NancyJohnson

You're probably more than aware of the set ups I've had, squire. On paper it looks like a one box solution to an old set up I was running with a Rolls crossover, into a BDDI and a VT Bass. I'd be interested in seeing what your Hamer would sound like straight into the dUg funbox.

This looks interesting because of the crossover element, might work to your advantage if you have a 12-string bass.

At 6'4" and built like a rugby player, I certainly wasn't a shoe in as a Japan fan, but I adored them. At the time I was listening to a lot of North American stuff (Kiss/Rush/Starz/Angel/Cheap Trick, and so on) and Japan were a gateway into something entirely different to that. They just felt like my little secret, nobody (and I mean nobody) in my circle cared about them whatsoever until they started getting popular. When I listen to the early stuff it just makes me feel a bit sad at how the whole Japanese musical/cultural influences (Sakamoto etc.) shaped how they changed over the next two years. I still don't get how they fired Rob Dean and replaced him with a couple of players that added absolutely nothing musically. My wife made some remark about Masami Tsuchiya just making noise; figuring the choice of him joining may have been calculated to sell more records in Japan (much like Manchester Utd buying Korean players). Anyhow, back on track here, Karn. Polytown is great. Really enjoy his stuff on the Gary Numan album 'Dance'. Some of the solo work is outstanding.

I saw Japan quite a few times in the early days (around '78-79), when they were a) in their ascendency, b) being derided by every weekly music paper except Sounds and c) very limited fanbase, so audiences were fairly small. I'm almost certain I saw them at Dingwalls, definitely at The Venue, Music Machine, Lyceum. My last gig was at The Theatre Royal, Drury lane with David Rhodes on guitar (Christmas 1982). I’d argue that the first two albums and the Live In Japan EP were all 10/10 releases and Quiet Life, while decent, just didn’t match AS & OA; beyond this very much a case of diminishing returns. I didn’t gel with GTP so much or TD at all; at this juncture it seemed the fanbase were too obsessed with their clothes and hair styles rather than the music. It just became fashionable to like them if that makes sense. With me, bands metaphorically tended to fall out of favour if Janice from the typing pool said she liked them. I detested the Masami Tsuchiya period. On the subject of Mick Karn, he was phenomenal live. Such a presence. I just wish I’d paid more attention to what he was doing at those early gigs rather than appreciating the band as a whole, if that makes sense.

Winamp. Been using it for years.

I found a review of mine online a few minutes ago...one of the worst things is the tuners. It stays in tune to a degree, machines seem to slip equally.

That's extremely kind! PM incoming!

One Christmas a few years back, wife bought me a (soprano) ukulele as a bit of a joke; it was a Lidl central aisle purchase made by a company called Clifton, £18.00. It's been stuck on a shelf gathering dust for years, honestly didn't even have a clue how it's tuned. I have a couple of mates who play in a ukulele band called The Mighty Lemons, and they seem to have a beery-riot doing stuff. Over Christmas, my wife is like, 'Are you ever going to play it or shall I charity-shop it?' Went online, found out how to tune it, found a tab for 'Tonight You Belong to Me' and off I went. I've got biggish hands (oh, to lament why isn't there a luthier who customises guitars for people with big hands, eh?), but while I'm far from sausage-fingered the chording is a struggle, but it's a lot of fun. As an instrument, I'm finding that you can pretty much make any chord shape and it just sounds rather lovely, so much so I'm thinking a better specced one may make the experience a little better.

I'm not doing anything bandwise right now, but I'm contributing some bass stuff remotely for a studio project. I have a couple of basses out and I'm getting more pleasure out of looking at them than I am actually playing. Once the project is done, they'll just go back in their cases. Mindset now is I can just take it or leave it.

