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Which bass is this
- Thread starter brucehum
- Start date
Looks like a prop. That cheap single rail bridge, pickups look like sticks, and those frets all look too close to be a bass, looks more like a guitar scale length.
That's a thin plywood prop. They probably glued two knobs and a bridge to a bass-shaped piece of plywood or mdf.
Suggs also did not play bass , so there is that.
I made something similar back in junior high school in woodworking 
look at the "guitar" behind him - it's got a neck wider than many 5-string basses.
You could get Krappy Guitars to build you a two string punk bass that will be 99% of the way there.
Probably need to have him use two jazz pickups stacked P-bass style to get the look right.
Probably need to have him use two jazz pickups stacked P-bass style to get the look right.
Considering that the original tune and video, let alone that clip, was from 1982, back then retro/exotic/wacky guitar and bass designs weren’t quite in play yet. However, the band was always about goofy visuals*.
The song is a Davies/McCartney-esque nostalgic reminiscence about growing up under modest means(in the UK)and family closeness in spite of it. Even though real instruments were featured in the promo concept vid, what they might be alluding to is that when the neighborhood gang becomes a band, they are forced to play the cheapest instruments available, if not even crudely build their own…a tale told by numerous famous “beat group” era players about when they were coming up. But they were happy then…
Or…it all could have just fitted in with the overall irreverence of the show.
*I saw them at a festival last May, and while the sight of an overweight, middle-age sax player stripping down to his banana sling might not sound appealing, it entertained the crowd…
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Agreeing with the prop comments for all the reasons stated. Also because that performance always struck me as odd with the way the band moved with the instruments. It looks like the “instruments” have no weight to them.
Their other appearance in the series seems to use more realistic instruments.
Their other appearance in the series seems to use more realistic instruments.
Obviously we've established its a prop, but it reminds me of the old Lace Helix L Bass
Props for posting a Young Ones clip though! Love the show, and they've had some great musical guests on there. My favorite one was Amazulu doing Moonlight Romance. Kinda like this version better than the recording...anyone know what kinda bass she's playing? Pretty sure that's an Acoustic 360/361 rig she's playing through.
Looks like a modded P, with perhaps a Guild soapbar pickup(as found on a 301)? The bassist is Claire Kenny, who went on to play with Sinead O ‘Connor and Shakespears Sister.
Here’s how to contact her…
Clare Kenny on SoundBetter
I have been a professional musician since my first band Amazulu took off in 1983 I love the place that bass takes in a track with the drums - I love the cool groove and the melody that bass underpins. Check out the bass line on Girl like You _ Edwin Collins, I played with the legendaryPaul...
soundbetter.com
Definitely a classic. I’m probably a bigger fan of Motörhead than The Damned but I might prefer this episode’s performance. I believe Paul Gray is often photographed with a Ric 4001/4003 but he’s holding a bass I cant identify here.
Edit - it might not be Paul Gray. Wiki shows he left in 1983 and the episode aired in 1984. I’m not sure when it would’ve been filmed. I’m not the biggest fan of The Damned, as I said.
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