Steve Browning

Maybe there should be some form of selling template whereby this information is required to put a bass up for sale.

I have been a life long Mesa user. When I got my first amp (a Bass 400) in 1988 I actually stopped using it because I wasn't happy with the sound. After a while I decided to persevere and finally managed to crack the eq after a good deal of trial and error. I have found all Mesa amps to be the same. The sound you want is in there, it's just down to getting to grips with the eq, which is very sensitive to even small changes.

Having the two flags was hardly edgy, an easy tap into an open goal really. Everything about her performance was dire.

My first set-up was a Columbus Jazz bass (ironically), a 50 Top amp and an Impact 2x15 cabinet. It's behind me in this horribly embarrassing picture. Supporting local Pompey band Arms and Legs at the college ball. Arms and Legs featured one Joe Jackson on keyboards (and violin).

Congratulations.

Yes, probably doesn't know his a55 from his Ebow.

It puts you in the category of people who don't read the whole post. ;.-)

I was going to say chopstick. 🙂

I certainly think so. I know this is going to be a huge generalisation but I have tended to lump players into two categories (very basically), Precision players and Jazz players. I have observed that Precision players tend to play more simple, rooted lines while Jazz Bass players tend to play more in the middle of the neck and be more busy. I am not commenting on ability in any way. I have always imagined that the particular tone of the Jazz, slightly more definition, encouraged players to play more notes. I would guess that these definitions extend to the tonal characteristics of other basses of the ilk of the 'main'; two. For myself, I am the world's most boring Precision player. I avoid solos like the plague, have never slapped and just lock in with the kick drum. To do that job, the Precision design is the best tool there is (for me)

Mike Thorne at Rimshot Productions near Sittingbourne. He co-produced and engineered our CD and did a brilliant job, highly recommended.

I think you need to be careful when being too dismissive of Mesa amps. This is because the eq sections are far more versatile (and sensitive) than they might appear. When I bought my Bass 400 in 1988 I pretty much gave up on it after a few weeks because it didn't sound like I wanted it to. After a while I gave it another go and worked to understand the eq section. It took a while but it paid off in spades. Since then, I have compared other Mesa amps (including the Subway) and concluded (as has my listener in crime) that there is a definite 'dna' to Mesa amps but you might need to do some twiddling to get to grips with the amps eq. Well worth the effort.

I have told this story before but some years ago I was idly browsing on Ebay when I saw a Mesa Road Ready 2x18 up for auction. It was on with an initial bid of £50 and the auction was set to finish quite early one Sunday morning. I wasn't desperately after such a cab but thought I'd get up to see what it was going for nearer the time. With a minute to go it was at £60 and I thought I'd just stick in a bid of £75. I got it for £62. Turns out it was one of only 3 (or so it seems) and this one was built for Cass Lewis. Only down side was the fact that it had a sticker on it when I collected it. The sticker proclaimed its weight to be 107 kg. That said, when hooked up with my (then) Diesel 2x15 the sound was, quite literally. awesome.

Those extra 9lbs are well worth carrying.

It also sounds like you coped brilliantly when things didn't go to plan and all the more so if the very beginning caught you out. Really pleased you enjoyed it so much and congratulations again.

Joe Strummer. My first (proper) band had played a combination of Dr Feelgood and Clash stuff and his death was a real shock. George Michael was a shock too. All the more so as details of his incredible generosity and simple humanity came to light. That's two, I know, but they were shocking for different reasons.