Rich

Not none headless.

That Smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd

TL;DR version: I've got one and I love it. I've had a five-string ash-bodied maple-necked 1st generation V7 since just after they were originally released (2015 was it?). I sold a wood-necked Status Series 1 in order to buy the Sire and have not regretted that move for a second. And the Status was a wonderful instrument. If the V7 and P7 had been released at the same time I'd have bought the P7, because the P pickup suits some of my needs better, but that's by the by. Apart from the ramp you can see in the pic, I have made four changes: Entirely aesthetic... I replaced the placky knobs with some chrome ones, easy to source on fleaBay. Fairly essential... I replaced the tuners (which were pretty ropey on the early gen1 V7s) with Hipshot Ultralites, which not only made tuning more precise but also shaved a whole half a pound off the weight, which is in practice a lot more than it sounds. Also essential... I replaced the bar type string-tree with a pair of Hipshot retainers. The bar was absolute rubbish. Purely preferential... I have recently replaced the original bridge (which was little more than a BBOT) with a top-loading one, and blocked off the through-body stringing holes. This is because I never strung through the body, always through the bridge, and I hate having to thread strings through holes in the tailpiece, I far prefer quick release slots. This new one also has screws to lock the saddles in place, whereas they were floating on the original. The standard string spacing on the V7 fivers is/was 18mm, this new bridge has extended that to 19 which I do prefer. I never felt particularly cramped by the 18 spacing but I wouldn't have wanted it any tighter. I found the QC to be absolutely perfect... all the inlays were perfectly flush, the fretwork was neat with no sharp ends of any sort, the control cavity was neat (and very full!), and the finish flawless. I like the standard EQ, a lot. Some people don't, "too many knobs!", but I like to have plenty of control available to me and this delivers. Some people also think the headstock is fugly, and while I'll admit it's not exactly glamorous, it does remind me slightly of Sadowsky, which I'm perfectly ok with. If I had to pick on one thing that I don't like, it's the weight. With the lightweight tuners fitted, it tips the scales at 10lbs 3oz (4.6kg), which makes it quite a lump to lug around -- nearly a pound heavier than my Shuker and well over 2 heavier than my Spector. Bear in mind that this is a very early 1st generation V7. The 2nd gen ones have addressed some issues -- by all accounts the newer tuners are faaaaar better than these were, for example. Apparently the rolled neck edges on the new ones are incredibly comfortable, and something I wish mine had. If mine was stolen, I would absolutely buy another, but it'd be a P7 this time. HTH.

He's back to using Jaydees at the moment...

So, they're Status Wood now..?

Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo - Bloodhound Gang

Tailgunner - Iron Maiden

Not much further if the overt politics continues. Cut it out please folks.

Love Missile F1-11 - Sigue Sigue Sputnik

Is there going to be a SEBB this year?

As I'm only 5' 8", this has happened to me at every single standing gig I have ever been to. I've never had an obstructed view at a seated gig. Actually no, I tell a lie. It happened at one seated gig. And that's because when the main act came on, everyone stood up.

"I hate it when people misquote me on the internet." (Abraham Lincoln)

I'm in two covers bands. Each has a PA. Sometimes it comes out with us, sometimes it doesn't. I used to be in an originals band. It had a PA. Sometimes it came out with us, sometimes it didn't. I'm not sure where I'm going with this exactly.

Updated list as at 08/08/2023. The gear lineup is starting to look properly awesome!

Top man! You get the long distance prize, unless @Kiwi puts in an appearance...

Ditto all the above. For a loooong time I was bass > cable (and then wireless) > amp, but then I started experimenting with a few different stomp sounds and eq settings and, well, that was that my board is quite dinky but I enjoy fiddling with it. Although I'm told I will go blind.

I would offer you the spare bed I said you could have next year, but we're out the night before the bash... d'oh

Yes. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to actually stand for 2 hours.

Somewhere in the world, a US artist manager has just read that and is now on the phone to his talent, "hey, I've just had this like amazing idea for the next tour..."

(bear with me, there is bingo content) Many years ago when I lived in Swindon, my blues-rock trio (Hendrix, Gary Moore, ZZ Top etc, and though I say so myself we were really good) had a booking at the Plessey Social Club... when we walked through the door, we lowered the average age in the room by about 40 years. As we set up, I could feel the glares from the light-&-bitter brigade burning holes in the back of my head. We had backline and a vocal PA only, nothing DI'd or miked up -- Steve the drummer was first to get set up, he sat down and picked up a stick and hit his snare drum ONCE... and I heard a croaky old voice from out in the shadows say, "ooh, it's a bit loud...". Predictably the first set was horrendous, every song met with almost total silence apart from a few “turn it down!”s from some of the oldies and some muted applause. One of them even walked up mid-song, stood right in front of me and stuck his fingers in his ears and bellowed “It's TOO LOUD”. It really wasn't. Our amps were barely ticking over. The end of the first set couldn’t have come soon enough for me. During the interval, the club MC asked if he could borrow one of our mics to do the bingo. (see, I told you!) Eventually we couldn’t put the second set off any longer and trudged dejectedly to the stage. I was just putting my bass on when a woman approached me. I thought, if she tells me to turn it down I’m just going to pack up and sod off home, and to hell with the fee. But she said cheerfully, “OK lads, all the miserable old farts have bugggered off home, they only come for the bingo... you can turn it up now”. So we did... needless to say, the second set was a lot better and we never set foot in there again.

Simple lines, intertwining. I'm a mixture of these two. As I've grown older, I have become the most dreadful cynic about most things. You know in Monty Python & the Holy Grail, where they first sight Camelot and the old geezer goes "bleh, it's only a model"? That's me, that is. But having said that, I have become incredibly sensitive to films, TV and especially music. Some pieces have always set me going, Elgar's 'Nimrod' leaves me in helpless floods for example, but now I find my eyes pricking when I listen to all manner of things. Even happy things. Bloody southern softie.

All the folks complaining about the vocals... you do realised his voice has changed a lot since 2112, right? He couldn't hit those high notes now if he tried. The cackling witch is long gone!

My god, this stuff is quite intriguing even if it is pretty much all waaaaay over my head. May I just make one small amendment though: Thanks. As you were.