Here's what Bob had to say!

• I have used Picato strings since 1972.

• For the Blizzard album I used one of Randy's 100-watt Marshall amps through a 4x12 cab and Gibson EB3 bass. The Diary album I used an Ampeg SVT vintage head (which I still have) through an 8x10 cab with my '61 P bass (natural finish). With Rainbow for the recording of the Long Live Rock and Roll” album I used that same '61 P through one of Ritchie's doctored 200W Marshall heads through 4x12 cabs. Studio and live equipment has usually been similar to the above throughout the years, sometimes with the addition of acoustic bass amps i.e. a 370 or 360 with reflex cabinets. I've never been big on lots of effects other than the odd bit of flange or chorus. Recently I purchased a bass pod and have been toying with it but I am yet to use it in the studio. As collector's pieces I have a Vox AC30 1960 guitar amp, a Vox T60 bass stack 1964 and a Fender Bassman 1962 stack which is also good for recording.

  I also have a 1970 Marshall 100 Watt "Bass Head" & a 1969 50 Watt Marshall "guitar head".

• With tunings, sometimes if a song is in the key of D, I'll drop the E string down to a low D. I'll use this same principle even if the whole bass is down a semi-tone making the low string a C sharp. Otherwise tuning is usually normal.

• 1953 P Bass butterscotch finish, slab body

• 1954 P Bass "used on most of the tracks on "No More Tears" including title track

• 1954 Fender Stratocaster 50th Anniversary

• 1956 Gibson EB1 Bass - violin shape, brown

• 1957 P Bass (gold anodized scratchguard) "was previously John Entwhistle's

• 1958 Stratocaster sunburst

• 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard (1980 re-issue)

• 1959 Fender Telecaster

• 1959 P Bass sunburst with slab fretboard

• 1959 Danelectro Longhorn Bass

• 1960's Framus,"humbug finish".(Formerly owned by Bill Wyman)

• 1960 Gibson EB3 Bass - cherry finish

• 1960 Gibson EBO Bass - brown

• 1961 P Bass natural wood finish – used on many records including "Diary, Mungo Jerry singles, Chicken Shack album "Unlucky Boy", Uriah Heep albums "Abominog" and "Headfirst" and Rainbow "Long Live Rock 'n Roll", Black Sabbath's "Eternal Idol"and both Widowmaker albums.

• 1962 P Bass fiesta red " used on Gary Moore recordings and a few tracks on Ozzy's "No More Tears".

• 1962 Fender Jazz Bass fiesta red

• 1963 P Bass lake placid blue

• 1963 P Bass olympic white "used on the Mother's Army & Living Loud recordings"

• 1963 Hofner Violin Bass " used on "Flying High Again"

• 1964 Rickenbacker 4001S Bass dotneck, fireglow as used by Lord McCartney and one of less than 200 made

• 1964 P Bass sunburst virtually mint condition

• 1964 P Bass candy apple red
• 1964 Jazz Bass candy apple red with matching headstock

• 1970-'75 - Ronnie Lane's Zemaitis bass that he used with Rod Stewart and The Faces around 1970 to 1975. It was used on many of the early recordings.

• 1968 Telecaster Bass paisley finish

• 1982 Jazz Bass gold on gold finish (rare)

• 1992 - Custom-made Zemaitis Bass made by Tony Zemaitis in 1992
• 1996 Rob Allen fretless (custom made)

• 2003 - Hofner "Club" bass

• Epiphone Rivoli Bass blonde finish

• Hofner "Cavern" Bass, re-issue of 1000 in early 90s as used by his lordship, Mr McCartney in the Cavern days of Liverpool. Used on new Blues album.

• Early 60s Harmony Semi-Acoustic Bass popularized by the Spencer Davis Group and Ronnie Lane of The Small Faces

• Ibanez fretless Bass

• Rickenbacker 12 360 C63

• Ronnie Lane replica Zemaitis acoustic