TrevorR

For me I think that whether a bass is cool (to me) or not is largely aesthetic and visual - and as such is irrational, inconsistent and purely personal. There are many basses I think are cool that I would never play as I find them uncomfortable or for one or another reason they just don't work for me. For example Ricky 4000 series basses. Love them, can't get on with them but till terribly cool. Thunderbirds, cool. Non reverse TBirds deeply uncool. I would probably find it easier to define elements that rule out coolness for me than define a cool formula... So Laklands bridges, modern style single cuts, really over extended upper horns, probably more than five strings and definitely more than 6, multi wood/colour fingerboards, never seen a Warwick I thought looked cool (their aesthetic just doesn't do it for me)... And a random host of others I'm sure.

Initially the result of a divorce, I understand... Mrs got the shop in Kew and Mr went off to set up his own new shop and repair busniess. Hadn't realised before that the head of the Kew repair workshop was the legendary Brinsley Schwarz though.

I guess for me it al depends on how you and the drummer are going to work together in that situation. If the drummer plays his fill as usual at the end of bar 8 and lands back in for the verse or chorue where he's supposed to then you'd do that together. If you think that you and he can have the eye contact and intuition to make a 9 bar solo work seamlessly then that's the way to go...

[i]"When Charvel first started, I went out there and saw a bunch of nice alder bodies, and I hung them on wires and tapped them until I found the one that really resonated. So I took that body to John and we made a bass out of it. It's kind of my Frankenstein.[/i] [i]"I've got first-generation EMG pickups on it. Also, I have two sets of Precision pickups, and I have them where Jazz pickups would've normally gone. But I reversed their position, which totally evens things out. In redoing the neck, we had to strip the frets off, and we ended up replacing them with mandolin wire, which is very small fret wire. We didn't know if it would work, but it turned out great. So that's been my main bass since about 1983."[/i] I've often wondered how Lee Sklar's Frankenstein Bass apporach would work... replacing the standard fret wide with the thinnest gauge mandolin wire you could find...

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1454065448' post='2965929'] IIRC Wal did something similar for a while... [/quote] Not as a standard offer. I just about do seem to recall someone did once order a half fretted neck as a special though...

I never realised he was a regular contributor. How cool. I had always wondered why he randomly was reviewing a bass for them. Explains it!

Hope you don't mind me posting here. A sort of Wal-based tribute to the late Jimmy Bain over on the Wal Bass History Blog... [url="http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/wal-pro-ii-bass-review-by-jimmy-bain-of.html"]http://walbasshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/wal-pro-ii-bass-review-by-jimmy-bain-of.html[/url]

Been watching this series on iPlayer... Music Moguls: Masters of Pop, 2. Melody Makers: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p039x53y via @bbciplayer Don't think that there's anything I've not seen before but it's a really diverting watch. First episode is Simon Napier Bell talking about the iconic music managers of the 60 and 70s etc. And then number two is about producers, with Nike Rodgers hosting. Great section where Visconti takes you though the multitrack of Heroes... Definitely worth checking out...

Hmmm... Sell my most expensive bass? Hmmm... It will have to be prised out of my cold dead fingers... ;-)

Yes, Charlie's was the other place I had in mind, not too far from me.

So my wife's acoustic guitar looked like this when I pulled it from the case the other day... Scarf joint is slowly giving up and the string tension was slowly pulling the joint apart. Should be eminently fixable. Anyone know a good repair in the Surrey area they would recommend. I don't know if Guitar Guitar or Andertons they regularly use? I suppose could take it to Paul at Wal but it would be a pain getting it to him and collecting it during the week. Anyone else to check out?

Only ever owned 4 strings... But then in 30 odd years of playing only ever owned 6 basses.

How could I have forgotten So and Hounds Of Love? And The Crossing. And Misplaced Childhood. Top 10 is now a Top 14 and counting...

Just saw this on Neil Murray's Facebook page. Such a shame. Really good player. RIP Jimmy.

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1453590990' post='2960948'] From Yellow Brick Road. absolutely love this album. Rocket Man is very special. [/quote] [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1453597256' post='2960993'] Donald's Night Fly. Love the walking bassline on this. its probably my favourite album of all time. [/quote] You're breaking you own rules now... I'll stick UK and published in the 80s though. Even that gives far too many to choose from to narrow it down to one. I've slimmed it right down to 10! Asia - Asia Yes - 90125 Capercaillie - Sidewalk ABC - Lexicon Of Love Genesis - Duke Gary Moore - The Wild Frontier Alan Parsons Project - Eye In The Sky & Gaudi ELO - Time Fairport Convention - In Real Time: Live '87

What? Kylie Minogue has issued a signature bass? Presume it's a short scale!

I suspect that they will have flown off the shelf faster than the database could cope with. Mine arrived today... Looking forward to stringing the bass up with them.

Whoops, hadn't spotted those... Moderators, please feel free to delete/preserve in perpetuity to my eternal ribbing and shame...

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/01/20/rock-legend-animal-dies-aged-66/

You could also do worse than read Steve Lawson's blogging on this topic in the social media age. http://www.stevelawson.net Also, obvious question, but what do you want to achieve through the promotion? Major record deal and then becoming the new Led Zeppelin, private jets, groupies and all...? Picking up some gigs? Regular but modest income from sales of music? Networking with likeminded musos for further music making? Showcasing your abilities for publishing interest, library music interest, session interest etc? Having somewhere online for fans to buy stuff? Just getting a kick out of others hearing and (hopefully) digging your music? Depending on how you answer that seemingly too basic question will affect the types of strategies which you use, the platforms you use and how you use them. It will also affect the difficulty/likelihood of achieving the desired outcome you have set for yourself...

An old Boss CE2-B that I've had for something like 20 or 25 years...

Ooh, I think we must have bought them all...

Oh cr*p!