Stub Mandrel

Strategically placed polyfilla?

My brother received a mystery envelope yesterday. Rang me up, I told him to open it - three Phil Campbell tickets! I must have ordered them whilst at his house in 2019, dog-sitting for a week, foolishly expecting them to arrive a few days later!

There is one question I have never been able to get an answer to. Why are all the best 'tonewoods' rare, exotically figured and expensive?* *Yes I know I'm currently finishing a replacement body made of ash with a quilted maple front, but that's because it looks nice, not because I expect it to sound better...

Why? Because it's impossible to hear objectively when you know what you are supposed to hear. I read a review of a whisky that said it had a 'burnt rubber' nose. It wasn't until after several tastings that I realised that it didn't.

I know this is highly subjective, but I saw two of these in the flesh today. Vox Starstream, seems to take all its style cues from a Musicman Bongo, but manages to look even stranger. It's the stumpy little legs that make it look comical instead of just ill-conceived.

I don’t think that’s what you meant because a bad bass player can definitely make a great bass sound like a noisy toad, I should know… 😩 Trapped by my own double negative

It's Northwest Guitars 'denim blue'.

That gig went well... nearly a riot when we finished, and with a song i've never heard before, let alone played. Thang god gor 12 bar blues! end of the night the landlord came up and said 'are you booked for new years eve?'

A good bassist can make a pigs ear of a bass sound decent. The reverse is not true.

Rather dark, but beginning to build up a decent finish. 4 or 5 more coats, then I'll let it harden and buff it.

Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians, and by extension, bass players.

I have all her albums.

You must have the patience of a saint - probably St. Cecilia.

Of course it should be. The singist was almost at the point of taking scissors to it and rearranging it all, as I recall (it's hazy) the detail was "take out one of these choruses, repeat the second verse, then put the missing chorus back in and repeat it a couple of times"! I pointed out that if it's too short, we just have to play it out like Quo with an endless ending...

Is it too much to expect a rational reason for this?

You'll have to wait, no point taking a pic now as I've rubbed down a couple of high spots, and awaiting more lacquer. A test showed the HB neck is a perfect fit, though.

I'm assuming this lot know their local audience... they've been playing together in various combinations for 40 years... What works can be surprising. With the other band not only did a rocked up version of Feeling Good do down well, people were actually singing along...

I've always used roundwounds on my slicker.

Well I managed five days... it seems fine, but after five coats yesterday and today I've ordered a second can of lacquer. The grain has risen a little, despite being sanded back twice after staining. I should gave stuck with a single application of stain though, as it's coming out a bit dark. The ash looks as good as the maple though, and the ftont and back are both bookmatched, which is good.

Hopefully Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons in November, if the tickets arrive a year after ordering.

Last night, keyboardist and I were congratulating ourselves at getting the two different progressions in Rockin All Over the World in the right places. Singer decides it's too short and declares we need to add a verse at the end, lose a chorus from the middle and...

Dear Liberace, My advice to those who have had their Finguls burnt in the past is to let sleeping Finguls lie. Aunty.

Its hard not to look at that and wonder how you are going to get the gimp in before you put the back on.

This could become the mollusc-pun-thread.