='1667516']
Although the chances are that HMRC will (or should) if not immediately then within the first few years of such claims knock you set off claims back on the grounds that you are not "trading with a view to a profit".
[/quote]

If they do that, and officially declare it a hobby. Then does that mean that what you earn is exempt ?
cos if not then surely what you spend would still be deductable.

Questions already been asked, but where do they all go.

Think how many basses have been produced in the last say 50 years by Fender alone, awhere are they ? why are (say) 70s Precisions so rare ? OK I can understand music shops saying theyre not worth much when taking them as part exchange etc, but I cant see that many actually ending up in skips.

Must be millions in lovely old tweed hardcases sat lofts and under beds, with ageing owners like me thinking......Someday !

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1337895664' post='1667250']
Do accountants do the first appointment free like solicitors?
[/quote]
[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1337895664' post='1667250']
Do accountants do the first appointment free like solicitors?
[/quote]

Unless your earning a fair bit, its probably not worth bothering. Probably end up owing the accountant more than the HMRC.

From personal experience most accountants would just milk it, do sod all you couldnt have done yourself, and charge you dear for it.

Keep receipts for absolutely everything you spend thats band or even music related. In case you ever have to prove your expenses, And get someone else to sign whenever you can. I know a guy who takes Donald Duck with him just for that very purpose....

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1337688895' post='1663966']
That's a fascinating and surreal story, Brancini!
[/quote]



Have to admit I feel a bit guilty about it now I'm old enough to know better.

I wouldn’t want to take the Mick out of anyones playing ability, I’m far from perfect myself and have been known to make the odd clanger. But as this was years and years ago I don’t see any harm.

Trying to get an R & B / Rock n Roll band together with a couple of mates in the early 70s, we were approached by a young Drummer, who said he had access to a Transit, some PA, and space to rehearse in any night we felt like it. We did an initial run through of some numbers with a borrowed kit at a room in cannon Hill Park somewhere, but it was chaotic for one reason and another and we didn’t get to play much, but we weren’t impressed. Still, we thought we’d give him a few rehearsals, we had no gigs, and no drummer, so nothing to lose. We arranged to ‘Rehearse’ the following Saturday night, starting at midnight, and he gave us an address.

After a good night on the piss at The Railway, spurred on by having seen Bonham, ,Dave Walker plus odd members of Wizard, The Steve Gibbons Band, and Fairport playing a benefit gig, off we went, The rehearsal space turned out to be a Gentlemens Club in Handsworth, like something out of a BBC costume drama, leather chesterfields, oak panelled walls, snooker tables, bar, guy dressed like a Butler at the door - the lot. Apparently it was run by his father ( The Butler guy ) and his older brother, and we could use it after the members or whatever they were called had all gone home.

We set up, and this is where it got weird, he played with two snares somehow, and used brushes a lot. Still, none of us were great, and it was free, so might as well enjoy it. Somebody asked for a beer, and was told “ yeah, help yourself” later his brother turned up, a sort of camper version of Dale Winton, but a nice guy, and stared mixing cocktails, again - free, then started playing some really great Fats Domino style boogie on the Piano that was in the room, even better. At around 6am, he even cooked the ones of us who were still conscious a full English breakfast.

Obviously, we had to persevere with this drummer for a while, so the full audition went on for several weekends, as we thought he 'had‘potential’ and by the fourth Saturday we had 3 or 4 spare Guitarists, a backing singer, and a roadie in tow.

Then his brother started ranting that he should manage us, Cant remember much about what transpired - I remember he said we should all wear matching orange shirts, and dickey bow ties and then it got silly.

What or how we played, or why it stopped I cant remember. But it was great fun while it lasted.

I had intended to go the the Robin gig but I got distracted, Maybe next time around.

Always surprises me that there havent been more Dr Feelgood tribute acts than there are. I spose its partly cos yer average punter can only think of Milk & Alcholhol that they know.

Till they actually hear Roxette or Wind Up, they dont know who your talking about.

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1337627103' post='1663124']
Thanks Johnston, the ball ended allen key does seem like the best idea so far.
I have normal allen keys but... I have put the truss rod cover back on now (less likely to mess about with it) so I can't take photos, so I've knocked up a crappy little diagram to show my problem:


The black lines are the Bass and the outline of the truss rod recess. The red in each diagram is what I can do, the green is what I wish I could do but can't as you can see by the way it clashes with the black lines.

Hopefully that will explain things better then I have been able to in just words. Though it's probably just going to add a whole new level of confusion...
[/quote]

From the look of your drawing, a shorter short part allen key [i]would[/i] help. Have you tried using an L shaped torx tool, star shaped, but they fit into allen key type socket screws and they dont slip, I use em in place of allen keys a lot at work, and never damaged a head yet, that way you would get double the choice of 'start positions'. which is great when you can only get about an eighth of a turn.

Works for a lot of people. I've tried it and it didnt work for me, soon got bored with the one doing the least gigs and it got to be a chore. But try it, its all experience.

I wouldnt do it on the quiet though, tell em both .,Theres too much room for misunderstandings if somebody found out some other way.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1337536655' post='1661584']
You're right. As that dadadadadadadada bit over the D seems to stand out the most, maybe chuck it in for a hybrid version.

And Sparko [i]is[/i] very under-rated. Gone back to doing roofing or something, such a shame.

