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The gear in storage.
Fender USA Jazz bass known as 'A.J.' - with the real A.J. holding it!
Hartke bass rig (HA3500 350w head, plus transporter 2x10 and 4x10 cabs) "This is my main bass rig for stage use these days. I also own a pair of Trace Elliott 715 combo amps which I stack for use in smaller venues. I've had those since 1993 and they are really great amps with a 7 band EQ and 15" speaker in each of them. I never thought I'd ever change, but when I took my B12S to a jam night and went through a 4x10 cab, it really made me look for a decent alternative, as the difference in the sound was just unbelievable."
Fender Precision Lyte Bass "This is probably my very favourite bass that I've ever owned. It gets used a lot. Nice and light with a great big sound. All the best combined features of the Fender Precision and Jazz basses, like a nice slim neck, without that horrible, hideous 'ponky' sound that some Fender Jazzes get in some 60's bands."  Fender Squier Modified Vintage Precision Bass "This recent Squier bass has all the classic 51 P bass features and doesn't cost as much as a house!
Fender Squier Precision Special Bass. "New to the collection and a total bargain! A quick set-up made this one of the nicest basses I've ever played."
Hamer B12S short scale 12-String Bass.
Hamer Chaparral long scale 12-String Bass
Gibson SG Supreme Bass. "I started off learning to play bass with a replica of a single pickup Gibson EB-0, whilst lusting after a two pickup EB-3 and thirty years or so later, it's great to finally get hold of the real thing.
Warwick Streamer Chrome Tone Bass "This bass hung on the wall in Sound Control in Salford for months on end, with no-one ever taking it down to try it. I saw it and thought what a brilliant glam rock style bass it would be. Months later, it was still there and I had a daft urge to pick it up and plug it in. Some basses are surely fated to be made for certain people.
Burns Bison Reissue Bass "I bought this when I was in a 60's cabaret band. My bass purchases are my fondest memories of that time. This was very cool and retro and has so many tone variations, it's not true. The neck is the longest I've ever played. It fitted in with the whole 60's vintage vibe beautifully and sounds more like a typical Rickenbacker than a real Ric does! Great for use in the recording studio. This one gave the lovely bass tone on our version of 'I don't wanna talk about it' from the frst album "
Dean Rhapsody 8 String Bass "The wood used on this is Bubinga and it's just gorgeous. The photo doesn't do it justice at all. This, as you would expect, has a nice big sound to it and three band EQ helps to keep everything manageable."
Epiphone '58 Flying V Bass "These were quite popular with a lot of US bands in the 60's when Gibson first issued them. It has a nice, typical Gibson sound, too. I bought this at the end of my time with the 60's band, just as I was just about to rejoin a rock band again and the 60s band were pleasingly horrified by the very sight of it."
Cort Violin Bass "I was bought this as a present, long before I joined any cabaret band. It has always got a good reaction when people see it, just like Paul McCartney's does, though obviously people don't quite go berserk and start screaming!
Danelectro Longhorn Bass "This is one of the reissued Danelectro's. It weighs nothing and is so lo-tech that it's ridiculous. They have spiffed up the design on some of the later ones, by upgrading the bridge, the tuners and pickups. Personally I like all the more 'retro' features. This gets used a lot more at rehearsals than at gigs, because it feels so fragile!!"
Aria ZZB Deluxe Bass "This is from 1981 or thereabouts. I ordered it 6 months before I got it and was told it was the first one in the country. While I was waiting for mine to arrive, I saw John Taylor of Duran Duran using one on Top of the Pops and cheekily rang Aria's UK distributors up to ask why I was still waiting while he was playing one? I was told he only had use of it for that TV show. Moaning pays off. Mine mysteriously arrived a few days later. On picking it up, I was told it was actually the first one to arrive in the country. 2+2 = ? This has a lovely fast maple neck and fingerboard. All I have had to do to this is change the volume and tone knobs and raise the pickups. Still taken out to shows sometimes and I always enjoy playing it."
Gordy XR Custom fretless 'Explorer' style bass "I asked the company about this one. it appears to be a one off order. A lovely fretless with the lowest action imaginable. Used sparingly live, mainly kept for recording."
One of these is NOT a Rickenbacker.... Rickenbacker 4003 in fireglo finish
Gibson SGII guitar "My first decent name guitar, bought new from my wages from my first job in 1976."
Epiphone Firebird guitar "After a brilliant Sound Control setup, this Epiphone became a totally different guitar. It has a lovely low action and a great sound. Nice for recording with."
Tokai TST 50 guitar "The result of a swap for an early Squier Precision, that I tried to find again years later. The best Strat type guitar I've ever picked up and blessed with a brilliant sound." Dull fact - Noddy Holder used this actual guitar onstage with Slade at their 25th anniversary party in 1991. That was the last time they ever played live together on stage.
Dean Stage Acoustic guitar "I was idling in a local guitar shop and thought I'd seen a Hamer headstock out of the cornber of my eye. It was this Dean. It looked different, so I plugged it in. The loudest, clearest, zingiest guitar sound I've ever heard. Great for recording." This page was last updated June 1st 2008 |
