Monkey Steve

I'm pretty relaxed about changing stuff on instruments, even if they are worth decent money and drills will be involved.  It maybe depends on whether you can foresee ever selling it in the future, and whether there would be a premium for having it in its original condition. If it's a definite keeper then I have no issue with making changes that would be difficult to put back

However...I'd want to be pretty sure that the suggested mod is going to work, and that there isn't a better solution.  F'rinstance, if you want more punch, is there nothing you could add externally, through an eq pedal, a boost, or something like a Darkglass pedal? 

Or could you just swap the existing pickup to do the job - maybe something like a MM humbucker (if you can find one to fit the shape of the existing routing) to add punch without needing an extra p/u?  What do the proposed two soapbars give you that you couldn't also get from a single new pickup?

So I'm not saying don't do it, I'm simply saying be very sure before you start cutting into the bass

We had a similar thread on this not that long ago...so I may be repeating myself here

My mates in signed bands tell me that they are selling huge amounts of vinyl at gigs (well, they were when gigs were still a thing) because people want the artefact - vinyl is much nicer to have and hold than a CD, and feels more collectable than CDs

I've slightly fallen for the hipster side of it - having the album being the main motivation, rather than playing the music (although I do listen to vinyl regularly).  I sold off most of my enormous vinyl collection some years ago, once I'd replaced most of it with CDs (with vinyl having previously replaced the cassette versions that I had as a teenager), I'm now buying vinyl of the same albums.  It is simply much nicer to have an album, to look at the artwork, etc.  And there are some tracks which only appear on vinyl - for instance some of the live albums in the Metallica box sets are only on vinyl, as is one of the two live albums and the disc of alternate takes, etc in the recent Ace Of Spades box set.  And Nine Inch Nails has done specific mixes of their old albums for vinyl, which sound stunning, and deliberately different to some of the mixes on CD

I have to say, the quality of a good modern remastered repressing is way ahead in quality than some of the old vinyl that I held on to, albeit that it now costs more than a CD, whereas back in the day CDs cost loads more than vinyl. 180g is being used as a proxy for good sounding vinyl, but it's the mastering that is key, not the weight

In terms of quality, and having checked both on a pretty decent system, CDs probably have the edge, and some vinyl can sound noticeably different, whether deliberately or not, but for a good pressing of newly mastered vinyl you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference.

For one of my favourite albums, on CD one track goes straight into a drum fill that starts the next track - a brilliant transition between songs.  On vinyl this is completely lost as the two tracks are on different sides of the disc.  But more tellingly, the vinyl mix sounds different, and I prefer the CD for this particular album (but annoyingly the vinyl has two extra songs)

Working from home has made a difference to me - I typically buy CDs and then put them on to my iTunes, and until lockdown did most of my music listening on the way to and from work.  I now do most of it while on my daily walks, but I can now sit in the front room and work with vinyl on the stereo

I note from recent media coverage that the top ten vinyl sales for the year are mainly old "classic" albums - Nirvana, Fleetwood Mac, etc, whereas CDs (which still sell much more than vinyl) are current and re-releases, and cassettes are largely new releases.  There's an article on the BBC website which includes an interview with a record label that releases everything on cassette (I'm not sure if they were saying they only release on tape, or if all their releases are available on tape as well as other mediums) which stressed that the quality of cassettes is higher than in the old days, but admitted that "hipster" explains most of the sales, with people wanting to post pictures of their cassettes on Instagram more than they actually want to play the cassette itself.  I guess that anything which increases sales of music and thus payments to musicians is a good thing, regardless of why people are buying it or whether they are playing them

I will be buying my first tape in about 35 years in the New Year - part of a bulk package for the new Gang of Four album, which works out cheaper than buying all the other items without the cassette.  AC/DC had a pretty strong push on cassette sales for their latest album too, and seem to recognise that people weren't necessarily buying them to play, as you could get sets of four in different colours

Having seen the price of vinyl that I sold off a couple of decades ago increase to amazing levels (seriously - stuff I sold for a couple of quid would now fetch a couple of hundred quid) I'm hoping that the cassette revival will increase the box full of tapes in my loft from zero to, well, anything more than zero would be an improvement...can't see it though...

