4000

I have a similar problem in shops. I recently played an Epi TBird in PMT. You could have driven a bus under the strings. I remember the first time I went to the Bass Gallery (then just The Gallery) back in ‘96. They didn’t have anything like the stock they have now - the shop was much smaller for a start - but I could play everything! It was bliss!

What is "better" tone? Obviously that works for them, but not everyone is the same. You could just as easily argue that Entwistle and Flea prefer very low action. Plus, it depends what tone you like. I like some buzz because I like a really gritty tone and I play very lightly so low action helps achieve that. I'm more from the Entwistle /Squire school of tone. I suspect Patitucci is after a different tone to me; plus, he plays upright too, so I imagine he's far more used to high action.

This is true, but also if you have a completely straight neck you will likely need to raise the nut a tad. FWIW I play all over the neck in equal measure.

It absolutely IS possible to have an action like that on a wood neck. Most of the many basses I’ve owned have had an action of 1mm 12th fret E at some stage in their lives, although these days I tend to have it around 2mm 12th fret E, 1-1.5mm 12th fret G.

Because they sound different to a bass. They sound HUGE. If you haven't listened to Yes or Genesis, go and listen to them.

Matt Garrison live.

I'm going too. I like Nick Beggs, great player, but I prefer Pomeroy in this situation.

I found exactly the opposite. As I’ve said elsewhere, the actual sounds used in a band are a huge part of what I like about the music. Change the sounds, for me you change the music. Plus Hackett’s band, particularly Nick Beggs and the drummer, weren’t necessarily playing the exact parts. For me that’s a complete no-no.

You must have heard Genesis and Yes, surely? A friend who builds his own keyboards is supposed to be looking at building a Taurus setup for me at some point in the future, if he ever gets chance. He reckons about £100. Fingers crossed!

The support for the Staves was a nice surprise. Matilda Mann; had never heard of her. Obviously very young but also a lovely voice and very nice material. Unfortunately her most memorable song won't get past the swear filter!

I thought the Musical Box were far more authentic the times I've seen them. When I last saw Hackett it was basically a bunch of guys playing Genesis songs, but not really sounding exactly like Genesis, although in both cases it may depend on who is playing in each band. I'm afraid that I always prefer authenticity when it comes to my favourite bands. I don't want to hear someone playing Supper's Ready unless it sounds EXACTLY like Genesis. Although just to muddy the waters I prefer the Seconds Out version to the Foxtrot version, probably because I heard it first. To me, it has far more power and emotion.

The Staves at Gorilla. Absolutely frickin’ marvellous.

Er, no. I absolutely wouldn’t. For me, that’s like saying would I get by if I stopped breathing.😉

I love the look of roasted maple.

With Fenders, I’ve tended to find, with no inherent bias either way, that I prefer the sound of maple boards. I also find them easier to see when I am in low light (yes, I do look at the board quite a bit, one of my failings). I’ve also often found that many basses with ebony boards - of which I’ve had several - seem to have a clackiness that isn’t my preference. Of course there could be other factors, for instance they’ve all been active, but even acoustically it seems to be there. I think it entirely depends on the bass though. One bad experience I had with my Squier P (Rosewood board) was the venue had a pink light in the mix and whenever it came on my fretmarkers, front and side, completely disappeared. As I wasn’t that familiar with the bass at the time it really put me off. I don’t know why the rosewood boards don’t all have separate black side markers a la the Nate Mendel.

Sorry to hear this. Weirdly, Rics are some of the only basses that don’t do this to me, possibly because I learned to play on them and adjusted accordingly. Anything with a big forearm contour absolutely wrecks me. In fact I even experienced the same thing the last time I played a Spector, which you wouldn’t think possible.

The Staves. Would have been Lana Del Rey, but she stood me up.

Babymetal at Manchester Apollo. Epic.

Only 94? I was hoping for 6 figures!😉

See above.😉

Who feels threatened? I grew up listening to Jazz. You know, people considered Jazz greats. Plus a fair bit of classical. I also love Return To Forever and Mahavishnu. Because they have some passion. Clear enough?

I love Jazz. I grew up with Jazz. I don’t like SD.

I know where my buckeye Sei is but unfortunately for me the nice chap who currently has it has far more sense than I did and doesn’t want to sell.