BrunoBass

I fell in love with bass from an early age. When I was just starting to get into music it was the very late seventies, and there was a lot of bass in the charts! Sting, Colin Moulding, Norman Watt Roy, Paul Simonon and all the 2-Tone guys like Horace Panter, Mark Bedford, David Steele... I loved it all and would listen specifically to those bass lines. I used to have a beat up old nylon strung acoustic guitar and I’d tune the E and A strings down as low as they’d go before they became too floppy and try to play along. I was 10 in 1979. For a while I learned to play guitar properly and played drums for a few years too. The first band I joined was as a drummer, when I was sixteen. When I left school and started earning money I bought myself a Squier Silver Series Precision bass (how I wish I’d kept that!) and forgot about drums. That was 1990, I was twenty one and I’ve played bass pretty much ever since. Good thread, by the way.

Personally I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the final albums were awful, but they certainly weren’t great, and I agree that they probably hung around too long. I loved R.E.M. from Murmur up to Automatic... and though I really liked the odd track thereafter (Electrolite, Daysleeper) I’d largely lost interest by then. The quality of their output seemed to deteriorate after Bill Berry left. I wonder if that’s coincidence? Bill was always much more than ‘just the drummer’. When they finally split up I did wonder if U2 might get the hint as well...

I had that problem on a P bass once. I took off the scratchplate to investigate and found that some of the metal shielding foil inside the pot cavity was lifting and just touching the jack plug when inserted, thus intermittently cutting the signal. Easy fix.

My son Jack is a hip hop producer, he’s spent years developing his style, making contacts and putting his tracks out there. He’s had loads of knockbacks along the way but he’s never been deterred, he’s never given up and he’s kept on plugging away. A while ago one of his beats got picked up by a rapper in the US who used it in a track that did quite well on the underground scene. This lead to his stuff being passed on to Logic, an artist on Def Jam, and an invitation to provide beats and additional production on a track called Still Ballin’ If you’re into hip hop you’ll know the track, it was number one on the Billboard charts, number one on the ITunes chart in the US (and I think in the UK). It’s now being used on NBC’s NBA coverage in the States. Suffice to say he’s thrilled, as am I. The other day Def Jam sent him his plaque. Just goes to prove that you can do anything, with talent, drive and persistence. Even a kid from Walsall making beats in his bedroom. Where this leads now I don’t know yet, but he’s getting offers so hopefully the momentum will continue for him. I’m absolutely made up for him and so proud

Thanks! Hopefully someone will snap it up soon.

I’m been massively bingeing on XTC the last few weeks. I’ve loved them since Drums and Wires but I go through that cycle of not listening to them for a couple years and then listening to nothing but them for three months. Also, a young Norwegian singer called Margrete, who’s doing some very interesting dark electro pop stuff.

This is pretty much exactly the same for us, we’re based in north Oxfordshire and rarely play outside of a 25 mile radius of our hometown Banbury. We’re a three piece.

Sorry, no. Funds needed for the next purchase.

In addition to the Genz Benz ShuttleMax 6.0 head listed separately, I’m also selling this 2x12 cab that I use it with. If you’re interested in the pair we can do a deal. The cab is in great condition, I’ve gigged it but looked after it well. It sounds immense. 600 watts 4 ohms 2x12” & tweeter 23 kg 79 x 54 x 42cm Carry handles and tilt back castors. I’m happy to meet up, but owing to weight and size I don’t want to risk shipping. Easily liftable and transportable, this fits in the back of my BMW 1 Series without any problem. Any questions please drop me a line, thanks for looking.

Surplus to requirements is my Genz Benz ShuttleMax 6.0. It’s been well looked after and is in very good condition. FEATURES • Dual Channels -- FET and Tube Preamps • Switchable or Blendable Preamps • Input Mute Circuit • High and Low Gain Switch per Channel • Active 4 Band EQ with Dual Parametric Mids • High Current Class D Amplifier Design • Adjustable 3 Band Signal Shape Circuits • Limiter Circuit • LED Status Indicators • Speakon® Speaker Outputs • Internal Fan Cooling • Full XLR Direct Output Interface • Aux. Input • Headphone Jack • Three Effects Loops (FET Ch; Tube Ch; Master) • 115/230 Volt Switchable • 5 Position Footswitch Included Power Output - 600W/4 ohm x 12 Preamp Type - FET/TUBE Weight Lbs. - 6.75 Dimensions HxWxD - 3 1/2" x 13 1/2" x 13" It comes with the original foot switch and a non original padded carry case. Any questions drop me a line. I don’t really want to ship this, owing to bad past experiences and would much rather meet up. I’m also selling the Genz Benz NeoX 2x12 cabinet I bought it with in a separate post. If you’re interested in the pair I can do a deal. Thanks for looking.

I very rarely get nervous, only usually if we’re doing a big festival or some kind of special event. Even then though it’s pretty mild, and tempered with excitement / adrenalin which I find to be an enjoyable and addictive combination. I always get the butterflies feeling of anticipation, for any gig, which usually starts late afternoon as I start to think abut packing my gear up. I’m glad I get that feeling, even after all this time. It’d be a pity if gigging didn’t excite me that much anymore.

I have a classical guitar which I’ve owned since 1984. It’s not used much but it’s nice to strum on occasionally and it’s a handy songwriting tool.

We’re headlining Vaultstock, one of the best and most popular festivals in town. We last played in 2017, second on the bill. Very excited to be headlining, lots of friends in other bands playing too so it should be a great event, weather permitting...

New venue for us last night, The Dirt House on the outskirts of Banbury (literally two miles from home...) Not a massive crowd, but an enthusiastic one, everyone up and dancing. We played well and had a lot of fun. We love a packed pub but sometimes playing to just 25-30 up for it people is just as good!

No, but I like the idea. I’ll be following the thread.