BigRedX

Firstly a good bass tone is entirely subjective. There are a couple of examples here that would probably cause me to replace all my gear if I sounded like that because I dislike them so much. Secondly IME it is more about how the bass sound fits in with the rest of the instruments than the actual bass sound itself. If you listened to any of the examples given as a solo'd track you'd be surprised by how different it sounds outside of the context of the arrangement and production, and probably more than a little disappointed with the sound. I discovered long ago that just because a particular instrument sounds great on a record doesn't mean that I was going to be able to use that sound for the same instrument in my band and still have it sound good.

Stranglers?

Kaiser Chiefs?

No they didn't. I haven't chased it up because I've been sidetracked by the Eastwood version of the Shergold Bass VI, and because if they couldn't be bother to reply to me before, they are hardly likely to do it with the current situation. I did spot that Gear 4 Music have one in stock. They give the nut width as 42.86mm which is relatively narrow. Also it comes with Fender/Squier Bass VI gauge strings which to me aims it more in the Baritone Guitar range rather than Bass VI.

01 Ever played a gig sitting down? Yes, only once though, when my band provided improvised "musical" backing for a one-off performance of a play written and produced by Bill Brookman (you may recognise him from Britain's Got Talent). 02 Ever gigged on a different instrument? I've played Bass, Guitar, Synthesiser, Piano, Balalaika, and Percussion in front of paying audiences - so yes. 03 Ever shared a stage with a musical hero of yours? No. 04 Any fan ever had a tatoo of your band's logo? Not that I am aware of. 05 Ever signed an autograph in a dressing room? Yes, on the cover of an album I didn't actually play on (I joined the band after the album was released). 06 Ever cried on stage? No. 07 Ever worn a hat on stage? No. Never. 08 Ever gigged with a band you hadn't met before the gig? Yes. I played guitar on two numbers for Ian Boddy. He had a track on his "Uncertainty Principal" album with sampled guitar, and wanted to play it live as an encore with real guitar, and a mutual friend recommended me. I had a brief meeting with Ian a week before the gig when I played the guitar part along to a backing track for him to check I was playing the right thing, but I didn't actually play with the band until the soundcheck for the gig. 09 Ever been in a relationship with a fellow band member? Yes. 10 Ever played in different bands on the same day? Yes. I used to play in two bands who regularly did gigs together. 11 Ever had anything thrown at you while playing? If I have, I've not been aware of it. 12 Ever crashed on the way to the gig? Broken down several times (once so terminally we never made it to the gig) but never crashed. 13 Ever left a band over the choice of set list? No. 14 Ever slept in the venue despite it not being a hotel? Yes. 15 Ever been supported by a band clearly better than you? No. 16 Ever played a gig suffering from some debilitating medical condition? No. 17 Ever been in a band where the guitarist was your favourite bandmate? Yes, on many occasions. 18 Ever played in the grounds of a stately home? No. 19 Ever injured yourself on stage? Not seriously. 20 Ever been told that your bass isn't loud enough? Yes.

Personally I think that looks great!

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. To me the juxtaposition of the blue top with the natural coloured neck and back is just all wrong and rather ugly.

As @Stub Mandrel guessed, Depeche Mode are the 80s synth band I have never seen. They were supposed to have been the support for a gig I went to in 1980, but they were replaced at the last minute by another band off the Some Bizarre Album (Naked Lunch IIRC). I've seen A Flock Of Seagulls more times then any of the other bands on this list, not because I'm a fan (I can't stand them and I always thought their music and image was completely fake) but because they seemed to be the support for every good 80s band I went to see. I saw Duran Duran in early 1981at Rock City on their first proper tour just after the Planet Earth single came out. Erasure also at Rock City just before they they were really famous when Andy Bell was still performing in his latex leotard. I saw Freur at the Marquee in London in 1985 at their only UK gig they did to promote their "Devil & Darkness" single. I didn't get to see The Human League until 2014. At the time of the first two albums the gigs closest to where I was living were all cancelled because the albums weren't selling well enough. They got kicked off the Talking Heads support slot. I was going to see them at Rock City for the tour they did immediately after the Human League/Heaven 17 split, but that was also cancelled because Rock City was still under construction. By the time of the next tour they were massively famous and it was impossible to get tickets. I've seen Kraftwerk twice. The first time in 1981 at Rock City which is up there as one of the best gigs I have ever been to. The sound was crystal clear and they had films or computer graphics for almost every song they played. For the encore they came down to the front of the stage and allowed the audience to "play a little melody" on Pocket Calculator. Being at the front I was one of the lucky ones to have a go. The second time a saw them was 10 years later when the show was almost exactly the same except the computer graphics were a bit slicker and the static dummies they used on "We Are The Robots" had been replaced by actual robots. I saw Soft Cell at Rock City at a Futurist Night where they were the mystery special guests. The rumour was that it was going to be Spandau Ballet, so most of the audience were more than a little disappointed to see two weirdos with a keyboard and backing tape on stage. This was before they released "Tainted Love" so I imagine most of them didn't know who they were. The tape machine broke down during the fifth song and they left to a hail of (plastic) glasses. I saw The Thompson Twins in 1980 at Trent Poly when they were still a 4-piece guitar pop band. I saw Ultravox also in 1980 at The Theatre Royal in Nottingham on the first tour they did with Midge Ure in the band.

We have a winner! explanations to follow when I’m not trying to type on my iPad.

No-one's right so far...

Ten 80s synth bands in alphabetical order. Which one haven't I seen live? A Flock Of Seagulls Depeche Mode Duran Duran Erasure Freur The Human League Kraftwerk Soft Cell The Thompson Twins Ultravox And as a little clue - One of the bands listed I didn't get to see until well after the 80s. And I saw one of the bands before they discovered synths. Bonus points if you can guess those two as well!

I'll do one - give me a minute...

Manic Street Preachers?

So? Whose go is it next?

While splitting a single signal into two works fine passively, I've never had any success with combining 2 signals together without some form of active level matching.

Belinda Carlisle?

Camel?

Edit since Cream had already been suggested: P-A-U-L

Steve Hackett?

IIRC Macs have a protocol built in at system level which allows some software to “see” multiple interfaces as a single one. I’ve never needed to use it myself so I don’t know how effective it will be with software that isn’t a DAW. Edit: it’s in the Audio MIDI Set up and what you want is a function called create aggregate device.

Interesting also that he is using a single block of spalted wood for the body, rather than using something that hasn't been weakened by disease and rot, and leaving the interesting looking but less substantial wood for a cap only. I suppose he's got some means of stabilising/strengthening it which we'll see later in the build.

With a few more hand tools, some means of sharpening them and lot of time and effort you probably could (if you had the required skills). I made a solid electric guitar during my last year at school using nothing but hand tools. Operations that are done in minutes in the video (even allowing for the time-lapse photography) took me ages with constant sharpening in order for them to cut accurately. I think the whole build took in excess of 150 hours and that was without having to make the neck (which I bought fretted and finished).

The thing I take away from these videos is how much easier it is if you have a workshop full of the right power tools.

I’ve found that the only way to get decent Rotosound strings is to buy them direct at trade show.

QuickTime player is what you are looking for. However IMO you will be better off with iMovie, because unless you are an eloquent speaker, talented player, and a technically perfect movie maker, you will need to edit what you shoot.