Big_Stu

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1352906453' post='1869216'] Thats because your not a pro yet lol [/quote] I know - I do hope to aspire to his dizzy heights. Then it would be a Wreck-par-excellence! I'm still looking for a "soap-bar pickup" which is cunningly disguised as a humbucker sized single coil.

Was that a clever posting technique to plug the Echo pedals that you'll have there?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1352749658' post='1867016']Just keep a copy of The Sun from the baby's birthday and put it in the case [/quote] They won't need anything to change his nappy on; he'll be 21 by then

[quote name='Stealth' timestamp='1352632745' post='1865286'] I use a moisture trap you get them at a caravan or boat shop. Little plastic box with crystals take the moisture out of the air into a drip try. Cheap and they work[/quote] ^this - because I've done it & it works, while silica gel sachets only have a finite life - and you'll be amazed how much collects in one of those traps, a couple of the small size ones will easily tuck into a small corner in the case. I also bought a duvet for a single bed for it - to keep the cold out rather than warmth in, though I drew the line at telling it bed-time stories.

Fantastic idea and many congratulations; wish I'd thought of it with my only son. Is there such a thing as a YOB drum-kit? You'd also make a fair investment in having a cask of whisky laid down on one of the Islay distilleries? When I was at Bruichladdich there was a Swede there with some mates on an annual visit to "his cask", we helped him find it in the warehouse.

[quote name='Subbeh' timestamp='1352656133' post='1865700'] What bugs me is that so many of the entrants go on about how music is their life, all they've ever wanted to do was perform. Do they go out and find a band? go to open mic nights or do anything to further their dreams? no they wait for a 'talent' show to turn up on their door steps before they'll do anything.[/quote] My guess is that many of them are the one's that get rat-arsed before they have the nerve to get up at a Kareoke night (which is all that Cowell's stuff is on a bigger scale). Get told by enough of their pissed-up mates that they're "really good" and end up at the auditions, more often than not to be laughed at by a majority, just like they were by the more sober ones back in the pub. All that Cowell is doing si the same as the band's who were ripped off something senseless back in the sixties; the majority of the ones who "nailed that", "owned that" "made it their own" or "made the whole series worthwhile" will be shovelling fries in McDonalds in a couple of years time. They'll have had an adventure out of it - but will still have to live with the pointing fingers and "Weren't you.......?" comments while Cowell hasn't even diverted a single brain cell to remember their name. Or as "some bloke" put it.......... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxBBdWrad7E[/media] That's his Mrs (Lou) on backing vox & his brother Frank on drums - keep it in the family! or the band he was in recognising the fragility of their fame.......... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ8rIIPQxSM[/media]

The only family member I've lost to war was my Great Grandfather, so obviously I never met him, though I have been to Belgium many times & done a lot of research. The repercussions of his enlisted plagued the family for another two generations. He fell on the first day of Passchendaele, along with tens of thousands of others. Always irks me when they talk about "trenches" .......... this ............... ........... was an Ypres trench of the time, July 1917.

Fitted one of those to a friend's son's Tele; since he got into the habit of standing the guitar up using the plugged in lead as a prop. Until the day that he nudged the guitar & the jack came away with the socket still on it . The Neutrik sockets that Maplin sell for a couple of quid fit very nicely, I put a little dab of thread-lock on it too to try to make it teenager proof. I think they're a clever but simple idea.

[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1352507009' post='1864144']what was the body made from? Ply or some kind of solid wood?[/quote] [quote name='daz' timestamp='1352547812' post='1864429']MDF isn't it ?[/quote] Hard to say, I wouldn't think solid wood of any kind - the cavity is very simple, one input & one x vol and very thick paint (original) I can't see any layers to say plywood, so I'd assume MDF. The neck plate says it's from the "Performer" range. Looks like someone has had a go at tarting it up in the past, there's a red wire & a green one coming from the vol pot - about 2 inches long and just twisted together - and a nice day-glo green wire from input to the bridge for the earth. The maple neck has also had the finish sanded off - across the grain - on the fingerboard which has been soaked & stained, presumably by rain, with rust off the frets getting into the grain in places. So it's still a wreck - but I haven't filed the nut down to .5 of a mm for ease of beginner chords NOR have I adjusted the relief at the top nut by a gnat's c*ck............yet! But a wreck has never sounded like this one does.... ah well, it filled a few hours .

My brother came to me with a kid's Rockwood by Hohner guitar that was skip-salvage; maple neck, black Strat shaped-ish body & one cr*ppy single coil. Broken jack & some fairly bad scratches. Cleaned it up a bit & fitted a new Neutrik, then had a root thru my parts boxes and found a 1990's John Birch "Full Range" Strat pickup; bwwwwaahhh-ha-ha-ha-haaa. It screams like a good 'un and goes right down to a cool rhythm chunk!

