Mr Arkadin

The only thing I would question is why you need the number at fret one, surely you can figure that one out without a marker?

I was due to see him in London next week. Very unexpected news. Very sad.

If you're going for the full Prog experience then the Moog Minitaur has to be the option. Small, not too expensive second hand (or pre-owned in trendy speak) and it has [i]that[/i] sound: the Taurus preset. I have the actual Taurus 3 pedals but I am tempted to go PK-5 and Minitaur for a smaller footprint (sic).

Well I have to say this happened at the Forum in Kentish Town. Opposite there used to be a pub. It's now been redeveloped as new flats. Every time I come out of a gig there now the security are trying to shoo you away. Being a reasonable fella I asked why they were doing this, seeing as I was now out of the venue an on a public highway and they told me they'd had complaints from the new flats opposite so were trying to disperse crowds as quickly as possible so as not to get who knows what sort of abatement orders. I'm sorry but the Forum has been there for a heck of a long time and those flats haven't. You know what you're moving into in a scenario like that.

Also prefer this to anything on The Next Day album. Really enjoying the B-side 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore, described as what the Vorticists might have sounded like if they made music. Pretentious-sounding description until you hear it and actually it's pretty accurate (if you know the British Vorticists work that is).

I used to love Sledge Hammer, thanks for the reminder skankdelvar. I was at a Gary Numan gig in Norwich last month and one guy was holding up a frigging iPad. After a brief period he disappeared which is just as well as I'm small but not afraid to tell someone they're a twat. Can we also lump on idiots who talk through entire gigs? What is that all about? I was at another Gary Numan gig in Norwich maybe five years ago and a gaggle of twenty-something girls pushed to near the front where I was and proceeded to chat the whole time about how brilliant it was that they had got so near the front. I politely told them that I'd payed to hear the Gaz and not their witterings and suddenly everyone else was joining in on my side and the girls quickly disappeared! It's up to the real fans to say something about all this unsociable bollocks and you'll often find many people who didn't say anything but are getting quietly annoyed will step up and support you. Sadly the selfie just reflects what kind of society we've created.

Don't wish to appear contrary, but I when I tried the gels suggested they had very little effect. It was OK for about an hour and that was it. When I went to the hospital they gave me some anti-inflammatories and agreed the gel wasn't particularly good. No harm in trying though. I also take glucosamine and cod liver oil for the joints. To be fair my finger injury was caused by boxing so maybe I needed something a little stronger.

To be honest, without considering what you already have, from your description I would have recommended a Tele! It sounds like you already have the guitar you like. I've gone off Strats a lot in the last few years, maybe they just became too ubiquitous for me. I prefer Jags these days (although mine is humbuckers, I want a single coil version too). Maybe try one of the single coil models. Another option might be the baritone Tele - you get a Tele and something nearer to the bass that you're used too.

Actually the one without the pick guard looks better to me.

That is so wrong.

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1400272310' post='2452600'] Does BFD3 focus more on having control of the sound? EZD2 is (whilst still sounding good to my ears) more of a songwriting tool. [/quote] Yes BFD3 is very much about sound control. Most drums are fairly raw and you have to decide about compression, reverb, mic selection etc. The advantage is complete control of the sound to pro levels, the disadvantage is that it can get quite complex, especially if you just want some finished sounds. There are however many kit and mixer presets to get you started.

[quote name='tonybassplayer' timestamp='1400418185' post='2453606'] Are they like a wifi booster to get a better signal in different parts of the house ? [/quote] No. It's one of those things that sounds like it shouldn't work but does. I have a couple in my house. They plug into to mains sockets and actually use the mains wiring to send your connection that way. It means everything is wired (which I prefer to wireless), but without having to have loads of cabling round the house. The boxes have Cat5 on the end to connect your devices.

I would try some UK handwinders like Catswhisker or Mojo (not Mojotone, they're US) if you're finding the other two you mentioned a bit pricey. You can e-mail them your requirements and they'll make something to your spec. I have a Catswhisker in my Baritone Tele which I like, never tried Mojo though. My other guitars have Bare Knuckles and naturally they are great, but pricey. The Creamery are next on my list to try for Jaguar or Wide Range pick-ups.

