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Thanks for all the comments folks - really appreciated. I may possibly have had a speck of sentiment in my eye last night. Mrs B is gutted for me too and has said “we need to get you a new one, don’t we” Naturally I said, “yeah we do - a fretted 5 string so I can forget all about it”

I absolutely love this song - I did know about the Bruce Woolley version, and I quite like it. SHAMELESS PLUG: Did I ever tell you all about the time I did this? Yes, I probably did. But here it is anyway.

I can completely understand the feeling of wanting to give up with it - but often I find it's modifying/adjusting/fixing a bass which makes you feel closer to it in the end, and once sorted it will all be a distant memory. Try and forget about it for a week and come back to it fresh when you see Jon. At least he's agreed to have a look, it would be much worse if it was a custom from abroad and you face the endless 'dunno if I can sort that' sort of comment from so called repairers you might get in contact with (most of whom are qualified for no more than a re-string)

There really were some lovely basses at the Bash this year. He Mouse was stupidly good, as everyone has said but the one that most smacked my gob and made me fall a little bit in love (OK a big bit) was one of @cetera‘s Spectors. This finish to be precise. NB no photoshop involved, just a very slight change in camera angle... get a load of this if you missed it...

When did we start posting private correspondence in the Status column? Oh well, here goes... Derek. I don't need the adult diapers now until Friday. Thanks.

A beautiful monster.

He kept them on in bed?

At this point people usually suggest sitting down with the drummer and talking things through or having a 'band discussion' or helpfully reconfiguring your FOH so that the drummer gets 'his sound' and everyone's happy. Well, that never works, so wait until the next time you see him and then punch him in the nuts as hard as you can. No preamble, no 'Can we talk about your bass drum amp, Tarquin?' Just an overwhelming pre-emptive strike on his testicles. He'll probably leave the band on the spot, which is fine. If he doesn't leave, keep pulverising his gonads until he does then find another drummer and carry on.

Via this article from the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/30/the-buggles-how-we-made-video-killed-the-radio-star You can either have the original. According to Geoff Downes: "Bruce [Woolley] tried to stop our version of Video and released his more straightforward version [as Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club] before ours, but it wasn’t a hit." Or the copy: Personally, kinda liking the Bruce Woolley version, though the Buggles one is still the winner. So: who knew the Bruce Woolley version even existed, and can we talk about Trevor Horn's bass playing...?

Either way, once Jon has looked at it I’ll be able to report back a full diagnostic. Unless I have done something monumentally stupid, in which case I will go strangely quiet.

Just for balance, I moved to London in July 1974. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.

This may come as a shock to some people, but not everyone lives in a large city. Some of us live in small villages with next to no public transport. My obese chelsea tractor might be out of place in a London street, but is quite handy when the rivers round here flood, which they do with some regularity - I live where the Windrush meets the Thames, and when we get heavy rain there is often a foot or two of water to drive through just to get to the end of the road. I have played gigs in marquees on fields thick with mud - 4 wheel drive can come in handy sometimes!

There isn't a bass on earth worth buying over 1500 quid. I really believe that. Music, soul, love, groove, is created by the fingers and the heart of the player. It's ace to have a lovely quality bass (or any instrument), something well made, that feels great, looks great and sounds great. But to me, you can achieve nirvana on an Ibanez, a Mexican P bass, Yamaha.... or a used Stingray, Lakland.... whatever, etc etc.... I just can't believe that in the hands of 90 percent of us, anything more than that is required. The chosen few, I guess, can afford a Fodera or similar... but honestly... why? Especially when Vinny can't come up with a better headstock.... There's WAY too much emphasis on expensive gear. Amps included. Treat yourself to a Peavey TNT 1x15 off eBay and kick some donkey..... Anyway... I expect I'll get shot down for that. Back to headstocks....

Here's the full, sordid tale...

And here's Trevor playing the tune live for the first time - 25 years after the single was released. He also introduces Bruce Woolley as "an original Buggle", he's in the band on stage.

