Green Alsatian

[i][color=#666666][font=verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]"We carry a touch of masculinity and [b]carelessness[/b] in image and voice, the lead singer carries a low toned voice which requires similar expectations for backing vocals"[/size][/font][/color][/i] [color=#666666][font=verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]Not enough carelessness to stipulate [i]exactly[/i] how they want the bassist to look and sound then. Reading that description, it sounds like their singer can't sing - it's not Elastica reforming under a different name is it?[/size][/font][/color] [color=#666666][font=verdana, arial, sans-serif][size=3]I'm out anyway as I meet none of the criteria - I haven't even got a bloody bass now! Bah![/size][/font][/color]

Sticking with the 1979 theme, I also got this as a single just after my 6th birthday. Don't know what happened to it - probably lost when we moved house. One thing I do remember is that on the back of the single, it said something like 'Mr & Mrs Partridge's Son - playing guitar and singing' and similar I think for Colin, Dave and Terry. I'd forgotten all about the song until I heard it on an a repeated Top of the Pops on UK Gold in 1992 and properly discovered XTC. Majestic! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dKA9Jwt950"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dKA9Jwt950[/url] Now I think about it, I got quite a few singles that year - 'I Don't Like Mondays' (Boomtown Rats), 'Girls Talk' (Rockpile), including this. Gold! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9sf7KldClk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9sf7KldClk[/url]

Hearing this one always reminds me of unwrapping my copy of Reggatta De Blanc LP on my 6th birthday in 1979 and my old man putting it on the record player for me. I've still got it stored with my other vinyls. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPwMdZOlPo8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPwMdZOlPo8[/url] Another song from around that time, which saw a lot of play in ours - I remember my old man putting Discovery on when he and I came back from the hospital after the birth of my brother that year. We got our tea from the chippy, a bottle of lemonade and some sweets and listened to this while we ate - the things a song reminds you of! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0-YjyGS5_w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0-YjyGS5_w[/url]

Want + Able = BUY IT!!!

I've also been out of action for some time - playing songs I haven't heard for two years at my mate's wedding last night (and not enough rehearsal time!) I usually throw in an up/down slide if I hit the wrong note - so plenty of slides at last night's gig! On stage, the worst thing is to acknowledge the bum note - I remember years ago, one of the bands were wincing/looking really awkward at their mistakes with the singer apologising for stuff that went around in between songs. Sucked the fun out it for me, as a spectator. That said, I usually laugh when I cock up!

I get to post in this thread finally - haven't played a gig in exactly two years, but the old band reunited to play our mate's wedding. We're a comedy trio consisting of guitar/vocals, keyboard/vocals (the keys are a cheap Yamaha portatone from the mid-90s which covers our drums too) and myself on bass and occasional vocal (I find it hard singing/playing simultaneously), coming up with our own material, most of which isn't for the ears of minors (or anyone else working underground) and our audiences are generally split between getting it and laughing/enjoying it or being bewildered. I think we managed 25% bewildered tonight, which is quite a feat for us! Due to complications in getting together (other bands/families for the other two members), we had approximately 3 hours of rehearsal spread over Thursday and Friday evening to brush off the rust and it was definitely seat of the pants stuff. It's not a proper gig for us if something doesn't cock up (such as knocking the power supply off the keyboard), or one of us fluffing our lines (as I did with the second line of the [i]first[/i] song of the night). We like the crowd laughing at us as much as with us, so it's almost become part of the act. To further the jury-rigged nature of it, the PA bod (a mate of our guitarist/singer) couldn't get hold of any DI boxes for us to go through the desk, so the guitarist had to use my 20 year-old 30w Laney Linebacker bass combo and I got to use his Fender BXR 100, which did a good enough job - I had cut the lows and boost the mids to cut through (negative smile EQ) but at least we were heard. Afterwards, I had the feeling that we'd just got away with a robbery, but the bride and groom were over the moon, and we had some rather nice compliments from the other guests. Don't know when I'll next see some action, but it was fun to step up there one more time!

Either works for me, but the scratchplate's the deciding factor: 60s style - Sunburst + Tort + Rosewood 70s style - Sunburst + Black + Maple I'd have both - flats on the Rosewood and rounds on the Maple.

Mine arrived yesterday and I've listened several times now - Clockwork Angels is my fave so far, followed by Caravan & BU2B (nice reworkings - sounding even better now), The Anarchist, Carnies and Headlong Flight. Great package all around - found my name on the poster and will be reading the mag soon. I already prefer it to Snakes & Arrows, and I did enjoy that.

