Russ

[quote name='loki' timestamp='1347998354' post='1807991'] These can still be picked up on Amazon and are of Indonesian origin.[/quote] Blimey. I had no idea they were still being made. They look like pretty blatant Traben copies. Hopefully they're not as awful as the old ones were. If some Indonesian company wanted to resurrect a band, they should resurrect Westone - they, at least, were held in fairly high regard in their heyday.

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1347952462' post='1806944'] ...and "Good Times"---throwaway? Wow. [/quote] Yes. What a lot of people forget is that funk and disco were 1970s bubblegum pop, regardless of how good the instrumental performances were (and I love Bernard Edwards as much as anyone). Lyrically, the song's no better than S Club 7's "Don't Stop Movin'" and nobody would ever accuse that of being anything more than throwaway.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1346965910' post='1795555'] No, LP is a hired gun. This guy invented a whole style of bass playing. [/quote] Lee's currently playing in a band with Adam Wakeman (Rick's son) doing some rather decent metal-tinged prog - they're called Headspace. Take a listen at http://www.headspaceonline.com/ .

1. Hamster - Fender Hotrod P/J, Bareface Compact, Auralex Gramma Pad, SFX Thumpinator; either Markbass 800 Tube or Ampeg PF500 Portaflex 2. BigBeatNut - Rob Allen Deep 5, Status Electro, Lakland 55-02 Fretless, Markbass CMD121P, a selection of SFX micro pedals 3. Stingray5 - Musicman StingRay5 and Stingray fretless, Tune TWB-6, Trace Elliot BLX-80 combo, Boss GT-6B fx, Gramma Pad, (+ raffle bits & freebies). 4 OBBM - undecided on basses but Schroeder cab(s) and mini-rack Mk2 (+raffle bits) 5. Charic (tentative) - ACG Finn 4 (Drop C tuning), Yamaha RBX6JM, Modded Fender MIM, TC RH450, 2 x TC RS210, Line6 DL4 (delay pedal), Behringer Chorus Pedal 6. Happy Jack - Ampeg Baby Bass and (just for OBBM) at last I'll bring along a Hofner Verithin. If there's enough (any) interest, I could also bring along a Fishman Fusion pedal plus a rig to play through. 7. Macdaddy - custom shuker or custom Iceni Zoot or Hamer Blitz + raffle bits 8. Billyapple - Gibson Thunderbird, Un-Finished Wishbass Lobe, Matamp GT200 Head, Matamp 212 Cab, DHA VT1 Eq 9. Walman - (assuming it'll all fit in the smaller car I got last year as I was cutting down on gear ) Wal Pro1/Custom hybrid, 2 x G&L L2500 US, Tanglewater ClassicJ, Roland PK5 bass pedals w DSI MoPho synth, GenzBenz Streamliner 6, BF Super12T - alternatively a poll on which to bring may be required 10. OliverBlackman- going to bring the Tokai as it seems in a recent thread not many have experienced the 80's Jazz sounds. 11. Shockwave - Gibson RD and Gibson Grabber or Fender P-J Antigua. 12. dc2009 (tentative) - Warwick Corvette $$ 5 Special Edition, Lakland Skyline 55-01. Sansamp, SYB-5, Q-tron+, BSY600. Anything more will need a lift! 13. Eude (tentative) - ACG Finn SC Classic BO 5 string 33" Scale, ACG Finn SC Classic BO 6 String 33" Scale, Ibanez Promethean 5110C & EAD Foundation 112 3-way Prototype. 14.Bloodaxe (tentative) - Aria SB-1000 Frankenfretless, Ibanez Promethean 5110C [might add the SB-900 & Bloody ZZB Custom to this if anyone's driving from E or SE postcodes & I can blag a lift] 15. 51m0n - the usual guff (Roscoe, Berg, MB blah blah, if in doubt check my sig) + a very tentative PluxTheDuck & related kit 16. Urb - Sei bass plus laptop (maybe) and my fingers 17. Seashell - Fender Precision (MIM) and Ibanez SRX500. No rig! 18. Mikey R - the P bass + possibly the pedal board (if Merton will let me sleep on his sofa that weekend) 19. Merton - multiscale 5 prototype, other things maybe, like Mikey's sleeping bag 20. Russ - Sei Bass 5-string fretted singlecut, Sei Bass 5-string fretless J, Ampeg SVT-7, Markbass 106H

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1346582424' post='1790718'] Sorry I should clarify - I need a lift rather than being able to offer one - hope that's cool M [/quote] Mike, can you get up to Croydon? If so I'll give you a lift.

If they did a fiver in Candy Apple Red, and possibly with an active preamp, I'd buy several.

[quote name='eude' timestamp='1343307138' post='1748639'] Room for one more? I live in darkest Surrey these days, well Sanderstead anyway, and so far it looks like I have the 29th of September free. I can bring along a couple of ACG basses to show off, plus a few pedals and odds and sods. I'm also going to be the proud owner of one of the prototype EAD Foundation 112 cabs very VERY soon, not soon enough of course. I'll be able to bring it along for you guys to have a go if you fancy? Eude [/quote] Sanderstead eh? I'm down the road in Selsdon.

My Sei Jazz 5-string fretless - I love it.

I haven't played in a band properly since late 2009. Admittedly, plenty of things have got in the way - first-time fatherhood, family bereavement and an international move, for starters. But now our little boy is a bit bigger and that we're back in the UK, I'm going for it again. Hopefully going to start something up with some old musician friends. I'm 40 now and don't have any aspirations of record contracts or stardom anymore (been there, done that, sort of), but I still want to play - I think I'm a better player than I've ever been, I've got great gear (which I resolutely refused to sell), and I think I have a lot to give to the right band. It's easy to lose confidence in your playing abilities, and your ability to be an effective member of a band, especially when you've had a bad experience, but this is my second "hiatus", and, based on the first one, it's just a matter of keeping up your abilities and looking for the right group of people. Got to agree with BigRedX when he says it's more or less all about the people you play with and how well you get on as friends first and bandmates second.

Also, any chance of persuading Larry to ditch that current big, blocky Hartke logo? I think it looks a bit "cartoony" and cheapens the gear...