Japhet

Can anyone tell me how safe it is to use the ground lift switch on my amp? If the thing has a circuit to earth I'm assuming that it's there for a reason and surely disconnecting the earth has a few inherent issues. I get a few problems in a couple of places we play where using the ground lift stops my amp from humming but I'm not too sure how advisible it is to do this.

You'll have to key the surface before you spray paint it. The best way to do it is with a grey scotchbrite pad which will leave the surface with a matt finish anyway. If you don't key the surface up like this the paint will flake off. The scotchbrite pad might give you the finish you're after without paint.

Any excuse to put this up again

If I was still doing functions I'd most likely have a Fender Rumble 500 combo. I know it's not in the Vanderkley, PJB bracket for quality but it's a lightweight, powerful, single unit that's ready to plug in and play. You can sometimes get a bit pushed for time to set up at functions as well. The 500 combo could easily be put up on a stand as well so that you could hear it better.

Bobby Vega is the only player who has ever inspired me to play with a pick, and trying to sound anything like him is a totally lost cause.

Wasn't easy, but it was a private party for a couple who have been great supporters of the band and the woman in question was the bloke's sister. Wasn't happy though.

I'd always go for a head and cab (4 ohm) or 2 1x12 cabs (8 ohm) so you draw full power from your amp. Having said that, you could probably pick up a used Fender Rumble 500 for £350 which would keep up with most stuff.

I can forget a song mid performance that I've played hundreds of times. Fortunately I can usually blag my way out of it but sometimes I'll be thinking 'There's a funny bit coming up. What is it?' It comes back to me 99 times out of 100 but on the odd occasion I make something up that could be OK or not, in which case I tell people I play a bit of jazz if anyone comments.

The modern ones are fine but the Elite, Eclat, early Esprit era produced some shockingly unreliable cars. A mate of mine had an Elite which was like a black hole for money. It was rarely not being fixed and on the odd occasions he did go out in it I'd invariably get a phone call to recover the thing.

LOTUS stands for; Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious (so Rickenbacker is a pretty good fit ).

The Anglia went out of production in the 60s. The F150 and the Precision have been in constant production from the 50s to the present day. No contest.

Fender Precision has to equivalent to a Ford F150 Truck. Has sold in colossal numbers and has been in production for decades in countless guises. A real workhorse and all-rounder. Those Ashbury things are like a Smart car. As useless as they are small but people still talk about them. Ricky is like a Harley Davidson. Fantastic to look at but uncomfortable as hell and sounds like it's about to fall to bits.

Might be worth trying a different nut.

I stopped gigging my Stingray when we came back from a break between sets to find some p***ed up woman staggering around with it while her friends cheered her on. I've gigged much cheaper instruments since then but I'll have to take her out for a spin soon. I love that guitar!

Totally unique artist on a guitar, and I mean artist. Loved the bit where he was described as 'The Picasso of guitar players' but said 'Oh! i thought I was more Jackson Pollock'. Like anybody who pushes the envelope there's a lot of his stuff that misses the mark, but when he hits it there's nothing that comes close. I find it incredible that he's been out there on his own for so long and still relishes it and has the energy and imagination to keep on producing highly original music that nobody else can copy or emulate. The respect from his peers says it all really. Guitars and V8 engines have been 2 of my passions for decades too. Maybe that's why Jeff Beck is so special to me.

Never broken a bass string.

I'd have to say Donald Fagan and Walter Becker. Hardly ever get to play any of their stuff apart from at home, but when I do I just love it.

Spector Shorty for me (but I'm a few years too late).

Nah! I like the sound of my amp and cab.

I've got a Weber Mywatt 200W which is a copy of the Hiwatt DR201 and it's full of valvey goodness. This thing must be monstrous.

I can't get my head round the people who shell out for a ticket and then film the whole thing on their phone, presumably so they can load it up on Youtube. Sometimes it seems that demonstrating/bragging to the world that you were at an event is more important than experiencing it. Saw Floyd at Wembley a few years back and the stadium was lit up by mobile phones which to be honest, ruined the event for us.

You need that really jangly, thin sound for funk in my opinion. Sounds bloody awful on its' own but great in the mix. Teles are the right tool for the job.

Just iin the process of learning Josie and Don't Take Me Alive for a possible dep job. Fabulous bass parts. Wish more people were into this type of stuff because it's a challenge and inspiring at the same time.

Our drummer can count a song in one tempo and then start playing it at a completely different one. Add to that an ability to slow down to a virtual standstill at various points - you get the picture. Drives me effing nuts at times and it's incredibly difficult to keep going at the right tempo, especially since he doesn't seem to notice. When we listen to recordings he'll often say 'We slowed down a bit there'. 'I've told him over and over it's not 'We'. Rant over.