doctor_of_the_bass

Mr Cottle was not talking about me Fosk! I only earn £8k a year!!! There's a lot to be said for walking away from the `rat race' but it can be very tough to sustain a reasonable living playing full-time. I'm not making as much as I did (which at that time was quite a nice bunch of folding) but I'm doing something that I love - and paying my mortgage. I'll never be that wealthy (until such time my planned album hits #1 in Belgium of course) but the collection will hopefully continue to grow and perhaps, one day, I will hang up me Vigiers and open that shop I always wanted! Nick

Can I come?

Happy New Year! Have now added another Pangborn to the collection - thanks to Lawrence Green - should be here next week! Current total I think stands at 52 basses!

...just got in from today's shows - there's the `swamp scene' where the tree Troll comes out - scares the kiddies sh%tless - course today one of the crew members decides to go for it with the bloody smoke machine and we get completely fogged out - I'm like `wheres my bass gone'! B*stard!

Allo! Anyone else doing panto this year? I'm at the Key Theatre, Peterborough doing `Mother Goose' - nice five weeks worth of work. Oh yes it is! Nick

Not bad at all. In fact, a tasty collective! Nick

Bump! Ooer! Hallo Mike! Hope all tis well etc! Nick

Ah! ....then we went to Paris to do the next album, got very liddle done; had some great dinners! Hope all is well with you! Nick (I don't liike it!)

Alright Dave! Nice to see ya, to see ya nice! Nick

I was the high bidder on the Elektra...! Not sure whats happened - I was going to have it customised to look similar to Squire's white one! Nick (it would have been bass number 53)

Update - more basses coming soon! Just bought a Tanglewood `Odyssey' acoustic and the Washburn Force 42 should be here next week! The Jaydee Classic is being refinished and I'm getting Ian to build me an E Basses Valiant Custom bass! [url="http://www.freewebs.com/ebasses"]http://www.freewebs.com/ebasses[/url] Nick

Wow! Rich - we agree on something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (note exclamation markage!)

...anyone remember these? I had a fretted model but moved it on! Very good build quality! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fretless-short-scale-thru-neck-Japanese-bass-guitar_W0QQitemZ270185136852QQihZ017QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fretless-short-scale...1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fretless-short-scale...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]</a> Mine was certainly a long scale bass - hard to tell from these shots but it actually looks like a long scale job! Perhaps its slightly detuned, hence lighter tension on the strings. and this! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDO-II-VINTAGE-LAWSUIT-PRECISION-P-BASS_W0QQitemZ180178191210QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDO-II-VINTAGE-LAW...1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDO-II-VINTAGE-LAW...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]</a> Looks as though the scratchplate may have been changed at some point - ? Hows about this then! Looks like a DiMarzio p/up [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-Vintage-Bass-CORT-Guitar-PROJECT-69-00_W0QQitemZ140177213589QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-Vintage-Bass-CO...1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-Vintage-Bass-CO...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]</a> Another `orbital' bass! I always wanted one of these when I was around 10 years old as it looked like a Fender! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUITAR-BASS-HAVE-A-LOOK_W0QQitemZ280171368573QQihZ018QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUITAR-BASS-HAVE-A-L...1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GUITAR-BASS-HAVE-A-L...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/url] They're coming thick and fast... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/electric-bass-guitar-avon-rose-morris_W0QQitemZ140176955264QQihZ004QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/electric-bass-guitar...1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/electric-bass-guitar...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url][/url] Cheers Nick

Allo! Shame about the headstock shape but..... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Roscoe-LG3000-4-string-unique-early-model_W0QQitemZ250185592938QQihZ015QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Roscoe-LG3000-4-stri...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] Seems like a very good buy! Nick (if I buy any more I'm finito financially)

Allo! Just won the wonderful Washburn Force 42 fretless (as noted in this thrread) on Ebay - checked thru some old mags and its the actual bass that Guitarist Mag reviewed back in November '85 (ended up winning it for £170 - orginally retailed at £699) - I recently picked a white fretted version up too! Cheers Nick

Mark I've got fifty. Oh dear! Nick

Et tu, mon ami! Really good to meet at last. Its great to meet everyone in the flesh- the net is a fantastic vehicle for contact but you can't beat a chat face to face about basses; I'd assumed Dood was around 5' 3" and then I look over and there's a Chris Squire sized giant grinning at me! Blimey! N

Thanks for the kind words Mark. Hope Hatfield Hoise (sp) was a good gig for you. I've just got in from a full days rehearsal for a theatre show so was not there helping out on the stand at Music Live today but having spoken to Ian, he has had quite a bit of interest in the new range of E Basses which is great! The fretless seems to have found a place in the `if only the missus would let me' sector of the market! Will be in touch soon. Nick

Allo! Just got back from the show - we (E Basses) have had a good couple of days so far and thanks to all you guys who came over to the stand - have had a lot of positive interest given that the basses are a brand new product and still being developed! Nice to see Mark at Bass Direct - some fine products on display. Mmm! Overall, the show has indeed diminished in terms of the number of stands - one of the main reasons why many smaller specialist makers no longer exhibit could well be the sheer cost of attending - we shared a stand with a fellow Peterborough builder, Ade Hardman of Vanquish guitars to help spread costs. Many thanks! Nick

Mr Hodgkinson has to be seen to be believed! Colin really pioneered the `upfront' style of bass playing - he began playing at the very tail end of the 50's having been influenced by one of the UK's very first bass guitar players, a guy called Rex Gates (who played with Marty Wilde, Emile Ford etc etc). Colin turned a young Stanley Clarke's head in the early 70's (following RTF playing a number of gigs alongside Colin's trio `Back Door' at Ronnie Scotts) - next thing Clarke took up electric bass in a much more serious manner and became rather well known! Mark King, Jonas Hellborg, Pino and Bill Wyman all rate him as a very important influence (Paul McCartney saw Colin playing in the mid 60's and was knocked sideways by some of the stuff he played!) and he has worked with some of the biggest names in the business, including Whitesnake, Mick Jagger etc etc. He is currently working with Chris Rea. Here's a biog site which covers most of his career... [url="http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/9932/chodg_b.htm"]http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palla...932/chodg_b.htm[/url] I'm very lucky to know Colin as a friend - its weird having one of your heroes (and one of the best bass players ever imho) as a mate (he lives here in Peterborough) and have depped for him many times when he's needed one in a local blues/jazz club - Rex Gates is another very big influence on me personally as I've played with him in a band (amazing drummer) and following his departure as a pro player he spent 23 years driving a truck crane working for my dad's company! Nick

Yo! Thanks Mark, Machines and Mike! Just been to see Ian to help him out with some spec sheets - the basses are coming along very nicely! Mike - Glad to hear the two old girls are still playing out and about! Cheers Nick

Hehe! Not funny! Much love. Terry Tibbs

Allo Fiends! er sorry, Friends! Just to let you all know that E Basses will be officially relaunched at Music Live at the NEC later this week - we are sharing a stand with Vanquish Guitars - I'm helping out on the stand on Friday and Saturday so if you get chance, pop on over! Ian's new basses are excellent - he's really doing a great job! Here's the temporary web site we cobbled together: [url="http://freewebs.com/ebasses"]http://freewebs.com/ebasses[/url] Be good to meet up! Nick

..me wont ze Pankborn!!! Mwahaha! Lovely basses! Nick (currently at 50 basses!)