bass_dinger

And he hadn't felt enough, either.

No, I think that that his handle still works for a member who used to play bass but now plays guitar. Bas Sadder 60.... But, in seriousness, I need to visit there more often.

I refer the defendant to the case of bass_dinger v Basschat.co.uk This case seemed to establish that a refinish that was a repair, counted as any other repair, and would not result in a Gear Abstinence breach. However, it will be for you to show that it was a repair...

. . . and the bass is painted, a turquoise-to-blue-burst finish. Even the headstock has the same 'burst. Although it is ready to ship back to my luthier to be rebuilt, we all agreed to wait until the start of January 2025, once everyone is back at work after the holidays. That allows the finish to rest and cure a little more, and ensures that the item is not stuck in transit over the Christmas holidays. Right now, it looks like someone else's bass, or something out of a custom-shop catalogue - certainly, it doesn't feel like I can possibly own this! I rather like it. @AndyTravis - that colour was inspired by the image of the 8-string that you shared. Woof, indeed! Edit - the colours are Candy Blue, and Candy Royal Blue. Not the Feibing’s leather dye used by the Washburn custom shop. But I am very happy with the finish.

Me neither. In my case, due to a lack of talent rather than a fear of heights.

It's real. The Torzal Twist bass. Read more here https://www.torzalguitars.com/natural-twist Edit - they seem to also supply a fan-fretted twist bass. Look at the headstock end for the twist, and the bridge for the fanning. My brain hurts.

I see what you did there. Very good!!

I do like a busy bass line - especially with chromatic runs in them. It feels like an opportunity to take my playing up a level. So: You're my first my last my everything Silly Love Songs Signed Sealed Delivered Christmas Wrapping It's great fun to drive a song along. By practicing harder stuff, I can play other stuff more easily.

Thanks for all of the answers. Logically, it should be Vox - the only amp manufacturer that I have evidence for being based in the area. However, it was definitely a small and new business, and Badger feels like a familiar name - were it not for the fact that Badger seems to have been based in Leeds, 10 years prior to my time-slot. For now, it will remain a mystery.

So, I used the amp a few times over the past few weeks, in a rehearsal and two live situations. The D and G strings tended to dominate - that was a deliberate choice on my part, as I wanted those notes to cut through. When the guitarist complained about the volume, it was easy to change my technique and cut back on the treble. All in all, the smaller cab seems to give a tighter, more aggressive sound than the Ashdown cab and head that I am more used to. I still don't know what the Aural Enchancer does - but the rest of the amp does a job, and has a small footprint. For the £20 that you paid, you can either use it as a cheap combo amp, or convert it into a bird box big enough to frighten the neighbours ("yeah, mate, eagles used to nest in the area back in the 1850s, and the council want to reintroduce them as part of the rewilding project....") PS the cooling fins on the back are necessary. I don't play many songs in a set, but have found that the fins get warm. If I was going to use it for a one hour set, I would perhaps put a little PC fan on a bracket to mitigate the warmth.

It's even trickier on my mobile phone, with the music the size of a postage stamp! I shall look again, when I have access to a PC - it looks like an enjoyable challenge.

Nothing bass-related (apart from the conclusion of a long term rebuild project that started in 2023). However, I am looking for an Eastman mandolin - the MD304E by Eastman impressed me a lot, more so than any other builder. So, that's what I am looking forward to exploring in the new year. But before I get a better mandolin, I need to learn some tunes on my current instrument.

I enjoyed a gig by the Colin Peters Set, at a venue in Hextable. Lots of Jazz standards, played on piano (Colin), guitar, upright bass (a chap who normally plays in West End shows), drums, trumpet and sax, topped off with a superb lady vocalist. You can be forgiven for not having heard of Colin Peters - he is my piano teacher, and in his 80s. However, he was previously the resident band leader at a venue that hosted Harry Seacombe, Shirley Bassey, Norman Wisdom. He gave it all up when he started being asked to play Led Zeppelin tunes. However, he is now playing again, and all that experience bought him where he is today - teaching me Grade 1 piano.... It was a delight to hear good musicians playing well, and so relaxed too. As for Colin, it was wonderful to hear him play in a setting that allowed him to enjoy the music - and I learnt that my piano teacher is remarkably talented!

