The ones that got away...

[Jules]

I’m still kicking myself for selling a Bronze Berg Larsen 110/2 which used to be my main tenor ‘piece as well as being the single best Berg I’ve ever come across. I was having one of those (mercifully rare) “everything’s wrong about my sound- must change my entire set up’ moments. An acoustic existential crisis, which- listening back to recordings from that era- was totally unfounded. Silly me.

I also regret selling my Eubel Flute- a weird German instrument with a thick aluminium body, looked like an exhaust pipe silencer with keys and sounded fantastic. Sold back in the late 80s before they became ludicrously overpriced collectors items..

And a left handed 1960s Burns Bison guitar which served me well back when I was a guitarist.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I believe once something is gone, it's best to forget it. If regret kicks in, it's only because you remeber the good and forgot the bad - mixed with a bit of nostalgia.

Back in the days when you could get bargains on ebay I bought a lovely mint silver plate Truetone alto. It was beautiful, but I just couldn't get on with it - either I made it sound stuffy with the original mouthpiece or it was totally out of tune with my RPC so I sold it.

A couple of years later I saw a mint gold plated Truetone and thought "that's lovely" so I bought it.First time I played it, it was stuffy with the original mouthpiece and out of tune with my RPC. It all came back to me: "now I remember why I got rid of the other one!"

 

[lig]

Condolences on the loss of your friend. No matter the circumstances- always heart rending.

On topic - regrets - I’ve had a few...

Sold an original Guardala MBII for double what I paid but a fraction of its value today.
Same with a blue Jumbo Java alto piece. It was super easy to split tone and had effortless altissimo but was really obnoxious otherwise.
Sold a couple of Beechler Custom alto pieces that have really gone up in value. I just didn’t like them that much.

Sold a really great silver plated YTS 61 to buy something else. It was really agile and responsive.
Passed on a NOS MK VI soprano at $2500 years ago. Should have bought it as an investment but I hate the palm keys on those things.

C’est la vie

 

[Dr G]

Sold a really great silver plated YTS 61 to buy something else. It was really agile and responsive.
Passed on a NOS MK VI soprano at $2500 years ago. Should have bought it as an investment but I hate the palm keys on those things.

C’est la vie

I forgot about my Mk VI sop. I sold it to buy a 8088 when I was a physics undergrad. Wanna guess what a 8088 is worth today?

 

[lig]

I forgot about my Mk VI sop. I sold it to buy a 8088 when I was a physics undergrad. Wanna guess what a 8088 is worth today?

Ouch. Hopefully it paid off in multiples via your degree.

I still have an old cartridge Atari someplace.

 

[Dr G]

Ouch. Hopefully it paid off in multiples via your degree.

I still have an old cartridge Atari someplace.

Thank you for that - after all these years, I had failed to make that connection.

I have been fortunate.

 

[PigSquealer]

Wanna guess what a 8088 is worth today?

 

[Adrian63]

Morning folks and many thanks for your support ; it means a lot....
I enjoyed reading those complete with a couple of great musical references...
" Black Vincent " Richard Thompson ( sic ) also a Jacques Brel tune along the lines of Pete's post...
Seem to remember my Grafton was twenty five quid....

 

[Adrian63]

@Jeanette : many thanks : have a lovely day....

 

[rhysonsax]

Morning folks and many thanks for your support ; it means a lot....
I enjoyed reading those complete with a couple of great musical references...
" Black Vincent " Richard Thompson ( sic ) also a Jacques Brel tune along the lines of Pete's post...
Seem to remember my Grafton was twenty five quid....

I saw Richard Thompson several times back in the 80s and 90s but I don't think he played this great song. And I never saw him with a horn section featuring @Pete Thomas , although I have got a great LP with that band.

And here's one from the "Pete Thomas" years ... I guess that band was "one that got away" from me.

Rhys

 

[Dr G]

And here's one from the "Pete Thomas" years ... I guess that band was "one that got away" from me.

Rhys

Thanks for sharing that, Rhys.

@Pete Thomas - Forgive me for the gear head that I am, what is on the neck of your tenor in that video? It looks much larger than the Variatone pickup that I am most familiar with.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Thanks for sharing that, Rhys.

@Pete Thomas - Forgive me for the gear head that I am, what is on the neck of your tenor in that video? It looks much larger than the Variatone pickup that I am most familiar with.

Huh, obviously it is a bicycle bell.

It enhances the tone, gives it more of a "ring". It opens up the sound and gives it more focus at the same times as being more spread with a bright kind of darkness.

 

[Dr G]

Huh, obviously it is a bicycle bell.

It enhances the tone, gives it more of a "ring". It opens up the sound and gives it more focus at the same times as being more spread with a bright kind of darkness.

Of course...

You were clearly a Man-Ahead-of-Time, a prescient Master of Tone.

I’m off to my garage to look for my vintage bicycle bell.

Respect,

George

 

[rhysonsax]

Of course...

You were clearly a Man-Ahead-of-Time, a prescient Master of Tone.

I’m off to my garage to look for my vintage bicycle bell.

Respect,

George

Careful it hasn't been relacquered.

Rhys

 

[Targa]

I saw Richard Thompson several times back in the 80s and 90s but I don't think he played this great song. And I never saw him with a horn section featuring @Pete Thomas , although I have got a great LP with that band.

And here's one from the "Pete Thomas" years ... I guess that band was "one that got away" from me.

Rhys

I saw him with Fairport Convention several times, (I must have seen them perform more than any other band), so that's what he's been doing since then.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Huh, obviously it is a bicycle bell.

And here it is in action:

View: https://youtu.be/ohWlu75W6BU?t=3620

 

[Adrian63]

@Pete Thomas : just great man ;
As a forum we don't thank you as much as we should !!
Keep up the good work mate.....
xx

 

[Jules]

Morning folks and many thanks for your support ; it means a lot....
I enjoyed reading those complete with a couple of great musical references...
" Black Vincent " Richard Thompson ( sic ) also a Jacques Brel tune along the lines of Pete's post...
Seem to remember my Grafton was twenty five quid....

Richard Thompson and Jacques Brel- you're speaking my language. My youngest son has the middle name Vincent after that song

 

[peedeeblues]

Our band in Aynor used to play a song "52 Vincent Black Lightning" originally by Richard Thompson. I really liked our version. A great song. It is sorta bluegrass/country and there is not much you can do with a sax on it. Mostly drone and I threw in one run toward the end.
I sorta attached myself to this band in Aynor 5 years ago - looking for gigs - not money. The band was founded by an alto sax man from Myrtle Beach who wandered up to Aynor looking for a steady job with the local newspaper. He teamed up with a local pastor who sang and played acoustic guitar. Both great natural musicians. The alto sax guy moved away before I came. I worked hard trying to shoe horn a tenor sax into the group. Never played without music before.
We played Friday mornings at Hardees fast food from 8-10:30 am. Always had a crowd. There are some videos of us floating around somewhere in cyberspace taken by passing tourists from Myrtle Beach. Covid shut us down. The manager btw never liked us invading his restaurant. We played by command from a higher power in the restaurant chain. Praying that we will be able to play again-maybe next year. Sorry to diverge from the original post. This is the gig that got away!

 

[MaxTT]

I love the mic you are playing into in that clip