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If you played bass in an indie band in the eighties, Andy Rourke's level of playing was probably your aspirational goal. His contribution to The Smiths was as huge as it is underrated.

The build is over! Took ages getting the Walbuckers, but well worth it. The range of tones available from the Lusithand preamp is staggering. I really didn’t know what to expect, as I’ve never owned a Wal or experienced multi-coils. It weighs in at 9.0 pounds, which is just about right, and no sign of neck dive. I’m looking forward to gigging this!

One of my earliest bass inspirations and truly one of (if not the) greatest melodic bass players of all time. Everything he played with The Smiths was terrific. Playing the way he did with someone like Johnny Marr on the guitar means that he not only anchored the songs rhythmically but also harmonically, giving very crucial context to all of those broken chords and arpeggios. Stephen Street said that he noticed Morrissey would often lean heavily on the bass lines for his vocal melodies and it's not surprising. There are so many song recommendations I could give, but This Night Has Opened My Eyes is truly sublime. Perfectly measured, perceptive, meaningful bass playing. One of the best early Smiths tracks that really showcases a band of four equals. I cannot praise this man enough. A very sad day.

Don't worry, the new website is coming

Just got home from playing the beautiful, ornate Ilkley Kings Hall and the more modern Solihull Core Theatre.... and both fabulous shows! Our band is really on fire now... it's amazing what a series of shows can do for cementing a band socially, musically and performance-wise.... Loving it! Next stops.... Swansea Grand Theatre, Eastleigh Concorde Club & Hunstanton Princess Theatre!

From the Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/19/andy-rourke-bassist-for-the-smiths-dies-aged-59) "(Johnny) Marr’s tribute continued: “Watching him play those dazzling basslines was an absolute privilege and genuinely something to behold. But one time which always comes to mind was when I sat next to him at the mixing desk watching him play his bass on the song The Queen is Dead. It was so impressive that I said to myself ‘I’ll never forget this moment.’" Bit dusty in here.

Took the M4 on stage for the first time last night, had a great time and had plenty of suitors!

The Grand Old Duke of York ～ 'nuff said

Creep - radiohead

I'm a big fan of your man's stuff. Always interested in checking out new pedals. https://lusithanddevices.com/product/ground-pound/

I care not for his later life. This is just fantastic. He was 13 when he sang this. It is probably one of the greatest vocal performances ive ever heard.

So sad to hear this, one of my absolute favourite bassists. Always seemed to be able to get so much heartfelt emotion to even the simplest of parts. I adore his playing on this from John Martyn:

It's totally dependent on the question, and we don't know what that is, so not much point in speculating or saying one is better than the other. IMO, 'do you have XYZ in stock' is a phone call, whereas 'can you quote me for this' is an email.

He was a terrific bass player with a sound and style that really stood out. Quite literally; that bright P Bass tone with roundwounds and a pick was unmistakable even on medium wave radio and the lo-fi TV sets most folks had back in the day. Such an inventive and creative player. The Smiths wouldn't have been the monumental band they became without his contribution. I'm very sad. RIP Andy Rourke.😟

RIP Andy. A great bassist, but never given the recognition he deserved. I saw a Smiths Tribute a few years ago and was amazed at the number of cracking basslines Andy produced.

Made some changes recently. Replaced my old Turbo Tuner with the Turbo Tuner Mini. Replaced my ODB-3 with the MBD2 (I love this pedal!) That created enough space to add a Carbon Copy as a little temporary fun extra. I've been thinking of getting hold of a Walrus Julia to use instead of the CE-2B. That'd make space for something like a Meris Polymoon where the CC is. Open to suggestions about good chorus', they just need to be in an enclosure along the lines of the MBD2 ideally. Seems like the Walrus Julia, EQD Aurelius and JHS Emperor are the main items that fill the bill? I like the idea of the Julia and the Polymoon or Red Panda Context 2 as I've been thinking of putting an "ambient" "adjacent" guitar setup together.

This must be the most under-rated Jackson family tune ever.

Why rehearse or refer to an idiosyncratic live version which could be s mistake anyway, studio version is straight forward

Working for the Yankee Dollar - The Skids Now doesn't that take you back??

Never heard of Mark King, is he really good?

And let them know why you are going direct to them, because IME they'll try and direct you back to their UK retailer/distributer.

A great bassist for sure with that terrific P-Bass tone (even if I really can't stand Morrissey). May he rest in peace.

The erectile disfunction of websites.

