Painy

I'll freely admit to being extremely jealous - of both the amp and the bass! I'll bet it sounds as good as it looks (which is to say pretty darn good).

Probably the EHX Bass Soul Food for me. Great sounding drive for very little money. Nuff said.

That's probably the first single cut I've seen that I've really liked the look of. Fortunately for my bank balance I think I'd feel just a bit too silly playing The Boys Are Back In Town on it on a Saturday night gig down at the Whippet Inn.

YES

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1451686546' post='2942558'] If it's the purple one... I doubt you'll like it much. It was my first overdrive for bass too and I was very disappointed at least. I'd recommend something like the EHX Bass Soul Food. It is not expensive (about £55-60 new) and is good at the low gain overdrive sounds (but would do higher gain ones too). The Danelectro Transparent Overdrive is cheaper (£35-40 new), and *can* give you some very good sounds if you take your time to work with it. It has a 2-band EQ that ensures you don't lose bottom end - a common problem on overdrives when used with bass unless designed for bass. But I'm talking about the CTO-1, the first version. The second version, available these days, is a little different and I don't know what it would be like with bass. The Digitech Bad Monkey also has the 2-band EQ and can be made to produce some decent sounds. I prefer the Danelectro, but these may be easier to find (used, I don't think it's in production anymore) and sub £30 too. I'd look for a used Bass Soul Food, personally. By the way, the youtube demos don't do a good job showing off this pedal, they don't really show low gain sounds, and even the higher gain ones can sound a lot better (to my ears!) than the tones they choose on the videos... but maybe that's just my taste. I just wanted to emphasise that it does a wide range of sounds, and my favourite ones are not on those videos. [/quote] Pretty much exactly this - especially the Bass Soul Food. Wouldn't be without mine.

I got 9 too

I used to sight read when I played piano as a young kid but lost it completely when I gave up playing (my dad, who was a professional piano tutor, taught me from 4 years old until my parents split up when I was 8). By the time I started playing bass at 14 I'd pretty much forgotten how to read altogether so I've always played by ear or used tab. This year I plan to work on getting my sight reading back up to speed (with the added bonus of being able to focus on the bass clef) and to really brush up on my theory along the way.

Just shed a tear.

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1450768589' post='2935571'] I'm liking the idea of the Countryman 6-string acoustic novelty planter. [/quote] I'll put some pictures up one it's in flower or in bloom or whatever the expression is !

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1421926075' post='2666612'] 9 months on and its all change for me. Still want the new hardware and setup for my Warwick. New bass wise though it's all about passive Ps and Js for me now for some reason. This weekend I'm heading to PMT in Norwich to try out a Squier VM Precision V against a Fender Modern Player Jazz V and hopefully one of them will be coming home with me! The picks , I'm happy to report, I did get half a dozen of and given that they're used on just 2 songs out of our set I expect them to last a good while too. [/quote] Nearly a year later on this time! I've now given up on the idea of sorting out my Warwick and its just gathering dust as I've fully converted to using passive basses now. I tried both the basses that weekend and loved both but ended up buying the Jazz which I do still love but soon realised that I do need a precision in my life too so I've been gassing for the Squier VM P5 since then! Fortunately I should be finally getting one in the new year once I've fulfilled my other current major gas - a new amp and cabs (Aguilar goodness here I come)! I still have most of the picks.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1450184740' post='2930334'] I can't comment on basses but my guitarist loves his thinline telecaster copy and users it regularly in his pro band. Well constructed, light as a feather, cheap as chips and sounds great [/quote] Same with our lead vox/rhythm guitarist and his Vintage Les Paul Custom. He's been looking for a 'proper' Gibson for about 2 years now and has around £3000 to play with but still hasn't been able to find one that he prefers to his Vintage!

Well I like it

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1450543377' post='2933799'] Congratulations on a fine sounding year. Fortune favours the bold! I have a Countryman fretted Ukeleke bass. My experience is that the intonation leaves a lot to be desired. With no truss rod or bridge adjustments possible you're pretty much stuck with it. My advice would be hold out for a higher quality instrument. [/quote] I have no idea about their uke basses but I have a Countryman 6 string electro-acoustic. I'm considering filling it with soil in the spring and using it in the garden as a novelty planter.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1450434587' post='2932706'] I always have both controls wide open on a passive P-Bass, so get whatever the pickup has got to give - then I EQ from the amp. A passive tone control is a treble cut, it doesn't 'add' bass, so in effect you're missing something. [/quote] Definitely this. I've always found the sound with the tone rolled off on any passive bass to be more muffled and indistinct with less punch rather than fatter or deeper.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1450388484' post='2932387'] No mention yet of Stop the Cavalry? Hearing that is my cue to start feeling Christmassy... and I haven't heard it yet this year! [/quote] +1 I'm also rather fond of Monty Python's Christmas In Heaven.

About 15 years ago I went to see Glenn Hughes play at the London Astoria 2. Awesome gig, his voice was amazing and the Vigier bass he played sounded immense. After the gig I went to the merchandise stand, as you do, and they were selling his new charity Christmas album so thought I'd give it a punt. It was not what I expected! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-bk85AUA1iA I can imagine the conversation that lead to this being made:- JJ Marsh - Hey Glenn, why don't you do a Christmas album? Glenn Hughes - That's a great idea! JJ Marsh - You could do it in a funky hard rock style. Glenn Hughes - Or even better, I could make it sound like the soundtrack to a 70s porn film! JJ Marsh - Idiot!

