LeftyP

David's dad was the actor Jack Cassidy who was one of the best "villains" in the TV series Columbo!

I have an Italia Maranello Cavo Bass which has been featured on various post on this forum. It's short scale with a semi hollow body and fitted with LaBella flatwounds. I really like it as it is fairly light and easy to handle. Sounds good too! One slight problem with the bass is neck dive. Being a semi hollow body, the headstock acts like a pendulum and causes the neck to drop. I changed the tuning gear for Hipshot Ultralights but the neck dive is still there. I think if the front strap button was placed closer to the neck joint that may help a little. As it is, when I wear the bass, he strap leaves the button at an angle (I like the neck to be fairly upright) and even the BC strap locks are forced off. Other than that it is a cool bass.

Well, that was a fight! I'm not sure if the strap buttons on my Italia are larger than normal but it took a lot of wrestling to fit the strap locks. I think the thickness of my Levi suede strap didn't help either. Anyway they are on and there they will stay! Thanks for getting them done. The angle of my strap, when I play the bass, often springs the softer rubber locks into outer space. These should stay put.

My main bass is an Italia that cost around £670 (list price around £750) a couple of years ago. It was an upgrade from my Tanglewood violin bass which I bought 12 years ago for under £200 - including hard case. I got the Tanglewood out today to give it an airing and rally enjoyed playing it. It's light and built down to a price but I love the Hofner violin shape and it feels so easy to play. I have often wondered whether a genuine Hofner violin bass, made in Germany, and costing nearly ten times as much as my Tanglewood, would be so much better. I don't suppose the average punter listening in a club or (in my case - church) would be able to tell the difference. Let's face it many folk don't even, consciously, notice the bass!

Don't forget Fotheringay.

I've worked in local radio for decades (yes I'm old) and, before the days of emails and texts, used to present a record request show. It gave me the chance to listen to a very wide variety of music. Glen Miller, Matt Monro, Vera Lynn and Cliff Richard rubbed shoulders with Status Quo and the Rolling Stones. As a result I think I have an appreciation for most genres of music - with the exception of really heavy metal and Rap. One artist who was not on my radar was - wait for it - Barry Manilow. I had the original recording of "Brandy" and when Bazza changed the name to "Mandy" it did not sit well with me. Then I met my wife who is a huge Barry Manilow fan and she dragged me to several of his UK concerts. The guy puts on a great show and I can now appreciate what a skilled song writer he is. Incidentally, being one of a hand full of blokes in an auditorium full of screaming women is an experience not easily forgotten!

All my favourite singers are female. Karen Carpenter and Sandy Denny have already been mentioned and I could fill a page with more. There are some singers who may not have the purest voices but can deliver a song well. Nanci Griffith would not be placed in the top ten best female vocalists for the quality of her voice, but she can put much emotion into a song. Louis Armstrong's voice is far from perfect but his recording of "What A Wonderful World" is the one by which all others are judged. I love Trisha Yearwood's voice. She could sing her shopping list and I would listen to it! "The Song Remembers When" is just a perfect song.

I find much of the contemporary Christian music bland and predictable but the songs produced by Sovereign Grace and EMU fill the bill very well. To me, black Gospel is very wearing and over-the-top. The same line, or even word, yelled over and over just leaves me cold. Of course, a lot depends on the culture of the church members, some of whom may not feel confident in their singing. We should also remember that, in church, we are there to enable the congregation to worship. We are not "putting on a show" or backing professional singers. I would argue that providing a subtle foundation for a song is more important than showing off your latest licks and takes just as much skill as filling every bar with as many notes as possible. Don Moen has a good video on YouTube about 'overplaying' on worship songs.

We are still playing in isolation and recording our individual parts onto our smart phones so that someone can piece them together for the YouTube Sunday broadcast. Our desk top computer has Bose speakers which really bring out the bass. In fact, when watching stuff on YouTube, I have to ride the volume as music always comes over much louder than dialogue. However, I listened to one of our church band songs via a lap top and could hardly hear the bass at all - and I was listening for it! I suspect that many of our viewers use either lap tops, tablets or 'phones and don't even notice me!

From "Don't Rain On My Parade" But whether I'm the rose Of sheer perfection Or freckle on the nose Of life's complexion

"Celebrity" has taken on a very broad meaning these days. Years ago, when we only had two or three TV channels, everyone tended to watch the same programmes - like Morecambe and Wise getting around twenty five million viewers for their Christmas show. Now, with the plethora of channels, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and all the social media outlets, we are all watching different things. From the list given, Gary Sinise is the only one I really recognised as I have seen him in the TV series CSI New York. Even then, without a picture of him I would have struggled to place the name. I have heard of a couple of others but have never seen them in anything. I don't watch films (apart from Toy Story with the grandkids!) and very rarely watch TV these days. I follow my interests which include bass playing (obviously) cycling, winter sports and music (mainly modern country and Christian). I could not name one current footballer, cricketer or rugby player. I would probably recognise a name or two if you were to mention them, but off the top of my head I could not name any. I could list loads of professional cyclists, skiers and country music performers that most people would not know about - that's where we are with a fragmented media. I see the names of "great" bass players mentioned on this forum and rock and metal bands but they mean nothing to me as I don't listen to that type of music. Never assume that everyone knows who you are talking about. The main stream media seem to manufacture "celebrities" by the dozen. They get their limited fifteen minutes of fame on some 'reality' show then fade from view. I'm happy in my own little world!

