Dan Dare

I've had a few. Too few to mention.

Thanks. It really can. I'm glad I thought about selling it - gave me the motivation to try to fix it. I'm definitely keeping it now. I've treated it to a new set of flats and it's instant Bernard Edwards. Minus his technique, of course...

About 3 years back, I fancied a Sting Ray, but didn't want to pay what they go for. I looked around and read reviews and the G&L Kiloton came up as a possible poor man's Ray. So I went out and bought the Tribute/Indonesian version (which uses the same pickup/wiring as the US versions and was favourably reviewed). The shop where I bought it only had a little combo to try it with, so I attributed the fact that it sounded like a J bass with only the bridge pickup working to that. When I got it home and tried it through proper gear, it was the same. Middly, nasal and no great weight to the sound. So it went in the cupboard to be forgotten about until recently. I dug it out and thought I might as well sell it as it wasn't being used, but I worried that it would be unlikely to have much appeal with the feeble sound. I wondered whether there might have been a broken wire or one of the pots wasn't working right. So I found a wiring diagram online, took it apart and guess what. The pickup selector switch was incorrectly wired. It must have been done wrong at the factory because I bought it brand new. Don't they test things before shipping them? Apparently not. Broke out the soldering iron and switched a couple of wires on the selector switch over and blimey. It rattles the windows. Very pleasing.

Same here. I prefer passive to active P and J basses. I fitted an East J Retro to my J a few years back. Quality of the product was excellent. Clean/noiseless in use, wide eq range and did all that was claimed of it. However, I felt it made the instrument sound a bit generic. That J bass quality was missing. Eventually, I removed and sold it. I'd suggest using an external pre, rather than a permanently fitted one. I also have an active P Bass Special (P/J). It's versatile, but a bit characterless,

I don't have a "sound". It changes depending on what the material calls for.

Yet another clip-on tuner. I'm forever losing them.

Love the "No returns for acetic reasons ". Rather an acid comment, eh?

God, that's bad. In addition to the bit of wood that's been stuffed in the access hole for the truss rod adjuster, there seems to ne a piece jammed in the channel for the wiring for the neck pickup. The knobs are class, too. No doubt the neck screw plate has been removed because it was stamped "Made in Japan". 38 bids? There really is one born every minute.

Have we had the Poo Fighters previously?

Ice Pube

The Polite

A good drummer makes the whole band better and the reverse is equally true. Which is why the good ones are so busy/hard to get.

You must be psychedelic. Or psychic. Or something.

No point. You've said what you think and so have I.

I'll stay off my high horse if you stay off your low one, mate. Yes, it's irrelevant. A lot of pop music was never all that great to begin with. Pop music is part of the paraphernalia of our youth, together with the fashions, friendships, etc, etc. Listened to critically, it's often not up to much. That's not the point of it, mate. For a lot of people, going to see the musicians they loved when they were young is an enjoyable trip down memory lane, a chance to reconnect with the days when they had hair and their face left an imprint in the pillow, rather than the other way around. If you don't like it, that's your right, mate. But stop sneering at those who do, mate. I guess you must be deeply unhappy and want everyone to be as miserable as you are, mate.

Your point has not been missed at all. Whether or not anyone can "still do it" is irrelevant. So is the reason that people continue to go to see them. If they wish to "cling on to their youth", that's their business, not yours. If you don't like it, nobody is forcing you to buy a ticket. There are plenty of things I don't like (including acts that were popular 30 years ago who are still cranking it out), but I don't call for them to be stopped. It's a free country.

Who appointed anyone on here as the official arbiter of when musicians and bands should pack it in? If they want to keep going and enough are willing to buy tickets, it's their business what they do. Nobody is forced to go and see them.

I assume you're talking about the plucking, rather than the fretting hand. Two should be sufficient for most things. The ring finger is the weakest and, because it shares some tendons with the second finger, does not operate entirely independently of it. It may give you "more speed" in theory, but probably not in reality. I spent some time a few years ago attempting to learn to use it and found it wasn't worth the effort. YMMV.

Chic's Good Times has to be on the list, with that bootiful golden bass line from Bernard Matthews, sorry, Edwards. The song ain't much, but it's a killer bass part.

The loss of a partner is very affecting. It took me a couple of years to get my mojo back after it happened to me. If she was the person who encouraged you, then the bass is a reminder of her, so it's hardly surprising you find it difficult to pick it up. If you can stand to, I would suggest is making yourself do it, even if you're only picking up the instrument for a short while. The slough of despond is like quicksand. It can take some effort to pull yourself free from it. I hope this doesn't sound glib.

I think Neepheid has it right. I would be a little surprised if someone asked me to bring an amp to a lesson. An instrument and cable, yes, but an amp seems a little odd, especially If he has half a dozen. For low volume lessons, I would have thought you or he could use one of the guitar amps. You aren't going to blow it up at lesson levels. If you have one, take your SVT plus fridge along. It'll be a laugh getting him to help you lug it up the stairs. Also, the assertion that "tab is what is generally being used now" doesn't fill me with confidence. At the reading jobs I do, I am given conventional notation, not tab. I've never been given tab. I wonder whether he might he not be a reader himself.

I feel your pain. The thing I really can't stand is drummists who add kick drum beats in the cracks all the time. They think it's clever, when in reality, it just bucks up the feat (to quote Dr Spooner).

I know I say this every time someone asks for advice on gear, but do go and try stuff, rather than buying on the basis of recommendation. Most people selling used gear won't mind if you ask to come and try it out (if they do, that's a red flag). Ditto retailers. Having said that, the fact that you like your BFTwo10 makes their One10 an obvious choice and both will combine happily to give you a potent rig when the occasion demands it.

Being competent will do for me. As long as I play the right notes in the right order, I'm happy.