Wayne Firefly

Well to be fair, I am starting to feel a bit mugged off. If I'd known it would have turned out this way, I probably wouldnt have made the order in the first place. Due May 1st, as well as this year's gigs we had 8 festivals this summer, short run into Europe, album and E.P. sessions and a 2 week tour this November.... I was hoping to have had it for all this. Tough tittays I guess. Im going to leave it until November properly until I start the 'come on fellas, this is getting silly' routine. Exactly right with the friendly attitude at first too, Joe Zon rang me when I made the order (well, he said he was Joe Zon !!) which was pretty cool. One thing that does make me think, is considering it dosent have a fancy exotic set of woods in the build, you'd think it'd be a quicker to do right ??

Hmmmm, starting to worry to be fair....

I worked in a local music shop for quite some time and I'd always try and be friendly and chatty, be helpful and answer questions as honestly as I could, trying to burst that bubble that can be sometimes intimidating for some. Guitar shops can be a minefield of horror if uninitiated. We couldnt always help, but if we didnt have what the customer wanted, I'd always point them in the direction where they could get what they wanted. BUT from the other side, customers can be A-holes too !! There was this young student guy, would come in (for months) and try out all the gear he'd read about online. He'd then plug in, turn up and play horrible versions of Hendrix and Jethro Tull riffs and the obvious GnR and Nirvana riffs for ages, only ever bought 3 picks. Then theres the metal guy who'd plug in and sweep pick for 20 mins staring at me....Acknowledge my playing you git !!!! Then you get the gang of students on their dinner hour who'd come in and show their mates the new riffs they'd just learned that week, like a little gig. Or the woman who came in and put down a deposit on something only to come back 10 days later asking for the deposit back as her husband had bought their daughter a guitar from somewhere else. Or the guy who bought a guitar from the other shop in town then turned up to show me what he'd just bought..... Then you get the guy who turned up with a '70s Epiphone Thunderbird bass' they didnt do em in the 70s says I..... Yes they bloody did, you wait and see etc etc. Then the other guy who waxes lyrical about the sonic blue 63 Strat in the original case with original bill of sale, you know, the BS types etc etc. Then the lad who came in and asked the difference between an air guitar and an electric guitar. Then the girl who asked of we sold 'fishing glass'. Then the guy who asked if I would hug him....Then the people who bring in unruly kids that run around and smack everything, then the ones who bring two dogs in, then you'd get someone who came in, was friendly and pretty normal, we'd have a little chat about whatever, I'd learn about something that I might not have known, like the local music scene in the 60s and stories about that... they'd brought something in for a P/X/ deal, gets done, everyone is happy or the person who wants a guitar who's not sure what he or she might want so I'd help them out then back off to let them make their own decision, answering any questions they might have. I sometimes go in music shops and see how Im treated for fun, Im polite and friendly but I like to see how staff treat you. The one in Manchester under the arches was A1 by the way.

I ordered a Zon Billy Gould signature BG4 last November. Was told it would take 6 months on the waiting list / build schedule. As I'd paid up front, I was told I'd be bumped up the build schedule. Its 3 weeks away from it being 12 months and no bass or even any emails to explian either why, any progress or updates. I drop a line every now and again (every 6 weeks or so) to ask whats happening to get a short reply. Just wondered if anyone else had any experience in this situation and is it normal ?

I dont know where the ones you mention but I remember one in a Hughes And Kettner ad back in 1990. Its a crappy pic but if you look in the centre, you can see the Star Wars graphic on that right hand Concert bass....JHS's address is on the bottom and lets say the ad was shot in the U.K. it could have been the one you are on about ?? Who knows ?? http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Hughes-Kettner-amplifiers-1990-magazine-advert-/110692408829?hash=item19c5c81dfd:m:mp7y0wfjKMZ5GN3bwvWiQ9g Some people will try and sell anything !!!! All the best !!

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1446112884' post='2896925'] Just taken delivery of a Tech21 VTB500 and it looks like it is going straight back. As soon as I plugged in, nix/nadda/nothing. Wiggled the lead around and crackle/pop and then sound. Swapped the lead and it did exactly the same thing. Also the fan seems to be on all the time and it is really noisy compared to my MarkBass. I don't have the confidence to take it out on a gig so looks like it will have to go back. The input Jack socket appears to be the problem. The jack plug is not very tight when plugged in. Loads of play. When it does work it sounds great and the tonal possibilities are endless. [/quote] I had a very same experience.... took it to a gig, plugged it in, made a loud squeal and fried itself. Went straight back.... of course, confidence is shaken now and unsure wether to try another and if I do, how long will it last before the next one dies. Got a refund, went to buy another, they are all out of stock and gone up £50... I love Tech 21 gear so was REALLY disappointed to be fair. Im thinking of a different brand and just sticking with the Sans pedals.

Fair do's if you EVER wanna shift that mate !!

I've got a Billy Gould signature on order, due May 2016 !!!!!! Not my pic but you get the idea !!

So it would seem that on an oscilliscope, tiny variations in waveform can be put in the form of a graph of some kind, and subtle differences pointed out. If you used a tin Fender bridge against the Babicz bridge, put on the same bass using the same strings. Lots of variances there right ? BUT in the real, actual, working world of sub zero temparatures outside then straight into a hot sweaty venue, sound checking drummers, rushing to set gear up in the dark, tuning, then playing a set of aggressive music, loud guitars, loud fast drums, my attack and distortion coming from the Sans, swirling chaos in motion in the audience, mic stands going over, stage divers, chaos, more chaos, loud, fast, dark, fast, chaos, loud, mic hits you in the mouth, split lip, and so on.... I guess differences in vibration are a moot point. I guess again I asked a loaded and probably dumb question if brands of gear actually means anything in real terms when what I should actually be doing is playing the damn thing !!!! The more I see the less I know !!!

Played a small but popular venue last weekend and the engineer obviously has his set up dialled and bands pass through there week by week. Same problem here....Nice guy but he just assumed we were the same as all the other bands that play and made his decision of how we were to sound. I tend to lean towards the Bill Gould side of tone and when our singer puts her guitar down its effectively a three piece. So now the bass takes up one third of the sonic space, drums, guitar and bass creating a wall of sound. When the guitar player solos or does little fills or detail bits, there is no drop out in power (if you get my drift) Not this time.... as it was a LOT quieter than usual and loads of drive and attack were gone. So, the band sounds weaker by default and less aggressive. Maybe I should just take it on the chin and accept that not everyone gets it !!!!!

Loved my Status neck on my Stingray, got one with a Jazz profile for a pseudo SLO feel... was way more stable than the stock MM neck (in touring conditions similar to what Shedua511 describes) BUT whatever you do, dont knock it at all !!! It chipped with terrifying ease and the one time it had moved, it seemed the truss rod had loosened itself right off so a quick nip up and fine again. It looked awesome and felt great too. The only thing the stock neck had is that it was stock / original and it was a lot tougher (took more abuse) but other than that, Id go graphite every time now !!!