Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation since 04/06/25 in all areas

  1. Since my last band split almost a decade ago I completely fell out of love with all things bass. I have hardly picked up a bass in that time. I’ve been getting that itch again and was hunting for a Geddy Lee Jazz as I’ve had 2 in the past and love them. BassBros had one to win in one of their competitions. I bought a ticket the day before the competition ends, and it was my first time buying a ticket. I only bloody won! Beyond chuffed! Won on Sunday and today this was waiting for me at home. 😍
    40 points
  2. I'm playing Glastonbury 2025, I have 4 gigs lined up, playing with Andrew Maxwell Morris. Wednesday 25th: Toad Hall - 17.10-17.50 (40mins) Thursday 26th: Mandala Stage - 14.00-14.45 (45 mins) Friday 27th: Open Arms - 12.00- 12.45 (45 mins) Small World Stage - 14.10-15.00 (50 mins) I so can't wait 😁
    35 points
  3. Ive only just became aware of this (and spent 30 mins sobbing afterward) a few members im close too will know that after 22 years of marriage my wife asked for a divorce. At the risk of oversharing. For many years ive struggled with (for a long time undiagnosed) carpal tunnel in both wrists, which at times has hampered my playing. This is on the mend, but among other things has taken a toll. Im devastated, but ive done a lot of thinking and looking back, it cant go on Ive been harming myself mentally, and suppressed anger and frustration and sadness until it warped me into something im not, and caused her to fall out of love with me ive numbed the pain with Alcohol which has affected my physical health. She knew what was happening to me, but dealt with it by keeping busy with other things and remained focused on creating a life for herself that didnt include me, in time we were more roommates than a husband and wife. So sad, we had a beautiful relationship, and it withered and died and we both let it happen! heartbreaking, truly heartbreaking Ill always love her,she was my best friend, soulmate and the love of my life. Right now im still full of anger and resentment and need to try and let it all go and forgive, because ive tortured myself and her for years If this looks at all familiar i beg you COMMUNICATE, share your feelings and find the person you love. Im not courting sympathy or even attention, but please hug your partner and love them fiercely and with all of your heart. Ive been a nember of this forum since 2007 and it has been part of my everyday life in all that time. Ive made friends for life and brothers id never had, and many many times been a small light in my darkness. I cant thank you all enough for this, im very moved and grateful to have so many wonderful people in my lif Im going to move out and get a flat with the shirt on my back and a couple of basses, at 51 my life parallels when i left Newcastle at 19 Im on the cusp of a new start My focus will be on healing myself phyisically and mentally, i plan to throw myself into the thing thats always defined me , Music!! Time to forgive and heal
    34 points
  4. Hi BC-ers Firstly, Russ, thanks for your kind concern for my health. I'm glad to say that I'm very well and feeling good. Apologies for being elusive on the support side during recent months, but unfortunately, needs must, as outlined below. (I'll respond individually to those who still have outstanding enquiries) To explain briefly, what started out as a minor production blip with some custom parts further snowballed, compounding the issue to a level that required a good deal of hands-on work from me for several months to keep things rolling. Thankfully, we're through it all now, and our UK assembly supplier has bounced back. This period highlighted a weakness - support relying entirely on me. So, now there are 3 email support tiers: Info, Sales, and Technical, to facilitate sharing the load.
    27 points
  5. Nearly a year ago my brother, and our singer, suffered a stroke live on stage at a festival. For a while we wondered if we'd ever get to play a gig again. Luckily, that chance came last friday! A filmmaker friend brought his camera along, and I arranged to record the set. We put together someof the footage and mixed a brand new song that we played. It was the hottest day ever, but in my 20 years of being in this band, it's the gig I'm most glad to have been able to do, and I know this video will be something to look back at and cherish as long as I live. Hope you enjoy!
    23 points
  6. It's happened again Another tribute band has been joined and it needs one of these They're called Total Jam and I've played with them in the past, they're the Andy and Stewart in my Police tribute
    22 points
  7. My fave Glasto moment, old friends reunited
    22 points
  8. First of three gigs with this guy 😃. We have a Billy Joel tribute band in Holland and we got our stamp of approval from original drummer Liberty DeVitto. He agreed on coming over from the US to do these gigs with us. Needless to say we are over the moon with him agreeing to play with us. Had a blast on the first and looking forward to number two and three.
    22 points
  9. Whilst we still have a handful of jobs left to do to fully finish the Nick Smith Midas, today saw a massive step forward seeing the frets leveled, crowned and polished, electronics wired and fully assembled and strung! We heard her voice for the first time today and the pairing of Aguilar Amplification HJ pickups and two band cut/boost preamp are sounding sweet! It feels bittersweet that Nicks vision has reached this point yet he won’t be able to see it or make it sing 😢 She’ll now be given some time to settle before setup and the last few jobs completed at which point we’ll tie down and announce the details of the charity raffle!
    22 points
  10. Just got back from a gig with Bendricks Rock in Newport. Overloud DJ/karaoke distorting and making setting up hard and soundcheck impossible. Town was quieter than last time, but we had an enthusiastic reception. My bass was very boomy and I had to cut bass and >gasp< boost mids to get a decent sound. Forgot my mic stand and really missed doing bvs, although there wasn't really much room for another mic. My usual rig with the AVII Precision. Quecha approach shoes which give my dodgy ankle excellent support. Got a band selfy for once!
