EliasMooseblaster

They certainly didn't: there's an interview with the group from around that time where Townshend expresses his surprise that some writers and critics were devoting so much time to analysing the song, when he was just going through a bit of a whimsical phase and being a bit more light-hearted with his writing. Further evinced by the single they were there to promote at the time, which was I'm A Boy.

Oh, I don't know...I'd say gin is definitely superior to Coke!

As it happens, Daltrey actually sings the "US version" one of the better-known live albums (think it's IoW 1970). I agree that the line almost certainly bore no ill intention. It does sound rather ham-fisted nowadays, but then so do plenty of other lyrics from that time. You can understand why the US label wanted it changed - the context is very important. The US release went out in April 1966, while the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing (coincidentally, two years almost to the day before the assassination of Martin Luther King), and I can imagine that the label would have been wary of any lines - however neutral their intention - that might have inadvertently whipped up any further tension. I don't think anyone's going to accuse your band of racism for singing the original line, but I also understand why it makes you wary. Maybe it's worth pointing out to the singer that there's an alternative lyric, which sounds better. You don't even need to make it about the racial sensitivities of the line - I've seen equally spirited debates over whether the first verse of The Kinks' Lola should end with "cherry cola" or "coca-cola"...

That is a gorgeous specimen...I'd be tempted if I didn't already have something which looked very, very similar: http://www.schecterguitars.com/vault/model-t-lh-detail !

I would encourage you to go for it. I've had one of the passive version (Model T Studio?) since 2013, and it's still one of my favourite basses.

Oh my...I do rather like the look of that Schecter CV - anybody on here had the pleasure of trying one of them?

I had a similar problem when I first started using mine in a band setting. For the longest time I was frustrated with the tone going quite "woolly" when I turned it on. So I cranked the tone control higher and higher in the hope of getting more definition, and it didn't seem to make a difference. So I went back to the instruction manual...and I *think* the tone control actually works more like an "enhance" or pre-shape control, i.e., turning it up creates more of a "smiley face" EQ and sucks all the mids out of your tone. By contrast, "my sound" is built on a strong mid-range - no wonder it seemed to disappear when I had the pedal's tone up at 8 or 9. Nowadays it hovers around 2 or 3!

Just curious, but whose standard gauge sets are 50-105? I think all the different sets I've used in "standard" have been 45-105 (some variation on the A and D gauges), though I have wondered about experimenting with a heavier G on one or two of my basses.

Turned my hand to a bit of folk-blues and churned out an EP - somewhere between Ralph McTell and Tom Waits, if I do flatter myself: https://ralphbeeby.bandcamp.com/album/first-light

There's a lot to be said for this approach, as it's one thing the online shops can't really compete with! I do know a guy who had a workshop in Deptford and made most of his living doing setups, repairs and mods for people. In between this work, he made the most beautiful acoustic guitars - don't know how many he sold, but at nearly two grand a piece, he probably didn't need to shift them too regularly! Last I heard, he'd moved to Wiltshire, and business is still brisk. (If it takes off, there's nothing to stop you building up a stock of other companies' instruments and developing more of a regular shop onto the business, of course...)

Wouldn't surprise me. I remember reading an article about The Who which contained the eye-opening fact that for most of the '60s they were only getting something like 2% of the royalties their record company was collecting...which they later negotiated up to a princely 4%!

1. Do you prefer buying from a music shop or online shop? Typically, a shop. I'm very much a try-before-you-buy type when it comes to guitars; in fact I don't think I've bought a bass from a shop or second-hand without going and trying it first. (I did buy a Telecaster without plugging it in and testing it fully, but that's only because it was more convenient to meet Rumple in a boozer halfway between both of us.) I think the main thing is being able to decide whether I like the individual instrument - there's always a risk that a duff one has slipped through QC and it's easier to be able to quibble that with people in the shop, and maybe try another one. Similarly if it's not well set up, a good shop can do some basic tweaking before you take it away. As chris_b rightly points out above, having a strong online presence is also essential these days - I will confess to having bought pedals online without trying them! 2. Do you prefer to try before you buy? Yep! See above; I got a bit carried away with my first answer. 3. In your experience what is missing from most music stores you have visited? If you have the space: booths with amps in, so that I can have a conversation with staff without having to shout over the kid who's been sitting there for an hour trying to nail a riff in front of his mates. Also, employees who don't automatically assume that any women who go into the shop must be in there to buy something for a man - I think this is on the wane but I still hear stories from friends now and again... 4. How far would you travel to go to music shop London's a bit of an anomaly, because people will get a train in from miles away to visit Denmark Street, or the huge Galleries in Wembley. In terms of sheer bloody awkwardness and distance, I have, in years past, cadged a lift from Elephant & Castle to Guitar Village in Farnham and Anderton's in Guildford, if that helps! 5. What would attract you to a music shop ie range, price etc A good range is always nice - obviously you'll need some standard gear for your bread and butter, but people are likely to come back if you can put a few rarities in the window. Also, onsite set-ups and repairs are a real boon - one of the things I like about Wunjo (Denmark St) is that they always offered a couple of years' free service, and they've always honoured that on the couple of occasions one of my basses or guitars has needed it.

Hang on... "Original '50s / '60s / 70s"? Could this be an attempt to recreate the earlier success that Squier had with the Classic Vibe series? I agree with all the above points that Fender are basically damned if they do, damned if they don't. To wit, I've always thought it a pity that the Blacktop and Modern Player series seemed to sink without trace. I do wonder why they don't try a series that addresses some of the perceived problems with the original designs - a 5-string that doesn't divide opinion and actually gives them serious inroad into the ERB market; or a standard bridge which isn't just a BBOT (even Gibson seem to be moving away from the dreaded 3-point, for crying out loud...).

