Doctor J

I don’t see the merit of additional stress on the neck so I would vote “Supported from the derrière up” were it available.

The list had lots of technically superb players of selective appeal but omitted lots of bassists whose playing has communicated to the masses. Is greatness playing lots of notes gracefully and with sublime skill or is it playing something which resonates in the hearts of millions all over the world?

I had a 3 band Stingray before and, to get the best out of it, I always felt a little mid-boost was required. Personally, I would set the input gain on the amp to just below where it’s starting to clip, set all the amp EQ to flat and use that as a starting point. I always find amps sound best with the input gain set that way. Then, a subtle mid-boost on the bass with a gentle roll-off of some treble and follow your ears from there.

Bernard Edwards also used a BC Rich Eagle during Chic’s metal phase.

It's fine. Your pickup functions as a magnetic pickup in the normal way all the time, they just usually have a lot less coils than passive pickups and are far less prone to picking up background noise as a result. It contains an active pre-amp which boosts the output level to roughly what we accept as a standard. When the battery is flat or disconnected, it's only the pre-amp which stops working. A vibrating string over magnet and coils will still generate a quiet signal and that's what you're experiencing. Edit -> Think of them as really, really low output pickups with an active circuit used to bring them up to an acceptable output level.

And everyone should SFA’s Welsh material a go

This would be a banger in any language Shouty punk is fantastic aus Deutsch.

Unloftify it and hang it on a wall. That is art as much as it is an instrument. It should been if not heard.

Sounds like sheeet

New players who use Rotos on their 50 year old instruments?

I wouldn't say there is a metal uniform (outside of a black t-shirt and jeans, of course) when it comes to instruments. I think for every radical new instrument you see there will always be someone with a P or a J or a Strat or a Les Paul. Metal seems happy for the new and the old to co-exist, however, in ways that you don't see in a lot of other genres. Would Guigsy (insert alternate mainstream band bassist as applicable) have played a Dingwall? I'd say that's unlikely. Dingwall are right to promote themselves in that market because it will work for them. Outside of metal you could argue that session guys and jazz cats might get away with them but, elsewhere, they might struggle to be accepted alongside or in place of the instruments the player's grandad's might have played. Let's not forget the recent kerfuffle over a particular Jackson guitar 😉

The P-bass-‘n’-flats crew aren’t going to go for a Dingwall no matter what it looks like. Rock and metal bands tend to be a little less... let’s say “precious” about the aesthetics of the instrument compared to a lot of genres where conservatism has become the uniform.

A Bongo is one hell of a start, very nice.

I'm stuck on 37 😵

Those early 90’s Eggles are great guitars. The BC collective have great taste.

Indeed. I saw he had a really nice wenge-necked guitar in stock in the webshop a few years ago, which I lusted after, but I didn’t have the funds at the time.

Very, very nice.

Forgiveness, please Eggle TI Legend - their short lived Iommi model based on the Berlin One of two Warmoth-necked, reverse headstock strat home-builds tuned down to B Bacchus old strat replica - can’t remember the model but a really nice vintage strat replica Bacchus G Player - very tasty strat in white-burst The other Warmoth-necked, reverse headstock strat home-build tuned down to B Bacchus Empire - twin humbuckers, Floyd, superstrat heaven Hamer Centaura - another really nice superstrat Steinberger GR4 - Newburgh era. Violated by the previous owner but such a nice player Bacchus Duke Master - Dual P90 oil finished LP Tokai ES130 - MIJ 335 style

A lot of my most recent gigs have been on guitar, sadly. I have Eggle TI Legend - their short lived Iommi model based on the Berlin Bacchus Empire - twin humbuckers, Floyd, superstrat heaven Bacchus G Player - very tasty strat Bacchus old strat replica - can’t remember the model but a really nice vintage strat replica Hamer Centaura - another really nice superstrat, this one HSS Bacchus Duke Master - Dual P90 oil finished LP Tokai ES130 - MIJ 335 style Steinberger GR4 - Newburgh era plus a couple of Warmoth-necked, reverse headstock strat home-builds tuned down to B. One is SSS and one has just a single humbucker.

My ESP 400 Series became triple-stacked a few years ago when I added a Noll TCM-3 to it. It’s now vol (top) + pickup blend (bottom) bass + treble cut and boost mid cut and boost + passive tone (activated by the volume knob being a stacked push-pull pot)

EBMM used poplar quite extensively for a while on solid coloured instruments, IIRC. You don’t hear of people complaining about their poplar Stingrays - in fact, I’d say lots of people don’t know they have have a poplar ‘Ray and can’t hear any difference. It’s a fine wood. I have a poplar-bodied Charvel JP which is a nice instrument for sure.

Are the pole pieces exposed at the bottom of the pickup? Run a strip of copper tape along the poles, solder a wire to it and earth the other end.

Surely the quality of the instrument is the important bit rather than some ill-conceived negative bias against far-Eastern manufacture? Remember when Japanese instruments were looked down upon? I’m sure even Indonesians can build high quality instruments given the appropriate platform to do so.

As someone who has a lot of basses, it pains me to agree with this. If you already gave a great Stingray, play the bejesus out of it and enjoy it. I never understand having multiples of the same bass. You’ll always have one which, in your mind, is inferior to the other. Get a great one, be happy, success!

01 Ever played a gig sitting down? Yes, I was drumming. It all looks very different sitting down at the back. I also played a gig where there guitarist was so heavily... let’s say, sedated, he came up to me shortly before we started and said “I can’t feel my hands!” and he played the gig slumped over on a stool. 02 Ever gigged on a different instrument? Yes, drums and guitar as well as bass gigs. 03 Ever shared a stage with a musical hero of yours? John Earle 04 Any fan ever had a tatoo of your band's logo? I hope not 05 Ever signed an autograph in a dressing room? Yes, for the singer at my first gig with a new band. Awkward. 06 Ever cried on stage? I felt like it when the singer walked halfway through a set but I was quite adequately sedated 07 Ever worn a hat on stage? No, but did gig in a kilt once 08 Ever gigged with a band you hadn't met before the gig? No, we had met at my only rehearsal with then during the afternoon of the gig where I learned their set 09 Ever been in a relationship with a fellow band member? Only platonic ones 10 Ever played in different bands on the same day? Yes 11 Ever had anything thrown at you while playing? Yes, thankfully it was a bra 12 Ever crashed on the way to the gig? Nope 13 Ever left a band over the choice of set list? Not explicitly, but I play original music so musical differences feed into this 14 Ever slept in the venue despite it not being a hotel? Nope 15 Ever been supported by a band clearly better than you? Hell yes 16 Ever played a gig suffering from some debilitating medical condition? Only chronic stage fright 17 Ever been in a band where the guitarist was your favourite bandmate? Yes, most of the time I get on very well with them 18 Ever played in the grounds of a stately home? I don’t think so 19 Ever injured yourself on stage? Nothing which stopped me playing 20 Ever been told that your bass isn't loud enough? Several times. I don’t believe in being loud on stage, it’s counter-productive