uncle psychosis

I'd rather just get some small self-adhesive glow in the dark stickers, or, even better, just learn my way round the neck properly (its not *that* hard). Unless you're playing a very unusual/futuristic bass LEDs just look silly, IMO.

The mind boggles. "I know, I'll try and sell something for £1400 and just use a stock photo off the internet". Are these people nuts?

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1359029473' post='1948634'] Top Tip: Grease from a KFC is cheaper, and delicious too! [/quote] I played flute for many years before picking up a bass and a teacher once taught me a great (if icky) tip. Moving from low C to low C# on a flute involves a slighty tricky rolling of your pinky from one key to another, but is made infinitely easier if, beforehand, you rub your pinky down the side of your nose to pick up some nice greasy lubrication

[quote name='Bobby K' timestamp='1359019951' post='1948447'] Hello chaps, interesting thread! I'm doing a theatre tour next month with the Kate Bush tribute and it's gonna be no amps on stage, with in ear monitoring only. so I'm gonna be looking at getting something like this. Not sure which one though... Gonna be running two passive basses, both fretted and fretless (with some chorus on the fretless stuff, via my old Boss chorus pedal) - I know some of these have a facility for two inputs. Any recommendations anyone? [/quote] The EBS Microbass II may be right up your street.

[quote name='AnalogBomb' timestamp='1358941627' post='1947295'] I know what people are saying about the manufacturing process and the impossibility of things being right 100% of the time. This to me, doesn't make it right. For companies that invest god knows how much in R&D to release a product, that has to be recalled a few months later, should be covering every angle. I could understand it more if it was a cheap, tacky product, but it's not. It's a reasonable price, but still £235 is a lot of money to me and I'm sure many other people. [/quote] In order to 100% guarantee that everything is absolutely perfect they would have to do so much testing that it would cost significantly more than £235.

ER20s for me too.

These idiots only get away with it because people put up with it. Thankfully all of my musical adventures have been with people I already knew socially, so no problems dealing with muppetry!

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1358942939' post='1947324'] GAS, eh? [/quote]

You'll get less fret noise if you change to flats... ...but your bass will also sound totally different. Some people love flats, others don't. Personally, I play quite hard and I compensate by having slightly high action. Works for me.

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1358956100' post='1947605'] Still think the SKB FPB4 (from memory) is a stunning case at 75 quid. [/quote] I like SKB cases, but since two (!) of their hard foam cases (the SC-44 model) fell apart on me I'm not so keen.

I disagree that if you don't get gigging quickly you never will. My band rehearsed for 18 months before we even thought about gigging---although, to be fair, we did start out as just three guys who wanted to make a racket in a rehearsal room...

[quote name='AnalogBomb' timestamp='1358865160' post='1946235'] I see what your saying her mate, but stuff shouldn't be prone to breaking when it's been out no time at all. Yeah, good on TC for recalling it, that's responsible, but make sure things are right at source, then they will save themselves the trouble of having to recall god knows how many units!? It's just a major inconvenience, not just for me but for many other TC users. As Jimryan says, I still really like TC, but it has somewhat tainted my view of them. I always used to think when I saw product recall signs in the shop windows 'thank god I didn't buy one of those!' [/quote] I used to work in manufacturing. Its far too easy to say "get it right before it ships". Sometimes things happen that you could never, ever have predicted. For instance, you buy a whole load of parts from a supplier and test them to death during your prototype and design phase. All is well. You move to full production and your supplier's supplier makes a change to a component and doesn't bother telling anyone (this happens!). Or the new guy at your supplier sends you 8,000,000 steel plated ball bearings instead of 8,000,000 solid steel ball bearings and because they look identical nobody notices the problem.Suddenly your fully qualified parts are not the same as they used to be and its months before the failures start. Oh-oh.

[quote name='Machines' timestamp='1358930360' post='1947091'] With this said, I am surprised so many people are trying to offload gear at the moment, there can't be a worse time to sell with it being the start of a year and also everyone having such tight purse strings. [/quote] I think people are selling things *because* they are skint.

This is bizarre. Bizarre, but pretty cool. http://boingboing.net/2013/01/21/rems-losing-my-religion.html Someone took "Losing My Religion" and shifted it so its in a major key. I quite like it.

At £20 more than a Hiscox they'd better be phenomenal.

Personally I think G&Ls marketing is a bit crap. Just little things, like the name "Tribute". To me, that implies "copy" or "not quite as good as". I'm not saying they're *not* good, but the name has negative connotations in my mind. Certainly, their availability/distribution isn't very good---I've only very rarely seen them in shops. They also compete at a funny price point, where there are a *lot* of alternatives. That market must be hard to succeed in.

[quote name='buckers' timestamp='1358849391' post='1945866'] This also happens on mine and I presume its capacitors discharging. I simply turn down the volume control prior to switch off - switch off with no thump - then put the volume control back up to its original position again a few seconds later. [/quote] I always make sure the volume on any amp is turned down before I turn it on or off. Its maybe a bit paranoid, but it saves you from nasty surprises if things aren't set where they're supposed to be.

[quote name='rasher80' timestamp='1358523473' post='1940834'] Crikey, just Googled the Yamaha THR10 and was a bit taken aback by the price - i am after cheap and cheerful really (and i know by-and-large you get what you pay for) as I am a rubbish guitarist and just looking for something to noodle through when I get a bit of free time! [/quote] I think the Cube will suit you nicely. A lot of the guys over at musicradar recommend them highly.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1358844266' post='1945795'] It's a bit of a cop-out though isn't it? For people too vanilla to buy a Thunderbird-shaped T-Bass. [/quote] I'd happily have both

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1358857319' post='1946021'] I read the wikipedia entry, and now I'm wondering what post-hardcore and math-rock sound like I must get out more... [/quote] Math Rock tends to be really riffy, but the riffs are all in odd time signatures (or keep changing time signature) and fast tempos. Some of its really good, but I find most of it to be too annoying to get into---everytime it sounds like they get into a groove it changes

[quote name='MrTaff' timestamp='1358857385' post='1946025'] Which is ok if you know it's a demo model and you've had a chance to inspect it but if you order a new bass online I'd expect it to be new. [/quote] The Distance Selling Regs exist to allow you to inspect an instrument. I don't have a problem with shops shipping the instrument from the shop floor so long as they've looked after it. Its a personal thing though. Some people get really picky about it---"I want an unplayed one" but forget that it's probably already been played at the factory and maybe again by the shop staff if they set it up before sending it out.

Just stick them in a tupperware box or something and put them in the cupboard. Remember even "new" bass strings have probably sat on the shelf in the factory/shop for months anyway.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1358853256' post='1945933'] If I discovered them all by myself I'd have embarrassed myself by calling them prog-rock, having never heard of post-rock [/quote] I think post-rock is a lot like prog-rock, except without all the w**ky soloing that makes prog-rock unlistenable Mogwai are an astoundingly good band IMO, but I've never really tried to learn any of their songs---its not the kind of music that lends itself to playing on your own in the house!

[quote name='MrTaff' timestamp='1358853831' post='1945950'] Loads of shops do this, they think it's ok to sell the one off the wall that everybodies played & still claim it's new. [/quote] On the flipside, I've happily bought the shop "display" model because I don't see the point in saying "yeah, this one plays nice, now give me a totally different unseen one thats boxed up through in the back...". [b]As long as a shop looks after its gear[/b] I have no problem with them selling the display ones as new.