ezbass

It seems you have an in house fix already. However, I think I possibly see your dilemma. Then again, maybe I don’t. Is the answer 42? Do I need to get out more (that’s a hard yes)?

Pop and jazz too. And flamenco. Ooh, country too.

Plenty of folk here with whistling ears, myself included.

A youngster in our midst, that’ll bring the average age down a bit 🤣.

Lots of info available here, just ask, they don’t bite (well not too hard anyway 😉).

Extreme? A bona fide reason to buy a new bass and you say, “Extreme,”? Quick, everybody, fetch the flaming torches and pitchforks! 🤣

Other than instrumentals, this is the bread and butter, meat and potatoes, guts (pick metaphor of your choosing) of what guitarists do most of the time. Pete Townshend is a great rhythm player but when he tries to be Joe Satriani, I think he sucks. Johnny Marr’s playing is always interesting (shame about the singer). But the two players who really shine for me in the rhythm dept, but can also bring it when it comes to lead playing (er, so, er, all rounders then), are Andy Summers and Alex Lifeson. Not just great rhythmically, but also in terms of the textures they bring. The Edge cites Summers as one of his biggest influences in this regard and you can also hear him in Lifeson’s playing in the ‘80s.

He certainly was the Riffmeister General.

A gear nerd eh? You’ll fit right in. Spill the beans, what do you have (pics are always appreciated)?

Really? A chum of mine, and also a fellow BCer, recently acquired one, which he seems very pleased with. However, in terms of recommendations, I recently took delivery of a Fender JMJ Mustang and I’m very pleased with it. During my deliberations, pre lockdown 2.0, I also tried the Vintera Mustang and that was rather nice too. With all that said, the best bang for buck has to be the Gretsch G2220B, good sounding, with good playability, for not many £s. IMO better than the Epiphone EB, Squier Mustang or even the Gibson DC. There’s a lot of love for Sire basses on here as a general rule, but I don’t know of anyone who has one of their recent SS releases.

I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds

Don’t Stand So Close To Me - The Police

I saw Paco Pena up close and personal in a very imitate gig, he was indeed, as you say, fantastic. That Friday Night album is jaw droppingly good, I’ve liked DiMeola from the first time I heard him on his Casino album (borrowed from the local record library [anyone remember those?] which I I selected because his Les Paul looked like my Aria copy and our spectacles were similar [I was young and shallow]). Perhaps, when these polls and journalistic pieces go out, they shouldn’t use the word ‘best’ and should go with ‘most widely known for their talent’ or ‘most influential’. Not as catchy in the way ‘best’ is click bait, but would probably result in a more accurate result.

And this ^^^^

Very much this ^^^^ I haven’t owned a budget bass in quite a long while now (even my recent MIM Mustang was nearly £1k) but it’s because I can afford to be choosy and, up until recently at least, was playing live regularly with them. However, I also still play guitar (bring on the flaming torches and pitchforks) but not live and I don’t own a single guitar that cost over £400 (save for an acoustic from way back in my guitar playing/gigging days). I’m really into budget line guitars (Epiphone & Squier) that I can mess about with and upgrade if and where necessary, without the potential for ruining or devaluing a more expensive instrument. I’m currently thinking about getting myself a Mustang guitar and after looking at Performers and Vinteras (online at least), I think I’ll probably go with the Squier CV for the reasons previously stated. Back to the original post, are expensive basses worth it, or would you better off with a cheaper bass? Yes and, err, yes. Will both basses get the job done? More than likely and probably not with a massively different hands on experience (providing the cheaper bass is well set up and you didn’t buy something that was not your normal taste in terms of playability). Is owning an expensive bass worth it? Yes, with the caveat of only if it gives you pleasure for its own sake (if it makes you feel guilty, move it on).

Honey Don’t - The Beatles (again).

Cocaine - Jackson Browne

A Message To You Rudy - The Specials

Message in a Bottle - The Police

There can be no one greatest of all time IMO. However, there can be those who are great because they changed the guitar playing landscape. For me these would be: Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix & Eddie Van Halen. This is not to say that others weren’t doing what they did before them, or did it better. But it’s these guys who influenced a bigger majority, altering the way the instrument was played and/or perceived on the wider stage. That said, if the greatest guitar player of all time (to date) was someone who could play in all styles and could leave you slack jawed, I’d have to say it’s Guthrie Govan. Obviously, he’s not a household name, even amongst those who play, but he is truly amazing in his technique and wide ranging abilities in so many styles.

The Letter - Joe Cocker

You won’t be disappointed. I preferred my US SUB to my full fat, EBMM 3 band.

Can I Play With Madness - Iron Maiden

Ladies of the Canyon - Joni Mitchell