Linus27

I pretty much solely play Fender basses and have had high end American Vintage, Standard US, Japanese and Mexican Fender basses over the last 40 years. As already said, it can be a hit or miss across the board but personal choice is that the Japanese Fender basses are the very best at playability and quality. However, you need to pick the right ones. Japanese basses made in the 80's are consistently incredible, certainly with Ash and Alder bodies, US hardware including pickups. They feel and play like a really good original vintage American Fender bass and are sublime to play. I have two and they are amazing with so much mojo. Saying that, some of the more modern Japanese Fender's made with basswood and non US hardware are not so good and seem thin and lacking to me. I personally would not touch them.

I also had a Mexican 70's Classic Jazz that came out around 2008 I think and that was one of the nicest Jazz basses I ever played and I really wished I'd kept it. I also have just picked up a Mexican Player II Modified Active PJ and that is really nice. Superb quality and plays very nice but I do have a few doubts on the pickups sounding a bit thin. I've also played and toyed with the idea of getting the Mexican Telecaster bass as the ones I have played have all been excellent for the money. I would happily say, the Mexican Fender basses are superb these days, especially the more high end, signature and re-issue models.

I've also had many US made Fender basses and I found the standard US basses to be ok but nothing special. Clinical and a bit lifeless but good quality and functional. I've also had two 75 AVRI basses and one was out of this world and the other was dull and lifeless with no personality. I also recently played the AVRI II 54 P-Bass and that was really special. Sounded fabulous and the quality was on another level. It is on my list of basses to buy at some point.

26 minutes ago, Grooverjr said:

If the music only works as musicianship and isn't something a non-musician can appreciate then is it good music, or just good technique? The best stuff works on both levels, with the musicianship adding a dimension but not getting in the way.

 

I have no idea, I just know my wife likes Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park, 90's grunge and dance. Some of the jazz I've played her she has liked and some has just been disjointed noise. I suspect this might be the latter. Not sure if that answers your question.

I've got tickets and really can't wait. Not sure my wife is going to enjoy it though, I think the level of musicianship will go totally over her head 😆

On 27/06/2025 at 10:08, BigRedX said:

I think it is very easy to speak out against the paying practices of the Glastonbury Festival for bands when the vast majority of us are never going to find ourselves in the situation where we have to choose between sticking to our principles about getting paid, or sucking it up and playing for the "vibe" or "exposure" or whatever other reason works.

 

It would be interesting and enlightening if @Linus27 could report back after the weekend with how it went financially for his band. Did it cost them overall to play the festival? I notice that they appeared to be playing 4 times - was that required to make it financially viable? How did merch sales go? Were there any and does the festival take a cut? And then maybe come back at the end of the year and let us know if playing Glastonbury got them any more gigs or other opportunities, or did it end up just being another gig in a tent in a field (albeit one that most people have heard of).

So an update on these questions. It's too early to say and I'm not in a position to say because I only joined the band a few months ago. The main person in the band, Andrew who's band it is and named after, spotted me at a gig and basically said he needs me in his band, approached me and here I am. However, I am just his bassist and no more. Andrew has however played Glastonbury for about the last 13-15 years and has supported Marrilion, released albums and written music for TV and adverts. That is as much as I know. So financially I can't say but from what I know artists do have to pay for tickets (I didn't) and Andrew did but I'm not sure if he gets any for free or reduced rates. I don't know if every artist has to or if it's just the smaller artists. Maybe the big named artists do as well but I really don't know what their arrangement is with the organisers and getting to play. We did however get treated very well as an artist and get ferried about, fed with our own facilities. In regards to playing 4 shows, we were offered these slots but possibly due to Andrew's contacts. Next time in 2027 if we play, we are aiming for the Greenpeace stage. We sold a few vinyl records but to be honest, nobody wants to carry a vinyl record around with them all day, plus we saw no band, small or large selling any merchandise, it was only the official Glastonbury T-shirts that were for sale.

On 25/06/2025 at 17:38, MichaelDean said:

@Linus27 caught in the act!

Amazing thank you. It was super cool to find an old Trace Elliot GP7 combo on stage for me to use. It sounded fab. 

