Gust0o

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1340627700' post='1707197'] Can you now un-knee your bandmate though? [/quote] I'm going to have to glue him with Araldite. Should be fine.

[quote name='GregBass' timestamp='1340620357' post='1706981'] An aquaintance of mine had an EB3 which he knocked over. It fell off the stage and the headstock snapped off, so he glued it back together with Araldite. He was asked if it was a solid joint and he said yes - watch - and banged the headstock on the floor. It snapped again - in a different place! [/quote] f***ing hell, that's brilliant and tragic!

It's better than the [i]spreadsheet[/i] version.

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1340613683' post='1706836']Just call us the new forum "Thelma and Louise".[/quote] Done! Great story - sounds like you had a blast

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1340578953' post='1706653'] NOI to the Mods, but the rule about avoid politics needs to be more frequently and evenly implemented. Why not give it a try and see how things develop? [/quote] To keep it topical, a bit more [i]man marking[/i] of some topics wouldn't go amiss. It might feel like Plato taking his students through the motions, but I think the forum would benefit.

Can't lie, Kiwi - times are tough; and, whilst I know it's all first world issues (thank you, BC pedants) life will be feeling rather [i]sh*te[/i] for some of our fellow forum members. Thus the grey areas, where we found our cooperation and willingness to engage with items beyond our approval or experience, are drying up - Off Topic is a complete ball ache now, and has shaved time off my lifespan given how frustrated I've felt with it.... and, ultimately, some of our members. We're all a little more sensitive, and a little less willing to give - and it's showing. But, everything willing, we'll power through - you'll see

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340464742' post='1704826'] So is Basschat. There are hundreds of 'em. [/quote] You rang? I like this bass. A lot. Very tasteful chief - and, allow me to say, [i]happy birthday [/i]

Just to note, all done! There's still a trace of the damage, like someone has run a fingernail heavily across the lacquer - but it's pretty much unnoticeable when playing. I used wirewool to smooth the area down after applying the heat/water/steam, and I've allowed it to settle before oiling and polishing. Hopefully all for the good now! Thanks for the great advice, phew!

It's topical.

Sound like ball bags without a clue.

[quote name='billyapple' timestamp='1340546721' post='1705920'] Saying that, on small dings I've just locally soaked the wood, it expands and raises the dent out. Once dry, you would need to sand level and finish. I've done his on bodies I've finished. [/quote] That was a trick I learnt on the Shuker course. Brilliant suggestion, people. Back in an hour! Should take me about that long to find my soldering iron in the shed, mind...

A quick cast about the living room reveals I have water... and a hair dryer. How much heat do I need?

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1340545346' post='1705882'] I hope you did knee him in the danglies. What numpty puts a plug in the same bag as an expensive instrument? [/quote] A guitarist who plays Epiphones. It was quite a knee. Not so much [i]in [/i]as [i]through[/i] the danglies. He dropped his cider, which produced something akin to a piss stain. A small measure of revenge.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1340545299' post='1705879'] If the wood is dented in rather than scraped out, it might be possible to raise the dents using heat and moisture. I've watched my brother (a guitar builder) raise similar dents using a bit of wet cloth over them, heating quickly with a hot soldering iron, to the point where they were barely visible. A bit nerve-racking though! [/quote] They are indeed just scrapes. I'd been considering having Jon slim the neck, so was figuring they'd go at some point - either through me fiddling, or just the wear of ages. But that's a good idea!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340544778' post='1705860'] Oh yes, it could be much, much worse - you could be hanging upside down in total darkness in a prison in Syria with electrodes attached to your balls. Edit: Yes, you're being soft. [/quote] That sounds like quite the nightclub Good, good. I think I'm being amazingly precious, just need confirmation! Nothing beats someone's mam with a hoover though

