FJ1200

Anyone seen these? [url="http://starsunguitars.com/"]http://starsunguitars.com/[/url] A friend of mine has imported some g****rs but I've not seen a bass yet. The more extreme ones don't do it for me, I'm afraid. Warlock, Bat etc.

[quote name='OldGit' post='167695' date='Apr 1 2008, 02:13 PM']Well .. a custom bass is related to the Ferrari except that when you play one the general populace don't notice whereas they will think you are a chavvy flash lottery winner [rhymes with] banker when you drive by in a Ferrari - or the ones aged mre than 13 anyway ... There are many reasons to buy a custom bass, not least of which is that some don't cost a lot more than a stock Stingray ... The reasons are largely selfish and only appreciated by a very, very small % of the population, most of whom were in that room on Sunday. As for sound, well I've seen people get great sounds out of crack converter reject gear and others make an awful racket with a signature bass and reams of top notch amps cabs and effects ..[/quote] Which luthiers will do 'lower-priced' (he says choosing the words [u]very[/u] carefully) custom basses? For those of us who don't have a fortune to spend. Won't be getting one just yet, though - I have a house to decorate for starters. Then an acoustic to get repaired. As an engineer by trade and compulsion (and nearly 20 years in industry as a fitter/machinist/toolmaker before constant redundancy got the better of me, and my dad was a cabinet maker) I love and appreciate craftsmanship in all its forms. Some of the custom basses on Sunday were stunning, and sounded great. But they'd be wasted on me at present. I'd love to have one, but have other priorities. Maybe one day.... when the kids leave home perhaps.

[quote name='MB1' post='167624' date='Apr 1 2008, 12:50 PM']MB1. "My wife has a strict 1 in 1 out policy........ that started with my jeans"? This could be extremely embarassing doing the shopping in Asda!......1 in and 1 out of your jeans????? [/quote] Well - I couldn't [i]possibly [/i]comment! (Wifey shops on t'internet anyway)

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='167634' date='Apr 1 2008, 01:59 PM']Why have an FJ1200? A Puch Maxi will still get you from A to B.[/quote] Will a Puch Maxi get me from Peterborough to Portsmouth and back in one piece? On the same day, mind. Or to Sheffield and back? Or Leeds? Might make Northampton and back. Just. What about Sunderland? See, a 1200 sports tourer will do those journeys effortlessly again and again, a Puch Maxi will blow up after a few miles up the A1. Which is why I bought the FJ. With a full 3-piece Givi hard luggage set. See, I travel a fair bit every now and then for work, and at the time we didn't need 2 cars and I've always been a biker. And doing the maths, it actually cost less than a car to run it and it's fine for what I needed. And I always wanted one and it was reasonably cheap. If I needed the car to move servers around, I'd borrow the Scenic and my wife would use her mum's car. Happens rarely. I have a Fiesta now to move my gear around and circumstances have changed and I need a car. Still got the bike too. So not [i]quite[/i] the same argument really, but I can see where you're coming from. So why buy a Ferrari when you can't legally use it's full potential in the UK on the roads?

