Grassie

Status-Graphite in Essex.

I’ve only recently discovered Rick Beato on YouTube, and what a thoroughly pleasant chap he seems to be. 😊

Wow that looks really good! Thanks for the tips guys. 😊

Hey all, I bought a used Baby Tuner a while ago but I’ve started having issues with it. When it’s sat in my pedalboard connected to 5 other pedals, after a while the display stops working - clicking the foot switch still mutes the signal from my bass but the display is blank. However, if I use the tuner on its own, there are no problems. The power adapter I’m using is a 1A which is plenty of juice for what the pedals are drawing. I’m stumped. Any ideas? 🧐

Nice work! Did you finish and use the body eventually? 😊

Not like that, ya filthy..:: I have acquired my son’s Squier Affinity jazz bass and have decided I would like to take it back to bare wood and refinish it with a clear coat, or possibly use an oil finish So any tips for removing a modern poly finish? 😊 Hoping to read lots of positive stories about how easy it is, and virtually zero tales of woe, cursing and grown men quietly sobbing into their pillows at night...🙈

My comments suggest nothing of the sort. Are you drunk?

Yes. Could you clarify the above quote please? As a non-cryptic answer.

You said it.

And round we go again...

My point (which you seem to have missed entirely) is that you’re claiming that because you and some friends of yours went into a shop where Mark King worked, and played some slap bass while he may or may not have been listening, this directly influenced him and his playing style for which his is most famous. I’m merely asking you to provide a bit more proof than merely saying ‘this happened, so it’s fact’ based on the assumption that he’s never (in any of the interviews I’ve seen/read in any case) mentioned being influenced by customers venturing into the shop he once worked in, and them playing slap lines. Its not about defending him, it’s about proving your claim.

No, I don’t think this is correct at all. At least, I haven’t heard him say anything of the sort on tape or in print. It is possible you know, that when Mark picked up a bass he did his own thing more or less straight away, influenced by Mr Clarke et al. How do you know? Do you mean “contemporary music”? And Ali G??? Im confused... 🧐

You say plectrum, I say pick, let's call the whole thing off. Or something...

I call it a pick because I like to say "pick" rather than "plectrum". "Plectrum" is two syllables and therefore takes twice as long to say than "pick" does. I'm a busy man y'know...

PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK PICK

Basic Level 42 early history goes like this: Mark King played drums in various Isle of Wight bands in the mid 70's, cover bands playing holiday camps and hotels. His path crossed with original L42 drummer Phil Gould, and both shared a love of progressive bands such as Return to Forever and Mahavishnu. They would sometimes share drum duties during gigs. Mark also played with Phil's brother Rowland (Boon) Gould. At some point Phil Gould left the island to study at Guildhall, where he met Mike Lindup. Boon had travelled up to London to try to get gigs and Mark shortly followed for the same reason. At this point Mark was intent on becoming a drummer. Phil, Mark and Mike would get together in the evenings at Guildhall to jam on songs they knew and to try out ideas. Initially they had Dominic Miller on guitar but he stopped turning up for rehearsals and so they asked Boon to join instead. Mark was happy to try bass because he regarded PG as the better drummer and wanted to be in a band with his mates. I have not read anywhere that MK picked up a bass because he heard some blokes playing in the shop he worked in. That is actually incredibly presumptious and more than likely a little inaccurate IMO. Mark as always maintained his bass influences were Stanley Clarke, Colin Hodgkinson and Jack Bruce, and that his style of slap playing was a natural extension of his drumming skills i.e. playing polyrhythmic patterns between the two hands. The first bass line MK ever wrote was for "Love Meeting Love", a fingerstyle line, and Mark worked in Macari's, which is in Charing Cross Road. 😊

I think was released as a CD as well, I'm in the audience. 😊 A fantastic venue was Ryde Theatre, long since closed.

1st band: We became very popular very quickly and it soon became apparent that we were gigging so much we didn't have time for rehearsing new songs. When the singer and drummer (who were an item) decided they wanted to go out as an acoustic duo with the drummer playing guitar, the rest of us questioned how this was possible when they couldn't find time for new songs with our full band. Cue massive argument outside a venue on a Sunday night and dummies spat all round. I still regret it to this day. Band 2: Played with this lot for around 7 years, great bunch of guys, we played rock covers but the singer and lead guitarist wanted to do originals and push it to the point of getting into a studio and trying to get "famous". We managed to come up with two original songs which were absolute dog 5h1t and used to go down like a knackered lift when we played them in front of an audience. I've never wanted to write original songs within a band setting and have always enjoyed playing covers, so this push to become something we were incapable of was the tipping point for me, along with the increasing ego of the singer. Band 3: Rock covers again, very busy but the singer/guitarist had various issues including turning up late for gigs and leaving the rest of us to set up his PA system while he tuned his arsenal of guitars, changing guitars for nearly every song which would kill any momentum we had managed to build up with an audience - they would go and sit down while he checked his tuning on his newly chosen instrument, and his inability to recognise the fact that his volume knob on his amp could actually be turned anti clockwise. Incredibly loud and the reason we lost a couple of venues because of the volume. 3 years of this and I was done, and so was my hearing. Band 4: An originals band (yes, I know what i said about band 2...) but these guys were serious and the songs were already written, I was replacing their previous bassist who had "commitment issues", I was told there was gigs coming up plus recording sessions at the singer's studio (which was an apple Mac set up in his bedroom). The gigs booked were all weekday evening gigs, unpaid and unattended. I was getting pushed to commit to gigs at the last minute when my day job were in the middle of changing my shift pattern so I couldn't say yes to anything until that was sorted. I sensed the leader was getting frustrated so I suggested that they would be better off finding someone who could commit the time and effort required. My name was swiftly (within the hour) removed from all social media pages, ads etc. and they got the guy I replaced back in. Currently with two bands; one is a function style group playing regular pub and function gigs, quite eclectic and very good musicians. Good fun. The other is a jazz style band playing some standards and pop-jazz (think Caro Emerald) but this one is all rehearsals and no gigs apart from two paid ones that I organised, and some freebie parties. This one might be coming to an end for me, as no-one else seems that bothered about playing regular gigs. I had a message last week about joining a new britpop covers band, which I'm considering.... 😁

The Anchor, Cowes, Isle of Wight. Always busy, always a great crowd, always up for it. And they pay better than most...😉

Yep. A lot of people (bassists included) think he's just a one trick slap pony, but his finger style playing is sublime. Check out their True Colours album - the tracks "Seven Days" and "A Floating Life", which boasts an immense groove in the middle section. I love his playing. 😊

Is this a bass solo? Maybe. You decide... 😊

The W******y. When the owner says he can only pay you with burger and chips you know that it's time to say no thanks.

Alice In Chains. All of it.