If you're going to Hyde Park make sure to check out Bo Ningen, you will not be disappointed.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1399731387' post='2447121'] I know it's probably a time thing for a lot of people. But if you can spare the time, you can get to most areas of the UK pretty cheaply by train or coach. It's certainly cheaper than being out of pocket by several hundred pounds when a courier has lost or broken your instrument and won't pay out. Treat it as a day out, or maybe even a weekend away . OK, so I have a YP railcard, but 2 weeks ago I travelled by train to Manchester to deliver a cab, then caught a train to Bristol to collect my new Chapman stick, then caught a train back home, all in a day, all for less than £30. Maybe meet someone halfway, or split the train/coach fare ? Virgin were offering London to Edinburgh for £12 each way 2 weeks ago ! [/quote] You know, that's not a bad idea. If you factor in that it may cost £30 to courier a bigger piece of kit, and that you'll be given a time slot of 8.00am - 6.00pm then you're wasting the day anyway. I have done this sometimes. Went to Bedford (from London) to pick up the guitar that's in my avatar and got my dad to meet someone at a service station near Derby (he's in Brum) to pick up my Rickenbacker 4003. Probably looked like some dodgy drug deal going down but at least it was safe - and it was an eBay purchase paid through PayPal so there was some protection if it turned out to be a cardboard cut-out in the case. Actually my dad also picked up my Marshall DBS head from an eBay purchase in Brum too. Thumbs up for dads.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1399561746' post='2445366'] MyHerpes, Sh1tty Link, ParcelFarce, Royal Fail, PooPS, Nodel, FedUp... any other good courier names?! [/quote] Oh yes, Sh1ttyLink. Anyway I was expecting a parcel. This particular time I wasn't in. They left no card (I found all this out later). Now usually when you get a card it tells you they will try again tomorrow unless you phone. As I didn't get a card I had no idea they were going to try the next day. They tried again the next day (I wasn't in) and left no card again. The first I know about any of this is when the seller emails me that the package has been returned to him after two failed delivery attempts. Naturally I phoned CityLink to say I never got a card through the door. I was told (hold on to your hats) that it is their policy not to put cards through addresses that are flats for security reasons. Now given that I live in London where most people are living in some sort of flat/shared accommodation then that kind of kills their London operation existing. Also as it happens I do have my own post box anyway. In the end the seller resent it but I think he swallowed the cost (I certainly wasn't going to pay for CityLink's ineptitude). It seems CityLink expect you use telepathy to judge whether a delivery has been attempted. In this day of mobiles it seems all courier comapnies are incapable of using this amazing technology to see if we're in. I have to say on this front Amazon is brilliant with texts telling me my parcel is on its way and one after it's been delivered (which is a good security check).

Just seen it at the Brum gig (I'm typing this in the interval). Looked like Spinal Tap moment. Looking forward to the next part.

I Schaller (is that a verb?) all my guitars and basses as I can afford them. Then you can just use one strap for all if you like. Doing means it's one less thing to worry about going wrong at your gig (like you don't have enough worries already, right?).

Yeah the RC-300 is quite expensive these days, surprised the price hasn't dropped (it may even have gone up a little). I was quite lucky though. I bought an RC-50 new back in the day for a blowout deal of £260 - I think the retail price was still £350 at the time. Then when the RC-300 came out I decided to sell the RC-50, think I got £250 so only lost a tenner on that. Then someone on gumtree had their RC-300 for £300 ono - I think I offered £280 or so and he accepted. I must have got in first as when I met him he said he'd had lots of calls after mine and I'm fairly certain he probably did. So overall I only came out at about a £30 loss. Not bad.

I have no idea how much my Rick weighs, I have no weighing devices in the house at the moment, but I am enjoying the fact that it's 2014 and not a single post has been in metric!

I have the RC-300. Have to say I have been busy with other music projects and haven't used it much. However, I believe the loop 'gap' problem you have heard about was actually on the RC-50 (which I also had - sold to get RC-300). The RC-50 was definitely usable but it definitely had that issue. The 300 does not have this issue as far as I'm aware but as I say I haven't really used it in anger. The tjhing to understand is that if you set a certain mode (can't remember the name off-hand, Loop Sync or something) then it loops to a set length. So if you're syncing a 4/4 pattern at 120bpm, then the loop won't come round again until it's finished its last complete bar at that tempo - giving the appearance of there being a delay. If you don't want to work to a tempo you switch this function off and the loop should just loop per you hitting the pedal as opposed to trying to sync to a tempo that you're not even using. Here's one guy's review of RC-300 vs RC-50 and he says the 'gap' issue is gone: [url="http://worldofthreeleggedyoyo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/my-rc-50-vs-rc-300-review-continued.html"]http://worldofthreel...-continued.html[/url]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1392058852' post='2364211'] Fewer frets ;-) [/quote] I'm glad you said that as the title was driving me nuts.

No, but I love the title. I hope he used a copy for the bass lines.

Here are my three baritones: [url="http://s426.photobucket.com/user/Mr_Arkadin/media/Baris_zps5eb629cc.jpg.html"][/url] From left to right: [b]Fender Telecaster Blacktop Baritone[/b] Strung B-B. Fernandes Sustainer pick-up installed. Catswhisker Tele (middle) and humbucker-sized Wide Range (bridge) pick-ups fitted. GraphTech Ratio tuners & bridge fitted. Greasebucket tone circuit installed. Earvana nut. [b]Fender Jaguar Baritone Special HH[/b] B to B tuning. StellarTone Bari-ToneStyler tone knob installed. Bare Knuckle Black Dog (bridge) and Nantucket (neck - P90 in humbucker-size). Earvana nut. [b]Yamaha RGX420S-D6 Drop 6[/b] Rose-type trem blocked. Strung for three low Bs (64 gauge? Can't remember) and three mid Bs (similar to regular A string gauge). Hoping to get a Squier Bass VI soon to complete my low-down six-string obsession.

Recently tried Catswhisker pick-ups as The Creamery was more expensive and didn't respond to my enquiries. Have to say though that this is in a baritone guitar so I can't vouch for the bass pick-ups, but I think for the price they're easier on the pocket to try, and they will be better than stock. I had a Tele middle pick-up and humbucker-sized Wide Range from him. Plus it's nice to support a fellow Brummie. [url="http://s426.photobucket.com/user/Mr_Arkadin/media/BaritoneCU_zpscb850d36.jpg.html"][/url]