rushbo

That looks ace - good work fella! Some of this stuff in this forum is pretty intimidating - highly skilled luthiers crafting incredible instruments out of wood from antediluvian oak trees and hardware made from preserved angel's tears, but there's always a place for the well done upgrade of a neglected instrument. As a part time bass-bodger, I'd love to see more of these projects on here. Maybe we should have a sub-forum for us mere mortals who have to have a stiff drink and a quiet lie down, before we do so much as change a control knob on a bass?

Very true. They're the things that cause me the most problems - although when I say "most problems", I actually mean "one specific problem". I have a customised slice of bath sponge to slip by the bridge for when i want to go "The Full Motown."

I think they're a useful thing to have. I struggle to mute open strings, especially when playing fingerstyle and one of these doohickeys does the job quite nicely. A few years ago, I was in a band that covered "All Right Now" - don't judge me... The nice bass break in the middle relies on a lovely open 'A' note, but if you let it ring out too long. it muddies up the phrase that follows it. I cured that by using a Victor Wooten approved hair tie, which I'd roll from behind the nut when necessary. A "proper" version does the same thing, but is a lot easier to get on and off the neck. I think mine was about £4.00. You can use a bit of sponge down by the bridge, but that's a faff to remove, or you can buy one of those on/off muting devices, but they're a bit expensive. This seems to be an cheap and cheerful way to dampen strings, if that's your thing.

If you're looking for a low-budget but decent page turner, I may have found one... Having looked for a simple and pedal board friendly page turner for ages, just before Christmas, I found this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CUVAVE-Cube-Turner-Wireless-Page-Turner-Pedal-Built-in-Battery-Supports-V3O6/363259189122?_trkparms=aid%3D1110009%26algo%3DSPLICE.COMPLISTINGS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200818142838%26meid%3De5f19b55577f4afea4dec81439c72b3d%26pid%3D101197%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D392881605382%26itm%3D363259189122%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3Ddefault&_trksid=p2047675.c101197.m1850 Mine cost about £17.50, as there was some kind of "support independent traders" deal on at the time. It's an easy to use, basic, sturdy (metal construction) Bluetooth device that works with Android and IOS devices. You charge it up via USB and away you go. You can also use it with a looper, if that's your thing. I've used it on my iPad (running forScore) and my Android mobile (running SetList Helper) and it works really well on both. Sometimes it takes a couple of attempts to pair with the device, but as it's just a matter of turning it on and off again, it's not exactly an issue. I charged it for about an hour, and so far, I've had about four hours life out of it, with no signs of it running out yet. I've just about managed to squeeze it on my tiny pedalboard, and so far I'm delighted with it. Worth a look if you're after something basic, cheap, but sturdy.

Great bassline, but man, what a voice Karen Carpenter had. Goosebumps.

What seems like a lifetime ago, I played in a classic rock covers band whose USP was that the singer did the whole set as Vegas-era Elvis. He was great - karate moves, jumpsuits, corny patter - he had the lot. After a well received gig, somewhere in the Black Country, I was "enjoying" a post-performance pee, when a drooling drunk crashed in and attempted to use the urinal next to me. He squinted at me, through bleary eyes and said, "mate, you're the best singer I've ever heard!" Unless he was referring to my handful of backing vocals, thrown hopefully in the direction of a mic during the gig, it seems our friend had mistaken a chap with a soul patch and a tatty, black CBGB's tee-shirt, for The King of Rock and Roll. He offered me a moist and tattooed hand to shake. I politely declined.

I'm jealous! I'm a huge Game Theory/Loud Family/Scott Miller fan and I got into his work through that connection. His "Natural Causes" album is a bit of a desert island disc for me. "Kenny vs Thrust" ain't too bad, neither!

He’s consistently ace. There’s some fantastic stuff on this record.

