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I had a bit of a revelation at my uncle's funeral last year that sometimes when someone dies, along with the grief there can also be a genuine celebration of a life well lived, someone who played the game and won. I think Ozzy definitely falls into that category.

I was never a Sabbath fan as I'm not a fan of that genre of music particularly, but I totally respect their unique talent and sound, and their massive contribution to rock and roll. That said, I liked Ozzy a lot as a frontman ; he just had something about him that connected and reached out to you. Charisma and authenticity, I guess... RIP, Mr Sabbath.

Sticking with the theme of fretless Rays… I met @bernard_beard last night to buy one - perfect deal from start to finish - and it’s clear Mark is one of the good guys Thanks Mark - the bass is excellent.

More peace, love and harmony. Maaaaan. It does look great, though!

You do know that they label the controls the other way these days, yes?

I have an ampeg V4B incoming which I will use on gigs when I don't have to supply PA I's beena long time since I gigged on bass, with valves (Marshall superbass 50, many many moons ago)

I’ve got one of these. I take it as a spare to double bass gigs. It’s great!

IME it is always easier to hear myself if at least one of the speakers is pointing at my ears rather than my knees or my groin. That means either mounting the combo on a tilt-back stand or putting at least one other cab underneath it. Both of those things place top mounted controls (for me at least) in a position that is both difficult to see and reach. The original reasoning behind top-mounted controls is that the amps would be placed on the floor in front of the musicians. Not only were the controls on top but labels were orientated so that they read the right way up when viewed from the back. Since this placement hasn't been regularly used since the early 50s it makes little sense to continue building amps this way.

The mute kit is on it's way from Bass Direct as we speak...

if you're gonna feel dirty, a telecaster makes it worth it

As so often happens with high-profile people perceived by the wider public as hedonists, effectively Ozzy became a stuntman for excess and intoxication. I think a lot of the shock about his passing is based on the common assumption that, despite his obvious frailty, he was more robust than ordinary mortal men. By the time of his death Ozzy and Sabbath were household names and fully embraced by the mainstream media, but I remember when Ozzy and Sabbath were a cult band and hardly ever featured on TV ect in Britain. That was the real Black Sabbath and the source of their legend. In an age where rock stars could get away with behaving badly, Sabbath were a bit more dangerous than most, albeit that they were mostly dangerous to themselves. Never mind The Osbournes, I wish someone had made a reality show about Ozzy's life back in those days. It would've been the most interesting documentary ever.

That's the magic of Wenge.

Rust In Peace … Polaris - Megadeth

Be nice to find a set of the correct knurled bolts too so the mutes are easily adjustable mid-gig.

And it's not a battery issue right?

This is a sad one. Just like with Lemmy, I knew it would happen soon but still kind of didn't expect it. Ozzy and Sabbath meant so much to heavy metal. Without them, the music i love wouldn't exist. They must be one of the most influential bands of all time. Today I'll be listening to a lot of Black Sabbath. Starting with my favourite song, Supernaut

Rusty Cage - Soundgarden

Only noticed when scrolled through a Facebook page, a giveaway picture. R.I.P

I've been working on a pedalboard for the last ten years on and off that allows me to play two synth lines simultaneously, one manual and one arpeggiated off the first note in each bar sampled by a modified EHX Freeze pedal. The idea was mostly inspired by this Freemasons track: This is what synthbass is all about for me. Bombastic, pumping and jubilant. When I had the EHX into the Moment Machine and then arpeggiated into the C4 AND a manual line through the FI, I wore the biggest shit eating grin in decades. It worked so long as I could time the sampling to grab the right note, otherwise I wouldn't have been persisting for quite so long. A single pedal that could achieve all that with tap tempo (ideally without needing to press a button to sample every bar) would be a god send.

Yes, we both believe being helpful supporting products (and especially when problems arise) is a big part of running a business. It’s part of our culture.

Basically, he won at life and completed the game - the gig the other week was the big boss fight and he won. I'm noting that there's no mention anywhere of his cause of death - would be entirely unsurprised to find out he went to Dignitas or something. He did everything he wanted to do and went out with a blast.