skankdelvar

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='483609' date='May 9 2009, 10:41 AM']Hey Skank, I meant the description in that [i]Harmony Central [/i]review, not the eBay listing. [/quote] Ah, right ... all this modern living's getting too confusing for me. Time for my meds... But it's still a cute little bass. Time for a re-issue.

Description amended. Has the seller been reading this thread? Is he - [i]one of us[/i]? :ph34r: Sweet, pretty and slightly pricey, IMHO, but quite rare...

[quote name='BassMunkee' post='482677' date='May 8 2009, 08:05 AM']It's not so much the smell, it's the taste that puts me off...[/quote] Yummy with lemon butter and some parmesan...maybe that might help...

[quote name='Dr.Dave' post='481696' date='May 7 2009, 10:24 AM']... and easy to hit things (like guitar players and drum stands) with it if you move around.[/quote] You say that like it's a bad thing.... [quote name='Dr.Dave' post='481696' date='May 7 2009, 10:24 AM']... but as I've said before it'll be in the classifieds the day after I stop playing in the ZZ trib.[/quote] God forbid that happens, but if it does, you know where to find me....

[quote name='mildmanofrock' post='481642' date='May 7 2009, 09:36 AM']It's making a background noise like a cassette loading Sinclair ZX Spectrum.[/quote] Any chance of an mp3 of the above, for anyone aged under 40 Sorry to hear you've got a sick Ampeg.

It's all a bagatelle - for example, some commonly held views: Refinished classic cars = good Refinished antiques = bad Aged repro furniture = good Aged modern furniture = bad Refinished classic clothing = bad Refinished vintage guitars = bad Aged repro Guitars = big debate Paying for aged repro guitar with aged repro £20 notes = Jail sentence

The simple reason that people buy relics is that they want to buy relics and manufacturers are happy to oblige. On closer scrutiny, there are many reasons which have been re-hashed before on this forum ad tedium. Beyond the simple functional issue of attempting to reproduce the playability of vintage instruments (e.g. rolling the fingerboard edges) or replicating 'tone', or keeping expensive vintage items out of the hands of gig thieves, lie the problematic areas of self-actualisation, self-image and transference of hero virtues. Let's not go there. But I'd ask myself why some people find it so strange that other people buy relics. Why do some people buy Warwicks and others buy Fenders? Why do some people like Jazz and others like Punk? In the end, it's just a matter of choice and no biggie.

[quote name='maxrossell' post='481937' date='May 7 2009, 01:28 PM']I'm there, dude. Auf wiedersehen![/quote] Bitte schon, Mein Herr. [quote name='Earbrass' post='481938' date='May 7 2009, 01:28 PM']I just don't buy into the idea that music only matters if it's making money for someone, or has a wide appeal or a cool image. To me those are completely irrelevant to what makes good music.[/quote] Absolutely right. World of difference between what's commercially successful and what some of us would consider is [i]good[/i]. Lots of people buy music we might think is 'bad'. But I'd rather they bought 'bad' music than no music at all.

[quote name='maxrossell' post='481927' date='May 7 2009, 01:22 PM']Oh man, I want one of those hats.[/quote] Readily available in Southern Germany and Austria - traditional hat to go with the loden

In support of my earlier contentions, I reproduce this [i]image[/i] of the (late) legendary Jazz DJ, Al 'Jazzbeaux' Collins without comment: Big fan of Asparagus... and other foodstuffs

[quote name='maxrossell' post='481854' date='May 7 2009, 12:38 PM']....a mouthful of asparagus....[/quote] I like Asparagus. But as Francis Albert Sinatra once said: "Asparagus is the vilest and most soul-less form of food. It is mostly eaten by crass, thuggish Rock & Rollers with greasy sideburns and you know what I think about them". Let's not permit this thread descend into Asparagus Good - Asparagus Bad, what's good, what's bad, define good, my opinion, IMHO, is my opinion, I defend your right but, etc, etc, continued page 94 ([i]that's enough guys, locked thread[/i]) It's all very simple, but for those of us who don't get it, here's the deal in plain English * There is no good and bad Asparagus * There is commercially successful Asparagus * There is Asparagus which used to be commercially successful but isn't anymore * Jazz is a form of Asparagus which used to be commercially successful but isn't [s]anymore[/s] as successful as it used to be * The French call it Asperges * Aspergers syndrome has nothing to do with Jazz * Jazz mags are sometimes not about Jazz or Asparagus I thang Yew

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='481852' date='May 7 2009, 12:36 PM']My penchant for grot mags alone surely elevates it above a niche market?[/quote] Oh - [i]those [/i]Jazz mags... Sorry, my smut-o-meter's in the shop, being fixed. But trust me, I've had dealings with (some of) these niche music guys and it's a mare.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='481843' date='May 7 2009, 12:28 PM']Surely it depends if your talking about the music or the magazines?[/quote] Either. Niche market, not enough money to be made. Too many amateurs focussed on the musical form rather than the business opportunities.

