darkandrew

There's also a rather curious "Hot Gossip" album that was actually played on and produced by Ian Craig Marsh and Martin Ware of the early Human League.

Be careful - I used to do this, then one day I tried to remove a screw and ended up snapping the head off!

I don't think Midge Ure gets the credit as a guitarist that he deserves. If you think of some of the musicians that he's played alongside over the years (Scott Gorham and Phil Lynott in Thin Lizzy, John McGeoch in Visage, etc) and not just managed to hold his own but to prove his worth time and time again, then I always wonder why he's never been held in the same esteem as these guys. I think that sometimes he can come across as a bit of a prima-donna (as Billy Currie once described him) and I wonder if this is why he's never quite become a "national treasure" in the same way that some considerably less talented musicians have.

I've got two Fenders that were made for Fender by Cort in their Korean factory and I'm sure Fender purists will consider them as "fakes". I've often thought of selling them but always realise just in time how good they are (now that I've done a proper job of finishing off the fret edges) and change my mind. Although many people may not be consider them to be "real" Fenders, they are as good as (or better than) any that I have played. Are they real or are they fake? Who cares, I like them!

Following on from another thread about your best new album of 2017 - I would like to ask you which old albums or artists you rediscovered in 2017. You know the one; the CD that you bought in your teens, became embarrassed about or simply forgot about in your 20s / 30s, only to rediscover it later on and realise it's actually really pretty good. To start you off, my rediscovery for 2017 was The Beloved's "Happiness" - bought it 20 something years ago - hadn't played it for at least 10 years and dug it out this year after hearing a track on the radio. I'd forgotten just what a wonderful pop album it was - I don't usually go for "happy" songs but I always make an exception for music of quality (see also Chic) and this is one of those exceptions. "Happiness" is full of catchy, uplifting pop songs that you can't help smiling to, from "Hello" the album opener to the incredibly sincere and hearfelt "Found" that closes the album. A real classic from the early 90s.

I didn't really get into the previous two albums but, as you've said, I found this one to be better than those - for me it's on a par with Pure which was previously my favourite of his recent albums. I've not seen him tour this one but I'd imagine it works very well in a live situation.

It'll either be Gary Numan's "Savage" or Paradise Lost's "Medusa" - and I think I'll go for Gary Numan's "Savage".

Some great albums there. My top three would be: The Cure - Disintegration Fields of the Nephilim - Elizium and just to show that I'm not a complete goth, The Beloved - Happiness Although it's not quite in my top 3, you should also check out Gary Numan's new album Savage - it's surprised a lot of people and was only held off the number 1 spot in the album chart by the new Foo Fighters one.

"Innuendo" by Queen - the last album that they completed while Freddie was still alive, with the incredibly poignant "The show must go on" and "These are the days of our lives". I just love the words and sentiments of both of these songs but listening to "These are the days of our lives", and especially watching the promo video for it, always brings tears to my eyes. That final shot of Freddie where he breaks into a smile, looks straight at the camera and whispers "I still love you" - what a way to say goodbye.

I once saw the Sisters of Mercy around Christmas time and they changed the words of This Corrosion from "Sing this corrosion to me" to "Sing merry Christmas to me" and that version of the song has stuck with me ever since! One day I'd love to do that as a cover.

[quote name='kusee pee' timestamp='1509874538' post='3402172'] Can’t help on the bass but what a great group with some great bass playing and guitar work. Almost made me like Richard Jobson. [/quote] It's a shame the John McGeoch, Glenn Gregory and John Keeble project "Pacific" didn't come to anything, that would have been interesting.

[quote name='dangoose' timestamp='1509137353' post='3397010'] I found similar problems re-soldering wiring in fairly modern basses...my 25w iron was taking ages to melt solder. I've also tried several types of lead free solder and not been impressed with the results. Luckily I have a supply of high lead content solder thats probably quite toxic! It really solders up easily and joints don't fracture or crack like some lead free soldering work I've done. I suppose getting a more powerful iron would help, or get your hands on some old school leaded solder. [/quote] Old fashioned tin/lead solder is still permitted for use in "safety critical" applications so can probably be bought from marine or aviation engineering supplies specialists online if you can't find any locally.

