Music Live 09 @ the NEC Birmingham

**Grand Wazoo** · 11-07-2009, 03:25 PM

www.musiclive.co.uk

Is any of the UK forumites going to Music Live tomorrow? I will be there with my son, checking out the stand that Pete at Strings & Things have put together, will take a few pics and see what's new.

If you are come and say hi. Cheers

**Smellybum** · 11-07-2009, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by Grand Wazoo

www.musiclive.co.uk

Is any of the UK forumites going to Music Live tomorrow? I will be there with my son, checking out the stand that Pete at Strings & Things have put together, will take a few pics and see what's new.

If you are come and say hi. Cheers

Can't make it I'm afraid, - I hear rumours about them combining this and LIMS for 2010 - hope the retail side is better for you guys than LIMS....

Stay out of jail!

**Grand Wazoo** · 11-08-2009, 06:35 PM

Well I went there today and it was good fun, of course the best stand there, was that of Pete & Co. at Strings and Things, however this year there was a pleasant surprise, a certain forumite, namely Spudmurphy was there at the stand helping the guys and selling lots of guitars & basses. Well done spud, Other forumites were there as you can see in the pics below.

Now I have to tell you what caught my attention today:

Stingray SLO Special - Wow what a bass, if you like a 4 banger then you must definately check this one out, I tell you, this is a bass not to be missed. As you know the SLO Special is a Stingray with a Sterling neck, now I've never played a Sterling before but that neck felt immediately at home, very very easy to play and the notes ring off the neck whether you play it unplugged or plugged. For what I could make out by playing it through a headphone amplifier it did sound pretty good and very responsive to the touch. Try one in your local store, you'll love it.
They had a Stealth Pet (with rosewood f/board) which was beautiful. Having seen this in the flesh I can only imagine that the ebony board version will be astonishing. The pics don't do it justice, you need to see it up close to appreciate it.
Bongo 6 H/S in Sterling Silver, now I don't normally do 6 strings basses but this one felt only a touch bigger than a fiver and had that same attack and feel of the Bongo 5, thing is... you look at it and it's scary but you pick it up and play and it's a puppy. Nice instrument. Perhaps too difficult for me to learn it though.
And then they had this wonderful 25th Anniversary 5 strgs bass with a single H which had a top that was so beautiful, I couldn't stop taking pics of it from any possible angle, the flames on that top are so pronounced and perfectly bookmatched, that to me it represented a masterpiece. What really surprised me was how light it was, I am sure it's because of the single pickup but believe me, picking it up was effortles, I wish I had a scale to see exactly how light but I think somewhere in the region of 8lbs max
Stingray 4 single H - Ice Blue with a pearl pickguard and maple fingerboard. Such a beautiful colour, what a shame it's being discountinued, I suggest if you are in UK and you want one you better give Pete a ring and put your name down for it, look at the pics and rethink! THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM ANYMORE!! And this one is gorgeous. Also very light for a Ray.
Midas touch? YES!! Indeed, Silhouette Gold Roller, when I first saw them in this forum, I thought... hmmm a bit too flash for my liking maybe but then you can't walk past it without stopping to perv over it, it's that good. Imagine that finish on a Bongo 5!! If only...

All in all it was a very good show, despite some products of interest not beign there like Mark Bass for instance, I wanted to try their new pedals, but no one had them, I did get a small Roland Micro Cube Bass RX amp, to keep on the ship, seems like a tidy amp but the Bongo is way too powerful for it and need to be played with the volume down, I am sure the 25th with the passive feature will come handy with this amp.

Ok enjoy the pics, I am off to bed

2009 Music Live :: 2009 Music Live slideshow by xt660 - Photobucket