Happy Jack

Dunno about indoors, but one of my bands has AT LAST got its first post-Lockdown gig on the August BH weekend. There's a smallish beer garden in front of the pub where they want us to play, then the pub's own small car park, then a quiet side road, then the blank side of a large Sainsburys (which will be closed at the time). That means that we can (if necessary) play the gig completely unplugged, without even a vocal PA, which is how we've been rehearsing during lockdown.

What's that you say, Yorks5stringer?

So @wintoid, are you planning to buy one of each or just see which Wanted ad gets a reply first?

The easy (but totally unhelpful) advice is 'let the market decide'. It's situations like this that auctions were designed for. If however - and quite understandably - you don't want to throw yourself on the mercy of eBay, then the next best alternative is to take it up to The Gallery and offer it for sale on a commission basis. It's in the shop's best interest to get the best price possible, and they attract enough specialist bass players to hopefully bring in the one guy/girl who will look at your rare oddity and buy it. Lovely looking bass, BTW, despite it being a sixer. Scale length? Weight?

I'm stunned. Shocked and stunned.

Oh dear ... it's metal.

Just had a look at their website ... impressively badly-designed and non-intuitive. Great basses, but they really should bring in a decent website guy.

You're gonna see that coming ...

Yup, all new to me too.

https://www.vintageguitar.com/1892/ohagan-guitars-2/

I always thought there were too many sliders anyway.

Like I said ... Collection from Tonbridge.

Nah ... it's a band thing. With the Junkyard Dogs, I sometimes call out "eyes and teeth" to the other guys between numbers.

The Parador at Jaen (in the mediaeval castle) is one of my all-time favourite places. What are you offering for me and @Silvia Bluejay to fly out for a few days?

In that case, he could do a lot worse than https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-amps/bass-amp-heads/solid-state-bass-amp-heads/hotone-thunder-bass-5w-mini-amp Works both as a practice head at home volumes, and with headphones whilst listening to mp3s / YouTube / whatever. Takes up virtually no space, and way cheaper than even the cheapest pukka bass head.

What's he going to use it for - just home practice or does he want to gig with it too?

Despite the lack-of-power issue (i.e. 0.5A battery power rather than 2A) the Hotone performed perfectly adequately with both the DB and the Precision. The improved tone from the PJB Briefcase was probably no more than reflection of the power issue. Overall, I definitely prefer the Briefcase for actual outdoor performance ... easier to use, no set-up time, fewer cables, etc. plus the on-board compression on the Briefcase (just a single knob) is surprisingly effective. The Hotone has now found a new home and a new function. It now lives next to my PC in my study/office and has become my home rehearsal amp running (off the mains) into a Crazy 8. For this purpose, it is pretty much unbeatable. The tone is superb and the volume levels very sensible for playing along with mp3s. It's also cute as anything.

OK, time to finish this off with a video of the Hotone when it's functioning.

Quick update on the Eva Pirazzi Slaps ... they're just lovely. Totally stable from Day #1, as in they needed just 24 hours to settle down and hold tune, plus the tone is simply indistinguishable from the nylon-wrapped guts at the D & G so there's excellent consistency across the four strings. From a playing point of view, the smooth finish makes them far less damaging to my fingers. By my last couple of rehearsals with the copper-wound Pyramid E & A I was reduced to taping my plucking fingers to be able to get through. Since changing strings I've had no trouble at all. I do have to say that the EP Slaps were no better to install than the Pyramids, needing two people + considerable effort + lots of faffing about to get them on, and I still wouldn't describe what we've done as a particularly professional job!

Only if you're Lionel Ritchie ...

You need to ask each of us individually.