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As it happens, I know this guy. Richard's been around for ages in loads of rock bands and though he's a bit corny with his 'image projection' he's actually a really good bloke and totally reliable, unlike most people in bands. When I knew him he was having trouble with a bad glaucoma but he didn't let it get him down or stop him volunteering for a local charity. If he's finally struck it lucky and got himself a gig with a signed band then good luck to him, even if he's got a bit of a showbiz way with words. At least he can quit the zero hours van driving contract if that's what he' still doing . You fell for it, you suckers.

I don't care how good he is. I wouldn't hire him. Never trust anyone who speaks about themselves in the third person. Newfoundfreedom doesn't like that one little bit.

"I really want to play your guitar." "I really want to give you four stiff fingers in the throat. It's probably best that we both go home disappointed."

I can't say that I've ever had a member of the public approach me at any point during a performance to request a “go" on my bass guitar... I almost feel as though I'm “missing out"... I wonder if it might have something to do with my attire...

I sang 3 songs at an open mic on acoustic - I was nervous and messed up a few times. As I came off a guy I didn't know asked if he could borrow my guitar for a couple of songs - I didn't want to be unfriendly so I handed it to him and he hopped up, tripping slightly - he put a dent in the front of the guitar - not terrible tbh - but he then made me look and feel even worse by singing, playing and performing brilliantly... even did a Nick Drake song! - cheers mate - every time I look at that dent I think of that night.

People can be pretty ignorant at times I have the opposite problem at open mic night - no-one wants to get up and sing / play 'til they're tanked. Even then, no-one has got up to play the bass (my playing is obviously sooo awesome that they're intimidated...or something ). Overheard last night at open mic night during a break: 60ish woman to her friend... "What time does the karaoke start back up?"

Yes and no. (Ignoring compression which I always like). Playing a set of Otis Redding tunes - nope. Playing a modern set with Muse, Jamiroquai, RHCP etc - yes. It all depends on the song.

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If I were as accomplished a parodist as the late Mr Potter I'd have written the original JoinMyBand Ricky Styxx post as bait designed to provoke people into paroxysms of hatred and sanctimonious drivel. But I didn't. Or did I?

As we get closer to xmas the chances of encountering someone from a p*ssed up works party that wants to show off in front of that person they've been pestering in the office for months goes up exponentially. Be careful out there people.

Drinking pants and wearing whiskey - a heady life indeed

If you're on Facebook you might like to watch this, It's the opening number from the Blackpool show. https://www.facebook.com/trevor.barry.376/videos/10156736515728601/

And could it be just a matter of time before we start seeing this?

Apparently, it seems, after a little digging that these basses have been kicking around around since 2011, but I have only recently come across this SX “nod” to the Ned Steinberger Spector / Warwick ergo shaped bass, for argument let’s agree that this particular model looks, albeit loosely, like a PNUT / Stage 2 / Jazzman Warwick Streamer bass. I’ve been keeping tabs on various outlets flogging this bass and managed to secure one on eBay recently and pocketed change from my £300. Over the years I have personally owned 12 Warwick Streamers, mostly Stage 2’s in 4 and 5 string guises, a couple of Stage 1’s and 1 LX, these have ranged from handmade low numbered beauties from 1983 and some less lovely early 2000 models. Some good, some bad but I really love these basses… or do I? If I loved them surely, I would still have them? Or is it maybe that the resale value of them is always stable or in some cases you can sell it for more than what you paid and usually the demand for them is always healthy so selling them on is never a chore and quite irresistible when GAS strikes? Anyway in short I’ve bought this relatively low cost 5 string homage to one of my favourite bass designs ever, I’m definitely not expecting early Streamer quality, nor am I expecting this bass to rival one of my previous Warwick ownership experiences, what I am expecting is a bass in thorough need of a good setup, pickup / preamp overhaul, a fret dress and a re string, but what might, after a little bit of effort, be a very playable bass that doesn’t get sold as quickly as the rest… It looks like a Warwick / Spector just without putting a dent in the bank balance. Got to admit guys it’s a genuinely good-looking thing. Any way it comes tomorrow so I’ll do a little unboxing video with some pics and some recordings in the next week, I'll give my honest feedback. Does any one on here have one?

