Tuning The Bass Jeff Beck - Wired Have you heard the tune titled "Lead Boots" off this album? If you like heavy, this is a must! I have to tell you about the ultimate practical physics lesson I had while listening to this tune. This album was just out and while my pal Jim was a somewhat dedicated Jeff Beck fan I was just getting initiated. So let us set the mood here. We were doing the typical teenage lounging in his bedroom which was painted black and decorated with KISS murals. How warm. Lead Boots is playing at one hundred million decibels through his Traynor guitar amplifier. Somehow I liked this. At the same time Jim is tuning up the hand made bass guitar he has just borrowed from his Uncle who was at the time a professional hockey player. I was noodling on my Dad's classical guitar imagining what incredible dexterity one has to have to play these chops. I couldn't help but notice that Jim with his infinite musical knowledge was tuning the lovely piece of wood up to the same notes as regular guitar. Well me... with my limited knowledge of music but a modest grasp of basic physics, shouted abruptly that "it should be an octave lower than the guitar or"... then Jim gave me "the look". Jim was a full two years older than me and at the time "the look" was often followed by bouts of awkwardness that led to me not having access to his Les Paul. So I shut up. Moments later the neck of this bass guitar snapped, tearing the bolts right out of the body behind the neck. The noise of it snapping was so loud his the whole family came up to check it out, including his "tell it all to the Uncle as soon as possible" sister. Every time I hear this tune I recall the panic as I laughed out of control with the tears and the whole bit. I could see the terror in Jim's face as he imagined his head receiving blow after blow from his Uncle. Talk about "I told you so."