    21 points
  11. An unusual gig this morning at a classic car breakfast meet down in Hampshire with the new funk band and then back home to Horsham to play at kings Lea school fate this afternoon with some old musician friends. Really enjoying my GB Spitfire 5 since it came out back from a service by Bernie recently. Sounds fantastic though the puma and LFsys Monzas . Now to enjoy a nice relaxing evening ( not playing) x😊
    21 points
  12. Sadly the video files we have of this bass are too large to upload but here’s a link to our Facebook page where you can see it https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CTLc7Rn87/?mibextid=wwXIfr Here’s more pics of the finished bass
    21 points
  13. Just back from the Audio Lounge in Glasgow after a gig with the punk band. We were second out of four and went down really well. Quite a small venue - it certainly isn't the Barrowland - but I'm really warming to more intimate spaces. The Stingray acquitted itself well, although it's getting a bit clattery. I think it's going to have to go to Chris McIntyre for him to work his magic. The backline was deffo old skool - SVT plus Workingman 810. Awesome sound and it was great to feel the air hitting the backs of my legs but completely OTT for such a small room. I wasn't complaining though, as for once I had enough oomph to hear myself over our volume 11 guitarist!
    21 points
  14. I found some video from last Saturday. Not our best. I post the good and the bad. Guitars seem out of tune, it was 100°, sound mix was not great and I played with a healing broken ankle. I'll stop because I can go on forever with making excuses. I can't hear any bass without earbuds. Daryl
    20 points
  15. Bought this corvette as a back up ….just couldn’t fall for the post box red so I was going to move it on ..it did play and sound awesome ..so I spent Sunday morning stripping it back and waxing it Jacobean oak ..literally cost me my time and that’s it ..looks like it was originally antique tobacco it’s as ash wood and think I’ve been quite lucky with the grain ..🤟
    20 points
  16. Had an absolutely amazing gig last Wednesday playing in Guildford at part of the very busy GT Session weekly gigs. We were headlining out of 4 acts with a 30 minute slot. We weren't quite sure what type of set to play as each act was different and we originally decided to play a more uplifting choice of songs. The act before us was very chilled and laid back so we mixed it up and played some chilled songs and a few upbeat songs to lift the vibe and pick the listeners up. I can say we played an absolute blinder and went down a storm. I play fretless and the sound was incredible, so I decided to have a bit of fun by really bringing out the fretless tone, emphasising the slides and the use of my chorus and octave pedal, so much so that our singer gave me a nod and gesture to take a bit of a lead bass part as it was just sounding so good. After the gig, another bassist came up to me and said I saw you were playing so I had to come down and listen as you are my favourite fretless bass player and you sounded incredible 😲 Another bassist came up to me and was fascinated by the pedals I was using and what strings I was used and a few other people came up after and complimented me. Absolutely awesome gig and makes it all worthwhile.
    20 points
  17. We had a great 4 piece acoustic show at The Ziegler Winery yesterday. We had a very good guest blues harp player. I played sitting down because of my ankle. The 3 hour gig went fast and we were sounding really good to me. I was approached by several people after the show. I love that. It makes me feel famous. Lol The Ziegler Winery is a beautiful venue and they feature live music 3 days a week. Super nice crowd with lots of dancing. Perfect weather. Next week we have Summerfest in Milwaukee. Daryl
    20 points
  18. Last night saw my duo return to The Blue Boar in Aldbourne. What's been a good regular venue will sadly be ending soon. The current landlady / landlord are retiring and the local gossip is that they are trying to get out the contract early. Our show was moved back a week due to other music activity in the village and I think that hurt our audience as I had a lot of people who were coming who suddenly weren't. This was my local until we moved and I have been out of the loop. When we arrived the clientele seemed much younger than normal. The barman said afterwards that he thought being goth would mean we were very metal which to me summed up what an awkward fit we've always been on the local music scene. We set up and the younger crowd gradually left. Prior to going on, we had an audience of my wife, my stepson and a guy who'd added me on social media a while ago and I didn't know him! However, we were getting paid and I learned that the pub is open so sporadically at the moment that recent shows haven't been well attended across all acts. A genuine shame. The twist was that we played really well. I was on mandocello for most of the first set, finishing on the bass (my trusty long scale Hofner Verythin). The second set was three on guitar for me and the remainder all on the mandolin. My step son has Down Syndrome and stole the show by shouting "yes!" when I announced that we'd be taking a break in a moment. It was funny! He's a big supporter of the band as amongst other things, he really likes Nick (my musical other half). Thankfully it started to fill up a fair bit during the second set and a good night was had by all. Honourable mention must go to Nick's 87yr old mum, who apparently ironed our backdrop for us! I'd have done it myself, had I known it was bothering her!
    20 points
  19. I dont know what to say, other than thank you all, in very lucky to have so many people who care. Im making positive steps, ive started therapy to manage my depression. Im trying to give up alcohol (only two and a half weeks, but every day counts) eating better and no caffeine. Some playing oppertunities have came my way which will hopefully open doors, if asked 2 months ago id have made a BS excuse and said no, im not doing that anymore. Importantly my wife and i have finally opened up to each otherand while too late to save the marriage, l feel we can (in time) become friends and love each other in a different way. I feel like a light has been switched on and i can finally see clearly how this has come to pass. Heartbreaking but regrettably a common story. Some of you have offered very kind and shared your stories with me, and every one has helped me as i grieve. Once again, i am humbled by the generosity youve all shown, and you've taken a big chunk of stress off my shoulders.
