Misdee

I think most stars fear obscurity more than they fear death. However deprecating they are of fame and all it brings, they couldn't cope with not being somebody special anymore.

I've spent a bit of time in Montana over the years (it's beautiful). I used to think there were lots of gays there, until I realised they were real cowboys. I went to a wild party after a gig in Missoula back in the 1980s and all I can say is the locals were anything but conservative.

All of these bands should have packed it in decades ago. Surely they could pass an Act of Parliament or something. How long can the agony be allowed to continue? It's like watching a geriatric Arthur Askey break his hip trying to disco dance for the amusement of his fellow care home residents. Would be nice if they replaced Zak with Dr David Starkey, right-wing constitutional historian. I don't think he can play the drums ( that would probably Daltrey fine) but he could give the audience some very insightful observations about the cultural context of songs like My Generation and Won't Get Fooled Again while Roger and Pete have their Tena pants changed during the interval.

Neither a DJ or L2K will sound like Justin Chancellor's Wal, if that's what you are after, but they are both great-sounding basses in their own right. The DJ is essentially a passive Jazz Bass, so expect a slightly more modern rendition of that tone, depending on the pickups installed. The stock Lakland/Hansen pickups are great, kind of a combination of vintage-sounding Fralins and the more modern-sounding Aero pickups the older DJs came with. The L2K is a unique-sounding instrument. It's got a slight scoop in the mids, but nothing like as pronounced as a Stingray. In my opinion it's a much better bass than a Music Man, but that's a separate discussion. I've read a lot of folks on forums ask if it will substitute for a Wal, and I suspect the reason might be that the G&L has a reputation for powerful output, and the pickups look a bit reminiscent of those on a Wal. However, that is the only similarity. If you're looking for classic Wal tones from a G&L you are going to be disappointed. The good news is an L2K is a wickedly good bass in its own right, with a big sound that is very suited to any kind of modern rock music I can think of. Just be careful what neck profile you are opting for. Mine had a vintage P Bass style shape and was too wide at the nut for my modest mitts. They come with various neck profiles, so make sure you know what your preference is. An MM-J Lakland with the LH-3 is another terrific bass, but in my experience it's a bit more polished and refined a sound than a G&L L2K. I've never adjusted the dip switches on mine however, so that might help a bit. It's a great all-round bass, but it lacks the unique personality of a bass like a G&L L2K Justin Chancellor famously uses a Wal and has given that brand a lot of publicity due to Tool's popularity , but if it's any consolation to you or any other would,-be imitators, I've never thought he had a particularly Wal-like tone on any recordings I've heard. You could get a good rendition of that sound with a whole host of modern basses. Geddy Lee on Power Windows could only be a Wal, same with Alan Spenner on those Roxy Music albums from the late'70s/early 80's. To my ears Justin Chancellor has a more generic tone that would be relatively easy to emulate.

FWIW, I think the Z3 sounds much more like a vintage Stingray than the current Stingray Special. Amazing bass for £400.

Good luck with finding "flat" on the original 2 band EQ! No doubt about that. The 2 band is indeed a very different proposition. I was referring to more modern versions of the Stingray, should have made that clear.

I've got an EBMM Reflex bass with active/passive switching. It's an HH with a humbucker in exactly the Stingray position. When I switch it to passive I don't really hear much discernable difference to the tone in active mode with the E.Q set flat. It's still got that distinctive Stingray tone. On the basis of that, I think a passive Stingray would sound just like an active 'Ray with the EQ flat.

Would look good with a black scratch plate, too, if you fancied a change. Lovely bass, enjoy it.

I have no idea why Marillion aren't more celebrated on Basschat, but I've always thought Pete Trewavas had a great sound and a really nice feel to his bass playing.

Prior to GAK and BAX going bust, in recent months I've noticed a renewed vigour in the marketing strategy of certain UK retailers. They're trying to reach out through social media, YouTube ect, and create a sense of community and to enthuse their customers. Maybe these shops are experiencing similar pressures as GAK and are trying to be proactive. Good luck to them anyhow, I hope they prosper. The more shops the better, as far I am concerned.

Indeed, how the world has changed. The skinheads and heavy metal fans are now teachers and social workers.

I think Glastonbury has always been more about the event than the actual music on the bill. Just so long as there's no one controversial. Wouldn't want anyone to get upset. I remember the days when Glastonbury was a fringe festival that Guardian-reading teachers and social workers went to because they were likely to be bullied if they went to Reading. They could smoke rollups and watch Van Morrison surrounded by like-minded people, safe from packs of marauding skinheads and defecating heavy metal fans. And nowadays it's even safer, thank goodness.

Will Lee 5 is essentially the same as EBMM Stingray 5 spacing at the nut but 19mm at the bridge instead of the 17.5 that EBMM use.

I love that fingerboard! Warwick seems to be doing an excellent job with their Sadowsky venture.. I've got a recent Metroline and the construction is flawless, as good as it gets. How these basses are put together is a testament to German precision engineering. No gaps in the neck pocket, sharp fret ends or misaligned hardware. Other bass builders please take note. Regarding the narrower nut width, could it be the neck on your Special Edition has Will Lee specs, ie 1 3/4 inch rather than the standard 1 7/8 ? That's about 3mm difference. I would have thought they would have to do one or the other due to the specs of the Adjust-a Nut they have available.

