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No problem, a lot of others such as ABM 1200, Head Of Doom plus Funk Face and OriginAL DI are 100% uk built as well. All built by 2 people as sadly they are the only two we trust these days

All our valve amps 100w and upwards are 100% built by us on site at HQ in Essex, Always have been and all being well Always will be. Happy for anyone to come and visit and watch one being built(BUILT not ASSEMBLED) from start to finish

I bought a used Hipshot bridge. Had it a year before installing it. It has the teensiest tinest allen screws on the saddles. No allen key I had was small enough. I emailed Hipshot just asking what size allen key did I need, and they sent me out seven allen keys from the USA to Australia free of charge.

Take great care here. I would think it really is worth using headphones, otherwise it could become an ever escalating war of words/volumes with your neighbour, until you reach the point where your 'right' to make a noise becomes more important to you than the actual practising. Also, if you are an owner occupier you are legally obliged to declare any disputes with neighbours when you come to sell up and move on - and a poor history here can create major problems for you, regardless of whether the disputes were your 'fault' or not....................

Got it in one! When we were working on the 12XN Gen 3 models we also looked at replacing the '69er and Super Fifteen with some improved versions (using the same drivers) which we planned to called the Retro610 and Retro215. But then we ended up developing our 10CR driver which meant the new Six10 could also do the job of the 2x15" in terms of huge output in the lows (which the previous '69er wasn't so good at). Since 2008 we've made the following bass cabs (grouped in rough times they were launched): Compact, Big One, Vintage Midget, Super Twelve, Big Baby, Big Twin, Super Fifteen, Dubster '69er Super Midget, Super Compact, Super Twin, Big Baby 2, Big Twin 2 Six10, Two10 (these were briefly called the Retro Six10 and Retro Two10) One10, Eight10, Four10 The ones in bold are all still in production.

Five strings: I've tried, oh lordy have I tried to get on with them. But I don't Fretless bass guitars: (See above) Boutique or coffee table basses: Sometimes, the wood looks beautiful, but it just looks weird as a bass body. Complicated knob/toggle switch arrangements: I'm easily confused and all those micro-decisions would make me cry. Amps and Combos: I love my Genz Benz Contour rig so much, I can't imagine using anything else now. (I realise that this statement will probably bite me in the bum before the year is up...) Multiple effects pedals: Even my Zoom B3 seems like overkill in my current band. I loved having 9 or 10 pedals on a board, but it just became impractical, especially when you're playing in pubs with barely enough room to stand on both feet... So, to recap, by this time next year, I'll be playing a five string, fretless Fodera through a vintage Trace Elliot stack via a pedal board so large it has to have its own generator.

I've possibly posted this before - years ago I lived in an end terrace cottage. I got on ok with the adults, but the late teenage kid hated me (why?). One weekend, with the parents away, he mounted his stereo speakers on the adjoining wall and proceeded to turn the volume up. I tried to raise some reaction by knocking on the front door, but this onset was obviously deliberate............. I faced one of my sound system boxes against the party wall and played Count Ossie Mystic Revelation of Rastafari at about 100watts, set to 'repeat'.......... I went down the pub, until around chucking out time. .....I never had a moments problem from that day on.............. (yeah, I know, I'd probably be in loads of trouble if I did it now)

The Beastie Boys first album, License to Ill, samples Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, The Clash, Steve Miller Band, Kool and the Gang, Barry White, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Joan Jetty and the Blackhearts among others and completely changes the style the sampled music. Arguably changed the face of hip hop and is a bona-fide classic in its own right. I'd hope that people who don't like hip hop would agree that The Beastie Boys were not talentless oiks stealing other peoples music.

Just before Xmas I bought a set of Hipshots for my MIM Precision. The bass itself is great, but the tuners weren`t so, and as I`m going to be using this bass on a few overseas gigs this year (I ain`t flying with my US basses) wanted the tuners to be as good as I could get them. Reviews read, Hipshot HB7s ordered as a direct fit on MIMs. Except they weren`t, all screw-holes lined up ok, but the supplied ferrules/bushes were too small, and the Hipshot tuning pegs rattled in the Fender ones. So I e-mailed Hipshot asking where I could purchase a set of these, and they said just send us your address and we`ll put a set out to you, no charge. Received them today, fit like a glove. Quality customer service imo, so a big thumbs up to them. And have to say, the tuners are a real quality bit of kit, much smoother than the stock Fender ones.