I actually had a dream that I had purchased a 4 string steinberger-type cricket bat bass, in terrible condition, and strung with acoustic guitar strings, for about £20. I was delighted with my new dream bass - especially the fact that the mythical bass had an extendable foot that allowed me to play it like an upright. In my dream, I suddenly realised that I had failed the Gear Abstinence Challenge for 2024, and was devastated. What a nightmare! A steinberger for 20 quid, but it wasn't real....

Watching Strictly now, and wondered if that is still the case - sight reading dots? Certainly, what they do is beyond my skillset, and I am in awe of anyone who can do what they do.

What a talent! Akin to patting one's head with a mallet, and rubbing one's tummy with sandpaper - difficult to do, and painful to watch.

And in public, too. That means that everyone following the Letts YouTube channel will see how long Letts takes to fulfil an order, or even to respond to requests for information. Not good for his reputation, but excellent information for punters. If Mr Letts doesn't produce a suitable bass this time, it won't just be the ball that's in court.....

"Prompted by the need for more space, Glock moved in that year to 1b London Road, Crayford, just over a mile up the road from the Jennings works on Dartford Road. The company remained in Crayford until 1991." https://www.voxac30.org.uk/vox_ac30_cabinets.html That page shows where the factory was - near to the greyhound track, which feels right. So, the timing is right, and perhaps the place. However, the company were not just making the cabinets, but making combo amplifiers on site, which I would have needed to test. I wondered if it was a smaller operation - perhaps inspired by the success of their neighbours, and with access to local amplifier experts. However, I didn't work there because the employer told me that I had to take the role or lose my benefits. I then called my contact in the local job centre, who said that that particular company's YOP scheme had not been approved yet, and that they had jumped the gun. I was relieved not to have to work for them, and never contacted them again. I think that, after 41 years, I have forgotten the detailed events.

Shortly after leaving school in 1983, I was offered a place on a Youth Opportunities Programme, with a guitar amplifier manufacturer, based in Crayford. I didn't take the job, and can't now remember what the company was called. From memory, the amps were small combos, rather than anything high end. Does anyone know what the company might have been called? I am curious to find out who I almost worked for.

Here, a perfect example of basschatters giving me an informal lesson. In my piano lessons, I had noticed that the major third sounded out of tune, compared to the root note. However, I wasn't sure whether I was imagining the discordance. Now, @Rosie C and @Stub Mandrel have confirmed that it is indeed a real thing. And I have learnt something new.

My daughters' music teacher once told me "if you can't play it slowly, then you won't be able to play it fast."

With buyers, yes, it's popular. What other "shop" offers a full range of low-value items, and second hand obscure books and CDs? With sellers, I think that it is less popular, given the number of problems that have been shared here. I suspect that is why ebay has offered virtually free selling - they need sellers to attract buyers. Certainly it's not because of the goodness of their hearts that they are offering discounted prices for sellers!

Acoustic bass guitars are very niche, I have found. I had a Hobgoblin 5 string which I loved to play in my ukulele band. I then upgraded to a Boulder Creek 5 string, with a set of Thomastik Infeld strings. Wonderful instrument - many times I have wanted to sell it, but the tone and ease of playing made me keep it. It is a very responsive instrument, which encourages me to play better. However, I have not played it in a band in 5 years. Really, it needs the right application - a fully acoustic string band, perhaps? Maybe with violin, mandolin, and guitar too?

And their greatest hit, about a hard-boiled egg placed in the fridge - Cold 'n' Brown.

And previews from 7th April. This all feels like a very tight deadline for a very big show. I am guessing that they want a professional and experienced singer who can just parachute into an existing band.