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='163450' date='Mar 26 2008, 12:23 AM']Not a clue! Unlike yourself I did not spend a fortune on custom basses to play cheap planks instead. But then I never do gigs where gear is shared and never have. Anyone who turns up for a gig without a bass should f*** off as far as I am concerned. It maybe that these really are cheap planks as good as stuff that is 3 times the price. But I am a cynical old bastard who thinks that if something is too good to be true then it is not true.[/quote] Personally - I don't give a rats. I don't have a fortune and I have other priorities. And to some people £200 IS a fortune. If that's what floats your boat and you have that money available then fine. Personally, I enjoy looking at exotica but owning one..? I think I'd be constantly worrying about it in case it got damaged. My Aria cost me less that £200, has P and J pickups and I don't worry about chipped laquer or the odd ding (or 5) here and there. Ok, it might not sound as good as a £2000 bass, but the neck is fairly narrow and the body is fairly light (I have had shoulder problems) and I'm perfectly happy with it. Might change the bridge and pups eventually, and intend to try lighter strings, but that's all. And I can shape the sound with the POD XTL. I have no great desire to play a 6-string, 7-string, 20-string or whatever - and the guys who do get my respect and I enjoy listening to them - but I would like to try an 8-string out. I'd like a 5 as some of the stuff we do has a low D and dropping the E down a bit doesn't sound that great to me and anyway I get confused with what I'm doing. But then I'm not a top player. I like the attitude that the US blues bassist had in another post elsewhere on this site - "Don't know or care what they are - I just pick 'em up and play 'em". Why do people buy mega-expensive basses anyway? Kudos of the name? Impress other bassists? as an investment? Or the unique shape/sound/feel? Would Joe Public know/care any different - especially after a few pints? I know that YOU'LL know, and I fully understand that and I'm the same in some respects - it matters to ME how it sounds. Last Sunday I messed up more than a couple of times but people said it sounded really great afterwards. Nice to hear but shows how much they know. (Now where's me flame-proof suit gone then?) Having said that, if I [i]had[/i] a fortune I'd probably get something custom made. As would we all. [size=1]Or a Rickenbacker 4001.[/size] [size=1]Or an Aria Pro II.... Or, or, er..... I feel an oncoming GAS attack.... Oh No! Not Now!! [/size]

[quote name='OldGit' post='167301' date='Mar 31 2008, 10:59 PM']Ha ha try implementing that policy with her shoes .. That will focus her ,mind a little....[/quote] She's not into shoes really... [quote]I too have many leads that are old friends that I don't use but like finding again now and then when I rummage through my old cables box (a 1960's Dansette record player case - also never to be thrown away). I don't seem to be able to throw anything away without it being a bit painful. Comes from a very frugal upbringing where Dad's "could be useful" collection in the shed very often was when repairing stuff ....[/quote] I have 2 'could be usefull' sheds and half the garage. Got her Scenic in it at the moment but it'll be back outside soon....

[quote name='OldGit' post='167237' date='Mar 31 2008, 09:44 PM']I don't know if this is still going but here's an open mic night in Peterborough [url="http://www.peterborough.net/lifestyle/articles/deepingsopenmic100.asp"]http://www.peterborough.net/lifestyle/arti...sopenmic100.asp[/url] ""We had complete first timers all the way through to us oldies who were there to back anyone who wanted a shot!" Gordon started the amateur open mic nights as a way for anyone who has strummed away in the garage or bedroom to actually get up and perform in front of an audience." Sounds like a place where you may find other peopel loking to do teh sam thing,...[/quote] Cool - will have to take a look although 17th May is my son's birthday - not a good PR move to miss it! The outlaws live in Deeping and we sometimes go to the RC fireworks so I know it - sort of. 10 - 15 mins up the road so nice'n'close. EDIT - have just emailed the guy so watch this space.

I was going through some of my old leads tonight and re-soldering one or two, and I have a very old 1980's curly glow-in-the-dark lead (that doesn't any more). Re-soldered the plug, tested it - I think the sheilding's gone somewhere - sounds ok but has a dreadful hum. But - I just can't bring myself to bin it (hope the wife doesn't read this or it'll be gone!) cos it's like an old friend that's been with me over 20 years. My wife has a strict 1 in, 1 out policy that started with my jeans! Same reason. Wimin just DON'T understand these things are important... So - what have you got that you've had since the "good old days" that you just can't throw out but is totally useless?

