doctor_of_the_bass

Anyone remember the fine bass-only haven in sunny Mansfield Woodhouse and later, Pleasley Vale? They are partly responsible for all my gas problems! The wall of `Wals' had to be seen to be believed and they always had something of interest - I really miss those days. Dave Shields and Jon Vanaman were great guys to deal with; Dave is a monster player (anyone remember `Oblivious' by Aztec Camera - that was Dave on t'bass).

I've just checked my Ebay account and bass number 46 shall be on its way here soon! Oh dear!

Sorry boys and ladeez, there is NO CURE for gas! I've tried all manner of treatments, from electric shock therapy to even buying Demis Roussos albums...nothing works! more basses please!

Lovely Wal! Physco - allo! I'd assume the Roadie is also a lefty? Nick (ex-Walnut)

Ah! Nice one! If you find the flyer, would you be able to scan it and send it to me? Cheers! Nick

Thanks for all the comments guys! Below - here's some more pix of the Pangborn (I suppose its `Pang-porn eh?!) plus some closeups taken by its previous owner, Ian Middleton. Incidentally, this actual bass originally belonged to Steve Stroud, Sir Cliff's bassist.

Hi Some recommendations for anyone in the Peterborough area: Ian Hancock - E Basses - full range of work from setups, resprays to complete custom builds - 01733 565099 Jon Haire - Guitar Services - mainly setups etc - 01733 348661 Duncan Wales at Organic Guitars - again, a custom builder - [url="http://www.organicguitars.co.uk"]http://www.organicguitars.co.uk[/url] Ian and myself started E Basses just over 7 years ago; we parted company around 2 years ago (very amicably) after he decided to take a break from building etc but he is now producing instruments again and offers very competitive prices for all kinds of repair/setup work! Both Jon and Duncan are also very highly respected in this vicinity. Cheers. Nick

Allo! Anyone else here use them? Mine need repair - anyone know of a good tech? I'm using a set of Roland PK-5's which are fine but my crappy module comes nowhere close to the Taurus! Cheers! Nick O

Hi Fosk! Gud to 'ere from ya! Keep it local! Nick

Hi Mark Hope you and all the boys up there are well and continuing to purchase high qualidee basses! I still don't have the right technology to video stuff and then if I did, the Level 42 police would probably slag me off as the last but one sixteenth note at the end of bar 13 in Love Games was slightly muffled...! Mr Crazy - someone must have tagged it eh?

Allo! Another archive shot from the old days! I bought this bass in '99 from a chap who'd bought it from someone else etc following its sale at a charidee auction in 1988. Of all the basses I've ever owned, this was one of the very best, (and this had nothing to do with its famous connection - but being a major fan of the King it was a dream come true owning it for 4 years - had to sell it when I'd turned pro!) - stunning tone and build quality: Mark King allegedly bought it off of one of John Diggin's work colleagues in '84 for £100! Cost me £6K Cheers.

Hi Jamie! Hope you are well! We met at your Groove Cartel audition (I fell in love with your F Bass!). May be able to help out on the dep front running up to November but am resident at the Key theatre for most of November, all of December thru to the second week of January! (panto work etc - oh yes I am) [url="http://www.freewebs.com/doctor_bass"]http://www.freewebs.com/doctor_bass[/url] Cheers. Nick

Hi Aidan! Good to see you down at me Dad's shop on Saturday! There's an Aerodyne on Ebay - check it out (sorry, don't have the link). Cheers! Nick PS - check out my site if you get time: [url="http://www.freewebs.com/doctor_bass"]http://www.freewebs.com/doctor_bass[/url]

Don't feel bad! Thats what I tell myself every time I check my bank account contents.....! My accountant asked me `why did you buy 17 basses this year? I said, because I felt like it!

Anyone ever visit the Leicester store? I've got more basses in my downstairs bog! Literally 12 or 13 pieces - mostly entry level Spectors, the odd Fender, one StingRay V and an 8 string thats been there since 1991 and yet the guitar dept is crammed full of £4500 PRS custom shop jobbies and top end Gibsons! The Derby shop had a much bigger selection, mostly Fenders and Spectors and again, the service was not happening as they were very much preoccupied with the merits of sugar in their coffees (I asked the guy for the price on a used Aria SB-1000 and again, he disappeared never to be seen again!).