I've just got back and I must say it was super enjoyable. It was my first Glastonbury but I was also playing 4 shows so slightly different being there as an artist rather than a member of the public. We did get ferried in and out, fed and in a quiet camping area with only about 20 tents. I will also say our facilities were ace with soap, running water, sinks, toilet paper and food and drinks.

Highlights for me were Ash, The Script, Alanis Morissette, Cliffords and Badbadnotgood. Neil Young was also really good, just for his band and the guitar shredding. The best though was a band called The Coronas, they were absolutely incredible. Also watched Alessi Rose and despite not being my thing, she was very good. Her bassist was using a black Fodera. Also saw Tom Odell and again, not my thing but very good. Watched a bit of Kneecap which was interesting and then they sat near our tents today so had a chat with them. Our drummer went to see Biffy Clyro and said they were his highlight and Weezer was also really good according to our guitarist.

The worst was 1975, absolutely dreadful and people were walking out. They were so bland and a cross between background music and Busted. Pulp were a bit boring but I've never been a fan so probably wasted on me. The ones I did know were good and Jarvis Cocker is an awesome frontman. Haim were also really disappointing.

As for the flags, every other flag was a Palestinian one and it became a bit of a running joke as so many artists were making a statement at some point during their set.

1 hour ago, snorkie635 said:

Very best wishes for those dates @Linus27

Thank you very much 🙂

12 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

Yep, it ain't what gear you play, it's how you make it sound that matters, no doubt @Linus27 has got the latter covered 👍

Cheers buddy, thank you for the kind comment 😊

2 hours ago, Marky L said:

Looking forward to the ton of gear head comments 😄 No, I actually am.

Well I can tell you exactly what I'll be playing and it's not very interesting or original 😂 Fender Japan 60's Classic Precision with LaBella Deep Talkin Flats. Sansamp BDDI, Ampeg Opto Compressor, Boss or MXR Octave and TC Electronic Tuner. Boring but a solid workhorse setup 😂

I'm playing 4 gigs at Glastonbury 2025 with Andrew Maxwell Morris.

Wednesday 25th:

Toad Hall - 17.10-17.50 (40mins)

Thursday 26th:

Mandala Stage - 14.00-14.45 (45 mins)

Friday 27th:

Open Arms - 12.00- 12.45 (45 mins)

Small World Stage - 14.10-15.00 (50 mins)

I so can't wait 😎

I'm playing Glastonbury 2025, I have 4 gigs lined up, playing with Andrew Maxwell Morris.

Wednesday 25th:

Toad Hall - 17.10-17.50 (40mins)

Thursday 26th:

Mandala Stage - 14.00-14.45 (45 mins)

Friday 27th:

Open Arms - 12.00- 12.45 (45 mins)

Small World Stage - 14.10-15.00 (50 mins)

I so can't wait 😁

I still use the Sansamp BDDI v2 and love it. Clean punching sound and a great DI. I don't use the drive on it either.

Had an absolutely amazing gig last Wednesday playing in Guildford at part of the very busy GT Session weekly gigs. We were headlining out of 4 acts with a 30 minute slot. We weren't quite sure what type of set to play as each act was different and we originally decided to play a more uplifting choice of songs. The act before us was very chilled and laid back so we mixed it up and played some chilled songs and a few upbeat songs to lift the vibe and pick the listeners up.

I can say we played an absolute blinder and went down a storm. I play fretless and the sound was incredible, so I decided to have a bit of fun by really bringing out the fretless tone, emphasising the slides and the use of my chorus and octave pedal, so much so that our singer gave me a nod and gesture to take a bit of a lead bass part as it was just sounding so good. After the gig, another bassist came up to me and said I saw you were playing so I had to come down and listen as you are my favourite fretless bass player and you sounded incredible 😲 Another bassist came up to me and was fascinated by the pedals I was using and what strings I was used and a few other people came up after and complimented me. 

Absolutely awesome gig and makes it all worthwhile.

Just now, warwickhunt said:

Clearly a Gibson... it says so!  

Good spot and clearly the headstock has also been changed as its different to the picture 🤣

1 minute ago, JPJ said:

Funny ain’t it, I quite like the look of it. Could be a good buy for someone depending on the price

I think its a very smart looking bass and as a fretless player then this sparks my interest. I actually really like the colour as well.

