Gasman

I’ve just fallen off the wagon after 15 weeks - a very nice dark grey Musicman 2004 Bongo 4 is on its way via Reverb. Yes, I have sinned, but how can something so wrong feel so right?

...and another thing - it’s sometimes different sensitivities that come into play... When our lady singer suggested with a grin that we do Lily Allen’s song ‘it’s not fair’, all four of us male backing band members listened carefully to the words, then jointly refused to do it. Too close to home, maybe?

I’m sure a lot of musicians might object to the lyrical content of a song without knowing anything about the composer. For instance, I’d expect refusals to play any number that had majored upon theft, murder, colonial military government, drunkenness, betrayal and rough justice - wouldn’t you? So why do we all keep playing ‘Whisky in the Jar?’

Has anyone tried the Nux wireless system for guitar/bass? I use the sax version when doing the ska set with my current band and it works very well, excellent design with an additional battery in the carry case for emergency tx/Rx charging...

Ah, you have the wrong gillingham - this one is in north Dorset!

Great night at Rocky’s Bar in Gillingham, despite having to play as just a four-piece (rhythm guitarist/second lead singer sidelined by some ghastly stomach-bug). Finished at 11.45 with table-dancing by our singer and some punters, whose age group was a lot younger than our normal audience at 20-40. And they still love a bit of 50s rock & roll!

Echo Beach played as fast as possible - full concentration essential as there’s a few ‘gotchas’ in the original arrangement by Martha & co...

I'm not sure that this is going to enrich my cred, but my current band is called.... Mustang Sally!

'You broke my heart so I busted your jaw' - by Spooky Tooth...

Fender Destitution Bass, for those spending around £30k of their life savings on a genuine, mint, cased, tagged, un-played '51 Precision 'found in my uncle's cellar', only to spot (just after the banker's draft cleared) the remains of the just-legible 'Made in Indonesia' wording on the underside of the neck...

Check out Andy Baxter’s site for a genuine Bender Collision...

Everyone’s musical tastes are different but as a bass player I find that there are a few numbers that although I might not mind listening to them on the radio, I absolutely hate playing. Why? Well, let’s take an example - Sweet Home Alabama. It’s not difficult (three chords and a little rinky dink about the governor) but it’s like that mythical country rock star, Loudon Boring. Utterly tedious. Goes on forever. Nothing the bass player can do to liven it up without potentially upsetting the guitarist’s extended twangy solos. Grit the teeth for a seven minute excursion to Tedium-on-Sea. So what’s your set list poison?

I've got this badly with a brand-new Sterling Stingray HH with factory rounds on - lovely rich sound on the E & A strings, weak as gnat's pee on the D & G. Tried tilting the PUP heights, altering the amp and guitar settings, but no significant difference. Gave up on it halfway through the gig last night and reverted to my lovely USA Jazz Plus with La Bellas flats - oh why did I forsake her in the first place?

Ah she was a Toploader fan - such a fine and natural sight, I imagine, 'specially dancin' in the moonlight!

First gig of the year for Mustang Sally last night after a 3 month R&R break. The venue was the Home Guard club at kilmington in Wiltshire, ideal for our bands Dads Army age group, but I couldn’t help wondering if the punters really needed a band at all in such a remote place. Needn’t have worried, very good crowd including a large gang of fit young horsey ladies who wanted to bop all night. Some bass-lead problems sorted on the fly, all in all a good evening.

Ukulele Lady as per the Temperance Seven? Wow!

A covers band I was in way back was booked to play at the nearby Conservative club (yes, I know, but a gig’s a gig!) but only when we’d set up did the chairman tell us that the committee had unfortunately forgotten to advertise the gig to the members, so no-one would be coming; however, the committee wanted us to play the 3 hour gig anyway, to just the four of them. At at the break I begged them to let us pack up and go, just give us some petrol money, but they refused, making us play until 11pm or no money at all. I’ve never played another Con club... Then for political balance there was the gig at the local Labour club where they’d hired in not only our band, but one of those electric rodeo bull things that drunken wazzocks try to ride but fall off. The first we knew of this was when the bull boss started inflating a massive bouncy castle sort of safety wall thing right in front of the band on the dance floor, then set up the bull inside it. As the inflation proceeded the walls got higher and higher (nice number, that) until our singer had to stand on a chair to see and warble to the utterly indifferent punters at the bar and the bull. The rest of the band was invisible. I’ve never played another Labour club...

I’ve only ever used black tape wound Rotosound Trubass strings on my vintage ‘60 Fenton Weill after trying rounds and flats, super deep chunky sound, but only good on that instrument.

I hear the bass line a thousand times but never really listen to the song...

Main difference for me is the volume level inflicted upon other folk in the area, cranked-up AG700 at the gig vs Vox mini amp and headphones at home. Still, I seem to be getting the same authentic ear-damage from both...

They did, vinyl is now the new wave and is taking over again!

It's a shame that I can't get a negative gear abstinence credit to offset against a future 2023 purchase! Just sold my Fender Anniversary Jazz V via Andy Baxter...

While listing my basses on the 'Journey' topic, I started thinking about alll the amps I'd flayed over the years since '69 - here's my list, what's yours? Linear 30w Marshall 50w and Selmer 1 x 18 Goliath Marshall 100 + 4x12 slopefront Marshall 50 + JBL 1x15 custom Fender Bassman 100 + Bassman 4x12 Fender 1 x 12 Bass combo Roland Cube 1 x 12 100w combo * Aguilar Tonehammer 350 + Fender Rumble 4 x 10 * Aguilar AG700 + Darkglass 212 1000w * * = still with me So not that many, really... how about you?

I need a way-back machine to remember them all (I'm sure some are missing in the middle), but in sequence starting 1969: Vox short scale (cost £5 in Oxford junk shop in '69 - actually vey good!) Fender mashup - Early Tele body, very early P neck - wish I still had it! Fenton Weill 1960 * Fender Jazz (new, returned to shop 'cos of duff neck, dead G string) Hofner President 1960-something to play while Fender decided whether to give me a new Jazz Fender Jazz new to replace duff-necko Squier Tele/Precision * - new, cheap as chips, lovely bass, go-to rough-gig instrument Tanglewood electro-acoustic * Tanglewood electro-acoustic fretless * Rickenbacker 4004 Fender MIJ '51 Precision copy * Fender Jazz Plus * De Armond Pilot Pro 5 string (widest neck ever...) * Sterling Musicman Stingray 5 string * Sterling Musicman Stingray 4 string * (most recent, Dec 30th 2022) * = still with me So only 9 basses hidden around the house at the moment...

Basslines from Quiet Sun’s “RFD” or “Bargain Classics” are a good workout and sometimes get attention from old Proggers...