Met up with Basschat forumer Karlfer this afternoon, to do a trade and ended up with this rather nice US Deluxe HH Dimension Bass. It was a pleasure meeting and doing business with Karl and talking bass, of course. For some reason, Fender's Dimension series of basses didn't seem very successful, coming and going rather quickly. I remember buying a new SQUIER Deluxe Dimension Bass V MN Black, for under £300 and being very impressed. A lot of Fender players are very traditional and I guess they didn't take to Fender's attempt to produce an EBMM Stingray beater. My first impressions of this particular Dimension bass, are very positive and having owned a number of EBMM Stingrays, can see the similarities and differences. The Dimension uses some very nice woods and hardware and the build quality and finishing are very good. The 2 HB pickups come with a 5-way selector switch, that gives 2, double pickup, single-coil options. And it is these 2 options that I like the most. The pickups in full HB mode, singly or together sound good but I prefer the clarity of the SC options. So how does it compare with a Stingray? The bridge pickup is a lot closer to the bridge than on a Stingray. So if you are after a bass that can do that Stingray sound, you'll be a little disappointed. The Dimension's pickups don't have the HB quality of an EBMM Stingray, IMO. But they do have there own sound and a lovely variety of combinations to delight your ear. This bass sounds great through both my gigging rig (Galien Krueger - Mark Bass) and through my practice/back up amp (Fender Rumble 500 combo). It's a lovely mix of Stingray and Jazz Bass, to my ears, with something of it's own as well. This Deluxe bass came with very low, very solid action and this combined with a very comfortable neck, make it a pleasure to play. To my eyes, it's a bit of a looker too, with a translucent sunburst finish, over some lovely wood grain. Although, on a personal level, I'd have preferred a tort scratchplate, with black, Jazz Bass style knobs. As in it's name, this bass comes with some welcome, Deluxe features. A very tasty, Hi-Mass bridge, a Heel-Mounted, Spoke Wheel, Truss Rod Adjuster and a very capable 18V Preamp with Active 3-Band EQ. I also really like the Fender "F" Light-Weight Vintage-Paddle Key Tuners, with Tapered Shafts. OK, I've only played this bass for about an hour, both solo and along to my own recordings (bass muted of course) but so far I am very very pleased with it, both as a very capable/usable instrument and as a tasty addition to my bass herd. I don't think I've played a bass quite like it, which is a very good thing, in my book. So cheers Karl.

A couple of years back I cut down on the gigging out of sheer exhaustion, and now actually spend the occasional Saturday night at home. This means that I inevitably have to sit through Mrs Shaggy's favourite programme; "Strictly come dancing", which I don't mind too much as I can usually find something to like in a programme with musical content and lady dancers in tight costumes. Say what you like about the cheesiness of the show, the way every bit of tension is milked to the nth degree, and general inanity of the dialogue - the professionalism and versatility of the band is absolutely top notch, especially when you consider what a diverse range of material they have to cover, and probably very limited time to arrange and rehearse. Inevitably, I listen out out for the bass (which the BBC being the BBC tend to mix down, but I route the sound through a decent stereo sound system) and am always impressed by the solid and unfussy groove of the bassist, which always totally compliments the tune. Also he wears a hat and always looks happy when the band is introduced, which is a big plus in my book. Google search indicates he's a v experienced bassist called Trevor Barry who I wasn't aware of before. Just thought I'd give him a bit of a big up, as Dave Swift of Jool's band gets a lot of good press on BC (NB: I own one of Dave's old basses...) and Trevor is every bit as good. Any "guilty pleasure" Strictly watchers agree / disagree?

I suspect this was a mixup. The bass he used in Purple was a late ‘72/early ‘73 4001 in Fireglo. It has a skunk stripe and to me, on photos at least, the inlays look like the full width acrylic rather than the full width crushed pearl, which would date it as early ‘73. I’ve never seen a sharp enough picture to be 100% sure though. He swapped that bass with Geezer Butler. It’s the same bass Geezer used on the Never Say Die live video, although he only used it because he’d forgotten his main bass! A while back Glenn bought an Azure Ric and IIRC mentioned he’d bought it because he missed his old one. Glenn has said in various interviews over the the years that Geezer wouldn’t sell it him back, as, in Geezer’s words, “I don’t sell me basses” (although I may have read recently that in the end he did, I can’t quite remember). Whilst it’s perfectly possible he previously had another Azure, it wasn’t the bass he used in Purple.

FWIW Roger apparently thought his Ric sound was too clanky and distorted. As was pointed out to him when they remastered the album, it’s a sound many would kill for. Thankfully I don’t have to as I can nail it with my main bass, if I so desire.😉

So far as I’m aware Europe was the P, despite the cover pictures, although I’ve always wanted to ask him to confirm 100%. Although the bass mix sounds different to all his other live P stuff I’ve heard, I’m pretty sure that’s just the studio at work. His Ric didn’t sound much like Roger’s. In fact when I first heard Burn (LP) I thought his tone wasn’t that great (unlike Roger’s on Machinehead, which is awesome). Listen to the isolated bass on YouTube. However when he switched I didn’t think the P was that great either. Live is a different matter, and the sound on MIE is fabulous. Recently he’s used Rics, Ps and Jazzes and usually sounds great. Rogers bass on Machinehead was stock. He didn’t do the twin Jazz pickup thing til after. This was his bass while recording Machinehead and as per the live ‘72 dvd:

Unless it's prog, then you have to use a series of prime numbers.

