Cat Burrito

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.

I did 10 yrs of UK Americana and we did a few bluegrass sets. I wound up on the upright bass for most of those but the advice here is correct, lots of root / fifth. You can liven it up with the odd cheeky run. Foam under the bridge and roll back the tone a bit, coupled with flatwound strings and you will be in the right area. And don't use a pick if you are after that sound.

My 4003s is from 2015 and the front pickup in isolation is quieter. I find this is more problematic on some setups than others. On my practice amp it sounds faulty but running it through my big rig it sounds like there are no issues. I initially thought I would be having to buy new pickups but I am quite happy with the stock setup now.

Whilst I generally agree with the responses, was it said as advice or barked as an order? I've bought gear to fit a band's vibe (both tone and image) and had suggestions about expensive kit where me saying "that'd be cool but it's outside of my budget" was accepted as a reply. Most people are pretty reasonable and if the reality is you were thinking of upgrading and they suggested a platinum service response, surely a middle ground can be found where you meet at a appropriate compromise for everyone.

From a moderating perspective I have hidden a few posts (some a bit contentious and others not doing anything wrong but referencing the contentious posts). No warnings at this stage. This is a topic that is going to generate differences of opinion and there is a 100% chance someone on here won't share your views. Keep it civil. Use the ignore feature if someone else's views make you want to do this but it's ignore, not publicly announce that you are ignoring someone! A lot of us use overseas sellers so it is an important topic and it would be good if we can keep this thread running.

Continuing the Jodie bought an Aguilar cab from me theme, I wanted to add my own thumbs up for a smooth and effortless transaction with Jodie. A bassist who it would appear can usually offer an absolute masterclass in GAS restraint that we could all learn from! Deal with confidence!

In terms of case law, it's untested water because it hasn't happened yet i.e. been put before the courts. I did two gigs since the pandemic (both socially distanced) & the second was stopped by police. We were onstage and didn't get why people were walking out. It turns out one punter got drunk and decided to kick a police car outside. Everyone suffered. The police seemed to take this up with the event organisers. We were never spoken to. It was a shame as it was really well organised with all the social distancing / track and trace measures in place.

I'm not really a Crue fan and don't like stuff that is too heavy but I thought that Corabi album was really well done. My ex-wife loved Crue but I was always more Hanoi Rocks (& if you know the history...). After Ratt, check out Arcade. I thought the debut was good fun.

This year I have bought LPs by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and the March Violets. 48 seems a great age to have an awkward teenage Goth phase!

I have only ever broken a string once, onstage at the Horn Reborn in St. Albans back around 1998. I took a backup out for about three years after that and since then I am back down to one bass at a show, two basses if on tour. Like the original post, playing since 1988 I am confident that the chances of anything happening are so low, I can offset the inconvenience of lugging extra kit. I look after kit so I don't think anything too horrendous is likely to happen.

My father was a pro drummer in the 60s so the moment (at the tender age of 8) I expressed an interest in drums, I suddenly had brushes, sticks, bongos, a snare and a tom. I was signed up for the local brass band but wouldn't take instruction from my Dad and nobody in the brass band could play drums. I got disillusioned and quit. When I got into bass my father's initial reaction was that it wouldn't stick. Looking back I can tell you, I am definitely not a drummer!

I come at it from the other angle - I'm like a fussy Dee Dee Ramone!

Don't go with funny. For that market go with something bland like "Harmony" or "Unity". Bear in mind that a lot of your audience won't be gig going punters, they just want a band that'll play a few songs they know. A name around the love theme would be my recommendation and job done.

From memory the Jackson and Charvel brands were popular and Explorer and V shapes were common in rockier bands. The headless design was also popular but even the traditional staples like Jazz, Precisions and Music Mans were still in use.

I only own a Gibson one now but had two of the cheapy entry level Epiphones and a Pro-4 Epiphone too. I thought the entry ones were good fun. They didn't sound as good as my Gibson (obviously) and the bolt on neck really goes against what is the traditional T-bird design but a cheap second hand one of those is good fun to muck about on. The Pro-4 looked much cooler than my Gibson with all the chrome hardware. It was much closer to the 60s original. My particular Pro-4 weighed a tonne though, where as my Gibson and the two budget Epiphones were all surprisingly light. It's been said before but a £1500 bass isn't ten times as good as a £150 bass, but is obviously much better. A lighter Pro-4 would be a great bass (& I have toured with professional players who have used them). I'd say get out and try a few, see what you like.