P-T-P

Top man. Bought his TRB-6 and he met me after the Police gig I'd been to in otder to drop it off. Can't fault him and would happily deal with again.

Go for a classic solid colour, one of the lesser seen Fender ones like Foam Green (not Surf Green), or Daphne Blue or Shell Pink (if you can stomach it). As an aside, if you e-mail Dan at Lakland and explain what you're planning to do but mention the problem of the colour coded headstock and losing the decal, he will likely offer to send you replacement decals, he did with me, although I didn't go through with a refinish in the end.

Saw them on the 5th at the NIA and thought they were great. I've been a fan of the band for a long time though so hearing the songs live for the first time was great. I was more impressed than I was expecting to be and thought the musicianship all round was excellent, Copeland in particular. It also seemed like Sting is enjoying being a bass player again. It was definitely a performance and not a recital though. There were a few (minor) flubs in places and on more than one or two songs they went off on new tangeants that occasionally made you wonder how they were going to get back into the song again, but get back in they did. Even though they've played pretty much the same set at most of the gigs on the tour I didn't feel like they were just going through the motions, there was an edginess and tension between the three of them (in a musical sense) which made it for me. Mix was great where I was sat, at least it was once they got a few numbers into it (guitar was too quiet early doors). It was funny watching Stewart Copeland during the more free-form parts of the set as his facial expressions made it look as though he was falling in and out of love with Sting depending on his like or dislike of whatever groove Sting was cooking up. Sting was a very good frontman, but more often than not I found myself watching (and listening most intently too) Copeland. We should all be allowed to play with as talented and uncliche a drummer as he is at some point during our bass playing lives. My guitarist buddy also was disappointed with Andy Summers, though personally I thought he was choice. I think he didn't play single thing that was obvious and that there was much humour in his solos. He's released 12 albums and toured consistently since the Police broke up so it isn't that he is out of practice. By all accounts he is a better guitarist now than he was when they broke up, though of course I suppose that's a subjective thing and I'm guessing that people being disappointed by his playing is a result of their preconceptions of how he would play rather than a lack of ability/preparedness on his part. I'm normally a hater of guitar solos but enjoyed watching and listening to his. I will grant that he did look like he was going to suffer a stroke all through the set.

Thanks peeps, quite liking the bag of washers idea as a short term solution until I decide if the bass is a total keeper or not.

When did MIJ jazzes, even if they are from the period when there was no US production, become worth nearly three times what I would expect the asking price to be? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genuine-Fender-Fretless-Jazz-bass-in-white_W0QQitemZ290159934309QQihZ019QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Genuine-Fender-Fretl...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Yup, bought it last week from a fellow basschatter.

My current charges... [attachment=2204:001.jpg] Pearl White Lakland DJ5 with tortoiseshell pickguard and retrofit Bartolini NTB pre-amp [attachment=2205:002.jpg] [attachment=2206:003.jpg] [attachment=2207:004.jpg] Yamaha TRB-6 [attachment=2208:005.jpg] Warwick Thumb Ltd. Edition Bleached Blonde 4 [attachment=2209:006.jpg] [attachment=2211:008.jpg] [attachment=2212:009.jpg] Colour is closer to this pic, but the others show the flames off better... [attachment=2210:007.jpg] Cort Elrick RB-5 [attachment=29942:RB5a.jpg] [attachment=29941:RB5b.jpg] [attachment=29940:RB5c.jpg]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='58133' date='Sep 10 2007, 12:28 PM']We're having this conversation in my band right now as our photo shoot is coming up next Sunday. We're a bit resistant to the idea of a uniform as such, whats important to us is that we're distinctive and memorable - our individual personalities will count most for that. But the girls all have such divergent dress senses that its hard not to look a little chaotic. For example, one of our singers likes her bangles and jangles, another is more urban chic and a third tends towards gamourous. Its hard to reconcile those tastes into a look as such. However, the Spice Girls did a pretty good job of it and I'm still trying to crack their formula. I think the lack of accessories helped a lot, they didn't generally wear patterns onstage and each of them chose a look that didn't overlap with any of the others. Of course, in some ways the singers are the easy bit. The musicians are a little harder because we are in more of a supportive role and so our personalities aren't so crucial. I completely agree about black and the backdrop - we've had this experience ourselves mainly because the lighting was rubbish at most of the venues. If you look at some of the Jools Holland HipHop/RnB DVD acts most of them are looking good wearing black. I suspect this is because the lighting in the studio was a lot better than we've had on stage. Wearing something lighter in tone definitely helps lift the band out of the background a little.[/quote] I think it worked for the Spice Girls because they had a hefty amount of marketing behind them to reinforce their individual appearances. Posh, ginger, Sporty etc. weren't nicknames the fans came up with, they were created in a boardroom somewhere and the girls were sensible enough to live up to the images. Individualism is great, however it can also come across as too eclectic to be memorable. On the other hand, uniform can be uninspiring and bland. That's why we've settled upon a colour theme of black and white. We wear pretty much whatever we like as long as there's the B&W colour theme strongly represented. I think that's probably the way I would go if I was in your situation, say to the girls they can wear what they like as long as there is a common colour thread weaving it's way into the mix. The rest of the band could then either reinforce the colours or contrast with them.

There's definitely something to be said for having stage clothes, even if that means you just waer a different shirt and jeans to the ones you turned up in. I think it is kinda ritualistic and gets your focus on the performance. My band has gone from black trews and tidy shirts (which mainly ended up being black) to suits and ties (looks good but hot under lights and I personally found it very uncomfortable) to our current black and white theme which is proving to be very simple to achieve and effective. If required we do the DJ and bow-tie thing but thankfully it isn't required that often, but even when itis, the jackets usually come off pretty early. When we do a pub gig, I like not having to dress up as such, but I do still always change my clothes to go on stage, even if it is just a case of putting on a different shirt.

