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Following on from last weeks 1970's quiz, here's one for the 1980's. Same format, one line per year. The playing should be better as I didn't attempt it all in one take this time, but the volume dips for 1982 for some reason. And I got my fretless back from the practice room, so that gets a few lines. Answers at the end this time. Hope you enjoy it!

Well. Sat in my garden having a bit of me time. Recorded some ideas yesterday and The Sadowsky was in another room... Cannot believe this bass. Still punching way above its weight. And the Sadowsky is nowhere near ten times as good for ten times the price. In saying that, the 1024x wasn’t twice as good for twice the price either. Happy Orange Monday.

After my clear-out of what I deemed non-essential Basses (Blueflower and Player P, then Gretsch Electro) I just happened upon an ebay ad for a Korean Pro Series 4 String Warwick Star Bass. I'd seen it for some while, so made a cheeky bid, had it rejected, then we settled on a mutually beneficial price and it arrived today. It dates from 2012 and is totally immaculate, strung with flats and although missing the strap part of the strap locks, the seller is forwarding them on. It comes with the case candy and in a Warwick gig bag too. I traded a Gold Coloured 5 String version a few years ago and was toying with buying a new one, but they are Chinese and the 4 stringers, unless the Lee Sklar version at £930, are all 32" necks. I've been a bit influenced by watching LS do his thang on YT every night, but the sound is every much as good as I can remember, and the construction is first class. Here's a picture lifted off the ad, as it's too hot to go outside and get snapping at the moment!

It depends on your outlook. If you consider any bass with a bolt on neck inferior to an equivalent set neck bass, then yes. If not, no. If you want as close a copy as possible to a Rick then you'll want a set neck, but that doesn't bother me. If it's old and the action needs attention then a set neck can be worse. You want low action but the saddle has bottomed out, with a bolt on you can shim it, with a set neck it could be pop it in the bin time. It all depends what you want.

The TCE BAM200 arrived today. This thing is tiny! Tiny, but oh it gets loud! It's definitely a clean amplifier, not like the Elf that you can get a bit of grunt from as you turn up the gain. I was playing it side by side with a MarkBass LMIII, and I have to say I prefer the MarkBass, the BAM200 appears to have a bit of a mid-scoop going on and enhanced lows, with the EQ knobs all at 12 o'clock, but if I turn the mids up a bit and the lows down a bit, it gets to the same ballpark as the LMIII. I am amazed at how loud this thing can get. It may not be my favourite amplifier, but for £119 you get a perfectly useable amplifier that is powerful enough to save a gig, in a package that is barely a bit bigger than a couple of Boss pedals. What's not to like? I think sound-wise I would have preferred the Elf, however the fact that the BAM200 stays clean means I have access to clean bass at any volume and I prefer that. If I want a bit of dirt, I have a selection of pedals I can use for that.

Evidently not far enough 🙂

I did and moved to Scotland to get away from the noise.

I love it when you talk dirty @stewblack

The Doobies sounded pretty fine with two

Chatting with a consultant friend of mine over the weekend, and he's on alert for a big spike in July/August.... I'm not planning on going anywhere in the near future. Gigs can wait.

One of my band leaders is fully intent on going out the moment the pubs open again. Suffice to say they will be using a dep on bass 🤣

Hey guys, during a rebuild, I stupidly lost my intonation screws and springs for my A style bridge. I e-mailed Hipshot and got a speedy reply. I was prepared to pay any price but I didn't have to. The parts all arrived from America to N.Ireland today, free of charge. Brilliant service, so I thought I would give them a mention. Regards Michael.

There’s enough Cummings and goings on here as it is Mickey.

Exactly... Others can do as they see fit, the government tacitly condones it anyway. Me... I'm staying home a while.

That’s what my sister in law said no more than two hours ago. She bought the boys over to see my mom and dad, they just sat in the garden for half an hour, maintaining social distancing, she wore a mask too. She’s a doctor, she’s expecting the big spike much sooner. Gigs and travel can wait, I’m definitely in no rush, I can’t work out why people would be. There’s a friend of mine from university who’s been in hospital for the last five weeks with Coronavirus. He spent four of those weeks in a medically induced coma. I only found out last week, he posted a video on Facebook. It’s a horrible disease. You might be lucky and just have mild symptoms, then again it could kill you. Those it doesn’t kill are often left with life changing health problems. Why take the risk is what I think.

