Cato

It was Axe as advertised on the back page of Kerrang when I was 15. When I upgraded a few years later I defretted the Axe with a pair of pliers. As far as I know it's still lurking in an eave's cupboard in my parents house.

Any of these any use? https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/search-results?i=1;q=Guitar+Sheet+music;show_all=products&gid=&owner= Although even some of these are being offered at several times their original retail. It might be worth having a look in a few other charity bookshops though.

The most local music shop has really scaled back on it's electric bass and guitar stuff in the last couple of years, basswise they only really seem to sell entry level Ibanezes these days. I still pop in occaisionally because although the guitar range is also fairly limited they do get some interesting stuff in from time to time, at the moment they have mid range Yamaha Revstars and a couple of really nice looking Washburn Archtops, but in terms of price there's nothing I've seen that isn't cheaper online. A few years ago the shop was mostly electric guitars and basses, everything from starter kits up to limited edition USA Fenders and Gibsons, now they seem to be focusing on acoustic folky type instruments and a few high end electric pianos, I guess that's what sells for them these days. I also live about ten miles from Bass Direct, but I've never been in. Maybe one day I'll get round to popping in for some strings or something.

Four basses and three guitars. I reckon I've got room for at least another 3 of one sort or the other.

Even for an acoustic that action is getting towards unplayable territory. As a general rule of thumb, once you've got the basic technique down, playing barre chords shouldn't require any real physical effort. On that guitar it looks like it would require a fair bit of downwards force even quite near the nut, let alone further up the board.

The only store in UK that I've seen that regularly has US G & Ls in stock is the Great British Bass Lounge, even then it only tends to be one or two at any one time. Other than that you really don't see them around very often in the UK. My impression is that their US production output isn't large enough to export many instruments outside the US

For me the pickguard is part of the classic '51 look. I think the white just about edges it over the black, but both look fantastic in those pictures.

I suspect it's all down to individual experience (if that's the right word). At one end of the spectrum you have people like guitarist Eric Johnson who can apparently hear minute differences in equipment and set up, to the extent that, according to some rig run downs, when recording he uses nickel plated jack plug guitar leads for ryhthym and gold plated for solo work. I'm guessing he could probably hear significant differences between bridge types. At the other end of the spectrum you have people like me. I have changed a couple of bridges out because I like rock solid units with no lateral movement in the saddles and no sharp edges. There may possibly have been a change in the feel of the bass but I've never noticed a change in the tonal character of the instrument .

The trem/tuning thing is a problem on much more expensive fender strats than the Squier. It's just an intrinsically flawed design. Good to hear that you're impressed with the rest of the guitar, I think Squier have really upped their game in the last decade.

I lasted 57 seconds.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I have to say that's a lovely looking instrument, your pictures show it off better than the ones I've been looking at on the Thomann website. I normally buy myself something new around January and next year, at the moment, I think it's going to be a Barracuda.

I read an interview with Chas ( or possibly Dave) a while back. Apparently they have another song ready to go should Spurs ever reach another FA Cup final. I believe that would be their 5th Spurs inspired song?

I like that a lot. But then I'm a sucker for a repetitive catchy bass groove and a funky dance video.

I've got a V7 fretless. It sounds and plays exactly like a fretless jazz should The knobs and tuners are perfectly functional. The only part I might consider changing is the bridge, it's not quite as rock solid as I would like, but then neither are most factory fitted bridges. I like my saddles with absolutely zero potential for lateral movement, even though 99.9 % of the time on most basses it never causes an issue anyway.

I don't know about The Voice, but Britain's Got Talent has been inviting professional cabaret acts from Britain ,Europe and beyond to apply for years. I think the better ones are approached with a near guarantee of a televised 'audition'. They don't advertise it to their audience when they introduce such acts, but I don't think it's a secret either.

What's the fretboard on the bass made from? I looked into having a maple board defretted a while ago and after speaking to a few people on here and a local luthier, the advice, which I took, was that the poly finish on the board would make it a very difficult and expensive job. I think with it's much more straightforward with rosewood or ebony.

For many years when I heard people talking about Donald Fagan I genuinely thought they were referring to this guy. I just assumed that he had a vast back catalogue of stuff that I'd never heard. it's only quite recently that I realised my error.

Weight wise there's not much in it, the Thinline is a shade over 7lbs and the solid is around 8lbs. It's only the top part of the body above the centre block that's hollow so it's less than a third of the whole body. They do sound very different though,with the humbuckers, the six saddle bridge and the hollow bit the Thinline doesn't really sound like a traditional tele at all.

My other instruments.

Gas is a dangerous, insidious thing. At the moment I really want a Yamaha Revstar 502T skinny stringer in green. I keep thinking 'well I haven't got anything with P90s and i probably should have at least one guitar with P90s. What if a situation arises and I need something with p90s and I haven't got a Revstar?' But I'm deceiving myself. I don't need it at all. I just really, really like the way it looks.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

I don't know what the situation was when Flea and Sterling Ball had their conversation but if you look at their range today they don't do signature guitars like most other guitar companies. Music Man signature guitars are not based on other prexisting guitars in the range with a few tweaks here and there and a signature on the headstock, like, for example, most Fender sigs. Each MM signature guitar is a unique model in it's own right.

Nah, it's too close to the bridge.

Nice looking bass and I'm a big fan of Aguilar pups and preamps. What's the thinking behind the unusual scale length?

I don't think we're 100% sure that Fender are going to put them into production yet, let alone which price range it would fall in to.