Accessible? There is nothing to stop anyone walking into a Jazz club. But Jazz's image won't appeal to 'today's pop kids' anymore than Blues, Folk, Country or Rockabilly. Some Jazz fans appear not to help by saying "You have to work at appreciating it". Trouble is, they're right. And in a culture that's evermore 'quick fix and bin it', Jazz has a battle on its hands. One of the things I do for a living is analyse musical and media brands. And frankly, I wouldn't take 'Jazz' on as a client - too long a haul for too little return.

[quote name='rslaing' post='481804' date='May 7 2009, 12:02 PM']You mean the commercial money making side of the business is about image. Like the sh*te that Simon Cowell manufactures and was started by Pete Waterman and his cronies. Who will remember any of the chart acts and their primitive crap in 50 years time? Who would want to? Good quality "proper" music will always survive, like classical and jazz for example, (or anything that is innovative) and the rest of it will just fade away never to heard again. The main reason being that it has no substance and the ears get tired of it very quickly. Just my opinion of course, as usual.[/quote] Francis Albert Sinatra held (IMO) a similarly trenchant view and none the worse for that: [quote]Rock & Roll is the most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression it has been my misfortune to hear. Rock & Roll is sung, played, and written for the most part by cretinous goons. It manages to be the martial music of every sideburned delinquent on the face of the earth[/quote]

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='481768' date='May 7 2009, 11:34 AM']I think that part of the appeal of Jazz to some is the feeling that its an exclusive club. If it were to start charting, these fans would move on to another genre. However, this can probably be said for any non-mainstream genre of music.[/quote] Country and Blues - I've been there and got the scars to prove it. You know a genre's in trouble when experts (who usually can't play a note) start inventing rules on how it should be performed. I don't think Jazz is inherently worse or better than any other genre. But it's a sub-sector of 'popular' music that's less popular than it used to be. You either ring-fence it with government grants or leave it out in the sun and see what happens...

[quote name='BigRedX' post='481303' date='May 6 2009, 06:39 PM']Has it got to be pointy?[/quote] Pointy is good. So is angular. Nice looking basses them Gus'es but a bit too curvy for the brief. And slightly phallic 'horns'... [quote name='MacDaddy' post='481452' date='May 6 2009, 09:48 PM']I just did a Google and am sorely tempted by this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Charvel-Star-Bass-Very-Rare-RRP-%a31600_W0QQitemZ150325409386QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Charvel-Star-Bass-Ve...6QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/quote] M'mmm. £1600? About £1200 over budget...

[quote name='razze06' post='480803' date='May 6 2009, 11:43 AM']And by the way, first post :-)[/quote] Thank you for that heads-up. And your first post too - may there be many more Thanks for the input so far, peeps. That Gordy looks [i]niiiiiice[/i]. As, in fact do all the others. I've got this pointy GAS bad. Keep the info coming please!

Am contemplating a change of GAS. Love my Fenders but thinking about something a little more...flamboyant and thuddy...shall we say. BTW, doesn't nec [i]just[/i] have to be a Gibson - other companies do them, don't they? So, anyone got a V or Explorer - what's it like? Sound, handling - pros and cons? Ta Skank

At those sort of prices, we're talking more than a new SUB (when you could get one) aren't we? Suspect Mr Ball's business plan doesn't pay much attention to non-US sales.

4 hours for a set-up? Even allowing for varying circs, venues etc, I think I'm with you on this one.

Nice bit of work - thank you for your effort!

Holy Hannah! £2 grand! You could have pretty much anything you wanted for that - certainly if you consider previously owned. You'll find something of a division of opinion here between those who favour the classic Ampeg 'sound' and lovers of the more 'modern' sounds. Get yourself down to the Bass Gallery in Camden where they've got loads of different amps you can try. Additionally, one critical factor would be transportability. £2k's worth of modern lightweight gear will sound nice and be fairly easy to move around. A similar value in Ampeg will require the services of a touring company, two big blokes, a warehouse forklift and an osteopath.

[quote name='maxrossell' post='479059' date='May 4 2009, 03:52 PM']In my view there are too many people at uni who shouldn't be there because they're not mature enough to take advantage of the possibilities on offer. That's not such a huge deal in courses such as law and what have you because there, like at school, you either do the work or you fail. By comparison it's easy to say that the arts and media courses are just a three-year dossers' holiday, but that's a fairly short-sighted view of the problem.[/quote] This struck something of a chord with my personal experience. I did a 3 year joint French/Drama (with media production) degree in a place which used to be a college, but had upgraded to University status. It was clear that they were touting useless courses to keep the numbers up. Equally, I was a complete layabout for the whole 3 years, spending most of my time drunk, stoned or playing in bands. Like many of my fellow students I just wasn't mature enough to take advantage of what was on offer; maybe as a result, my first job was in Telesales. Mind you, I graduated in [color="#FFFFFF"]1980.[/color] (highlight the space to find out).

[quote name='grumble' post='478576' date='May 3 2009, 09:37 PM']Interesting but surely as it was a gift from the man himself (long story) surely they have no claim ?[/quote] Dunno, but worth Googling and checking out developments if you decide you're going to sell...no expert me, but just happened to read about this subject a year or so ago.