FinnDave

My best purchase of the year has to be the TE Elf I bought to enable me to rehearse outdoors (with battery & inverter) during the summer. Brilliant little amp, incredibly tiny but doesn't sound that way. I used it (with Barefaced Super Compact) for the one paid gig I was able to do between lockdowns. Worst purchase - not in terms of what I bought but the result of a complete of thinking was shelling out close to two grand for a Sandberg Panther special at the beginning of January which I have played twice since buying it - one rehearsal and one gig (in February, pre-lockdown). It's a lovely bass, but I can't play it without remembering how much it cost me, and that puts me right off. I've mostly played my Epiphone Jack Casady this year, bought new to still cost about one quarter of what I paid for the Sandberg.

My Supertwin (serial number S001 - first off the line) and ABM 600 have been sitting in our front room under their Roqsolid covers since May 2019. All the gigs I've played since then have been with the Rootmaster 800 & Super Compact (except one where I used my Elf & the SC). If I can bring myself to part with the first Super Twin, which I have owned from new and collected from Brighton myself, then the amp and cab will be up for sale before too long. There just isn't space in the house for gear that doesn't get used.

Most* of my amplification is the result of a collaboration between Barefaced and Ashdown - they just didn't realise it at the time. Two Ashdown heads and two Barefaced cabs. That's probably one too many of each, but they're like family now. *my guilty secret is a TE Elf I keep in my gig bag as a backup amp - though I have used it as my only amp through a Super Compact. A Super Compact based combo would be of interest though...

I've got a sort-of gig this afternoon. Four of us in a field videoing a few songs for a local music festival that has gone virtual for this year. I wasn't too encouraged by having to scrape the ice off the windscreen before driving this morning!

Albert Lee is just wonderful - only seen him the once, standing in the shadows at a BBC In Concert recording of Richard Thomson. I could hear all this wonderful guitar work and there was a chap with a mess of hair and big grin standing in the shadows by the amps, who looked just like Albert Lee - and and then RT announced him. Nearly 40 years ago, but a wonderful gig.

I'm on my third one of these - all have been gold tops. First two were bought used, but were sold on when times were hard. The most recent was bought new earlier this year, so hasn't seen any gigs yet (except a few unofficial gigs in an Oxford park) but has been my bass of choice for rehearsals and general mucking about at home. I last used it at yesterday's rehearsal. I take this £500 bass rather than any of my Fenders or my Sandberg Panther - which has made me question the sense of keeping several thousand pounds worth of basses when I don't use them.

I have several Fenders (mostly Mex, one US Precison) and an expensive Sandberg - but the only one I have played at home or taken out to play (we rehearse out doors on Sundays - and will be doing so this afternoon) is my Epiphone Jack Casady bass - cheapest one in my stable. In fact, I am playing it while typing this post, just running through a few things for this afternoon!

Yes, the characteristics of the bass's tone are there on the recording, there's an almost fretless sound to it at times - but those are steel rounds played with a 3mm pick! I'll have to get it off the wall and play it again - something I haven't done for months.

Thank you - in truth, about 80% of Phil's bass playing is fairly conventional, but that gets ignored as the other 20% is just so weird, yet so right. The Grateful Dudes are a wonderful band, but I left a month or two ago as I simply didn't have enough time left for other musical and non-musical projects. I'm still playing the Dead, but with a local band (Franklin's Tower) and having a lot of fun in the process. All things must change.

I'll get myself drunk and then negotiate a good discount with myself - and I'll get it in writing!

I have two gigs booked for 2021, with two different bands. With the whole year to choose from, I'm supposed to be playing the Thursday eleven to midnight slot at a festival in Kent, then return to Oxford that night (it's about 135 miles - played there before). The following day I have to be bright eyed, etc. and drive the somewhat shorter distance to Chippenham in Wiltshire to attend a wedding, then play at the wedding party on the Saturday. On the plus side, I should get paid well for the wedding. In fact I could be paid a huge amount of money. The only problem is that I'll be paying myself - it's my daughter's wedding!

Well, I do have three at the moment, and one wasn't bought, but was swapped for an Ibanez six, so maybe it could go instead...

Yes, just listening to the one gig I played with it to find some examples for Al and the tone impressed me all over again, damn… It's more about space than money, but I could be heartless and get rid of a Jazz bass (or two!). Decisions, decisions...

Not much I can say about the Panther, as I haven't played it much. Not a lot of space in my home practice room and it cost too much to risk getting dings in the headstock. The Ibbys are all gone, one was sold and the other swapped for a Jazz bass - basically, gave up on the six strings and went back to four a year ago. I'll weigh the Panther for you when I find my scales - but the one gig I played with it was over 2 1/2 hours long and it wasn't causing any shoulder or back problems. The tone is wonderful, especially the 'singing' quality of the higher strings - but I don't want to think about that or I'll talk myself out of selling it! Main reason it has to go is space and money - plus I've left the band I was playing larger gigs with and it's over the top for a few festivals and small local shows. Don't think there are any videos of me with this bass, but there is an audio of the only gig I ever payed with it - this might be a good example of the bass's tone - but remember I use a pick due a hand injury, so it might not be quite as fluent as some players. Probably best to skip the verses and start at about 3'30 in, the long instrumental starts there. https://thegratefuldudes.bandcamp.com/track/dancing-in-the-streets some reasonably audible bass on this as well: https://thegratefuldudes.bandcamp.com/track/scarlet-begonias-6

I'd go for the four string, Al. I happen to know of one for sale!

Good try Dave - takes me back, but not sure I don't prefer being were I am, really.

That's more generous than I would be towards Yes, PF, Rush, etc. Each to their own, we like what we like and dislike what we dislike. Hard to imagine a piece of music that everyone likes.

Which just goes to show it takes all sorts - thank goodness! How dull life would be if we all liked the same things.

Various people have tried over the years to help me to understand the appeal of Yes, Rush, Genesis, Pink Floyd and their ilk, but without success. All I hear is notes and drums, all very accomplished but utterly lacking any feel or passion to my ears. Now, the Grateful Dead, on the other hand have swing and humility in their music, sadly lacking in the above, as far as I am concerned.

I've been rehearsing every week for the last few months, and we enjoy that enough to keep going - even with no gigs on the horizon. But we have been rehearsing outdoors using battery powered amps, so far the weather has been kind to us, but we are not sure what we'll do when it gets too cold and wet to stand in a field anymore. Hopefully, there'll be a suitably large indoor space for us to keep apart. We're a six piece, two of the people in the band have had C 19 and don't want to see anyone else suffer from it, and another is a GP, and so takes social distancing, etc. seriously.

Still gigging I can accept, but picking up the pieces and starting again in 2023 might not be so easy.

I'll turn 66 in 2023, if that's when we can start gigging again, I might as well start selling up now!

Steve H. played that when I saw him last November - still sounds good