discreet

You see a fair few pro bass players sporting Squier et al. I don't think it's that remarkable... Squier basses are of a quality that can cater for most people's ability. The key point is being able to play the bloody thing and not have to worry about it. For example, if you're on tour and your bass gets wrecked or goes walkies it's easy enough for someone to go to the local music shop and buy a near-identical instrument off the peg without going bankrupt.

Reach Out (I'll Be There) - Four Tops. For obvious reasons. Didn't know it was Jamerson until way after I'd been playing bass for years. Driving, melodic, inventive... Jamerson has to be one of the most influential bass players in modern music.

I seem to be the only one getting this. But I don't need a Ric...

Early on I nearly posted 'Can. Of. Worms.' But didn't, because I thought we'd moved on from all that...

Not at all, it's just that Bonio gets on my nerves.

How do you titillate an ocelot?

You bloody mellifluous, considerate humanitarian! Coming on here with your damn congenial, indulgent tolerance! It's nothing but benign encouragement and accommodating bias!

Hats off to AC - firstly for resisting the idea that good bass lines are complex bass lines (simplest is often best) and secondly for putting up with Bonio, who must surely be right up there as one of the most hypocricital, hubristic and monumental bell-ends of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

And people who win auctions and then try to get round your terms, i.e. asking you to post items when you've made it very clear you'll only accept cash on collection. Twunts.

I learnt my eBay lesson some years ago and will only list low-value items, and then only if absolutely necessary. Very glad you got it sorted in the end, good work. Aaaannnnd breathe...

On the other hand it keeps obbm busy...

As we're all online and no doubt have failed to cover our tracks in any meaningful way, I'm sure the service provider already has all possible info on every member, including hair colour (if any), number of hernias, pension arrangements, funeral payment plan, brand of fortified wine and type of denture fixative...

I THINK YOUR ALL PEDUNTZ!

Best stock preamp I ever experienced was a Spector Tonepump in a Spector Euro4. Beast!

No Love for Audere..? I had one of their Jazz plate preamps fitted to a Squier VM5 Jazz and it was completely lush. But in the end I moved it on, I really prefer to keep things as simple as possible, particularly at gigs. Passive bass, cable, amp, done...

Absolutely, that's it's main selling point - it's totally plug and play. I can turn up with combo, strap, lead and bass and be ready to go in less than two minutes. I regularly rock up to rehearsals an hour late because I know it takes everyone else at least that long before theyre ready to play... had enough of standing around waiting for other people to do their thing.

Yes, as long as you leave the music therapy space out of any arguments, you'll be fine...

Fender Rumble Combo, the 2X10. Gives 350W as-is and 500W with a matching extension cab. However I've never taken the Master further than 10 o'clock and it sounds very warm, punchy and loud with no signs of stress at that level. I can't see myself buying the extension cab any time soon.

It's not ideal on paper, but it certainly wasn't a deal-breaker for me. If one thinks one will be bothered by it, one can buy a proprietary DI box, can't one? In the real world, sound engineers invariably prefer to use their own anyway.

I have two bass guitars and one six-string. She has loads of minging bowls, a massive thong, a proto-monotone, big bum, wagging tongue and a Rav 4.

Good call. But they do say that two can live as cheaply as one. To which I would add, IF you both want to end up mentally ill. Have a lovely Sunday, everyone! Hello clouds! Hello sky!

Thus proving that Americans really have NO sense of humour.

I've found this, too. You can even fit 'the wrong sort of flats'. I put some Roto 77 flats on a Jazz bass expecting the usual result, but it just didn't happen. However when I tried some Fender 9050 flats on it, the difference was startling. I'm a big fan of La Bellas, but find that Fender 9050 flats are almost as good, if you persist with them and break them in properly. When new, they're quite clanky and have a bit too much top end. With playing, they settle into a La Bella-style thump in a very pleasing way*. Plus, they're about half the price of an equivalent set of La Bellas. Having said that, there are some basses that only really sound good with rounds, as you have discovered. My Shergold Marathon was a case in point. Edit: Great score, by the way. I've always wanted a Magnum ever since I saw Wobble playing his. Jealous! *It can take a month or two depending on how much you play.