The size of your fingers is immaterial, it’s about technique. Apart from a brief reverse back to playing a 5 string during the first year of my degree, I’ve been playing 6 string bass for nearly 20 years. I would recommend having a few lessons from someone who plays a 6 string when you start, just to get comfortable with playing it. I think the reason why so many people buy 6 string basses and then sell them, is that they’re trying to simply transfer whatever technique they use on a 4 string instrument over to the 6. That won’t necessarily work, they’re very different beasts.

Daz The Way I Like It ～ KC & The Sunshine Band

Thanks. 👍 But I've still got absolutely no idea, Chris.... 😂 Being the old git that I am, I don't know any pop music released after 1982.....

In that case you are counting the first note as the 1. It isn't, it's the 4&. I assure you the whole song is straight 4 in the bar. No half bars or complicated time signatures. The intro chords are anticipated, ie on the 4& not the 1.

These guys ought to be required listening for every bass player. Pick any album - they've all got epic tunes on 'em. A

Amps shape your tone a lot more than the bass you are playing

Mine blew its bridge rectifier. Which I fixed, but it was still annoying. You are right, though, it did amplify. It made dullness slightly louder.

Don't worry, when i will get back from the work, i will check out in you tube !

This could well be one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard.

Work is a four letter word. Smiths - Andy Rourke!! 😢😢😢

I met him once, at Nottingham boat club despite being star of the show, he stood to one side to allow me to pass. I thanked him and insisted he go first as he’d forgotten more about bass than I’d ever know charming man…

Mile high, Morphine

I had a Carlsbro Stingray head....hated it so much l purposely left it at a gig in Newcastle.

I liked it when I used a stage microphone (actually a Zoom H2 stereo field recorder) in addition to the mix I was given. With a tiny weeny mixer on my pedalboard [1] so that I could balance the mix, my own bass, and the 'ambience'. You're still somewhat isolated in that I don't have a mic on me so if someone talks to me I don't have a good way to hear them clearly but people can be pretty shouty and it didn't seem a terrible problem Anyway... I don't want to preach in case someone confuses me with... (is he gone yet? ) , and I'm very very new to this IEM thing. I got interested in order to hear things better while keeping the volume down for my ears. I've played in some really nice stages where standard wedges/amps worked beautifully, but unfortunately I play way too many that are nowhere near as good, and that's where I find IEM most useful. Pub gigs? I think IEM is ideal for that. I'm waiting for one of those BackBeat units that you out on the strap/belt and vibrate with your bass, which is supposed to improve the experience. We'll see. [1] I'm using a very unsophisticated method, and wired, using one of those combined instrument/earphone cables with the mixer feeding my little headphone amp attached to my belt and one of those multidrive KZ10-something earphones that I sa being recommended on the "IEM Bible" thread. Not a huge investment by any means (mixer was around £50, and so was the cable, the earphones about £30) and I felt it was a good way to give IEM a try. I hesitated for a while because it seemed it could be a faff when you're not the 'important band' and getting a suitable mix would depend largely on others, but my 'ghetto' approach works in any situation and can make some of the venues where I never get a good sound/monitor onstage become a much more pleasant experience. If I can have good mix, brilliant. If I don't, the H2 mic onstage gives me whatever I would normally hear, but at reduced levels, better clarity, and get to balance my bass better for my ears. Aaanyway, whatever system people use, I think having an ambience mic in the mix is really important to not feel isolated.

A friend of a friend who runs a small recording studio was contacted by someone claiming to represent Sade who wanted to record some vocal tracks. He laughed. Turns out it was true. He co-produced her tracks for the last Disney record and made a fortune.

Green Bunions ～ Booker T & The M.G.s

Absolutely top. JS has remained the wonderful human being he has always been, and that voice just stays as good as ever

I’m really happy with my band mates; we get along, are happy to compromise and are generally on the same page. We are 2 guitars, bass and drums, with one of the guitarists on vocals, standard stuff. We would like to cover certain songs but can’t due to the original having keys or sax, for example, and we have trouble converting that to two guitars. Sometimes our arrangements work, sometimes they don’t and we drop the song. I’m nitpicking here, our set is 33 songs strong and we are adding more.

We're trying to get an EP together before we get gigs. I would much prefer to try to get gigs with a room recording for now while we work on the EP.

Currently in a three piece. I'd sack the guitarist and the drummer, leaving more space on stage for my gear. 😁

I'd change the bass player 🙂

There you go. Always thought Aria SB's could make almost anything sound good 😀