molan

Need to consider potential 'sell-on' value with any custom build. We all start out thinking that we can design the perfect bass and that having it custom built means we'll never need to buy anything else. However, styles and techniques change & there's good old 'grass is greener' syndrome to contend with so you may wish to sell on your custom at some point. Even a relatively standard build from a custom maker can often be tough to sell and values tend to plummet. Bit of a generalisation obviously but I have noticed the odd Shuker kicking around on the forum here and on EBay for a lot less than their original value. Obviously most new basses depreciate in value but the higher end basses from what I'd call the 'semi-custom' manufacturers like Sadowsky seem easier to sell at much closer to their original price than something like a Shuker. Even the other British builders like Overwater & GB appear to be fast moving on the used market. Could just be that Shuker haven't really built up the rep of the others yet of course but worth bearing in mind anyway.

[quote name='funkmunky' post='331004' date='Nov 17 2008, 08:31 PM']Actually, it was me who played for Led Zeppelin in their heyday [/quote] I thought I could see a resemblance

[quote name='funkmunky' post='330981' date='Nov 17 2008, 08:09 PM']Thanks for posting that, very nice indeed. There is one slight inaccuracy though. I never played for Robert Plant. That role was filled by Ian's previous drummer of 5 years ago, Andy Edwards. Steve[/quote] Don't knock it - if Pete says it's true then it must be

From Pete today: We proudly present Ian Parker & his band, one of Europe’s major guitar and song writing talents who also has a soulful voice like Robert Cray. With a guitar style like the younger Peter Green and a brilliant new live album ‘The Official Bootleg’ plus a cracking band, Ian has been touring with the likes of Gary Moore and Walter Trout and is easily one of the top 3 rock blues artists of his time. But there’s more to his music than rock blues as his passionate songs push him into the top contemporary song writer league. [b]If you want to see the best up and coming band in the business , look no further as Ian is joined by Morg Morgan on Hammond and keys, top drummer and producer Wayne Proctor and former Robert Plant bass man Steve Amadeo [/b] Click here to be mesmerised!! [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmpImVOV6s&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pnmpImVOV6s&...feature=related[/url]

My guitarist went & came back about £3.5K lighter Add a rather nice PRS Modern Eagle to his collection tho

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='325427' date='Nov 9 2008, 06:10 PM']Molan, thanks for your offer of advice, we may well take you up on it. One word about advertising as a form of income, we've found that unless we get advertisers to pay in advance for a minimum period of time then the income is too unreliable to allow us to plan anything. You're also absolutely right about the size of the UK retail market, it IS relatively small and obviously even smaller when the offering of Thomann and other online European internet traders is taken into account. We would probably need to consider more of a sponsorship deal rather than selling advertising however I'm personally uncomfortable about having a sole sponsor that because if they were unscrupulous they could then potentially dictate what happens on the forum. However I guess we could also agree in advance the extent of sponsors relationships with the forum would be.[/quote] If you can zap me some real top line site stats I can give you a very rough idea of what it might be worth to an advertiser. Simplest thing is number of page impressions per day or week & maybe number of individual users (generally referred to as 'uniques') for a matching period. I definitely wouldn't let people advertise who weren't 100% going to pay by the way! An ad network or simply taking Google contextual ads is probably easiest asthey represent some sort of guaranteed income. Google is very simple & you basically just get paid every time someone clicks on a link. Can be text only so there's no nasty banners

[quote name='Rayman' post='325209' date='Nov 9 2008, 11:40 AM']Last minute disaster, won't be going after all.[/quote] Me neither, have been ill off and on this week & woke up today feeling really bad with headaches and dizzy spells. I'd even got my Rocco shirt out of storage ready for the trip Supposed to be meeting Jake to trade basses as well & I don't have his number, bugger, bugger, bugger!

[quote name='spike' post='324260' date='Nov 7 2008, 03:45 PM']Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell There's pretty much a different bass solo in every chorus[/quote] And then play it back to back with the Diana Ross version and hear the progression. I love what he's doing towards the end of this version

Call me an old cynic but I predict an "item did not sell" listing. . .

