Norris

A few weeks ago a bass player friend of mine came round and ended up having a go on some of my basses. He asked me how I managed to play with such a poor set up. To be honest I'd never really noticed - you just get used to it and get on with playing. I have since given my basses a bit of a tweak. The action is lower, the intonation is better, but it really doesn't make a lot of difference when I'm gigging. It still feels and sounds the same, and I can still get around the fretboard. It seems that some people are obsessive about getting the 'ultimate' set up, some are not Dragging it slightly back on topic, I'm not a famous player - just done it for enough years to be reasonably competent. I have never played a famous player's baas either.

Rubber-lipped Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler once won a trade award for the quality of his grout work

The Stone Roses are so named after monkey-like frontman Ian Brown broke a tooth on a particularly out-of-date box of chocolates given to him for Christmas by his grandma

Scotsman Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street only became a hit on its second release, once the original bagpipe track was replaced by a saxophone

Norman Greenbaum got his name after accidentally sitting on a freshly painted park bench

Some Kandinsky would look cool (again NOT pop art!)

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1415710878' post='2602881'] But it's not Pop Art. [/quote] I know it's not pop art, but it is Mondrian :-)

Mondrian looks cool

[quote name='mickcope' timestamp='1415706568' post='2602815'] ...In terms of upgrading it - a lot of people talk about upgrading the pickups - any news welcome [/quote] See what it sounds like first. If it's not quite what you want then a set of Seymour Duncan QPs would be a reasonable place to start.

Billy Idol has never done a day's work in his life

None of the members of The Cars hold a UK driving licence

In 1967 Eric Burden and his band had to spend 6 weeks in quarantine before starting their US tour

Lemmy needs the four of hearts. Don't fall for his bullsh*t!

The B52's are actually named after the road near their home village of Belcoo in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Genesis were originally formed by the female sibling of the developer of the smallpox vaccine

Wide enough? [url="http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Black-Roundline-Downpipe-Length-2000mm/p/431865"]http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Black-Roundline-Downpipe-Length-2000mm/p/431865[/url]

It might also be worthwhile checking out the software + USB controller options that are available (e.g. [url="http://www.enttec.com/index.php?main_menu=Products&pn=70303"]this USB controller[/url]). They can work out cheaper than standard controllers if you already have a laptop, and could be more versatile. However, I like a stand-alone dedicated box for the simplicity (once I've programmed it!)

I wouldn't trust anything apart from my top-hanger Hercules. Having a thunderbird might also have something to do with it. I strap all of the long stuff (guitar stand, mic stand, etc.) together for easy carriage

I use one of these - [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_dmxmaster_i.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_dmxmaster_i.htm[/url] I am only controlling standard 3 channel RGB lights, but the spec says it can use up to 16 channels per fixture, including scanner motor controls The only downside is the crappy euro-socket power supply. I keep meaning to find a more robust one for it!

Throughout my "career" I've predominantly played in pub bands. There again we tend to be quite casual, enjoy a bit of banter with the crowd, and like the freedom to be able to "prat about" at the less-inspiring gigs (which means we visibly enjoy ourselves & which can turn around an indifferent crowd by doing so). My day job means I'm unlikely to start doing stadium tours, especially at my age/obscurity and the fact that unless you are famous it doesn't really pay [i][b]that[/b][/i] well. I am quite content to be a "Weekend Warrior"

Enough to make my first "proper" bass a Rickenbacker - around about 83/84. Before that it had been a Franconia P copy bought from a school mate.

I saw him play in Eastbourne as a young sprog. Still memorable now. RIP

I have an Aria Pro II SB-1000. I bought it second hand around 85/86 (part chopping a gorgeous 4001 for it!) and it was my only bass for about 10 years. I eventually bought a US Jazz and the Aria hasn't been played since. Several years in the loft didn't do it any favours. A mate of mine has been restoring it for a couple of years (!). I hope to see it soon...

I have a thunderbird with the "much slated" 3-bolt bridge. It's not particularly high mass either, but the tone and sustain are fantastic. I have no issues with it at all. I've never swapped out a bridge, but have a couple of Jazzes - one USA strung through and a MIM non-through. Not an appreciable difference. I suspect a high mass bridge would have as negligible effect. Colour me sceptical

[quote name='Romeo2' timestamp='1414680113' post='2592180'] ...but knowing how much amazing quality bass you get from basses manufactured in Asia... [/quote] Back in the 70s and a lot of the 80s the stuff coming out of the far east was pretty cheap and ropey. These days it's a whole new ball game. They are producing high quality guitars and very reasonably priced.