SpanishBass

It was very interesting to read your comment about Steve Upton, Musophilr! I think he's a great drummer too! I had the privilege of playing bass in Ted McKenna's band ,McKenna's Gold, for two years, so I know a good drummer when I hear one! I particularly love his drumming on 'So Many Things To Say' (Wishbone Four). Fabulous!

Thanks for posting F.U.B.B. Seashell!

Yes, Andy Powell is a fabulous guitarist. It would be great if Wishbone Ash reformed with either Ted Turner or Laurie Wisefield! Both existing versions of Wishbone Ash are very good in their own right but I feel that they won't EVER be as good as Wishbone Ash with Andy Powell AND Martin Turner.

Thanks Bert! I'll take a picture of the tadpole and the frogs/toads or are they froads (!) and I forgot to mention the jester's head!!!! All the best, Alex

Thanks for your comments guys and for posting the link to Sometime World, Walbassist!

Well, it's great to have joined Basschat! I first picked up a bass guitar at the age of thirteen and fell in love with it on sight! My friend Colin and I got his elder brothers' electric guitar and bass guitar down from the loft in his parents' house, blew the dust off the cases and opened them - to reveal a red Hofner strat and a dark red Selmer Precision bass! My friend Colin picked up the Strat and I picked up the Precision! Just after this, my parents kindly offered to buy the bass for me for Christmas, along with a set of red plastic-coated strings! I wish I still had the bass and the strings!!! My first bass amp was a Linear 50 watt cage amp, a museum piece these days!!! After playing in several local bands and doing three seasons in Warners holiday camp in Seaton in a dance band, I was asked to join Cliff Moore's band in 1982. For those who have not heard of Cliff, he is the late Gary Moore's younger brother, and a wonderful player in his own right. Gary was my favourite guitarist and it was great to have had the opportunity to chat with him on several occasions. He was, in my opinion, the best rock guitarist ever and played with a raw passion I have never seen in any other guitarist. Check out his album G-Force, which also features great bass playing by Tony Newton. It's sensational! Just for the record, my favourite guitarists are Al Di Meola, Michael Schenker, Jimmy Page, Cliff Moore, Tim Juckes and Julian Hutson-Saxby. After playing in Cliff's band for a few years I was invited to form a band with the legendary Scottish rock drummer Ted McKenna (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Michael Schenker Group, Gillan, Rory Gallagher, Greg Lake). This band was called McKenna's Gold. It was a great privilege to play bass with Ted for two years - a bass player's dream! Check out 'Assault Attack' by the Michael Schenker Group. It's a masterclass in rock drumming and Chris Glen's bass playing perfectly complements Ted's drumming! I own three electric basses, a 1984 Manson Merlin, a JD Roadie and a very special RJ Foster bass made in olive wood, which weighs a ton!!!! It's got Kent Armstrong Alembic pick ups and has hand-cut abalaone frogs and a tadpole on the neck! My amplification consists of a TC Electronic 450 watt amp and two 2x10 TC Electronic cabinets. The Strings I use are Elites - Player Series in medium gauge. As a teenage bass player I was greatly influenced by Stanley Clarke after seeing Return To Forever on TV! 'Romantic Warrior' is still one of my favourite albums. Other bass players I was influenced by as a teenager were Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash), Ken Whaley (Man) and many other excellent bass players too. A few years ago I formed Benedictus, (Strawbs tribute band) and we were invited to support the acoustic Strawbs at their legendary Christmas party in Teddington! A great night was had by all! The Strawbs are a truly great band and what wonderful bass players John Ford and Chas Cronk are! I use the name SpanishBass because I love to play bass solos in a Spanish style! Regards to all my fellow bass players and to the team at Basschat! Alex

Have you ever heard 'Sometime World' by Wishbone Ash, on the Argus album? What a great bass line and what a great tone! Martin Turner must be one of the most underrated bass players in the UK! Check out Sorrel on Wishbone Four too. Martin plays a Gibson Thunderbird, which has a wonderful growling tone. He was a great influence on me as a teenage bass player, along with Stanley Clarke .... and several other great players!