chris_b

I'm 6'2" and would rather have a Mono M80 Vertigo hit a door frame than any other gig bag I own. They are total protection.

Now rebranded as Staines on Thames!! That probably didn't change it much, though.

. . . . and one of the best, most overlooked guitarists of all time, Reggie Young.

I went to school in West Ealing, just down the road from Jim Marshall's shop in Hanwell. Spent many lunch times ogling the basses on the wall and annoying the staff, Chris and John.

Everyone's choices are valid. I only play 5 string basses because I want to have the same geography under my fingers every time I gig. We don't play all the strings on every song on a 4 string bass, and the same is obviously true on a 5 string. Songs of any era don't "need" a particular number of strings. I played 5's on a 60's/70's cover band gig last night. No one noticed or cared. Why would they?

The bass player in Toots' band used a 6 string Warwick.

My unsung heroes are not band members but the session guys who worked in the studios pumping out the songs that influenced the rest of the bass playing world: Tommy Cogbill, David Hood, Mike Leech, Bob Babbitt, Jerry Jemmott, Jesse Boyce, Junior Lowe, Olsie Robinson and Vernie Robins etc etc.

I'm sure it's 86%. I've been playing 5's since 1996. Back then you belonged to a secret society, but now they are mainstream in many musical genres. They are more than a necessary evil, more than a 4 with a thumb rest, they are flexible and just sound good.

The Caernarvon Castle also burnt down in that fire, although I don't think it was a pub at the time. In the 80's and 90's the CC was a great music pub. My band had a weekly residency on Sunday lunch time and then Friday evening for about 4 years.

Some people make bad decisions. I'd take someone back if they were very good players, a nice guy and promised to make better decisions next time.

A drumming friend set himself up as an online drummer and one of his first jobs had Chuck Rainey on bass.

You'll need a pint of Brandy for that one.

Most of the dozen or so band leaders I play with are die-hards, still doing it the old fashioned way. I have done DI/fold back gigs and see no problem in that method, but an amp is essential to the way I gig. My advice to the OP would be to keep a rig handy. You never know when your circumstances might change.

Ray I'm sorry to hear your news. I always use Basschat, although sales seem to be very slow at the moment. What have you got?

Most of my gigs don't have FOH and I rarely play with "wall of sound" guitarists, so this is why I've always been a fan of "blasting the back of my knees". The audience gets the sound and I don't. The last thing I want is any cab, even mine, pointing at my ears. Even when pointing at the back of my knees, my cabs disperse the sound very efficiently, so I can hear myself clearly.

My take on "getting the lines right" depends on the band I'm playing with. There are many band leaders who just want the sound of a bass behind them. Others can be picky. If they just want a ball-park feel, I can do that, if they want exact copies I'm happy to put in the hours. Usually it's somewhere in between. I'll always be aware of the original and put in the signature bass bits, but mostly I'll play the songs my way. The bottom line, when I'm depping I always aim to be better than the regular bassist and any other deps. Rule #1 (the only rule), do whatever it takes to be the first name on their list.

Musical theory is never a bad thing. We should learn as much as we can. Music is basically feelings and patterns. We don't necessarily need to know degree level music theory, but we should know our patterns, what the notes are called, their relationship to each other, and know how they fit together.

For most of my life 9.5lbs was fine, but these days anything heavier than low 8's is not practical. Sadly that puts many of my preferences out of reach.

What does it weigh? Thomann doesn't list weight, which is a nuisance for me.

Play them your way. Sounds like the band are happy with your lines.

. . . . what band did he play in?

Just spend what it takes to buy the best gear you can find. Good gear will make you sound better no matter where you think you are on the experience scale. If you know you sound good you'll play with more confidence, and that's a thing people will notice.

Very sad news.