A few thoughts: * It is suggested that the neighbour has downsized from a larger house, argues with her teenage son, is difficult and has 'mental issues'. Sounds like a bad divorce to me and this should be taken into account. I would avoid 'retaliating' with one's amp or going round to complain while any argument is taking place. This will exacerbate matters. * Getting on with one's neighbours is more important than the difference between headphones and an amp. Bad relations are far more sapping than any fleeting loss of engagement with one's instrument. A good neighbour is to be treasured. * Practicing un-amplified does not impede one's progress. It's less fun than playing through an amp but that's not the point of practice. * I once lived immediately next door to a slightly angry and bewildered teenage bass player who practiced through an amp. Speaking from bitter experience I can report that there is little worse than fragmented passages, muffed notes and repetitious whomping on E. I imagine that non-musicians would find this sort of thing even more debilitating.

I'm lucky with my neighbours. Technically we are detached, but due to various extensions built over the years there's about 1 inch between. A few years ago Neighbour 1 was having trouble with his teenage daughter. He was embarrassed about the music noise. She had her window open and was blasting Cypress Hill out. I said I reckon I could stop it with 1 conversation with her. I saw her later. Told her I approved of her music. She was surprised I had heard of Cypress Hill (!) I told her they were one of my favourites. And then I started to rap Insane in the Membrane at full volume in the street. With dance moves. 10 seconds later she was running away from the greying middle aged man rapping outside her house. Job done.

Invite her in. Show her your bass. Open a bottle of wine.

Be accommodating, but when the next screaming match happens knock on her door and request the same from her.

A cynical ploy by the artist, her record label and publisher to generate publicity and get more people to listen to the song and therefore make up for the loss of royalties that will ultimately happen when this matter is finally settled?

In my opinion, it's not just a question of how long the note lasts (sustain), it's also a question of what it sounds like. To my ears, basses that won't sustain a note well sound different (and worse) than ones that will. There is less richness and interest to the note, presumably because the mechanism that is sucking out energy and shortening the note is also sucking out harmonics.

After quitting Think Lizzy I planned on moving my Limelight 60's.70's P-bass replica along...just didn't think it would be quite so quick. So, one trade later, I now have another T'bird. Played it at last night's rehearsal and positive comments from everyone re the sound and how it just fitted with the band better. It has a neck profile that just suits my ham-firsted rock 'n' roll way of playing - I love it! Anyway, as per the rules, photos or it didn't happen.

Haven't heard that one before, haha! Thanks! I've recently recorded a video with the pickup panned to the neck so you get a thumpier Precision sound without the Jazz bite.

As said a long way up the thread - why would you not value sustain? Ok my first (and still favourite) bass has exceptional sustain, and so I most naturally play that way - but I can play a controlled staccato by damping when it's wanted, or let a note ring for two or even three bars when that sounds right. I can play an open string and let it ring as a drone while I develop the line on the other strings. I can hold a single root note for each bar through a frenetic lead guitar solo so I'm just anchoring it and not distracting from it. I can run a slow gentle bassline through a blues or folk ballad and keep in that groove. When I play my son's super new MIA Fender P I just feel frustrated, the notes die so quickly that I don't have the range of expressive options I'm used to. Fair enough if you're just playing punchy rock'n'roll, but much beyond that, sustain opens up so many musical options, how could you not want it? All imho of course :-)

Can't believe someone's posted this to be honest, back in my day these albums were like gold dust. I dare you not to grab your bass and start jamming to this as soon as you hear it.

oh, she does sound high maintenance...

An aluminium necked Kramer that I found in Mamelok's on Deansgate in Manchester back in about 1980. I can't remember the model bass but I loved the split headstock, it sounded good and I was more than ready to upgrade from my Columbus jazz bass copy. Rather than buy the Kramer I bought an engagement ring that cost exactly the same as the bass (... and we're no longer a couple). Some years later, and from the same shop, I bought myself a Westone Spectrum LX bass (with interchangeable fretted and fretless necks); it's a great bass and I still have it but I'd still like to own a Kramer!

