Old Man Riva

Some cracking stuff has been released on Acid Jazz, though worth noting that Acid Jazz records was founded by Gilles Peterson and Eddie Piller, and not James Taylor. Eddie Piller helped Jay Kay in the early years, and (a version of) this track was originally released on Acid Jazz before being re-released on Sony…

Wilton Felder on bass…

Aye, Walshy’s great to deal with…

Three experiences with vintage dealers over the years - these are dedicated vintage-focused operators, rather than someone stocking vintage basses as part of a broader offering. A ‘62 Precision sold with a split in the fretboard at the first fret - “it’s just the grain”. It turned out that there was a problem with the truss rod, and the fretboard had fractured. A ‘64 Jazz that had a protruding fret - “we’ll just our tech to tap it down, no problem”. It turned out there were larger neck problems and the fretboard had previously been repaired. A ‘62 Precision being sold as “completely original”. I asked for the store to provide images of the neck/date stamp and any other dating examples (body etc.). “No way. It’s never been taken apart and I’m not disturbing it now”. Bearing in mind the same operator had previously sold a guitar to someone I know which was returned/refunded due to there being ‘inconsistencies’ with the description, and what was modded and what wasn’t. If I ever were in the market for a vintage instrument again the only people I would deal with would be Andy Baxter and David Pym, though I’m not sure the latter is still involved in selling instruments. It’s such a minefield, and to echo what Burns Bass has said, the more navel gazing done on here and knowledge/experiences shared (even if sometimes we don’t always get it right!) the better…

Think that might have been Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz?

I couldn’t agree more. Summed up in a better way than I ever could! Visconti’s 2005 mix lost some of Herbie’s presence, so it’s the original album for me every time. I also love that Herbie was at the forefront of the band revolt regarding them not being told beforehand they were recording the gig for a live record - Bowie, and his then manager Tony Defries, wanted to pay the band the union rate of $70 for the recording, whereas Herbie demanded (and got!) $5000 apiece for the group. Bowie was fuming. Herbie Flowers: Fabulous musician; wonderful human being, and man of the people!

Whilst the album itself has often received lukewarm reviews, Herbie’s performance on David Live is a masterclass in bass playing, imho. If I had to choose one desert island album for its bass playing it would be that one - it’s got everything. A wonderful musician, and so influential…

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He comes across as such a lovely (and talented!) guy. A really enjoyable interview. Thanks for sharing!

Completely understand and agree. In my experience, I’ve found there to be a real sense of community on here, especially prevalent in the marketplace. Other than one very rare occasion, my experience of buying/selling on BC has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve been genuinely touched over time by people’s generosity and community spirit. It’s a real shame if contributors such as yourself are now reluctant to sell due to the potential that the purchaser’s sole motivation is to make a fast buck, but I completely understand your reluctance. I’m of the view that most people’s intentions are positive, and if not, well, it’s on them… Anyway, not to derail the thread any further… what’s the best/worst vintage Fender you’ve ever played?!

I suppose there’s also the possibility that someone bought it on here in good faith, realised it wasn’t for them and traded it in for something at Bass Bros? I did similar with a vintage bass on here that I had for a few months and didn’t properly get on with, and ended up ‘trading up’ for a more expensive bass at Andy Baxter. Having said that, I can’t recall ever making a profit on any instrument I’ve moved on, so am probably not in the best position to comment!

In my experience it was less about Fender QC at the time and more about there being a different narrative around basses (active p/ups etc.) and the opportunity to mod basses in a fairly straightforward way off the shelf. There was a lot of talk about sustain, and how a brass nut and a high mass bridge would lead to a note lingering around for days (“the sustain, listen to it”). I had an early Fender Squier P bass, which was then modded with a brass nut, Schaller bridge and EMG p/ups, which, quite honestly, I couldn’t really tell if it sounded better before or after! Would’ve been better off buying a Westone!

Brass nut? Check. Schaller bridge? Check. EMGs? Check Welcome to 1980s bass mods! No instrument too good to devalue, no money too hard earned to waste (though the EMGs were ace)!

Indeed. This is my ‘73 Jazz. The original owner (who sold it to me in the early 80s) had already changed the p/ups and had cream coloured DiMarzios fitted by the time I had it. As was the thing at the time I then decided that having EMGs installed would be the game changer that would obviously elevate my playing to another level (it really didn’t, though the bass sounded great!). Whilst the routing isn’t quite as rounded as Brian’s example, it’s still a world away from what it would have been originally…

Sold a Wilcock Mullarkey to Simon. He was an absolute pleasure to deal with. He came over to Loughton and tried the bass, and we ended up chatting for ages about bass and music in general - finding out we had a few mutual friends along the way! A great guy to deal with, and an absolute gent…

Apologies, I hadn’t realised that, and wasn’t aware of any backstory. It popped up on my YouTube feed, and thought I’d share. Was posting solely for the Freddie content, but happy for it to be removed if it’s inappropriate…

… always thought this had an understated groove.

This popped up on YouTube yesterday and is well worth a watch. The interviewer, Mason Marangella, is the owner of a company called Vertex Effects, and the channel does a really interesting blend of effect demos and also carries some really good/interesting interviews with musicians - this Freddie Washington one is great! Freddie talks about (and plays along to) tracks from various points in his career - amongst others; Herbie Hancock, Phil Collins, his time with Michael Jackson, Anita Baker, and of course, Patrice Rushen. There’s also a really nice reminiscing section at the end! Amongst many high points, for me, is the play-through of Sweet Love, by Anita Baker. His line, and playing, are a masterclass in note choice, feel and (quite often overlooked) note length… Enjoy!

Fantastic! And he still looks effortlessly cool…

I’ve watched this a couple of times now and have really enjoyed it so thought I’d share with the BC community! I think Ian Allison really gets the best out of the guests on the channel, and this is no exception. As for Tim Lefebvre, I think he’s all-round fabulous. This interview covers, amongst other things, Knower, Bowie (again), Tedeschi Trucks, and some sound advice (and examples) of what happens, and what to do, when you mess up in the studio/on stage - it happens to the best of them! Well worth a watch…

Thank you!

Yes, the B-15 sounds great. It’s one of the reissues they did in around 2010 (I think). The inputs have a 1964 voicing and a 1966 voicing - the ‘66 has a bigger output, and has more of a treble bias. Really nice for the tic-tac plectrum sound, but I prefer the warmer ‘64 channel myself. I was having a late night browse for gear on the internet and by chance stumbled across a used one that had just come in at Guitar Guitar (of all places). I phoned them first thing in the morning and they had it shipped to the closest store at the time in Epsom. I had a Mini at the time, and the Ampeg weighs an absolute ton, so trying to get the bloody thing into the car whilst half the shop stood watching was fun, to say the least! Anyway, it was well worth the effort!

I’ve a ‘66 Jazz (on the left in the pic) that’s similar to what you’ve described. Hardware etc. from ‘66, with a ‘65 (October) neck…