Jackroadkill

I think you're missing out here.

Downtuning, if you've never done it and like a bit of filth and swagger, is life-changing.

Let us know how the decision goes, Nige. All the best.

Made for Showaddywaddy?

Would that be the Bender Distortocaster? There was one in a shop in Shrewsbury in the 1990's for years; I wish I'd been able to afford it.

Uh, dog hair?!

Beshchat?!

Yeah, I didn't like it much! Still, I'm still playing so I must have learned a bit from it. I'd had this idea that it might be a good place to learn how to play live, and envisioned a crowd of old sweats who'd nurture the youth; sadly not. in this instance!

Steve, perhaps I should have given more context. I had a very unwelcoming and even humiliating experience as a young man. It was really grim; I was 18, had no live experience and only very basic chops. I didn't realise it at the time but it was basically an excuse for one or two flash bastards on the local scene to polish their egos and belittle other players. I was thoroughly belittled, to the point of being told that I couldn't play for toffee and should give up and stop wasting everyone's time. I'm certainly not going to tar all blues jams with that brush, and have subsequently been involved with plenty that have been great, but that first experience nearly saw me giving up before I'd started.

I've played charity gigs for nowt and thoroughly enjoyed being part of them. I find that having some connection to the charity or knowing the organiser helps. In my last band we had a formula - everyone in the band gets to call one freebie per year, and this was usually a charity gig.

My first experience of playing live was at a blues jam, and it damn near put me off for life.

This is my bitsa Jazz; it has an unknown body which was previously a manky brown sunburst, a CV neck and tuners, Limelight pickups and a big green Russian tone capacitor. I painted the body in CAR using rattle cans and it turned out pretty well. Although it's a bit heavy it plays well and sounds awesome, so overall I'm well happy. I could have just bought a CV, I suppose, but I had way much more fun doing this.

What a difference 16 hours makes - I've been listening to Vengeance by New Model Army this morning and Stuart Morrow's bass playing is crazy, frenetic, odd-sounding and chuffing brilliant.

Probably The Clash's London Calling. The bass sound of Guns Of Brixton is worth the price of entry alone.

Last year the top floor was set aside for bass (and the performance area, I suppose, which was full of widdly guitarists and their 12,000 pedals, but we don't talk about them). I'm hoping for the same this year.