thepurpleblob

[quote name='JanSpeeltBas' post='542723' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:57 PM']Congrats - beautiful bass! Did you post it in the Overwater Gear Porn thread?[/quote] There is one? I shall go and investigate immediately.

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='542928' date='Jul 17 2009, 09:37 AM']That is a cracking bass. What is the weight like? I have a 4 string version and it weighs less than 7lbs!!!! When I got it delivered I thought the guy had scammed me and sent an empty flightcase BB[/quote] Yeh - 19mm spacing on a 5 string. Great Actually I think I've gone mad(der). It's definitely quite light - I'll stick it on the scales tonight in fact. However, it feels oddly heavy on the strap after a bit of playing. I'll probably have to fiddle about with the strap length etc. and I'm only using one of those poxy Fender cloth straps. The Gator (?) case it comes in, on the other hand, is the biggest, heaviest case I have ever seen. I could hardly get the thing back to the car!!

[quote name='7string' post='542704' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:36 PM']Congrats on a great bass Always liked Guitar Guitar as well.[/quote] Thanks Yes, I've always found Guitar Guitar to be friendly and helpful. Highly recommended!

[quote name='bythesea' post='542517' date='Jul 16 2009, 07:19 PM']You won't regret it Mines still up there under the recently sold section - PER00013 - though I got it from a fellow BCer.[/quote] Yours is the fancy-pants "pro" type I see So far, I'm very pleased. It doesn't make my playing any better unfortunately!

Went into Guitar Guitar today "for a look". Deadly. Got (I think) a very good deal on the following... (still on Overwater's gallery funnily enough)... Silly me.....

It gets more complicated..... I just found out that I'm getting some cash I didn't expect (how often does that happen!) so the rule of easy come, easy go is to be applied. I might now be in a position to buy a whole Status bass. Anybody in the Glasgow area got one that I could try? I've had a go on one of those Washburn 1000 things but it isn't the same thing. Alternatively that Overwater on Ebay is still whispering to me

I am old enough to remember when belts where definitely not considered smart attire :-) That was when dinner suits where called dinner suits and not "tuxedos". Kids today etc.... Unfortunately, my fat gut does the job admirably.

[quote name='TimR' post='542050' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:59 AM']The thing that everyone seems to get wrong is not meeting with the clothes long before a gig to agree the look. Too many gigs I've turned up having had long discussions on what to wear. Usually a the practice 2 days before the gig. Only to find on the night that one person's version is different to anothers.[/quote] I had this one in a band I used to play in with so-called "smart jeans". This is a difficult concept. To me (over 40) it means something neat out of a House of Fraser store. To the younger guys it meant something with eight inches of dirty ripped cloth trailing on the floor. A lesson learned!

[quote name='TimR' post='542050' date='Jul 16 2009, 10:59 AM']Are polo shirts smart formal wear and acceptable at a wedding?[/quote] No - polo shirts are unacceptable [i][b]anywhere[/b][/i]. Unless you're Paul Weller, of course.

[quote name='jmstone' post='541098' date='Jul 15 2009, 10:59 AM']Good points. Thanks The looking at the crowd part is going to be a toughie! Any advice on how to do that? Looking at individual people? Smiling at everyone?? Do you have suggestions on bands I could watch to try to emulate? We actually have a new guitarist now, who I think should be a lot more theatrical than our last one, so that just leaves me... James[/quote] I'm a natural fret watcher. It's quite hard habit to get out of and you do have to look sometimes - it looks a bit weird if you don't I think. I would start by simply victimising a few people in the audience. Just catch their eye and smile then go back to your normal mode. Just try - it's actually more fun that way. Eventually you'll be buying a radio rig and running about in the audience like a lunatic.

[quote name='51m0n' post='541093' date='Jul 15 2009, 10:57 AM']You said she sings? Who cares...... [/quote] Exactly my point

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='541071' date='Jul 15 2009, 10:37 AM']I can't say I look at pictures of bands when listening to their cd's in my car![/quote] I was trying to think of a witty reply but I'll just leave you with this thought. This girl's quite a reasonable singer I believe but she knows a thing or three about image...

[quote name='Linus27' post='541052' date='Jul 15 2009, 10:22 AM']I love that photo. Something very coool about it. Is it you?[/quote] My investigations suggest that it is the "post grunge" OP. He has been rumbled I think.

Being up on stage playing music is inescapably about look and image. It's nearly as important as the music. My band consists of four old, fat, baldy blokes - it's a bit of an odd image but it's still an image. Most pro musicians I know care a great deal about their appearance as it can make the difference between getting the gig or not. EDIT: Hang on a minute... who'se the dude in the carefully crafted white shirt and loose tie. You go down the pub like that do you

[quote name='The Burpster' post='540702' date='Jul 14 2009, 08:58 PM'][color="#FF0000"][size=5]Sensible reply alert.......![/size][/color] Bhav, at the price rance your looking at its a matter of image and style. All Yams can be set up play very well (my first bass was a budget Yam...... :wub: ) and after about 6 months I got the pimping bug. It was easy to set up, played well, sounded great (with new pups) and was dead easy to upgrade..... The differing Yam models have quite closely related neck diemensions, but the BB have 4 aside a tuners and the RBX series have 2 a side tuners..... If you can live with either then play a few until you find one you cant put down, and buy it..... If its gotta look like a fender then it can only be the BB...... Enjoy....[/quote] The RBX range has a much skinnier neck than the BB range - for better or worse. I don't like them much (the neck shape I mean). The RBX range has been around for ever and runs from dead cheap to fairly fancy and expensive. The bigger the number the better the bass generally.

