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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)

Stanley Clarke is being interviewed on BBC 6music today (30th Oct) on The Radcliffe & Maconie Show. Programme starts at 1pm.

Actually, his hair looks nice in a bun.

Agreed - don’t let this put you off a Shuker - they are sublime instruments. I’m just unlucky with this one and a rather naughty truss rod

I purchased an Ibanez SR500 today. I recently sold an SRC6 and within a week was really regretting it, so I got another. As much as I enjoy the SRC6 I don’t use it when writing. Mostly I use my Rob Allen Mouse when writing but lately I’ve been missing a bright 4 string fretted electric bass for writing. I recently purchased a Squier Jaguar but for some reason I just didn’t get on with it but I really dig these SR Ibanez-es-ez’s Anyway here it is... Here it is with the SRC6... Sod it, here’s the team...

Absolutely, there are far more important things at stake here.

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! 😀

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.

I have similar friends - one in particular who can barely play the guitar (seriously - I'm one of the few people who has ever actually seen him play, and he basically can't) but has loads of them, and lots of effects and amps, recording software...for that day when he will actually sit down and learn to play his instrument. It's just a matter of time, he just needs to sit down and soon he'll be a virtuoso. He's 47 years old and has yet to find the time. I think he likes the idea of being a musician much more than he wants to actually be a musician - he was the (appallingly bad) singer in a band I was in 25 years ago, has never been in another band since (well, technically he was in another band with me a few years later - I knew nothing about it until I turned up at the first rehearsal...he lasted about three months before we sacked him) but likes to give the impression that he is simply "resting" between bands and will be ready to go again as soon as someone asks him. Among his collection is a Parker Nitefly, an impressive bit of kit with both standard pickups and a piezo, and you can split the output for separate electric and acoustic sounds. So obviously he bought a fairly high end acoustic amp for those occasions. He has never played the guitar outside of his front room, and I'm willing to bet that he's never used the amp other than when he first got it home from the shop. His last major purchase was a Variax, with the Line 6 effects module that allows him to control all of the guitar, effects and amp modelling settings...for an instrument that he basically cannot play. He contacted me a couple of months ago as he is in the process of clearing out his two bedroom flat so that he can rent it out, and is moving into a new one bedroom place with his girlfriend next month. Space will be at a premium in the new flat so he's asked me if i can store his spare musical equipment in my loft for a while. The latest count is five guitars, probably a bass, and at least three amps, as well as a box full of reasonably high end effects. His girlfriend has never heard him play. She's looking forward to hearing him actually play, as up to this point all she's heard are the regular excuses of why he doesn't want to play her anything because he's working on "projects" that aren't finished and he's not ready to show them to anybody yet. Still, if he keeps the musical instrument industry going, there's no harm, and we all get to laugh at him.

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

Jerome Davies and Martyn Bailey are both top men, and both very straight and honest. I wouldn't take my bass to anyone except Jerome or Martyn.

I will add to the above good advice that a shim should be as thin as possible you don't need to make the neck angle huge, just enough to get the action you need. Experiment with folded paper you be surprised how thin a shim often needs to be. Then if you wish you can make the shim out of a different material to the size required.

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.

OK... before I fall asleep, here's the crack. Sorry if I ramble. I was asked to do the gig about three months ago. At that point, no-one really knew what was going to be in the set. Over the following weeks, I was drip-fed some possible tunes, so I just started to do my homework as much as I could. Bear in mind at this point I also had no idea who would be singing any of them, either. I'd heard Ralph McTell was coming along to do 'Streets of London' with a choir, which is a song I love. He rarely - if ever - plays with a band, so I was surprised and pleased when he asked for a bass accompaniment. I guess it might have been because it's a big hall, and wanted something for the choir to lock into. Video Killed the Radio Star was an interesting one... I bloody love the tune. The bass part is mint. So when I heard Trevor was going to be singing it, I immediately prepared myself for the possibility that he'll play bass on it, like he always does live. Sure enough, I got the call to say he'd be playing bass on it. We don't get a chance to rehearse with the stars until the day before the show, so I had to learn the part anyway for band rehearsals the previous week. I was slightly gutted, but I saw it coming. Fast-forward to first day of band rehearsals, and I walked in, cases in hand, and said 'morning!' to our MD. Before I'd even put my cases down, his phone rang... it was Trevor, saying it would be simpler for him if I played the bass. Happy? Hell aye. The band is me, drums, 2 x keys (one being our MD, the other being Alan Clark from Dire Straits.. about to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!), guitar, 4-piece brass and 3 lovely backing vocalists. Rehearsals were hard work, but fun. If we were flagging by the end of the week, we were kicked up a gear when we shifted to the Arena on Friday night. I'm lucky enough to have been involved in some big productions before, but this was another level. Four flown arrays, three massive LCD panels, 22(!) cameras, scores of crew... just a logistical head-scratcher. All the cues and camera positions had to be worked out and rehearsed - the show also features comedy sketches, etc. - so nothing could be missed. We ran though the tunes a few times on Friday night, and all day Saturday (a 12-hour shift). Sunday morning was dedicated to sketch rehearsals (the Auf Wiedersehen Pet cast traditionally reunite for this show, and there were other great artists in there too, including Johnny Vegas, Jason Cook, Vera off the telly, and that). We got a quick line check, and no time to get adjust to the room. We were going in cold! We kicked the show off with (Reach Out) I'll Be There, which sounded massive... and it all went like a dream from there. Along with Trevor and Ralph, we had Jill Halfpenny singing 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now', A great up-tempo blues with local legend Ray Stubbs, Tim Healy sang a great Alan Clark song, Ryan Molloy (Jersey Boys) did 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', and was then joined by Joe McElderry for an incredible duet on 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me', which took the roof off. We closed the show with a couple of Lindisfarne tunes, 'Clear White Light' and the Tyneside national anthem, 'Run for Home'. Then... we had to kick around for an hour or so, and muster the energy to do it all again! The second show was looser, as you'd probably expect. The evening crowd were a bit more raucous, too. It was fab. So proud to have been a part of this - the show is massive, and so many people have worked incredibly hard on it. It's worth it - it's going to raise thousands and thousands of pounds to help young creative talent on Tyneside. GEARCHAT.. I kept it simple, 'cos that's all I know. A pick (for Video Killed the Radio Star) Fingers (for everything else) LR Baggs Venue DI (used for in-line tuning only) Maruzczyk Jake w/rounds > House DI Limelight '67 Precision w/flats > House DI Handbox WB-100 head (Thread here), and absolute dream of a head I have on loan. I'm considering selling a kidney to buy it. Big, rich and LOUD. My R-400 was under the stage in case I felt like switching to it, but I didn't. TKS S212 cab (best cab ever) > Mic'd ...and that's it. It sounded marvellous. DVD's out in April!