    19 points
  20. I played at our self organised Hullabaloo festival yesterday. Apart from being the assistant stage manager for our sound man, I was in a 5 piece band made up of people from our 13 piece main band. With two gigs, one of which lasted a marathon 4 hours, it was a busy day. The 5 piece played in the late afternoon and were the first of the bands that managed to get people up and dancing - seeing folks bopping along is always a moral booster. We hadn't been able to rehearse much and although everyone is a competent player, there was that 'will it all come together' feeling just before we started. Part of the reason for doing the 5 piece splinter band is to give the players a chance to expand on what they do in the main band - so each year we choose a couple of songs that will challenge us and feature the players who would normally be at the back of the stage. This year our Uke/trombone player (who is an accomplished guitarist) chose 'Sultans of Swing' on which she played the lead parts and our sax man picked 'Baker Street'. Both nailed it after shaky rehearsals and Baker Street was one of those performances that you realise early on is something special - everything just clicked - and it was amazing to be playing it. It's those moments that remind me why I love playing gigs. Of course, there were a few dodgy moments, mostly involving my singing ('Sultans' and 'I'm a Believer' and a distinctly off key element to my backing vocals on our opening number, 'Pinball Wizard'). But it was all good and there were some nice compliments for the band and my bass playing. The main band (the Hulla band) went on just after 7pm to a full village green - perhaps 700 people - and we played until just after 11. The festival is a charity event and we raise money for, amongst others, a local homeless drop-in centre. They have a choir and we had them on stage to sing with the band (they had played their own set earlier in the day). I always love the choir and band combination as the voices add an extra level to what were doing. This is the 5th years I've played this gig and it was by far the best performance we've done as a band. I was very happy with my sound - I went through the desk with no backline and using IEM and my Sterling bass was sounding so good that I decided not to swap basses half way through as I had originally planned. My kit line up for the day was a Sterling 34HH through a Sine Effects HPF (set at 40hz), MS60B for compressor, noise gate and octave/chorus (for one song) and an Ampeg SCI DI (unused back-up bass was my Ibanez 205). For the songs I played guitar on I used a Squire Telecaster that went through a Zoom MS50G+. IEMs came from a Behringer P16 personal monitor mixer fed from our Behringer X32 desk pre-fade so I had my own monitor mix which I was able to adjust (for example, when the singer decided to play his harmonica at full last through his vocal mic!) Footwear was courtesy of Skechers (if I mention them often enough I should get the sponsorship deal I'm after). As usual no photos have yet emerged of either of the bands I was playing in (as I was the principal photographer on the day). I will amend this post if/when they appear. Edit: Some photos from the night.
    19 points
  21. I frequently trawl various 'instrument for sale' sites when I've got nothing better to do of an evening once the boy is in bed and after the wife and I have had some dinner... 8pm to 9pm is my prime hour! I stumbled across a Conklin GTBD-7 on eBay yesterday, not too many of these were made, they were meant to be a cheaper, more accessible version of the USA Custom Shop Conklins, however they were very expensive to make and the quality was exceptionally good, not too far off that of the USA Custom Shop basses, so they stopped production after maybe a year or so. They did the GT-7 (the cheaper version) and this GTBD-7 versions with Bartolini pickups and preamp as well as a premium top and through neck. I've owned a couple of these over the years as well as two USA Custom Shop Conklins (one I still have and I will die with), so I'm very familiar with them vs the USA stock and they are really great basses. I made an offer on this one, we had a quick chat about logistics, and the offer was accepted! Should be with me Tuesday/Wednesday of next week. Comes with a spare set of strings and a hardcase too. 👍 Damn you eBay for FORCING me to buy this! 😆
    19 points
  22. Well, I bit the bullet and dipped my toe in the water of nitro spraying a body and headstock front. Previously I had only used oil finishes and wipe on polyurethane. I must admit it has been a very steep learning curve and introduced me to the world of grain fillers and sanding sealers. I used a Okoume JB body from China that was already semi-finished so was routed and sanded to an extent. I had not really heard of Okoume but I believe it is from the same family as Mahogany and is being used more often for guitar and bass builds. The neck is from China. I can honestly say the Chinese stuff is really top notch in respect of the quality and finish. The biggest issue, as I used rattle cans and sprayed in the back garden, was dealing with little pieces of crap been blown onto the finish when wet due to not having anywhere inside suitable to spray. I used Northwest Guitars paint and gloss lacquer as well as gloss lacquer from Nu-gane. I’m not sure I am in a rush to use nitro again as it is not as forgiving as finishing with Liberon Finishing Oil but certainly the clearcoat is a lot easier to rectify runs/burn through etc than using the poly. Blending in the headstock decal was nerve racking as well as the drilling holes for the pickguard, bridge, tuner screw and reaming out the tuner holes by a couple of mm as I was anxious about ruining the finish and having to go back several stages. I would also choose a 21 fret neck instead of 20 from now on as the fretboard overhang on a 21 neatens up the join where the pickguard meets the neck heel. Overall for a first spraying effort and only my 4th build, I am really pleased with how the bass has turned out……is it factory perfect?…absolutely not but for the intended sale price it is a fantastic looking and playing bass. if you’re interested in buying, it should be on the BC basses for sale thread in the next week as I am just waiting for a replacement bridge pickup as the first one was faulty, Specs are: Okoume body Roasted maple 20 fret, black block inlay neck with rolled edges Guyker tuners Gotoh bridge Wilkinson M Series pickups Bloodstone Guitarworks wiring with CTS pots and Spragg capacitor running volume/volume/tone Schaller type strap buttons I will get it weighed as soon as it’s all back together. I have and continue to learn so much with each build and my next ambition is to get to a stage with my knowledge and tools where I can turn a body blank and top into a body myself, route it out to attach a pre-made neck. My ultimate goal is to be able to make the necks as well but baby steps as they say…..
