bassbiscuits

My brother’s old band used to go on to a Derek and Clive sketch about jumping from the window of a burning building...

Mate that’s a massive pain in the @r$e. Hope you manage to track it down and get it back.

John Martyn was a bizarre singer who sometimes sounded like he was just taking the p*ss, all slurred and mumbling. But it suited the music perfectly.

I honestly don’t know. I’ve had some strings die after a single sweaty gig, but others lasting for ages, even among the same brand. I swapped the flatwounds on my precision for some roundwounds to cover a series of function gigs last year - they were just in my drawer in decent used condition but I don’t event know what they were. They sounded great and remained on that bass thru the rest of the year of gigs, and still sound fine now. Weird. Ive swapped it back to flatwounds for now - this particular set were secondhand back in 2016 and have been around the block a few times judging by the state on the silks, but they still sound great as is the way with flats. I wonder if better quality basses mean you don’t have the play it so hard to get it to sound good, and in so doing maybe you sweat less and the strings last longer? Who knows?

Wouldn't mind getting my Yamaha BB604 refinished from the current red wine burst colour - maybe something really off the wall like mint green or metallic purple. I'd also just like to get back to a point where I have some gigs at which to play it.

Very cool.

Yes I've got an "Essential Mozart" selection which I've had on this week, and also been giving it some Vivaldi cello concertos. Lovely stuff.

You don't have to unsolder the pickups. If you take the scratchplate off, unscrew the pickups from it, and then attach them back to the new scratchplate, that will do it. I have a 2015 Jap reissue and did just that. I took a pic of the pickups in situ before taking them out just so I knew how to reattach them. No soldering needed, just a screwdriver and a bit of patience. I also found the neck pocket on my Axerus replacement scratchplate wasn't quite right but took maybe less than a milimetre off with some fine sandpaper and job done.

Yeah he’s a very tasty player. I was learning the original Fool For Your Loving a few weeks ago and the bass on it is great. Had the pleasure of making Neil Murray a cup of tea many years ago at the Roland HQ in Swansea where I worked. I said: “You’re Neil Murray aren’t you?” and he said: “Well I’m an older, fatter version of him,” which I thought was quite witty.

I gig quite often with my brother - its somewhere between a dep gig and a job share with his regular bassist. We're both well into our 40s so hopefully past the stage of silly bickering (Liam? Noel? You listening?)

Only that it had a long thin scratch on the surface between the bridge and the bottom of the body thanks to my keyboard player’s stand...! I’m sure there’s a few Peerless ones around from that era. Top bass!

Ah very cool basses - I sold mine (also a Peerless-built goldtop, wearing flats and in that same case - could be my exact bass in fact!) back in 2018 to fund another bass but I've missed it. It always looked super cool on stage (even if i didn't) and sounded way more versatile than I'd expected.

I think there’s good and bad stuff at all price points. If you find a bass that does it for you, that’s what matters. It just feels even better when you know it didn’t break the bank.

Yup - secondhand Yamaha BB604 I got mainly as a backup about four years ago has turned out to be a hugely versatile and great sounding bit of kit. Its not as cool as my old Fender or whatever, but whenever I get it out I can’t put it down. Means I feel free to play the absolutely b@lls off it live without stressing too, which is just how it should be.

List prices seem unrealistically low too, especially for those amps and cabs. Some cool stuff tho.

Yes the stage is a good bit bigger now and the decor is all a lot nicer. It was lovely to get back out and play.

Correct answer! It was their Sunday afternoon regular slot.

I think the guy from The Feeling was using one of these when I saw them live in about 2013. Really nice, warm fat bass tone too. Nice to see something a bit different from the usual suspects too. Well done. Glad it’s a good un.

I had Labella Mustang strings on my Mustang, which were great. I swapped them to some heavier gauge D’addario medium scale nickel round wounds (50-110 I think) which are long enough to string thru the body. They sound great too!

I’m come to short scale basses (a MIJ Mustang) as I’ve got older and it’s a brilliant sounding bit of kit - like a smaller, lighter and more comfortable than a P bass. It does have a sound that’s distinct from a P tho - a tiny bit thinner and more midrangy perhaps, and a tighter low end? - but very comparable and very useful. Mine weighs something like 3.5kg and is nicely balanced so it’s a doddle for long gigs or even longer rehearsals. I’ve not recorded with it (other than some live YouTube things from gigs I’ve done) but I’m very happy that it lets me play and sound like me easily enough. Im not about to swap completely to short scales but they are useful and likeable basses I think.

I’ve had basses with and without thru body stringing. They all sounded good so I’ve got no way of knowing what the thru body stringing contributed. Makes using flatwounds a bit tricky tho as it increases the angle they have to bend.

I had tickets to see him just before lockdown hit but it got pulled.