SICbass

[quote name='YouMa' timestamp='1509551295' post='3399846'] Stanley clarke does it on schooldays. [/quote] He had a Bigsby tremolo bridge and did the bending the strings at the tuning-post thing described above.

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1509536612' post='3399663'] The year was 1963. Jet Harris had left the Shadows and I'd just seen Little Richard and a few other artists at a show in Slough. I decided that I wanted to play a bass so I set about building myself one because real basses were just far too expensive, about 8 times the average weekly wage and I was still a poor schoolboy. My first bass was made out of one piece of plywood with no form of truss rod - I had no idea about such things as a 16 year old. The frets were inverted pieces of model railway track and the spacing was calculated using logarithmic tables. I needed a pick-up and remembered that during WW2 when my father was in the anti-aircraft artillery, one of his spoils was a German flying helmet. I'd used this as a headphone however needs must so I removed the ear-pieces and used them as the pick-ups. I saved up to to buy some tuners, a bridge and strings from a local music shop put it all together and amazingly it worked although the neck was like a banana and the action appalling. The second bass was made from a 1-inch thick piece of Pirana Pine and used most of the components from the original. I bought a cheap pick-up for this one. I had no amplifier so I got inside the family radiogram and soldered a screened cable to the volume pot. It worked but wasn't loud enough so I had to use my tape recorder to boost the signal. All very Heath Robinson but it worked and it meant that I could play along with records. Having played the trombone at school I had some understanding of music fundamentals however there were no tutors or internet back in 1963 so I bought just about the only tutorial book available and set out to learn some scales. Eventually I persuaded my mother to lend me £45 to buy a Framus Star bass, saved up and bought a Linear 30 amplifier and got a cabinet maker to build me a copy of a Marshall 4x12 which was fitted with Bakers Group 25 speakers from shop in Croydon. This rig served me well for several years. [/quote] That is absolutely briliant. For a moment there, I thought it was going to be one of skankdelvar's (a most excellent BCer) imaginative pieces of work á la Monty Python's "Luxury - t't kids uv tuday" etc. and then it turns out the whole thing is real. Or it least I hope it is and I'm not just a gullible prat, because it makes super reading. My beginnings in the late 70s were pretty humble, but pure luxury compared to that. Congratulations for all your initiative and thanks for sharing a cracking bit of history.

Can a plug-in sue for non-support?

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1509283478' post='3397752'] I wuz gonna 'fix' this post, but thought better of it. [/quote] That illustrates herculian self-restraint on your part.

[quote name='plumbob' timestamp='1508001995' post='3389292'] Been loving this very talented family lately http://youtu.be/rWah6plGip4 [/quote] The version is just a super accurate copy of the original. Don‘t get me wrong, that‘s a huge achievement in itself, but I prefer cover versions which are different to the original. Having said that, the quality of the vocals and the playing really is superb. Reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Indeed on their website, which I felt obliged to go and look up, there‘s a quote from Dave Crosby praising them very highly.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1508608517' post='3393332'] Tina Weymouth's work with Talling Heads especially 'Once in a lifetime'. [/quote] +1

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1508538652' post='3392906'] I now have to sacrifice most of my bottom because I can hear low frequencies. Blue [/quote] Alright everybody let’s just step back from the obvious gags here and go about our business.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1508452423' post='3392383'] Trying to keep up with Wooten, probably..! ... [/quote] 👍👏👍👏👍

Yep, he plays a fretless pbass when on tour.

