1959 Fender Precision
Acquired during the sessions for Thunder and Consolation from a guy in Windsor who was advertising it in Loot for £400 with a case. At the time, it was Super Aqua-Marine Blue with a hideous tortoise-shell scratch plate. It still had the original bridge and pick up covers, the machines were rusty and it had been rewired with household electrical cable. The pots were broken too. I thought it was a bargain, but Tommy, the tour manager, disagreed and haggled the price down. The guy selling it had no idea of its true value and neither did Tommy. I didn't even play it, just handed over the cash and made a swift exit, laughing all the way. After a little studio use, it went away to the Bass Centre in Wapping to be restored for live work and is still a little beauty. My favourite, but is home use only now as I wouldn't want to gig it and do any damage.

1973 Fender Precision
After the destruction of the Westone Thunder Jet that Stuart brought to NMA, I flirted with a few basses, including an Overwater and a Carbon Graphite Vigier, about £1200 in 1985. Eventually I got Allbang and Strummit to send over a few Precisions as they've always been my favourites. In the end I got a brand new one, which I gave back at the end of the No Rest tour, and this one. Originally a standard spec 1973, Allbang's added an extra fret to the neck. It later got so gouged up on the back by a belt buckle, that it needed to go off to the Bass Centre with the '59 for a refurb. Unfortunately they put on a few 80's style accessories like Schaller machines and a Badass bridge, which is both bad, and incredibly arse. They stupidly fitted it at an angle, so the E-string kept falling off the bridge. I swore to get it sorted out, but I sold it on E-Bay instead.