You’re getting about a bit, old chap. Can I claim my fiver by identifying you as Dominic Cummings?😂😷

Why two guitars, or two (or more...) singers..? Why so many fiddles in orchestras..? Some bands have one too many drummers, though (Cream, anyone..?)..!

This could help.

Just think how poor live music will be for the first few months lol.

To paraphrase Jeff Goldblum in the Jurassic Park: Just because we can gig, does it mean we should?

I have a custom made acoustic bass, based on a Gibson J 200 body shape, so I guess very similar to a Guild. It puts out plenty of volume for acoustic sessions. I could comfortably hear it playing with a group of 3 or 4 mandolins for instance. I think it is important to get an instrument with a big body, and then get the strings right. Mine currently has la bella gold tape wounds- nice fundamental and midrange. Phosphour bronze are sometimes the main issue with acoustic basses I have found- too many other harmonics and overtones that swamp out the fundamental. Too much scraping noise as well. PB strings are also fairly useless playing with other acoustic instruments, again due to the overtones, noise, and a tonality that is too similar to instruments such as acoustic guitars and mandolins. There is a reason why most acoustic groups such as folk bands make use of a double bass- you get a good solid fundamental and very little else! I like playing acoustic bass because it suits the sort of music I play and compose. I also like the physicality of it, the fact that I have to wrap myself around it. When I want to record it I just put a microphone in front of it. But I would agree that for playing live you really need to put it through an amp. However, there is nothing negative about that, and those that say you might as well use an electric, well, electrics don't have the tonality that I am after for acoustic based music. The sound jumps out at you because it is obviously electric. Robbie

Another important point is to listen to the other fretless players like the real pioneer that Percy JONES was and still is, or the terrific Mick KARN who was the greatest slider ever as it was part of his sound, or Jack BRUCE with his classical background and veena playing knowledge (amongst others), or any other non Jaco related players. These players are my main influences and the ones that decided me to play fretless instead of fretted bass. Even Jaco was impressed by Percy JONES... because he was there before him pushing the limits of the fretless bass to such a high level. Of course, don't forget Michael MANRING and Pino PALLADINO (with Paul YOUNG), both great Jaco fans. Again open your ears !

I'm sorry, I cracked, I just couldn't take it anymore. It's OK now, the lockdown Police arrived, gave me a sedative and removed my amp and bass, for my own safety.

We all now know to buy from you for a good deal! 😂

Not until there is a viable treatment without sedation and ventilator use. If I get replaced, so be it.

Mark Gooday has just mentioned on Facebook that they are considering offering servicing on TE gear - incase anybody might find that useful.

Latest video is up

Thanks for the input. The slot is deep enough that I can get the rod flush. I think the splitting must have been there under the surface as it were, and the activity recently has just exacerbated it. The neck is so very very thin in places. Anyhow, onwards and upwards. I shall scratch the chin this evening. Tomorrow is another day. Rest assured whatever I decide to do will be photo documented for your entertainment.

It's a Rickenfaker! It's already got a trussrod cover Crocodile Dundee would be pleased to use as a knife!

Fair do's. I'm actually more scared that I might be an asymptomatic carrier and might give it to someone who doesn't know they are vulnerable.

I’m not sure how soon pub type gigs will be back. Given the need for social distancing, that cuts down audience size. Given the amount of space that a band needs that further reduces space - so therefore capacity in the pub. The band will then want paying. All this is reducing the money coming in to the pub. Whereas if they space tables out throughout, in accordance with distancing regs, and everyone on the tables is having a meal & a few drinks, well that’s maximising the amount of money they can likely get. And at present they need it - and I don’t think they’ll need to be putting entertainment on to entice people in.

Though to be totally honest, my solo gigs are generally a perfect example of social distancing 😆.

No, it's not just you, I'm the same. Although I use online resources I still like having a book to refer to but I've found that many of the ones I've bought over the years have explained relatively simple ideas in needlessly difficult ways so that if and wen the penny drops I end up thinking "is that it"? Modes are a prefect example, I'd spent ages trying to get my head around them and once it clicked I couldn't understand how anyone could have made such a simple concept into such a complex subject. The book that made the penny drop on modes and a few other things was actually Bass guitar from Dummies, someone bought it for me as a novelty Christmas present years ago (I'd already been playing for 20 or more years by that point) and it's perfect for my style of learning. It's just simple, straight forward paragraphs that make no effort to blind you with science, there's music and tab plus a CD to play along to too. You have to ignore the Americanisms in it and the bland humour but otherwise I highly recommend it. It's the theory book for people who don't like theory books. I've got about 3/4 of the way through it but still reference some of the earlier stuff from time to time.

