Dan Dare

Real Bass Lessons is decent. Very much old school (which is right up my street).

This. It's not that massive a sum, so take the hit. I've done the same. You can usually get much of your money back unless it's truly a piece of garbage.

This. Hover the cursor over the email (DON'T click) and the sender's address will display. If you don't recognise it - the sender's name will often be different from the one that appears in your email list - delete it immediately.

God loves a trier.

Good spot. Think the likely motivation is that 1 p pickup is cheaper than a pair of j pickups.

I'm with skankdelvar on this one. As the genius who penned that wonderful reply to the Join my Band ad (which was featured on here recently) said, virtually all this stuff is pushed by cynical white guys in boardrooms on insecure gullible young male punters who are desperate to look cool and tough.

In answer to the original question, yes, music stands are common. Common as muck. I can't take mine anywhere without it embarrassing me 😄

Or glue wire wool to the inside of the strap? Perhaps the best way would just be to staple it to your shoulder. It shouldn't move then 😁

I've got one of these - https://www.fusion-bags.com/collections/bass-guitar-gig-bags-soft-cases/products/urban-bass-guitar-gig-bag. Not that light, but good protection.

7 is closest, apart from my vintage Jazz. I never smile when I'm playing.

Could I enter a plea that you don't bling it up? It's cute as it is (and also likely to be rare because relatively few will have been sold).

It is indeed a minefield. The biggest problem is that, if you are not happy, it can be impossible to get any redress. I'd tend to avoid making a major purchase and stick to ordering low value items from such sites.

Utterly brilliant reply. I want Eric in my band. The original has to be a p1ss take, too. Surely nobody can be that much of a d1ck.

Worth thinking about a pre and power setup? A decent bass pre with a PA power amp will be as big iron as anyone needs. I used to use a BBE pre with a QSC power amp that, bridged, gave 1450w. Including a rack mount tuner, it all fitted in a 4u rack case and wasn't that heavy.

This, together with balance, is what counts, rather than weight. I once forgot my strap and had to borrow a piece of string to bodge something at the gig. After a couple of hours, it felt as if someone was sawing into my shoulder, even with a light (8 lb approx.) well balanced instrument. I eased it a bit by putting apiece of thick cardboard torn from a box between the string and my shoulder, but I was sore for a couple of days afterwards.

The main thing to look out for is that the thicker winding should not wrap around the tuning peg. I'd measure the length of the winding on your existing strings from ball end to just beyond the nut and look for strings that have the same wound length.

I think it's just tradition - always been that way and string makers don't wish to change in case it puts purchasers off. Originally, stringed instruments would have had wooden pegs, so the silk helped stop them biting into the pegs. Even with metal, the winding doesn't usually extend to the part that wraps around the peg, so the thinner core under tension would be more likely to mark/damage the peg, whether wood or metal.

This. So it's likely that NAMM will either be able to provide some advice or at least point you in the right direction. Has to be worth asking.

Anyone wanna buy my Sandburger?

Thanks. Good spot. I fancy those tiger wood ones.

Not a lot

Being an old git, I went to the Isle of Wight in 1970 and Weeley the following year. Great fun if you were in your late teens, but can't imagine doing it now. And yes, the bogs were truly terrible.

This. You can't be the only person taking instruments to NAMM that include CITES regulated materials.

That black headstock's a home bodge. Look at the overspray on the nut. Adds a certain charm, I suppose. Poor thing's been butchered. Oh and it's a Squier. Says "Made in Indonesia" on the back of the headstock.

Relisted at £300. Still a giltar...