SpondonBassed

[quote name='Harryburke14' timestamp='1485415337' post='3223725'] [/quote] Speechless with embarrassment?

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1485383538' post='3223659'] My point was, it seemed like the promoter was up to some "funny business" and wasn't going to pay Gene what he signed on for. Blue [/quote] The guinea was used to confuse the simple minded and foreigners alike back in our dark days as a nation of Jimmy Savile idolisers. It was an instant five percent mark up for the Arthur Dalys of the time - there being 21 shillings in the guinea to 20 in the pound. Many thought that "guinea" was quaint english slang for the pound. I get the impression that there was more to the alleged rip off though. [attachment=236656:Arfur.png]

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1485373311' post='3223503'] So it's over to you youngsters - please remember that bass is a rhythm instrument which should only have 4 (FOUR) strings and should be played accordingly on the bottom 9 (NINE) frets only Don't hide in your bedrooms playing with yourselves. Join a band and get out there and play gigs, lay down the groove with the drummer, entertain people and have some fun. Best wishes to the lot of you! Jazzneck. [/quote] Cheers! I hope you are going to stick around on the forum. Even if you don't I wish you all the best. Good idea that - slide guitar.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1485353338' post='3223323'] 1 Pound = $1.258. How the hell did that happen? [/quote] I know. I think someone spotted that Great Britain just isn't that great these days.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1485312420' post='3223062'] Educate me, pounds, quids? [/quote] 1 Pound (sterling) = 1 Quid 1 Pound plus one Shilling (£sd) = 1 Guinea 1 Pound (£sd) = 60 Groats

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1485342011' post='3223217'] The Queen song? Cracking choice! [/quote] Thanks. It's what made me dust off my fretless.

I've not played to a crowd since 1987. I picked up the bass again four years ago. I haven't got my band off the ground yet so please feel free to criticise these. I am about to test the water, so to speak, at a local open mic night. As a non singing (apart from backing noises) bassist, I hope someone will step up with me to supply guitar and vox and if I'm lucky, drums to some of these; Rock the Kasbah I Fought the Law I Shot the Sheriff Good Times Le Freak Dancing in the Moonlight It's the Same Old Song Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now Heatwave Queen Bitch Superstition I wish All my Loving Day Tripper Lady Madonna Michelle The Letter '39 Low Rider Roxanne Walking on the Moon Thanks T-Bay for this topic. It's come at exactly the right time to help me refine my ideas. There are others but they are more to expand my repertoire than for public consumption.

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1485249261' post='3222375'] I'm probably going to regret asking, but Mr Pratt seems to be a 'marmite' character on this forum, what has he done to deserve that? He seems a pretty normal well rounded type of guy? [/quote] Don't go there. Long before I'd even heard of Basschat and its predecessors I believe his enjoyment of the forum was ruined somehow. Not sure of the circumstances but words were had and he left (I think). I like the bloke's public persona from the bit I've seen and I'd be happy to buy him a drink or at least offer him a handshake if I ever met him.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1485214873' post='3222279'] Anecdotes about one's offspring's approval of the Zep are (genuinely) rather lovely but does it [i]ever[/i] cross our failing and enfeebled minds that our progeny might charitably be indulging us in the mistaken belief that the [i]apparently[/i] continuing eminence of our long-dead favourite band means we are still relevant? That such a kindly deception is meant to ease our eventual and inevitable passage into that land of ice and snow and the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow? [/quote] Iceland is the afterlife?

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1485209806' post='3222228'] 45 - 105. These seem to be the "regular" gauge so I`ve figured that if I get caught short it will be easier to [s]get hold of[/s] [i]mooch[/i] a set of regular gauge than others. I used to use Rotosound 50 - 110s and so few places stocked them this was my reasoning for going regular. [/quote] Fixed. Heeheehee.

Chap I know bought a TNT80 combo out the local paper for £80 last year. He loved it. Mind you he also bought a bass for around the same.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1485204227' post='3222129'] Good grief, I hope they came with Handles like this (and free cheese). [/quote] I know.

We could do with a little lecture on String Theory from Dr Brian Cox right about now. Newtone; 45, 65, 85, 105, 125 rounds. I have some 45 to 130 Picato flats coming soon (Thanks Hubrad). Double ball ends can make some strings hard to get. Glad I ain't fussy. Just checked on some spares I have for my Hohner; Round superwound Funkmaster 606s - 30, 50, 70, 90. I used to be a right slapper you see.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1485177708' post='3221761'] I'm thinking the kids in Milwaukee are different to the ones here? Bands like Sabbath and maiden are still a big deal here to younger fans, concerts like Download Festival are mainly frequented by younger folks afaik. [/quote] Um... Have you never seen Happy Days then?