Oh my god, that is gorgeous, I could so do with one of these right now for a bunch of gigs I've got coming up.

I had a fretless with Pau Ferro and I really didn't like it, it felt cold and brittle. I also feel like that with Rosewood a little but not as bad. Ebony for fretless is unbelievable and my preferred wood for fretless followed by graphite. For a fretted bass then I don't think it makes any difference as you are fretting onto the frets.

I bought the Laney and I was massively disappointed in it and returned it. I also found the EQ to be very weak and subtle and if anything, it sounded very sterile and bland.

PMT, Bax and Gak all gone. These are not good times.

43 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

Here's my opinion on the core reasons guys get out of the game.

 

1. Getting too old to do it.

 

2. Health issues.

 

3. Younger guys getting married and starting a family .

 

4. Guys that have a long history of poor band experiences .

 

5. Guys that were really never in the game.

 

Daryl

 

 

I would also add that the landscape, certainly in the UK has changed since Covid and that a lot of venues have closed. This has led to audiences/members of the public having less interest in seeing live music for various reasons, be it not interested in going out to public places, unable or unwilling to pay to have a drink or see a band, interests have moved elsewhere.

They also don't offer unlined fretless so no good for me

42 minutes ago, Bluewine said:

 

That's about 90% of what our show is about. We had a dep drummer Saturday night, a real nice guy and I told him;

" keep your eyes open and watch for the ques and what we're doing." He had a great night. 

 

Daryl 

 

 

We are exactly the same with my main band. We even have a saying, "we are consistently inconsistent". We literally have no idea how we are going to play a song on the night because we have no idea what mood the three of us are in, the vibe of the room or the sound. We even discover how to play a new song on the night and play it differently unconsciously, despite having rehearsed it for 6 months and we then go, "ah, that's the way we should be playing it" and then play it that way onwards. It's like the song has to find itself no matter how many times we rehearse it or have played it live previously.

I saw this earlier as well. I was going to post something on here as well but I wasn't quite sure if it was genuine or a scam etc. The post about his wife is very worrying.

As my bass tech once said to me in 2002 when I was 32, my record deal had ended and I was giving up, he very angrily said to me, "how dare you give up, you're an amazing bassist, you've been given a talent that others can only dream off, don't waste this gift you've been given, that would just be selfish, go out there and use it, not everyone can play bass or do music."

That kind of stuck with me and to this day, I'm still playing and still having some of the best musical experiences in my 39 years of playing. Looking at some of you older chaps, I'm still a youngster at 55 and massively admire those of you who are in your 60's and 70's still playing, that in itself is an incredible achievement.

I've had periods where I'm sick of it, can no longer see the point, feel like I'm flogging a dead horse and I make the decision to retire, to then get an incredible opportunity come my way. It literally comes out of the blue and is simply too good to resist. It has happened to me about 5 or 6 times over a 15 year period and even this year, when I'd decided to retire at the end of this year, an amazing opportunity came my way and I'm having an incredible year of music. I joke with my wife that it's my dad looking down on me and saying, "like hell are you going to stop, here's something new to keep you going". She always says that things happen to me for a reason and if something doesn't come my way, then there's a reason for it but its because there's something else much better around the corner and it does usually work out that way. I've kind of gotten used to that's just how my life works, things just tend to happen for a reason, even if it's not obvious at the time.

So I'm now resolved that this is me, I'm a bassist and a musician, it's what I do and have done for the last 39 years and I'm not allowed to stop. I've had an incredible career in music, a lot of success and achievements and fortunate to have played with some big artists and some incredible venues. I just make sure that these days, I enjoy and cherish every moment and be grateful to be doing something I love, something I perhaps I took for granted previously. I make sure I get the maximum enjoyment out of it, put in 110% effort and try to not get stressed or frustrated about anything. I no longer fight it and I approach it as if I'm a session bassist and make sure I see the positive in absolutely everything I do or have done. As my friend and bass tech said to me all those years ago, "don't waste this gift you've been given, go out there and use it". That is exactly what I'm doing and on my terms.

10 hours ago, cetera said:

I'm even closer, near Sandhurst. Send me a PM if you  want to try my Monaco!

Oh wow, that is ever better, thank you as well and will do 😊