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Sounds to me like a mate of yours having a laugh....

Those RD Artists sound amazing but weigh a ton and are a bit ungainly to play. I remember when they were new in the shops around the time I started playing and they were ridiculously expensive, much more than a Fender or Rickenbacker, none of which I could afford.

Checking down the back of the sofa for extra pennies!

Proud Mary - CCR

Yeah the Maruszczyk straps are the mutt's nuts, the PES50 is 5 inches wide and padded, with a suede lining that helps with stability and a ladder connection between the two parts of the strap. I can't really play full scales any more after I shanked my back, but with this wee beastie I'm able to play my jazz again as long as I don't over-do it, same with my P-bass. Only downside is the synthetic "leather" the front of the strap is fitted with (you can score it by _gently_ running a fingernail along the front face. It's sturdy enough but looks kinda bobbins.

Sone posh plugs have washers you loop the wire round. Plugs with little scews are better (if they are quality ones) because if they can be done up tight enough they cold weld like a crimp... you hear them creak or crack when undoing them.

You can soft solder to aluminium. You need to abrade off the oxide layer, cover it with light oil (not flux), use a powerful iron and scratch through the thin oxide layer that formed before you got the oil on. It is tricky. I've also got aluminium welding rods (alutite), used with a blowtorch- mechanical abrasion also important.

Funnily enough I just posted an explanation of why crimping is superior to soldering. The same goes for plugs. Done up tight the screw cold welds and unsoldered is more flexible, improving fatigue life.

I have an amp that could do with some tlc at some point soon. I'll keep that Dave Barlow chap in mind, though I am also far, far from Surbiton.

No, but he is capable of more than he does on most “standard” u2 records The three sunrises, for example

Is that the one you had back in the 90s?

Run away!

Perhaps Pino was crap back then and your friend's rejection spurred him on to become the player we all revere today. He should feel proud.

Not the greatest, perhaps, but the three bass players I would most enjoy seeing interviewed: Leo Lyons - stepped up the virtuosity in blues rock bass from his jazz roots. Dave Pegg - transformed folk-rock bass from a gentle accompaniment to the equal of any other instrument. Jim Lea. Becoz.

ABC in Liverpool tonight , superb , great sound , great night , overall a great few days for the gigs I’ve been to

Chatting to a friend the other day, back in the 70s his band needed a stand in bassist for a European tour. They auditioned Pino and turned him down. 🙄

Unfortunately that is almost the exact opposite site of London for me, I'm nearer North East and that's South West 🤣 nonetheless I'll have a look, worth a bit of a drive for a job done well!

Try Monkey Wrench. Foo Fighters basslines songs are deceptive, full of syncopation, space, unintuitive structure. Even their simplest songs will add a beat, drop a bar or stick in an unexpected rhythm change.

... can't wait 😁

Michael Rosen?

I pretty much agree with most of what you've said, the only thing I kind of dont agree with is being moderately well known. Despite being together for only 4 years, they still achieved success with Love Will Tear Us Apart which charted at No.13 in 1980 in the main UK chart and No.1 in the UK independent chart. Their album, Closer also topped the UK independent album chart. New Order however have the biggest selling 12" record in history, 2 No.1 albums and a no.1 single so quite a bit more success. If you replace Joy Division with The Smith's, then what you wrote fits both bands, short lifespan, moderate success and cult following, a no.1 in the independent chart but minor success in the main charts. I'm not a fan of either bands really but I do love New Order.

In practice, well-made spade connections are more reliable. A proper crimp tool causes cold-welding, there is better strain relief, and a little spring bit on the spade engages the hole in the tab so it can't vibrate loose. It's been widely demonstrated that soldering wires to crimp connectors decreases their fatigue life. Thus is why crimps are ubiquitous for automotive and aetospace applications.