Cat Burrito

I remember my step son telling me that Justin Fletcher and Mr. Tumble were the same person. Then I showed him THIS photo! He felt pretty silly after that.

I was nervous for about my first 6 shows (1989 / 1990) and then decided that I needed to get past that, so i did. Not sure if I just bury it now but I have had maybe 3 or 4 shows where I have been nervous before but I have thankfully been able to deal with it - usually when it's a new band / big show. I think I am lucky because I appreciate not everyone can say the same.

I've used Orange for years. Neither are wrong. The OBC112 does seem to be the popular choice these days. Personally I have used a 2x10, 2x12 and now mostly 1x15 with a 4x10 - all Orange. It's a versatile head so most cabs sound great with it.

Don't drink too much! 😸 Seriously though (& the above is serious), I have picked up so many tips over the years that there isn't one stand out piece of advice. Practice, learn the set, show up on time and by the occasional round for the band. Best tip I can give.

In 34yrs of playing I have only ever broken one string and had one amp let me down so I am very much a bass / amp with a few spare leads / cables etc if I remember kind of player.

We thought it would be fun to do those old songs on folk instruments. Plus, there is some mandolin on stuff by The Mission so it isn't *that* much of a stretch. We have the acoustic side like this and then the more conventional electric stuff with a drum machine, sequenced keys etc.

It might be of minimal interest to in excess of 99.999% of the world's population, but last night 60% of my old Sixth Form goth band regrouped and played some of the old songs from back in 1990. The three of us hadn't played them in almost 32yrs and it was a blast. I absolutely loved it. A local open mic gig and it really was a firm favourite. Plus, it's nice to gig away from the bass and play my mandolin for a change.

My basses are both varied in what they do through to how much they cost - so ranging Gibson Thunderbird / USA Jazz / Rickenbacker 4003s through to a uke bass and a Burn Bass VI. The variety reflects the different range of projects I do and the costs reflect whether it is a main instrument or something just to muck about on.

I'm using microsoft edge in Dark theme and also have stopped getting any notifications. I figured it was an issue with the server running low on space.

Along with my basses, I have always liked my records. Around the time they suddenly became "vinyls" the prices shot up and I became accidentally fashionable. I kinda wish that hadn't happened, purely because it now costs me more. I don't really care about being in fashion or out of fashion - I'm 49 next month and I think I have always just done what I please for me. I like supporting the artists direct on sites like Bandcamp and the one plus side is that there have been some really colourful packages on recent releases. I still stream stuff when I work out and I like CDs in the car. I never really went in for snobbery. I like the ritual of putting an LP on. If your mega expensive Sonos reveals me to be a cloth-eared idiot, I can live with that.

My story with the Bass VI is that I bought the Burns take on it last year. I co-produce and play bass on the albums of one of my bands and we had a track that was calling out for a Glen Campbell type line. I like to think it is me who takes care of the low end in my bands so I bought it on a good deal. As it happens, the thing is crying out for a good set up and the frets are badly finished in places. I learned the part and then we dropped the song! So it sat in storage for a few months. I then dug out my old Cure LPs and the thing is all over those. I noticed in a few bands that could be filed under Goth (loosely speaking) it makes an appearance, although I always associate it with the 60s. So I dug it out and took it to a rehearsal with my 80s alternative duo. Suddenly it has a life, but just not the one that was its original purpose. I sometimes wish I had bought the Squier but the Burn s is a bit different and I like the baby blue colour (a pointless reference given the black and white photo). As a point of interest, the recent selling point seems to be "a bass that guitarists can play" which I would imagine might put a few bass players off. Certainly there is much more to it than that.

It's worth remembering that the vast majority of Basschat members go for years without any issues whatsoever. A tiny minority of members get a warning for behaviour. If this persists sometimes we wind up with either self imposed breaks, people leaving for a short time or occasionally a permanent ban. These are rare and not taken lightly. I don't think it would be appropriate to discuss any individual cases across a public forum so hopefully that answers any questions.

Yep, doing that already 👍

Already there 😎

Absolutely, and it's the opinion of not just her but bandmates & I too. The single coil Jazz is similar to something like a Burns Bison, to me at least. I still maintain that it must be possible to get a more meaty sound from a Jazz and there have been some interesting replies so far 😎

I've played some big stages and my wife has commented on the Jazz not sounding as good as my other basses (her Dad was a bass player and she's very musical so I do value her opinion). I take your point but this isn't the issue here.

I've used to trios (& now a duo as well) and the issue isn't there with my other basses. I think the answer lies more in me needing to change my settings, rather than someone else's settings (or messing with mine).

It's a good point. Certainly I can think of a couple of bands that used studio players to play bass parts and then had a key member mime on TV to a part they've never played. I think with it being fairly widespread it's unlikely to be the whole answer though.

I have used Ampeg in the past but I tend to use an Orange AD200B through a 4x10 Orange cab. It's in the practice amps too. Every amp I try. I take out any other bass (Hofner, Rickenbacker, Precision, Thunderbird) and the issue isn't there.

I like so many bands where the bassist uses a Jazz bass. I've owned a couple over the years and my latest one I've lived with for a few years is an American standard from 2008. My issue was always that on it's own, it sounded fantastic, in a small 3 piece arrangement there was a noticeable lack of bottom end. I strung mine with flats for a while which gave it a 60s Scott Walker type vibe and it sat nicely in the mix of a 2 guitar band but lately I wanted more of an 80s alternative sound so recently went back to roundwounds. I've found by rolling back both the tone and the bridge pickup slightly, I can keep that Jazz sound whilst getting a thicker sounding bass. I can't be the only bass player to feel this way. I don't have this issue with my other basses so don't think it's my playing but always find the Jazz suffers in a smaller band setup. I just wondered how others got the best from a Jazz. Did you perhaps not feel this was a problem, change your amp settings, play around with the controls on the bass or change the pickups. Or a combination. Interested in people's thoughts.

The Mission in Frome at the Cheese and Grain - third attempt to see them!