They will probably have done a lot of work on designing and building a crossover so that the right frequencies are delivered to the correct drivers. If a "punter" puts 2 cabs together they will both be working with the whole signal so if there are mismatches in the drivers that might be apparent in the sound. With a good crossover the different drivers should fit together like a jigsaw, because they will be handling different frequencies. snap!

Just so that you all know, I am showing quite remarkable restraint in not making a comment here.

Also I hope the OP doesn't mind this turning into a thread about horrible headstocks............

I’m personally of the opinion that we're too reliant on cars. What London is doing is ultimately good, Birmingham are introducing charging in the near future too. I’d rather not breath air that’s polluted by car and lorry exhaust fumes. If you play in a band and absolutely need to drive to a gig to carry your equipment then car share, organise amongst yourselves so you’re travelling in the minimum number of vehicles. I’m no doubt going to get a lot of dislikes for this, but we simply can’t carry on as we are, gridlocked roads and pollution, it’s unsustainable.

I've seen a lot of drummers who want to put the kick drum through the PA, so it's not a surprise to see this. I think this is the drummer's equivalent of the guitarist who is massively loud but insisting that he needs to turn up because his cab is pointed at his ankles and he doesn't understand physics: the drummer can hear all of his other drums perfectly loudly because they are all facing his head, but the bass drum is projecting forwards, so he can't hear it as well and thinks it must therefore be far too quiet because he lacks the intellect and imagination to consider that people out front may be able to hear him perfectly well. The band I've just started playing with have a novel solution to this issue. The drummer has an acoustic kit with the exception of the bass drum which is a small electronic pad, which goes through the PA. This works brilliantly as he gets to hear it in the mix without deafening the rest of us with the actual bass drum volume out front.

Just checked and it failed. This is a good thing because it gives me another compelling justification not to go up to London when the Missus starts banging on about art galleries and Peter Jones in Sloane Square. Thank you, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London - you may have f**ked up tens of thousands of people but you have immeasurably enrichened my life.

Postmodern Jukebox put up a version the other day

my favourite version - it's the B-side on one of their singles...can't remember which

If only I had that excuse.... 😂

Ahem...... 'John Deacon' anyone?! 😂

Actually you can be more confident in a bass after a neck repair. If done properly (and I've no doubt it will be) the neck will be stronger than it was before the break. Take a bit of time out, decompress, then get it sorted. A bass that's had as much attention as this will be, in the end, fantastic and what's more, a very personal instrument.

Cheers Trev! It's a beauty indeed...... and I've had it upgraded with active EMG DC pickups and an EMG-BT 18v circuit.... I've created a monster! lol!

I was thrilled to finally see my fave bassist/singer Peter Cetera (ex-Chicago) last night at the Barbican in London! Front row centre seats AND I met him after! It doesn't get better than that....!!! 74 years old and still has his amazing tenor voice intact...... and he played a fantastic set list of classic Chicago and his solo hits. Textbook!!!

As a young lad I was transfixed by the effect he had on girls - that cheeky lopsided grin and big eyes. I just wanted to be like him. Which, given that I strongly resemble the cactus in my avatar, was always going to be a big ask. But he was the epitome of cool back then.

Of course, regardless of what anyone else says or thinks, he is by right afforded legendary status simply because of his excellent contribution to Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds.. (IMHO of course)

Listed under "Guitar Amplifiers", but thought it needed bringing to the attention of Basschat: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peavey-Bass-Guitar-Fury-IV-and-Red-Sub-Amplifier/264013141776 Are these any good? Condition looks decent and it is very environmentally friendly being green and all that...

Just realised that ULEZ could be seen as defamatory by some minority groups...

I love Scott Bradlee. Sadly a full diary means I'm going to miss his show at The Hexagon, Reading at the end of November.

@wateroftyne - We're not worthy, we're not worthy! 😀

Indeed

The extended B fodera headstock gives me a migraine

Collection only from Cirencester - that'll probably go against it and explain the £80 price currently. BTW Google doesn't like the spelling of "Cirencester" and offers "Terence" as the only option....

