Maude

Twice it would seem.

What the hell did I just watch? 😂

What the hell did I just watch? 😂

Absolute Beginners - David Bowie

One of the five would've been nice. Stupid really, what difference does it make if it's signed or not? Bizarrely it makes all the difference. I'd have loved one of them.

Nightmare!! You must've been gutted. I had a tense enough time buying mine. Finally decided yesterday I'd go for it, sent him a cheeky £850 offer, he said he'd take £900 (only been played a handful of times, not left the house, it really is like new). He had someone else interested and said he'd given them first refusal, if he didn't hear back by seven o'clock it was mine. That was at three in the afternoon. A tense four hours followed. I'm really glad I got it now, no I don't need it, but I don't need the money sat in the bank either. If I do I can sell it. But I won't. Shhh. 😉

So what happened? How come there's still brand new boxed ones kicking around?

That's kind of what put me off in the beginning. The very small run where they all get snapped up, then a year later they release a second massive wave of them, making second hand prices plummet. Then would've been the time to buy. But it seems that the first run is all there'll be.

I know it was a while but do you have any source for this? I've seen all sorts of numbers like only fifteen in America. I dealt with the sellers wife today when I bought mine, we were chatting and she said that I'm one of only 75 with that bass now. Make of that what you will. Maybe the seller had heard only 75 were sold in the UK, or maybe he told his wife how 'limited' they were to get approval on the purchase. It doesn't really matter about numbers, it would just be nice to know.

Do we know how many BBPHs were made, and how many were sold in the UK? Just out of interest.

Maybe it's like a drinking game but more hardcore. Every time Barney played that note everyone had some Ket.

I think I'll take it to someone to fix. I'm a pretty hands on guy and can work on most stuff, but electrics are pure witchcraft as far as I'm concerned. If another component has caused the caps to blow then I'll just blow the replacement pair. I found a local retired audio electronics engineer via here a few years back who fixed an Ashdown amp for me. I'll see if he still dabbles.

If amps can go up to eleven, why can't melidicas go up to K?

That's probably where Hooky got them from a couple of weeks before the auction.

There's a natural BB1000 with that lovely shaped scratchplate on Reverb at the moment. I really like that shape plate.

These things don't just happen by mistake you know. 😉 Alright maybe they do. 😁 The 424x has its reverse P closer to the neck because I did the conversion. It had to move neckwards so that the scratchplate could accommodate the pickup surround without looking odd. I could've made the scratchplate slightly more bulbous around that curve and it wouldn't have been obvious, but instead opted to put bass side almost where it normally is, and the treble side well towards the neck for a really full treble sound, as I always favour neck pickups. Plus as @Ricky Riolipoints out, the bridge pickup mixed in puts a lovely clarity boost back in if needed.

Meet the yamily. 😊

Ooh hello!! What's this on my back seat? 😁

We had our first rehearsal since all this madness and my Suitcase has been in storage in my workshop, not heated but not damp either. Similar conditions to our basement rehearsal space that it's been in for years. I brought it indoors the day before to acclimatise but, stupidly, didn't check it. At rehearsal I plugged it in a switch on, it was ever so slightly crackly (no bass plugged in) then it made a faint squeezing noise which quickly faded. I switched off anyway but intrigue got the better of me and I switched it back on, where it released the blue genie. Copious amounts of smoke pouring out the ports. I've just pulled the back off and it appears that two large capacitors have blown but, visually, nothing else. I know sight isn't a good tester for electronics but it was just a quick look. I've don't know whether to source the two capacitors myself and fit them or find a local tech (not easy down here) and give it to them. If it's just the pair of capacitors I'm happy to fit them but I'm worried something else might have caused them to blow. I'm not convinced it was damp as my other three amps stored with it are fine. Who knows. Everything else visually appears to be fine but that smaller capacitor in the top right corner has something dark on the top, but doesn't look to have split open. I'll look closer later. Hope it won't be too expensive, and as with most things, it could be worse I suppose.

An electric or air grinder would make short work if the notches, if you have access to one. Then just a quick tidy up with a file/sandpaper/wire brush etc. I have considered doing this myself but that HB one looks good value compared to a tenner steel rule plus my time.

Is it crazy though? (Not a dig BTW 🙂) You could spend £15k on a car, and in ten years it's worth pennies. Where as this in ten years will be worth, well who knows, but it'll never be pennies. If I had the money to spare I'd have found it very hard to resist. But I can get uncharacteristically giddy over JD/NO stuff.

The Needle And The Spoon - Lynyrd Skynyrd

A few cassette inspired names, Tape To Tape, Auto Reverse, or if you're playing the VW festival circuit, High Speed Dubbing.

Ah, rumbled 😂.

I remember listening to Jeremy Vine saying that he bought the set of chimes that was used on Atmosphere from either Hooky or Bernard. I'm also pretty sure I read that the sound of those chimes was one disc off a tambourine fed into a delay of some sort by Martin Hannett, or something similar. So it appears poor old Jezza was stitched up by them as well. 🤣