May I offer up an adjoining wall, a dart board and some inconsistent speed of arithmetic . Absolute torture

That album also featured cut-ups of recordings of fairground music, steam calliopes etc. And other ground-breaking tape effects.

Anyone who says using samples to create new tracks doesn't take skill and massive amounts of talent are pretty clueless really. They need to sit down and listen to stuff created by The Bomb Squad, The Dust Brothers, Pop Will Eat Itself, vast chunks of The Prodigy are manipulated samples. Whether you like it or not it takes a lot of skill to piece together tracks like they do...

Cab lighting is good, but you need it ti change colour and sync to the beat. Oh you also need the drum kit to be decked out the same. and, erm the front half of a mini...

I wouldn't go that far. But I would say that playing amplified to the point where you couldn't simultaneously listen to a TV show might be.

😭😭😭

Keep a log - it may help in the even of escalation, and also will probably show that the pattern of complaint relates more to your neighbours disposition than your activities. But also, do not hesitate when their noise becomes intrusive to your family and lifestyle. Think about where the amp is (off the floor is a great start) and also where any voids like chimneys can be adding a resonance to your sound. best of luck

"Sampling.. but is it proper music making etc?" Yes. Next!

Roll some bottom end off the amp. Good neighbours are worth having.

Although short scale instruments appear less often, have a look at the second hand, lefty section of the Marketplace Lefties for Sale or have a chat with Affiliate @Chownybass who specialises in short scale. There was one of his basses for sale in the lefty section above, but it's gone.

It’s not just his music. His work/studio engagements with other artists before leading his own band, is quite remarkable. If you have a day to spare, check out his credits... http://www.marcusmiller.com/music/discography/

The specs are very similar, but the new HD series has more punch on the lows. Compared to the regular HyDrive cabinet, the HD are warmer, but keeps the same middle and treble of the previous one. Right now I set both cabs (the same in the video) with full HF driver and it sounds just great because the other frequencies are well balanced.

I've just run an update on the stickynotes and now it all works on mobile

Who knows - i find the site confusing

Great minds think alike! 💩

I like it when I hear BCers blowing the trumpet for good service...Big up the good guys I say!

Not managed to get too much done in the last week or so but I have done the following: 1. Fitted the logo 2. Fitted the machine heads (one of the holes was marginally out of line - about a mm but I'm picky so I filled it and re-drilled. Much better now!) 3. Drilled the holes for the neck screws. The other job that need doing was mounting the bridge. The bridge I'm using has no left to right adjustment so it has to be in the right place of the strings will be out of line and there will be no way to fixt it. So measure. measure again, and again and again..... I marked up where it needed to go with tape and used some string so I could check the position of the strings. I made a couple of templates for the bridge and set to work... The bridge fits quire snugly and neatly. Access to the screws for intonation might be a little restricted but once set should be fine. I put it all back together and thankfully the strings are where I want them!!

Bass bashes are very relaxed events - this one especially! Ability and experience makes no difference neither does gear, nobody judges. Folk take all sorts of gear to these events and it is a great opportunity to try out different kit and stuff you don't often see in normal music shops. This bash also has the bonus of great food - not to be missed! If it is close to you then come along - I'm sure you will enjoy it. Cheers, Jez

Nothing special... Big, ugly, loud. Like my bass rig!

Pleasant to deal with and pickup was well packaged. Haven't tried it out yet but I have no doubt it will be excellent.

My current crop

Happy to recommend Sean, he was a pleasure to deal with and very prompt with posting.

