Gust0o

I thought it was great; but... ... but you wouldn't put it on the car stereo. ... but it's a little self indulgent. ... but no frigger will ever buy it. I spied an interview with James Patterson in Metro the other week. He doesn't call his books 'novels', he calls them 'entertainments' - and he notes the huge gulf between them and the real literary greats; but he also notes their indulgences and limited appeal, and perhaps that's what it takes to have that greatness and really push the boundaries of what you can achieve in your field of the arts. I think the comparison works here. He's pushing it; he's to be respected for it; but outside of this thread, of people who also play, he'll get no recognition for it. Which is alternately a shame and to be expected. Just my late night musings. I was certainly glad to have seen the clips

Wow, these are some stunning rock basses! Love them

Very intriguing, in a morbid way...

I'll tell you in a week, it would seem - well, there-or-thereabouts, since they shipped from the US this morning. I'll put some more shots up for people to have a look at.

Wazoo, that was so scarily like a pushy American TV ad, I'm now a little taken aback... but curious. How have you found the remover? It almost seems a little 'too good to be true'.

I like the Frank Bello LTD. Very much like his old Aerodyne - though they're very much underrated the LTD Surveyors, etc.

Very nice, Phil

f***, that's rough with the gear! Nice little tune mate

Bugger... this is all great information, by the way. The bugger is that the front of the headstock is already painted. Any way of telling what they would have used, in terms of matching laquer? Or should I just mask it off, and spray the rear and the neck? Would be good to know how I should treat the sides of the fingerboard too. Lacquer those bits too? It's like I said in my build thread, there's a lot more to think about than you first reckon! So thanks for the advice chaps!

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1328534974' post='1528566'] You can lease a new Range Rover Evoque that's worth about £30K for a net rental of £480 a month. [/quote] That's a really good price, Molan. Tempted?

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1328532081' post='1528493'] I saw a full-on Wayne Rover while out walking my dog this morning and thought you'd have to be mad to buy a giant gas-guzzling monster like that these days but clearly there are plenty of buyers for them. Innuendos aside I can only assume that the people who buy stuff like that have a different attitude to money than me, or a strong desire to be seen driving a bling car. [/quote] I know a few people who drive them, and would argue that status is a major part of the decision-making process. Despite the significant price tag, I wouldn't say that the people I know with them are significant earners - the most common route has been credit, or the ability to purchase the car through a business, and then lease it back. Ways and means, and all that. It's up to the individual as to what they wish to spend their money (or credit) on.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1327865415' post='1517937'] Interesting. Very interesting. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giffen_good"]http://en.wikipedia....iki/Giffen_good[/url] The example paradox of consumers buying more of a good as its price goes up (poor people / staple foods) because the price rise forces them to divert their expenditure from more expensive, higher quality foods. So they have to eat more of the crappy stuff to make up the nutritional difference. Sounds very like supermarket pricing strategy. Cost of 'basics' brand items has pretty much doubled in the last couple of years, whereas more expensive goods have gone up comparatively less, maybe 10-20%. [i]That's[/i] unethical, IMO. And totally legal, of course. Silddx is right - "Cheap sh*t is where the ethical problems usually lie". [color=#ffffff].[/color] [/quote] Bingo, and with the economic pressures we're experiencing, this is where I would be spending my time worrying. You'll see more people getting locked into that dynamic.

It's entirely subjective, I would contend. You'd struggle to make it an objective call - you could work out the relative market values of the components and materials, but then you're into taking a stab at the relative value of the time and effort of the market, and putting a price on his or her skill; before you come back to the nub of it, that expensive is relative to your ability or willingness to pay a given price. $15k isn't ready cash - but if I had to have one, I'm sure I could find it; but I cannot see myself ever wanting one. It's significantly more than I would be willing to pay, and I've never spent more than £1k on a bass. Blame my mother's Yorkshire heritage

Thanks for the kind comments, guys - really appreciated! I looked back at some of the other Shuker build threads, and I can probably echo some of their sentiments - it's a lot of hard work, more than I think you realise, as you are - literally - doing it by hand. You really do need a fetish for sanding, but it all comes so good in the end. I'd love to do it again, or even attempt some of it for myself.

I've also ordered a set of the Geddy Lee's - thanks for the heads-up Nige! Assume they're pretty easy to attach/remove if you cock up?

Bought an Electro Harmonix Octave Multiplexer (trying saying that whilst drunk!) from Thorny. Good comms and swift shipping!