After a couple of years of playing fretless bass, I'm starting to consider the moving towards upright. The question I'm currently weighing up is: do I look for a cheap DB to begin with, or an EUB? I'm sure everybody has their own preferences, but I'm leaning towards EUB given my present circumstances: Reasons for an EUB: Takes up less space / easier to transport Easier to practise (mainly restricted to evenings whilst trying not to wake a sleeping baby) Any use in a band setting is likely to need amplification either way (at least judging by my current band) Maybe a safer bet price-wise (i.e., I think I can get a half-decent EUB for less money than a half-decent DB)? Reasons against: Won't feel the same as "the real thing" May have to dodge the minefield of EUBs which are actually just "perpendicular bass guitars" May receive disapproving tuts if I feel brave enough to bring it along to a Jazz jam night Am I completely barking up the wrong tree? Are there any other massively important pros or cons I've missed? I'm eyeing up one of those Stagg 3/4-size EUBs for context.

One of my favourites: slide guitar / pedal steel guitar One my least favourites: slide guitar / pedal steel guitar No, I haven't contradicted itself - it's all down to context, and how it's being used. Throughout the Blues, ranging from the acoustic fingerpickers in the Delta, via electric pioneers like Elmo' James through to modern exponents like Derek Trucks and Erja Lyytinnen, I love slide guitar in the context of Blues. Ditto pedal steel, not only a rarer gem on some Blues recordings, but also found adding layers of atmosphere to Dark Side of the Moon. But somehow - and I can't quite put my finger on what they do differently - take that shimmering slide playing to a Country ballad, and it sets my teeth on edge. Something about the way they seem determined to make it "whine" in between the singer's vocal phrases, I think.

Just to throw another cat into the pigeon coop: I've often toyed with the idea of having a BEAD bass, but then of course the next logical step is to consider a four that shifts in the opposite direction! Does anybody ever tune ADGC, or are we starting to get too close to baritone guitar territory by that point?

Might be going out on a limb here, but have you looked at one of Gibson's more recent designs? I know from experience that with the neck pickup soloed, my Thunderbird will do a pretty good "P-bass-on-steroids" approximation, and the more modern models tend to come with coil taps which might help you get a bit closer to that P/J sound. I'm pretty sure the 2013 and 2015 EB designs came with taps and, better still, were available as 5-strings. (I think they were both neck-through designs...)

I should probably add that my original post was a little tongue-in-cheek, and usually stems from being at blues jams and seeing a few guitarists' faces visibly fall when the singer says that he or she would like to do a song in Eb or F (and a few who blanch whenever any brass-friendly key is called)! To give some rock guitarists the benefit of the doubt, though: it is a much more heavily guitar-oriented genre, and there will be a lot of songs where something will sound a bit weird if you have to shift a distinctive riff or driving power chords seven-and-a-half tones further up the neck.

Just seven this year. With our guitarist relocating to Wales, and me having had a baby arrive in the household, it was quite difficult to do any more, to be honest. And if the usual parties start to complain next year, I shall remind them that - unusually for an originals band at our level - we were paid for all but one of those gigs!

That would require you to find a guitarist who'll voluntarily play in Eb - a very rare breed, in my experience!

It's a more expensive option than the MIM Jazz, but have you had a look into the Tony Franklin fretless Precision? To my mind it's the best fretless Fender make: the P pickup sounds wonderful, and the J pickup in the bridge is possibly the best of its kind I've come across. Thicker neck than the Jazz as well - definitely more of a Precision profile - and the unlined ebony board just looks wonderful! (Only drawback is they cost about four times as much...)

Presumably what you knew as The Bass Cellar is now Wunjo Bass - which has been relegated back to an underground location in the last couple of years. Nice folks in there; I've obviously been in there a bit too often as they seem to recognise me! Was the Jazz a black one with a white plate and a lined neck? There's an outside chance it may have belonged to me previously! Great basses either way. A bit surprised you didn't stumble across any Warwicks - my first fretless was a Warwick/Rockbass Corvette that I bought from Wunjo (and part-ex'ed for the aforementioned Jazz), and they also seemed to have one or two fretless Warwicks or RBs knocking about when I went in, usually buried among all the fretless 'rays.

There are probably as many singing coaches floating around YouTube as there are singers - it's worth having a look through a few and working out whether you like their material. I've not really delved into bass tuition videos for comparison, but what works well with some people is always likely to grate with others! Personally I've found Felicia Ricci's stuff very useful.

The logic of this suggestion might seem a little oblique, but what about using an electric fretless? That's what I've started doing for acoustic gigs. Obviously, you've got to balance the consensuses that: you'll probably have to plug in anyway; a decent acoustic BG with a good pickup is likely to be a sizable investment; and a normal electric bass is likely to receive a few disapproving tuts from some of the purists. Fretless basses can sit really nicely in a gentler acoustic setup. More importantly, those likely to care enough about you using an electric instrument are also more likely to notice if your bass guitar has no frets; if they can spot that difference then they're also more likely to know that it (usually) has a softer and less intrusive tone than a fretted bass, and perhaps give you the benefit of the doubt that you are at least making some concession to their pedantic acoustic purism. (Am I way off the mark here?)

May I try and outdo your own extension of your own analogy? I might suggest that it's more like saying, "you had all those shades of green in your paintbox. Why did you paint the entire forest in neon green?"