Owned a Lakland Skyline DJ5 a few years ago and have played other Lakland Skylines and their US versions; if you're going to a public forum for affirmation that ANY manufacturer's USA Series models (at $4-5K a pop) really worth double/triple the price of the Korean/Indonesian versions, then you already know the answer. Sure these companies (Sadowsky/Lakland/Lull/Sandberg etc) have a business in which their core models are largely based off Fender copies, but at ridiculously expensive prices. As I've posted elsewhere this week, the market has swung from original basses and cheap copies thereof, through to original basses and very expensive copies thereof; the bass market is broken. We've already proven that people can't even identify the tone of their own basses in a blind test, I'm sure that the temptation of custom colours, clay dots etc. are really worth the extra £££. Just go with the cheaper models. You won't notice any discernible difference, your bandmates/audience/soundguy won't give a rats what you're playing. As an additional bonus you won't lose so much when you sell it on!

Struggling to remember, but aside from my old Aria (which I still own) my only other Fender copy was a £65 Columbus Jazz Bass that I started out on. Reckon that taught me enough about how little the difference was between cheap copies and the real thing. Fast forward 40-odd years and we're at the point where there's the real thing and some very expensive copies. I honestly don't get why people will pay equivalent Fender money for a Limelight and then put a Fender decal in it. WTAF? I can see Winyard have posted here, credit to them, but how anyone expect people to shell out £2k+ on a Precision bass copy is beyond me, especially considering anyone who is adept enough with drill and screwdriver could put together something similar from parts for £200-300 and then dragged behind a car for a mile or two. Don't get me started on tonewoods; most people here couldn't tell the difference between ash or alder.

Lemonrock has been kicking around for years, while it can't hurt to set up a profile, I doubt that any of the things I've done in the last 15 years has come from the site.

I had a Streamer five-string about 20 years ago. Bolt on version. Body was cherry. Just used to use Mr Sheen on it once in a while. Worked fine. I just don't get all this, 'Ooh, use a lemon oil, but make sure it's applied with a lint-free cloth.'. It's wood. Mr Sheen. None of my kit get grubby/manky. Where are you guys playing? A slaughterhouse?

It is a bit of a tired old question, but the answers do ebb and flow: Mick Karn Glen Matlock Stuart Hill (Shudder to Think) Pete Vuckovic (3CR) Muzz Overend Steve Priest Colin Moulding

Strings aside, little actual desire for anything new although you can never say never. If, for instance, my amp went, then obviously that's a necessity over GAS, right? Put me on the list.

I wouldn't expect any reply from Fender any more than you'd expect to get a response from Ford about that peeling paint on a 50 year old Mk 1 Escort.

What would I do with it? Strip it, get it finished in a vintage blonde/olympic white over sunburst and knock the blone/white back a bit.

Even after decades since the last Bell catalogue was published, I'm constantly amazed by how little that was produced by some manufacturers (cough, Gibson, cough) officially made it to this side of the pond. You'd see stuff in the Bell catalogue and in the more serious print matter (like Beat Instrumental) and as a doughy-eyed teenager you'd just take it that this was everything that was available. In my head I'm still hardwired to believe that Fender only produced sunburst basses and that a Gibson Flying V bass was a myth. While I was a fan of Mott The Hoople and was aware of the Thunderbird shape but didn't have a clue what it was (different times, kids); I remember getting a copy of The Runaways Live In Japan and working out that it was a Gibson. It wasn't in the Bell catalogue (yes, I know about the reintroduction dates), so it wasn't really on anyone's radar.

I haven't subscribed to any print material of a musical perspective for many years; I'd say with some confidence that we've kind of evolved past the necessity of picking up a magazine for information. There's two primary sites globally this one and that other one, and collectively we have thousands more people working on providing content than any magazine could dream of.

The WiLDHEARTS.

The finish looks similar to Overend Watt's Thunderbird II - there's a quote somewhere from him about poorish (Gibson) QC, airplane/gig travel (hot/cold cycle), damp storage.

I'm listening to Third Eye Blind today. Fairly decent alternative rock.

@cetera May have mentioned I sourced one of these for a mate who lives about half a mile from you. A couple of years ago this was. Can concur it's a delightful thing; I've asked him for first dibs should he ever think about selling it. He's got waaay too many (budget) guitars and following a bit of inheritance is slowly clearing the junk and upgrading, so I suspect it may come my way at some point.

Can I ask where you're located? I was trying to get a scratchplate cut for my Cruisebass; no intention of screwing it in, just double-sided tape. I've not been able to facilitate a schematic of the plate.