Happy Jack

Why do you think it's cheap? It's an auction with over two days left to run!

You've replaced it with an RSJ for improved balance?

Absolutely fascinating. I can't wait for those washers to arrive.

Correct ... 48mm.

Own enough basses and it is (statistically) inevitable that some will have challenging issues. Mix in a few totally one-off custom basses with ... erm ... quirks in their design, and it's only a matter of time. 😎

Didn't he also say, "He can trap a ball further than I can kick it"?

Come over 'ere an' I'll scallop yer neck pocket ...

I've said it before, I'll say it again ... this would be a poorer place without his creations. I can't think of any other luthier who generates quite so much entertainment. Having the bridge overhang the rear of the bass by 3" is just a glorious idea, but securing the steel reinforcement plate with allen bolts is sheer genius. I'm still laughing, though tinged with disappointment that he didn't use https://www.screwfix.com/p/easyfix-hollow-wall-anchors-8-16mm-m5-x-52mm-10-pack/12229?tc=TB9&ds_kid=92700048793290424&ds_rl=1249413&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlOmLBhCHARIsAGiJg7mZvXQ_SXoS5U3vxCUuJ4qI40-yQDZB4kGMfFVvzg_f96P1mG80C8MaAl83EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds instead.

I'm happy to recommend https://www.bowfinishing.co.uk/ You'll not see much change from £500, mind ...

When I were but a lad, I spent hours with an italic nib practising my fantasy signature. Can't remember what it looked like now ...

We've never let ours forget the time he set up his full kit before realising that he'd left his cymbals case at home ...

That is a truly awesome piece of work.

If there's no other dodgy-intonation instrument in the outfit (no fiddle or slide guitar or mouth organ or Gawdelpus a trombone) then you should be fine ... intonation on a fretless only gets better with practice and playing live gigs in front of hecklers. 😂

What's the line-up for the trio?

Which particular red, red wine was being oppressed? Or did they mean that the red, red wine had been oppressed from grapes? I think we should be told ...

Well now, maybe this is true (or at least partially true) for all the wannabee multi-millionaire rock stars out there, but are there many such delusional people here on Basschat? I make 100% of my music-related income from touring, and I will tour anywhere so long as I get to sleep in my own bed that night. I tour all the way from Wendover to Woking, from Winnersh to Ware. I have no endorsements or sponsorships, and I hardly ever get called upon to open supermarkets. When we sell our next three Damo & The Dynamites CDs our total sales will have at last covered the production costs of that CD. I don't find myself lying awake at night, fuming over how 'unfair' it all is ... I'm too busy enjoying the ride.

I suspect that your expectations are WAY too high. I've only been at this game for 15 years (plenty of Basschatters can say much more than that!) but something I learned pretty early is that the vast majority of "musicians" - please note the carefully-placed inverted commas - are either flakes, or fantasists, or both. That's NOT a comment on any particular band-hunting portal, it's a comment on the several hundred people I've met and tried to play with over that 15-year period. Having had a reasonably successful business career working with serious, professional people, I have been absolutely staggered at just how feckless, amateurish and deluded have been most of the people I've met in bands. Fair enough, ain't no law says everyone I meet has to reach the standards I set 😂 and I'm obviously far too arrogant anyway. Instead, I go into things with my eyes open. I know the sort of people I usually end up dealing with, and I keep hoping that the next muso I try to play with will turn out to be one of the exceptional few (apologies to John Fogarty). I've met some very good people through both Bandmix and JMB, as also through Gumtree and Facebook. The only problem is that for every very good person I have met I have had to wade through dozens of complete clowns.

This might give you an idea of how it could look ...

I now use the EvoStraps Spider twin-shoulder design quite extensively. https://www.facebook.com/Evostraps I use them on my three heaviest basses (4kg and over). For lighter basses, I still use a more trad design - https://comfortstrapp.com/

I'm about as far from Sunny Ob'n as you can get but trust me ... it's exactly the same Darn Sarf.

Around 15 years ago one of the best-loved jam sessions in West London was at the King's Head in Acton. By 2007 it had moved to the Drayton Court in West Ealing where it ran every Tuesday for several years. It finally moved one last time to the ghastly Tune Inn in Acton, but the period at the Drayton was such a clear peak and a favourite that the regulars still refer to the jam as "The Drayton Jam". Over 10 years later, I'm helping to organise and run a one-off Xmas Special ... the Drayton Jam Revisited, on Tuesday 28th December in that nice little lull between Xmas and New Year when nobody has any gigs. 😉 By sheer coincidence, that also happens to be the last day of my life before I become a pensioner. 😂😂😂 This is very much an OPEN EVENT for anyone to attend, whether as jammer or listener. These sessions were always a heap of fun, and it was always a very friendly crowd. Blues Jam sessions like this have also always been a great way to hook up with other musicians if you were looking to join/form/complete a band. Above all, a well-run Blues Jam is always entertaining. Whether the crew on stage are sublime, or a complete train wreck, it's always entertaining. Do come if you can.

So, elk then?