Twigman

Year Started Playing: 1979 - I learned the riff from Black Dog - that was probably a bit ambitious for a total beginner - managed it though. Number of basses: 5 electric, 1 acoustic Music theory: 3? I can't read dots (a stave ?) - I know if I'm playing in a major or minor key...I know what a pentatonic scale is. I struggle with remembering the intervals associated with modes Technique: 2? I can only play with my fingers but I think I manage OK with that, muting with both hands - I used to use a pick some of the time but not anymore - I have nerve damage in my neck and right arm and hand which severely limits the grip strength in my right hand - I can no longer hold onto a plectrum for more than a few seconds. I have never been able (nor wanted) to slap. Groove: 3 - I don't think groove is particularly relevant to the music I play. Yes I can keep time and get tight with the musicians around me but to groove needs some swing, doesn't it? My drummer doesn't groove at all, never gets funky. I suspect with a different drummer I might groove more but it's not really our style. I can lock in with him though but I wouldn't call it grooving. I suffer from imposter syndrome big time.

Many people I know went to Wembley that day. I remember sitting at a table on the pavement outside a pub with a bottle of pils, wondering where everyone had gone.

I paid £1675 for my new EBMM Sterling 4HH with matching headstock in late 2016 delivered April 2017. I recently asked EBMM to quote me for an identical bass - they quoted me $2,899 ex works + shipping + VAT and duty with a 4 month lead time. That's too rich for me but might hold up the secondhand market.

I like my Empress Bass Compressor It's another set and forget compressor with the bonus of lots of flashing LEDs to meter the signal.

I play in Sad Lovers and Giants We're based in Watford. None of us live there anymore but that's where we rehearse. We've been going since about 1980 although I've only been in the band since 1985 and even then not for the whole of that time. This is our discogs page where all our records are listed. Here's our Spotify page where you can hear them! And here is our merch shop - it seems only 1 of our albums, an EP and a 7" are currently available but hey why not buy a tee shirt or a fridge magnet or even some old skool button badges? We play almost all our gigs overseas but we don't play very often. Our next booking is at Gagarin205 in Athens Nov 15th. Last summer we played a large outdoor festival in Murcia with The Mission and The Charlatans which sort of felt like we were going up in the world. The Dutch film makers who made a documentary about Adrian Borland of The Sound [Walking In The Opposite Direction] are currently making a documentary about us! It's taken them over 2 years so far but they have sponsored 3 gigs in Rotterdam and den Haag (The Hague) in that time so they can secure live footage of us for the documentary. I have no idea when that might get released. We are inundated with requests to play gigs through our Facebook page but many don't make financial sense. We have regular booking agents in Spain, Greece, Italy and The Netherlands. We have toured USA once in 2016 and there's a thread here where I told the story. We are currently working on a new album - it's nearing completion but currenly doesn't have a name or a firm release date. Our guitarist is 1/3 of Above & Beyond who have a new album out next week. This is the main reason our output is sporadic and we take up so few offers to gig. He just doesn't have the time. I have posted many vids of us live over the years. The first 30 minutes or so of this shows clips from our early evening set at Visorfest in Murcia Spain last September: and this was the video for our last single (made in lockdown) - It's about time we made another one!

No - I'm divorced - but I gave up buying basses in 2017.

Yes - My EBMM USA Sterling 4HH is my do everything bass at the moment. I do have others that have, in the past, also been my do everything bass. It goes to all my gigs where ever they are. It gets checked in as hold luggage on crappy airlines. It gets left unattended at venues for hours while we're off doing other things. They don't make them anymore and they seem very rare on the secondhand market, particularly with matching headstock. It is insured. Luckily I haven't needed to test that insurance yet.

How about in the Items Wanted forum? : https://www.basschat.co.uk/forum/22-items-wanted/

I suspect you're thinking of the Roger Waters signature models.

My Cobra was black and green. We also had a Cobra (keyboard) amp which was black and orange

Sorry I completely forgot.

If I can find some verniers I shall measure mine when I get home. I have 2 Warmoth jazz necks ( both slim taper profile ) which are very similar I also have a Status jazz neck which feels slightly thicker than my EBMM Sterling

You say intonation is good, at which fret? How far up the neck do you have to go before it's in tune?

The amp I had before the Tecamp Puma900 was a Genz Benz Shuttle9.2 - it was stolen in a burglary in 2015 :(.....I prefer the Puma personally - but it's a very close thing. The Taste knob is the clincher. I use it with a Barefaced Supermidget (rehearsal) and a Barefaced S12T (gigs)

Still got it. Still use it but haven't for last two gigs (festivals in Spain and NL - used backline provided.) Still use it for every rehearsal. If I had to replace it I'd probably get an Eich 900 as it's basically the same amp, designed by the same person.

The round sound twang lasts just like rounds (ie not that long) but the flat thump lasts for years. I put d'Addario half rounds on my black Status necked bass for our 2016 trip to USA - they're still on it and the bass still sounds OK but has lost that new string twang.

DOUBLE POST - SORRY

d'Addario half rounds feel like flats but sound like rounds.

I need an All Of The Above option and a few more besides. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3WPQHDN5VniDY6JBGUV7UQ Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/3605575 Amazon: https://music.amazon.co.uk/artists/B001GOO9NI/sad-lovers-and-giants Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/sad-lovers-giants/200905696 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/artist/1693114 Quobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/sad-lovers-giants/814381 As for listening I don't use a streaming service.

I know that feeling - one of my bandmates is 1/3 of Above & Beyond who are still big on the EDM scene. We don't gig as much as we should because of his commitment to that project. I can't say i blame him as it has made him into a multi millionaire whereas we only get a few hundred in streaming royalties every few months.

L & XL are definitely the sellers in UK, USA, NL and Germany but in Spain and Italy we sell mostly M - I think they are generally smaller in the Med.

We released our last album on CD and vinyl as well as digitally on all the platforms. (2018) The CD has sold out a couple of times (only 1000 per print run, I believe) - I'm not sure if we'll print any more as we're releasing a new album soon. The vinyl still has probably 200 copies left from an initial pressing of 500 - they're slow moving. - I gave 10 copies to Black Circle Records in Leighton Buzzard in an effort to move them. 2 years later he rang me asking to come and get them as they were taking up rack space and he couldn't sell them. I think the next album will definitely be available on CD. I'm not sure if we'll bother with vinyl, which I feel is a shame. By way of contrast, on Spotify, we currently have 128,914 monthly listeners!! and our top streamed track has 8,742,077 plays

Almost all my gigs are fly aways in various EU countries. I always check my bass into the hold in a SKB iSeries case. If you travel with your instrument as baggage then no ATA carnet is required. If your instrument travels unaccompanied, as freight, then an ATA carnet is required.

We always do part of our soundcheck with the PA off. This gives us a better idea of what the onstage mix is like as there isn't sound bouncing off the walls of the emptyish auditorium.