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Alex Lifeson (Rush) has a few of those, though he referred to them as "Penis Reduction Systems". These days he tends to play with his Gibson.

They don't just do replacement parts either: I like the look of their original [url="http://www.warmoth.com/gecko/gecko.cfm?fuseaction=include_gecko6"]Gecko[/url] designs, especially the 6.

Lemme think... well, I narrowly avoided flattening Robert Fripp as he was coming out the loo, during one of his marathon Soundscapes sessions. The music was still going on while he was away - he could go to hospital for a week. and it would still be going when he got out...

Dublin store Waltons is still selling them with the SX label, [url="http://waltons.ie/waltonsshop/index.php?cPath=60_62&sort=2a&page=2"]here[/url].

[url="http://chrislarkinguitars.com/"]Chris Larkin[/url] (Ireland) does them to custom order, too - see the "SC" models in his [url="http://chrislarkinguitars.com/goibasses.htm"]gallery[/url], and a review [url="http://www.doctorbass.net/en/producto.asp?id=1000170614"]here[/url]. (I don't have any of Chris's instruments or any connection, so if it seems like I'm pimping his stuff, it's mostly because geography puts him high on the list of luthiers I would consider for a custom job.)

I like the idea of triggering samples etc. live and un-sequenced, but then I would: I'm a huge fan of Rush, who pioneered that and are still one of the few bands doing it today. A far more common strategy is the use of a sequencer, which the drummer follows. I have an Akai MPC1000, which is not just a sample-based drum machine. It can be used to trigger samples at the correct points in a song, control external synths, or let you play samples live via its pads & external keys or pedals. There's now a less-expensive version, the [url="http://www.akaipro.com/prodMPC500.php"]MPC500[/url]. edit: there's an MPC500 on ebay UK, auction ending Saturday lunchtime, currently at £150 - [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Akai-Professional-MPC500_W0QQitemZ320209574488QQihZ011QQcategoryZ38070QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]link[/url]. A word of advice, though: don't bring a drum machine in to a band without the drummer's permission!

Well, Michael Manring's Hyperbass has piezos in the body, so he can do percussive effects etc. I wouldn't expect a clean tone from a piezo mounted on a solid body anyway - only in direct contact with the string, as already noted.

Maplin used to sell piezo cable too, perhaps it still does? You'd just cut to size and wire up one end to a preamp. Reminds me: I had a play with [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_effect"]Hall Effect[/url] devices, which Maplin sold back then. I wonder if I should have a go again?

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='124024' date='Jan 20 2008, 06:26 PM']What did you expect when you buy a headless bass?[/quote] Well, Status headless basses can take standard strings, too - that's what those hex screws on the headpiece are for.

[quote name='ian' post='123987' date='Jan 20 2008, 05:40 PM']hi since owning my king bass 5 im finding it very hard to find the strings i want in double ball end.the gauge what works best is 30s to 115 but the only people i can find who do them in this gauge are status or rotosounds.does anyone else know any other companys please. [/quote] What's wrong with Status strings? That's where I got my last DB High C sets (25-105), so they can definitely do the weird. Elites should be available as singles, you could add a 115 to their 30-90 set. The other name I know is LaBella: their S400 "High C" set is 29-105 - a bit lighter than you specified.

I wonder what Mode she was playing in there... any idea?

OK, "impedance" is technically more correct for speakers, because they contain coils, but for this subject "resistance" is good enough IMHO. When you specify impedance, you should specify the frequency too e.g. 8Ω @ 80Hz - but you don't see that on the backs of amps or cabs, do you? The impedance of a speaker & cab varies as the frequency varies, so a 8Ω label on a cab is an approximation. I'll spare you the geeky discussion on inductive reactance and phase vectors.

This idea that 8Ω+8Ω=4Ω only applies when the loads are wired in parallel, of course - if wired in series, it would be 8Ω+8Ω=16Ω as you'd expect. The manual should say which it is, but parallel is more common. The formula for calculating parallel loads is the one at the bottom right of this diagram, so in your case it's 1 / (1/8Ω + 1/8Ω) = 1 / (2/8Ω) = 4Ω.

Well, I play a bit of keyboard meself, and the song "Rio", for example, is still (to me) the canonical use of the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arpeggiator"]Arpeggiator[/url].

Anyone mentioned [url="http://www.tonyfranklin.com/"]Tony Franklin[/url] yet? Another great pop fretless player. Here he is rocking out with Kate Bush, and David Gilmour on Steinberger guitar. He has a Fender signature model of his own, though I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that he is Fender's Artist Relations Manager these days! re Power Station - I'm positive that's John Taylor on the first album. It sounds like him, and what he was doing with Duran Duran around that time e.g. "Union of the Snake". Bernard Edwards was producing, and I believe he played on the second album. This matches what Wikipedia says - Edwards took over for the 2nd album in 1997, and was going to tour with them, then [i]he[/i] died.

