JPAC

I think I like New Zealand, they just give you loads of money!

[i]"Police in New Zealand are searching for a couple who disappeared after a banking blunder deposited NZ$10m (£3.9m, US$6m) in their account.

The couple had applied for a NZ$10,000 overdraft but received NZ$10m in their business account instead, part of which they withdrew, local media report.

They are said to have run a service station in Rotorua, North Island.

Police believe the couple have left the country and Interpol has been alerted for assistance. "[/i]



[url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8060681.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8060681.stm[/url]

That makes three of us getting an Ibanez SR500 two weeks ago, have a bump on me.

Wilkinsons (Wilko's) have a 4 pack of microfibre cleaning cloths for £2, decent size and washable too.

Very interesting, three greetings eh? Have to watch and see how this develops.

Hi Grant.

Haven't got an exact model to suggest but I remember watching an interview with Billy Sheehan, when he went through what he wanted from a bass with a Yamaha custom shop technician, the pros and cons of various necks and materials. I think there was something to do with carbon fibre and de-tuner but I can't find a link now.

It's been interesting reading what people want though. (Might have a nice little RBX170 if you really cant decide).

Good luck.

[quote name='Balcro' post='488753' date='May 15 2009, 12:14 PM']I'm late to this game so I don't know anything of the earlier stuff. I think I prefer the streamlined look of the current basses.

It's got to be the SR4000E Prestige. Beautiful clean simplicity, mahogany body for deep lows, mono-rail bridge and finished in "stained red". Unfortunately they're about 1500 Euro's.

Lesser GAS for the SR500. Very similar body, but I can't stand the dark brown mahogany colour even if it is £1000 cheaper than the 4000E. Now if it were in a reddish mahogany, hmmm?

Don't like the gothic horn on the BTB series although the shape makes a good handle and consequently the top strap pin is in an almost perfect position.

Balcro.[/quote]

Just got a SR500, in some lights it looks a little 'cherry red', but I suppose it depends on the wood. Tan strap.
Enc pic with colour chart.

Hulk? Incredible bulk maybe, I'll not press so hard then. I wondered about that clicking, so that'll stop after a while? Very interesting, ta.

Had a look round today and the worst prices for Duracell are about £6.50 for ultra, £5.50 for Plus and most ask £3-£4.50 each.
In Maplins they told me Uniross have gone bust and any batteries for sale will be clearance, had a look on the net and there's still plenty for sale. [i] news today "Eveready is looking to acquire a minimum of an 80% stake in Uniross for $13.65 million." [/i]

Pound shop had three Procells for £1. Looked different than the ones I've seen before.

I think I'll go for the Uniross Hybrio PP3 with charger for £11.99 inc Vat delivered, unless anyone knows a better deal. If I don't use the bass for a while it should have a little juice for an hour or so, if I leave the plug in and the battery dies, just charge it up again. Not sure if they are anti-leak.

Thanks for your help, John.

Edit: plug not jack

Do strings need some use to flex a little to reach optimum sound? I read that they 'go off' after much use, dirt in the windings? true/false?

Also, when pressing on the strings near the fret, does the string actually touch the fretboard? TIA, John.

It says it's open to offers, offer 'em a quid, you never know.

Web-developer is a good add-on for web site building.
[url="http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/"]http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/[/url]

Consider a subtle background and btw most young people work in metric now.

[quote name='chris_b' post='485259' date='May 11 2009, 06:56 PM']It's based around 1 4 5 in G for the verse and Bb for the chorus. You should be able to work it out from there.[/quote]

Could you translate for a total noob, I understand the G and Bb, 1 4 5 ?

Any tabs or Guitar Pro tabs? It does sound an easy song to learn.

Not sure how long it would take me to use 30 batteries but something to bear in mind, thanks.
I'll check out the pound shop, I know the manager of our local one, I'll check what they've got.
That makes sense about the voltage drop, I wonder if the lithium ones would be OK, they are 9.6V, 0.6V higher than normal.
I have a feeling I'll forget to unplug the cord and drain the battery.

...2009, any update for PP3 deals or offers now?

7Day shop has 2 Duracells pack for £3.49.

Do rechargeables distort the output?

This is a song that I like and want to learn, any help appreciated. TIA

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s8l75Oxf1U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s8l75Oxf1U[/url]

Well you did ask...

Musicman Stingray - Looks like a banjo.
Status - At least they don't look like they're from the 50's, hint of Formula 1.
Warwick - Touch of thalidomide about 'em.
Gibson Thunderbird - Quadrilateral theme.
Fender - The guitar name.
Yamaha - Great build quality until they break.
Ibanez - Lotto purchase, the well made ones are great.

OK, this poll tells me nothing apart from it's OK to take your time. I do have a very bad short term memory which isn't helping but on the plus side I changed my bass today to an Ibanez SR500. It's lighter and I am happier with it, so I now have more incentive to practise. It's only a hobby for me, everyone asks me when I'm going to be a rock star, but I just want to play bass - no pressure.

I'm a little bit puzzled by the last few posts but you all make it sound good - right?

Thanks, that's what I was hoping to hear. Starting from scratch is frustrating, sometimes I can get it right, the next time it all goes wrong. Early days.

Thanks for all your replies, it's just seeming to take a long time for me to get started that's all.

Just wondering how long it took you before you felt comfortable playing bass for a complete song?

Best of luck mate, will you be going to Te Ika-a-Māui or Te Wai Pounamu?

[url="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10567873"]http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article....jectid=10567873[/url]

The Conclusion.

Thanks to everyone for their support.

The Yamaha RBX170 OVS is now back in my possession. I did not get a refund because according to trading standards, I would have had to prove, using an independent testing laboratory, that the broken nut was due to a manufacturing defect. Yamaha UK said they had thrown that particular part away when it was repaired and they used a replacement nut. I'm not sure how much this testing would have cost, but I don't think that it would be worth it practically. So, since Feb 16th and yesterday I have had the use of the guitar for three weeks. Yamaha UK have done a good job and looks and feels as the new one did. My credit card company failed to act at all, when I checked yesterday, they said they had sent me paperwork for extra details, (that never arrived), despite me explaining everything in detail over the phone to them.

ConsumerDirect misled me by advising that I would get a refund, based on that and the time they were taking getting my broken one fixed, I bought an Ibanez GSR200. So I now have two bass guitars.

So, I would advise caution when buying guitars, even new ones and hope you get a good one that doesn't go wrong.

"Bass guitar for Dummies" is a popular book that features music theory and a CD. £10ish.

As a bass noob, I've found out that the QA passed sticker is meaningless. The one guitar that had the sticker was manufactured badly and the one that didn't was still faulty, both being the same Ibanez GSR200. It must take a certain amount of money to make a guitar and build it to a decent quality but what that cash value is I'm not sure. You could be lucky and get a good one or have a serious amount of time and effort getting a bad one put right. At the moment I'm still trying to sort out my first one but it might mean going to court to get my money back.

Mine break without any help from me.

But if you really want to break one, they're pretty tough apparently, bit like smashing up a piano in a fayre.