    19 points
  23. We concluded our Welsh "tour" tonight, playing at Fuel in Cardiff. We had to go home after our set for various Father's day things tomorrow, so I'm home already after driving people back and enjoying a beer with the cat curled up next to me! We'd not played there before and save the sticky floors, it's a nice venue for that sort of thing! We went on at 8 and there was a decent crowd for us who, most importantly, stayed to watch us instead of vacating the room 😂 Always a good sign. A few gaffs, but it's all good! Same gear and footwear as above.
    19 points
  24. I actually bought this in March but have only now gotten around to posting it. Saw the ad on BassBros' socials about a collection of Fender Japan signature models they had just taken delivery of, and it immediately caught my eye. This is a Fender Japan Tomomi jazz bass in fiesta wash, with mint pickguard, CS 64 pickups and stacked knobs, amongst other distinctive features. I'll keep this brief - great specs, sounds great, plays great, and everything you have ever heard about Fender Japan's attention to detail is spot on. Really impressive bass First time buying from BassBros and it was a top-notch experience. Sam and Will were extremely helpful, the bass arrived on time, was well packaged, good comms and they are nice guys to boot.
    19 points
  25. What a cracking gig last night with Nine Lives at the Balaclava in Fraserburgh. What can I say, it was busy and loud, with an audience who were bang up for a dance and a sing along. Can't really ask for much more than that. Genuine goosebumps moment when enough folk were singing The Cranberries "Zombie" back at us such that we could hear it over ourselves. You know you've had a great gig when packing up doesn't tire you out. Can't really say much more than that. Probably pay for this with a paid rehearsal next week - karma's a b!tch Gear was the Sire Z7 then the Epiphone T-bird into the ISO standard bass rig. Shout out to the Thunderbird, it was sounding epic last night, and I felt godly playing it. Oh and I got called "the coolest MF" by a punter last night after we finished. My ego happily accepts your compliment, sir! And have a bit of bonus video...
    19 points
  26. Thirsty Pine in Gloucester. Nice big PA. Great audience, Great gig
    19 points
  27. You know when you turn up to a venue. The place is busy and very noisy. The staff haven't started shifting people, tables and chairs out of your way. Then the crowd are constantly in your way as you bring the kit in. Then you have to set up on top of each other, deafened by people shouting to each other. ??? Well that's how Friday night started. Despite that once we had set up, had a few minutes outside to cool off and give some respite to our poor ears, we had a really good night. Some serious rocking out, some hilarious silliness too. I took the Sterling Sub5 with the Stinger preamp (I really must come up with a better name for it!). It's rapidly growing in my affections - relatively light weight, close string spacing, great sounds. This time with no backup bass either (growing confidence in it). The Rumble 500 continues to sound awesome, even with the low Bs and Cs. The purple suede Gazelles got another outing - not that you could tell in the non-white lighting, so I wore them again for a trip into town today too
    19 points
  28. Settling in to my new weekly residency at a local club’s rock and roll night. 2 x 50 minute sets of stuff for dancing, ranging from rockabilly and Elvis along with some lesser known tunes from Eddie Cochran, Buddy Knox and Dion. It always ends with a waltz, and this week it was ‘Until it’s time to go’, made famous by Elvis and The Four Pennies, written by Buffy Saint-Marie. A lovely song but with some strange changes - glad I had a part supplied! Nice crowd in, including a couple who regularly come to see our duo when we play in Scarborough, so nice they made the 100 mile return trip. My first gig there using my own rig, so took along my lovely GK 800RB amp and my Loud Inc 4x10 cab. Used my Precision Lyte passive bass with them, and it sounded fine. Think I may take my old Precision along one week, or maybe the Dano Longhorn too.
    19 points
  29. Good gig at the Felton Club in Peterborough depping with Stevie Daniels. Nice club, good stage, fun and engaged crowd. Played well with a couple of minor goofs. Pedulla MPV fiver through elf head and Genzyme Benz 1x12’s. Justin boots.
