Stub Mandrel

I never objected to listening to NWOBHM bands and as the Friday Rock Show was the guide to what's hot and what's not I got to hear plenty of it. At the time I was most into 'first wave' bands like Sabbath, Zeppelin, Purple and derivatives like Rainbow, as well as Hawkwind, Stranglers and punk (thanks to my slightly younger brother) as well as more proggy stuff - Crimson, Greenslade, Gong and a big slice of Neil Young. I suppose I was just old enough to have got into all the 'classic rock' before it hit, although rock was heading that way before it was defined. The one band I have always struggled with is Def Leppard, which is ironic that as far as 'heavy metal' bands go only Metallica and Led Zeppelin have outsold them (I don''t count Aerosmith as metal). Not sure if Kerrang!! has been mentioned? It's been through a few changes since but it was the 'def' guide to the NWOBHM back then.

Of course if the instrument contains ebony or rosewood you will probably also need CITES certification... https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports#import-by-post

A chap I know/knew had a spot on his radio show in the early 90s..

Fingerstyle or do you wimp out and use a plectrum?

Ok back to the subject! I enjoy playing bass for its own sake. Being in a band is great, and I can't wait to move and the end of lockdown and to start tarting my talents around South Wales, but I have no trouble finding motivation to play bass on my own for hours. Guitar is a contrast, I run out of enthusiasm much faster.

Somewhere I have an off the radio tape of a live Eurythymics concert, possibly Galsto from the late 80s/early 90s. What sticks in my mind is this Tourists song which was a real tour de force. This the original:

I'd forgotten it was drums played with fish day...

The thing I found that impresses other musicians most is if they play you one of their own songs and you can join in with a bassline that fits. It doesn't have to be flashy or harmonically complex.

Never had you down as a fan of the Nuge... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlMLGx6yeAA

That second song sounds like Hawkwind on a surfboard.

That's most excellent. Playing something like that is brilliant fun. The bass player looks about 20 years older than the rest of the band.

Two thoughts... you haven't got the 6dB pad button pressed down? That will make it sound like a 12W amp. Second, to get a decent level of output you need the gain set high. Roll the blend control back to get a cleaner sound, not the gain. These are tricky amps to understand, I was put off when I tried one in PMT but it was because I didn't understand how the gain and blend controls interact.

I can't plat it without thinking 'My Girl' 🙂

For lessons, I think Talkingbass (Mark Smith) are good, because he gets straight to it, has nice clear uncluttered videos. For learning songs, like some others here, Troy's videos are my go-to.

I'm not an expert, but valves are almost mechanical devices, slight differences in dimensions could have profound effects on the actual performance.

You may not be alone. Just sayin' 🙂 Bellamy was great fun.

Spanish Flea to finish 🙂

How thick was the body?

I only picked up on these yesterday. I notice they have glued in necks, look more classy than 'birds, which always look a bit clumsy. The body looks a bit thin or is it just my imagination? Could mean they are a bit neck heavy? I must admit the green one looks very GASSY. At that price definitely in the running for my divorce bass... Presumably related to the fact that they decided to put nearer to shape Gibson bookends on Epiphones last year. There are not zillions of pics of original sixties ones about:

😁

Curious, I've had the opposite! Since I've been playing so much each day my thumbs are way happier than they were.

Polyphobic?

Looks a bit angry to me...