The song is a Christian chorus called "Give Thanks". I have seen this video on Christian music websites and I think it was done deliberately to poke fun at some church musicians.

LaBella make strings especially for the Hofner bass.

The Emporer's New Clothes springs to mind. Some people will be taken in by any con artist in the name of art.

I wasn't popular with our music teacher. It was in the 1960s and the Beatles & Co were changing the music scene. She was a classical music fiend and condemned pop music as being repetitive with the same line sung over and over again. I asked if she meant "rather like the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah". For some reason that didn't go down too well!

Music at my secondary school was more like a history lesson. We learned about the lives of Mozart etc but never saw a musical instrument!

I bought my first bass from my guitar teacher. It was an Applause semi-acoustic short scale. It had a rounded back made from some sort of plastic type material and was the cheaper version of their Ovation model. It was OK to learn on but the body was a little too deep for comfort. I didn't know it was short scale - I thought all bass guitars were like that! I sold it and bought a larger acoustic bass (can't remember the make - might have been a Washburn). It was huge - about the size of a 'cello! I almost had to put it down and walk to the end of the neck to reach the low F; OK, I exaggerate a little, but only a little! That went and I moved to the other extreme with a Tanglewood version of the Hofner violin bass. Being a Beatles fan I liked the look of it and it was very lightweight. When the Christian music band I was in came to an end the Tanglewood sat in its case for several years until the band leader at our new church asked if I played anything. His eyes lit up when I mentioned that I used to play bass and I quickly dusted off the Tanglewood and began to get back up to speed. Once I was back playing I decided to upgrade and bought a Chowny SWB-1. As has been mentioned in some posts above, the Chowny is a lovely bass and I did like it a lot. The problem was the weight of it - nearly 9lb if I remember rightly. I have lower back issues and the Chowny was not kind to my spine. I tried all kinds of straps but to no avail and, very sadly, it had to go. If it had been around the 7lb region I would still have it because it really was a nice little bass. If you fancy one don't let my back issues put you off. I had a local guitar tech make me a new truss rod cover because the Chowny one looked too much like a Rickenbacker! I now have an Italia Maranello Cavo hollow body short scale bass weighing in at just over 7lb. It has neck dive issues, even though I swapped the standard tuners for Hipshot Ultralight ones. I'm currently trying various straps to compensate. Like the Chowny I bought it from the internet as they are pretty thin on the ground. I don't usually like chrome fittings and much prefer a natural wood finish but I've learned to like the 'bling' of the Italia. I have it strung with flat wounds and it sounds fine to me. I still have the Tanglewood violin bass as a back up.

Well, I took your advice and bought one of those little strap things - £3.60 including postage! Guess what - it works! I had thought about trying one before but you gave me the push. I have tried various straps with it and have finally been able to use my narrow Hofner style strap. I always thought that the 4" wide leather one was out of keeping with my style of bass - Italia. Neck dive has gone and the bass sits well on my body. It is taking a little getting used to and positioning the bass correctly but it does work very well. Many thanks for your suggestion.

I have thought about trying that but I don't want to look like a folk singer! I still may give it a try as no-one notices bass players anyway.

I have one - 4" leather but that doesn't stop the bass being neck heavy.

There have been several posts across this forum dealing with the weight of bass guitars. Those of us who have back problems prefer lightweight basses to ease the strain on the old spine. My bass weighs a tad over 7lb but has quite a problem with neck dive (even with Hipshot lightweight tuners) and this places most of the weight pulling on my left shoulder. It came to the fore when I wore a shirt that had a smooth, almost silky, sheen to it and the bass constantly wanted to slip headlong towards the floor. As an experiment, I attached a bag to the end strap button and gradually added weights (CDs to be precise) until the bass was pretty well balanced. The result was quite an eye opener. Despite adding just under 2lb to the overall weight, the extra mass was distributed over a wider area and the neck dive had gone. It was much more comfortable to stand with the bass around my shoulders, even though it was heavier. If, like me, you have back problems the overall weight of the bass (within reason) may not be the main cause of your discomfort. Try to find an instrument that is more balanced across your body and you may find it helps.

AH Beste Zangers! One of the best TV shows ever. Plenty to see on YouTube.

I signed up for some but I will want more than one set - probably four sets as I like to have some spares and I have two bass guitars.

All my favourite singers are female so where do I start? Some already mentioned are Sandy Denny, Dusty Springfield and the wonderful Karen Carpenter. I like most types of music so can appreciate the delicate tones of Nanci Griffith and the powerful vocals of Tina Turner. If you were to make a list of the top ten female vocalists I doubt Nanci Griffith would be anywhere near it but she can put a song across with emotion. I could listen to Trisha Yearwood all night and, back in the day, had every record Cilla Black recorded. Cilla sang some wonderful songs tucked away on her albums. If I could only have a "boxed set" of one female singer then it would be Karen Carpenter. Her voice was unique and the material she covered with her brother Richard is so well produced and easy to listen to. Then again I love; Paloma Faith, Duffy, Reba McEntire, Trijntje Oosterhuis, Barbra Streisand and many more. Of course, it's not just the voice that counts, it's also the choice of songs. I appreciate some good singers but don't listen to them because their choice of material is not to my taste.

Oh yes, I have a copy. Classic stuff!