police squad

@Manton Customs I fear you're on a hiding to nothing here. Many people (IMO) overthink all this stuff. Some people think it's all to do with the pickups and electronics. I was at home playing my telecaster and my brother turned up. He picked up the tele, strummed a chord and said 'Ash'. I knew it was Ash. So did he, by the sound. A Maple board Strat is a more glassy sound than a r/wood board. It's true but some people will deny it has anything to do with the wood. Still, it was a great demo and I was wrong in my analysis but I haven't had an ebony boarded precision with an alder body to compare with my other P basses

I'll have to keep an eye out.

where is his show?

no I haven't read it but I'll put it on my list. Yes his dad died at about 45. Lung cancer. Very sad

Recently been watching the 60s series Randall & Hopkirk (deceased) Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) is Guy's dad!! It was one of my favourite shows as a kid (Sunday lunchtimes, early 70s)

I decided to ignore the clicks and just moved around each section to try and work it out. I have always said that wood makes a difference in tone, some people can hear it and some can't. I have voted and wait to see the results.

I must admit, I did look at the prices of pickups on the aguilar stand and was horrified. Then I saw someone on the stand coming towards me, so I ran away

You might be right there. I use swing bass strings, I had a set of flats on a fretless (didn't really like the sound but I don't like the sound of rounds on it either.) and I have them on my hofner violin bass but whether I would try them on my main gigging basses, I just don't know.

someone asked whether he uses them and he just laughed. He said only guitarists that own a bass would bother with flatwounds as they know nothing about bass. Something along those lines. He uses bass centre stadium elites, has done for years. It just made me laugh, there's so much love for flats these days (even I'm thinking about a set) but an old pro, just uses rounds and has no interest in changing. He just cracked me up

yep that's the one. I thought it looked cool

I went yesterday and Guy Pratt's dismissal of flat wound strings REALLY made me chuckle. I went home and listened to Like a prayer by Madonna and I'd always thought t was a sequenced bass line and also to Jimmy Nail's 'ain't no doubt' I couldn't take Mo Foster at all. I don't really listen to a lot of Jazz but they were reading and the first number was a bit loose in places, like they hadn't played it before and I left during his 2nd number. I realise that he's done a lot of stuff but not for me. Gear wise, there was a nice Muruscahwwwzzeeeee (what ever) on bass direct's stand. A white Elwood with a white fingerboard. I don't understand these singlecut things, they all look a bit ridiculous to me. Enfield basses look good and I said hi to Nick. Always good to see Jason Howe. Would have stopped at the BC stand but I always seemed to be going somewhere, to a master class or the loo or coffee.

I have one and sometimes use it in Police tribute. An amazing bass. Mine's 1983 XL2. It has a very fundamental sound. ie. the bass note, no real harmonics jump out the note. Very full, deep notes. If you're anywhere near me (Deal, Kent) you're welcome to come and have a look/play

John called it a 'Speckwick'. It used to be on his old website, from when he built custom instruments

try both and see how you get on. I mainly use unlined but I bought a US '62 reissue P bass in 1990 and defretted it and filled the gaps with filler. I didn't notice it was any better or worse than unlined.

Bassdoc's ALIVE>>>>>>>>>>>>

yep, my wife is also a great rock bass player

Nice one, I really enjoyed this thread

Scarabs are cool, I'd forgotten how good they looked. Mine sold from a shop in Folkestone. i think I swapped it for a 70s P bass that was fabulous

I used to have a white Scarab bass. I think it was very nice but it was 30 years ago. I'd love to try it now and see what I think

I've been a P bass player since about 1988. I always go back to my old '73, despite owning loads of other basses BUT, since the arrival of my Flea Jazz bass, I haven't gigged a P bass. It's got custom shop 64 pickups IIRC as standard and they are cracking

this is how my Police tribute works. We have learned a lot of songs, all the singles and a load of album tracks. Normally we play all the singles and some album tracks but depending on how long we're on stage, it could be most of the singles and my favourite Police song, 'Driven to tears'. My pub band doesn't even talk to each other between gigs!! (seriously. I've stopped trying to organise them and no one else has stepped up)

As Lee Pomeroy said somewhere, if you're a good bloke, play ok and get on with everyone, you get the call.

Any excuse to pop a picture of this 1981 SBR-150

bugger, I can see it now. oh well, I'll come and say hello on the sunday