I'm actually a big fan of Yamaha basses.... which is why I don't play one at the moment The BB is a good bass - although basically a Fender copy (it is reputed to stand for Big Bass, i.e. chunky neck). I started out with the 5 string version of that bass and they're really good. BUT... the problems (particularly the crack) require some caution. Unless you are *sure* the crack is cosmetic I would walk away. Cheap enough would need to be much nearer to free! I once bought an as-new Yamaha TRB4 for a touch over 200 quid which is a different thing altogether so it's worth hanging out for a bargain. There's always good deals in the for-sale section here. Much better than evil-bay generally. EDIT: Offer him 150 quid - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=53853"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=53853[/url]

[quote name='jmanfunk' post='540696' date='Jul 14 2009, 08:53 PM']You could always bring it to a reputable luthier and have frets installed. That should run in the region of a £130. It would be a damn site cheaper than getting a graphite replacement. Having said that though, graphite necks are brilliant; had a Status Energy for a while and loved it![/quote] I did think about that but the situation needs to be reversible. Even though 70s Fenders are not the greatest a 78/79 USA is still reasonably desirable I think.

[quote name='Jobiebass' post='540682' date='Jul 14 2009, 08:44 PM']Well my Modulus is for sale [/quote] Yessss..... I know

[quote name='Jobiebass' post='540658' date='Jul 14 2009, 08:10 PM']possibly the best necks you can buy, you can get the action super low and you know it'l never warp. they are so smooth too. id go for graphite necks over wood any day of the week for playability. looks wise maple with maple fretboard will always have a special place in my heart. Id suggest playing one and figuring it out yourself, im sure there will be a basschatter around your area who would be willing to let you go on theirs. If your round the Doncaster area at any point you can pop in and have a bash on my Modulus if ya like.[/quote] Thanks, but things will be bad if I *really* like the Modulus On the Warmoth route - unless I'm being stupid, by the time you add it all up the Warmoth necks are going to be even more expensive than the Status ones

Erm.... can you actually buy Warmoth necks in the UK? So farm Google suggests "No"!

[quote name='silddx' post='540423' date='Jul 14 2009, 04:06 PM']Why can't you get rid or trade it? If I were you I'd look at Warmoth.[/quote] It was a gift from a friend. I almost had deal done on it recently and my friend went into a sulk about it. Not worth falling out over. The worst thing is that it's easily the best sounding bass I own and one of the best I have heard. I don't realistically have the time to get up to speed on fretless though. I thought that the graphite neck route might be a bit different I guess

[quote name='sdgrsr400' post='539528' date='Jul 13 2009, 06:14 PM']I've been looking at tuition books specifically aimed at the 5-string bass, having recently acquired one. The selection I've seen hasn't been to great, so I thought it might be useful to have a thread about them. I've listed the ones I can find below. Further input welcome. Learn to Play 5-String Bass by Mike Hiland. I bought this one, as compared with the next one it seemed to cover more ground. The accompanying CD has the author introducing each track, which is unnecessary, but with the right digital audio workstation (like Reaper) one can chop out the chat. Relatively old, originally written in 1992 but doesn't seem particularly out-of-date in practice. 5-String Bass Method by Brian Emmel. I browsed this in a shop and it seemed rather repetitive and not very useful. However others might disagree. Progressive 5 String Bass by Stefan Richter. Looks interesting but couldn't find it. Opinions? Any other good material out there specifically for 5-string?[/quote] I had another one of Brian Emmel's 5 string books. It might have been good with a little more explanation. Lots of exercises without context are not a great deal of use. It was further confused by a lot of USA-esque terminology (e.g., what the hell's a "cookie cutter"?). A big thumbs down for me.

I have a 70s Precision Fretless that I don't play and (for various strange reasons) cannot get rid of or trade. In the interests of getting some use out of it I was going to swap the fretless neck for a fretted one. I have been eyeing up the Status graphite replacement necks but have never actually played one. Not a trivial investment cash wise, however. Any experiences, thoughts or alternative suggestions much appreciated.

[quote name='Musky' post='540319' date='Jul 14 2009, 01:50 PM']Want to bet? I found myself with a £20,000 tax bill when I was self employed because somebody at the tax office seemed to think my earnings would be doubling every year. It was absolutely ludicrous. Fortunately that person (who had totally dug their heels in, despite invoices to the contrary) moved on and the person who replaced her settled for a far more realistic £5,500. [/quote] As far as I know, they work on the basis of 'average' earnings for a given profession. So, if you turn up with no records/proof that's what you're paying. Which can go either way, of course. I think you have to remember that it's their day job to get the money out of you. They've probably got quite good at it Somebody on here must surely work for the IR? They're probably keeping quiet..... taking notes. I don't play for money by the way

[quote name='ironside1966' post='540287' date='Jul 14 2009, 01:20 PM']Tax avoidance is a criminal offence. MP get slagged off for fiddling expenses, benefit cheats are slagged off, but tax avoidance is ok so long as it’s to do with music. It is unfair on Pro musicians who have to pay tax if you have regular income from music. I am no accountant but I believe spending your money on gear does not mean you don’t pay tax, all that you are allowed is the depreciation in value. Also consider If you are the one who signs for the money how do you prove that you have split the money with the rest of the with the band, you could be liable for the lot Waiting for abuse now[/quote] None from me - it's true. People who avoid tax mean someone else has to pay more or someone doesn't get that new cancer drug. However, musicians are just in with the heap of 'grey economy' paid in cash folk. I suspect most pay more tax via pissing away their earnings at the bar. Unfortunately, that would not be tax deductible. Having to do tax returns is a major pain in the arse. It's a shame there isn't an easier mechanism for people doing work like this to "be honest".