Me. My makeup artist was poorly that day: I'm playing, Adz had forgotten the bassline (Foundation and Empire part 1): Electro music Doncaster, picking up a rather nice Status Empathy, ex M. King!

Alllo! Bigwan - very long story which has many twists and turns - the situation was a complete nightmare which nearly ended up with my solicitor being called into play! The magazine (who completely denied any responsibility) then suddenly `produced' compensation for our customer (who happens to be a very good mate - he's the sales director for Soundcraft mixing desks) by way of a brand new Warwick bass. He will however, be receiving a brand new fretless prototype as a matter of course once it all gets going again (Ian, my business partner became totally fed up with the whole thing but having had a break, he is now building some really fantastic pieces). I'm not really part of the company anymore due to lack of time but will be helping out as needed, such as Music Live at the NEC in November where they will be launched! Oh, the pickups are Kents! Nick

Didn't realise how f*cking ugly I am! Anyway, the Arpege features a fairly straightforward control layout, no ROMs RAMs or Nautilus system! Theres the volume (with pull boost), parametric frequency, freq cut/boost, series/parallel mini toggle switch plus 3 position p/up selector switch! The `other' switch is in fact another jack output for a tuner, as far as I'm aware (the controls are bypassed when you use it).

Just found this in my archives - this was one of the last `custom' basses that Ian Hancock and myself put together for a local bass player - good news is that E Basses are relaunching the venture with a brand new bass design at the NEC in November.

Hallo There is a rumour that they have something to do with Tokai - I've got one of them and the build quality is superlative considering the price. There are obvious cosmetic differences to the Tokais but I'd say that there's nothing a good setup could not overcome in terms of playability! Highly recommended. N

Here ya go Ped! In our studio: and with slightly more hair, shot taken New Years Eve 2003...what a state i was in that night....Trappiste ales eh! Spot the Nomad Bassman fx unit in the rack... The finish is very unusual, changes colour before your very brain! Starting to become well worn though; I bought the bass from the Bass Centre in Birmingham in '97 - £1250 secondhand - serial number 191

