Rich

My 1980 Wal Pro 2E has been my most treasured possession since 1986. The only thing I would even momentarily consider swapping/selling it for would be another Wal, a five-string fretted one.

My motto is 'Procrastinate Tomorrow'.

Remember it? Still have it It's a Höfner Artist 2, a ‘65 I believe, which I bought off my school’s metalwork teacher in 1982 for £20. It's as tatty as feck and the pickups are fairly shot so it's worthless and unusable, but it's full of fun memories and is consequently a permanent fixture here at Casa dell Rich.

Aww yes, I still have the group photo here on my desk. The best of times. Remember when he was in the office playing Doodle and the rest of us were out in the workshop? There was this cry of anguish from the office and we went in to see what was up, he looked at us & wailed "IT'S GOT SO MANY STRINGS!"

I never leave a bass in the car overnight, but I have left the rest of my gear on occasion -- in such cases, I always back my car up till it's 6" from the garage wall, so there's no way the tailgate can be opened. The gear is all out of sight in the boot under the tonneau cover, so it's not visible from the outside of the car.

It'll be 8 years tomorrow. Eight. And there's still a Simon-shaped hole here that will never be filled. Luv ya mate.

Yes, the live version on the Dance Craze soundtrack album had that lyric. I've tried to get our frontgit Tim to use it, but it takes him long enough to learn stuff as it is...

I must admit that I often cringe when we get to that line in Nite Klub: "I won't dance in a club like this, all the girls are slags and the beer tastes just like p*ss". Not because I have a problem with the lyric -- I don't, and it's a brilliant tune -- but because the vast majority of our venues are very nice places with decent beer and pleasant patrons

Currently ten: Wal Pro IIE Shuker custom 5-string Sire V7 5-string Yamaha RBX765A defretted 5-string Homemade 'bitsa' P bass OLP Stingray with Jaydee fretless neck Ibanez BTB 6-string Tanglewood Rosewood Reserve acoustic bass 1965 Hofner Artist 2 (my first ever bass) Overwater short scale 'school bass', long term rebuild/resto-mod

Loctite 242 is your friend. I take them off every few years, clean them a bit and add a fresh dab of threadlocker when I put them back on. Never had a loose nut in 32 years. <--- that's my smug face

I must be weird or something -- I've been using 2 or 3 sets of Schaller straplocks since 1986 and have never, ever had a single problem with them. Even that first set from '86 are still going strong, they just look a bit scruffy that's all. Hardly surprising after 32 years of gigs

Leave 20 quid or so in your budget for a decent sack-type trolley. Your back will thank you.

We bought the profanity filter from Cyberdyne Systems Inc, apparently it's very smart and learns as it goes along. We are told that there's only a very small chance of it becoming self-aware and stsrting a nuclear war against mankind. So that's ok.

I suggest 'Le Monde' as the paper, together a red carnation buttonhole. The code phrase is, "the wind seems to blow colder with each passing autumn".

OK. So logically you would have to agree that your earlier categorical statement that "the best bass lines on most albums released since the early 80s were synthesised or sampled and played by a sequencer" should have read, "the best bass lines on most albums released since the early 80s may have been synthesised or sampled and played by a sequencer, although obviously we have no way of knowing".

RIP Pete Academy.

And the only way anybody can categorically state that "the best bass lines on most albums released since the early 80s were synthesised or sampled and played by a sequencer", would be if they were present for every minute of the tracking, mixing and mastering of the recordings and knew exactly what had and what had not been used from the first guide tracks to the final production master.

There are three. One in Stroud; the staff are nice but the clientele are semi-evolved and are only interested in the disco that follows the band. Plus there is zero parking. And it's an hour's drive away. The only thing I ever liked about playing there was that I always got to hear the shipping forecast on the drive home. Second is in Bridgwater. Last time we played there, I counted seven punters at the end and then realised I'd included the bar staff in that. Third is in Downend, Bristol. Used to be a great venue with a good landlord, with whom we got on like a house on fire. We were one of his favourite bands. Then he retired, and the new crowd are clueless. First thing they did was replace all the carpet with hard wooden flooring, so the place rings like a bell now. Then they started getting silly about the money ("I'm sure I didn't say I'd give you as much as that", "yes you did, want to see your email?"). The last straw was when they double booked us, despite our drummer phoning them to confirm two weeks previously AND sending them a bunch of posters.

Does this mean the band is folding, rather than them just replacing you? Also: I spent my first 23 years living in Shinfield, so I know Wokingham well. My first good band was based there. Many a happy drunken hour spent at the Ship and the Molly Millar.

https://youtu.be/zfoLBRcK9to

Here y'go then, 24 minutes of it this time. 4 years on from the first vid, and they're still doing the same... errm... style.

I can't believe that people actually went 'woo' at the end. Unless it was short for 'woo boy, thank god that's over'.

Well we can see where this one is going.

Ohhh my word, that is super drooly. I'd love a YOB Jazz, but have you seen the price of '65s lately..?

Eek. Best of luck.