warwickhunt

Damn I hate it when the Hickeys or the Simpson bloody family slip in some subliminal message!

I now feel a moral obligation to walk to work... just as well I'm on holiday.

Speaking of Peavey and reliability, I spotted this on eBay...

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peavey-Bass-Rig_W0QQitemZ300137557781QQihZ020QQcategoryZ58719QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViwItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peavey-Bass-Rig_W0QQ...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

A lot classier aesthetically than much of their early stuff but still the same reliability and the cabs are a stonking deal in comparison to pricier kit.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='40155' date='Aug 1 2007, 07:26 PM']You would theoretically gain tighter bottom due to increased damping factor but I doubt it's audible.

rodl2005, maybe you could put that stuff about valve amps in your signature, save you retyping it so often.

Alex[/quote]

I thought I'd huffed you Alex when you didn't respond earlier

So the only real advantage to running an amp at anything less than the minimum ohmage is that you are theoretically placing less stress on the amp, assuming that you may be increasing the amp output gain a smidgen to compensate for the difference in impedance!

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='39870' date='Aug 1 2007, 09:33 AM']Oh good grief, here we go again... [/quote]

Oh no we don't

Had my free 'Specsavers' test done yesterday and I passed with flying colours. They offer the moulded personalised earplug service £160, 6 week lead time and the ER20's @ £14 however a quick search on eBay found the identical same product for £6.99 (+2.99 P&P).
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ETYMOTIC-ER20-Musicians-High-Fi-Ear-Plugs-Case-ER-20_W0QQitemZ110152092105QQihZ001QQcategoryZ11900QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZVietem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ETYMOTIC-ER20-Musici...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Oh I have to add that the test conditions were a bit cobbled together! The guy had a room set off to one side that had the air-con unit or something similar running in the cupboard and staff chatting on the other side of the standard door (not soundproofed). He did apologise at the beginning for this... and explained this was just a test to get a 'rough idea of the state of my hearing'.

[quote name='rodl2005' post='39848' date='Aug 1 2007, 08:44 AM']a 300w all tube amp .... U WILL hear yourself. Especially thru 2 4x10's! SVT-CL/VR/ IIPRO. Fendeer Bassman 300PRO, Marshall VBA400. Any of these thru 2 4x10's will KILL ANY(IMHO) [b]solid state amps-for abilityto hear & [u]FEEL[/u] yourself[/b]! Just cant be done the same without power tubes! oh yeah- & as already mentioned Trace Elliot V4, V6 or V8. All these amps are reliable IME. I've known SVT's that work fine for yrs with NO servicing. MY Fender Bassman 300PRO has been workin fine-about 40 gigs so far with NO probs at all. I've heard the V8/6/4 TE's are superb too1 I'm sure the Marshall VBA is reliable too! I've not heard different anyway![/quote]

Can that really be true! Is it possible that a speaker can replicate the output better/different from one amp than another? Surely a speaker can only convert the input signal into mechanical energy/cone movement... would a comparable output (ie EQed similar with an identical output level) from a SS 'feel' different than from a valve amp? I'm not talking about the tonal differences between two given amps, I'm talking about the energy displaced from the driver.

Great pedal and I'd like to leave feedback for whom-so-ever but I have no idea who it was...

I had one for about 6mths and loved the neck/body/hardware but couldn't coax a consistently good sound out of the pups and/or electrics. I'd have one again just to see if it was me being picky or the other gear I was using.

IIRC didn't John Taylor of the Duranies play/record with these!

I have to say SC at Newcastle have been good to deal with! Not saying all staff are, as I haven't interacted with all of them, but on the whole they seem clued up and helpful. It's always a shame when/if a store goes under but we all want to pay next to nothing for items and yet want that high street shop to go in to try stuff out; shops have overheads!

So this doesn't float your boat?

The ashtray/covers etc are just resting on the bass to show how they'd look!

How about a USA 60/61 Jazz re-issue with the J-Retro already fitted! Complete with ashtrays/covers, case candy, stack-knobs and tone to spare...

I have one in black with a tortie plate and rosewood board that plays and sounds fantastic but I can't get on with that whole Jazz body shape. Give me a Warwick any time!

I have one and it will approximate most of the things it says it will and the fact you can vary where the pup on a Musicman might be positioned or pan the pups of a Ricky make it quite versatile. However, I never got on with the 'bass' but that means nothing as I feel the same about a USA P bass deluxe that I had and a USA Jazz that I've just got!

TBH you will find a handful of sounds in it that you like; with a bit of tweaking I could get most of the sounds that I liked out of my PJ equipped Warwick!

The synth sound is a joke and the 12 string will mean you needn't buy an octave pedal.

