FinnDave

Met up with James in a supermarket car park in Yate, where he kindly gave me some money in exchange for an Ashdown ABM combo. We spent an hour chatting about all things bass, which felt like five minutes. Good chap to deal with, very straightforward and decent person.

My younger daughter still believes that Cream used to sing 'I feel three' as that's what I told it was when she was three years old (a mere 29 years ago).

Not yet...

No, I haven't had that alleged 'pleasure', but I haven't heard of anyone sleeping on a service station forecourt after their Rickenbacker broke down, nor have I heard anyone ending in intensive care as a result of an accident on one! (Maybe I should ride a ric, after all!)

I'd much rather ride a Harley than play a Rickenbacker. I say this despite having owned a Softail Heritage which I rode back from Finland to Oxfordshire only to have the engine self destruct at Beaconsfield (only a grand or two to repair, though) and a Super Glide Sport which I was riding when I became temporarily invisible as a result of which i spent quite a few weeks in hospital. You don't get character building opportunities like that with a Rickenbacker.

Can you recommend a local vet?

It is possible, but I don't go out if it's below 5 degrees, and only on my V Strom with hand guards and heated grips, so I suspect it is unlikely to be the cause. I rode for nearly 40 years (not non-stop!) in all weathers with no protection on my hands other than decent gloves, that might have contributed to the problem. The doctor puts it down to getting old, but I'm only 65, still a youngster really!

I think you also have memory problems, I paid that back last year! The doctor suggested ibuprofen gel, which does seem to help a bit, but still early days. She also recommended paracetamol in preference to ibuprofen tablets.

Yes, nothing wrong with the necks at all. My Player Precision and my 2012 US Standard look very similar and I have often played one thinking it is the other.

I have a 2022 Player Precision and a 2010 and 2012 US Standards - there isn't a great deal of difference between them. The 2012 I have had for over nine years, it was a swap for a Jazz bass, and the 2010 cost me £900 last year, not too much more than the Player.

Thanks, I will discuss that with my doctor next time I am able to see her. I had a chat with our guitarist as I know that he suffers from it as well (he is a truck mechanic, so his hands get well abused) and he said he has been taking tumeric supplements for a some time and it has really helped. I am trying it now as well, but too soon to say whether it works for me or not.

I think my memory must be going as well, I had replied to that thread a month ago! Some good info in there, though.

Thanks, I'l look up your thread.

I've been a bit quiet on here recently (much to most people's relief, I'm sure). The reason is that I haven't been playing much as it has become increasingly painful for my left (fretting) hand, specifically the index finger, which is probably the hardest worker when I am playing. After much persuasion from my wife, I saw my doctor a few days ago and it has been diagnosed as osteoarthritis, so I am pretty much stuck with it. Apparently it flares up from time to time (which is what it's doing at the moment) and can be apparently OK between flare ups, but everyone reacts differently. The best help for it is rest, so I haven't played any of my basses since the last gig I played, 6 or 7 weeks ago. I was asked to play another with the same band in about 10 days time, but when I sat down with a bass today I could only manage about 2-3 minutes of fairly restrained playing before it became too painful to continue. I sent a text to the bandleader about next week's gig and told him I was unable to guarantee than I could play two 45 minute sets (in fact, I am convinced I can't), so it would be better for him to find another dep. I am sure I am not alone in having this problem, it is quite probable that it has been caused by bass playing. I started when I was about 15, which is now 50 years ago. My immediate plan is to leave the bass gear as it is and see what happens over the next few months, but I would be interested to know how other players have coped with this sort of thing.

I used to get asked by random people in the audience if I could ask Jenny (Haan, she was our singer for a year or two) for her autograph, usually on the cover of one or more of their treasured Babe Ruth albums. I signed a few posters and similar when I was playing with The Grateful Dudes, but always as part of the band, never individually.

I have five basses, no etcs though. All are Fenders, three Precisions and two Jazz. All except one are sunburst/tort/rosewood (or similar) so very few people notice the difference between them unless I take the white/tort/rosewood Precision out for an airing.

My best bass related purchase this year was a 2012 US Standard Precision in sunburst/rosewood/tort. Saw it on Reverb, and bought it straight away - excellent condition, sounds just like my 2010 P. The pair of them really cover everything I want to do, but I still have three other basses I can't part with!

Playing in bands has certainly enriched my life, but has also drained my bank account!

I put an ad on JMB looking for a drummer. It was so long ago I can't remember which band it was for! Never had a reply until earlier this year, when by some uncanny synchronicity, a drummer from Oxford (local, in other words) got in touch just when we were about to start trying to replace the original drummer in the Wirebirds (he'd moved back to St. Helena, bit of a trek for a gig!). Turned out to be a decent bloke and a good drummer, he even rides the same type of motorcycle as I do! OK, so it took years to get a reply, but it worked out in the end. We've played most of our gigs this year with our new drummer (guitarist's son depped when our man was on holiday).

I consider Moreton in Marsh a busy small town. I often ride through it on my motorcycle and am invariably frustrated by the amount of traffic there. Pretty, though.