Andy McCluskey

Andy McCluskey (voice, bass, keyboards, writing) has seen his beloved jazz Basses get more and more knackered as his five years' touring have made their noticeable mark on the instruments. "I'm not the gentlest of players, I play them like percussion instruments, and sweat all over them," Andy tells us. So he's just got an Aria RSB Deluxe bass which he reckons sounds brighter than the Jazzes and is an ideal weight for him — not so light that it bounces around on stage, but not so heavy that his shoulders give out mid-set.

And he's back to his favoured Rotosound strings — on the Jazzes he'd used Dean Markleys because they (along with Picatos) were the only ones with an E-string that would reach Andy's G machine head in his left-handed upside-down mode. "I'm not a bass player's bass player," insists Lefty. "I don't sit around talking about pickup changes and junk like that. I've been playing bass in a successful band for ten years and I only own four basses, so I thought I'd get a bass that sounded nice and was the right colour — black. The best bass I have is one I'd never take out on the road, a '53 Precision, serial number 101, worth a few bob that. And with roundwound strings on it, it's brighter than some actives I've heard. But I wouldn't dare take it on stage."

Andy has played a Fender Jazz bass guitar, according to this article.

Andy McCluskey (voice, bass, keyboards, writing) has seen his beloved jazz Basses get more and more knackered as his five years' touring have made their noticeable mark on the instruments. "I'm not the gentlest of players, I play them like percussion instruments, and sweat all over them," Andy tells us. So he's just got an Aria RSB Deluxe bass which he reckons sounds brighter than the Jazzes and is an ideal weight for him — not so light that it bounces around on stage, but not so heavy that his shoulders give out mid-set.

And he's back to his favoured Rotosound strings — on the Jazzes he'd used Dean Markleys because they (along with Picatos) were the only ones with an E-string that would reach Andy's G machine head in his left-handed upside-down mode. "I'm not a bass player's bass player," insists Lefty. "I don't sit around talking about pickup changes and junk like that. I've been playing bass in a successful band for ten years and I only own four basses, so I thought I'd get a bass that sounded nice and was the right colour — black. The best bass I have is one I'd never take out on the road, a '53 Precision, serial number 101, worth a few bob that. And with roundwound strings on it, it's brighter than some actives I've heard. But I wouldn't dare take it on stage."