Keyboard players who have anything more than 56 keys should be considered delinquent and nonconfomist and their left hand activities should be closely monitored

I've used stiff business cards in the past but I've got one in a drawer at work that's made of quite thin, recycled brown card, so that's going to be my primary candidate.

Fenix’s looked great, my mate had a strat - A company called Young Chang who I think made some squires (and subsequently got told to stop making good Fender copies) and the Sandberg headstock was why I sold mine

Exactly! If you can’t sit at the bar and talk inane rubbish with the landlord...THEN IT’S NOT A PUB!!

No. I want a newspaper to report the news. I dont need something to reinforce my own personal prejudice. I can make my own mind up about issues, I don't need a rag to tell me how to think. Give me the news, the bald facts and figures, not a heavily biased far left or far right view of an issue. Read the facts and make your own mind up, or, read a red top and simply hear what you want to hear. As for JD. Top bloke, good bassist and good musician/songwriter. His band of choice ended, for him, with the death of Freddie. Job done. His time in the spotlight also ended and he is happy with that situation. Why cant the press understand that some people are not fixated on staying famous.

Yeh - do ignore me and Cuzzie , we can sometimes come across as being like a pair of jilted lovers but it's all underpinned by good friendship The Vanderkleys are red cabs in black fishnet stockings. Can't imagine for a moment why you find them sexy? 😁

I’ve played with a drummer who did this, it’s basically a really stupid idea that only works if you don’t want any kind of bass other than the kick in your overall sound. There’s no good reason for a kick to be put through a bass amp in a live band. Dance music maybe - but even with dance music one of the first things you do to control a mix is cut the lows on the kick to make space for the bass. Same thing as when a guitarist boosts his lows or the keyboard player decides to ‘double up’ on bass. Recipe for disaster.

All this is very much about John Deacon, NOT! To get back on track a bit, I`ve just re-read the article about him in this months Bass Guitar Mag - turns out that he refinished one of his Precisions as and when he felt like a change, rather than buy a new one. I think that`s quality, sure he probably had enough money to buy Fender, but keeping with the bass he liked to play/how it sounded, just with a fresh coat of paint, nice one.

Up until now the depth of the neck has never had an effect on my playing. It seems my left hand doesn't require much consistency in the necks I play. I just adapt to a wider grip and to wider spaced strings at the nut and on the fret board. I guess we can all relearn, but the one thing my right hand needs, is for the strings to be 18mm or 19mm at the bridge or that will affect my playing. After so many years playing Fender type basses I'm locked into that one.