Does anyone share my mad dream that Wilko might one day hire Sparko and The Figure for a re-union tour. Give Norm a chance for a kip and some vitamins...
[/quote]

Would be good wouldnt it. theres a clip of em together from the 2010 memorial on youtube, but the sound quality is bloody diabolical innit, as they'd say round their way.

If its not a daft question, would an allen key with a shorter short bit help ? I've had a few basses in the past where grinding the short bit down by about 50% has made life much easier.

Arthritis in his hands so I heard, caused by wet plaster. That or barring a bass on the 10th.....

Its murder doing it his way.

Have you checked the heater volts ? Not usually a problem with valve amps, but if its DC there could be an issue.

Op Amps tend to go noisy. but it sepends what they are. My way would be feed a signal in from something like a tuner or CD player, play it at low volume, and heat em up with the tip of a soldering iron, same with any transistors - they dont usually melt, and if theyre duff it'll show up before you get em very hot anyway, but note the type numbers first in case the printing comes off. .You'll hear a variation more at low volume, even better if you have a scope, that way you van see it as well.

You could use freezer and a hairdryer, but in 40 years of repairing stuff, I can count the faults I found that way on one hand, hundreds & hundreds with a soldering iron though.

If its single sided print, for what Op Amps cost, you might as well just swap them tbh.

[u][i]Only do it live if your competent to so so, and keep one hand in your pocket. Dont hold a Bass with earthed strings while the tops off. Hence the Tuner or CD player.[/i][/u]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1337532727' post='1661503']
I've just been and had a look on youtube.

Sparko seems to play most of the song up around the tenth - almost like he's playing a rtm guitar part. I've loved this song for 35 years or so and never noticed. What a muppet I am.

And Brancini's right with his dadas - please ignore my feeble effort.

You can quite clearly see what Sparko's playing here:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrSx700tJ5Q[/media]
[/quote]

Love that version, and the pier one ( going back home video). Sparko' s very underrated I reckon.

There aint a right and wrong way though is there ? Norman plays it on the 3rd fret and that sounds good as well.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1337530590' post='1661464']

Whether he barres at the 10th and plays it using the E and A strings or at the twelth fret using the D and G strings escapes me.

Dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-da-dahhh.

This should get you started. Hopefully someone else can verify / amend this.
[/quote]

On the tenth,

And its Da da da, da, da da da, da, dadadadadadada

I dont play with a pick, so it dont sound quite the same, but I just play the G on the tenth, and lift off to deaden the string.

I'm not familiar with this amp, but I'd start by monitoring the anode volts on the valve. Preferably while the fault is present ( pins 1 & 6 of its an ECC83 ) or as its old, even swapping the anode load resistors specially if theyre a bit discoloured. Always a good starting point, .

Of course, thats assuming it is a pre amp fault. Have you tried feeding a signal into the effects return - if there is one - see if the faults still present ?

[quote name='jezzaboy' timestamp='1337032651' post='1654511']
Are you Chris Glen`s long lost doppelganger?

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[attachment=107975:post-16590-0-09164700-1337017881.jpg]


Jez
[/quote]

I had no idea Fred West played bass till last night.....

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1337068983' post='1654726']
I think the corrosion normally comes from being stored in lofts or garages in damp environements rather than the PVA but i have noted that myself and it is a valid point worth further investigation.

Dave
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No nails, mastic gun, boot of my car was always full of tools / screws anyway which didnt go rusty.... Must be the PVA I reckon.

One little point. Anybody else noticed that if you put a woodscrew into the nozzle of PVA based glue bottles, or No Nails tubes, they corrode quite badly. Even plated ones. I'm not sure if it will still happen with dried glue.

Just a thought, but a corroded screw you cant get out, or that snaps off might cause problems.

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1337019335' post='1654167']
Suede jacket, desert boots, originals.....
Want to try again?
[/quote]

OK, Suede jacket, desert boots, originals, perhaps I Should have gone to specsavers.

March 1970 ?

I wore similar clothes to that around then. ,

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1337017908' post='1654131']
Guess when this was taken.......................
[/quote]

Denim Jacket, Moccs, but not flares, Pork chop sideboards.
.
May 22nd 1971 ?

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1336987024' post='1653456']
. If those guys could see us now eh, what a bunch of pussies we'd look.

I wonder if, as we now live in a more materialistic world compared to then, there's not more of an obsession about the gear than the music itself? Perhaps it's less to do with age but more to do with the age we live in.
[/quote]

Yeah, beat up gear does seem to be a thing of the past, even with old gits. I can remember getting funny looks in Jones & Crossland - Who remembers them ? - years ago for trying to get a Marshall logo to replace the broken one on my SL100 even a few comments about do I want a tin of Pledge to go with it ?

You have a point about it seeming to be more about the gear, at least with some people. Getting a bit like some of the Hi Fi nutters I used to have to deal with, I swear half of them listened more to the quality than to the music on the records they were playing..

1200mA rechargeable AAs are 2 for a quid at Poundland, and you can get holders from Maplins for not a lot.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336949828' post='1653228']
No 6 Plain - haven't seen those since 1971 I think.
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Yeah, well. Couldnt find a blue packet. you get my point though. Works with Marlboro packets as well....

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336941213' post='1653089']
I hope he means business card ... or credit card.
[/quote]

No, a torn off bit of one like this.

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