This might be worth taking a look at. It claims to cover a load of 80s/ lo-fi/ synthbass sounds http://youtu.be/Hy1hdf03crQ

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1507746773' post='3387734'] The problem is, there's tort and there's tort. Most modern tort is rubbish and looks like sliced salami. The only acceptable tort is genuine period vintage tort OR Spitfire tort. The 3-D tort that looks as if you could lose yourself in it... Mmmm, real tort... [url="https://spitfiretortoiseshellpickguards.wordpress.com/pictures-and-styles/"]https://spitfiretort...res-and-styles/[/url] And then only on a white, cream, vintage white or sunburst bass... and possibly Shoreline or Firemist Gold under certain circumstances. Tort should never be seen on any sort of blue, black, green, purple or red bass. With the possible exception of Fiesta Red, but only if its VERY faded. Edit. IMHO, of course. [/quote] Fetishist? Who, me? Matron bring more medication and plenty of vinegar! I‘ve been a very, VERY naughty boy!

http://youtu.be/V9-ltPsbw9g

[quote name='Meypelnek' timestamp='1507639531' post='3386894'] Perhaps we now see why they separated some years ago. [/quote] I could still kick myself for not trading for that SB5000 with you. What I fool I am 😡

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1507133236' post='3383551'] If we buy it collectively I vote that we use it to beat to death whoever came up with this travesty.... [/quote] ...,so you're saying..... we DON'T like it....right?

[quote name='jacko' timestamp='1507110653' post='3383322'] In the flecktones 'live at the quick' dvd, victor changes his cycling shirt just about every time the camera pans away. Guess it was recorded on consecutive nights and they've cut the best bits of the video into a single song but it's very strange to watch. [/quote] Given his level of chops, he may in fact be changing shirts on the fly with no noticable effect on his playing.

I work in shows with dancers all the time. They hate this kind of crap but tend to just take it as an occupational hazard. As for "loving it", no, not ever. They have to earn a living just like we do and almost never have any say as to what they have to wear. Di@kheads are unfortunately universal and, as someone said previously, trying to reason with their non-existent conscience won't go well or achieve positive results.

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1505403555' post='3371678'] I always thought of it as a wise precaution against weirdos. [/quote] I beg your pardon!? Sad a@ses maybe, but weirdos? How so very dare you!?

[quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1505200240' post='3370074'] We need images complete with testicles. [/quote] This now leaves me with a mix of fear and morbid fascination every time I open this thread.

Over a grand is a bit steep for a JV isn't it?

I live in Berlin which also has an excellent local transport system. Most of my gigs are in theatres or clubs with their own backline. Some theatres even insist on playing a house instrument to keep sound as consistent as possible. Theatre jobs are usually done by 10:45 and transport runs tiil about 12:30 in the week and all night on Friday and Saturday. Most of my gigs are in the city. The out of town jobs I do generally have backline on the rider. On rare occasions when it's necessary I take a taxi or rent a car.

I have effectively one case for all my basses. They're mostly very Fender-shaped so one size fits all. Most gigs I do, there's backline provided, so I often travel to gigs on public transport using a gig-bag (I have one of those for each bass). Exceptions are my Eastwood Classic 4 which is a Gretsch-type shape and demands its own case and the '78 BB1200 which came with original case. The basses I'm not using stand around in my room in gig-bags. Standing/hanging on display is not an option 'cos I have 2 young children.

[quote name='bassbiscuits' timestamp='1504277973' post='3363870'] Here's an obscure one. I used to live in a flat above a shop and the newsagent next door was owned by the sister of Welsh bassist Andy 'Wal' Coughlan, who played with among others Gary Numan,Shakin Stevens and Cerys Matthews. [/quote] Now there's some PROPER obscure 👏👏👏👏

And what would you ship it in?

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1503862790' post='3361231'] I played through Lemmy's Signature Marshall stacks a few days before he first did. And with a Fender bass too [/quote] You didn't!

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1503685388' post='3360338'] I also sat on the table next to Roscoe Beck at the Jazz Cafe whilst he ate his dinner. [/quote] We did a couple of gigs as support for The Blue Line in the earely 90s. Roscoe Beck was very interested in my SKC Bogart 5-string Jazz bass and we had a couple of nice chats about it. Back then he had a 4er and a 6er but no 5er.