Just got one [b]heck[/b] of a surprise: I didn't know that Big Country were back and touring, with Tony Butler on lead vocals as well as bass! Not quite New Romantic, I know, but from that era, and an early bass inspiration to me.

I must mention Gazza Johnson from China Crisis too - pretty speedy on the fretless e.g. the title track of [i]Working With Fire & Steel[/i], or just beautiful on [i]Wishful Thinking[/i]. I vaguely remember that Andy Pask of Landscape was briefly a member of CC too, but nowadays he's better known for the theme music to [i]The Bill[/i]. A couple of other names I like from this era are Barry Adamson (Magazine, Visage), Curt Smith (Tears For Fears), and Andy McCluskey of OMD (when he actually played the bass).

[quote name='Bass_In_Yer_Face' post='117140' date='Jan 9 2008, 04:47 PM']I noticed Kajagoogoo (- Limahl) were touring the 80's revival circuit again (videos on youtube) and Mr Beggs has been the bassist with John Paul Jone's band (why does he need a bass player?) Joe Hubbard played on the woeful 'I Assasain' album by Numan but there is something excellent playing on Sister Surprise[/quote] Nick was playing Stick with JPJ, filling the guitar role too. JPJ plays keyboards, and has other weird instruments such as the bass pedal steel guitar. [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jQHxFoAp_W8"]Here's[/url] an example of what I mean. re Joe Hubbard, I have one of his 6-string bass solo albums ([i]Vanishing Point[/i]) from the early 90s when I saw him live at the Orange (West Kensington). He tried to set up a bass college of sorts in London, but something odd happened and he went back to the USA (or something like that - it was a long time ago). I was thinking about signing up, but was ambivalent about whether it would be any good, and about the money involved.

I suppose [url="http://www.spectorbass.com/NewFilesNew/ns1stuff.html"]this[/url] makes an OK Warwick body shape. I'll get my coat...

[quote name='Dillsfretless' post='113933' date='Jan 5 2008, 10:46 AM']Guitarists playing bass - How many are there? I recall that Yngwie played bass on one of his albums, and also Eddie Van Halen played all the bass on a Sammy Hagar solo album. What other well known ones are there?[/quote] I know Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have done it, though both seem to prefer working with a bassist. On Vai's [i]Passion and Warfare[/i], for example, Vai plays boring bass on the opening song [i]Liberty[/i], then Stu Hamm adds the Ex Factor to Steve's [i]Erotic Nightmares[/i]: no risk of confusion there! On Vai's [i]Live at the Astoria[/i] DVD, there's a hilarious backstage video of Billy Sheehan's roadie trying to teach Billy to slap, so he can play some of Stu's parts. More notoriously, Billy Corgan played a [b]lot[/b] of bass on the [b]Smashing Pumpkins[/b] studio albums - exactly how much has never been disclosed. On the DVD I have, there's studio footage of recording the "Untitled" track, with D'Arcy or Melissa* nowhere to be seen, and Billy sounding like a bassist, not just a guitarist playing bass (IMHO). * [url="http://www.aufdermaur.com/"]Auf Der Maur[/url], that is. I've heard bits of her upcoming [url="http://xmadmx.com/ooom.html"][i]Out Of Our Minds[/i][/url] project, and I can't hardly wait.

When I started learning the bass in the mid 80s, 70s Fenders were not considered collectable at all. Everyone wanted Pre-CBS instruments, from the time before Leo Fender sold the company in 1965. It was something of a cult, and still is - try search eBay USA for "pre-CBS Fender". $59,999 for a '61 Jazz... $200 for a single tuning peg? Now, does anyone have a pre-Gibson Steinberger to sell me... or a pre-Fender SWR amp?

Ben from Crimson Guitars is a BassChat member ("Crimson Guitars"), though he hasn't posted in a while. He's also the guy behind the [url="http://www.crimsonguitars.com/page103.html"]05Ric[/url] 7-string with the Klein-inspired body. Mmmm...

I had one of those original Zoom 9002 boxes, that fit on the strap. It came with a little wired remote control that you could stick to the front of the guitar, to select between 4 presets. It sounded awful with bass, though, and not much better with guitar.

Have you thought about using phantom power? Doesn't have to be an XLR, can work over 1/4" stereo socket too, with the right cable. There are various options - 48V from a mixer channel, or lower voltages from dedicated PSUs e.g. [url="http://www.mtraudio.com/mtrcatalogue.htm"]MTR[/url] do one that can supply 9-24V.