Misdee

I totally agree. I was just trying to say that the BDDI adds a very definite character to the sound, some (not me) would say a bit too much. I use mine primarily for recording. To be honest, I can't understand why so many people use the Bass Driver and similar preamps through an amp. Why not just buy an amp you like the sound of in the first place? I suppose if it makes the sound better then fair enough, and with so many bass players using distortion nowadays ( it wasn't always that way, I remember when most bass players were trying to get as clean a signal as possible) at least with a BDDI you can rely on a bit of fuzz with plenty of bottom end. Whatever you want to use it for, I think the BDDI is excellent value for money. To me it sounds as good in its own way as much more expensive competition and it's very nicely made.

Re the Gus basses, I've been looking into them this afternoon. I really like the sound and a lot of the design features. I really like the overall shape and the ergonomics. What I don't like is the tubular metal top horn and bottom bout. If I analyze what I couldn't reconcile myself to then it is that. It just seems like an unnecessary gimmick. Otherwise I might buy one. The Status Streamline, in comparison, is futuristic ( bearing in mind that the future is what happened circa 1983) but the aesthetic is practical. Form follows function, to paraphrase the much- vaunted Bauhaus principal. The thing about graphite basses is what are you looking for in terms of sound? Do you want it to sound like a wooden bass but with the advantages of graphite construction, or do you want it to sound unashamedly like it's made of carbon fibre? To my ears, Status basses sound like carbon fibre. The scant YouTube demos of the Gus bass I have seen sound much more wooden and organic. Neither is better than the other, just different. My reference point for graphite bass tone will always be the Steinberger L2. That's my ideal. Status basses don't sound like a Steinberger, but it's very definitely a graphite kind of tone. In contrast, I had a custom Zon Legacy Elite as my main bass back in the 1990s and it was distinctly and deliberately un-graphite like in its tone. When you see that a Gus bass is about seven or eight grand, you realise what good value Status basses are/were. I'm not saying the Gus Basses are overpriced,by the way, just that Status were a very reasonable price considering the world class quality of the basses.

I'm sorry if you feel that way. I'm just genuinely surprised about the Sigue Sigue Sputnik business. Maybe it's me that was/is out of touch with the consensus of informed opinion. I'm glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

Not sure what this is supposed to prove. 😀🙂 Okay, my mistake. It must be me then.

Modulus are a funny one. I think the name was bought by a music shop somewhere in the Midwest. I'm not sure who is actually producing the basses and to what standard. I might have to look into that! The downside at the moment is the weakness of the pound against the dollar. Buying British never seemed more appropriate.

Gus Basses. Never played one, but I must say that the aesthetic doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. I'm sure to some folks they look stylish, but I would feel a bit ridiculous playing one in public. To me they look like the kind of thing Sigue Sigue Sputnik would've used on TOTP circa 1987 ( had they actually been successful). What do I know though? We're living in strange times where inherently modern things are considered old fashioned and the only way to be current is to look to the past. But that is complicated by the fact that the modern age is now old enough that people can look back at that era as being vintage. I'm sure buying basses never used to be this complicated.

The thing about the BDDI in its various guises is that it has a (very) distinct sonic personality. It's not trying to be neutral or transparent. It's aim is to impart itself on your tone. And as with most things that are distinctive, some people will love it and some people will be less enthusiastic. I've tried all sorts of preamps in all sorts of price ranges and I end up coming back to the BDDI precisely because it is so stylised in it's tone. I like that it's idiosyncratic and occasionally difficult to work with. That's preferable to being bland.

The most important thing is that Rob Green stays well, that almost goes without saying. But what a loss to the industry! I've got a Streamline bass that I had made for me a while ago and it's a superb bass. A unique design with a sound to match. I've had other Status basses and they were all very enjoyable. In a bass manufacturing world of vintage- fixated retrogression, Rob's basses are uncompromisingly modern, and refreshingly original with their own identity. It's the end of an era. Never mind Status Graphite, I remember reading the review of the Rob Green Strata Bass in Sounds magazine. That must be 40 years ago. I also remember seeing that actual bass for sale secondhand in the Bass Center in about 1987. Rob Green retiring also raises the question, if you want to buy a new bass with a graphite neck who would make you one? According to some folks on Talkbass, Zon are hopelessly back-ordered and unable to deliver completed instruments within a reasonable time frame. I am scratching my head trying to think of other options.

I've got the V2 version and it's got a bit too much zing for my ears! The top end has always been a bit too sharp for my middle of the road taste. I have to set the treble and presence about 11 o'clock and even then the Bass Driver never sounds how I would like to it to unless I use a compressor with it, but when I do that it sounds exceptionally good. It's a terrific pedal with so many practical uses. Maybe your bass just needs some new round wound strings.

You can tell Neil Murray is posh because he's from Scotland but he doesn't have a Scottish accent. Rockschool was a seminal experience for a whole generation of young musicians. I thought it was great at the time. Looking at it again now, I am still of the same opinion. You've got to remember, it was a era before the internet, YouTube ect and accurate information was a lot harder to come by. Most folks still didn't have video recorders. You had to watch it and remember it! Kudos to the BBC for such an innovative idea and having the balls to see it through.