One of my favourite bands bass players use sadowsky. And very little FX The motet - Garrett sayers I challenge abybody to listen to their reccordings and tell us that his tone is mediocre. I'd buy one in a heartbeat if I was in the market for another 5. But sandberg and fender have me covered for now.

99/00 MIM Jazz, it's had some work done on it.

Not really. I don't believe any false arguments have been used - just clarifying the difference between being swayed by marketing and endorsement... and physics. Why would anybody be protesting too much? I couldn't really care what anybody is using... I've heard good bands and bad. And that's with a mixture of expensive and cheap gear. But of course, my opinion of what is good and bad in itself is open to... well, you know what. But I still stand by the fact whatever The Smiths are doing, it sounds pap.

Moon, Ahmet and Diva all live happy lives

Do you remember that advert where a guy in India makes a Peugeot 207 out of his car by getting an elephant to sit on it? That may yet be me...

It appears that young Richard is lacking self awareness to a flipping MASSIVE DEGREE. https://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/rikki-styxx-still-available-no-egos-please-t1207503.html

I also play originals and we don’t get people on stage either, but to be honest that’s mostly because there are often more people in the band than the audience... 😐

That guy is actually one of my favourite youtubers. Never bought anything in his recommendations nor followed his method and been disappointed. My review is on hold as this suddenly happened today. Granddaughter is the only thing takes precedent over music.

Never reviewed anything before so bear with. Over the years I've had several of Tech 21's gear, BDDI Deluxe, VT Deluxe, Programmable BDDI, Bass Fly Rig, DuP Fly rig, BDDI v2. A Sansamp pedal has always been on my board in one form or another. I've always wanted a fly rig with a tuner and another channel of use able grit, so when this was announced I had to get it asap. Build wise, as you would expect from Sansamp, roughly the same size as the DuP, although it's been a while since i had one, I think this may be slightly taller. Tough metal housing and decent nobs. Sound wise, well i am using this to replace a BDDI v2, it took a grand total of 2 minutes tweaking to replicate "my sound". Bass is good plenty of +/-, the mids are fantastic, the treble on the other hand, i didn't find did much unless the "bite" button was engaged, I didn't see this as an issue, think of it as the presence nob on other variations. Gain goes from nice and clean to breaking up much like the BDDI, This is where i found the 2nd channel handy, utilises the same EQ but you have a second gain and volume for this, you can crank the gain to break up and then fine tune the unity volume to match or just have it slightly boosted over the 1st channel. I haven't messed around with any of the suggested settings, not really fussed about that 🙂 All in all if you want an amazing sounding pre amp, with a Tuner / DI / Speaker sim as well as a 2nd channel for boosting or breaking up then this is ideal. Used this at a gig Saturday night, got a great sound dialled in and felt i "cut through" better than prior with the Bddi V2, although i could just have "new pedal sounds awesome syndrome" Could anything be made better? well that's down to personal preference, I'd probably say have a 2nd EQ for the 2nd channel, but absolutely nothing wrong with how it is now! Pedal board from Saturday, loads of room now! thanks Stofferson!

Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music

Did a charity gig in Swindon. Down to play just 2 tunes ended up playing six, which was great. Love that my band has the confidence to play new material entirely unrehearsed This is our first year together and we've really gelled

I’ve got a four string of this exact bass. Battery cover broken, bit battered but it sounds bloody ace.

The dizzying heights of blues fame! Haha. I'll be getting too big for my boots soon and demanding freshly laundered pants and a glass of fine single-malt available before each gig

... at which point he could change it to the possibly more apt Rikki Stynx.....

At some point as he tours the globe he's probably going to find out that there's a drummer in the US already using the name 'Rikki Styxx' and she's already won the 'who comes up first (and only) in a Google search' competition.

Trevor Barry has one of the best sounding basses I've heard. The secret weapon TB and many of the West End players (like Ian King, also a member here) have is Overwater basses. Their sound is just world class. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_2HRxpRCD0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZDM9QLPaYo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=habje7Yl0Ug

He plays upright sometimes hence a hat is compulsory, it's actually an offence to not wear one. I've not watched the recent series but they are a great band, all of them.

The most perfect pop song ever written is of course "Dancing Queen" (ABBA) as any fule kno.....

I think there is a large parallel thread of 'groups who you hate the singer of' going on in this thread!