    18 points
  30. Hurtsfall played the Nottingham Craft Beer Festival in Sneinton Market on Saturday. If you are not playing covers these events can be a bit hit-or-miss and on top of that we were the last band playing that day, so we didn't really know what to expect. Sneinton Market is currently the "happening" area in Nottingham where all the interesting independent shops are situated in units in the old market buildings. On arrival we discovered that the beer festival had taken up the whole of the Avenues area and was entry by ticket only. However to allow people to still use the shops you could get in but didn't get a wristband which was required in order to buy beer. As performers we all got wristbands but I don't recall being asked to show mine before being served. There were two stages - one outdoors where unfortunately the performers seemed to be mostly ignored and also had to compete with all the other music - there appeared to be at least one DJ set up on every avenue, and the other in The Grove where we were playing. Probably the most convoluted load-in so far this year. There was only one entrance and some of the avenues were blocked off half way along the length meaning that getting all the gear to the venue involved not only negotiating all the beer festival attendees but also doubling back on yourself to get around all the blockages. Certainly not as easy as the last time we played at The Grove when it was possible to park directly outside the venue. Thirty minute turnaround between performers, whilst someone played on the other stage. No time for a proper sound check, set up, just one verse to make sure we could hear everything in the monitors and a couple of minutes to get changed and then we were on. Luckily there was nothing "miss" about this event. The venue was packed (that's not that difficult as it is really tiny) and it appeared that quite a few people had come specifically to see us play. Cue dancing, singing along to the songs and cheering in between. We even got our first proper encore. I'm a firm believer in both bands and the audience have to deserve an encore. None of this coming back on stage just because a couple of your mates have shouted "more". We were technically past the live music curfew but the sound engineer said do one more and so we did. Even sold some merch afterwards although at this sort of event you don't really expect to. Load out was much easier as the festival was over by the time we had everything packed up and we were able to leave by a much more direct route. As usual here's a couple of photos: Next gigs are on 10th July Supporting Miranda Sex Garden at Rough Trade in Nottingham, followed by Goths On A Field festival on Saturday 12th.
    18 points
  31. I’ve had 4 gigs this week so been quite busy… Last Sunday afternoon I was playing with the blues band at a pub in N.Lincolnshire. It appeared that very little had been done by them to publicise it so we played to a small audience ( and a dog! ) Finished bang on 7pm, and was back home by 7.30 - one of those rare times for me when I just wanted to take the money and run. Tuesday was a gig with the acoustic duo for a birthday party. Played in a nice garden, and managed to set up in the shade thank goodness, it was a hot one. Took along my little Ibanez PNB14 very short scale, and it suited the gig perfectly. The low tension strings were a welcome rest for my fingers, and the gig went really well, with a couple of enquiries for similar events. Wednesday was my weekly gig at the rock n roll club. Took along my large stage fan which helped with the heat. A good crowd of dancers in as usual, and we did more slow stuff than usual as they were getting a bit sweaty. Used my recently acquired Hartke head into the 4x10, am getting used to this now. Friday saw the blues band playing an early evening slot at Farmyard 2025, a large bikers festival on a country estate in Helmsley , North Yorks. A very well attended and organised event, with great staff and tech crew. Days before the gig I realised I no longer have a ‘big’ bass rig, and so took my (nearly vintage!) Barefaced Compact cab to use along with my Rumble 500 combo. Although the combo would have been sufficient, when the Compact was added it gave it massive clout so I ended up using them both. We did an hour set, which went very quickly. Nice to play on a big stage again, and I really enjoyed it. Also got to meet @peteb who was playing with his band ‘The Gentlemen Rogues’ immediately after our set ( see pics). Was knackered yesterday, but just getting ready for another gig today with the duo - a party in a local village pub starting around 4pm. Definitely taking my fan for this one, so hot today.
    18 points
  32. Shit journey to Sheffield - 2 hours on the M25 and then 4 on the M1. Great gig though, lovely crowd again, probably the best we’ve played on this tour. The drummer and I were very much enjoying our groove on many of the tunes. As always we are getting well into the groove as a band and the tour is nearly over! Shoes were Soul Cal & Co Converse lo top rip offs. Cheap and comfy and not too hot in this heat 🤓
    18 points
  33. Im overwhelmed and lost for words! You wonderful people have been a light in some of the darkest days of my life. The money is a huge help and allieviates some worry, all the lovely comments and advice have shown me i have people in my life that care. Ill withdraw my MIJ 75RI and ill take it to a gig on sunday, and lay down some funk in your honour 😊 @AndyTravis has been a rock and im very glad you're all my people. My sincere and humble thanks to you all.
    18 points
  34. Last night with Blockbustarz was in Camelon Juniors FC. First time in this venue and it was full. Small stage so both singers had to stand on floor in front of stage. Like most clubs folks want in early to get "their seat". People coming in 45mins before doors open which hindered us getting set up and doing a proper sound check but all was fine with it. You know you've had a great night when the bar staff shut the bar to get out on the dance floor for Shang-a-Lang near the end. Dancing from the start last night too and floor was relatively busy all night.. Feed back was incredible from so many people including the owner and the team that booked us and want us back again. Club shut the pool room to give us a decent sized changing room plus storage for all the cases and back up gear if required. Used the Sandberg VM4 into Shure wireless, Keeley bassist comp, Handbox WB-100 and Barefaced 212 cab and even tho i was standing close to the bass rig i could clearly hear the bass behind me. The Barefaced cab has surpassed my expectations. Few wee minor mistakes by us but only picked up by us. Mine was Ballroom Blitz where i just could not get that bass part in middle as if my plucking fingers couldn't move fast enough to keep up with drums. Not even a fast song but my head just wasn't working. That was 1st song second set so hopefully i'm fine next gig in 2 weeks. One huge bonus was that i adjusted my garage and put the Harley bike along the back wall allowing me to put the car straight in the garage after the gig and will empty it today. That will be how i do things from now on as it made life so much easier after a gig. Dave
    18 points
  35. Little Jazz duo gig in Essex (guitar and electric bass) - second gig in three years. Blew up my Acoustic Image Clarus and ended up playing through a Fender practice amp but just about got away with it. Couldn't have been bad as we got booked for another gig somewhere else on the back of it.
