Misdee

Jason Newstead played a 5 string a lot when he was in Metallica. I couldn't tell you which songs, though. I'm not really a fan of their music, just remember the basses. He's a very good bass player though, for sure.

I never thought of it that way. I'm sorry if you have taken offence That was never my intention. I'm certainly not associating him with Gary Glitter. It's just he was part of the same era of popular culture. I was thought I was making a lighthearted point about how abjectly crap stage gimmicks were back in those days by today's standards. I only mentioned Alvin Stardust because I vividly remember him and that glove during those days. I could just as easily mentioned how people thought Roxy Music had such a glamorous and futuristic image at the time. Nowadays they just look like students on a fancy dress night out.

50 years ago Glitter was a superstar in this country. I remember it well. Looking at footage of his heyday now you can't help but be struck by him being a bit too chubby and a bit too old to be appealing to a young audience. His act looks like someone's dad doing a turn (or having a bit of a turn) at a kids Christmas party.The whole thing looks shabby and homemade. That such tosh passed for glamour just shows the paucity of the real thing in most people's lives back in the 1970's. And while we're on the subject of mid-'70's popstars, what about Alvin Stardust and that one black glove? Was he unblocking drains before he went on stage or was it something much more sinister?

Back in 1975 adding a Badass to your Jazz Bass was a state-of-the-art upgrade. Badass stays!

The fat chunky necks on the Fender AVRI basses applies to the 1974 reissue rather than the 1975 version that preceded it. Even then, somehow that '74 neck is still pretty playable, probably because it has a narrower than usual nut width for a Jazz Bass. Those Reissue '74 Fender pickups are really good, too. FWIW, I've had a fair few '70's Jazz Basses back in the day and you can find the odd jem and some sound really good, but none I have ever owned were a patch on some of the better modern examples in terms of being well made practical instruments. I love the 1970's basses styling, but for playability, durability and practicality I opt for newer examples. A reissue or any nice Fender Jazz Bass with the right vibe is a really good option in my opinion.

I've already spent way too much time fiddling with this Online Configurator. No doubt I will spend a lot more yet. It's a brilliant marketing tool, as much as anything else. A lot of bass players thinking and talking about EBMM Stingray basses. A very canny move by EBMM, providing it translates to increased sales. I still think the choice of colours is a bit off, though, in so much as if you don't like satin finishes(I don't) or sparkle finishes(do I look like Liberace?) then your options are a bit limited. I still can't get a traditional white Stingray with a maple fingerboard, black scratch plate and chrome hardware i.e the classic plastic toilet seat bass.

The 20/10 series definitely do have a very different neck profile to previous Yamaha basses. It's a bit bigger overall but that's a result of the design brief at the time, which was to design the ultimate BB bass for modern rock bassists. I've got little hands (I wear small size underpants too) but I find the neck on my 2024x perfectly playable. The more traditional classic Yamaha shallow oval neck profile with a 40mm nut width is supremely comfortable though, it has to be said.

I've never played a 1024x, but if it's anything like the 2024x then yes it's a big upgrade on the 424x. The 424 was, from memory, a decent bass don't get me wrong. But the 20 and more affordable 10 range version made in Indonesia were a pretty epic design with a unique tone. I never played the 1024 version but I've got a 2024x that I bought fourteen years ago when they first came out and it's a superb bass. The 1024x is supposed to be very similar, so I would recommend it on that basis. The 2024X certainly doesn't sound muddy or dark to me, not do the 1024 basses I've seen on YouTube, but tone is a very subjective thing in terms of description. I would charactarise the 2024 tone as being like a cross between a Fender, a Spector NS2 and a Wal. Seriously, it's that good. There's a consistent punch in the midrange that makes it stand out like a foghorn. It's got the depth of an active bass whilst having all the positive attributes of a passive instrument. The 1024 is supposed to be the same bass built in Indonesia, although if you want to get specific, the pickups and hardware are replicas made for that version, not the exact same one as was fitted on the Japanese-made basses. Also, the Indonesian basses didn't have I.R.A or A.R.E treatment. If that makes any difference.

I've had a bit of a go in the last few days and my spec comes out roughly the same as a standard Stingray Special once it's shipped to the UK with duty and VAT ect. Not that bad. I really fancy one. I'm still not that mad about most of the colours though. They seem to given folk a wider choice of hideous to choose from.

I've eaten pizza at some of the most highly regarded purveyors of the craft in Italy, USA ect. Some were really good, some were very overrated. The best by far, however, was made by some Turkish people in Sheffield at a little local takeaway. I took friends from NYC and Chicago there and they were blown away by it, too. Similarly, a certain strata of British foodie is preoccupied with finding authentic Indian food. In India and Pakistan however, they couldn't care less about such bourgeois ideas and are quite happy to adapt their own cuisine to incorporate modern influences, providing the results are tasty. I'm not convinced by the idea that"authenticity" is the ultimate goal when it comes to any kind of food. It's a very middle class obsession, born out of self-doubt. So enjoy your chicken tikka meatball and spaghetti nan bread pizza without guilt. Put couscous on it too if you like, if you live in North London.

I love this post. On the subject of Oasis, have you noticed how the British media have cultivated Noel Gallagher's grandiose delusions by appointing him as a spokesman for a whole host of social and cultural topics. Music, football, politics, marriage, crime, you name it. Noel is invited to share his very definite and forthright opinions expressed in his own inimitable way. His diatribes usually begin with " No one can tell me, right that...". I expect no one can tell Noel much, especially people better informed, better educated and more intelligent than him. That's why the British public identify with his persona. To Noel the world is a very definite place and that certainty is hugely reassuring to some people. Now I've got that off my chest, could I just point out that Waterfront by Simple Minds is more than just that one note shuffle in so much as there's overdubbed fretless bass interspersed throughout the track. Great song, superb bass player.

NSD certainly has it's moments. I really like the title track and Hard Road. Probably fair to say that it's what could have been a really good album that was ruined to a certain extent by what the band had been through by that time and the state they were in by the time they recorded it.

Well, there's no bad Geezer Butler bass playing, but for me the Heaven And Hell/Mob Rules era was his zenith. I have always thought the albums after Paranoid up until when Dio joined the band really suffered from Geezer's bass being way too indistinct and lost in the mix. You can hardly hear what he's doing most of the time. The first two albums and then the ones from Heaven And Hell onwards you can make out every note.

I think a lot of folks who are critical of the Bongo's looks haven't seen one in the flesh. The 3D chamfering of the body and semi-arch top blend beautifully with the angular lines, to my taste anyway. It was a shock to me that so many people find the looks of that bass so objectionable. When I first saw an image of the Bongo when they first came out I thought EBMM would struggle to keep up with demand. I really like how the Bongo looks, and I also like the way it sounds how it looks; unique.

Wow, Trouble Funk! I hadn't thought about them in years! I'm having an '80's flashback! I also remember seeing Chuck Brown And The Soul Searchers on The Tube about that time and being really taken with the whole Go Go swing thing in general. That PRS bass Big Tony is playing sounds great, too. They ought to make them like that now. I remember playing a couple in shops at the time. Three pickups and a very gutsy tone. That Gary Grainger bass they make now is lovely but the overall sound is a bit too scooped-out for my taste.