discreet

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1449864989' post='2927688'] I remember some ancient musos sneering when I first bought an electronic tuner saying that they were dumbing down music and I should tune by ear, but I found my ear improving by virtue of using the tuner. 30 years on I have close to perfect pitch, at least in the comfort of my home in front of my piano. [/quote] Bah! OK then - what note am I singing now, Mr Smarty-Pants? *Sings note*

This will lead to people being unable to tune a guitar, just as calculators led to people being unable to do simple arithmetic. /grumpy

[quote name='Telebass' timestamp='1449788129' post='2926972'] My 75 had new logo WITHOUT serial, E side thumb rest, neckplate with serial, black gasket. Never say never with Fender. [/quote] It's true, you always have to say 'around that year' or 'it was at about this time...'

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1449777292' post='2926794'] He looked the part though. [/quote] Yes, he left a beautiful corpse.

Ha! Ha! Ha!

Not much time available, so here's a solo bass offering... >> IT'S MERCIFULLY SHORT!! [url="https://soundcloud.com/arkaymith/dust"]https://soundcloud.com/arkaymith/dust[/url]

The OP started this thread very much tongue-in-cheek but we seem to be proceeding with it anyway...

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1449692000' post='2926082'] Entwistle, does he overplay or what? [/quote] Nah, that's Jeff Berlin.

Ha. If so, it was one hell of a trick.

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1449676017' post='2925878'] ...of course, I could be talking a load of bollocks. [/quote]

The best value amp I got for around £200 was an Ashdown ABM 500 Evo II. Not lightweight, but much lighter than an all-valve lump.

It just means you're getting old. Seriously though, always been a huge fan of Mingus, Coltrane, Davis, Coleman, Haden, Parker, etc. etc. What is generally known as 'Fusion'... not so much. Jazz is the teacher and funk is the preacher! http://youtu.be/j9QXpfvgSVk

Sold Chay a, a... thing. He paid for it quickly and comms were as you'd want them to be. Very good!!

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1449576807' post='2924754'] ...don't look like a 76 P neck to me... [/quote] You could be right there, John. Also the original pickguard has too many thumbrest holes in it. But it could have been moved, of course.

I don't know why you'd scratch off the pat numbers, either. Maybe they're just Photoshopped out for some weird reason..? Still no idea why, though. And yes, there should be a black plastic pad under the neck plate. But the neck plate itself looks right. 1976 was the year the serial number moved from the neck plate to the headstock and the logo changed to a different typeface. But early 1976 P Basses had this type-C 'TV' logo and the 'F' serial number neck plate - mine does, and that's definitely a 1976.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1449522150' post='2924375'] Maybe we should send Geddy & Alex a link to the recent "Do you REALLY need a drummer?" thread... [/quote] Sweet. It's about time they did something different. Folk duo..? *Runs away and hides for a good long while*

As played by Joe Osborn on Richard Harris's 'MacArthur Park'. He hated it. It's also rumoured he played it on Simon and Garfunkel's 'The Only Living Boy In New York' from 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', but it's a myth - Osborn used his Jazz and did lots of overdubs which were comped for the track. Here endeth today's music history lesson.

Anyone seen the film 'Eraserhead'?

This will give me nightmares tonight, I'm quite sure of that. It looks deformed.

You can't deny his influence, he completely changed the face of bass playing (along with Stanley Clarke) and while his work with Joni Mitchell is truly excellent and should be compulsory listening for any bass player, I find some of his work just leaves me cold. But that's just my opinion, one man's meat, it would be a fully old world, there's no accounting for taste, there's nowt as queer as folk and never wipe yer arse with a broken bottle.

The word springing to mind is 'Contraption'.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1449488573' post='2923881'] What I most like about playing without a drummer is that the whole band have to become far more rhythmically/percussively aware and tight, which means they have to listen to each other more than is often the case when simply staying with the thud and snap of a kick/snare... ...If you hear us recorded, you get the feel there's a drum or at least percussion in there somewhere, but it's just the sound of a lot of instruments playing tightly together. [/quote] Very good! As I have long suspected, being a tight and together band is not about simply following the drums. A good band will sound tight and play in time with or without drums. It's not enough to leave rhythmic duties to the drummer, it's the responsibility of the whole band. And if you get a particularly crap drummer of the type that merely 'plays along' rather than taking that responsibility, you have a very sloppy dog's breakfast indeed. Everything should flow naturally - as a bass player, you shouldn't have to push and pull the timing to keep everything afloat, it's very tiring and makes the whole business unpleasant when it should be fun. Which is why playing with a competent drummer is such a pleasure.

I know you said you're only looking at new, but a good used bass would be best bang for your buck. For example, there's a lot of love for certain Peavey basses on this forum and some of the USA-built models are astoundingly affordable and are very good indeed, apparently.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1449481317' post='2923788'] But never 'on' enough to quite get over The Beatles.. which IMO speaks volumes. [/quote] To be fair that is a pretty hard act to follow to say the least. They were the biggest band in the history of music and some would argue that they always will be. That alignment of circumstances that led to their massive exposure and that particular talent and cultural situation won't be repeating itself anytime soon.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1449480327' post='2923762'] Some people would say he never did anything after the Beatles. [/quote] You're right there - Wings didn't do very well, really. And his solo career flopped quite badly, didn't it? [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1449480327' post='2923762'] Would you go and see him now..? or put on his Beatles records.. or neither? [/quote] Or both... I (and I'm sure millions of people worldwide) still listen to Beatles records extensively. Even if you don't like what they did you can't ignore the massive influence they had and still have on subsequent musicians and writers to this day and that continues. [quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1449479040' post='2923747'] I hadn't thought of the LSO as being a covers band before. [/quote] Yeah, orchestras are posh covers bands!! Get over it!!