Angel

@prowla I love the look of the twin neck! I'm not sure I'd have a use for it but it looks so cool to me.

I'd be put off by Ali express! Not exactly quality merchants! But hey, it could be brilliant. Let us know how it is.

Thanks for the link, I can't believe you got plug parts in there!

Intriguing but very expensive. Their video is pretty useless - it takes forever going through everything for virtually every string, and it doesn't even explain how they work. I would have liked to actually hear the string/note as the wheel was turned to get an idea of how well it works, what the turning to tuning ratio is etc. rather than plus pointless music all through. Do these people want to sell their product?

Thanks, a long and intriguing thread! It will take a while to get through it all, but interesting so far - and those mini basses - fascinating!

Thanks for flagging up, good to see!

I quite fancy making a headless bass, just wondering if anyone else here has already done one? Also wondering if anyone has hardware recommendations?

I'm no fan but I don't mind them reforming. To be honest though I'm sick of hearing it in the news already! I was never into Britpop so I just didn't really hear them back in the day. I LOVED Our Friends in the North (TV series) when it came out, and the very last song on the last episode was amazing, very cool and so fitted the vibe of the end. It was Don't look back in anger. Since then I have a mild appreciation of the band, although I have realised that I quite like Noel in interviews but I can't stand Liam.

I find songs a bit boring without a solo break. Doesn't have to be guitar, and yes, best if it fits the song of course! I listened to a fair degree of 80s 90s metal back in the day, and quite often the solo was a bit rubbish. You need a decent solo that adds to the song - for example, Brian May's playing on These are the days of our lives - short and sweet but so compliments the whole song. I'm not into loads of singing over everything, for me the best songs have plenty of 'musical' space. Yeah, I'm a prog fan!

Can't find a pic of me with a bass right now, so this is me showing off my SOUNDS freebie shirt (given away in the early 80s). The shirt is thin as heck but lovely on a hot day, there can't be many that survived - although a good condition one did turn up on eBay for £500 recently.

Japan were around during my art college years, but I never listened to them at all. Just looked like a bunch of pretty boys to me. Likewise I've never knowingly heard Mick Karn. Now I feel like they are a band I should finally listen to, maybe tomorrow at work I usually have music on all day. Best album to start with? Actually I really like live stuff so I may look for an old concert on Youtube

but this guy is very nifty. However, he is also accompanied by superb bass playing! Apparently the bass player is Thiago Espírito Santo, not a name I've heard before Old video - 9 years ago ...

That album blew my mind when I first heard it! It was around 82 I guess and I was late teens, having mostly listened to chart music up to then. It was so different to the usual 'bunch of songs' that were on most albums. I got all those early KC albums.

That has the potential to be great, but maybe you are into reggae and he's into death metal.

Tom Morello graduated from Harvard with a degree in political science, which I remember from this exchange:

Well I'm slumming it with just BA (Hons) after my name.

King Crimson have put out some fabulous albums over the decades. I'd love to go see that new tribute band with Steve Vai if they ever come to the UK. Anyway, sounds like a fun thing to do.

No idea who that is but yay, Rush T-shirt!

I hate funerals, I've decided not to go to mine.

I've seen a few over the years and to me it's just a fun gig (If you like the music). I don't care how accurate everything is, it's just the vibe I like. Most punters won't have a clue how close to the originals the music is.

Indeed. Not sure why some people think everyone is known from one picture with no other reference eg other band members!

Geddy Lee. I was a Big big Rush fan from the tail of the 70s into the mid-80s. One of the most important bands for me in my youth.

The oldest would be a Takamine N-10 acoustic guitar that I would guess I bought mid 80s with one of my first paychecks. Actually here's a pic, I keep it at work these days for an occasional lunchtime strum. The joys of having one's own office!

A lot of suggestions here, great though they are, I don't think would be so interesting to your average 'party crowd'. For me there is one great bass piece that comes to mind, I've never met anyone who didn't love Stu Hamm's 'Country Music' the second they heard it. I'm not posting a video of Stu himself playing as he gets too overindulgent live for my liking, so instead here's a cover by Stuart Clayton. Now tell me that people wouldn't love to hear this!

Fair enough! OK, so I was a bit rude with my post (no-one is interested beige replies!), but the bottom line is that I think they could have come up with a more elegant shape. Still, what one guy hates another likes so who am I to say.