However at £300 you'd be daft not to at least try it. They aren't all bad and if you are into Fender style basses I'd give one a blast.

I looked into these last year and even went along to my local 'friendly' SC where I know a couple of the guys from many moons ago (some of the staff have been there longer than SC itself). I got chatting and pointed out that I'd come to check out the Bose system and he quite nicely informed me not to bother! Great for quite Jazz combos and cafe bars but useless for bass in a pub/covers/rock style band.

I thanked him and left.

[quote name='neepheid' post='33988' date='Jul 19 2007, 08:41 AM']Just to correct you there, it does have an effect. If it's a gift you're allowed up to £36 tax free, if it's commercial goods the limit is a paltry £18.

[url="http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/downloadFile?contentID=HMCE_CL_000014"]http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalW...=HMCE_CL_000014[/url]

See section 2.3

You're right about it have heehaw effect when the value is $100 though [/quote]

We are both correct! I knew from first hand experience that I had charges levied at me for items sent as gifts that were declared with a low value. I double checked my receipts etc. and I was charged which lead me to call HMC&E to clarify why this was so; it was pointed out that I wasn't charged VAT... I had been charged Import Duty and a separate handling fee levied by RM!

They'll have you either way.

Strangely enough I've never asked a seller/shipper to do anything one way or the other with regard to declarations and in fact I have specified that one or two senders should declare the full value and categorically not send it as a gift. It really isn't worth running the risk of them telling any authority (UK or otherwise) that you asked them to falsify legal documents (which customs declarations are). You could get slapped big style if that were the case.

[quote name='Dan_Nailed' post='33945' date='Jul 19 2007, 01:02 AM']If you've been charged VAT and import then the C&E has caught the fact that your item is worth more than £30, even if they've declared it as £30...otherwise they wouldn't have charged you in the first place.[/quote]

I was making a general statement re. the £30 limit. You're correct, the instance that I referred to was declared as worth $350. However there have been instances where I received items worth less than the declared value (the senders thought they were doing me a favour in case of insurance claims). I've been slapped with the Duty, handling etc. on items that I paid $25 for but the sellers declared them as $100's of $! In those instances I've managed to claim back the VAT/duty but not the handling, as RM stated it wasn't their fault that they had to intervene.

re. Neepheid's lucky import.

Yes, occasionally you do get away with it, I imported stuff for a couple of years blissfully unaware that I should have paid taxes/duty etc (valued $10 - $1000). Then one of my items got picked out by HMC&E and in the last 2 years I've basically gone from never being stopped to expecting every single item to be picked up! Oh and the gift thing has absolutely no effect on the import limit, that is an urban myth. If it is declared as a gift and worth $100 and HMC&E pick it out, you get slapped with the charges... I know, I tried that

Speak to eubassix, he's a bit of a fan (to say the least).

Sorry but no-one in their right mind puts a couple of decent basses up on a 24hr listing... unless it's dodgy!

[quote name='Marcus' post='33261' date='Jul 17 2007, 08:23 PM']Really looking forward to getting this one....... having to sacrifice my Flea Bass for it due to my "No more than 6 Basses at any one time" rule imposed by her indoors !![/quote]

What happened to the RHCP tribute?

[quote name='Burg' post='32539' date='Jul 16 2007, 03:17 PM']I noticed soundcontrol are now selling Superfly's at £199. Dolphin music have them for £299.

[b]Anyone know why they're going so cheap?[/b][/quote]

The 2x250 range is being replaced and SC bought up all the remaining stock.

[quote name='Hamster' post='32829' date='Jul 17 2007, 07:27 AM']Depending on what was written on the senders customs declaration, you should be able to claim back the duties paid or reduce them to a great extent .

Hamster[/quote]

Unfortunately that is a double edged sword.

If you get the seller to declare the value as below the £30ish UK import limit and it's worth hundreds then you run the risk of only being able to claim back £30 if anything gets lost. To claim back the duty you have to supply C&E with evidence that the item cost less than their £30ish import limit, that means copies of your eBay/purchase receipt and copies of PayPal receipts and either way you can not claim back the handling charge (minimum of about £8).

HMC&E are a lot more on the ball these days than they were even a couple of years ago, as more and more people purchase globally using electronic payments etc.

To a total newbie of this make of bass they scream fake. However, I know nothing about this brand!

On the other hand it seems so obviously wrong I fail to see how anyone could be conned... Strange how they seem to have the body shape almost/perfectly spot-on but got the detail soooo wrong! Then again if I looked at the logo on a 70/80's Fender compared to a 60's or even the headstock shape etc. I'd run a mile from ANY Fender.