[quote name='fleabag' timestamp='1485184429' post='3221866'] My pal did some remedial work on James' axes [/quote] Did he polish them with a cheese cloth?

Does Alex James count? He became a cheese producer and apart from the occasional Blur "comeback" appearances and "temporary bands Fat Les, Me Me Me, WigWam and Bad Lieutenant" seems content enough with it. Oh wait.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1485168947' post='3221645'] There's a video on [u]YouTube[/u] by a chap who calls himself Pertybass, and in it, he plays 'Whatever It Is...' on a series of different basses (JB, Musicman, Warwick etc). [u]I'm having trouble embedding vids[/u] otherwise I'd post it up. Well worth a listen. [/quote] It's not that hard with YooBoob. Copy the whole address for the YT clip from the top of your browser, paste it in your Basschat reply, remove the "s" from the "https" at the beginning of the bit you just pasted and it's done. Preview is available when you click the "More Reply Options" button that is beside the "Post" button so you can see how it will look before you actually post. Hope this helps.

Labella emailed me back to confirm that their strings do not work with Spirit guitars. I don't really want flats on my four string Hohner B2A, just on the five string Steinberger Spirit and me ould Vantage.

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1485047636' post='3220772'] I just happen to have an unused set of Picato flat 45-130 DBE in the cupboard. . ;-) [/quote] PMd

[quote name='pineweasel' timestamp='1485038413' post='3220712'] These ones? [url="http://www.electromusic.co.uk/La-Bella-S500L-Double-Ball-Bass-Strings-43-104-FREE-DELIVERY.html"]http://www.electromu...E-DELIVERY.html[/url] [/quote] Thanks. Although that was a set of four, digging back through that site got me to a set of five Rotosounds. Not sure why you should have better search results than me and the local music shop but that'll do for me. Cheers. Edit; Dang! Looking again, they're only round wound after all. I have an email out to Labella. Let's see what they say.

I can't find anyone who can supply these. I've even had Foulds of Derby on the case for me. The closest I came was a website reference to Labella Double Ball End Stainless Steel Flatwounds which would have been ideal if the link had led anywhere. Has anyone seen them? Did they ever exist?

[quote name='Hamstar8' timestamp='1485032658' post='3220643'] Hi, I need help, I play a fender p with my fingers, problem is I have quite small hands, I've always found that I shred the skin on my last two fingers quite badly, I lube the old strings which helps a bit but with gigging quite a bit I need something else, so ... I want a clean punchy sound but with a smooth string what do you recommend? [/quote] Newtone's "Platinum" strings are supposed to have finer windings to reduce squeal for recording. They might be smoother for you without going to flats. I am getting fond of flats myself now though.

Funny, I never managed to mute the B or E with the thumb of my neck hand. It's something that my hand refuses to do. I sometimes wish I had one of those bent back thumbs that you see sometimes. You know, where the end bone of the picking hand thumb is almost bent back at right angles to the rest of the thumb. It must make slapping easy. With mine, I have trouble picking out the E and A strings without striking the adjacent ones.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1485011622' post='3220391'] I will probably always use a 5 string now. It just works for me. I can play in positions i cant with a 4, and sixers are either too heavy, and i dont use the high C. The low B is always there for the music i play and love. So the 5ver is the perfect solution for me. I use the B string as a thumb rest and a mute. Does anyone else use this technique when playing a 5 string. [/quote] Yup. Apart from playing off the low B itself. If I pick on the B with my thumb rather than fingers it saves looking for a resting place and leaves me free to pluck wherever the heck I like between the bridge and neck. On my guitar thumb plucking helps get the best from the B. I sometimes rest my thumb on one or other of the pick ups too. 'pends. Muting is more of an unconscious thing for me these days. All I can tell you is that both hands share the muting and damping.

[quote name='Ghost_Bass' timestamp='1484826952' post='3218782'] Clean the old strings to make them get through the gig if they're dead (i don't boil my strings, i don't trust bringing steel to such a high temperature, i use a oven cleaning product that removes all the grease then rinse them with water and dry very well with a cloth) and see if you can get the seller to replace your order. [/quote] You won't damage steel in the slightest at 100 degrees Celcius. You will however risk corrosion by using oven cleaning products. Very ill advised in my opinion. A while back, I bought a small ultrasonic cleaning bath from ALDI of all places. It was less than a tenner. It is intended for cleaning jewellery. It's also ideal for cleaning guitar strings. For steel strings, use it with a 70 to 100 percent solution of Isopropyl Alcohol (my Pharmacy got some in for me) in a well ventilated space. The strings can be placed in mine in the same size of coil that they were packed. After a few minutes treatment you should see a little residue at the bottom of the bath, the dirt from the strings. When you're happy that they are clean, wipe them down and hang them from one end somewhere dry and warm for an hour or so to allow the last of the solvent solution to evaporate.