DF Shortscale

Lots of good comments everyone, some I agree with some I don’t, but interesting to read all the different opinions.

That will be the ’ology’ that also applies to this no longer being something that sane people do:

I think you've hit the nail on the head there - playing stuff influenced by styles / genres is the right way to tackle this, it's very different to playing direct covers. Jamming on an afro-beat inspired groove feels much less cringe worthy than doing a Fela Kuti impression.

Can you really separate the music from its meaning and purpose though? That's kind of what I'm asking. If that's ok in music, is it ok everywhere else? Should you wear a swastika t-shirt because you enjoy the shapes and colours, and ignore the meaning? I don't think this is an easy question to answer btw, music is different to visual media and meaning and purpose are multi-layered and change over time, as others have pointed out, but it's interesting that there is no clear consensus. Some people suggest that the meaning doesn't matter, others say it does matter but as long as it's approached with care it's ok, and a few think it really matters and it can't be ignored. Lots of grey areas.

That’s probably the nicest way to handle it, I agree. Although one big issue that sticks out is that the song will potentially be played to an international audience who are at least in part going to be from those lands far away. Doesn’t sit right with me at all..

Lots of interesting viewpoints! Let's leave the 'woke / reform' stuff out of it if possible, it's not a political conversation, it's more about whether the meaning of things matters. If you want to expand this beyond music: Can we detach meaning from something we like the aesthetics of? You could ask, as a white British man, is it political correctness gone mad if I can't wear a t-shirt with a giant swastika on it just because it's a pretty shape and red and black looks good on me? Or, can I go to Millwall and wear a claret / sky blue t-shirt without getting my face punched in? Should I understand what those shapes and colours mean before wearing them? Does a piece of music symbolise and stand for something, or is it just a series of sounds that happen to make us feel good?

Yep, this 100% nails why I have some anxiety about it. Context matters (to me anyway). I think the lines and boundaries around this can be blurry, and I'm genuinely curious what people see as a line they won't cross. Is it ok to play a cover of Sunday Bloody Sunday? Is it ok to do it if you're from Surrey and have never been to Ireland? What if you're playing it to an Irish audience in an Irish pub? What about a Bob Marley cover? How about if it's to a black audience? Should a 52 year old white guy ever do a rap cover of Fight the Power by Public Enemy - at a street party in Brixton?

The issue is more about playing it as a tune to dance to without being aware of the context. And potentially to an audience that is more aware of the context than members of the band are. That’s the part that gives me Partridge vibes.

Got a gig coming up and I’ve been asked to play a cover of Zombie by Fela Kuti which someone threw into a vaguely afrobeat-inspired playlist, and given the historical context of the song, and the fact that this band is a bunch of white guys with zero genuine connection to African culture, I feel like it’s not a good idea. I don’t think whoever came up with the playlist knows the context of the song, they just thought it would be a nice tune to jam on. I’m gonna say no to the gig (and the whole thing reminds me of that Alan Partridge scene where he talks about ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and washing his car). But I’m curious if anyone else has come up against stuff like this - cultural appropriation and being uncomfortable playing covers of tunes that have historical / political significance. Doesn’t sit right with me at all. I feel similar about some other tunes too, What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye etc. Am I over thinking this? Where do you draw the line with stuff like this?

Yeah very nice basses. If I ever come across one with a maple board I may not be able to resist. Expensive, but similar to other used high-end basses, I guess Musicman basses are in the boutique realm these days price-wise. I wonder how it compares to something like a Vincent Akkurat, those are almost the same price but brand new, and you can choose from a bunch of colours and options.

I agree the differences were huge before, and much less so now. I don't want to throw any shade at Mex or even Squier, it's all mostly good stuff these days. My personal experience is that the differences are minimal but they do come into play when it comes to fine tuning and setups. That is just personal experience though, and it also depends on what music you play and how you play.

Yep, I agree with you and in fact I've done this already, I have a lovely modded USA P which currently has a Mex J neck on it which is great, but there's something about a higher-end 'purpose-built' instrument which maybe makes it a bit more solid and fine-tuneable. My experience with USA & Japanese Fenders, as well as the more boutique Fender-ish brands like Sandberg, Vincent, Atelier Z etc is that they come with immaculate fretwork and necks that are rock solid, which means you can set them up exactly how you want, and the setup stays where it is, no rattles, buzzes, you can have an unreasonably low action if that's what you like etc. I'm aware this is a first world problem and most Fender-shaped things can be fixed with a little fretwork and a proper set-up, but really we all love those higher-end Fenders and FSO's for a reason.. (or most of us do anyway)

I would happily go for a Fender, in fact that would be my preferred choice, but I’d like USA / MIJ quality if at all possible. (No judgement on Mex / Squier etc, just my preference).

Yes, they definitely do, the Fullerton Deluxe SB2 would be good, but only the newest version comes with a tone control, previous iterations came without that. Sunburst comes with rosewood, black comes with maple, I prefer the sunburst (I have 2 black P's already..) but I'd rather have a maple board on it.

That’s a nice bass, I definitely prefer that finish to the other one. I’m after a maple board ideally but I should definitely give the higher end Yamahas a try, I know they’re great basses.