LeftyP

I'm sure I've posted pics of my bass on other threads of this forum but not the Short Scale department where it belongs! It's an Italia Maranello Cavo bass strung with La Bella flat wounds. Although short scale, it takes La Bella's medium scale strings perfectly. With a semi-hollow mahogany body it is fairly light at a smidge over 7lb (which is why I bought it), and I've been playing it for coming up a year next month. You don't see many around but I like the way it feels and it sounds good too - even with me playing it!

"Groovin' by The Young Rascals. The bass just sets the mood perfectly.

A few months ago we had a men's breakfast at church and I was in the hot seat in a Desert Island Disc feature. I chose my discs and one of them caused quite a stir. If I could only take one track with me to the desert island it would be MacArthur Park by Richard Harris. Many of the assembled men had not heard of it and were totally confused by the "someone left the cake out in the rain" lyrics. The whole 7 minutes 24 seconds of it is a symphony of metaphors from the pen of Jimmy Webb. The opening line; "Spring was never waiting for us girl, it ran one step ahead, as we followed in the dance", could have come from Lord Byron or Thomas Gray. Once you know the story of how it came to be written (and there are several variations on that theme) it all falls into place. The melody changes from delicate ballad to out and out rock with a full orchestra holding nothing back. The fact that it was sung by a 'hell raiser' of an actor, not noted for his singing, just adds to the enigma it has become. Every time I listen to it I hear something new and with such variations in pace and arrangements it never becomes predictable. Many people find it totally confusing but I love it!

Hello from a fellow church band player. I like your forum name as it is my big sister's birthday!

Not a bass album as such, but I've just been sent a double CD compilation of country songs by Brenda Lee. I must confess to not paying much attention to "Little Miss Dynamite's" song book but this is a very interesting collection of 50 tracks. What has struck me about the album is the bass playing. Just about every song is augmented by a melodic yet subtle bass line that really gives each track depth and feel. The bass is not overpowering or dominating and there are no 'over the top' solos or slapping but the whole compilation is a lesson in how to use the electric bass to enhance a song.

OK, here we go but culling them down to 10(ish) was hard! In no particular order; A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles. My favourite fab four album. The Collection - ABBA. There has to be an Abba compilation in there. Like To Get To Know You - Spanky & Our Gang. A musical extravaganza from a unique band. Fotheringay - Fotheringay. Nothing more to say. The Song Remembers When - Trisha Yearwood. Superb modern country singer and the title track is a beautifully crafted song. Best Of Burt Bacharach Live - Trijntje Oosterhuis. Dutch singer who does the Bacharach catalogue proud - find the concert on YouTube. Just The Right Sound - The Association. I was a teenager in the sixties and The Association were one of my top groups. Ahh, nostalgia ain't what it used to be! Prayers of the Saints Live - Sovereign Grace. A Christian songfest with some great lyrics and vocal performances - especially from the girls. Sojourner's Song - Buddy Greene. Another Christian album by a great singer songwriter. If there's room, and I'm cheating here; A Carpenters box set and the Reader's Digest 6 CD set of 25 years of Motown. Please sir, can I have some more!!!!

I must confess to being late to the party with this band. The name put me off - I thought it was a rapper! Some cool stuff here.

Another vote for Maruszczyk straps. Only problem I have is spelling the name and getting the pronunciation right!

When I began playing bass in our church band last year, after about a 12 year lay-off, I received a great compliment. I will be 69 in October so when an attractive 17 year old girl came up and called me a "Super Cool Bass Man" I don't think that will be topped!

One of the problems of owning an unusual bass guitar is finding a suitable case or gigbag for it. My bass is an Italia short scale model which is too short for the usual bass cases and gigbags but too large for guitar cases/bags! Not having much in the way of music shops in the area I trawled the internet after measuring my bass to find a bag to fit. Enter the TGI Extreme Series bag for short scale basses. I found it on Bass Direct site and the dimensions seemed to match what I needed so I placed the order late on Monday evening and it arrived on Wednesday. I think the measurements on the website were external because, on paper, there should have been just enough room to fit the bass inside. As it is the fit is snug to say the least. I have to place the bass in neck first and then gently ease the body of the guitar into the other end. I think once the ample padding has settled and the bag softened it will be perfect. The bag is very well made and offers a lot of protection. The photo of the outside of the bag shows a reflective strip around a pocket - just big enough for A4 paper. The other photo's show just how neat a fit the bass is when placed into the bag. The bag has a side handle, two nicely padded shoulder straps and a small handle on the back of the bag plus a large rear pocket. All in all, I'm very pleased with the bag and the service from Bass Direct.

