Paul S

9 hours ago, Adee said:

 flogging your Lionel 

 

Sounds like some sort of euphemism - following the court case, he expressed regret at flogging his lionel in Sainsbury's.  

Awfully sad.  RIP Nick.

Does this one count?

After a recommendation on here I bought a set of 4 of these (and at £45 they are cheaper now!):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196277545605?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749393&toolid=20006&customid=GB_159912_196277545605.142099703759~1870851639525-g_Cj0KCQjw-r-vBhC-ARIsAGgUO2AFi_7aw8qg5ekEYgudJCI6_wHPQqq2NflIlZEduwTzLl_ciEo7neMaAoi3EALw_wcB

They are quite frankly astonishing for the money.  They somehow remember their last settings so I have them paired two at the front together (I numbered them so I wouldn't get them mixed up), two at the back together, just doing a slow colour wash change.  Doesn't matter what order or how slowly you plug them in, they catch up and soon sync with each other.  Chuck them on the floor so they shine up the wall.  But they will chase or do the school disco flashing if you want them to - all controlled via an app.  Can't recommend them highly enough.

14 hours ago, Bassfinger said:

Bug ran of Retrovibe gear, in particular their pickups.

That was the edited version?  

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

Cough... @Andyjr1515?

5 hours ago, glassmoon said:

I am based in Harlow, Essex, so I don't want to have to ship to Yorkshire - it's not like this is a Ken Smith hahahaha

 

It's really not worth it.  Could you buy a new neck?

I've always loved this bass tone, although never tried to achieve it.  Chap named Paul Martinez, who has sessions with the great and good in his CV.

The bridge is rare - Schaller 460.  Drop in replacement for the 2 point Gibson but they didn't make them for long.  Has to be worth close to the asking price on its own.

Mine too.  I'll say 'I'm thinking of buying another bass' and she might go 'hmm' or 'good'.  The only time she is more vocal is if I announce I am going to sell one.  'Are you sure?  You'll only regret it' and then proceed to try and talk me out of it.  'Gotta spend it on something' is her phrase.  When I hear all these tales of subterfuge to smuggle new basses into the house I do feel incredibly lucky.

1 hour ago, Franticsmurf said:

Back in the early 90s I was playing geetar in a band doing primarily originals but going through that difficult period of realising that our original material wasn't going down well with the venues we played. We decided to add more appropriate covers (which meant the more accessible proggy stuff) and to find a dedicated singer, as out keyboard player was currently singing. The drummer and I were in a night club (a rare event but it played mainly the rock end of pop music) and I got talking to this young girl who, when she found out I was in a band looking for a singer, proclaimed that she could sing and wanted to be out new front person. Her first audition was outside the nightclub, where she performed 'Wuthering Heights', complete with rather enticing dance moves. She wasn't bad and both the drummer and I thought she deserved a decent audition with the rest of the band. 

 

A couple of weeks later we picked her up from the corner of her street in the band van and headed off to the rehearsal studio where we went through a few covers and while she could keep a tune, her voice wasn't versatile enough. Had we been a Kate Bush tribute act, she may just have scraped through with some work but as it was her voice was quite thin and she didn't seem to have the self confidence needed for a front person. We dropped her back off on the corner of her street with the intention of having a second go with some originals.

 

Imagine my surprise when, on the way to work a couple of days later, I saw our potential singer in her school uniform looking every bit the 14 or 15 year old she actually was. Many things went through my head, mostly involving irate parents, irate policemen and relief that nothing ungentlemanly had happened. Needless to say, we didn't keep in contact.   

Yikes.  

A couple of incidents spring to mind, none in the same league as the above tales, but this one always makes me grin.  One going back a while, my first 'proper' band.  After about a year of trouble brewing I'd eventually fallen out with the singer.  We had a bit of a nose to nose just before the start of one gig, in fact, whereupon I'd threatened to throw him off the fire escape. Unsurprisingly I got sacked as the singer got all the gigs.  A few bass player less months later the singer decided to quit so I was back in and we were auditioning.  In my early 50s at the time, I was the youngster in the band (!) and we played pretty pedestrian dad rock in a pretty pedestrian kind of way to pedestrian crowds in pedestrian pubs.  We kissed a lot of frogs, never really found our prince but the guy who stood out was like the 'drummer at the wrong gig' video.  He strode in and immediately dominated the room - he was in his late 20s and HUGE - 6'5?  Quite overweight dressed entirely in black leather - trousers, biker boots, frock coat, bush hat.  Some kind of jagged death metal logo T shirt.  For sure he could sing and was a totally lovely guy but clearly our expectations didn't match.  He'd have terrified our usual crowds  

2 hours ago, casapete said:

Only one gig for me this week, last night at Burnley Mechanics.

