GrammeFriday

What's this bass player playing? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GpfT2sa9eg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GpfT2sa9eg[/url] First to ID wins ...

Ah, Millets ...

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1400059885' post='2450239'] So true, and here's a pic of footballer El Hadji Diouf's gold-plated Escalade as proof. [/quote] Oooh I dunno, I think it could look fantastic with a grade A quilt maple bonnet!

Ha! Very true, and sorry if I came over a bit too Dave Spart there.But by the same token there are also people who seem to live for the opportunity to offend. If that's your thing, then may I recommend YouTube Viewer Comments? You can troll away to your heart's content there.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1399991008' post='2449643'] It's just a matter of taste isn't it, there's no point getting all worked up about it. Most people on here don't like Warwicks but I'm very happy with mine and somehow manage not to have an aneurysm every time someone says something bad about them. [/quote] You are absolutely right to say that people on here should not get offended if someone posts derogatory statements about their preferred kind of bass. Different people like and dislike different basses (specifically, 99% like Precisions, and the remaining 1% of us like other stuff ) - so what? But it is disingenuous to imply that this is all that's going on here. Some of your posts have caused offence not because they criticise high end basses, but because they make degoratory statements about the people who (in your view) own and play them. And I hope you can understand that people [b][i]are [/i][/b]entitled to be offended by that. I don't own (and have never owned) any 'high end' basses myself, and even if I did I wouldn't be bothered by your opinions about my bass collection, But I still think some of your posts were ill-judged because they are clearly a version of the standard middle class sneer about perceived social inferiors: "they should never be allowed to come into money - they have such appalling taste!"

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1399993263' post='2449682'] To ask a slightly provocative question, is a vintage Fender a high end bass? [/quote] No, but I would say that Custom Shop masterbuilt Fenders are, because of the combination of price/customisation/quality of materials/individual craftsmanship/marketing hype that you mentioned in an earlier post. It is telling that quite a few people use the terms 'high end' and 'boutique' interchangeably - they are essentially the same thing.

And Mike Lulls: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh7tAHHB_zo Or weren't they ruled in either?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1399822790' post='2448008'] If you only ever see middle-aged men with one, it's a 'high-end' bass. [/quote] I guess that rules MTDs out, then: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmemaALCvac

There are all sorts of reasons to love JPJ but for me it is his openness to all sorts of different kinds of music, and new ways of making music. Last time I saw him live he was play some seriously good (and seriously unclassifiable) improv/electronica/jazz/post rock with Supersilent at Brum Town Hall on 14 Nov 2012. He was playing a 12 string bass (I think) and was doing mysterious things to his own playing using an iPad - he seemed to be looping himself and then using software to screw around with the looped material. Anyway, it sounded great. Found a picture on the internet: http://www.tightbutloose.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/supersilent-jpj-bham.jpg

Met a whole bunch of BCers at the Midlands Bash today - really liked every single person I talked to, and only regret was not getting round to having a chat to everyone there.

Onwards and … onwards!

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1399755890' post='2447430'] Finally an apology to all wives of bass players now GASing for an EUB! [/quote] I'll pass your apologies on to mine! I so nearly got through the whole day without getting a GAS attack, only to fall at the final hurdle, when you let me have a go on it as we were all packing up. Want!

Really, really great fun! Huge thanks to Simon and Chris for organising, and I really hope we do all meet up and do it again next year. Some highlights of my day: Jabba the gut's home made basses (especially the one with the spalted top and the Nordstrand dual coils) 72Deluxe playing my MTD AG5 - killer tapping technique, sir! Annoying Twit's looper in C (Terry Riley pun not intended) Norris's EUB Story of the day: the day Charlie Harper blew up Chris Sharman's microwave Cake of the day: a dead heat between the Apricot Frangipan Tart and the Chocolate Fudge Cake. … and what the hell is that aubergine purple thing I brought home with me?! None other than the BC Bass Relay banger, ready for a new adventure!

