steverickwood

I went to America to collect a bass once to be sure it wasn't a scam, and have also made trips to scotland and other places. Aside from everything, its always nice to meet new people. However, on various occasions the Shetland/orkney location has appeared and I have suggested that since I have family there, I may as well collect in person. The fact that every time I suggest this I never hear a reply means that this is best avoided. Either that or theres a bunch of serious bassists there with serious gear who all suddenely decide they don't want to sell their exotic basses after all.

With regard to writing for university, its best to consider opinions of cultural writings (such as the aforementioned Frith et al) and cite them as references as opposed to someone with an opinion such as 'Jedward are crap' approach. It is subjective, as are many creative subjects but some conclusions or thoughts can be considered with research and ultimately, if you can back it up its worth presenting. Someone highlighted some older blues references regarding Zeps authenticity and that makes sense. consider the term 'authenticity' and explore how your subject relates. And stay in touch with your lecturers and get their thoughts on your work - thats what they are there for:)

I was kind of unfussed about playing slap in the late 80s/early 90s as it had become a cliche of sorts and everyone sounded like a cheap Mark King to me then. On seeing Primus open for Rush I was enticed into Claypools world. Flea was wicked but similarly, most guys I knew were working on learning his stuff and I did to an extent but was drawn to Les's playing as it seemed so far off the radar and hardly anyone at the time seemed to be digging it. Whether it was out of being awkward for the sake of it I'll never know but Les was quite an influence amongst many for me. However, sitting right on the fence - they've both produced some classic lines and inspired so many people that you have to say respect.

Just received a Pelosi bass from Jack. Communication etc great from the off. Provided me with requested audio files etc Great guy to deal with - recommended. Cheers mate:)

Of course, we can say all we want, lets not ignore facts: like many others such as jaco etc, he set the bar higher for bass and inspired many to play. So good for him. Had I not seen them in 87 then maybe I'd be working in a bank! They won their way a long time ago and maybe they have diiferent musical aspirations now. At least theyre still playing. Bill Bruford did a talk at the university where I teach and he discussed the technical level of musicians nowadays, in an industry that to an extent crushes creativity. bands like Rush are still out there doing their thing and not conforming to 'booklearnt' writing methods, so good on them!

Enlightening stuff! I'm staying out of this though if it turns out to be a 'what constitutes a good bassist' discussion! Good on him - maybe he'll inspire lots of jungle viewers to take up the coolest instrument (other than the kazoo) ever.

My apols if this has already been discussed. I don't watch a lot of tv but someone said the new 'Jungle King' (?!) is a bassist called Dougie Poynter. You don't get many household name bassists/tabloid exposed bassists (maybe Mark King in the 80s and Sting and McCartney obviously). So, who is he? IS he any good? Is he flying the flag for the bass community? Is he a closet expert bassist? I want to know:)

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1320938188' post='1433461'] Marathon - I had it on in the background, while I was doing something else, and I thought... WTF is that? It jumps right out. No idea why - there was never anything that bothered me on the VHS.... Incidentally, Marathon on the TM Blu Ray is awesome. Strange watching him play it on a Jazz. It's just so... Wal. [/quote] aha1 Will have to check that. And yeah, it needs the wal!

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1320929351' post='1433262'] The one thing i always liked in early Rush live albums was that they didn't seem to cover up mistakes by studio overdubs which IMO isn't a bad thing and you get the true live feel warts and all. Dave [/quote] I don't know about autotune on show of Hands DVD but in response to your point Dave I think Exit..stage left was quite 'fixed' in some paerts but show of hands is quite good for mistakes. But loud and roud so you got to love! Makes you feel human:)

haha - nothing aimed at you sir! Just a fairly general comment - everyone has an opinion about sound but its always easy to critisise isn't it? I figure we should all be glad theres still a band like this playing and recording - it could be a lot worse:)

Hold you fire was indeed a fab record - whoever said that! I just got the dvd - you can hear the struggle for some of the high notes but lets be fair, they were high notes in the first place and vocal ranges do change after so many centuries of playing. The performance is vibrant and as for sound, well, everyones a sound guy these days aren't they? Like everyone at a football match knows 'what the manager needs to do'.. Side tracking to everyone who complains about a rush sound live - its pretty straightforward; big boomy room, coupled with loud band who play an awful lot of notes in every frequency; going to be hard to get that refined really. I think we should celebrate a band like this being able to exist and look at the positive aspects rather than being too analytical.

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1320837278' post='1431987'] if you want something that looks like that there is a wonderful looking roscoe in the sale section (last time I looked) for £400 which looks amazing [/quote] Hey thanks Luke - to be honest, its more of a collector thing really; always liked that brand. I have too many instruments anyway!

Hi Guys - yes I clocked that one - thank you for the heads up. I think all the basses were through neck so no probs there. The owner has several signature instruments also so I'm fairly sure its ok. I usually collect in person where poss to be sure. But if you gain any more info, please add more:)

In the late 80s there was a canadian guitar company called the signature guitar company who were prevalent for endorsees including Alex Lifeson from Rush and Guy Pratt. They were quite short lived however. Their only model for bass was called the Excalibre - just wondering if anyone here owned or played one and what they thought? A bloke just offered one to me for $600. I know they are fairly obscure but wondered if they had any common issues etc. I have a bit of a thing for guitars crafted in the 80s so its perversly appealing! Any knowledge here would be appreciated:)

Excuse me as I haven't read all the comments so if anyones said this my apols.. Tony Butler is a fantastic player, great tone and lovely complimentary lines yet melodic and interesting. I recall him using fenders and musicman. so even if I wanted a signature model of his, its unlikely I'd buy a vintage edition as I don't recall my favourite stuff being played on one of those. Underrated player.

Looks like a status 2000 or 4000(I never get it right, I just play the things!) - I have one except this has holes drilled for a passive/active switch. I don't know if any other manufacturers did a copy using entirely graphite - pretty sure they didnt.