Japhet

I forgot Bob Babbitt! How could you possibly forget Bob Babbitt. Seems like everybody else did too!

I'd have that Streamliner too if I didn't have one already.

I'd see what Genz Benz stuff is still available from Bass Direct. A Streamliner 600 and a Focus cab of some configuration would fit your requirements (warm sound with plentyof clout) I'd say. You might find 2nd hand on here too.

Mate of mine's wife is a nurse in Addenbrookes and sorry to say, from what I've been told, Wilko is not in good shape.

Streamliner

One of the best guitarists I ever played with used to say "what you don't play is more important than what you do" and I couldn't agree more. The current rhythm guitarist in my band has insisted on playing a Les Paul through a Marshall, and it bludgeons the hell out of our sound. He recently got shot of the LP and I lent him a Telecaster (with humbuckers) and the sound is 100 times better. He's still on about getting another Les Paul though so I think he'll have to be told!

A foundation.

Not in any order; Julan Nelson Bernard Edwards David Dyson Oteil Burbridge Chuck Rainey Pino Trevor Bolder Roscoe Beck Larry Graham Lee Sklar Hang on................Andy Fraser, Julian Crampton, James Jamerson, Jimmy Dewar Nope! Can't do it in 10. Need about 40.

Phil Collins?

Greg Lake?

MB Fusion is a decent shout. I have a Streamliner and also a Tecamp (Black Jag) but I think a Puma would tick the boxes as well.

Hey Bubinga - have you seen the stuff from Montreux where she has David Dyson on bass? There's some serious groove going on there I can tell ya!

In my opinion it depends where you 'wear' your bass. High up means thumb up ala Mark King/Stuart Zender - wearing it lower lends itself to thumb down.

I've played pubs for donkeys years. I always say that I play the music free of charge because I love doing it, but I get paid to lug the gear in and out. £50 or whatever for 30 minutes work seems pretty good to me.

Streamliner is a good shout. I also tried my old Trace Elliot SMX through 2 compacts and it was fantastic.

Used to love playing 'The bed's too big without you'. If UB40 can get in here so can the Police.

+1 for the Gallien Krueger MB Fusion.

Watford Valves were very helpful when I had to change the valve in my SMX. Have a chat with them.

Gigging is the only area of my life where a group of complete strangers give me a round of applause and whistles for something I have done and I enjoy it. Nobody cheers and whistles and shouts when I do my job right. I'm not a show off or an extrovert, but when it comes to playing my bass, I know that without me the band would sound rubbish, and I like being part of a small team the gives the punters a good night and rewards them for getting off their sofas on a Saturday night and making he effort. Without gigs there would be no point In me playing.

He was certainly a huge influence on me wanting to play bass with his slinky but weighty style (if that makes sense). I had no idea he wrote 'Every Kinda People' which is a fabulous song. Such a shame that he pretty much gave up playing bass though because he had such a unique sound. Thanks for posting - good read.

It's very difficult sometimes to get 2 guitarists sounding good in the same band. so much depends on how and what they play and it's often virtually impossible to get them to understand that less is often more. Last gig I played one of our guitarists had flogged his Les Paul and I lent him my Telecaster. The improvement in sound was immense and everything had it's place in the mix. No doubt he'll shell out for another LP or similar soon though and we'll be back to square 1.

I was staggered the other day when I had a quick tot up of the gear I currently own and it came to a mind boggling 8K. No wonder I'm always skint! Mind you, it's taken me 20 years to acquire it all!

I'd head straight for the For Sale section and snap up the Tecamp Puma 2x12 that's on there! A bit over budget but a real quality bit of kit.

Nile and Bernard were such a combination.