 

A great theatre built in the mid 19th century as a mechanics institute, and then converted into

a theatre in the late 1970’s. Access not easy, gear in via a lift and then onto the stage using

a converted truck tail lift! ( see below ). Friendly crew and good backstage facilities too.

We had a full house of around 450, and they were brilliant. Always a lively crowd at this venue,

and the band played spot on too. Well worth the 3 hour journey over the Pennines, which had

some snow and icy conditions which slowed us down a bit. Home by 1am, knackered today 

though so glad I have a quiet weekend. 
 

 

 

You are going to miss it, Pete.

A sad irony that Nilo starts these increasingly bizarre posts in a desperate bid to be popular and/or amusing yet can't help slagging people off when they don't answer as requested, thereby defeating the purpose.  And ever will it be so.

Sorry folks, pantomime season finished yesterday.

(oh no it didn't!)

(oh yes it did!)

33 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

Thank you, but I’m fixated on getting a white one!  Good to know not everyone is jumping on the silly price bandwagon - there is hope for me yet…

 

Supply & demand though I guess - made for only a year and lots of buzz ont’ net.  Not surprising.

They tick a lot of boxes - as you say only made for a year, funky colours available, the matching headstock thing made them a little different.  None of which would matter except that they are exceedingly good basses. 

15 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

I’d really love one in white, but the asking prices these days seem silly.

If you can put up with a slightly scruffy black one I will probably be listing it soon for a fraction over half that price (I am fully paid up).

28 minutes ago, prowla said:

All of this Squier malarky - anybody who pays £590.00 for that is a fool.

Have you played one?  Or even seen one in the flesh?

The oldest reason in the book - sex.  I was in a really promising 80s rock band.  The drummer was amazing, ex-pro, toured with names, worked in the pit.  Best drummer I've had the honour of working with but such a lovely laid back guy.  Guitarist had a great touch.  Keys player was the weak link but it was his band so that was that.  The problem was the two singers.  Male and female, both extremely handsome specimens who really looked the part.  He had a great voice, real character.  She claimed to be a vocal and dancing coach so no shortage of confidence.  We rehearsed for some months, had 2 gigs, spent ages recording a demo - all the while it was increasingly apparent the two singers fancied each other.  She was a single parent, he was married with kids.  He left his family, took up with singer and suddenly it was their band, didn't want to do rock tunes any more, didn't want to rehearse where we had been rehearsing any more. Etc.  Everything became a battleground.  A few ultimatums later the band broke up.  Such a shame.  Not so long afterward I heard they'd split up.

Aran joined the forum to buy my Short Stingray.  Perfect transaction, great comms - a pleasure doing business!  

The most recent stage appearance I have seen for one of these is the bass player with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.  He is tiny, so it looks huge on him.

Picture nicked off the 'net

Bought a strap from Mike in the simplest of deals.  Superfast comms and dispatch.  Perfect!  

13 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

So wrong and way off the mark.  As the 2024 RNRHOF induction is soon it's a timely post about it.  Of those named in my OP I have no strong dislike of any of them. I just can't see what they've done to be nominated. That's not the same thing at all.

Actually, since you mention it, it is the same thing.  It is yet another example of exactly the same intolerance.  Time and again you post about awards/lists/whatever mentioning artists that - as far as you are concerned - have no merit and go off on one about them.  You seem to find it impossible to understand that other people may have a different opinion or different taste.  Same old same old.  

6 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

If the Merkans hadn't come up with the RNRHOF I don't think it would've been invented in the UK. It seems to go against the very spirit of what r n'r was about i.e. kicking back against authority etc. Anyway. it's that time of year again and here are the noms should you so wish...

https://vote.rockhall.com/

 

The only two I agree with are Eric B and Rakim and  A Tribe Called Quest, these being two of the pioneering groups in hip hop /rap. As for the others..

Sinead O'Connor - really only known for having one big hit

Oasis - if making a career out of plagiarism is noteworthy then yes, good call.

Cher - 'pioneered' the use of autotune and errm....

Dave Matthews Band - yes, they've really changed the course of rock n' roll haven't they?

Lenny Kravtiz - admittedly has made a career out of taking lack of originality to a new level

Peter Frampton - is having one big selling album from the 70s enuff?

Kool ATG - I like their pre-disco stuff but they were never at the cutting edge of funk, not like JB, Sly ATFS etc

Foreigner - ??????????????????????????????????????????

Mary J Blige - don't know enough about her TBH but she's no Aretha Franklin or Nina Simone

Mariah Carey - if you want OTT vocal 'shredding' I guess she's the go-to/GOAT

Jane's Addiction - i imagine there'll be much head scratching among many potential voters

Ozzy Osbourne - poster boy for making very little talent go a very long way

 

 

Must be a few weeks since you last posted a shouty rant against music you don't like!  😂

Ridiculously, astoundingly cheap.  What a bargain!!  😲