Skybone

I ordered a clip on tuner from them a few years back, but it didn't turn up after a week or so. I got in touch with them, and they sent out another one, which did arrive. I used to buy strings from them, but they aren't as good value anymore, as you can buy the same strings for better value elsewhere.

Indeed, happy 10th birthday BassChat... and no, I won't be buying you an Xbox or a laptop.

Saw them many times while Alan Davey was with them, now he had a killer sound and style. His solo stuff is pretty good too.

It does pay to shop around, I've bought strings from a certain large German dealer before, as even with postage, they were still cheaper than sourcing strings from the UK. EBay's a good place to start. As molan said, it depends on which brand you want, and how much you think is a fair price for them.

I heard that they sounded tinny... I'll get my coat.

Strings changed, Schaller straplocks on, chickened knobs added, raised Ric pickup ring installed. Plays great, sounds great. Happy.

Oops, now 'down' to 3 basses, from 2.

For the last 5 years or so, the Coloursound Tonebender's have been made by David Main (the man behind D*A*M stompboxes), so they are not only incredibly well made, but sound excellent as well. I had a D*A*M Tonebender clone for a while, and that was a great sounding pedal. I have a Coloursound wah that sounds superb with my guitar rig.

Well, it arrived. The neck's a bit chunkier than the other two, and there's no checker binding, but it's in ace condition. Very pleased. From the left, it's 2, 3, 1

The thing I like about the Rockinbetter, is that the body is the same width as the Ric. If you thought the Rockinbetter was heavy, then a Ric is usually that bit heavier (all maple). My old 4003 weighed a ton, but sounded & played superbly. My Rockinbetter's sound & play great, and thankfully weigh less than my old 4003.

Yup, another sufferer here, had it constantly for about 10 years. Admittedly, it is all my own fault for not using earplugs / standing in front of loud, loud, loud amps / too many small gigs / huge volume etc. I discovered ear plugs too late, but I always carry some in my guitar case, and always use them. My advice to anyone playing in bands, or going to gigs, is look after your hearing.

Oops, just bought another Faker

To be fair, that's what the Les Paul was designed for, though I must admit thinking "strange choice of guitar" when I first saw it.

That 60's style T'bird is a thing of beauty... WANT!

I really don't "get" Future Islands. While watching the last episode of Later..., I realised that the singer is actually the Club Singer from Shooting Stars.

I have been fortunate enough in the past to have played some multi-band gigs (more than 4 bands) where I've liked most of the bands on, so if I hadn't have been playing, I probably would have been in the audience. If it were less than 4 bands playing, then you definitely need to stay & support the others. I remember many gigs where we would be driving home in the wee hours because we'd stayed at the venue til all the bands had finished, helped load out etc. and then driven back. If it were at a small venue, single stage, multi-band affair, then yes, stay, watch & support the other bands. If it were a festival style, multi-stage, multi-band arrangement, there could be some excuse for ducking out early, but you should really show some effort to support the other bands playing "your" stage, or make an effort to see other bands on other stages.

I' have thought that it would be OK to use the 18v supply into the 12v pedal without any step down in voltage.

How to avoid getting sacked from a band? Be a team player. Don't be a dick.

Another "watched it on iPlayer", managed to skip through most of it, though I did think Jain (French lass with the sequencer/looper box) was rather good. Watched Eivor (the lass with the drum instead of the acoustic guitar), thought she was good, a bit more interesting than the usual lass with the acoustic guitar. LP were OK. Thank goodness for fast forward.

I'd assume that you've already had the screwdriver's out and tightened everything you can. My old L2000 had a seriously annoying rattle, turned out that there is a grub screw in the bridge that pushes all the saddles together. Tightened it, and the rattle went away. My old Tokai Love Rock (LP clone) had a similar rattle, and the only thing that sorted it out was a change of strings.

I do have 2 basses at the moment, but they are both the same, so it kind of counts as one... honest.

I'd love to compare a Helix LT against my HD500x.

Maybe look into something where you can Mix the effected signal with the clean signal, so you don't loose the bass. Maybe something like a BOSS ODB or similar. Must admit, I don't know of any fuzz pedals that have this option, but it's worth looking at something with a mix control, and having some clean bass in there, as opposed to a totally "dirty" / wet sound.

That is the annoying thing about the Ricken Waffen, they spend more time annoying people with Fakers, that they simply alienate their own supported brand. This is also true of "he who shall not be named" and the relentless legal threats, combined with their own dwindling factory output, and increased pricing, creating a demand for a lower priced version of the instruments for those who's budgets can't stretch to the real thing. Guess I'll have to stick with my Faker until I win the Lottery then.

I've used Dunlops in the past, and didn't get on with them, I much prefer the design and operation of the Schaller's. I've never altered my strap for the threaded part, just force the washer down with the ring part of a spanner on the washer, then tighten the nut with the spanner, using a screwdriver in the "U" section of the lock to hold it "straight"(ish). If you are concerned about the nut coming loose, then get a tube of Loctite 243 Threadlock from your local Auto Spares shop / Halfords etc. Put a dab of it on the thread of the nut before putting it on the post. Hold down the washer with your left finger & thumb, then screw it down and tighten with a spanner. Leave the thread lock to dry for a while, then it should be secure for years. I've been using Schallers for nearly 20 years, and never had any problems with them, on a variety of guitar straps for bass and guitar.