Cat Burrito

Just to buck the trend, I have at least played Norway a few times. We had a touring deal there at the start of lockdown which we lost. Whilst I don't particularly see Lichtenstein as a new horizon of opportunity, Norway was very good to us. I'd rather during the exit negotiations Britain had taken the offer to have the whole of Europe available to touring bands but at least Norway is a start. As long as it isn't the end too.

I find booking shows easier but it is the keeping the show that is hard. Lockdown restrictions are pushing tours back and back. The outdoor festivals are usually fine but our last UK tour is on it's 4th list of dates for the same tour. We also had Spain booked which looks very optimistic at best.

We did a birthday post on our Basschat Instagram page on her big day.

I think that's literally the guy who wrote the book. He swears a lot, especially considering he's only making a simple pasta sauce but I adapted some of his recipes for a more wholesome culinary experience.

I was the only kid at school with long hair who never even had an Iron Maiden phase. About the heaviest I can listen to is Guns N Roses and they are not my favourites. I spent a lot of time on the rock scene playing punk and glam type stuff but came to it via my parents rock n roll records and more of the 80s alternative bands. I do have a Death metal cookbook though which was bought as a present for my last birthday!?! I cook heavier than I listen.

The first trend I noticed in my bass playing career was Baddass bridges (it took me over 25yrs to get one myself). CIJ / MIJ Fenders were massive in the old Bassworld days but are rarely mentioned now. And then the Sue Ryder basses were a thing. And yes, fretwraps too. I'd agree on the Terror heads but as a (very happy) Orange user who plays a lot, I've rarely met anyone who uses the cabs. I think my criticism is more that they are a bit one trick pony - if you like the trick, great, otherwise they are probably not for you.

Facebook usually has a musicians in (names local town) type page so have a look at one of those two. Good advice re open mic. I tend to find these things seem impossible but once you open the floodgates it does rather snowball. Good luck.

My Rickenbacker would have to be a BMW or Audi, in that everyone else hates us!

Radiohead's Creep has the electric guitar come in early but they left it in as it sounded good. Reading this thread, I don't think I want some of you lot to hear any of my recordings!

I have recently revived my old sixth form band with the guitarist and we are using a drum machine with sampled keyboards that we played. This picture was our collective pedals. Lots of flanger, phaser and distortion.My Tech21 VT bass pedal is missing (at the studio for another project) but the pedals for the bass are in the case and the other pedals are the guitarists.

I had an accident at work during lockdown and had a bit of a payout. I always wanted an Orange AD200B head. Normally £1750, I picked up an immaculate 2 month old one for about half that. Granted it hasn't had a load of use yet but the moment will come.

I play(ed - pre-Covid) in two different three piece bands. One has a guitarist on a 50s hollowbody style guitar and the other has the guitarist on a Les Paul. If I learnt one thing from this experience, it is just as important to think about what the bass player is playing. My Jazz sits great in the mix of a 4 piece but sounds terrible in a 3 piece. The Hofner, a Precision, a Ric or a T-bird sound fine. Have confidence in the musical spaces but remember if you make a mistake it jumps out a lot more where there is less room to hide i.e. a bigger band.

Top tip Lee; put your location in for better replies. Maybe include a bit about you guys so they can gauge it. I'm sure the perfect candidate will be on this site.

Deedpoll is about £12. When I got divorced I couldn't wait for my ex to Change her name - she didn't until she remarried. My current wife on the other hand changed hers back to her maiden name within a few days of splitting with her ex. If it bothers you, change it. I know a few friends who have changed it and it's no hassle. My first band had stage names back in the early 90s. I have never had a nickname and didn't want a stage name but compromised by using my middle name as my surname. I changed it back for the next band.

Same as I use at the Dog & Duck...

Yeah, the phone works. My other half has it now and I have an identical Orange one, purely due to my obsession with colour coordination. The cat stand has been in the family since the 1900s.... the cat since 2007.

A few occasions I have been tempted to list him on Basschat Marketplace but he's a good lad really.

Definitely a lot of hate for them but if you want one, try one. I had a Mapleglo 4003 about 12 yrs ago and sold it on quite quickly. Never really bonded with it. It was a nice bass but a lot of money to sit as part of a collection. Kinda missed it so I picked up a 4003s in 2016. It's done a whole album and a fair few shows and is probably one of my most played basses. It sounds great, looks cool and fits the vibe of the band I use it with. The downside I find is that on the various FB groups for Ric owners some of the owners come across as real idiots but then I bought it to play it, not talk about whether the USA flag sticker stays or goes!

I don't have pics but going back over 12yrs there are only two that I wish I'd bought and both owned by (minor) names. One was a vintage Fender Precision in red that boasted the claim of being ex-Musical Youth and the other was a 1976 Bicentenery Gibson Thunderbird (ex-Quireboys) that was only around £650 at the time. Obviously now it would be nearer £3k. Regrets, I've had a few, but then again too few to mention....

I think with the current Covid-19 situation things are much more heightened. My super busy main band has been almost radio silence for over a year and quieter bands have gotten busier / creative during lockdowns. I guess everyone is fighting their own battles from those who have been furloughed through to those who worked throughout in public facing. Line-ups can be a challenge at the best of times, and sadly these aren't even the best of times.

When I was younger it seemed I could only manage a genre at a time. Now my tastes range several genres. I think playing an instrument opens your ears and opens your mind.

I've owned both. Both are great. The Hofner is a little less common. It's short scale and they do (or did) a long scale which is one of my main basses (pictured) - pre-Covid I took it on numerous tours across Europe and the UK. The JC basses are really good too. Quality wise, they are pretty similar. The Hofner's just are a bit rarer and mine always got comments (& who the hell comments on the bass?!). Short scale basses can have a few problems with intonation which is why I got shot of my short scale verythin. No intonation issues with my old JC or the long scale verythin.

We'd still have Off topic. I'm not sure if that is a positive or a negative!

Credible enough for me anyway

I grew up with role models like Paul Simonon so I have always slung pretty low (since the 80s). As I have got older I have raised it very slightly only for it to come back down. I know technique wise it benefits from being slightly higher but you can't teach an old dog new tricks.