[quote name='Johngh' timestamp='1352505623' post='1864131'] It was made in January 1995 according to the Guitar dater project [/quote] Ah, I assumed much older with the style; still - it's a sore one. He's doing the best thing though getting a top pro on the job, worse way to go is to have to do it more than once, you never get rid of all the glue off a botched attempt which makes a refix weaker than it could be.

Is it as old as those tuners make it look?

Reading this reminded me that a long time ago I had a string that did just that - soon after the anchor & it's winding separated from the string; I'd forgot all about it - and from now on will no longer be able to say "Never had a problem with them" They are usually very good at back up though so yeah a phone-call and/or email should fix it.

Well that's a hell of a landmark gig - nice one! Hope you keep us informed if it'll be recorded or broadcast?

One day, maybe even in my life-time, one of these threads WILL actually be about a fantastic essential musical event in Reading (as in Berkshire) which we'd all be the poorer for missing.

If you can draw up a template on fairly thick paper/light card JayDee will make one for you, obviously without your original you'd have to make as close a trace as you can from memory/pics/ screw holes? Cost wasn't unreasonable & fairly quick turnaround. He had some vintage celluloid (IRRC ???) which he made an SG plate for me with once. There's also someone on BC who does them who may see this & chime in.

[quote name='paul torch' timestamp='1352286393' post='1861015']The binding of my strings sits on the saddles of my bridge. Someone suggested that I could burn the binding away using a lighter.[/quote] That was me - probably - I've been doing it for around 12 years, on my Birch custom and Epi EB3. Only had to do it on the E using Rotosounds and never had any issues with it either from breakage or change of tone. Personally I only remove enough to clear it of the saddle. I do however agree whole-heartedly with Nige's............ [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1352286919' post='1861023']I think it's a crap Gibson bridge design.[/quote] ............. and if I ever find another I'll be putting a John Birch bridge in the Epi, but for now my Zippo does the job, though since I've never smoked it's the rare excuse I have to play with my........ which seemed an essential purchase, since I was a major consumer back in the day.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1352211123' post='1860148'] I think it's beyond that stage now. All that will cure it is loosening of the ligament via surgery. [/quote] Fair enough; it's your call, but that is what the docs told my ex after she fell of a pile of horse crap (true) and royally screwed her ankle..... and Tom fixed her up - permanently. He's as honest as the day is long, & would point you to a surgeon if he knew he couldn't help. I've a lot of regard for the guy as can be seen.

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1352157769' post='1859617'] How have things gone with treatment for your carpal tunnel? I've now got to the stage that I'm on the waiting list for surgery.[/quote] If you're still having pain you could do worse than seeing Tom Darling of "Back To Balance" on Montrose Terrace, the continuation of Regent Rd over Calton Hill. He may be retired by now, it's run by the gorgeous Emma Cox, but if he's still there he's by far the best physio I ever saw, one of the top guys in Britain. He saved me surgery and years of severe pain.

It was done years ago - this was more "interesting" [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nNGlaiVypU&playnext=1&list=PLF4E12A24AC1510C2&feature=results_video[/media]

I haven't spoken with him for years but Dan Smith was a mine of almost encyclopedic Fender history, I bet he'd know.,

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1352069809' post='1858488']And yes, for $23k, I'd want a picture of George Fullerton holding it at a Guitar Fair in '65!! [/quote] I can imagine a scenario where at the time Fender were pretty much King Of The Hill with basses, the sales guys want to go out showing off options & what they want they get (like Madmen ), there's a bass body on a wire going thru the production line and gets zapped as it goes along with a few colours. Stick it in a case like any other - it'd have a bit more impact than a block of wood. Personally I'd have preferred a few neat candy-stripes rather than blotches but there you go.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was true, it would be a single sampler for their colours, which (& my Fender knowledge is slight) were mostly - for custom colours - done with car-paints? Before I parted with that kind of money for it though the least they could do is get an official verification from Fender for it? Is there nothing in the Fender bass history books about such things?

I've used Roto strings since day one & only ever had the wrap problem with the E, never had the other problem at all. Takes two mins with a Zippo to get rid of the wrap & it doesn't affect the string. My 69 EB3 had the two point bridge & never had that issue at all, the 3 point one is just damn ugly!

[quote name='funky8884' timestamp='1352040706' post='1858026'] It was stored flat with tension on as the manual states to do. Maybe years of loneliness in the Case caused these issues, but I am happy now as I know its set up properly and it plays like a dream. [/quote] Now that fascinates me! I was told by John Birch that if I was going to store a guitar for a long time to do the exact opposite, slacken off the strings (he was picky - he said 4 turns IIRC) and have the case vertical. Though I can't say your manual is therefore wrong, but something caused your bass' issues - I was watching the doc on JAE last week & he had 200 guitars in cases all laid flat in his store room.