Spoombung

Still no sign of these basses in the UK. Disappointing....

[quote name='Prosebass' timestamp='1325336610' post='1482220'] Hi Guys I am indeed back on the forum and all PM's have been replied to. Been busy with paid work (making basses doesn't pay much trust me !) but I am now back in the workshop with a few orders and a 'new' idea in the pipeline. [/quote] That's great news!

Very sad. He made my Wal too. He was a lovely guy... very friendly and very talented. RIP, Pete.

I note with weary resignation that nearly all topics concerning the history of the Bass Guitar and it's role in popular music end at the 1980's.

Wonderful bass. Congratulations, Peter.

I think he has a unique way of attacking the strings and you can hear this whatever bass he plays. He often starts and ends a phrase with a triplet then follows that up with a string bend or a chord made out sliding harmonics. I still love his playing and he'll always be my favourite bassist but I've found his later compositions rely heavily on the droning bottom C he tunes to... and the pieces often sound like cod Indian/ethnic things... which is definitely not to my taste! The switch from 4 to 5 string has also made his playing more 'invisible' or 'inaudible' in my opinion. The other thing I'm not too keen on is his Ibanez sound which is a sort of fizzy, scratchy top end and a bit-crunchy bottom (all courtesy of the piezo pickups). This means his arsenal of special techniques don't come across quite as well as with the Wal (which as an instrument has an uncanny way of turning very subtle finger noises into very rich, musically usable sounds and astonishingly loud harmonics). One doesn't notice him quite as much on the Ibanez, that's for sure.

Anyone read this yet: [url="http://nsfreepress.com/story/music-devalued"]http://nsfreepress.com/story/music-devalued[/url] $167 for a million plays on Spotify....

Nice. I've never seen one of these basses in the UK before, unfortunately.

Hmmm... no response from yourchoiceguitar in over a week. Perhaps it's a dead company?

Good info guys, thanks

[quote name='simon1964' timestamp='1323636720' post='1465337'] I've just put Wizard 64s in my Jazz bitsa, and they sound great. Really nice traditional jazz tone. If you want something darker you might be better looking at the 84s or even some of the split coil jazz types like the Delano ones. [/quote] Yes, I think it's simply a case of making the wrong choice; I should have ordered the 84

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1323617157' post='1465054'] just copied and pasted my transaction - Amount: $345.00 USD Currency conversion: £227.80 GBP = $345.00 USD Exchange rate: 1 GBP = 1.51448USD Goods cost $330, he added $15 bucks to cover fees, PayPal took £227.80. Seemed a fairly hassle free way of going about things. [/quote] Paypal didn't charge you at all? They only charge if you are in receipt - is that right?

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1323612494' post='1464999'] It is a bit of a minefield because there isn't a universal exchange rate and some banks charge a set fee for exchange and/or a percentage. I had a 'mare a few years back when I sold a bass to a guy in Canada because we agreed on a price in £ sterling which he then converted (using an agreed conversion rate) to $ and paid me through paypal (splitting the paypal fees). We hadn't accounted for the fact that paypal absolutely extracted the urine with their conversion rate (which wasn't easy to establish at the time) and ended up having to renegotiate the price because he had set an upper limited in $ based upon the conversion rates that we had been using on-line. All sorted in the end but a pita to get right. [/quote] Yeah, after reading the Paypal blurb I'm still none the wiser how it relates or updates with the exchange rate!

[quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1320781693' post='1431408'] yourchoiceguitar definately! Adam is a great guy, and can get you any Barts you want! [/quote] ah, thanks. Here's the [url="http://site.yourchoiceguitar.co.uk/index.php?userID=1689&licenseKey=bb413589b204a57cac2ad3b963f8f762#"]link[/url] for anybody who needs it:

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1323606373' post='1464863'] What was in it? [/quote] It was a from a Nanyo Bass Collection bass. I'm after a fatter and more lively pickup in the bridge position...

Great info - thanks! [quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1323607370' post='1464895'] I've just bought something for the USA via Paypal and the seller said the charges were 4%. I'll take him at his word. I believe the credit card charges are variable and it entirely depends upon which one you have. if you have a Post Office credit card there is no handling fee or any extra charges involved for purchases - just a straight conversion from US to UK. You just need to make sure the exchange rate is ok. I always use that when I travel abroad (not cash withdrawals, though). There is a website called 'Money saving expert' that goes into this in some detail, as well as many other things. [url="http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/"]http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/[/url] [/quote]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1323454677' post='1463651'] surely a single coil will normally be thiner and 'tinny' sounding compared to a humbucker? [/quote] Yes, of course, but it's thinner and tinnier than the single coil and I had in there originally... which is obviously very disappointing.

Apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn't find much specifically related to it or anything that would give me a straight answer. Also not sure what topic area to ask the question... 1. What is the cheapest way to purchase a bass in the USA - ie, the cheapest way to convert sterling to dollars electronically? 2. Would you send money transfer via your bank? (This is not cheap for me as the Co-operative charge 8%). 3. Paypal? Anybody got experience with this? 4. Credit card? I know this is the safest but does anybody know about the charges incurred? Thanks for any advice...

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1323368994' post='1462654'] [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]I actually found Bruford quite annoying![/font][/color] [color=#222222][font=Arial]There he was, having pretty much hit the jackpot as far as being a rock musician goes, in a well regarded band with great players, great music and a number 1 album! As someone said in the Chris Squire thread, it must have been a blast being on the Yes tour bus at that time with Squire and Rick Wakeman in tow![/font][/color] [color=#222222][font=Arial]Yet, all he can do is moan about Squire being always late and that the manager is supposedly a bit of a cockney wide boy![/font][/color][/size] [/quote] Yes, he did come across as a big moaner. He seemed to have nothing but humourless disdain for his fellow musicians - as if he just put up with them for the sake of it. I also got the impression he had almost no understanding of songwriting: the monologue was all about musical playing standards, chops, American versus British - and a belief that the British favour amateurs over 'professional' every time. What a crushingly, boring viewpoint...

I've had a 64 in the bridge position for the past 3 weeks and I've got to admit I find it a bit thin and tinny, unfortunately. In rehearsal it sounded very thin compared to another bass I had fitted with a Bartolini humbucker. I might have to swap it for an 84...

[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1322928117' post='1457416'] I have unfortunately! Fripp is painted as rather a malevolent, unpleasant sort of a fellow and Bruford comes across as possibly the dullest man alive! [/quote] Another agreement here. What puzzles me about Bruford's autobiog is there is absolutely ZERO affection for any of his colleagues - just dry observations about the record industry. Very public school.

[quote name='Heartbreaker' timestamp='1323027620' post='1458460'] My 82 Wal, didn't get on with the tones & it was very heavy. Unique colour though, like Marmite I guess. [attachment=94481:Wal 81 2.JPG][attachment=94482:Wal 81 1.JPG] [/quote] Good grief. Great colour for Norwich supporters (there are some here).

I've tried tuning in 5ths - I gave up on it. It suits fixed keys - usually the bottom string serves as a drone. A capo is handy (probably indispensable) for changing key (but not [i]within[/i] a song). Tuning in 5ths is no good for key changes unless you have gigantic hands. The hand stretches are too extreme. It works on mandolins and smaller instruments but not on bass - apart from one-off songs.