Happy Jack

I love that stand though ...

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1398182285' post='2431302'] "hefty weight with a quite thick neck" [/quote] The glue used in that laminate, on its own, probably weighs more than my main bass ...

Looks like a particularly fine example.

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1398201520' post='2431697'] After the fish [/quote] Were they prog rock?

I like the look of that - I may not need it this week or next, but when my back chooses to go out again ... USA, Canada and Japan. Wonder why no European distribution? Also, the reviews are all from 2000. Can you tell whether the website is up to date?

[quote name='blitz' timestamp='1398177884' post='2431227'] Nice work. All good advice. We've tried most of those things with various degrees of success - all worth trying. [/quote] +1 My main band (The Junkyard Dogs) is lucky enough to have Bluejay doing this stuff for us.

You can't put us off the scent that easily, Bilbo.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1398171640' post='2431129'] I once knew someone who called Kawasaki motobikes 'kawass-acki' (if that meakes sense - difficult to write it down!) [/quote] Everyone knows that's pronounced "Kwacker".

Whilst fully agreeing with both Mark and Rob, it all comes down to context. If you're doing this for fun, then walk away and find some more like-minded musicians. If this band is important to you though, it has to be worth saying "Let's go down the pub and have a chat about this".

Arsene knows ...

Well, it failed to sell so now he's re-listed it ... more or less exactly the same! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nordstrand-Bass-Pick-Up-unit-NP4-/181387792989? Despite me sending him a link to Bass Direct's website so that he can see that the unit he's selling goes for £110 new, he still claims that [i][b]each half[/b][/i] sells for £110 new, making this a bargain at £165. No longer "clueless" I'm afraid. He's now a conman as far as I'm concerned.

Nice idea, but it won't work I suspect. One thing I've learned the hard way is that it really is all connected. Transferring some of the weight from your shoulder to your hips (because your shoulder hurts) may make sense in the short term, but you're now carrying an unnatural weight on your hips plus adopting an unusual posture to support the bass. What you'll probably end up with is hips that hurt too. When you stand up with a bass slung around your neck and play a set, you're actually using your whole body. Thinking in terms of fingers / forearms / shoulders / back / etc. is very misleading ... using your whole body requires a holistic approach. 10 years ago I might have read that last sentence and muttered "bloody New Age nonsense" and filed it under The Healing Powers Of Crystals. No longer. I've spent the last two years doing Pilates and trying to re-integrate my body. It hasn't turned me into Superman (yet) but I feel way better, especially when playing. Reverting to jezyorkshire's OP, the only person I've seen using a stand like that is Junior Brown: [URL=http://s1128.photobucket.com/user/h4ppyjack/media/Just%20Stuff/Music%20and%20Musicians/JuniorBrown4_zps419fc188.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/h4ppyjack/Just%20Stuff/Music%20and%20Musicians/JuniorBrown4_zps419fc188.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Buy this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Treat-Your-Shoulder-Robin-McKenzie/dp/0958269254/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398072874&sr=1-1&keywords=treat+your+own+shoulder You won't regret it. Sell the Trace Elliot 1x15 combo (assuming that, or similar, is what you use) and get a lightweight head and cab. The choice available these days is staggering. Then buy a neoprene Comfort Strapp (spelling intentional). The Bass Gallery usually has them in stock and you can buy over t'Interweb thingy. I've tried loads of wide, comfortable leather straps and the Comfort beats the lot IMHO. Finally, buy a [u][b]proper [/b][/u]lightweight bass, not a P-bass that "only" weighs 9.5lbs but something genuinely light. There's a headless, fretless Miller in carbon fibre for sale right now on Basschat. It weighs just over 5lbs. That's not a typo. If you like shortscales, buy a vintage Hofner - they mainly come in below 6lbs. There's probably a Status Streamline available if you ask around. They weigh 7lbs. If you need a more 'traditional' bass, each of my two Mike Lulls weighs 7.5lbs and sounds every bit as majestic as an 11lb boat anchor from the 70s. The whole weight / dodgy back / dodgy shoulder thing can be sorted, or at least managed, as long as you have a plan. Good luck.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1397988464' post='2429173'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf33KekKBL8[/media] [/quote] I really, really want that horn section. Can someone buy it for me, maybe for Xmas or something?

I'll take that as a "no" then ...

I'm in Guernsey for the weekend and free tomorrow night and Saturday night. Any decent music pubs? Anything happening?

Nah - they didn't have TV back then ...