As promised I have visited Moollon and It was a great experience and very interesting. I'm not a review writer so I'll stick to the facts. I am also not getting anything out of this. The Moollon workshop is tucked away in the suburbs of Seoul and would have been hard to find without the kind assistance of Andi Roselund who fronts the company to the Western Market. He collected me and drove me to the workshop. Super nice guy. First thing to say it that it is absolutely clear that the story that YJ makes all of these instruments himself is 100% true. There are other guys working on pedals and other projects buy YJ makes that guitars from scratch, metalwork, wood, wiring pups, everything. This is love. YJ was gracious and generous with his time and let me try out pretty much the whole range of basses but for me the stand out instrument was the new PV. I would say that I already have a JV which is frankly a tone monster. So I tried the 55 P type on flats, the hollow body 50's type ( you may have seen Michael League playing one), the B524 which is a modern passive twin hum bucker type but with a Les Paul type circuit with a PUP selector switch. So baseline........ Firstly I am no authority, I'm just an average player, not an expert nor can I claim to have any great skills to test these instruments to their limits. Having said that I am lucky enough to have a collection of Pre CBS basses that Include a 1960 Stackpot, an early 1962 slab board Jazz, and 1965 p. I'm not saying that to show off I am saying this because the Moollon niche is all about presenting sounds from that era in a usable and available form. I don't have early 50's instruments but I've played some. I have and have worn in a Moollon Jazz for over a year so I know it very well. Things to know about Moollon. Firstly the classics are finished are all Nitro. They chip and start showing wear quickly within months just like the originals. There are no plasticote under-coats so chips and finger wear appear quite quickly. Having said this its 20 thin coats of nitro and that's sweet if you ask me. I didn't ask about the sparkle finishes - sorry about that. maybe someone who knows better can fill in. He will distress for you so you get a vintage look. personally I'm letting my fingers do that for me. The one issue that I have with my JV is the lack of a notch for truss rod adjustment. YJ will put this in for but he makes a small charge for it. Its not period so he doesn't do it. If that seems fussy its just how he does things. His clear love for the original pre CBS sounds goes to analysing original metalwork and making all of his own hardware to that original spec - he can do that because he is a qualified metallurgist. If you live in a dry hot climate I'd get that done. 1955 P type. The one I tried had a V tech profile ( not too fat) and flat pup. It looked and felt and what is more sounded like the real thing. It was a 2 colour sunburst with white plate. This one of YJ's own and it was worn in and sweet. The sound was just right, neither too aggressive nor at all flabby. Its hard to offer any criticism, it was as good a representation of the real thing as I have found. As with all of the Moollon's i have tried eve with the tone right off there was definition. I get that with my 65P, its fat and warm but has just enough cut. This 55 type had that classic middle tone and played so well. Turn up the tone and you got all of that cut, with a pick even better. The hollow body type 50's shape, again was sweet but a variation on the theme to me its a cross over instrument and was a bit of both worlds, old and new. I don't really feel qualified to say much more that to say its playability and tones were sweet and the looks are all there. Just listen to Michael leave playing one, don't worry about my thoughts. The B524 is the double hum bucker type again passive but not a classic fender type. I thought of it as a passive Fodera type bass. I didn't get enough time with it to really get a proper feel for the instrument tbh. The tone control set up was a bit unusual in that it was based on a Les Paul type configuration with a pup selector switch. I was interested as it has separate tone and volume controls for each PUP so you can switch between a pup with tone rolled off or the other on and then have both. Its a bit like a stackpot circuit. It wasn't for me as I was looking for something to complement my JV. Having said that it was a very versatile instrument and felt great in the hands. I suspect in the hands of a better player some of the dynamic range of the instrument would come out. Goran Delac has a vid of his 524 on youtube. The outstanding instrument for me was the new PV. YJ has taken one of his soap-bar type 5 string pup's and put it into a P configuration. What he has managed with the J V type he has now done with the P type. This feels like proper P and the thick tones go all the way down to the bottom. This works. I had a moment getting over the idea of no staggered PUP but once I did it just sounded which and deep and like nothing else. I had a reel vintage vibe with bite when you dig and definition with the tone rolled off. Having said that the slap tone was also nice and this bass can be solo'd - its got bags of high end detail. The outstanding thing is that this has the kind of thickness of tone I get from my stockpot on flats. Not found it anywhere else on anything else - and here it was. That is the highest compliment I can offer and not one made lightly. Playability was great the neck was much more comfortable than I thought (bit of a J man here) and the body is a standard p size no increase in the size so the weight is kept low. Please don't ask me what all of the weights were because I didn't take scales with me. So questions. Will he make a PJ?- no. Fender didn't pre CBS and he sees no reason to do so. I also think it would be a lot of R&D risk without any likely additional return. Will he put a P neck on a J body - yes if you ask Will be put a J neck on a P body - yes if you ask Summing up. Both Andi Roslund and YJ were super nice and cool to deal with. They gave their time freely and were really helpful. Knowing what I paid previously for a Moollon I don't really think that they make a lot of money; this is about the love of doing what they do. YJ could easily charge more, perhaps market better, put a few dealerships out there with instruments people could test drive; the thing is he's doing ok, he's easy to deal with and he's the real deal. He doesn't have to with player like Tim Lefevre, Scott Devine and Rufus Philpot as clients. I like YJ and he makes some really nice instruments with authentic sounds. For the money I think they are hard to beat so long as you know what you are buying, that is pre-cbs tones, built in a pre-CBS way, in a modern instrument. For reference: I'm the fat guy in the middle YJ to the Left and Andi Roselund to the right. YJ is on his own holding the new and deeply awesome PV which I want......a lot.