rushbo

I had to list my top ten albums for PopMatters- an online music magazine I write for. I don't think it was a vintage year for music -no surprise there- but there were some fantastic records released. 1. Jayhawks XOXO 2. Kevin Godley: Muscle Memory 3. Captain Wilberforce: When the Dust Just Won’t Settle 4. Dream Syndicate: The Universe Inside 5. Ben Watt: Storm Damage 6. Anton Barbeau: Manbird 7. Bob Mould: Blue Hearts 8. Erik Hall: Music for 18 Musicians 9. Squirrel Flower: I was Born Swimming 10. Spygenius: Man on the Sea

I’ve used a Gear for Music case for about two years. They’re really robust and do the job for a very sensible price. The only drawback is that they don’t sit very comfortably on the shoulder, but if you use the handle, they work well.

I love the idea of a five-string, but I just don't get on with them. I've had three to date - all really lovely, playable instruments, but I just didn't bond with any of them. Maybe it's my dainty little hands or my inability to grasp the (not so) radical geography of a fiver that's holding me back. I played in blues bands for years and having the ability to play something in the key of 'E' without having to resort to open strings, would have been a boon. I tried. I couldn't. I think they're a brilliant tool to have in the box, and if you're covering keyboard lines faithfully, they're invaluable. In short: Do you need one? No. Are they useful? Very. Do I wish I could get to grips with one? Yup.

It ain't Christmas until I've heard this: Somewhere on the interwebs is a video of me, desperately trying to keep up with Tracy Wormworths brilliant bass line...

Happy days. Queen were the first band I ever got into, after a mate brought a copy of the "Night at the Opera" LP into school, sometime in 1976. This film got fairly regular showings at our local fleapit, often twinned with "The Wall" or "The Song Remains the Same." It was great to see it on the big screen, in all it's grainy grandeur.

There are a few more tasty examples on a previous thread: Here's my current, go-to bitsa.

They're here! The ancient postman gingerly dismounted his Penny Farthing and placed the battered envelope into my trembling, expectant hands, just this morning. Early signs are good. They're certainly a snug fit. Have we made all the KY Jelly jokes yet? Oh, OK. They clash beautifully with my fiesta red bass and wine red strap.

BassChat - second class!? I won't hear a word of it!!

Still no straplocks in the Black Country... did somebody shoot the carrier pigeon?

I haven't had mine yet (sobbing)

"Looks unfinished"

I played drums in bands for a while and used a Roland TD-6 kit. It was great. I picked up a couple of extra pads and assigned them as additional cymbals and toms. They sound pretty convincing and they're a lot of fun to play. I'd recommend Roland electronic drum stuff highly. Kits of that vintage go for fairly sensible sums amounts, too. I made a sound absorbing mat for mine, out of layers of old carpet, which did a great job of minimising the sound of the kick drum pedal.

I’m a big fan of Wix. Straightforward to use and easy to maintain.

(Nicked from FaceBook) ...pretty accurate, I'd say. Now, where can I get a Danny Devi-Tone pedal from?

I'm not a fan of multiple knobs, switchers, levers and faders on an instrument, but that's a comment for another thread... What makes my OCD go into overdrive, is if I see a knob, or even worse a toggle switch, dangerously close to the "playing area" of the bass. What if it's a self destruct switch! One over aggressive twang and we could all go up in smoke! Or even worse, you might have to re-adjust your pickup blending...

I've seen some instruments, where the back of the neck is so scored, you could use it as a guiro...

(shudders) It might be because my day job is writing about health and safety (oh! the glamour!) that whenever I see a pint of Scruttocks Old Dirigible Pale Ale perched precariously on an amp, it's all I can do to not call the police. Ditto trailing leads all over the floor. A roll of gaffa tape is considerably cheaper than a public liability insurance payout.

I'm a pretty easy going chap and strings not aligning correctly over pickup poles, tuners pointing in all directions, silks of different lengths, etc don't bother me at all. However, when I'm gigging (or even watching a band), if the stage area is messy, it makes my OCD jangle like Peter Parker's SpideySense. Trailing cables, plastic carrier bags on stage, drinks on amps/combos, wonky backdrops, mic leads pulled so tight they'd make a sound like a banjo if you plucked them...ooohhh, I can feel the palpitations coming on just thinking about 'em. So carry on playing your scratchplate-less Jazz bass with irregular string spacing through a mismatched head and cabs - but for the love of Jeebus, pick that bloody carrier bag up!

I don't own any black leads, for that very reason - grubbing around on my hands and knees in the pitch blackness of some god-forsaken "music venue" looking for a black lead in an ugly tangle of black leads got really old, really quickly. I now have a lovely collection of leads in colours so eye searing, a primary school student would think they were "a little outré." But the best part is; now I use a wireless dealio, to the casual observer, I am the dictionary definition of rugged masculinity, while safely gaffa taped to the floor, my rainbow hued cabling screams new millennium, gender fluidity. Sorry, what was the thread about, again?

"Same Old Scene" and "Avalon" are great fun to play.

100% I play in a Roxy Music tribute band (don't judge me...) and something that works massively in my favour, is the "revolving door" attitude Roxy had to bassists, meaning I can claim to be playing versions of basslines played by loads of different players. Sadly, no-one has ever come up to me at a gig to question my note choices, as I have a series of answers rehearsed and ready to go. Generally, my advice would be to be as accurate as you can for "signature" basslines (in my case it would be the start of "Love is the Drug", the fuzz bass at the start of "Virginia Plain" etc) but for everything else, keep it in key and keep the feel, but add a bit of "you" to it. Unless you're The Bootleg Beatles or one of those super-accurate tribute bands, that is... I've played in covers bands for years and taken pretty severe liberties with basslines and I've never once been taken to task. Play the bits that people expect to hear and have some fun with the rest. PS - The penny has finally dropped about the Gary Burton/Vibes comment. Oh you little scamp!

Paul Buchanan of the brilliant Blue Nile. "An ordinary girl / Will make the world alright."

Oh dear... I promised myself I'd never buy another 5 string bass, but: https://www.artistguitars.co.uk/products/artist-vhyb5-vintage-hybrid-v-5-string-p-j-style-b-14217

That's yummy, that is.

My thoughts exactly. Before people discovered how great they are and the prices skyrocketed, I loved buying up cheapo Indonesian Squiers and modding them. A few years ago, 50 or 60 quid would buy you a Squier P or J (or if you were lucky, a P/J) in decent nick and with a couple of mods, you'd have a bass you could take on the world with. You don't need to spend a fortune on instruments, just find one that you love to play.