A zero chance of catching Covid. I don't trust the general public, I don't trust the government. Call me a tin foil hat wearer but it's not like we have come out the other side of this looking good.

I'm also a Studio One user, it came with my audio interface and I upgraded it to the Pro version when there was a deal around. I really like it, yes it's the one I know so I would but it does seem relatively easy to understand - I like things where you can get your head round the concepts they have designed around, and it seems like that to me. It's widely used enough that there are lots of tutorials etc.

Trick o'the light, Sir; a mere trick o'the light. As 'excuse', I would refer to an apt work from Mr Carroll ... "You are old, Father William," the young man said, "And your hair has become very white; And yet you incessantly stand on your head— Do you think, at your age, it is right..?" "In my youth," Father William replied to his son, "I feared it might injure the brain; But now that I'm perfectly sure I have none, Why, I do it again and again." "You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before, And have grown most uncommonly fat; Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door— Pray, what is the reason of that..?" "In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, "I kept all my limbs very supple By the use of this ointment (one shilling the box...) Allow me to sell you a couple." "You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet; Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak— Pray, how did you manage to do it..?" "In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law, And argued each case with my wife; And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw, Has lasted the rest of my life." "You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose That your eye was as steady as ever; Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose— What made you so awfully clever..?" "I have answered three questions, and that is enough," Said his father; "don't give yourself airs..! Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff..? Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs..!" ... with apologies to the worthy Lenny (who now has two certificates; a 'First' ...).

My best buys have usually concerned stuff I've bought that has eventually become worth a lot more! I acquired my 63 P-bass for not a lot of money, but it was in a right state after being left in a loft for a few years. Spent a fair bit getting it into shape, and it will be with me till the end. ( Originally belonged to an ex-bandmate who sadly got killed in a road accident, and his widow approached me a few years later to see if I wanted it.) Bought a very rare Marshall Bluesbreaker combo in the late 70's/early 80's for (IIRC) £80. It was a really rare 4x10 version which are like hen's teeth. Sold it for a paltry £150 I think - it let me down on a gig and I got fed up of it. Nowadays would be worth maybe 10K !! Got my 1959 Les Paul Junior for what would now be considered a song - think it was £400. This was at a time when they weren't particularly desirable, but to a Keith Richards fan like me it was priceless. The going rate for them now seems to be around the £3.5 to £4k range i think. Again, won't be going anywhere though. Probably the best thing I've got is my late 60's Marshall 1974 18 watt guitar combo. Bought for £45 in the late 70's, and now worth a fair bit. A friend who had a music shop was asked by his Marshall sales rep if he knew anyone who had one to sell, so he contacted me to see if I was interested. Told him thanks but no. He rang back and said the Marshall guy wanted it for a famous client of theirs (who had hired the same model for his blues album) and would I accept an offer of £4k? Must admit I did consider it, but again politely refused. Certainly the best guitar amp I've ever had.

You'd have loved living next to me in the early Seventies . With my Laney 100w Klipp amp and Carlsbro 2x15 cab in my bedroom 😁

We had a booking come in for August a couple of weeks ago, I've no expectation of playing it. I wouldn't be surprised to see some smaller venues open up again at the end of the summer, only for lockdown to shut it all down again by the start of the winter.

I will gig when it's safe to do so.

Reminds me of the old Tommy Cooper joke,

I’ve got a couple of gigs left in the diary for this year, one in September and another in October. They are both in good venues that get decent crowds and I’m reasonably confident that they should both go ahead. Things will get back to something to normal, pubs will re-open and social distancing won’t last for ever. As you can see on the news, other European countries are starting to allow bars to re-open and they are starting to make steps to get back to normal (even though I can’t see any major events happening this year). My worry is that there is going to be political pressure on the UK to follow suit as soon as possible, when in reality we should be at least a few weeks behind. There is always a risk of a second wave of infection over here, so hopefully people will be sensible over the next few weeks. If that happens then hopefully things will be something like normal by the autumn.

I'd normally suggest giving them my number, but I'm in no hurry to test the waters either.

I paid £330 for this in 1986.