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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)

Actually, his hair looks nice in a bun.

I know players who like their action like that - I reckon you could shift that one on.. Sadly I don’t know any players that like splinters after a gig...

#metoo

Direct, chunky, nice twist on the chorus harmony vocals - I like that a lot. More so than the Woolley version which made me feel slightly seasick, dunno why, maybe it was the bassline or the arrangement

Hi Al, this is right as you have noted. Beyond this it get's more complex where a number of factors come into play all at once, I'm more than happy to bore the pants off everyone but it's not likely to solve your practical problem of what to buy The practical observation is that two 10's have roughly the same cone area as a 15, everything else being equal it means they might well be equally capable of making loud bass, that will depend on which 2x10 or 15 you choose. The problem with mixing speakers is that you'll end up with something that isn't the sound of the 15 or the 10, and what you get isn't easy to predict. That becomes even more so if the speakers are different ohms and one is taking twice the power of the other. you've probably got a 50/50 chance of getting a sound which is 'more bassy' and even less of a chance of getting something you like. It's like throwing two dice when the one you've already thrown is a six. It isn't wrong but it could be an expensive gamble unless you can try out the combination you crave.

Over the last ten days I've been to see Turin Brakes, supported by the brilliant Eliza Shaddad, in Northampton, Leamington Spa, Lincoln and Galashiels. The injunction prevents me from attending any more. The Mac Arts centre in Galashiels was a brilliant venue for such a tiny town; I don't know if anyone here has been there?

You're new here, aren't you..?

I owned a bass for about 5 years that had suffered a head break. It was only by chance that I found out. I was doing a gig somewhere and someone came up and starting talking to me. He commented on the instrument and said he had owned one exactly the same. It was his, the repair was invisible.

Tangerine Dream will always be my favourite electronic band. Saw them twice, or possibly 3 times, thinking about it. In a totally different vein, last live bands were First Aid Kit supported by The Staves, last week. Absolutely bloody brilliant.

I knew about the Bruce Wooley version mainly because he went to the same school as me.

I've had to shim a couple of necks in the past. It is amazing how a tiny sliver of veneer or sandpaper can have such an effect on overall playability.

If John ever did want to explain his gear etc, he wouldn't have to involve the press or journalists nowadays. Just get an agent to set up a YouTube account on his behalf and post a video. No journalists, no awkward questions, no involvement from anyone, no intrusions, no tracability. Just whatever he wanted to show. Oh, and make sure to disable the comments option to avoid the morons! Good on him for what he wants to do. Certainly earned the right to life a private life.

Just read Eric Idle`s new book. He was standing somewhere with George Harrison and a guy walked up and astonished at seeing George, he asked him what he was doing here, "everybody`s gotta be somewhere" says George.

Let's get back on topic... I don't like Wetherspoons because they don't let you sit at the bar. I like to entertain everyone by getting very drunk at the bar and making amusing, witty comments about the appearance of the other customers and staff. If they have a hilarious tic, rubbish hair or particularly bad dress-sense, so much the better. But oh no, you have to take your drink to a bloody table and sit there like some kind of sad, friendless loner. Also, the beer is shít.

No problem, I have a box and some packaging material

Look, a bass