So the PA outfront - people seeing a gig is usually an isolated event where if they are uncomfortable with the volume, should be standing further back. Most gigs are too loud anyway and will cause permanent hearing damage.... but you can always take earplugs... but again, that isnt rock and roll is it? When playing regularly in a band, this problem is compounded further as despite what the literature says, playing with earplugs doesn't attenuate across the frequency range like one big volume knob... so a lot of people still play without them. Standing next to a drum kit with loads of splashy cymbals and amps running flat out is also going to play havoc with your hearing. Buy hey, as long as it's flapping those trousers, all is good. Here's the rub - those amps running loud are going to bleed absolutely everywhere... straight into the mics, muddying up the mix somewhat rotten. That will make the band sound worse out front. Everybody knows, whether you are in the studio, or live, mic bleed is not a sound mans friend. Similarly, running amps so loud you can hear them over the PA is equally frustrating, as you can't get a good mix and you can't get a good balance between the left and right speakers because those loud guitar amps are highly directional. Pity the guy in the audience who is getting blasted by it. Pity the guy who has come to the gig and is off axis to the guitar amp and can't hear the guitar. Yes, the sound guy could put more of it through the PA... but then poor guy getting blasted is now getting full on assaulted and everybody is questioning whether the sound guy is deaf because there is so much guitar in the mix. You yourself have stated that bleed into mics (from the cymbals etc) is a problem. It is - so by having the onstage volumes more quiet alleviates this. Yes, I know you are going to say that it's just not rock and roll to not be smashing seven shades of sh** out of a kit... but you should be playing for your audience... not for self indulgence. Your band will sound better with a smaller / less loud kit and darker cymbals to avoid all the shrillness coming over the cymbals. Will make your vocal sound infinitely better too. So lets talk in ears. Which inears were you using? When I am talking about inears, I talk of inears that give you 26db attenuation - much more than your typical 17db attenuation that you typically get from ear plugs. Note - 17 to 26dB is a big amount. 26 is like putting your fingers deep into your ear holes. If you had to turn your inears up so loud, I guarantee that you did not have a good seal on them. If you did, you can do a gig on inears at whisper volumes. Fact. Standing 1 metre or 1 mile from the drum kit will make no difference when the band is playing because the isolation provided by the inears means you can't hear the ambient drums with any clarity or volume. So when you say the snare is too loud in your ears, it's because it's too loud in the mix being supplied to your inears... not because you are standing too close to the drums. If this indeed the case, I know everything I need to know about your IEMs. They either don't provide any serious attenuation or they are a poor fit. This isn't my opinion. This is fact. Theres guys out there using IEMs in tiny venues every day - and it's arguably better to use them in those type of venues than the stadiums because you will be usually standing a lot close to the drums due to the reduced stage areas. So you tried the Helix instore? I'm glad you had that time to learn the system intimately in order to form a good opinion on how it can work for you. I guarantee that the store would have set it up in it's optimum setting and nobody had messed around with the presets or anything like that too. Likewise, I'm sure your rock and roll ears are a good medium to draw such statements. Should also point out that modelling from the Pod and Eleven Rack is very, very old and not in the same category as the modern offerings from the main players, Helix, Kemper and Axe FX. If I was to blind test you with a Kemper, there is zero chance that you'd be able to tell the difference between the two... even with your golden ears. This isn't me saying this... this is the industry. These great bass players that you talk of - most of them don't. They have roadies. On theatre shows, they will have carriage (this in particular will determine what they choose to use - the truth is, they'll use what ever is the least hassle - they won't even care if it sounds any good or not most of the time). And again, a lot of the time, it's stage dressing... because the audience want to see something on stage, even if the sound isn't coming from it. A lot of these great players ARE using modellers - because they can take their rig with them on a USB stick. It makes it more consistent when the hire stock hasn't got your amp and cab of choice. What you have to remember also, is that a lot of these guys are using the gear because they are either endorsed to do so, ego driven because they want to see their image in the bass rags or because they are dinosaurs. As I've stated, theres nothing wrong with dino gear... but things can be done differently. There is a load of backlash against inears and modellers... and as demonstrated by yourself, those opinions are usually strongest from the people who haven't tried the gear properly. Your inears experience is typical - using the buds you got free with your phone does not count as trying inears in anger. I, along with a load of other guys have been the dinosaurs.... and thats cool... because modelling was pants compared to where it is now. But I kept my eye on the modelling market as I knew that if they got it nailed, thats where we should be... in terms of tone and portability... and safety to our own ears. Im sorry that dinosaurs are insulted by such a label. I kinda get fed up of being called a sound geek. Ah well, this is the snowflakeosaurus generation after all. Right, I'm going to find a corner to cry in because I think somebody accused me of not knowing sh**.

Last night's practice rig.