I won't criticize people who choose to boycott Amazon, even though I use them for most things I'm looking for. Their working practices are not the most ethical but the tax situation could be sorted by the government if they really were concerned about it. As for the working conditions of people directly employed by Amazon I would suggest that in the UK and across the EU there are laws to protect workers against exploitation so, again, the governments need to step up their game. Why single out Amazon? I can't defend them, but if you are really concerned about workers conditions then don't buy anything from China or some other far eastern countries. If you own anything from Nike or Apple, check out the reports on the internet about how their workers are treated. Do you know what conditions are like in the factory where your bass guitar was made? Many "name" guitar brands are made in the far east; China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and South Korea. They are made there because of cheap labour and Cort guitars have not exactly covered themselves in glory concerning their treatment of workers in the past. I have no reason to believe that Cort are any worse than other manufacturers. I think things have improved somewhat but my own bass was made in South Korea by Mirr Music and I have no idea what conditions are like there. Taking a pop at Amazon is easy, but if you buy the same product from another dealer, it still will have been made in the same factory and under the same conditions as a one bought from Amazon. Business is designed to make money and profit is king the world over. Workers have always had to fight for better conditions which is why unions started. Fight on and make your stand but it is easy to be selective and take the easy option of hitting the obvious target.

I think you will find most hotels and food outlets match your opinion of Amazon. Not to mention products made in the far east. I know of one national outdoor activity shop that uses zero hours- min wage. You don't know how many high street treat their staff this way. Much of what I buy from Amazon actually comes from independent dealers who use the site as a shop window.

We have some of these at church as they take up less floor space. I play bass in the band about once a month and we only get to run through the songs together about 45 minutes before the service. The line-up of musicians changes each time and there are always songs we haven't played before or for some time. The band is tucked away in a corner so most of the congregation can't see us. If I was in a gigging band and playing the same set night after night I, hopefully, wouldn't need a music stand but as things are it's a great memory replacement!

They already have - just don't look at the price!

I have a Tanglewood copy of the Hofner violin bass that weighs in at 2.63Kg (5.80Ib) and an Italia Cavo bass that tips the scales at 3.31Kg (7.46Ib). They are both short scale and have hollow or semi-hollow bodies. I have back problems and find the Italia is about as heavy as I can cope with. The Tanglewood RVB-2 was bought about 12 years ago for under £200 including a very good hard case. If weight really is an issue the violin basses are worth considering. Not everyone likes the look of them but I do!

He doesn't sound like a team player. Would you really want to be stuck in a lift with him?

Any Johnny Cash song; root and fifth, anything more is showing off!

I think I mentioned this possibility when the subject last cropped up. Go into your nearest B&Q store and search out the Valspar paint department. They have hundreds of small cards covering the entire colour spectrum and sporting the most original names. Our bathroom is now a delicate shade of "Harp Strings" (no, I'm not making it up) and our kitchen is about to become "Snowdrop". Those names are almost normal compared to other shades of the pallet. I'm sure something will 'tickle your fancy' - now there's a name!

The name "Eurovision" was originally coined by British journalist George Campey when writing for the Evening Standard, and was adopted by the EBU for its network.[2] Eurovision is managed by the European Broadcasting Union’s Eurovision Operations Department and offers permanent coverage of Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, North Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as ad-hoc coverage of the African continent and the Pacific Rim. Not confined only to Europe, Eurovision currently encompasses 75 television broadcasting organizations located in 56 countries of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Furthermore, there are 61 associated broadcasting organizations in Europe, Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania. This is why countries outside of Europe can enter the contest e.g. Australia and Israel. It is easy to think that Eurovision is purely for Europe, or even the EU, but it is actually a broadcasting network that involves many far flung countries.

I'm in exactly the same situation at our church but I use chord charts which I produce on my computer, as a tablet thingy is not big enough for my eyesight!

I had the same problem finding a padded gig bag for my short scale Italia bass. I bought a cheap Stagg, unpadded, bag which is just a few inches long in the neck but otherwise OK. I then found some foam sheets that were used to pack audio gear and cut them to size. It's a little bit of a faff putting the guitar in the bag and making sure the foam is in place but it works! I emailed the distributors of Italia guitars (JHS) to see if they could recommend a gig bag but got no reply.

Yes, that stopped me in my tracks. I loved her voice and was a fan of Fotheringay, who I saw perform at Newcastle. She was so young and such a talent. The Fotheringay album is still one of my favourites plus many of her solo recordings. Then, of course, there was Karen Carpenter - another voice that will never be repeated. Harry Chapin was another that caught me off guard. I have most of his albums (many on 12" LP) and for him to be killed when his name was becoming known in the UK was very sad.

It was nice to watch but I do wish these programmes wouldn't take over two minutes to start. You get the same intro every episode then a menu - with clips - that you will see again later and after an age the actual programme gets started. Lots of padding that could be done without.