The fact that the key administrators are talking about change for the benefit of all, and doing it publicly, is a great thing. I'm a member of a few forums and I genuinely believe this one is better managed and has more of a democratic feel than most. If you need some help on commercial aspects then this is exactly the area of business in which I work (my company and associated businesses spend about £150M a year advertising online!) and I'd happily offer any advice for free Biggest thing to watch out for is that ad businesses pay something as little as £1 for every thousand people who 'see' an ad so it's not a massive cash generator for relatively small web properties. Maybe a better deal to have a [i]serious [/i]sponsor(s) and do some sort of deal on product or ticket sales etc. General rule on subscription services is that they don't work. There's a real ethos on the web that everything is supposed to be free and as soon as you start charging then people stop visiting. Possibly different for classified sections (as per TalkBass) but I'd still be worried that UK volumes are too small to support an ad funded classified section. Personally I love this place and have made both some 'real' and 'virtual' friends, if I can help in any way then give me a shout PS I'll be the one in the Rocco Prestia shirt at Bass Day if anyone wants to grab me

So long as you're 'a man of wealth and taste' then I'm sure you'll be very welcome

[quote name='g1hsg' post='325038' date='Nov 8 2008, 10:47 PM']Since my daughter decided to take up bass earlier this year I've managed to source everything for her from this forum, Bass, strings, cables, lessons, hard case, combo & tuner. It wasn't a deliberate policy to begin with but whenever she needs something it always seems to be available here EXACTLY at the right time from helpful, knowledgable sellers. I've done a fair bit of brass instrument trading on and off for 10 years and I can tell you guys that its a breath of fresh air on here. [/quote] Next stage is to get her a gig - check the 'wanted' section

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320315209828"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320315209828[/url] I don't really know about price on these and there's no bids so maybe it's too expensive but looks nice I think.

[quote name='Platypus' post='323030' date='Nov 5 2008, 10:05 PM']If you are considering a GB Shuttle 6, do check the cost in the US ( and the sales tax) and the fx rate - you can buy a new Shuttle 6 in the UK for £450 delivered and have the full 3 year warranty P[/quote] Mine came in at £350 from the US (including carry case) but exchange rate has tumbled since and you'd be lucky to find one for under £400 now. Shouldn't be concerned about import duties etc. depends on personal confidence levels.

Friend of mine had a Nemesis combo that was nothing but trouble. Continual problems and it failed completely at a gig once. may just have been a rogue head but really put me off. Sounded nice when it was working though! Purely personal view but I'd have to think that Eden would not sell cabs that sounded as all round good as their core range at a lower price as it would wreck their core brand sales. There's obviously a diminishing rate of return but if it was a straight choice between the two I'd go for Eden branded cabs ahead of the cheaper Nemesis versions any day. Obviously weight is a factor here and the Nemesis stuff is definitely lighter than Eden equivalents.

I'll dig out my Rocco Prestia T that I bought at a charity event for him in Chicago a couple of years back when he was really ill. I hardly ever wear it so seems like a decent opportunity & I can't imagine there'll be many other people wearing one!

[quote name='bassoctopus' post='322904' date='Nov 5 2008, 07:31 PM']Has the G-B got a switchable PSU like the Eden? Good point on the Mesa - light weight isn't everything, unless it's an amp I'm going to bring back from the States.[/quote] Only the 6 not the 3 Here's a pic of the back panel, you should be able to see the red switch that flicks between voltages:

If you want an easy to transport, voltage switchable, head with decent power & a valve in the pre then you could do a lot worse than Genz Shuttle 6.0. If you get the gig bag as well you can bring it back as hand luggage. I did that earlier this year & US customs were fine with it, just had to go through the scanner on its own & not in a case with anything else. I haven't giged it yet but the core tone is nice & there's a fair bit of flexibility.