I'm in the same boat. Keep hold of your bass gear if you can - you may find yourself in the inverse situation you are in now. That said, it'll be easier/affordable to get hold of decent bass gear than certain synths. I started on bass myself and caught the synth bug in the mid-90s, when you could still buy analogue synths for reasonable prices and amassed a room full of analogue monos and polys. I have none of it left now (just one bass and a 60w Marshall combo) and dearly wish I didn't have to sell it (the collection was whittled down over the last five years).

Here's a clippy demo I did of my reissue a couple of years ago - the pickup configs are in the video description. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-svcmjdAQc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-svcmjdAQc[/url]

Some folk just like the look and feel of them, if not the sound. Where some would buy the bass that produces the sound they like (like Bruce Foxton with the P-bass), others mod the Rick to do so, like Roger, Lemmy and Cliff Burton to name but a few. I remember reading a thread on TalkBass about the restoration of Roger's Rick (second article, top row): [url="http://www.rauenguitars.com/samples.html"]http://www.rauenguitars.com/samples.html[/url] On the subject of Ricks with two Jazz Bass pickups in the neck position, I remember seeing a picture of Glen Matlock with a Fireglo with that same modification.

Very sad to learn of this - another great gone. The Norwegian Stax Volt Tour is awesome - what a band, with Duck's bass prominent and thumping away!

Wasn't the Fender logo the big black one in 1969? The section of the scratchplate where the controls/output jack are looks too 'fat' - Fender scratchplates are narrower in that area, often leaving a bit of the cavity exposed on copies.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAlDbP4tdqc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAlDbP4tdqc[/url]

The Phase 90 and Phase 100 are very different-sounding phasers due to the number of stages they have. The Phase 90 has four stages and gives the traditional 'vintage' phaser tones and is 'chewy' sounding with the Phase 100 having ten stages and thus sounding more 'syrupy'. Either will work fine on bass - I've had a 'Block' Phase 90, an EVH Phase 90 (with Script Mode switch), the Phase 100 and the more subtle two stage Phase 45 reissue over the years. Each has their own qualities which are really down to personal preference: - on bass and Electric PIano sounds, I prefer the Phase 90 - on string and other synth sounds, I prefer the Phase 100 - on guitar, I prefer the Phase 45 As others have mentioned, the Block version has a bit of a boost in some frequencies and some of the older revision circuit boards can be modded to sound like a 'Script' (a reference to the old MXR script logo of the 70s), which is a tad smoother/subtler. The EVH has a button to switch between Script and Block models. On bass, I didn't notice too much of a boost with a standard Block model and would happily use an unmodded one, but it is more noticeable on guitar and on synths, it would simply start clipping, where the Script mode did not. Other phasers worth looking at are the Boss PH-1R (four stage), the Roland AP-2 (six stage), The Fender Phaser (four stage) and the Maxon/Ibanez PT-999 Phase Tones, which on the surface, appear to be Phase 90 clones, but are in fact using a negative sweep, which is subtracted from the original signal, rather than added with the Phase 90. They're a bit subtler than the Phase 90 but still really nice phasers.

That's ace!

Don't they know he's busy that night, jamming with The Ox, Jimi and Richard Wright in [i]Atlantis[/i]?!

I added a Seymour Duncan SMB-4A to a bass I put together with Mighty Mite parts. I I kept it passive (Volume, Volume, tone) but added a split/series/parallel switch for the humbucker. The sound quality of the demo's not very good, but it'll give you an idea of the sound. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6ic5Aq0qXc"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6ic5Aq0qXc[/url]

And members of another bass forum were up in arms at the fact that Geddy had committed the ultimate sin in modifying said instrument by replacing the stock bridge with a Badass. 30-odd years ago.

Thanks for that link, chief! Something to read while listening to it. I actually like their newer material but it does seem 'colder' than their earlier efforts. tend to listen to Rush in periods - all the 70s proggy stuff, the slick 80s synth-heavy albums and their pared-back 90s/00s albums. What I admire about them is that they have such diverse sounds through the years - it's like listening to different bands at times. It's also one of the reasons I love seeing them live, as you get the whole lot crammed into the space of a few hours. I wonder if Alex will be allowed to break out his effects again - I remember an interview where the producer of Snakes & Arrows banned him from using his effects. It's not the same unless he's plastered on the chorus.

Something to look forward to in June!

Bass first (and still main), then guitar, synths/keys and duck whistle.

Add him to your blocked bidders list.

And while I'm here, The Chinese Detective: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zBqdF7Di8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1zBqdF7Di8[/url]

Rentaghost has a simple but elegant bassline (contains the original opening, the newer opening and full end theme): [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ZFUn4r0to"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ZFUn4r0to[/url] I'll also add Jigsaw (skip to 29 seconds): [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFKCuF9w6OM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFKCuF9w6OM[/url]