Realising the more I learn, the more I realise I don't know, and the more I learn the more I actually enjoy my playing... which in turn makes me... ...wish that in my teens I'd been more serious about my playing ...wish I'd bought a decent bass and rig while I had the chance in the days when I was still living at home with nowt else to spend money on ...wish I'd bought a decent bass and rig while I had the chance in the days before marriage ...wish I'd bought a decent bass and rig while I had the chance in the days BC (Before Children) ...wish that in my 20's I'd been more serious about my playing ...wish that in my 30's I'd been more serious about my playing ...wish I hadn't put my bass in the loft for 8 years in the early 90's (just married. Other priorities...) ...wish I'd booked lessons years ago when I first thought about it, and thinking how much further on I'd be by now! But - ya can't go back, only forwards. I'm trying to redeem the time and get back on track, but I'm also with BBC and Dillsfretless above, at 45, I don't have the confidence to join a band yet - and not being funny or anything - after Sunday's Bash I'm even MORE aware of how crap I am, and how good I could be if I practice 25 hours a day 8 days a week 60 weeks a year for the next 17,000 years. Might get somewhere close anyway... Trying very hard to use it as an inspiration and not see it an an unatainable skill level. Honest! I haven't really played in a proper band since my late teens, but I do play in church now alternate Sundays. Not quite the same thing but I enjoy it and the guy leading last Sunday is a bit rocky, technically very good and quite demanding, so I was stretched more than usual which was good, but I made up a good bluesey riff that he liked and we used and had a fun time. WLT get together with other musicians to jam, play blues or rock and simply just have fun. And beer. Spoke to a friend at work today who's a guitarist in the same boat - so together with my new little robodrummer friend we're going to have a Saturday afternoon in my study of Quo and AC/DC, and other simple stuff we can both play (and remember!). And beer.

There was one like this near the door of the Bass Bash for sale at £200. I do like acoustics and was very tempted... but then I'd have had to somehow sneak it into the house and hide it. And where's the fun in that?

[quote name='Oxblood' post='8106' date='May 28 2007, 02:41 PM']I know this is a rather big departure from your basic desire to put professional looking labels on an existing panel, but I've recently come across these guys in Germany: [b]Schaeffer AG[/b] Hohentwielsteig 6a, D-14163 Berlin Tel. +49 30/805 86 950 Website: [url="http://www.schaeffer-ag.de"]www.schaeffer-ag.de[/url][/quote] Passed this on to our engineering guys here. They look like a great company to know about and could prove extremely useful in the future. I may even use them myself some time for some custom panels in my server room.

I simply can't afford to keep changing my gear or buying expensive bases - that and I'd be in BIG trouble! My main bass is a cheap Aria, but does what I need it to do, and I've had my Ohm GA140 for about 15 years. Having the POD XTL I can pretty much model the sounds I need. The only thing I would change my amp for - and following some discussions with people who've had similar experiences at the Bass Bash - it's a bit heavy to get in and out of the car and I've had back problems before, so I'm wondering about a separate head and cab now but purely because of that. And I like the sound from the 15" driver. Not that I don't [i][b]WANT[/b][/i] a dozen £2000 basses and a couple of 6' rigs, mind! My GAS list extends to Warwicks, Rickenbackers, and so forth and Trace Elliot amps and cabs just for starters. Surprised that the POD doesn't model Trace Elliots, thinking about it.

+1000 huge thanks to Ped and the organisers. I had a great afternoon, good to put faces to names, and came away with a Boss drum machine to boot! Fantastic weather, nice to sit outside in the sun, drink beer and chat. Got a bit too loud at times for me inside - sounded a couple of times like people were trying to drown each other out. Bit OTT really. Otherwise - book me in for next year! Nick - you SURE you need [i]another[/i] bass? See you Tuesday anyway. Been playing with my new toy - it's going to be fun to use and a big help with practising. I was looking at buying a drum machine in the next few weeks but don't have to now. Only trouble now is... [b]very[/b] bad GAS!

Yeah - I do it. Having learned the hard way. Except that yesterday while messing around with my POD I managed to step on my main lead with a 90 degree plug on it and pulled the cable so that it's broken inside the plug. AND to cap it all I can't find my soldering irons (I have 2). AND my 3 spare leads are all dodgy as well. Had to buy a new lead today as playing tomorrow morning before making the dash to Northampton. Speaking of curly leads, I still have one from way back in the 80's that glows in the dark! Except it doesn't any more. Having just checked.