Pretty sure that Scott Ian has a half-fretted guitar, but that was more a statement about him being the rhythm  guitarist and not needing to venture above the 12th fret

On 24/12/2020 at 22:55, fleabag said:

I think the long version of Sleighride live is about 17 mins and small change.  I had the vinyl when i was a youngster,  and IIRC, the album was called The Road Goes Ever On,  and quite right Monkey Steve, never a dull moment

Just found it -  nearly 18 mins actually.  Brilliant

 

The live version on the Twin Peaks live album is over 31 mins - almost twice the length and still brilliant

Fantastic musician/band

i saw Mountain a few times, and chatted to them at a gig at either the Borderline or the LA 2  (it was definitely a downstairs venue, they wandered in after me, and looking lost, asked if I knew where the dressing rooms were) and had only recently re-bought Twin Peaks on CD

Their half hour live version of Nantucket Sleighride is one of very, very few tracks that go in for so long without a dull moment

As others have said, this all depends on whether the items have been sent by land and sea or air.  The Amazon item I ordered from France on Monday is out for delivery and will be with me this afternoon, because Amazon use air freight as standard

There might be quicker results if you select the express delivery options which do go by air, but these tend to be pretty expensive in comparison, so if it's not needed urgently you might prefer to save money

I had a general e-mail from a UK shop the other day telling everybody that while they have sent out all of their orders, if you're on the continent then it's probably stuck with the courier and unable to leave the UK. basically keep calm and wait for it all to get sorted out

However, I hear from a relative who orders blu rays from around the world that he is already getting told by some sellers in Australia and elsewhere that they will simply not accept/send any orders to the UK after 1st January because of the anticipated changes to the customs arrangements.  I suspect small sellers where the volume of orders from the UK isn't worth the hassle of whatever new paperwork is required

I'm a big fan of Warwick basses

@LeftyJ is right - sounds like a $$ (double buck), but I'm not aware of any walnut ones, although they did do an awful transparent black finish which came out a muddy brown, and they do have a history of limited runs and custom orders - the tobacco finish on an ash body looks very walnut-y.  You might want to do a bit of googling to make sure that it's genuine if the type of wood is important to you - Warwick should be able to confirm it from the serial number

They had $$ options for both Streamer and Corvette, but of the standard range, the Corvette's included a Neck Thru (NT) option, which had a really slim, fast neck.  Just gorgeous to play, and easily the best of the lot.  There are variations here - broadnecks are obviously wider, and there have been a number of different options for shape and depth over the years.  Some of the older models can be quite chunky so I'd suggest always trying before you buy for a second hand one if possible (possibly not at the moment).  If you prefer a chunkier neck and don't venture above the 15th fret then a bolt on may be fine for you, but in general the NTs are always slimmer.  Back in 2001 you could basically order whatever neck profile and hardware you wanted and Warwick would put it on the bass without charging the earth and calling it a custom order, so there are a lot of possibilities

For the electrics, the MEC (Warwick own brand) pickups will be passive, but with active eq.  I really like the sound and flexibility of the $$'s (and had them put on to my custom Stage I Streamer) but they are a bit under-powered, and if I'm using other basses then the Warwick will need an external boost to get the levels up, even against a passive bass.  

It's worth checking which eq set up is on there - I've had a straight forward one pot for each of the three band eq, a two pots which claims to be a three band eq by insisting that you adjust the bass and treble levels against a flat mid level, and a three band with two controls, one being a stacked bass and treble plus a separate mid.  In fairness they've all worked just as well, but I know which I prefer.  As I recall the Corvette $$s had the two knobs pretending to be three bands version, but that may just have been the one I had

The German made second hand ones are, IMHO, massively undervalued.  I've played some of the non-German ones that mates have and they are fine - there's a bit of snob value, and personally I'd always go for a German one, but I know of one bass player in a name band (small name - medium sized fish in a small genre pond)  who plays a non-German one, bought for him by a band member who was in another band with me and loved the sound of my actually German Corvette.  You'd never know his isn't a German one.

If I recall correctly, in 2001 only German ones were called Warwick, with the other being marketed under the RockBass brand and with the RB logo on the headstock.  They still notionally use the brand for the non-German models (and there's a long history of where they have been manufactured outside of Germany) but have changed the logo on the head to say Warwick.  If it is from 2001 then I'm pretty sure that if the headstock says Warwick then it will be German made

2 hours ago, binky_bass said:

@prowla - Honestly, I do believe you should take him to small claims court. For all the hardship he has put you through, with evidence to back it up, and a quick IP search of whatever device 'Jason' is using will likely point towards Mick and will all be excellent proof for a claim of harassment, emotional distress and hours wasted. Take him to court. If there are any upfront fees in doing so I will VERY happily contribute, men like him need putting in their place otherwise they will not stop. 

This would be thrown out of a small claims court - they don’t deal with personal injury, etc, purely money owed for stuff like contract disputes and faulty goods. 

