NancyJohnson

Now then. Following on from my original post, hello Wayne, it's good to be back in a limited capacity at least. I should like to offer up for your deliberation a photo of my [i]other [/i]Thunderbird a pant wettingly stunning Hamer FBIV, as follows: ...I landed this about three weeks after the Gibson arrived. It's mega-mega-rare, maybe less than 20 worldwide and I scored it for a ridiculously low price (and have been offered an equally stupidly high price from a Hamer collector in the US for it). Other than it looks similar, the Gibson and Hamer just don't compare. The Hamer is very well balanced, [i]zero [/i]neckdive and man, the sound is epic in a different way and the sustain just rings. The neck is similar to my old Precision (whereas the Gibson neck is thinner than my sadly departed Geddy Jazz). It's very heavy. Amazingly, the magic also works with this one as well, transforming me from a desk-bound blob of an office-worker into 50% of the most lithe rhythm section east of Reading. Much love Paul x

A rare post from me. I've owned a Gibson Thunderbird for about a year, during which time it has become my main bass. It's a '94 in classic white and I imported it through Ishibashi. For no good reason other than I can, here's what it looks like: Now then the pro's and con's. The stock bridge is awful, very Heath Robinson and before the bass arrived I already had a Hipshot replacement on order. The strap lugs were awful as well, so I changed them for Dunlop Straploks. Moving along, neck-dive. Yes, it's slightly neck heavy (yawn)...the added ounces from the new bridge perhaps subliminally go some way to resolving the issue, but to be honest I only played the bass on the strap once before I swapped over the bridge, so don't feel qualified to argue one way or another. To be honest, I'm a little tired of the whole neck-dive argument; sure if you're going to assume a JC pose every time you play it, then yes, the bass will rotate head first towards the ground, but very slowly. Jeesh. Get over it, it's not life threatening. Buy yourself a wide strap. Insofar as the neck goes, it's super thin and very fast. The bass plays well sitting down, the body is pretty thin; the centre core is around the same depth as your regular bass (45mm), the wings 28mm deep. It weighs under 8lbs. Audibly, it sounds the nuts. Honestly. Through a Sansamp, it sounds immense. Finally, it looks so uber-cool. How could anyone say these basses are ugly? Look at my avatar. I'm a slightly overweight guy in my forties. It doesn't get any worse than that, but thankfully, I have all my hair. When I play this bass, I feel like a skinny guy in my twenties. Go figure. It sounds great [i]and [/i]makes me look good. It's like magic. P

Here you go. P

I can't lay claim to owning a Roscoe, but I love the 3005s. OK, if it's Roscoe porn you're after, this was up for sale on Ishibashi a couple of years ago. P

Crack Converters. [url="http://tinyurl.com/63cpmqe"]http://tinyurl.com/63cpmqe[/url] Currently at £80.00. Looks a bit grubby. P

US Hamer Chapparal project here. White/cream. No hardware. £170 BIN plus £75 shipping. Seller is based in Ohio, USA. Wife has instigated a strict one in one out bass policy otherwise I think it would be winging its way here...should cost more than another £100 to get it up and running. Link: [url="http://tinyurl.com/6x2hm8t"]http://tinyurl.com/6x2hm8t[/url] Best P

[quote name='jonthebass' post='717294' date='Jan 18 2010, 10:52 PM']My P bass with a SD Qtr. Pounder pickup and SD Jazz Hot Stack bridge unit sounds great through my Sadowsky pre amp pedal and does it for me (at the mo!)[/quote] I always found the SD to be too whumpy when I had my old '79. I put a Wizard in and it was much more controllable. Presently the combination of a Geddy Lee signature (so I guess stock Fender units) and the Sansamp BDDI is kind of lovely...dirt by the sackload and very controllable. Couldn't recommend the pedal more. P

The Thumb SC has to be one of the ugliest basses I've seen in a while. P

I posted a photoshopped mock up of the JO 3TB/blocks both here and direct to Lakland about a year ago and then again on the LOG quite recently and hey presto! there it is. I'm not a fan of sunbursts, but it looks very nice. Anyone want to buy my Bongo 5HH? P

While this isn't a GAS thing (and despite the fact I'm really not a fan of guitars that look like furniture), I'd have to say I always had a soft/hard spot for the Thunderbird(s) that Spector did for Nikki Sixx: ...and these look beautiful: and the Roscoe bass on the attached thumbnail. Have them sent round to my place when you've got a minute Sarah. P

Me likey. I've never seen a product like this before (I guess I've never been that concerned about effects pedals until I got one at Christmas either). Every gear box should have one. [url="http://www.keithmcmillen.com/products/batt-o-meter/"]Link[/url] with video. Edit: No UK distribution, 24.32 euro (£22) including shipping from here: [url="http://waltons.ie/Product/View.aspx?id=28465&cid=241"]Waltons.ie[/url] P

I was trying to put a lot more angst on my original post, but my wife needed to get to Argos for 10.00am this morning. I've calmed down somewhat since. Personally I can't stand Mr Clayton; everything from that smug [i]'have-you-trodden-in-some-dogshit-because-I-haven't'[/i] look on his face in [i]every [/i]picture, right along to his one dimensional duh-duh-duh playing. To confirm what jezzaboy posted earlier he was/is regularly derided by his own band for being incapable of even clapping in time. But hey, as I've said before, he's a multi-millionaire and I still work in an office. Ho hum. What do I know, eh? P

Trawling through Thomann and saw this: Holy crap. WTF? Sometimes you have to question where bass-manufacturers's heads are at. P

A few years back I tried out a drummer for a band I was putting together. For the record, we were both raised in the same locality and although I didn't know the guy first hand, we had some mutual friends from our teens and I knew some of his mates from that period. He also employed a mate of mine for a while about ten years ago. We jammed just the once; he was a good player but it didn't work out. The story he recounted to me affirmed a rumour that had been doing the rounds donkey's years back that involved a reasonably famous celebrity couple and their son, the aforementioned Ms. Millington and one of the son's friends. 'Richard' was the friend. As soon as he told me the story, I sat there, beer in hand wide eyed and slack jawed. That's all you're getting. P

I have a degree of bias, but Hartke. P

Nice lot. Where did you get the record frames BTW? P

[quote name='Johngh' post='702763' date='Jan 6 2010, 12:57 PM']I've just bought back my Fender Jazz 75 re-issue. On the headstock below the Jazz logo it says Made In Japan. On the back of the neck near the bottom where the neck fits into the body it says Crafted in Japan. So, which is it ?[/quote] It's Japanese. Crafted/Made=same thing. Same as the Aerodyne editions. P

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='702331' date='Jan 5 2010, 11:49 PM']That's nothing. I met Mary Millington in 1978 and she was one of the most gifted women I have ever met. I was so taken aback with her talent that I [i]personally[/i] commissioned a hand-job from her, the last one she ever administered.[/quote] I have a jaw-dropping story about the late Ms. Millington that to this day leaves me wide-eyed when I think about it. It's way too naughty to produce here. P