I have a video of Colin on the TV with Alexis Corner from back in the 80's - one of my most treasured possessions. I only had a b&w tv at the time, I commented on it on one of those videos and some guy had the same video in colour. Can't remember the TV series but it's great. Going to put it on DVD when I get chance. Saw him in the late 80's at the Barbican Guitar Festival on the Peavey stand. Got a photo somewhere.

[quote name='Jimbo' post='166022' date='Mar 29 2008, 06:36 PM']01. Silverfoxnik 02. WalMan 03. Merton 04. Johngh 05. OBBM 06. G-77 07. Rich (hopefully) 08. Alexclaber 09. Tauzero plus the future Mrs Zero 10. Steantval 11. Doctor of bass 12. Birdy 13. ped 14. Machines 15. tonyf 16 MacDaddy 17 Owen 18 Bassace 19. Moody 20. McGraham 21. Skywalker 22. Jimbo 23. Urb 24. FJ1200[/quote] Be there lunchtime-ish. Fiesta full of kit and Bass POD for people to play with if you want to.

Had an awful Encore Coaster P-bass in black when I was 19 or 20 I think. Cost me £79 and got hacked to pieces and re-wired dunno how many times! I even added a Double Eagle humbucker to it - just cos I could. It sat in the loft for years and I gave it away to a friend's son about 5 years ago.

Been told I can come out and play. Is anyone bringing a Bass POD XT Live? If not I'll bring mine for people to play with - seems to be a fair amount of interest in them. Also will have my Ohm GA140 1 x 15" combo and Aria IGB40. Won't get there till 1:30ish as I'm playing Sunday morning.

[quote name='Flintlock' post='162621' date='Mar 24 2008, 01:32 PM']Any more video's coming?[/quote] Thanks for the responses. Not sure about more videos - I'm not that good a player, but I could be persuaded to bring it to the bass bash next week if nobody else is bringing one for people to play with. Won't get there till around 1:30pm though as I'm playing Sunday morning. Will enquire...

I think it's swings and roundabouts really - I have no problems going across the road to the local retail park to look at freezers, washing machines - white goods at certain well-known hight street retailers and then buying online, but smaller specialist shops I'll help to keep open, so out little music shop in town or the one down the road from me, where you can see and test what you're buying and get some proper old-fashioned service. We make our own beer and wine and started using kits for the first time last year. We have a small specialist shop in town we use cos he's been doing it years and knows what he's talking about. Not a box-shifter, a nice guy and a walking encyclopedia as well!

Ta. thought it had to be summat like that but ya never know... (old amp, no manual)

2 Korg vids online at last! See post #5 above.

OK - probably an obvious one here. Amp send/return. Never really used it but my GA140 has a single send/return jack whick I presume needs a stereo jack input but what goes on t'other end? I've always used inline effects until I got the POD XT, and I now use that in the send/return to bypass the amp, but need to have it only part-way in to make the proper contact. How is one supposed to use a single Send/Return socket?

[quote name='Flintlock' post='159867' date='Mar 18 2008, 07:45 PM']Are you going to post some Korg sounds as a direct comparison?[/quote] Yeah - I did but the vid was too long and got rejected so having to re-do it but I kept getting interupted! I prefer some of the Korg synth sounds - more usable and in IMHO more fun! EDIT> AAARRRGGGHHH - HOW difficult can it be to upload a video? 3rd attempt last night - got cut off near the end cos they're doing site maintenence.

I have a similar plastic box but split the lid on Sunday (raining too!) so going to build myself a strong one that will sit on top of the amp for wheeling around, but be strong enough to act as a stand as well. That way I can have proper compartments and maybe if I'm clever get my POD XT Live in it as well in a properly protected foam-lined compartment. I can then also have it properly lockable. Then maybe if I add gps to it and Sky-plus, maybe a microwave, fridge for summer beers............... (Mmmm - like the wheeled box OldGit has just posted.)