    18 points
  36. We played our first full gig last night (we did a short set at a charity event few weeks ago) We couldn't of hoped for better. The venue is outside but part covered... it's a bit different which makes a great place to play. We were all worried that we'd have problems with the mixer like at rehearsal, but all was good. There was a decent sized crowd with added benefit a hen do were there (big tick for target demographic there). It was our singer's first ever full gig and she was fantastic. She was insanely nervous to begin with, but after a couple of songs she was loving it. The manager told us it was the best attended night so far this summer and we'll get booked again, definitely. Also a guy from another band said he'd drop our name to a really good venue with good rates. A 10 out of 10 night.
    18 points
  37. Played at the Cart & Horses in the East End on Friday night with the Zep tribute. If you didn't know, this is the venue where Iron Maiden cut their teeth, which of course you would never guess from the complete lack of memorabilia around the place, Maiden themed beers and wine at the bar and everything in the familiar IM font...! 😉 A bit of an odd gig, as we had a dep drummer for the night, which as you might imagine is a tough gig for a drummer to dep. The guy we got in had been struggling at a couple of rehearsals we managed to get in, but he did fine. Not perfect, but not a disaster by any means! A smallish place so pretty packed, a great audience and Didge even managed to work the Eastenders theme into his keys solo! NB. the picture is of the soundcheck, not the keys solo in the gig itself...!
    18 points
  38. The covers band, Top Deck, played this afternoon at The Great Northern in Langley Mill, on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border. It was the first time we’ve played there. Four-thirty on a Saturday afternoon is their standard time to have bands on. Unusual, but there was an appreciative audience up for a good time. We’ve got a booking there for August Bank Holiday as a result, so a success.
    18 points
  39. TTFC's second gig last night at The Garden, Chorlton. Venue used to be Font Bar but has just changed hands, so all the signs still say Font. They're just getting live music up and running, so there isn't a ready made audience there yet. Fortunately it's a local gig for two of us so we brought quite a few people, to the extent where I knew almost everybody in the place! It's got a lot of potential once it gets a reputation and people know there's music on. Bar staff were super chilled and helpful, always a bonus and never taken for granted. We played well, although I made more little mess ups than I should have. The drummer is fettling the recordings, so I'll be able to agonise over them at my leisure soon despite being the only one who noticed on the night. Two 1hr+ sets and 30+ songs (most of them new to me) that haven't all embedded into the muscle memory yet. Gear was Fender Japan Kazuki Arai Jazz 5 -> HX Stomp -> GR One 350 -> PA. Footwear was Vans classic lace ups. A couple of phone clips from friends. If anyone can figure out how to let me resize them please shout up! WhatsApp Video 2025-06-07 at 00.13.50.mp4 WhatsApp Video 2025-06-07 at 00.13.48.mp4
    18 points
  40. Last week out was a rare outing for my hard rock band as booked to play a 50th wedding anniversary. I'm not quite sure we were the correct booking but plenty of people danced so whatever. Plagued by some technical issues from the electric kit though, specifically the kick drum trigger. I wouldn't care however we only took the electric kit as we were worried about being too loud, it certainly would have been better with an acoustic kit. Bass: Spector Pulse (G&L L2000 as backup) Rig: Wireless>Quad Cortex plus a QSC wedge beside the drum kit to make some 'stage' sound for us all, especially the electric drummer. Footwear: Black hiking boots. Partly because I hurt my ankle doing some DIY, partly as the load in involved some questionably slippery slopes and mainly because I am a perfectly respectable height but our singer is over 2m tall and I'll take whatever heel I can get.
    18 points
  41. First of all, the price is low, because I want it to find a new home very fast and I still own 5 Leduc basses, but don't play this one very often, which is a shame... Leduc Masterpiece Headless 6 Fretless (HMP 628 SF), considered by many THE fretless bass with a Brazilian rosewood (cut in 1895!) fingerboard, the original Leduc EL-6 preamp with sweepable mids and active/passive switch coupled to 2 Bartolini Quad Coils 90P46C pickups! This very ergonomic headless bass is built to sound wonderfully as a fretless instrument, even simply in passive mode, think Jaco who would have needed 6 strings... Christophe LEDUC is now retired and the last retail price for a similar model with the newer Leduc/EBS EL-5 preamp and the Leduc/Benedetti single coil pickups with the phantom coil was ... €5400 Euros!!! Check the last available price list here: https://web.archive.org/web/20240806193813/https://www.leduc.fr/index.php/infos/108-tarifs/355-tarifs-basses-solid-body NO TRADES! NON NEGOTIABLE PRICE ! Asking price including fully insured shipping with tracking number, to your home, in these European countries (ask for other countries): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (excluding DOM -TOM), Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom: €1850 EUR (£1575 GBP is an approximation and I will only accept payment in Euros)!!! Shipping to the UK is of course possible and included in my asking price, but with additional customs charges (VAT + other taxes + courier costs), as the UK is now outside the EU, just ask. In perfect working condition and in excellent condition, except a few tiny marks at the usual places. Here are the specifications : Body: French alder wings Neck: one piece Canadian hard rock maple (profile is a very flat and fast D, in fact an amazing neck) Fingerboard: Brazilian rosewood from 1895!!! Positions: 28 with front and side white dots at the correct position (fretless) Headstock: none as it's headless Pickups: 2 original Bartolini Quad Coils 90P46C Controls: volume, blend, stacked bass and treble, stacked mids and sweep frequency, active/passive switch Preamp: original Leduc EL-6, 18 Volts, 3 bands EQ with semi-parametric mids Tuning tailpiece/bridge: original Leduc aluminium with locking brass saddles and super smooth tuning Strings spacing at bridge: 18 mm Nut: ebony (54mm width) Strings spacing at nut: 9 mm Knobs: original Leduc aluminium Scale: 34 inches Hardware colour: black with Schaller Straploks Truss rods: two, single action, 100% functional (these two truss rods allow a differential setting) Finish: light gloss natural (the bass was originally pearly white and has been turned to natural when Christophe LEDUC installed the EL-6 preamp) Country of origin: France Serial number: 7432-K Year: 26/10/1991 (first generation of the Masterpiece) Weight: 4.095 kg! Very light for a sixer! Action : from 1.5 mm under the C string to 2.0 mm under the B string at 12th position (can even go lower, but was perfect for me and it's already super low with a very straight neck) Will be delivered in a splendid brand new Gator ProGo series Ultimate semi-rigid gig bag (totally adapted to this headless bass). Non-smoking environment as usual. The bass has been fully set up professionally by Christophe LEDUC himself as he is a friend of mine and accepted to do it. It has received 2 new batteries and is now fitted with a set of Thomastik JF 346 nickel flat wound strings (33 - 43 - 56 - 70 - 100 - 136), which really serve this bass. What you see is what you get ! Look carefully at the photos taken from different angles and lights to see the real condition, which is excellent with a few tiny marks. Here is the link to the 21 photos in high resolution: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1605pQR66DussJzciB9xVnENCjocMmB0y?usp=drive_link Due to severe back problems (67% officially disabled because of it) plus left and right shoulders injury, without mentioning a painful tendonitis on the right arm, I'm selling all the basses I'm not using like this one. I've also considerably lowered the price for a quick sale. Don't hesitate to ask for more, but, please, before asking read my ad first as the answer is certainly already in it!
    17 points
  42. How was my gig last night? One word, sweaty! Played our local Billy Bootleggers with our acoustic trio, supplemented for this gig by good friend and multi-talented percussion, harmonica, and vocalist Mr Les Young. We were on straight after a local Dolly Parton impersonator who was entertaining a ‘bottomless brunch’ crowd who migrated off to other venues in and around the Ouseburn delta before we struck a chord. This gig is one with a mainly passing trade, but we did our usual trick of getting folk to stay so we had built up a medium sized appreciative crowd by the end of our second set. Lilly, my 1960’s Boosey Hawkes Excelsior coped really well with the heat and despite my fears, remained in tune for the whole gig, which is better than what I managed 😂 Picture may be used to keep small children away from open fires etc.
    17 points
  43. First two gigs last weekend with the new band I'd been helping out and have now joined. Saturday evening in Newbury and Sunday afternoon at a beer fest near Andover. Really enjoyed both, 2 x 1hr sets in Newbury, good crowd but not packed. I played pretty well and could hear everything. Played when required at the beer fest as it was a multi band thing where the players mixed about...loved my first attempt at "hey Jude" with most of us playing together and I tried some Overton Berry Trio lines. Thumpinator, comp, bass rig black panel, Barefaced 2x One10 stack for both.
    17 points
  44. Got some good pics from Fuel on Saturday!
    17 points
  45. I was quite recently recruited to be house bassist for a couple of local open mics, and then the organiser asked me to dep for their bassist for a gig. This then turned into two gigs on successive days as their bassist had had a gig in Wales (hence the first dep) but had also written his car off (hence the second one as he couldn't get back in time). After a couple of rehearsals, we went ahead - I haven't depped for a few years and then it was for bands that I'd played with before. First gig was a bikers' pub in Old Arley, near Coventry. The stage area was shared with a T140V Bonneville and a Triton (can't say more than that except it was a pre-unit Bonnie engine). Used the Sei Flamboyant 5 through my trusty Zoom MS-60B to the Tecamp Puma 900 and GR Bass AT212 cab. Footwear was the usual Caravelle memory foam trainers (a bit past their best now, but I have a couple of new pairs waiting). I noticed partway through the first set that the Sei was choking out on notes below the fifth fret, so took the opportunity between two songs to grab an allen key and quickly adjust the truss rod. Quarter turn looser and everything was fine - saved me swapping to the Cort Space 5 I had as a backup. Didn't make too many mistakes, just buggered up Gangsters in the guitar solo. The second gig was a Fathers' Day barbecue at the pub where one of the open mics is held (and that was thoroughly slagged off by one BC member a little while back). Same equipment and footwear, same buggering up of Gangsters. Evidence of dancing being perpetrated:
    17 points
  46. Gig 1 of 3 this weekend. We don't normally do 3 in a weekend but tonight's gig got moved from next week. Last time we played here we decided it was such a small, noisy area to set up in that we would do it "acoustically" because of the smaller footprint and lower volume. Of course none of us remembered that, so we shoehorned in the full kit again. The pub was rather quiet though with not many in. That lead us to a bit of musical silliness, which always helps a slower night go faster, plus engages the people that are there. So it ended up a good, if hot (I remembered the fan!) night. Best of all only 15 minutes away from my house and home by half past midnight. Cheap "stingish" bass into the usual Rumble. Converse feet.