I started playing at exactly that time and I also had 70's Fenders, both modified and unmodified, because they were affordable and available. To me, a lot depends on the quality of the modification. I've played and owned some cracking modified Fenders, and also some botch jobs. You just have to use your discretion. It's either a good bass for you or not, you just have to play it and decide.

One persons upgrade is someone else's act of vandalism. As with everything, you pay your money and take your choice. What I will say is that there are some people, quite a lot of people, who have a very child-like compulsion to tinker with valuable precision-made items of various kinds, be it cameras, watches or musical equipment such as guitars and amps ect. A big part of the reason why they have bought it is so they can play at fixing or improving it. Even if they have some awareness they are out of their depth, sooner or later the temptation to start pissing about with whatever it is overwhelms them. Whether you want to be the next recipient of these goods is a judgement call.

Never mind Metallica et al, what about getting Status Quo on the bill ? Let's face it, When it comes to farewell tours they are the best in the business. Call the whole shindig "This Time We Really, Really Mean It! ...(Probably)."

I saw him on that first Blizzard of Oz tour, too. It was a great gig. I saw him and Sharon after the show at the backstage door and he was wearing an orange jumpsuit, like they wear in American prisons. He looked dazed, even back then. (Especially back then.) That's putting it diplomatically.

I saw Sabbath back in their heyday and it was something special. That's the way I would like to remember them. I actually found Phil Collins struggling on the Genesis farewell tour quite upsetting to watch. I really don't want to witness Ozzy suffering the same way. I'm sorry to say it but this extravaganza looks like it has every chance of being absolutely dreadful. Such events always end up being less than the sum of their parts. To me it's a sad ending for one of the most important bands in the history of rock music. Legends are best left intact, for everyone's sake. As soon as see phrases like "Fred Durst" and "supergroup" banded about my alarm bells start ringing. It's going to be exactly the kind of cringeworthy modern rockfest you would hope it wouldn't be. Americans with tattoos wearing board shorts shouting a lot. However much they might pay homage, all those bands are a million miles away from what Black Sabbath were in their prime. Sabbath had an originality, subtlety and finesse that's beyond their would-be disciples' grasp. The truth is that Black Sabbath was over a long time ago. They already belong to history. At their best they were an awesome prospect. No one can take that away from them, except themselves. If they want a last farewell I suppose it's up to them, but I really wish they wouldn't.

Some of my favourite memories of the 1980's are of going to The Bass Centre at Wapping. It was the best shop ever, and I know I will never again recapture that degree of excitement about buying basses. ( Or more accurately, looking at basses I wanted to buy but could not necessarily afford yet.) The first time I went in early '87 it was actually quite upsetting to see so many amazing basses that until then I had only seen in magazines and on tv. It was the first time I had ever seen an Alembic in the flesh, and I remember they had just gotten the first Pedulla and Tobias basses in the U.K. They had so much interesting stuff, it was truly something to behold. Wal, Status,Vigier, Jaydee, Carl Thompson, you name it. Warwick basses had just come out and they the full range in stock, including one-off custom jobs. Always loads of top-notch used gear,too. And then the next time I went in the shop a few weeks later just about everything had been sold and replaced with more equally amazing gear. The turnover of basses was rapid; if you saw something you wanted in the shop it was now or never because someone else would most likely snap it up if you hesitated. I missed out on at least two basses that way. I was lucky enough to go to all the various branches over the years, Manchester, Birmingham, L.A ect. All great, and the staff were really decent too.

The new updated Euro Doug Wimbish bass unveiled at NAMM looks pretty tasty. Custom '80's reissue EMG pickups with unique placement, Legacy preamp same as the CST, skinny neck ect.

Naim amps and Linn speakers, my favourite combination from the golden age of British hifi.

I very much like your taste in audio equipment!

I remember buying the Led Zeppelin remasters box set when it came out in 1994. I then spent thousands upgrading my hifi equipment in a vain attempt to make albums like In Through The Out Door sound good. I don't even know why I bothered. There's only two good tracks on it, and the mix is so odd that a better hifi only makes that more apparent. What I really needed to recreate the excitement I had from music when that album was first released was a girl from school, bottle of cider, 10 Embassy Regal and a Sanyo music centre, just like back in those days. These Super Deluxe reissues are very much aimed at middle-aged men (like me). Offering these packages is way of making tangible people's memories, and all the powerful feelings that go along with them. Oscar Wilde once said that music is the art form which is nearest to tears and memories, and he wasn't wrong. Record companies and artists are acutely aware of that phenomena and are quite happy to milk it for all it's worth. The unreleased/ bonus tracks ect are just a means of justification, for both the vendor and the consumer. The deluxe packaging is giving you something to do besides listen to the music, and that's important because, in all likelihood, you've already heard that music a lot. Some of these deluxe reissue packages do look fascinating, I can't deny. The 50th Anniversary Larks Tongues In Aspic reissue is sumptuous, and I've been obsessed with that album for a very long time. But that attraction is tempered by the knowledge that I would probably soon be bored by it. I've already got enough Larks Tongues In Aspic, I don't need a book to go with it.

I had a (very) long chat with Nick back in the 1990's when he phoned me about a bass I had for sale. He was a smashing bloke with a passion anything to do with playing the bass. A genuine enthusiast. Our paths crossed a few times on the internet in subsequent years and, just like everyone else has said, he was a lovely man who enjoyed sharing his passion for music with other people. I'm shocked and saddened he is gone. May God rest his soul and grant him eternal peace.