[quote name='Davo-London' timestamp='1450129786' post='2929950'] There is no BEST. Please let's not do this. What follows is my experience of 40 years of Precision ownership. I am not an expert - just a player. I'm expressing my opinion. There is no need to flame it. 1951-57 Original Precision - the real thing in terms of truly the original Fender. This is the bass that Sting plays. Never heard anyone complain about the single single-coil pickup but that is a drawback in terms of potential for hum. The original bodies did not have cutaways and so may not be as comfortable as later versions. The bridge is also somewhat basic but again not really complained about. 1957-1959/60 Precision as we know it today in terms of shape and cutaways. Maple neck throughout and either ash or alder bodies AFAIK. Nice era to collect and great choice if you prefer maple necks. 1960-1964 (Pre-CBS) Precision was predominately Alder body and Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard (except blond finish, which had an Ash body). Some would say the most collectable era of Precision and usually the most expensive to buy - however, priced significantly lower than the Jazzes of this era, making the Precisions quite reasonably priced IMHO. The necks tended to be slimmer from back to front than the 50's and the later Precisions. I have a real soft spot for these Precisions and the price reflect the playability and collectability of this era. 1965 Fender sold to CBS 1965-1969 Precisions tended to look like their pre-CBS cousins and for a while at least had similar components making the 1965s and 1966s a bit of a bargain. However, Brazilian rosewood was replaced by Indian Rosewood and the general consensus was that the quality started to go down as production went up! I've found the necks to be thicker (back to front) that the pre-CBS cousins but that could be just my experience. 1970-1979 Precisions were a very mixed bag. I have a '76 I bought from new and it weighs nearly 10 lbs. The bridge was in the wrong place and there were body gaps etc etc. The bodies were mostly ash and the necks mostly maple in this period. The quality definitely went down hill during this decade but there are some really good ones and hopefully you'll get to try one. Definitely heavier basses when compared to 60's basses. 1980's Precisions were slowly improving in quality but generally not as good as post 90's basses. Neither old enough to be collectable or young enough to be desirable is one way of looking at them. Actually if you were looking for an 80's Precision I would buy a MIJ. Starting with a Squier model and then regular Fenders these were well made and starting to be sought-after. Japanese necks were exceptional IMHO and the models/colours tend to be different to the USA models - so some good ones to search for. 1990's - 2010's Precisions are not my era but the quality is back where it should be, so this is a safe era to buy from. Key decisions are: a) collectable or not? alder or ash body? c) rosewood or maple neck? d) PRICE! Plus I haven't even mentioned all the signature models and MIM etc etc. Davo [/quote] Brilliant synopsis of the key eras of the Fender P! It's only in the last couple of years that I've come to appreciate the humble p-bass having spent the best part of 20 years before that deriding them as boring and unsophisticated (even referring to them as scaffolding planks with wires nailed on)! Loving precisions these days of course but a bit late to the party so a reference like this, all in one place, is really interesting and useful, thanks!

I thought Limelight has stopped putting the Fender headstock logos on now or did you have to add it yourself? Looks stunning by the way and its tort for me too.

[quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1449927469' post='2928062'] Yep i liked his playing also and lets not forget singing as well, how many of you can do that ??? its not easy. [/quote] I sing (mainly backing and harmonies) and play and have done for nearly 20 years now but the first song I ever learned to sing and play together was Lady Madonna! The fairly busy riff and then all those octaves jumping around all over the neck was challenging enough for me to play at the standard I was at at the time but singing along was a whole new level of difficulty. I've had a certain amount of respect for him ever since.

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1449876995' post='2927781'] Can you compare The Eiffel Tower with a packet of dried apricots? [/quote] Well for a start I'd say the Eiffel Tower is considerably taller......

I'm on an android phone which isn't letting me view imbedded videos at the moment so not sure if anyone has posted up My Friend of Misery by Metallica yet? Simple but very atmospheric and I've personally always quite liked the bass tone too.

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1449792829' post='2927022'] That's insane! Do you get to meet these guys? Hook a fellow BC'er up [/quote] Sadly I've never managed to meet them myself.

[quote name='40hz' timestamp='1449788827' post='2926983'] Moony used to own the pub I drink in back in the 60's! [/quote] Hah, I can beat that claim to fame My stepmum used to manage their official fan club back in the late 60s through into the 70s and still speaks to Roger Daltrey on the phone occasionally. She also has everything they released on vinyl up until Keith's death signed by the whole band! Her old photo albums are pretty impressive too and she really knows how to name drop. I remember when I played a CD of my band's first recording to my dad many years ago, she came through from the kitchen when our version of 20th Century Boy came on and just came out with "I know that one, it's T-Rex. Marc Bolan was one of my best friends"!

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1449785242' post='2926917'] interesting! The Beatles were certainly world class harmonizers, and they have great voices on their own, but I think The Who have better voices and harmonize just as well in my opinion. Townshend for me has a serially underrated voice, as does John Entwistle, who has the best vocal range out of the whole band. Listen to his falsetto when they play See Me, Feel Me at Woodstock, then compare that two My Wife from Who's Next merely two years later. I even like Roger's vocals pre-Tommy even before he developed that trademark roar, but obviously Roger's voice Tommy and onwards is his best [/quote] With you all the way there. JE's voice on The Quiet One is, in my opinion, good enough to front just about any rock band you'd care to mention and PT's vocal on I'm One is really pure and haunting. For a group effort the performance on the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is a pretty good example too.

Well I'm a massive fan of the The Who and JE is my all time favourite bass player but there's no question that the Beatles vocals and the way they interacted were pretty special. For me though it's the raw power of Roger Daltrey's voice out in front that edges it.