One thing that I've been thinking about since first contributing to this thread is that manufacturers like Fender, MMan etc. whose line-up of core instruments remains the same from year to year, have to do something to keep their profile in the magazines and so on. Although Fender, for example, introduce new finishes for their standard instruments each year, a 2003 US jazz is going to be the same as a 2007 jazz in terms of features, so why would a magazine bother to review the "new" model? With that in mind I can see some justification for special editions, though you have to question the need to have so many available all at one time.

Some very good advice from others which I can only agree with. Most important thing I think anyone has said is that while the B&G may know what you are like and may not want a typical wedding band but it is a virtual certainty that most of the people there will enjoy themselves far more if they get something akin to a typical wedding band. We charge a lot more for a wedding than we do for a club gig but we can do it because we are versatile. We may have a set in mind when we start off, but once things are underway everything can change. With regards lights, you may need some lighting for the band, but more importantly you'll need some flashing colours on the dancefloor. Remember the people aren't there to watch you, they are there to celebrate.

Long sleeve shirt/t-shirt perhaps?

Yes, Fender especially. There are currently 24 different jazz basses (excluding 5 string and fretless variations), and thatof course doesn't include the MIJ non-export models that anyone seems able to buy if they want one. I think it's fair enough if you bring out one special edition bass a year, like Warwick do, that is a significant departure from the normal version of one of the standard models. And of course if you build basses to order, then offering a bunch of custom options is fair enough.

[quote name='Rich' post='55702' date='Sep 5 2007, 08:04 AM']And what a bargain. That is a [i]fabulous[/i] bass.[/quote] I thank you sir!

Does it have to be new? Used in the UK you can get them in ace condition from as low £650 up to about £800 and you know exactly what you're paying for. With regards shipping in the US, there's been a change in the USPS policy for shipping to the UK which now means a well packed bass is about two inches too big to be shipped, though do they take a tape measure to these things I wonder? I imported a second hand DJ5 from the US a few months back. It was shipped FedEx (who made no charge for handling the import duties). The value of the bass was declared at, I think, $700 and in the end, with shipping and duty it cost me a hair under £800. As I say though, I have seen DJ5s go for as little as £650 on Bassworld, though I think people are getting to know now just how great they are and I sold the on I imported a few weeks back and got my money back. I paid £700 for my white DJ5 with batolini pre-amp fitted back before Christmas 2006.

Can anyone tell me the size of the Warwick tuners, are they 3/8" or 1/2" (or something different) and has anyone got an idea of thw weight? I'm thinking of replacing the tuners on my Thumb as there's a hint of neck dive about it and I reckon a set of Ultralites might just do the job. Anyone done this, did it make a difference?

Well they're all like it, so it's more a design flaw than cock-up.

Okay, so the southern hemisphere sunset I can buy, but then how do you explain the presence of the two wolves, which are a solely nothern hemisphere inhabitant? It's totally runining my mojo. It only makes sense if you read from the 21st fret to the nut, i.e. we're in the northern hemisphere, wolves are howling and then the sun comes up. But then they should be sunrise inlays!

We've got a treadmill that someone can have. It's in excellent condition. It's nothing fancy, just a foldaway resistance type one, not motor driven and since the missus has hurt her back she just doesn't use it, it is sat here taking up room. It's in Chepstow if anyone wants it, though you'll probably need a decent sized hatchback or estate with the seats down to transport it, though it is less than 5ft high so it might fit across a back seat. PM me if you want it.

Top bloke, drove all the way from Manchester to S. Wales on a bank holiday Friday to deliver his Warwick Thumb to me. Ace guy to deal with.

[quote name='BassManKev' post='50557' date='Aug 25 2007, 01:42 PM']havin fun? [/quote] Loads. Really like the q-tron as it turns out, wasn't sure if I would or not. Also that little delay pedal is a peach. [quote name='ZPQ' post='50560' date='Aug 25 2007, 01:51 PM']Nice setup you've got there Pete. Did you make the board yourself - I notice the power supplies must be underneath the pedals at the top. What do you think of the bbe opto stomp - I'm toying with getting one but they don't seem that many around compared to say aphex, ebs etc. Cheers John[/quote] Hi John, The board is a Gator Pedal Tote Pro and there's a Gator power supply which is tiny and sits underneath the board. As for the Opto Stomp, I took a bit of a chance on it as I just wanted a simple but effective compressor. It is exactly that, set it and forget it. It's the kinda compressor that you'll only notice when it's not there, if that makes sense. I really like it a lot.

[quote name='ped' post='50541' date='Aug 25 2007, 12:42 PM']It rises in the East and sets in the West - also the reason why southpaws were frowned upon in times past![/quote] Thanks for that professor lol I'll take some pics, might explain what I mean better.

Here's my little corner of FXdom... [attachment=1931:pedal_board.jpg] Chain is: BSW -> Micro Q-Tron -> BBS Opto Stomp -> ODB-3 -> GE7B -> Cool Cat 18v -> DOD Phaser -> Artec ADL2 -> Behringer DR100 -> TU-2 -> ART ZDirect DI

So I acquired MB1's Bleached Blonde Thumb bass yesterday. It's a cracking bass and the photo didn't do it justice. However, as I was looking at the sunset inlays on the fretboard, it occured to me that the sun doesn't set that way. To explain, from the nut down, the inlays show a mountain with a sun in the top right. As you move towards the bridge the sun drops down and to the left until it disappears behind the mountain. Am I missing something? Does it set that way in the Southern hemisphere? I'm trying to picture it in my mind, but I can't ever see it coming down in the sky that way.