Shaggy

Sweet child of mine - Guns & Roses (Intro) Le freak - Chic Bouree - Jethro Tull The fish - Yes (the whole thing!) The King will come - Wishbone Ash

Jonathan Ross was banging on until fairly recently about learning bass, but I guess he's given up!

Personally I like a big body to hold (Mmmmmmm...), in fact always looking for a nice old semi. Lonely bassist seeks voluptuous cherry Gibson.... The most ergonomic bass to hold I know is my Ovation Magnum 1. Its style has been compared to a potatto, so you just can't win. I find it deeply funky tho.

[quote name='Nate' post='26128' date='Jul 2 2007, 05:50 PM']BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN by Stevie Wonder are also cool[/quote] Anyone know of a tab for this? as I'm a very, very lazy person. The original was on Moog synth, but Marcus Miller did a version.

I don't know about that particular model, but the Listerud I just sold on the forum had Bassculture Neodynium Music-Man style pick-ups, and these were easily the best I've tried; wonderfully clear response.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='25339' date='Jun 30 2007, 05:48 PM']Any of a number of early Stones songs where Wyman mumbles along tunelessly on his fretless woolies special.[/quote] +1 My band wanted to do "Honky Tonk Women" recently (OK, not so early Stones), which is not my favourite Stones track (that would be "Gimme Shelter"), but figuring it out I thought what a wasted opportunity for a great bluesy, funky bass-line. Maybe I just dom't get the vibe. "Maggie May" sounds OK to me.

The Pussycat Dolls & me!

[quote name='ngombe' post='23160' date='Jun 25 2007, 07:07 PM']Hit me with your rhythm stick[/quote] The first “proper” bassline I ever learned! (probably after “Smoke on the Water”) Mine; In Vogue (Japan) Permafrost / Back to Nature (Magazine) Down in the tube station at midnight (Jam) Family snapshot (Peter Gabriel) Ace of Spades (Motorhead) Dazed & Confused (Led Zeppelin) None technical, but the bass just makes the song on all these

I got six years out of my last set of strings - is this a record? I remember reading a famous bassist so famous I've forgotten his name saying he used to rub tomato ketchup onto new strings as he hated the "zing". Bike-wise I ride a 1972 Norton Commando 750 roadster, which should outlast even my current set of strings.

The old Ovation Magnum 2’s (late ‘70’s) used to use 2 x 9V's. I’m certainly impressed by the way the newer systems seem to drain batteries far less – I use re-chargables and my pre-EB MM Sabre sucks one dry in no time whereas my ‘Ray with a modern Seymour Duncan replacement pre-amp/EQ goes on and on.

Can only speak from my own experience, but when I bought my Listerud 7-string from a fellow BWorlder last Xmas shipped from Norway, TNT wanted £300 and wouldn't insure instruments, the Post Office wanted £40 and insured up to £1000. So went with the PO - bass arrived safe and sound woithout even a dent in the cardboard outer box, but bizarrely with a bust top string. Also could track the package the whole way via the Norwegian PO and then Parcelforce web-sites. Haven't stressed so much waiting for it to arrive since the last time the wife was in labour though!

There’s some great and honest stuff here, but my attitude towards higher musical aspirations on bass has always been mixed. As a kid I trained intensively on violin, probably got pretty reasonable, but because I soon realised I wasn’t going to be Yehudi Menuin I chucked it in, and regret it to this day. At around 16 I took up bass, punk was just starting, and I thought “yeah……this is for me”, loved the energy and the band camerarderie, and avoided scales and any formal teaching like the plague. 30 years on that’s still as true as ever – although my bass heroes are highly individual virtuosos like Mick Karn and Percy Jones I don’t really aspire to play like them. In the context of the bands I play with I increasingly find that “less is more” – like others have said here hitting the right note with the right sound on the timing nail counts for so much more than flashy solo runs or “busy” playing. So maybe I’ve been selling myself short, but it’s been a whole lot of fun. And that’s why I play bass. (just bought myself a violin, mind …… where did I put those scales?…..)

1. Mick Karn. Out there on his own 2. Percy Jones 3. Tony Levin 4. Barry Adamson 5. The guy on Paul Simon's "Graceland" (anyone know?)

Umm…at last count; 4 basses 1 electric 12 string (Rickenbacker 360/12) 1 electric 6 string (’66 Vox teardrop) 2 flamenco guitars 4 mandolins (3 acoustic 1 electric) 1 banjo 2 violins 1 lute Amazing what you can fit under a bed. I like the empty case dodge to fool the missus – that’s what this forum is all about!

[quote name='joegarcia' post='5624' date='May 24 2007, 11:30 AM']Sunn 300t/70's SVT Stingray (all maple with black plate) Gibson RD Artist (maple, black plate) Rickenbacker 4004L Laredo (black)[/quote] Hey Joe Garcia - that your Ovation Magnum 3? Be interested in your impressions of it - I love my Magnum 1. Re the RD Artist; nearly bought one a couple of times but they're so dam [u]heavy[/u] Anyway; my permanent GAS; an early '80's Wal Mk 1 custom fretless my current GAS; a Trace Elliot AH500-12 head