Also worth flagging, as any Google of Carter Ruck will demonstrate, that even getting a letter from a firm of solicitors threatening to sue does not hold any weight - there is nothing to prevent him from paying solicitors to write you a nasty letter and they will do so even if he has no case, but it means nothing until he has a court date

and to get to court he needs to find a firm of solicitors who believe that he will be able to pay their fees 

On 12/12/2020 at 17:05, Bassfinger said:

My olders daughter was at school with the daughter of one of their kids.  I think its the one whos now bald (the dad, not the kid), but frankly never botherered to ask his name because I couldnt care less.  To be fair, he would often give a cheery "good morning/afternoon" at the school gates and didn't  seem up himself.

that would be Luke (although...Matthew looks like he has a dreadful syrup)

At school Luke was a really nice guy...and didn't always get on that well with Matthew (they were put into my class when they transferred, and were very disappointed that they were going to be stuck together in the same class, just because they were twins).  I've now seen the film, and one point that rings true is that Luke always felt like the lesser twin - Matthew was always "the better looking one" that the girls fancied more, even though Luke was a nicer bloke

Only just spotted this.  I think I can help - PM sent

4 hours ago, taunton-hobbit said:

Umm 'Benefit in Kind' perhaps ?

(just musing for a friend)

😎

only if it's assessed for tax

Not technically a lockdown puchase given that I ordered it in 2018, but the final payment and delivery of my lovely, lovely Wal happened during the first lockdown...gratuitous picture:

Then a couple of pedals bought during the first lockdown - an MXR ten band eq (which covers more range at both ends than it's predecessor, a Boss bass eq), and a Dunlop 535q Wah in the limited edition silver finish - apologies that it's for a guitar, but it really is a fantastic pedal, mainly due to the boost function so you don't get any loss of volume when you switch it on, and can use it to overdrive your sound

Then another guitar purchase - a Bigsby for one of my Les Pauls:

Including a Vibramate, which meant it took less time to install than it did to put on new strings afterwards.  Loving it so far and really solid for the tuning.  Actually bought from the US - even after shipping and import fees it was still a lot cheaper than I could have got it for in the UK, and arrived within a few days of ordering - big shout out to STRATosphere: fantastic service. 

Basically, all of the above are from the first lockdown because that's when I got my bonus.  Also arriving were a big pile of picks for both guitar and bass

Finally, a strap that I ordered in April ahead of the Wal arriving was finally delivered a couple of weeks ago - ordered during the first lockdown and delivered during the second.  The only thing actually affected by lockdown - the shop selling it advertised it as available within a few days from the manufacturer...but the manufacturer effectively closed down during lockdown.  Nobody's fault, and no desperate need for it, so I was happy enough to wait the seven months it took to arrive

15 minutes ago, geoham said:

Pretty poor by the BBC, though their statement is interesting "Had they performed they would of course have been paid for their appearance.”

I performed on the now defunct STV Glasgow with my old originals band around five years ago. No suggestion of any payment, though they provided some tea and biscuits while we hung around...  Before going on air, we had sign a waiver which basically said that STV have full ownership of the recording and can do what they like with it until the end of time. We didn't really mind - we were going on the telly!

They put out a Twitter link to one of the two songs. We asked them to do the same for the other, or just give us copies of the recordings - and were told no. They are a commercial operation, and not in the business of giving away their content!

Many of the better local bands played went on the show - STV will have built up a nice wee catalogue. I wonder if any of the bands went on to commercial success?

 

I doubt that any bands have the resources to challenge this,and those that do wouldn't care, but I wonder if the contract would hold up in court.  Contract law requires "consideration" - a payment in exchange for good and services, and if they don't pay you they can't stand behind a contract saying you gave it to them for free (though I suspect this would be murky because they would own the recordings themselves)

It would be nice for a court to rule on whether Exposure is in fact a legal form of payment

9 hours ago, TheRev said:

In my experience, this isn't limited to the BBC. ..