The Pat Peeves of my imagination is playing the pubs and clubs of the North East and still telling the story of how he nearly auditioned to be the original bass player in The Sweet but missed the train to London due to a mishap involving a crate of brown ale, a glamorous barmaid and a pair of silver hotpants.

I've got the Diamond BC1 and it sounds wonderful with whatever bass I use it with. Subtle and very chunky sounding is how I would describe it. Makes your bass sound like the ones on your favourite recordings. A compressor for enhancing your tone more than for squashing it. Thoroughly recommend. The Cali76 is superb, too. You really can't go wrong with either. The best two compressors I have tried, but I must say the Markbass Compressore sounds great in the demonstrations I have heard. The EBS Multicomp still sounds good to me, but is no longer the market leader it once was.

Does anyone else keep looking at the title of this thread and thinking it's about a bassist called Pat Peeves? I fall for it every bleedin' time...

He might also be reaching a stage in his life where he doesn't want to be burdened with material possessions that no longer bring joy or satisfaction. Or he might just need to free up some space. If it was my bass I would be looking to get that kind of money for it if I could. And I wouldn't be feeding any Ethiopians with the proceeds, either. Let's face it, the way prices are going up in the shops at the moment, I wouldn't be surprised if musicians in Ethiopia record a song for charity to help people in the UK get adequate nutrition.

Without wishing to muddy the waters, I seem to remember that Overwater claim it was one of their basses that was featured on the actual recording of Do They Know It's Christmas? This bass is incontrovertibly the one played by John Taylor in the video, but if Overwater are correct then it's not necessarily on the final version of the song. I seem to remember Chris May was at the recording studio on the day. It's all getting to be a long time ago so forgive me if I am wrong, but I have got a definite recollection that Overwater promotional literature used to mention this accolade amongst their other achievements.

That finish was achieved by chemically treating the wood ( sycamore or maple). Over time it turned out that the finish discolours. A lot of the lighter stains like the one on the bass Martin Kemp used at Live Aid have taken on a greenish tinge. ( Last I heard that bass belonged to Iggy Pop's bass player back in the early 1990s).

The thing is, for the most part Glastonbury is a celebration of old people's music. Most of the bands on the bill(but not all, I hasten to add) are playing music that is not remotely new and is referential to music from previous generations. Despite all their efforts to be "relevant" and "representative", Glastonbury is primarily a celebration of Dad Rock and it's traditional and reassuring values. Rock music belongs to old people. They invented it.

Okay, I've called a nurse but the escort agency says it will be at least an hour until she can get here. I'll watch some Glastonbury in the meantime and see if I can warm to it a bit more. If that falls I'll do as you suggest and resort to drugs.

Never mind rock 'n' roll, from the way she was moving around on stage I wouldn't be surprised if she has untreated cystitis!

Yes! I suppose it's out of necessity though. If festivals were how they used to be all these Instagram kids would be suing the organisers and seeking therapy for the trauma they had experienced. Let's just hope this country doesn't have to go to war again.

I'm as old as I am and I'm not trying to hide it from anyone. The point is that Glastonbury trades on it's history as a counterculture event despite the reality that it's now a bastion of the establishment. It's the Wimbledon of rock festivals.

The U.S Supreme Court is probably reconsidering it's judgment right now. I watched this lot. All I can say is whatever they have been sniffing, they have either been sniffing too much of it or not enough. What I like most about this band is their referencing of the Sharpie subculture (skinheads with mullets- a wonderfully Aussie combination!) of early- mid Seventies Australia. The music fits that era perfectly, too.

That's when festivals were festivals. None of this Instagram glamping nonsense back then. I remember folks coming back from festivals looking like they had been on the Somme! No wonder they have cash machines at Glastonbury nowadays if it costs £6 for a pint of beer or cider and £11.50 for a cheese toastie.(!) Drugs used to be a problem at festivals, but nowadays festival goers could adopt a cocaine habit out of necessity as a way of saving money. For those prices price I would be expecting Paul McCartney to serve me my food in bed and call me "sir".

You've just hit the nail on the head. The BBC do exactly the same thing with the FA Cup, which they have also paid way over the odds to broadcast. Every year they can't wait to get Dan Walker to tell you how native tribes in the Amazon will be getting out of their hammocks at 4am to tune their shortwave radio into The Greatest Knockout Cup Competition in the World Ever. At the end of two weeks of trailers, preambles, interviews and endless punditry you get to watch an understrength Leicester City eke out a 2-1 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge. If that doesn't make you proud to be British I don't know what will! (If the BBC was really interested in reporting about football matters they would be investigating the Deep State conspiracy intent on destroying Leeds United. Lizard people living in tunnels under Whitehall are trying to sell LUFC's best players for peanuts and are using invisible magnetic rays to help opposing teams score against them. You read it here first!) Regardless of what actually transpires in reality, the BBC are going to push the party line that Glastonbury is a national event that enjoys an overwhelming consensus of approval. It isn't and it doesn't. It's five years now since Jeremy Corbyn addressed the crowds at Glastonbury and tantalised them with his vision for a fairer Britain. The gathered throng lapped it up and went back to constituencies to prepare for government. Instead of revolution we have had more Tories,more Glastonbury, more football and more misery, most of which but not all of which has been self- inflicted. That is the gap between the rhetoric and reality. Malcolm McLaren was right when he said that it is better to be a flamboyant failure than any kind of benign success. Glastonbury is a benign success.