Bassman68

I've used Stringbusters for well over 10 years but my last three orders (starting end of November) have all turned up late & incomplete.. Either "out of stock" but not showing when ordering, or just not all turning up at once & always having to wait nearly a fortnight from initial ordering, And this has been orders of at least 3 sets at a time? My next string order will be with Strings direct, I don't care if they are slightly more expensive, at least they're local..

[quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1487885634' post='3243969'] And a "Teach Youself Slap Bass" book/video [/quote] Remember you're normally never more than 4 bars away from some slap!

As already stated the 80's had a whole load of genres & sounds.. I'd personally go for something twin pick-ups both on (could go 60/40 bridge pick-up) with a very healthy dose of compression & a touch of chorus. That should cover the vast majority of it, but don't forget ya 'Mullet' & shoulder pads (with the sleeve's rolled up to your elbows?)..

Once played a function over in Stratford, East London where we were asked if we played any 'Bhangra'? This was a couple of years before any 'Jai ho' etc. Looking back on that request, makes me wonder if a couple of 'Ethnic' numbers/standards would be helpful in a Function bands repertoire? but then again, I've never had that sort of request come up again..Yet...

If we're paying 'homage to le fromage', I'd add anything by Abba i.e 'Mama mia', 'Does your mother know?' 'Man, I feel like a woman' Shania Twain 'Daydream believer' The Monkees 'Loveshack' B52's Can you tell I play in a function band? ....

I can get close with an EH BassBalls with the overdrive switched in but it still needs something like a Flanger etc. to get it sweeping. Probably something a lot more impressive and/or boutique on the original?

Thanks for all the advice guys Think I'll be sticking with the Stingray for now, Keeping the worn roundwounds on & adjusting the tone when I need more 'growl' for the Cream numbers.. Giggidy

A 'Back in the day' shot... [attachment=230403:Status 2.jpg]

I've recently joined a '70's' covers band playing mostly Free/Bad company songs with some Cream & Zeplin songs thrown in as well. I'm really getting into Andy Fraser's playing & here lies the problem.. I want an EB3 now & I don't even like Gibson basses! Please someone, talk me out of my GAS.. So far, I'm managing to get those 'plummey' tones with my Stingray, with the treble turned down & the mutes wound up, with old strings & the VLE on my Markbass head.. BUT, the voice in the back of my mind is saying "You need something red, something mahogany etc." I've got enough basses in my collection, I don't think I can sneak another one in, but I've just clocked the Epiphone EB3 & I'm feeling weak! Help..

[b]Sterling Ray35[/b] (It's a Musicman...Tonally it fits virtually everywhere? Plus, being a 5 string it covers everything in my function band). [b]Squier Jazz [/b](Always out with the function band as it's purple in colour & we all have purple guitars in the function band). [b]Alembic Rogue 5 string[/b] (For those 'Posh' gigs). [b]Musicman Stingray[/b] (for the tone again, it's only a 4 string but has a D tuner, My 'go to' pub gig/Jam night bass). [b]Warwick Corvette proline 5 string[/b] (A bit noisey these days due to age but great if I feel like a change? Such a comfortable neck).

A healthy dose of compression & 'digging in' with a low action, to my ears?

It's been my bread & butter for 16 years now & I can only echo the sentiments of everyone else's replies.. I enjoy the diversity of the music so much more than gigging pubs, which round my way on the 'Pub rock/covers' circuit seems to have come to the point of interchangeable faces/line ups yet the sets/playlists remain remarkably similar? (Foos,Chillis,Muse anyone?)

Pino played on their early albums but Graham Edwards played Bass as part of their early touring band, They've also had Chris Childs as well as Jaz, Saw them a couple of times about 10yrs a go when they had Greg Harewood on bass with a lovely sounding Fodera..

Sorry, to me a Musicman Cutlass will always be a graphite necked Stingray or a 2 p/u Sabre. Could've come up with an original name?

I seem to recall Wilkes doing a half fretted/half fretless back in the 80's, where the E & A strings were fretted & the D & G were fretless? I imagine the 'Cronos' idea being a bit 'clankey' to play if your playing style isn't clean, besides the intonation issues, probably why I don't like soloing much on fretless basses..

Felt I needed some 80's nostalgia at a function before christmas..

Elites still make double ball end strings as well @ £18 a set last time I got some.

Man who sold the world, Boys keep swinging, Scary monsters, Heroes.....Too many choices!

Was that a Trace head I spied atop his Aguilar rig? Had the 'green glow' but couldn't make out the graphic..

I've used a Warwick Rockcase double gigbag for the past 5 years that's holding up very well. The shoulder straps aren't the most comfortable but for transportation from the car to the stage with amp flightcase & lead bag in hands, it's just about ok (I normally carry the gigbag by its handle, over any distance). Seems reasonably well padded & all the zips are still working, I personally think I'd have to spend a lot more money to get anything much better..

Does anyone else think that the string length (behind the nut) alters the tone slightly? i.e an E string (played open) sounds different on a five compared to a four? I think there is a difference, Maybe only slight, but 'going to town' on an open E sounds different to me when I change between my Stingray 4 & 5's, Same with my Warwicks. Slightly different with tensions on the higher strings much the same as the difference between 4 aside to 2 over 2/ 3 over 2 etc..

Here's Cynthia, a Squier affinity that I got purely for the Burgundy mist colour. It's now one of my 'essentials' basses for my covers band as we all have 'Purple' guitars (sounds a bit 'naff' but it works for us!). Replacement pick-guard, Gotoh bridge & a set of Entwistle pick-ups & it sounds great. Just contemplating an East retro circuit next?

At a pub gig on the Kilburn high road, packing up after a gig, A one armed Irishman asked me "Do you need a hand wit anyting fella?"... At an 'Opened-just-for-the-night-pub' in Stratford our 6 piece function band were asked "Do you play any Bhangra?" (excuse spelling). Was asked mid song at a posh Golf club gig to "Stop playing heavy metal" - We were doing a fair cover of "Suddenly I see" by Katie Tunstall.... Later on at the same gig I was asked "Do you know the Gay Gordons?"..... I asked "What table are they sitting at?"

I had one of these when they first come out. The Multi-stack range. They were introduced as a budget cab for the AH150 head, hence only having a 100 watt handling, Other cabs in the range consisted of a 2 x 10'', 1 x 15'' & a 1 x 18'', all with a 200 watt handling, as well as the little 'Brightbox'. They were introduced late in the series V 'era' circa '88, with the idea for use as either stage monitor or backline stack.