Basses currently owned: Alembic LS-1 Alembic 20th Anniversary #61 of 200 Aria CSB 380 Aria CSB 380 Aria CSB 380 - twin p/up Aria CSB 450 - first ever bass I owned Aria Laser Classic Aria RSB Performer Aria SB-1000 Ashley Pangborn Chieftain Ashley Pangborn Warlord (wooden necked) Ashley Pangborn Warlord (graphite necked) Carvin Stereo bass (early '80s model) Customised J*zz bass fretless (Mighty Mite neck etc) Dean Pace Elec. upright E Basses Crusader E Basses Saracen E Basses Valiant Fender USA Precision Standard ('83) Fender '57 Precision (Mex) Fender Jazz (early Japanese) Hohner p bass ('70s Jap) Hohner Rockwood! Heart Guitars Custom headless Jaydee Custom built Series I Session bass Jaydee Roadie IIA Kramer 450B Aluminium neck! LMS J*zz bass replica OLP StingRay V Rickenbacker 4001CS Chris Squire Ltd. Edition #475 Spector NS-2 USA model Status Series 1 V string (Matrix model) Status Series II ('85) Status Series 2000 Natural graphite Status Series 2000 ice blue block finish Steinberger XL-2 - ex JJ Burnel Tokai Hard Puncher ('82) Veillette Citron fretless Vigier Arpege iv (100% graphite neck) Vigier Passion III (4 string - 10/90 neck) Washburn Wing Vulture fretless Washburn Bantam fretted (Steinberger copy) Washburn Bantam fretless Wilkes Custom half fretted/fless! Yamaha BB5000A Right, now back through from the start! This includes all the stuff currently owned and nearly everything else in a roughly chronological order! Aria CSB450 Fender US Precision Aria `The Cat' fretted Active Hohner Arbor fretless Jaydee Mark king model (blueburst) Jaydee Mark King cherry red Warwick Custom Thumb bass Ibanez Musician Alembic LS1 MusicMan StingRay 1977 MusicMan Cutlass II Status Series II matrix Kubicki Ex Factor Ibanez Studio bass Status 2000 Status series II birdseye top Status Series II flame maple red tint Yamaha BBN5 Jaydee Mark King pearl yellow Status Series 2000 Status Series 4000 fretless Status Series 2000 burgundy Jaydee GA24 pink Jaydee Roadie IIA Nightingale 6 string bass Nightingale 4 string Yamaha TRB6 Aria SB1000 Aria SBR150 Fretless Kramer 450B Rickenbacker 4001CS Jaydee Mark King cherry red Jaydee Classic Series I ex Mark King (the live at wembley bass!) Status Matrix empathy - ex Mark king Fernandes `Stanley Clarke' Jaydee Roadie IIA white Ernie Ball StingRay teal Ernie Ball StingRay red Ernie Ball StingRay black Ernie Ball StingRay natural Status Matrix Energy bass Overwater original series Peter Cook Axis active Steinberger XM-2 Wal Custom fretless Wal Custom fretted Wal Custom twin neck Jaydee Roadie IIA 5 string fretless Tokai Jaco fretless Squier '83 P bass Squier '82 P bass Squier '82 P bass Squier '81 J bass Squier '83 J bass Fender Jazz '78 Fender Jazz (Japanese) Kramer 450 Strata #16 Status Series 2000 Takamine acoustic bass Tokai J bass fretted Alembic 20th Anniversary #61 of 200 Aria CSB 380 Aria CSB 380 Aria CSB 380 - twin p/up Aria Laser Classic Aria RSB Performer met. blue Aria RSB Performer blk Peavey Zephyr 5 string Lakland Skyline 5 string Yamaha BB2000 Yamaha BB614 - natural Yamaha BB614 - silver Wilkes Fretless Hohner Jack Status Matrix Series I Status Matrix Series I Aria SB303 Ashley Pangborn Warlord - rosewood Ashley Pangborn Chieftain Ashley Pangborn Warlord (wooden necked) Ashley Pangborn Warlord (graphite necked) Carvin Stereo bass (early '80s model) Customised J*zz bass fretless (Mighty Mite neck etc) Dean Pace Elec. upright Washburn B20 Eight String bass Westone Thunder IIIA fretted Westone Concord Westone Thunder IA fretless Westone Superheadless Status Series II ebony fingerboard Satellite p bass!! Aria Cat passive E Basses Crusader E Basses Saracen E Basses Valiant Fender Jazz (early Japanese) Hohner p bass ('70s Jap) Hohner Rockwood! Heart Guitars Custom headless Jaydee Custom built Series I Session bass Jaydee Roadie IIA Kramer 450B Aluminium neck! Fender Mark King jazz bass! (wheres Richard West???) LMS J*zz bass replica OLP StingRay V Rickenbacker 4001CS Chris Squire Ltd. Edition #475 Spector NS-2 USA model Status Series 1 V string (Matrix model) Status Series II ('85) Status Series 2000 Natural graphite Status Series 2000 ice blue block finish Steinberger XL-2 - ex JJ Burnel Tokai Hard Puncher ('82) Veillette Citron fretless Vigier Arpege iv (100% graphite neck) Vigier Passion III (4 string - 10/90 neck) Washburn Wing Vulture fretless Fender Mexican Std p bass Fender '57 reissue (Mex) Washburn XB100 Washburn Bantam fretted (Steinberger copy) Washburn Bantam fretless Wilkes Custom half fretted/fless! Yamaha BB5000A Yamaha RBX 170 Wesley Crunge!! Maison 5 string fretless Ibanez Soundgear 6 string Vox Standard bass There may be more - i've lost track of all of them!

Rich Its not an exclamation mark issue, its a bass addiction that needs a severe financial injection so that more basses can be purchased and added to the collective. Mwahahahahahaha Many thanks. XXX PS - for some more information on the superb Ashley Pangborn basses, check out Ian Middleton's site (which we put together many moons ago): [url="http://www.geocities.com/yobrode"]http://www.geocities.com/yobrode[/url] They are incredible! (oops!)

Cheers! I bought the bass from Andy Pearson who plays bass with the Beat. I had some knobs custom fitted to it as I personally cannot understand why the originals are so flimsy (and can be found on the lower priced range of Yamaha instruments!). You have a nice collection listed there! Do you have any pix? Nick O

Tres bon, tres bon my son! You have a passion for Passions!! cheers! Nick (will try and locate a pic of my Arpege!)