Doctor J

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1320657878' post='1429365'] Sounds entertaining to me [/quote] Where I was, it was quite an uncomfortable experience, I suppose it's all about perspective, really

I played in a band called Old Scratch in the early '90s and I think I could find something from every gig we did but I'll filter to the highlights. At our third gig we were greeted by a nutjob in the dressing room who was damp form head to toe, claiming he had been in the Liffey earlier on. He kindly offered to play harmonica with us, which he had in one pocket and, in another, a foot long iron bar which he told us "anyone who f***s with me gets this" and started whacking it off the dressing room wall. The bouncers got him out but it spooked our vocalist (calling him a singer wouldn't be fair, he was probably more of a narrator). Anyway, he went off to calm his nerves, probably a little too much. We were going down like a lead baloon, our brand of improvised doom-jazz-metal thing not going down well with the punters at all, especially the gong solo. The singer from the headline band, who dressed up as a Vegas style crooner with wig and bushy 'tache, came on stage to try and help us out, but our singer wasn't aware that the guy took on a character. He just saw another loon come on stage and try to take the mic from him, at which point he rammed his elbow into the guy's throat screaming "You're mad! You're mad!" and this descended into a full on brawl which, once again, required the bouncers to resolve... on stage... in front of the punters. While rocking out at another gig I slipped in a puddle of water kindly left on stage by the support band and smashed backwards into the amp, which was a hefty Trace 4x10 combo teetering back and forth on a tea chest while I waited below to be squished. Thankfully, it steadied itself long enough for me to roll out of its shadow and stop it crashing down. The most embarassing one, though, was when we put on our first headlining show and, to celebrate, all got somewhat... let's say... "sedated" prior to playing. Each of us has a wildly different account of the night but my take on it is that I was experiencing severe paranoia, especially between songs which seemed to be taking bleeding ages to start the next tune. Before the gig the guitarist told me he couldn't feel his hands and had to play sitting on a chair. It's safe to say it wasn't going well, so I kept telling the singer to hurry up and start the next song, wanting to get it all over with as quickly as possible. What I wasn't aware of was that he and a couple of mates in the crowd had fallen out spectacularly badly during the course of the set, banter turning quickly into genuine insults and into threats and this is why it was taking so long to get the next tune going. After what seemed to be a life time waiting for him start while we were playing a tune I called him over and told him to "start singing or just f*** off"... and he walked off the stage and straight out the door. It's not really something you can prepare for and, because of my severe paranoia and being oblivious to everything else which had been going on, I thought it was all my fault. In fact, he didn't even remember me saying it the next day. But after a quick consultation with the drummer, the guitar player was still draped limply on a chair, we decided to carry on. As it was all improvised, we could just get one of our mates to step in and regale the punters. I called out for a chap called Swag. No answer. Turns out he had followed our singer out looking to beat the crap out of him. So another fella, who shall remain nameless, came up. He was a nice guy but the kind of fella who was the butt of every joke, you know that kind of person. As we started rocking out another riff he used the opportunity to lash into all the people who had been putting him down, from his family to his friends, some of whom were in the venue. I still go red even thinking about it now, almost 20 years later. It was shameful, but a learning experience nonetheless.

I think it was 1990.

Another recently acquired '91 Streamer lover here. Beautiful bass you have there.

That is superb. Nice one!

Good stuff. Would still like to hear a real drummer with acoustic kit on there but I am old and, probably, outdated in my sonic tastes

I quite like that. Embrace your Cynic influence a little more, I say. There are lots of highly syncopated 'shouty in the verse then singing in the chorus while wearing too-tight jeans' bands out there, the third guitar is your ticket to something unique, something to help you stand out more. Don't get me wrong though, good effort!

Dude...

I would consider the likes of Sadowsky, Bacchus, etc as refinements of the original design, rather than replicas. They exist because they have (arguably) improved what were stunningly good designs to begin with, continued the evolution of the instrument in keeping with advances in technology, whereas the company currently manufacturing basses under the Fender name have only sought to refine their manufacturing process to churn out greater numbers based on the original design also (and rehashes and mishmashes of other vintage designs), but I put it to you, do you think Leo Fender would have approved that shocking and lazy route under the scratchplate of the American Jazz bass for example? I wouldn't think so, personally. Leo Fender went on to embrace active tecnhnology with Musicman and then design arguably his finest bass in the G&L L2000. The Fender brand currently is a backwards looking money making machine, whereas the original Fender ideal was innovation and revolution (and money making). I see Fender these days like a tribute band who somehow came to posess the brand name, who repeatedly regurgitate the old hits wearing the old clothes. The ones derided in this thread are actually the ones who've tried to do something contemporary while still embracing the classic template and it is they, not Fender, who are closer to what Leo was about.

No comma

That is very nice, great choice of colour! Congrats.

I'm going to have to practice that pose, looks like a bass player classic

The worst culprits are FMIC! They even have the nerve to put the Fender logo on their copies! All they really did was buy the rights to the instruments from CBS who bought them from the real Fender. What have they got to do with the originals? Nought! They didn't even make Fenders in the goddamn US of A for a few years but they called these guitars made in Japan Fenders! How does that work? The original Fenders stopped being made once Leo and George buggered off, everything else is a copy. And another thing, Team Lotus my hole! I thank you

"When you do that bashee thing..."

What are you complaining about? You've just been given licence to do whatever the hell you want with your basslines and you know none of them are going to bicker about it. That's the dream gig. Score!

Really like these, but ain't buying unless it gets the 54 spec countoured body. If they did that and gave it the "roadworn" treatment, I can't help but feel they'd sell shedloads of them. Or they take that poxy Sting logo off the other one Bass direct had a trans white 54 style, custom shop model, a while back... I'd have killed you all for it

My old ESP, it's just got the magic tone, been the right bass at the right time for almost 20 years now. Excuse the humongous pic.

That is sweet. Good job.

For what it's worth I recently entered the world of 20 year old Warwicks and, after undoing 20 years of neglect, I have to say I'm completely smitten with my old SS1 Streamer, they're a serious step above the more recent offerings, in my opinion. I think, at some point, I will be hunting for a similar era Thumb. That is all

AC/DC isn't about being clever with flash fretboard w***ery, it's about nailing the groove, making it swing, getting the lads to shake their heads and the ladies to shake their arses. Perhaps this ain't the band you're looking for?

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1319640010' post='1416769'] Good result, but were you offered any recompense or at least given an explanation. [/quote] Yes, it would be shame to have read through all of this without an explanation

That's shameful routing for an instrument of that price. Not just the hole, but the lazy neck pickup route and channel.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1318976312' post='1408615'] Fender are going mad with loads of new gear lately. [/quote] Depends on what you mean by "new", I suppose

Also, meant to say it before, but your singer's quiff is probably the greatest quiff I've ever seen. Total respect, honestly

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1318420753' post='1401854'] Thanks! Full version out soon... [/quote] How soon?