4000

Well spotted. She didn’t just play one bass!

She’s the reason I wanted a blue Ric. I used to have a big photobook by some photographer which had loads of live band photos; the Stiff tour, Ramones, Hawkwind, Yes, all kinds of stuff (not sure what happened to it and wish I could remember what it was so I could trace another copy). There were some pics of Gaye with her Azureglo Ric and that’s what I wanted from day 1, although it took me several years to get one in that colour and then several more to find an early 70s one in that colour with the features I love most.

Lissie. Again.

That’s because they (guitars and basses) are mainly being played by Indie/pop bands IME. Snow Patrol, Bombay Bicycle Club, Editors, Radiohead, Kasabian, Tame Impala, Warpaint, Etc Etc. Of course there are also Al Cisneros (recent signature model too) and the guy from Clutch. I always see quite a few at Glastonbury. The only things I see far more of are Fenders and Gibsons. I probably see about the same number of ‘Rays. I see far fewer Warwicks or Ibanezes, but I’m pretty sure loads of people still play them.

Most of my writing happens in my head. It’s then a case of translating that onto instruments/vocals. Instrument first is generally a last resort and suggests I’ve run out of ideas.😉 Assuming you can sing passably, then sing stuff. Melodies, bass lines, guitar parts etc. Then work out what you’ve sung.

Very nice, but that’s a lot of money.

Suzi certainly introduced my ten year old self to something, but it wasn’t the bass! I remember sitting there kind of speechless the first time I saw her. She was HOT and kind of badass, which made it even better. Fab voice and great records too.

With the exception of Burton, who wasn’t around when I started and was never an influence (never really liked Metallica either), they were mine too, along with Roger Glover and Glenn Hughes in Deep Purple (Made in Europe is a particular highlight), John Paul Jones, Mike Rutherford and JJ Burnel. Lemmy was first and foremost, particularly in Hawkwind. Geddy came a bit later, then Leigh Gorman & Stanley Clarke. Chris Squire is my fave, but I didn’t discover him til later. I didn’t want to be a bassist, but once it was decided, those were my go-tos. I should actually say Macca was my first influence, but it was subliminal and long before I started playing. I was also probably subliminally influenced by some of the jazz greats like Ray Brown, although I’m not sure it shows!

Can't stand either of them. Was always going to be a fail from me!

Every single mint bass I’ve ever had, bar three IIRC, has immediately been walked into a door/wall/fallen off a stand/had something fall on it, etc. So pristine doesn’t work for me, it’s a complete waste of time. I always liked worn guitars. Before I even started playing I thought Rory Gallagher’s guitar looked ace, and the first time I saw Jaco’s Jazz I thought it looked awesome. More to the point, I generally find that they feel better to play, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s psychological, who knows?

When I had my RW Jazz the first time I used it at rehearsal, the rest of the band commented how weak it sounded compared to my other basses (which all have 2 pickups), and they were right. Pickups weren’t out of phase, it just had no balls, whatever you did with the volumes. I did briefly contemplate changing pickups but it confirmed my previous experiences that I don’t get on with the ergonomics of a Jazz so I just sold it.

Pretty much same here really. I’m a writer who plays bass as my first instrument and guitar as my second.

Wow. I am not worthy. Fabulous!

That didn’t exist in my day. I was listening to heavy rock - NOT metal! - in the late 70s and I started playing at 17, in 1980. To me, Iron Maiden are a new band. Seriously! I remember the first time they were on top of the pops.

I wanted to be a drummer in my early/mid teens. My heroes were Buddy Rich and Phil Collins. Unfortunately my older brother, who had also wanted to play drums, had already tried and failed to get my parents to by him a drum kit, so I knew that wasn’t happening (my dad is a Jazz musician & obviously knew what he’d be letting himself in for). Then I saw Thin Lizzy live on the tv and decided it had to be guitar, like Scotty and Brian. Again, my dad being a Jazz muso wouldn’t help me out financially with a guitar but said he would if I chose bass. That coincided with the backing out of the proposed bassist (he didn’t have a bass either) from the proposed band (a drum kit and acoustic guitar between us!), so I decided to go for bass. I’d decided to go for the black Kay P Bass in my mum’s catalogue (looked a bit like Phil Lynott’s), but my dad reckoned that if I got a better quality instrument I’d be more likely to stick with it, so put in the extra to get me a brand new Jetglo Rick 4001, my dream bass (being a huge Motörhead, Hawkwind, Purple and Rush fan). Unfortunately that bass was stolen in about ‘86 from the band van in Hendon; TC915, if anyone has it or knows where it is. So being a bassist wasn’t even my 2nd choice! One thing I will say is I’d have liked to have learned piano and spent more time on theory and learning to read music. Fortunately - or unfortunately - I had very good ears so picked things up easily, so never put in the work I should’ve.

I sold my Wal Custom for £550, IIRC. Whilst I wouldn’t mind another, it wasn’t in the top 20 basses I’ve owned, so there’s no way I’d consider paying anything remotely like that much. In fact I wouldn’t considering paying over £2k, because for over £2k (and possibly less given Everson) I could buy a better bass (for me). I’d also much soon have another Pro II.

Behind the sofa, hanging out with Jesus.😉

Fixed. And speaking as someone who likes lots of metal and was one.😉

Nah. Vintage Rics. Ibby SR 5s have that spacing, but not the 4s.

😁 The one advantage most fives do have for me is narrower string spacing. Two of my 3 main fours have 16.5mm spacing (the other is 17mm), and very few fours are that close. I’ve often toyed with getting another 5 and then taking a string off, but I can’t find one I really like the sound of.

I’ve tended to arrange through a local Mailboxes Etc and they’ve always been very good, very helpful re the best shipping and insurance options. When I sold my Alembic they packed it and it ended up looking like the monolith from 2001!

That Zon is very nice indeed. The Fodera is a bit meh. I love the woods Alpher use, but the body shape is a disaster IMO.

That’s a very dark picture. Actually, honeyburst is one of my fave MM finishes. Brown? Kind of.