PopMatters aggregated all the votes into one chart - sadly, none of my picks made the top sixty. Bah humbug. I did get Rush ("Permanent Waves") and The Replacements (Pleased To Meet Me") in the top twenty reissues, tho... If you want to read my grammatically dubious reviews just click these links. They're not all for PM, a couple are for a brilliant blog ("I Don't Hear a Single") that I sometimes write for: Jayhawks: https://hearasingle.blogspot.com/search/label/The Jayhawks Kevin Godley: https://hearasingle.blogspot.com/2020/12/kevin-godley-muscle-memory-review-by.html Spygenius: https://hearasingle.blogspot.com/search/label/Spygenius Anton Barbeau (interview): https://hearasingle.blogspot.com/search/label/Anton Barbeau Erik Hall (interview): https://www.popmatters.com/erik-hall-2020-interview-2645676528.html Captain Wilberforce (interview): https://hearasingle.blogspot.com/2020/06/ian-rushbury-interviews-captain.html Dream Syndicate: https://www.popmatters.com/dream-syndicate-universe-inside-review-2646053104.html Ben Watt: https://www.popmatters.com/ben-watt-storm-damage-2645142789.html Bob Mould: https://www.popmatters.com/bob-mould-blue-hearts-review-2648108963.html Squirrel Flower: https://www.popmatters.com/squirrel-flower-was-born-swimming-2645362480.html

I had to list my top ten albums for PopMatters- an online music magazine I write for. I don't think it was a vintage year for music -no surprise there- but there were some fantastic records released. 1. Jayhawks XOXO 2. Kevin Godley: Muscle Memory 3. Captain Wilberforce: When the Dust Just Won’t Settle 4. Dream Syndicate: The Universe Inside 5. Ben Watt: Storm Damage 6. Anton Barbeau: Manbird 7. Bob Mould: Blue Hearts 8. Erik Hall: Music for 18 Musicians 9. Squirrel Flower: I was Born Swimming 10. Spygenius: Man on the Sea

I’ve used a Gear for Music case for about two years. They’re really robust and do the job for a very sensible price. The only drawback is that they don’t sit very comfortably on the shoulder, but if you use the handle, they work well.

I love the idea of a five-string, but I just don't get on with them. I've had three to date - all really lovely, playable instruments, but I just didn't bond with any of them. Maybe it's my dainty little hands or my inability to grasp the (not so) radical geography of a fiver that's holding me back. I played in blues bands for years and having the ability to play something in the key of 'E' without having to resort to open strings, would have been a boon. I tried. I couldn't. I think they're a brilliant tool to have in the box, and if you're covering keyboard lines faithfully, they're invaluable. In short: Do you need one? No. Are they useful? Very. Do I wish I could get to grips with one? Yup.

It ain't Christmas until I've heard this: Somewhere on the interwebs is a video of me, desperately trying to keep up with Tracy Wormworths brilliant bass line...

Happy days. Queen were the first band I ever got into, after a mate brought a copy of the "Night at the Opera" LP into school, sometime in 1976. This film got fairly regular showings at our local fleapit, often twinned with "The Wall" or "The Song Remains the Same." It was great to see it on the big screen, in all it's grainy grandeur.

There are a few more tasty examples on a previous thread: Here's my current, go-to bitsa.

They're here! The ancient postman gingerly dismounted his Penny Farthing and placed the battered envelope into my trembling, expectant hands, just this morning. Early signs are good. They're certainly a snug fit. Have we made all the KY Jelly jokes yet? Oh, OK. They clash beautifully with my fiesta red bass and wine red strap.

BassChat - second class!? I won't hear a word of it!!

Still no straplocks in the Black Country... did somebody shoot the carrier pigeon?

I haven't had mine yet (sobbing)

"Looks unfinished"

I played drums in bands for a while and used a Roland TD-6 kit. It was great. I picked up a couple of extra pads and assigned them as additional cymbals and toms. They sound pretty convincing and they're a lot of fun to play. I'd recommend Roland electronic drum stuff highly. Kits of that vintage go for fairly sensible sums amounts, too. I made a sound absorbing mat for mine, out of layers of old carpet, which did a great job of minimising the sound of the kick drum pedal.

I’m a big fan of Wix. Straightforward to use and easy to maintain.

(Nicked from FaceBook) ...pretty accurate, I'd say. Now, where can I get a Danny Devi-Tone pedal from?

I'm not a fan of multiple knobs, switchers, levers and faders on an instrument, but that's a comment for another thread... What makes my OCD go into overdrive, is if I see a knob, or even worse a toggle switch, dangerously close to the "playing area" of the bass. What if it's a self destruct switch! One over aggressive twang and we could all go up in smoke! Or even worse, you might have to re-adjust your pickup blending...

I've seen some instruments, where the back of the neck is so scored, you could use it as a guiro...