doctor_of_the_bass

4000! Nice list of gear there! Nick

Well done guys! Fosk to the rescue! I feel a Cambridgeshire Bass Collective being put together! Marshy, whereabouts are you bassed!? Nick

Good idea! I've got a Sandbag - does that count?! No, sorry, a Handbag!

Sting JJ Burnel Chris Squire Mark King (when he had long hair!) Me!

Rich Clunkers - you've nailed it mate! I like that term. We call them `numpties' round this way!

I think it really boils down to the fact that any band is only really as good as its drummer - I find it marvellous to play with a drummer who can keep great time - don't get me wrong - I love clever chops but give me a timekeeper over fillage! One of the best drummers I work with does a lot of work with Alan Price - he's called Martin Wild (based in Northampton) and he is excellent - solid as a rock and very inventive but supportive. He listens. We do panto together and its a joy (oh yes it is!) I admire anyone who can play good piano and Stanley Jordan does it for me on guitar! Very clever.

No probs! She (Mrs Wilkes!) is still in the family so to speak - can you believe its over 10 years that the old Yahoo clubs were first set up! My collection is now reaching critical mass - I've got 57 basses and at least 13 lesser instruments (geetars!) so I'm either going to open a bass shop, buy a bigger house or sell them all and buy a Lamborghini (think thats how to spell it)! I recently picked up a JayDee Calibas 6 string bass - monstrous. Just need to learn how to play it. Nick

Rich Adam and I did a deal - we swapped some stuff and he's now the proud owner of `le rouge Vigier'! I've got his lovely Warmoth J and a rather immaculate Tokai J! I've got two more Vigiers and this particular bass was not getting its deserved playage so she's gone to a very good home - incidentally I predict that Adam is also a chronic GAS man - his collection is growing weekly! Buy (trade) locally! Cheers Nick

Very well thanks m8! Busy teaching/gigging etc with some theatre stuff coming up! See you've still got the Wilkes! I've still got my half-fretted/fretless.

Nice shots Fosk! Still owe you a set of new strings - should have my shipment here in a week or so! Nick

You kept that one quiet mate! Lovely! This now means we are the East Anglian Vigier/Spector Society! (I've got a US NS-2!!). Bring her down the studio sometime!

Nice to see ya Dave! Nick XXX

Chris mentioned that the guy was a Chinese repairman based in Soho called Sam Lee! Every year Chris would take the Ric to Sam and he'd say `oh terrible - I shave it off! He (Chris) wallpapered it many times and at one stage, it had a `band' of black rubber round the body edges! Weird! To my mind, Chris is the rock bassist - I just love his overall command of the instrument and his stage presence cannot be matched - total showman! And he has the biggest hands Ive ever seen.

Its a Fender Jazz! Oops! Sorry! Just realised its the bass in the middle of the first pic! A fellow player from round these parts had a similar bass (body-wise) made by Vox? Interesting!

Still got 4 Status basses! Just need a camera! Nick

Burpster! Obviously I've got very little experience of the world of bass guitar so I bow down to your greater knowledge! I agree that many bands tend to use the more 'rugged' types of instrument and that the use of exotica is more confined to a smaller percentage of acts! However, many pro bands are offered endorsements etc so this may explain why many of these guys/ladies use Fenders etc; put it this way, many such players are not in a fiscal position to afford exotica, hence the proliferation of said marques (I know this from a very good friend of mine who had 3 or 4 hit records in the Japanese market who used Fender as he got them cheap and was very very skint). Steve has hit the head o the nail nicely. The Jerzy is obviously the preferred tool of that particular player - yes, there is opinion that the bass is `wasted' in the context of ska or whatever so perhaps my use of the word `criticise' was slightly incorrect! I value everyone's opinion - that makes us better as people - even if I think they are wrong. The fact remains that a cheaper bass would do the same job - course it would (or is that wood!?) BUT he chooses to use a bass that he loves! Where is the problem with that? Why is the bass wasted in this case (as noted earlier in this thread??? We, as intelligent, thinking bass players are very lucky that there is such a plethora of bass guitars available to us that give each and every one of us pleasure, whether it be aesthetics, playability or tonality (or all these). ...must dash, got a country gig to do - now wheres me Alembic? Cheers! Nick

Very low starting price - looks nice. Sadly will not be joining my modest collection due to lack of wonga!

Each to their own! I personally think that those Drozd basses look awful but you are talking about someone's pride and joy - hes up there gigging with it so good luck to him. He could use a cheaper or `more robust' bass but he chooses something that he personally likes! Why bother to criticise? Can't really see the point. Nick

Great to hear you are happy avec Le Vigier! Nice one! Nick O

Don't get me wrong, Hondo made some great gear - I just hate to see people using gear like that which has not been given any respect - to me it deserves much better! The owner should be severely reprimanded by the Bass Council! Nick (major japcrap lover and owner of many Arias/Washburns etc!)

Looks fairly decent!!! Looks a bit like one of the Jay Turser basses but with a proper 3 and 1 headstock! The OLP basses are by and large, passive and they do posess a decent `Ray style tone albeit less powerful! N