So, knowing my bandmates as I do, I always carry a spare kettle lead - because you never know when one divvy, or another, will attempt to power his amp up without one. Thus it was this week, dishing out the spare lead. Three hours later, I left the lads finishing packing whilst I went off to settle the rehearsal bill. As I walk back in: "I put your lead in your bag, chief". Smashing. Mono bulging, I got the gear in the car and shot off home... only to find, on unpacking, that I couldn't find the lead. He said he'd put in the bag; the front pocket was pretty full, but... nah, he wouldn't. Would he? He had. He'd chucked it into the bass compartment: where, as per sod's law, the plug had wedged itself - metal prongs torturing soft maple - underneath the f***ing neck. What a twat of a turnout, grinding out three shallow scrapes in an otherwise pristine neck. Bollocks. My fault, I should have checked, but for f***'s sake. Thankfully, the bass is a keeper - whilst I made my apologies to her, I did note that I wouldn't notice after 30 years of wear, but I don't think she understood This has got to be the most pointless bit of damage I've ever done to my kit. Still, to make myself better I put a kneecap through his danglies in the pub the other night. All's fair in love and bandmates. So, cheer me up - tell me I'm being soft; you've done worse; etc, etc, as I've got a tough recrimination streak

Would also be interested in some of the tricks of the blues trade - albeit for my own interpretation.

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1340189167' post='1700573'] Where does an artist make the majority of their money? [/quote] I would suggest that the answer is that it [i]varies[/i]. There's no question of where some of the larger, talent-show, acts make their money - but that's only one model. it will vary by band, as all the other factors - popularity, etc, vary also. We shouldn't be unaware of the consequences of our decision, in large numbers, to download for free will have upon those artists reliant on income from the physical distribution of their media.

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1340183629' post='1700411'] Why isn't changing the business model so that downloading is legal (Again IIRC it is, it is the uploading that is illegal in the UK) an equally valid option. They will never stop downloading. They can't even shut down the one site they have been chasing and banned ISPs from connecting too. [/quote] You're likely quite right, chief. The genie is out of the bottle on this - and the rather limited successes of some of the American associations have only been achieved at significant legal expense, and the rather venal nature of their legal system. None of which suggests it's viable without substantial conscious and artificial support. Stop the lobbying and legal pressure and people would continue to download. If that's where the world is heading, then the best course of action would be to harness it and identify new sources of value - if people will pirate your albums, then perhaps release them for free... but draw people to your site, merchandising and touring, etc. Worked for the likes of Radiohead and McFly. Because, the honest answer is that the old distribution model no longer works; or no longer works [i]universally[/i] - which means some people here will hold a value in their music, their output, which has no bearing on what value large sections of the listening public may apply to it. In market economics you'd suggest they'd be left to wither - if you price at $5 and your customers won't pay $1, then you get your own rewards.

[quote name='throwoff' timestamp='1340182277' post='1700358'] Firstly If I remember correctly didn't a similar thread to this cause people to actually leave BC before and it was then locked? Secondly I wrote my dissertation on new media economics, specifically looking at whether illegal downloads actually hurt musicians. The simple answer is no, they don't, in fact most labels are actually making the same amount of money as they always were but from new income streams. The bean counters that run the labels see the numbers for CD sales falling and want to recoup it rather than assess a big picture. Bands can now make far more money from touring, festivals, live DVD releases, TV shows, radio play (including internet radio), video games, mobile phone apps, merchandise etc, most of which did not exist 20 years ago before downloading. I admit I downloaded almost everything on my iPhone, however I can say with my hand on my heart with the exception of dead artists I have seen 95% of them live at least once, the majority I have bought a t-shirt from (official merch) and quite a few I have paid to download their songs into rock band or guitar hero. I have played many video games with their songs on, watched live streams from (supported by ads!) and so on. I also do still buy a large number of CD's from bands who I discover in depth by downloading in the first place. For example about 3 years ago I discovered The Gaslight Anthem, who are still my favourite band today, I heard one song, went online and torrented their whole back catalogue in 5 minutes. Listened to it religiously and since that day have seen them live 4 times, bought 4 of their CD's, own 5 official t shirts and will pay to see them on their next tour. Without that illegal download, I would never of bothered. [/quote] Brilliant, glad this arrived in the debate - much better than I could have articulated, as I'm lacking familiarity with the market.

To be honest guys, it's just another market - and, like all markets, it's constantly evolving. I think a lot of the major legal pressure in the States has been from those who have benefitted the most from the traditional, or previous, forms of distribution; but, quite clearly the dynamic is changing... which is why we're now having this debate.