Marvin

I really enjoyed watching the interview. Tony Levin is, without doubt, one of my favourite bass players. I'd go as far to say, if I wanted to be like any of the top players, or have had their careers, it'd be Levin. An excellent musician.

I have a 1stGen V7, one of the very first ones with a signed neck plate. It's pretty much stock. I did replace the signed neck plate with a standard looking chrome one (the signed one is in my bass bits box in a cupboard). I also put one of those rubber neck plate gaskets on. Other than that, some Schaller strap locks and D'Addarrio Chrome strings. The neck is great, it's really easy to play. Even though I've not been in a band for ages, so I don't play much, I'd have to be flat broke to sell it. 2nd Gen 'improvements' aside, when I look at the current price of Sires, mine was a steel 😁

I've never had any issues wearing my wedding ring and playing. I can't however, wear a ring on my index or middle finger on my fretting hand.

I had a Warwick Rockbass Corvette, one the early ones with the one piece bridge. I didn't have it long enough to figure out why but the way it hung on the strap the first fret felt a million miles away. That and a neck that was as thick as 2 baseball bats tied together made it the most awful and uncomfortable bass I've ever owned.

Bob Seger's Hollywood Nights. It sounded so simple, but the speed/pace of it is finger tangling.

I've got one of the first V7s. Great bass for the money. Would I buy any of the range now? No. The range is becoming a bit of a mess to me and they've gone from great quality at affordable prices to just another manufacturer at an ever increasing price. I'd probably go second hand Yamaha, Ibanez or Squier, partly due to replacement parts availability

Unfortunately not. Best to try and find a whole new set up I think.

Much like @EssentialTension I've bought nothing for the last 2 years. Neither have I sold anything

Thank you to you all. It's always good to get something of your chest here 🙂 I've told the others in the project/band/whatever that I won't be going any further with it. I'm meeting up with a friend this week that I used to be in a band with. Maybe we'll be able to get something off the ground that's a bit more focused.

I'd like a Cort A4 Plus, but I don't like the look of the bridge. It looks a faff to set the intonation on it. I'm not keen on gold hardware, or black for that matter. Natural finishes, no thank you. Although I do have a natural finish bass, sort of, that I love. It's got a heavy lacquer finish, which I should hate really, but don't. Pointy basses, not really my thing. Light colour finish. I tend to gravitate to darker colours. There's probably more.

I use AKG K52 on ear headphones. They're entry level at about £40, but I really like them.

At grassroots adult football that happens. The team I used to help with had to disband the 3rd team because players were so unreliable. Several teams I know of locally have withdrawn from their leagues mid-season because players are so flaky.

'Practice' night, and I use that term very lightly, is at a time and place that isn't very good for me. It results in me not getting a hot meal that day or seeing my family. It's something I'd be fine with if I thought the others really wanted to get out of the practice room. The 2 guitarists only have to remember fairly straight forward chord progressions, no solos or tricky stuff. Yet at the beginning of every song the phones come out and Ultimate Guitar is referred to. Which is somewhat redundant as the singer wants to change the key of the songs at every practice (there are only 5 songs so far and one of them has been played in about 4 different keys). Next practice the singer has invited a cajon player along who can only stay for an hour as they've got a weekly commitment that night. And the singer needs to leave early anyway. It really is a shambles. It's simply not how bands function is it?

I think I'm cursed. I initiated a new project several weeks ago with a singer I know. They brought along 2 others. After a few practices it's clear it'll go nowhere. No one seems to be able to practice regularly or what seems longer than an hour and a half. No-one seems to want to bother learning material. I was very clear at the outset that I wanted to get gigs, not be a practice room project and get out of the practice room fairly quickly. I can't see that happening. Just another ensemble of people who like the idea of being in a band. I'm not sure whether to keep going or just pack it all in. This is the 4th or 5th time of going nowhere since my last band fizzled out.

Mrs Marvin and myself went to watch Far From Saints (Kelly Jones of The Stereophonics, and Dwight Baker and Patty Lynne of The Wind and The Wave) in Reading last night. I've followed The Wind and The Wave since they started out (Patty Lynne slightly longer) and have always wanted to see them live but haven't had the opportunity, mainly as they don't come to the UK often. So when the FFS tour was announced I snapped up tickets as soon as I could. It was a fantastic performance last night. A great band, faultless. Kelly Jones has a great voice in my opinion (even if you don't like what he sings he sings it well). For me though Patty Lynne's voice is awesome, and she can belt it out as well. Whoever was on the sound desk deserves full credit. Perfect mix. You could hear everything when it needed to be heard. Nothing overpowered anything else. Whoever it was should give lessons to all those poor sound persons. You might have concluded I enjoyed last night's gig 🙂... I did.