No, and not just musicians...oh the irony of this being on the BBC website:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40728480

yeah, depends on the band, the venue and the crowd - most importantly whether it's originals or covers.  For originals I'm less worried - let the DJ/venue pick some music that keeps people entertained and is in the right genre to get them in the mood.  Last originals band I depped/gigged with have a few songs that use samples from TV and film as their intros, and they always pick one of those as the first song, so that the fans knew exactly what we were about to play and that the show had started while we were walking on and plugging stuff in, etc

For covers it's a much bigger issue - having played the pub circuit for years with a punk covers band, we quickly learned that if left to their own devices the landlords will stick on a Best Of Punk CD which has 80% of our set - on one occasion the last song played as we were about to go on stage was the first song in our set, with the landlord turning down our request not to play the CD because "they like punk, right, so they won't mind if they hear the songs a couple of times, and anyway I've bought the CD specially"

So we made a couple of CDs of pop songs covered by punk and metal bands - got the crowd in the right mood without airing any of our set.  We had about an hour to play before we kicked off, and another 30 minutes to play between sets, although we weren't always clever enough to get the timing right so sometimes we'd have to miss the last couple of songs as we were due on stage.  We also learned pretty quickly to bring our own CD player and to put it through the PA, because it was the only way to make sure it actually got played

As I recall, the ideal last run of songs was:

Wuthering Heights - China Drum

Boys Of Summer - The Ataris

Build Me Up Buttercup - The Goops

Get It Right Back - Hanson Brothers

In fact the last one made it into our set for a Christmas show one year

Honourable mention to Snuff who have any number of well known pop and TV tunes on their B-Sides: it's like they knew that there was a need for covers of the themes from Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads and Match Of The Day for exactly this purpose

3 minutes ago, ricksterphil said:

Odd looking bass!

You mean you haven’t kept yours in the original packaging?  You fool!  They’ll be worth nothing now, whereas mine will continue to grow in value

1 minute ago, ricksterphil said:

in situ pic required!

Mine just arrived - they look great

thanks @ped 

Haven’t sprung for this one...yet...but I probably will

the main bonus from the recent Bomber and Overkill reissues were the live albums - I could take or leave the remasters of the actual albums, but the live recordings are excellent.  Ace of Spades comes with two live recordings, and I’m looking forward to hearing those 

if you have no interest in that, fine.  Nobody’s forcing you to buy the new set.  Not sure why there’s any need for hostility towards those of us that do want to spend our own money on things we want that have nothing to do with anybody else

I have to use a tapered B on my Warwick, because the slots on the tailpiece aren't wide enough to allow an untapered B through.  Fortunately, my set of choice (D'Addario Pro Steels) has one

Never notice an issue with the  intonation or overtones, but in fairness I rarely play the B or E above the 12th fret so I can't give them a full endorsement for the OP

But I do miss the old tapered Rotosound PSDs - fantastically bright. clean tone.  And for the points raised by @ikay they were sold in packs for specific basses because they understood the principal around only having just enough taper to run over the bridge (and equally having enough of the taper to get over the bridge).  Presumably too niche to maintain the volume of sales required to keep them in production ☹️

Not my brother (who I have very limited time for, and fortunately for me shows no musical talent whatsoever) but I have played in a couple of bands with my cousin, who is reasonably well known lead guitarist in the world of extreme metal

He's one of my closest mates, and having known him for 50 years it was very interesting seeing him in a band situation.  He can be quite, ahem, abrasive,  and likes to go toe to toe and make everybody fight their corner, although I tend to find that funny

It worked very well for the bands I've been in with him - everybody is free to say what they think about the music, but it's only about the music and arguments were all for the right reason (even if they tended to the insulting side of criticising somebody's playing, mine included, and he took it as well as he gave it out) so it never spilled over, and once we left the studio there was no resentment for anything that had been said.  And it never happened at gigs.  Although, I can now understand why he's been sacked from a couple of bands...a week in a tour bus would be a lot to put up with

I've got the cover of Gimme Shelter that she recorded with them for charity.  It's not great.  I think that was the Rock version of the single for the charity release.   I've got the Indie one too, with Tom Jones doing the same song with New Model Army and it is one of my all time favourite recordings

She wasn't there when I went to the all nighter at Brixton, but my confusion at the time was the female lead singer that they did have - it was the Palace Springs era and, not having paid any attention, I couldn't work out why they had a female doing lead vocals...I know that Hawkwind have a tradition of having female band members on stage, but usually they are dancing and naked.

Maybe Sam Fox was some sort of compromise...

13 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

James Brown.

45 minutes of build up and introductions.

25-30 minutes of him on stage, shouting the title of each song while various backing singers and musicians worked their back out to make him look good.

Sadly, was more like Weekend At Bernies than Godfather of Soul.

He died shortly after.

God yeah - something similar when I saw him at V99

I wasn't complaining about the length of the set, if anything he could have shaved a good hour off if he just skipped all the bits he didn't actually sing, and we could all have caught some of the main stage headliners (the Manics if I recall correctly).  The best that could be said was that he was playing near the Bacardi bar