    17 points
  47. Just sitting at a car charger outside Cardiff (before my onward journey back to Surrey…) following a lovely little Katy Hurt gig at Acapella Studios. What a lovely venue! First gig of the tour where we’ve had Cris join us on lap steel, guitar and mandolin, and Basschat royalty @Rich in attendance. We had a blast (common theme on this run of shows I’m pleased to say!) and made a lot of new friends I think. I still can’t sing in tune for more than about 3 notes. Shoes were black leather Chelsea boots today, v comfy but a bit slippy on the stage carpet 😀
    17 points
  48. We were back at the Horse & Jockey in Lanark on Friday. We've had a wee glut of gigs recently but I've not really been in the zone with everything else going on in life at the moment. But I really enjoyed this one. Tiny wee performance area, but not as bad as last time as this time we played as a four piece (parted ways amicably with previous guitarist, his job and shifts meant we couldn't rehearse till after 10pm and he would have to take holidays for Friday gigs - new guitarist getting up to speed). I brought my bass cabs as have been struggling a bit to get the bass levels sorted through the PA. Made a massive difference and I felt much more connected to the band. I thought we played really well, even had dancers up in the first set, unheard of! Had to cut things a little short as our drummer was feeling very dodgy after a suspect sausage supper pre-gig, poor guy. Gear was Fender Player Jazz, HX Stomp based pedalboard, Aguilar Tonehammer and Markbass NY121 cabs. Very happy with my sound.
    17 points
  49. Gig last night, a wedding. I am not generally a great fan of weddings, but they do pay well and many of them have been great. Normally it is a pain to load in and out while they are doing speeches etc. This one we had a little flap at the back of the tent to load in, but luckily it was just me and the drummer so loading in wasn't too bad, the guitarist came later once we had everything in. Quietly got everything loaded through the various speeches. For some reason the X-Control wasn't working - I know it wasnt the X18 or the router as I had wireless, but swapping cables didn't work. In the end the singer found if he started it holding the ethernet cable up, it worked. Time for some new ethernet cables! They had changed their mind about the first dance song, and wanted something to dance with everyone with, but didn't have an opinion what, so we went for 'saw her standing there' as it is generally love based and we can't normally play it as the drummers dad always wants to sing it, and he is at all of our public gigs, it went down a storm. So everyone danced for 5 or 6 songs and then went out of the tent - it had been raining for a while and suddenly got nice. So it was largely an empty tent for most of the first half until obviously 2 songs before the half time, when everyone came back in and danced. we extended a few songs then had a break. Came back in and everyone had gone off again, half into the pub the marque was in the garden of and half outside, so we did half the set to one woman, who to be fair was enjoying it, and her other half came in later so there were two of them. Towards about half an hour before the end, a large group came in and started dancing and enjoying it and then inevitably everyone was in for the last 2 songs and after the landlord gave us a hard '1 more song' and we did that song, were all shouting for more songs. As usual. Then as we broke down, or trying to, a couple of the guys were trying to set up a silent disco, which involved lots of them standing in the way while we were trying to break down and making it really slow. It was ok but I am not a fan of weddings!
    17 points
  50. Played a late afternoon gig in Methil yesterday with Blockbustarz Glam band. Ticket sales not great with only 50 sold but with a few walk ins we had a decent enough audience. Not the most enthusiastic but they dance from early on and we had the dance floor filled on several occasions with the floor shouting for more songs at the end. Started 4pm and finished 6:30pm with a 20min break in middle. According to club they are seeing less custom at the moment and last week they put a free band on and the place was empty so not good news. Not sure what's going on there but hopefully they get to grips with it. When we mentioned the Xmas gig on 14the Dec the organiser said it wasn't in his diary but he'll double check and get back to us. We'll give it a week and if nothing from him we'll take another booking. We had to refuse 3 other enquiries for Dec gigs so should manage to fill it. Another club in the next village have been looking to get in on the Glam thing too so who knows. Used the Sandberg VM4, Shure wireless, Keeley Bassist comp and into Handbox WB-100 and the new Barefaced 212 cab. This was the cabs first proper trial as it was a large club with no PA support and it worked a treat. I could hear the cab no matter where i stood on the stage. Hollow stage so the bass does boom a bit even on a gramma pad. The Barefaced cab sounds very similar to my Mesa rig with the Mesa 210 giving it slightly more mid focus but not a lot in it. The tone with an all valve head is just sublime. The fact its a one hand lift with a single cab to a gig makes it worthwhile for me. The one big change to my sound has been dropping the VM4 pick up height a touch. When i was digging in i was getting more distortion than i liked and i have never really been able to nail the issue. Changed amps, cabs but wasn't sure. Using the Barefaced cab which is 1000W confirmed it was more down to the bass. The gig last night proved it has been the bass all along. I tweaked it during the week and its now perfect with some distortion when i really dig in hard. On a more personal note we decided to hit the local McD's and had a Big Mac Meal and i'm still searching for the meat. Apparently 2 burgers in it and i couldn't taste meat anywhere. The cheese slice was thicker than the burgers and the roll was twice the diameter of the burgers. Won't be buying that again. Seriously reckon the burgers were 3" diameter and about 1/8th inch thick. (That's 75mm and approx 3mm for the younger generation) Next week is a new venue for us in Camelon, Falkirk. 2 weeks later we are in Camelon again at our regular venue for a birthday party. Dave
    17 points
×
×
  • Create New...