Steve Browning

Oh I don't know. I'm keen to read the post that can top that though (no pun intended!!). I'm sure someone can. Maybe Joe Dolce is a lurker!

This is easy, for two reasons. Reason 1 - The Birdies Song (Portsmouth Radical Club 24/12/1978) Reason 2 (same night) - a member of the audience (dancing to the same number) died on the dance floor. Over to you, everyone! :-)

[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1510310526' post='3405458'] Ah, so using a standard unbalanced XLR cable, but using the pad on the desk to reduce the input signal? And what advantage does the DI box give you over using the DI from the Amp? [/quote] The DI output will convert the signal to (effectively) a mic signal. You won't need any pad on the input. An xlr to xlr is (usually) balanced which allows for the long cable run. Just plug into the xlr input on the desk and treat it as if it were a mic.

Is there not an xlr that the DI box could use (on the desk)? This would allow the use of a standard mic cable and have the advantage of not being length-restricted (and one less specialist cable to cart around).

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1509920377' post='3402669'] Me neither. Do people think that if they buy a bass (for example) that was owned by a famous bass player that they will somehow, by osmosis, suddenly be able to play and sound like said player and instantly enjoy the fame and success of that player? Or what..? Buying a phase pedal previously owned by [ROCK STAR] at an extortionate price isn't going to help you record and produce a million-selling album, is it? Unless you were on your way to recording such an album anyway, of course... Anyway, I like Behringer pedals. They're nineteen quid. [/quote] I like to think I once bought 3 of John Entwistle's basses to save them from sounding like him. ;-)

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1509807202' post='3401792'] Quite tempted by the "hard foam" gig bag/cases. They offer the protection of a hard case, with the weight of a gig bag. [/quote] I had one for for a while, having bought it for the reason you state. I got rid fairly quickly because they have all the inconvenience of a case that you want a gig bag for. I stuck to as gig bag in the end.

https://shop.warwick.de/en/Cases+and+Bags/Bass+Bags/E+-+Bass++Bags/RockBag+Deluxe+Line+-+Electric+Bass+Gig+Bag Had one of these for years and it is excellent, even secures the neck too. almost 10% of the price.

This is why I have always favoured 15s. It's just my opinion, but I think 10s react far quicker than 15s and so they tend to capture a lot of the noise made by your physically playing the bass. In my experience, 15s are a lot more forgiving. There is absolutely no science behind that at all but I never enjoy playing through 10s for the very reason you describe.

My 66 P-bass. From the first second I picked it up in the shop (about 1986 I think) I knew I had found the best bass for me. It has the easiest neck to play and it just sounds perfect for everything I do (and want to do). It is semi-retired now because it has a fair bit of playing wear on it and I don;t want to make it worse but it saw me through my years of touring and never fails to make me smile when I play it. It has changed tuners (Gotoh reverse tuners) because one of the originals broke while on tour in Germany in the early 90's and it also has a Gotoh 203 bridge because I have always preferred them for the tracks in which the bridge grub screws sit. Aside from that, it's exactly as it was when I handed over the 260 quid it cost in Tiger Music in Brighton. It is the material possession I prize above everything else.

........... and there are a fair few of us around Pompey.

Look seriously at a Japanese Fender. Go for the US version (it will have US in the model number). Ishibashi is a Japanese shop that has a huge range of s/h P-basses. You can buy with confidence from them and Japanese basses are excellent quality.

[quote name='lou24d53' timestamp='1508487939' post='3392476'] As one who has mainly played and owned Jazzes over the years, my only concern is the thickness and width of the neck...... [/quote] You may end up hailing a taxi to get from one side to the other!!

GReat bases, I love mine. Re the scratchplate. My own view is that tort works best on a 3 tone sunburst where you have some red in the colour of the bass to work with the red of the tort. I am possibly the world's biggest sunburst tort fan but I will be keeping the gold plate.

Music Man Stingray. I had one for a while, loved the sound but just couldn't get on with it. I concluded that the pick-up (I am someone who anchors their thumb on the pick-up cover) was just too further back than a Pbass one and the string travel was different at that point and so it felt 'odd' when plucking the string. I'd live with it for a nice fretless but the regular Stingray is not for me unhappily.

Another shout for Zal Cleminson.

If it is you then yes, they have the wrong bass player. Unless it's your living you have the choice to leave if the material is not what you want to play.

JV P/J pickups? I am not sure there is such a thing as a JV in P/J configuration. I'd be wary of paying too much for that.

Strange how tastes can differ so much but this is the biggest waste of vinyl that there ever was. I am bored after the first 10 seconds. He did ok out of it, mind ..................................

Simon Law (SVL Guitars) is your man. He has just come back from a Who tour as Pete Townsend's tech and was previously Robben Ford's. He is in Winchester which is just at the end of the A34. Thoroughly nice guy and (as you will see from his web site) an incredible luthier.

Had my #1 bass (the '66 Precision in the pic) since 1985. It's semi retired now (I have worn two grooves into the front and there's a split in the scratchplate) and I don't want the wear to get too much worse. I tend to gig with the reissues or sometimes take the Wreck (the 72) with me - that couldn't look any worse!! The 66 is for my eldest daughter when Jaco calls me for bass lessons.

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1507717873' post='3387391'] A brilliant band. Charlie Tumahai was a real talent...those funky, flowing, melodic lines... Mr Nelson is still cranking out the good stuff. Sadly, health issues mean that his live appearances are few and far between, which is a shame as he plays as good as ever. He's not a fan of tribute bands though...on FaceBook a few years ago, I. suggested that it wouldn't be a terrible idea for a tribute band to cover the BBD catalogue at gigs, so people could get their "Ships in the Night" fix, leaving him to produce his lovely solo albums. Suffice to say, Mr Nelson and I didn't agree on that point. At all. I'd still go and see one though. [/quote] He was dead set against mp3 download for a while too but eventually relented. I used to frequent Dreamsville quite regularly until the diary eventually died a death. Seems quite the curmudgeon at times!

[quote name='tony_m' timestamp='1507582067' post='3386586'] We're working on a couple of BBD songs ("Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape" and "Ships In The NIght"), taking the "Gentlemen Rocketeers" versions as a point of reference. No idea how they'll go down if and when we do them live, but hopefully somebody will appreciate them!!! [/quote] Without the superfluous bass solo in Adventures I hope? God, that's awful!!

There was some interesting footage on YouTube recently of he recording session for God Only Knows which showed an upright, P bass and 6 string bass. The 6 string (from what I remember) was being used to add definition to the upright. I have to say the best exponent of the Bass VI (IMO) is Jimmy Vaughan. Plays it as a deep guitar (trem bar and all). Check out Chicken Fried Shake on the Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom CD is you get the chance. Wonderful Hammond playing and some brilliant Bass VI playing.

Many years ago I was in a rehearsal band. It was a bunch of older guys getting together to play big band arrangements. We used to rehearse in a pub on a Sunday afternoon (in the days when pubs closed on Sunday afternoons). Many of the players were either retired or just keeping their hand in. Nevertheless, it was great fun and playing in a big band is a wonderful musical experience.