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1398928669' post='2439030'] When a "bunch of people" who "keep stating the bleeding obvious" are "coming across as petty now" in your mind, then you're following one notion amongst many possible notions. Whilst that notion certainly might be correct, I for one hold another notion, which is that caring, intelligent people tried to create an effect as quickly and effectively as possible for the sole purpose of helping Jon Letts to make wise decisions, extremely quickly. I see NO negative intent towards Lettsbasses at all, and certainly no pettiness. All I see is people who care enough to use their time to try and steer this in a positive direction (yes: positive!) It's only sad that Jon would choose to first follow the thread intensively before disappearing altogether. [/quote] +1000. Exactly. Many thanks for this, BassTractor. I very much doubt whether any contributor to the original thread had logged on to it in order to put Jon Letts in the stocks and pelt rotten fruit at him. On the contrary, I clicked on this thread because I really like his basses (to me they look and sound like steampunk Stingrays - brilliant!), and had been seriously thinking about putting in an order of my own. On seeing the title of the thread, my first thought was "Oh no, he hasn't gone out of business, has he? That would be terrible", so clearly my interest was one of supportive concern, not any desire to put the boot in. Secondly, is it really true to say that Mr Letts was put in the stocks and pelted with slimy vegetation in the original thread? Looking at it again, I cannot see a single post that could be described as "OTT" or "petty" being aimed in his direction. What I do see is a series of forthright but clearly constructive comments, all of which are attempting to give Mr Letts advice on how to treat his customers and thus grow his business successfully - and usually leavened with genuine expressions of concern about his family situation and best wishes for the future. If anyone was in the stocks it was Brent, and if this was perceived as "veering incredibly close to bullying", as charic puts it, then I'm sorry about that. But you have to ask yourself why BCers reacted so negatively to Brent. (well, five negative comments, to be exact.) I initially had absolutely no intention of posting to this thread - my initial reaction was: Oh dear, this is just a sad situation on all sides - Letts and his family have had a really rough ride in recent years, and CamdenRob, Ash and others have no idea when they will ever receive the basses they have paid for. Big mess - steer well clear. I even resisted the temptation to post a comment after reading Brent's first response, even though I found it astonishingly inappropriate and unsympathetic. What did it for me was his 'apology' to CamdenRob, which in effect attempted to lay some blame at his door for failing to take his original message "with a pinch of salt". I agree with Scooby's point that "Whilst ... it is only right and proper to share concerns and alert fellow BC members to the situation you only need a few comments to make the point". Indeed, there were only 5 negative responses to Brent's posts, spread out over one evening. Hardly "endless and repetitive"! And although I have reservations about the thread getting locked down, I also think that the mod stepped in to say "OK, enough already" at about the right point. Delaying any further could have seen it descend into a lynching, as various people here have suggested. But I also think that it shouldnt have been any [i]fewer [/i]negative replies, either. If just one person posts a negative response, it is all to easy to dismiss that person as a whinger. But if 5 people - including neutral observers with no personal stake in the issue - tell you that you are out of order and that this is exactly how not to talk to your customers, then maybe you are going to listen up and take note - and maybe rescue your business into the bargain. Perhaps this is a case where 'Like' and 'Dislike' thumbs up/thumbs down clickable icons for posts, like on YouTube and Facebook, would have been useful?

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1398897308' post='2438930'] Not that you are a floppy haired emo [/quote] Bald as a coot, me, mate.

I'm having piano lessons at the moment. It is a fiendishly difficult instrument (and my teacher is a stickler for proper legato playing, which I am terrible at), but I'm loving the challenge, and although I couldn't say it is having any discernible effect on my bass playing it is certainly improving my general grasp of music theory.

+1. No idea what goes down at these things so would be really interested to just go along and listen for starters - and hopefully meet up with some of you guys too.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1398889711' post='2438791'] +1 on family and business, but please, Bret needs to stick to making the tea and be kept away from patronising both existing and potential clients on the internet. [/quote] I couldn't agree more. What customer liaison officer worthy of the name would even consider telling disappointed clients that they are “banging on”, whatever the facts of the situation? Good luck with the new business model, Mr Letts - with colleagues like that working for you, you are going to need it.