I'm not convinced that the negative feedback is all bad, as neither buyer paid more than £200 and it is actually the seller who is complaining of 'stalkers', part of the feedback business appears to be retaliatory. Hmmm not sure.

A bit of an odd one that needs to be looked at in the (sober) cold light of dawn.

I bought an AKAI last week, £100 from SC. Great fun and narf does sharpen up your timing.

Can't wait for the next gig as our guitarist may well sh*t his pants when I do all of the parts to the next U2 cover on my bass.

I didn't try all of the others but for a looper that can record 28 seconds or so of sample and then let you overdub or jam to your hearts content, you're gonna struggle to get better.

It's so easy to use even our drummer... no actually I'm lying there. A bassist can work one but a drummer will struggle when it comes to 'where do I hit it'.

eBay is riddled with problems and pitfalls for the unwary. I also made a purchase from the States a few months back ($350), a month later I received a package (which I got clattered for duty and tax, but hey it was my choice to buy from the States so no complaints there). On opening the package I was presented with a box of timber offcuts... WTF!

I contacted the seller, nothing. I contacted PayPal and submitted a claim that the items was 'not as described' (no kidding). Unfortunately the seller simply claimed that they had sent the item and I was simply pulling some stunt. Where do you stand? You don't, you just have to lie down and take it!

As I say the biggest insult is that I had to pay Duty, Tax and a RM handling charge to receive a box of firewood!

[quote name='andy67' post='32644' date='Jul 16 2007, 06:42 PM']That is complete and utter pish!

I hope you will pursue this? get on to trading standards in order to get the correct info and go for it!

I am thinking of shutting my account down also - enough is enough!!!![/quote]

Unfortunately as with all things like this, you refer to the small print and they have you by the short and curlies!

They certainly have no right to refuse me access to my account prior to me paying off my balance and had I pursed it legally they wouldn't have had a leg to stand. However a brief chat with our guitarist (who is a solicitor) and he pointed out that it would cost me more to pursue this than it was worth i.e. I had nothing to claim from them and they would probably give me access to my account at the 11th hour and I'd be left with the legal bill.

Unfortunately you may not realise it but as you have agreed to their conditions they have the right to retain your details on file even though you close your account (as and when I can force that issue)! You may think that is b*ll*cks and that when you close your account that is it, but that's not what it says in the small print. Try closing your account and read the conditions imposed when you do close it.

Oh and added to which you will find it very difficult to pursue anything against eBay with any great zeal as they are registered overseas, anything that I or anyone else elects to file against them will be expensive and protracted.

I'm having to sit on my hands in order that I don't get too worked up about eBay... they are essentially money grabbing tw*ts! That is from immediate personal experience.

I have had an eBay account for 4 years, Powerseller, sold over 2200 items with absolute 100% positive feedback. Much of what I sell is used Leatherman & Gerber multi-tool items (a few BW/BT/BC members have bought from me) and I've happily plodded along putting up with their fees as it is a source of amusement for me and I get the chance to buy and sell items that I have an interest in added to which it subsidises my bass habit

Move forward to 2 weeks ago and suddenly my account is suspended!

Why?

'Using another company's trademark in a way that may confuse buyers about the source of goods or services, or confuses buyers into believing that the seller is affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the trademark owner is both illegal and against eBay's policies. Examples include counterfeits, unauthorised replica items and items that bear the brand or logo of a company without that company's permission.'

It turns out that I am not licensed to sell Leatherman products... I pointed out to eBay that the item that they had singled out was used and I'm not passing myself off as an authorised dealer, how could I 'IT IS USED'. This has fallen on deaf ears and despite a dozen emails explaining that the item is a genuine L'man product and that I am selling it as used, they have responded by stating that I am not endorsed or affiliated to the manufacturer! Of course I'm not but then again neither is anyone selling ANYTHING that is used on eBay. Essentially eBay claim that if a copyright owner signs up to their 'VeRO programme' then they simply have to inform eBay that they don't want somebody to be allowed to sell an item and it has to be automatically pulled!

Anyway, I spat my dummy out and said (in my best Cartman voice) "scr*w you, I am going home". Only I can't. They won't let me close my account until I have paid all outstanding fees. Fine, let me see my account balance has been credited for the 2 numpties who I had initiated Non-paying bidder strikes against just prior to the suspension... No, I have to pay the balance and then I can access my account to see the balance. What! Who in there right mind would expect you to pay for something before you've had the chance to look at what you owe.

Final leg - I had no choice but to pay the balance as eBay are no longer responding to my emails. Lo-and-behold, my balance is cleared I owe them not a bean and I am still not allowed access to my account AND they won't respond to my requests to close the account. I keep getting automated responses saying that I can't close my account as I am suspended... Aaargh!

Rant over