Cato

The crack in the heel of the neck would be enough for me to ask for a replacement. It might not represent a huge structural problem, but it's not good enough on a brand new bass from a maker of Ibanez's repute.

I had a similar experience. As a youngster I used to lust after Les Pauls, SGs and 335s. In my 20s I had a girlfriend who's dad had an extensive collection of Gibsons. The only one I actually got on with playing wise was the Firebird, all the others just felt 'wrong' to me, either the necks felt too flimsy (335 and es175) or the balance felt wrong (SG) , or in the case of the Les Pauls they were just all round uncomfortable. My loss I reckon. I'd have a Firebird in a second though.

No idea. Looks a lot nicer than Pau Ferro though.

Personally I never say never anymore. There are just too many basses and guitars that I despised for years, only to end up lusting after them.

First mass produced solid bodied fretted bass guitar? I can't imagine that there are many bass players who wouldn't be interested in that slice of history.

Personally I'll take new and shiny over vintage with mojo everyday of the week. I wouldn't turn down an original 51 p bass, mind, but I'd happily have it refinished if it wasn't in mint condition.

All my bass needs are covered for the moment. My GAS seems to be focused on skinny stringers right now. I've got a hankering for a really spikey guitar, despite not listening to metal in years and having no desire to play heavy music. Who says you can't play funk on a Jackson Kelly?

There were a few stories about David Beckham a while ago which suggested that you generally don't get a knighthood for services outside of politics or government just by sitting on your backside waiting to be awarded one. There's a fair bit of lobbying the appropriate comittees involved.

I'm guessing that an ironic thread was in danger of losing its irony.

I can see why i remembered that Maruscyck. Stunning finish.

If memory serves @mcnach has or had a couple of precision type basses that were fitted with Jazz pickups.

Obviously her Madge feels the same way. Every year that the standard ex Prime Ministerial honours are withheld from Blair is like a personal slap in the face from the Queen. Long may it continue.

Reading about his career it seems fair enough. Just about every big name in UK hip hop credits Wiley with either giving them their big break or helping them out early in their careers. He seems very highly respected within that community and no less deserving than anyone else who's been key in the development of. given music genre.

The honours list can tell you quite a lot, especially when you look at those people who haven't got one. When a long serving Prime Minister such as Tony Blair is repeatedly snubbed for a basic knighthood, let alone the more esoteric awards such as the 'Order of the Garter' which ex PMs normally get as a matter of routine (even John Major is a member) it tells you that he his very much on HM's naughty list.

The conventional wisdom is to use flats, as much because they do less damage to a fretless board than rounds. That being said a lot of really famous fretless work from the likes of Jaco and Pino was all done with rounds.

That's for FMIC to decide. You can't bring an IP case to court on someone else's behalf.

Exactly. I can't believe that anyone genuinely believes that Fender does not know about people rebadging instruments as 'Fenders' or adding logos to replicas. There an absolutely shedload of online sellers offering fake Fender water slide decals for a start, that would be a logical place to start any legal crackdown. For whatever reason they are choosing not to take action, either against individuals or companies. The idea that joe public should have to stand up for them to stop them being taken advantage of is, quite frankly, bizarre.

I seem to recall that there was another level of weirdness to that one, along the lines of because the owner had acquired the bass in a private sale rather than though an approved dealer, John Hall was so e how implying that he may not be the legitimate owner of the bass, or something along those lines.

She stormed off during the 'should I use compression in conjunction with my Bare Faced cabs?' unpleasantness a few years back. We've not heard from her since.

Gobsmacked. I wept tears of empathetic joy when I read that thread about you being reuinted with your long lost love. I mean obviously any Jazz bass is superior to any Precision of any era... But even so.

How am I supposed to look at my fretting hand and a music stand at the same time?

You've not sold the white 70s P you were so over the moon at getting back a couple of years ago?

I think they stopped selling them in the UK around 2014/15? Nice to know it might still be possible to get a new one.

I believe the problem with John Hall and Ric was that the BC site owners simply couldn't afford to go to court for the test case which would have decided exactly what the legal responsibilities of a third party marketplace are in regards to selling copies/replicas/modded instruments. Which John Hall knew when he decided to issue his threats against a relatively tiny website rather than one of the really big online marketplaces. As far as I know, no such test case has so far been undertaken in the UK, so the responsibilities of the market place in those scenarios is still legally undefined.

I a shop selling Smokey Bacon popcorn the other day. That's just wrong, isn't it?