Paul S

Interesting! She/you must be doing well to get a slot in the first place. Which spot and at what time? I didn't see any of the acts with girl singers. Well, apart from the Dixie Chicks and Martina McBride in the main arena. What was it like from a performers point of view? I assume you don't get paid for this?

Another Essex chap here from Benfleet down at the Delta - welcome aboard. Obligatory Essex girl joke - best advice is don't get the heels of your white stilettos caught up in the handle of your handbag when playing. Right, that's got that out of the way... SE Essex bass bash more like. Wasn't there one on Canvey a while back?

I went to the c2c festival yesterday, which is a country music weekend at the o2. [url="http://www.c2c-countrytocountry.com/"]http://www.c2c-countrytocountry.com/[/url] 4 bands on the main arena from late afternoon until the evening, with small sets from 'up and coming' country bands on pop up stages dotted around the venue. Yesterday and today, although I only had tickets for yesterday. What a great day! Headliners were the Zac Brown Band, who were a phenomenon. I expected them to be good, but they blew me away. I have watched a lot of bands over the last 40-odd years and they are as good as anyone I have ever seen live. Amazing. 8 piece band tight as anything, 4 piece vocal harmony, all top musos. Alll underpinned by the fact that Zac Brown is one heck of a song writer - superb melodies with poignant lyrics. And a Metallica cover They don't come here often, sadly, but I will seek them out if possible. Some of the small bands in the pop-up sets were really good. A couple of Scottish bands - of note Dirty Beggars, great country band writing honest country-style music. And particularly good - Stevie Agnew. Rather special, I'd say - he has a great voice and a great band. Bass player was really very good indeed with great touch and feel. I though he looked familiar - I just looked him up and I was right - someone on here a while back posted a couple of tongue-in-cheek videos ' I slap My Bass and Doing the Meerkat - same guy, Chris Agnew. Brother of singer Stevie and son of Pete Agnew, the 70s rock band Nazareth's bass player. Still going, i think? If you get a chance to catch the band they are superb and bass playing a masterclass.

I have always played with a pick but for the last year or so have been trying to teach myself playing with fingers - so the other way around to what you are doing, really. Aside from the choices of size, shape and material, I think most of the subtleties and nuances of pick playing only come with practice and experimenting. How hard you grip the pick, how much of it protrudes, the angle of attack, whether you hit the string or kind of roll the edge of the pick off it for a gentler note, using the fat end not the sharp end, varying the position along the string, muting at the bridge, playing dead notes - all need to be found and experimented with. Just the same as all the various nuances of playing with fingers, really - both techniques have a lot to them but really need to discovered. One thing I find is that sometimes I do think it is more appropriate to strike a string using movement of my whole arm, not just from the wrist, and when doing so the movement rubs my lower forearm above the wrist on the edge of the body when playing with a pick, especially on slab bodied basses, so always wear wear a double length wrist band on that arm. And I use flats - must be the uncoolest player ever.

'Is She Really Going Out With Him', Joe Jackson. Jazz bass, tone off, clicky pick.

^^ This^^ I have a Musicmaster and the intonation/simple bridge is not an issue. The output from the pickup was, though - quite a weak sound and not a great tone. I had Bass Doc rout a space for a MIJ Precision pickup I had kicking around and make a new scratchplate for it - sounds brilliant now. I call it my Mustangmaster

Rather than a paint job, perhaps stick some vinyl on the headstock if you fancy a change? White, as per your bit of paper, might look nice? Black would give it a 'Duff Mckagan' look. If you wanted a Duff Mckagan look, that is

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1394706584' post='2394167'] The whole haggling / low-balling thing has frequently left me dumb-founded. On at last half a dozen occasions in the last two years I have made a serious offer for a bass on Basschat, that offer being lower than the asking price but driven by my assessment of the "true value" (if such a thing exists). With one exception where my offer was accepted, the vendors have chosen to refuse my offer or even ignore my PM, only to end up three months later selling the bass for less than I offered in the first place. I have no problem with people disagreeing with my assessment, and I don't feel hurt or let down because I didn't get those deals ( ) but it is alarming how many vendors seem wedded to their initial, inflated asking price ... [/quote] This pretty much sums up my feelings on the classifieds. If I fancy something and the asking price is what I imagine is about right, I'll pay it. If I think it is a bit high, I might make an offer. If I think it is way too much I ignore it. Nothing to hyperventilate about, really. There is a particular bass I am gassing over at the moment. For some months now there has been in the classifieds for sale from Abroadshire that, with shipping and import duty, would end up being over twice as much as I believe the model to be worth. So I ignore it and wait for one to come up for sale in the UK that I can afford. It will eventually, they always do.

So - was your's the winning bid? can't wait until morning to ask, even though I am just off out!

Traded some strings with Aidan - nice friendly guy to deal with, good comms, happy with my end. So to speak. Cheers

And I bought some straplocks from Chris. Thinking of having him permanently on the payroll.... anther speedy and easy transaction, great bloke to deal with.

Another approach to that might be a bridge with lateral adjustment of the saddles, like the Hipshot A.

Drat, beaten to it....

Simple explanation - a one-off custom for an ambidextrous guitar player. Play bass right handed, flip it over (presumably a la ZZ Top) and play geetar left-handed. Can't imagine why no-one has thought of it before... Just given me an idea - have a 3 necked guitar, bass, fret-less bass, 6 string, radiating out like an aircraft propeller. Spin it round to the one you want to use next.

Ta. Nice thing. If it were £150 in Crack Converters I'd probably buy it!

Last man standing... I'd go all the way up to, oooh, £150... Jon - active? The bass, not you.

bwb.

Me too. I'd say it is about £150 too dear, though.

In which case I'll leave you to it - no point us both bidding against each other. And when you get fed up with it, you can sell it to me!

Yes, I just asked him a few questions, too. Weighs just 3.96kg, so under 9lbs, 40mm wide at the nut. Medium scale, which I like! Are you going to have a punt on this, do you think? Might, if it doesn't end up in daft territory.

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281280359668?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281280359668?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649[/url] I really like the look of this. Anyone know anything about these?

Without wanting to seem a nay-sayer, what grounds were there for you being reliably informed it is a '74 Fender body under all that Dulux? Superficially, I'd say you were fleeced at £150, for which you could get an already perfectly serviceable Squier Precision bass, not a just project.

I need to play lightweight basses. My lightest is a Precision Lyte - just weighed it and it comes in at a fraction over 7lbs. It resembles a Precision bass but is actually closer to a Strat body size. No idea what it is made of but I have taken it to bits several times and the screw holes still work ok. Doesn't sound exactly like a P Bass, either, but it is a good proper bass. Great necks, if you like thin necks. My next lightest is a Shergold Marathon which, almost impossibly, comes in at around 7.5lbs. Followed by an Ibanez SR800 and Hohner B2A, both of which are around 8lbs. A few others are scattered around 8.5lbs, including my main bitsa Precision.