My local music shop doesn't stock anything with a price tag of over £500 and some of those guitars and basses are astonishingly good - I was particularly impressed with their Michael Kelly guitars.

I have wondered what Martin Kemp's bass playing ability is really like. In his autobiography he is quite self deprecating and says that his brother Gary had to show him what to play, yet over the years I've seen Spandau Ballet play a few times and he's never played a note out of place.

There was a conversation on here recently comparing the playing styles of Jerry Barnes and Bernard Edwards. Both are / were extremely talented players but the general feeling seemed to be that Bernard's style suited the songs better because he kept it simple, choosing to use slaps, pops, etc sparingly and above all, tastefully. Just because you've got a 200mph supercar doesn't mean that you have to drive at that speed all the time.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1509096890' post='3396548'] Are the pasties available for a Right Handed eater as well as lefties??? [/quote] How much does it weigh?

Just came across this on gumtree: https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/fender-telecaster-with-bare-knuckle-pickups-for-sale.-%C2%A3225/1269003598 The price seems extremely low and barely covers the value of the pickups alone. I know this is a bass forum but since I am possibly on the lookout for a Tele or a Strat to compliment my collection, I wondered what our collective thoughts are on this one; Is it a bargain or is it too good to be true?

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1509011157' post='3395959'] Dress like The Corrs and play Cannibal Corpse. CANNIBAL CORRS!!! [/quote] That reminds me of the Shed 7 fan club hoax where they announced that they would be touring a set made up entirely of Led Zeppelin covers and calling themselves Shed Zeppelin.

I got some Gotoh ones once (I think it might have been from Axetec?) - they seemed to work OK but didn't "feel" very good (very light and with almost no resistance to turning). EDIT: Sorry, just checked their website and it looks like it wasn't Axetec - not sure who it was then. I'll have a look through my spares boxes to see if I can find an old invoice.

[quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1508884009' post='3395198'] Just a decent preamp will do your job.. Doesn't John East make something suitable? I have an active bass with active pickups but I'm not convinced that the extra complication and cost is worth it for the pickups. Frank. [/quote] I agree - if you you want active "power" then all you need is an active pre-amp. This will give you the option of not only cutting frequencies but also to boost them. It will also act as a buffer between your pickups and the outside world - making the tone more consistent and less changeable with different input impedances.

Just a heads up - BBC Radio 2's new season of "in concert" begins this Thursday at 8pm with Tears for Fears (it's also on the "red button" and will no-doubt be on iPlayer for a while too).

When people ask what instrument(s) I play and when I tell them "bass", I often just get a blank look in return (I usually just say guitars now, it saves a lot of having to explain) - so I wouldn't say it was too commonplace since most people don't even know what it is and how a bass guitar differs from other guitars.

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1508832485' post='3394633'] Actually, to be honest - the single coil put diagonally in a humbucker pickup ring has got me thinking whether there would be a market for a more elegant solution to this, maybe something like a humbucker sized plastic rectangle with a single coil pickup shaped hole milled out diagonally from one corner to the other, and with a fixing mechanism to hold the single coil in place. Could this be a "Dragons' Den" moment? [/quote] www.amazon.co.uk/Allparts-Humbucker-Single-Pickup-Conversion/dp/B002MWKOHI Oh well, looks like someone has beaten me to it - there goes my £million idea!

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1508761481' post='3394196'] I just don't see the point. It's creating a solution for a need that doesn't exist [/quote] Actually, to be honest - the single coil put diagonally in a humbucker pickup ring has got me thinking whether there would be a market for a more elegant solution to this, maybe something like a humbucker sized plastic rectangle with a single coil pickup shaped hole milled out diagonally from one corner to the other, and with a fixing mechanism to hold the single coil in place. Could this be a "Dragons' Den" moment?

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1508628424' post='3393476'] Also the sound of a Les Paul is usually too fat for playing funk rhythm without some judicious sonic sculpting. Of course there will always be exceptions, as I am sure we will learn further down this thread... [/quote] It's not so much the sound, it's the way the guitar makes you play it.