Beedster

All good and fair points BRX, I just work the algorithms until things get more and more obscure. Re the absence of filters and in music and mediocrity, I was bought up in the 60's, 70's and 80's, and era when even the music that made it through the extensive music industry filters was largely mediocre, so I'm not sure I agree. But it's all subjective I was watching a TV show with the kids the other day, and a song played. My eldest daughter said "Daddy, is this your band" because, no joke, it sounded like our band, and the singer could have been Robbie. So, I did it the hard way (could have used an app), typed the lyrics of the chorus into Google, and up come The White Buffalo. Funnily enough, the song in question bored me very quickly, but some of his other stuff, located in a curious artistic space between Tom Waits and Glen Campbell, is glorious. I'd likely never have found it without the new democracy (IIRC a lot of his early stuff was self recorded & promoted) or the information tech that allowed me to simply enter his lyrics into Google. I heard a track in 1978 by The Motors, it was a B-side, and it took me 6-months of singing it badly to people for me to find out who it was, by which time the single had been and gone and, given the B-side wasn't on an album, was not likely to cross my path again. Luckily a mate had the single so I got the bus to his house with my cassette recorder, put the mic in front of his speaker, and pressed record. There's some magic in how hard music was to get in those days, especially if you were skint, but I think it's healthier today

And I'm not just talking about finding newly produced music, I've discovered bands form the 70's and 80's I'd probably not have found otherwise

And subjective, as you suggest

Agree 100%

Really, I find it so easy to find new music compared to even 20 years ago. How did you find Airbag? You did a Google search. Try finding a similar band in 1980, unless they were in the print press, and most weren't, no go. And nearly all music apps etc have great algorithms to introduce you to new music, it's like Xmas every day as far as I'm concerned. And if you think the industry is exploitative now, you should have been in it in 1980-1990 when I was. Trust me, it's a whole lot easier and better now. Not perfect by any means, but way better in nearly every respect (production values being one big exception perhaps)

Agreed Agreed x100, I mentioned this in another thread and someone suggested I was not getting it. Possibly, but just in the same sense that something being old doesn't make it bad, something being new doesn't make it good either. Horse/courses, YMMV etc

I doubt there's ever been a better time for music, it's easier to make and easier to listen to than ever. And of course, there's even more of it (and modern tech allows us to discover stuff from the past we'd otherwise never have come across)! OK, music production and culture is different to how it used to be, but they'd have been saying that in 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 etc

Those Indonesian Squiers and their subtle tone controls eh

I quite enjoyed it, and I thought your clarification re not chopping up the child was well made. Either way, this thread has turned philosophic, and any excuse to bring Eric in works for me

Which is what this forum should be doing (and often does of course). Rhetoric has its place, as does experience and opinion, but it's a decent discussion/debate with good evidence - albeit alongside opinion and experience - that's required on these topics. As any decent neuroscientist will tell you, when the brain has learned something new, it experiences and processes information related to that learning differently. Learning about sound, acoustics, tone, etc is a great way to process those forms of information in a different way. Different doesn't mean better of course, but it gives you options. And of course, this new learning means you can justify more - albeit different - gear

The HH VS was my first bass amp in about '85, coupled with a Westone Thunder 1 and a cab that doesn't spiring to memory. Many happy memories.

One should never miss the opportunity to add some Python

Think you answered your own question there Stew Personally I'm very glad Bill does keep returning to these threads

Being a musician today is so much easier that 30/40 years ago, both in terms of availability and range of relatively inexpensive but good quality equipment and the equivalent in terms of learning tech and resources. If I wanted to lean a bassline in 1980 I had to get my unplayable Woolworth Bass, tune it for about 20 minutes, then play the track I wanted to learn at really low resolution on my cassette player (often having had to record it opportunistically from the radio using the cassette player's in-built mic), and then play all of this through a bass 'combo' that turned the mud coming out of the bass circuit into sludge. And that lot probably cost me the same as a decent Squier, PJB combo and bass training app would cost me today

It's interesting, I think of CD as being very high on detail, hi-fi and clean (digital in the technical and subjective sense), whilst tape is lower on detail but has warmth and, perhaps, a slightly more 'acoustic' feel (analog in technical and subjective sense). For me all tube amps are the best of both worlds, the detail of the former, the warmth of the latter Please note that it was not easy to write the above without using the word 'heft'

That's not true, I've successfully claimed for way more than that from UPS EDIT I guess they might have changed their T&Cs since then however. If that's true, there's simply no point in paying for insurance?

First prize to Prof Hackenbacker

PS having said the above, I have to admit that I prefer heavy basses, no idea why, they just seem to have, well, more.......

I read this a ‘body is too light’. If it’s simply ‘bass is too light’, I think as others have said, well done

Screw the courier issue, I find it concerning that any BC member would have that much cling film to hand

Mmm, I'd agree re the treble, but keep in mind I was suggesting that Nik use a Precision, so given that's a pretty mid heavy instrument, I'd still scoop to get the Ric sound that's in my head*. Whilst in many tracks the obvious contribution of the Ric is in the highs, the quite powerful lows are there, which is why they're so bloody popular in certain genres (and why they're so good in three-piece bands in my opinion) *Of course the Ric sound that's in my head and the Ric sound that's in your head might differ

Nice post, thanks. Yes, the difference in the final line in your post is what I was referring to, especially when the item isn't available for collection in person. I've on occasion twisted the arm of a seller to allow me to send a courier to collect for an item they didn't intend to post, and there is a big difference as you suggest

Great stuff Dan, very intrigued to know exactly what you mean by 'allowed to breath'......? Guess it might be a metaphor, but thought I'd ask anyway Wow, that's a lot of rig! Can't help with your tech problems I'm afraid, I'm sure someone will be along soon

I’ve never been all that impressed by people who offer to courier items, making it a lot easier to sell for a good price, and then indicate that the risk is the buyer’s. I see the logic, courier as proxy for collection in person in which case (excuse another pun) it’s the buyer’s property as soon as it leaves the front door, I just don’t really think it good practice