Grooverjr

Suede waistcoat and double denim? That's rodeo wear isn't it? Is rodeo popular in Oxfordshire? Does a fretless tend to buck uncontrollably on a strap so you have to hold on for dear life? Those videos of Japan on Old Grey Whistle Test where Mick Karn is moving and playing with such grace in a well cut suit seem to suggest otherwise, but I'm not a clickbait writer

Are you using a VPN to cover your tracks? Search histories seem to be quite popular with authorities trying to make people seem suspect nowadays. I can see it now "Can you tell the court why you researched 'how to survive in prison' if you did not think moderating a forum for musicians, many of whom you knew to be opinionated and/or curmudgeonly and/or liable to get into detailed arguments ranging far from the original topic, was putting you in direct contravention of the law?"

I will try to bring this back on topic.....by talking about mountain bikes 😂. Before I destroyed my knee I did a lot of Enduro or lighter Enduro biking and the cheap vs expensive thing is even worse in that world, although it's mainly just expensive vs bankruptcy (new bikes can easily run 8 grand or more). It is also a horribly gearhead scene and as it's not really for an audience then there is all sorts of judgement going on. I rode hardtail bikes in the late 80s early 90s when suspension was just becoming a thing and when I picked it up again in the mid 2010s I started out with a cheapish bitsa of a decent full suspension bike. It looked a mess but I could ride most of the trails with my mates on more expensive bikes. Then the GAS kicked in and eventually I was on too much bike. I still had fun and it allowed me to get through features that were beyond my skill level because it was so capable but....(back to topic alert) I still had much more fun on a hardtail that cost a quarter of the price and that was nowhere near enough bike (hence in large part the knee problems) because it was just so much more me. I got on it and it felt like home. With MTB it isn't completely the same as with basses because equipment does in some ways limit you (a very cheap bike or one without sufficient suspension travel just won't make it down a proper double black run without breaking itself or you) but it is the same in that a) I made decisions based quite a lot on aesthetics (even dafter than doing that for an instrument) b) I had the most fun with the 'right' bike, not the 'best' or most expensive bike and c) you can feel the difference with a really good but of kit and it does make the most of your ability. Whether or not it is worth the money depends on your pocket depth but fundamentally it is still about what makes you feel good. For some people part of that is how it looks or how much it cost or what it projects about you, which is ok for them but I learnt not to give a monkey's about that (especially as I didn't have any respect for the opinions of the vast majority of the other 'scene' types in MTB). I love some cheapies and some more pricey basses but the bass that I always reach for is also the most expensive. But that is because it does everything I want ( as a custom bass should). I don't gig so for me the way a bass looks and feels is an integral part of the experience, alongside the sound and I don't have toerags or pissheads to worry about.

Very interesting. Not clearly defined but I assume BC would be small, low risk and it looks like most of those required elements are already in place so maybe there is hope

@rwillett good point about the workload of enforcement. If they have the money to spend (which they obviously don't) it could be much better spent on targetted investigation instead of enforcing blanket legislation.

That's probably the most concise definition of the majority of governmental policy and action I have seen. The internet is fundamentally ungovernable and now pretty much the entire economy globally is reliant on it there can't be any actual blocking but the whole nation state and democratic process house of cards will fall quickly if their ineffectiveness becomes too obvious so you get this kind of dog whistle legislation. The cynic in me also wonders whether Meta and their like have been whispering in ears as a way of driving more and more traffic onto their platforms where we can be data harvested and advertised to. As many others have said BC is a haven and there are no doubt countless other forums that provide vital informal mental health and wellbeing support to people in an increasingly isolated world. Proper integrated policing and better education, support and more access to community -online or otherwise - is the real solution to keeping people safe but that takes money and time and real dedication, and puts less coin in the coffers of the big players, so it's a non starter. I hope BC and all the other decent forums find a way to keep going somehow.

Almost inconceivably ugly. It will never play, anyway - someone nicked the pups and replaced them with giant Jenga blocks.

Kubicki factor. Not strictly a headstock but.....phwoar! Of my current basses, the ACG angled headstock is my favourite

This is true but sometimes just working on getting simpler stuff perfect makes me feel like the articulation has improved when I go back to something harder. May just be perception, of course....

Interesting topic. I'm not in a band so I can't get the same locking in joy from a chugger that you get from connecting with another player. For me there are some lines that are just more fun or more 'right' than others because they chime with me or because they define the song in some way but I think mainly because they are the Goldilocks of busy enough but not overplaying. Obviously skill level is a factor so I'm not trying any Sheehan or Marcus Miller and I wonder whether it's skill or a weirdly protective attitude to Alphonso Johnson that make sme just not like Jaco (probably the former). Christmas Wrapping was mentioned earlier and that's a great example of what I love because while it's not 'hard' it's busy and varied enough to keep it interesting and a real challege to get the main verse line really clean every time. I think the bass on Silk Sonic is masterful because it ticks all the boxes for me and again sits in the interesting but not hard camp. And that use of space - glorious. Rhythm Stick as recorded is about 4bpm too fast for me to get all the notes across all the strings cleanly in the verse line but it's such a good workout that I still love playing it and when it does flow perfectly on the odd occasion it's a lovely feeling. Psycho Killer or Roxanne or Sound and Vision are good examples of lines that are very simple but there's something about how they lock in that is just so satisfying. Same with lots of the Cake basslines which I've been having some fun with recently (I could sit on the verse riff of Sheep Go To Heaven for 10 mnutes straight and not get bored because it feels so good in a tactile way) . Roly Wynne (RIP) is my all time favourite bassist and the 'classic' Ozric Tentacles lines are often a real challenge because they don't always sit right under my fingers but I can appreciate their brilliance all the same and enjoy trying to understand all the little variations, even though I don't know enough music theory to get half the weird modes they're using so some of the notes just seem 'wrong' to my brain even when they sound right to the ear.

It was either Johnny B Goode (with me on vocals - once and once only) or White Room. Scout hall in Bexley when we were about 16. Crowd reaction? Well, I was on a promise with a girl I was very into until she saw that gig and went off with someone else. We were bad, but it kept us off the streets and I quickly learnt that drummers are complete nutcases so it wasn't wasted time!

I thought it was Dean then decided that I had always got it wrong and didn't check. Thanks for letting me know as I am allergic to wild boars 🤣