Leaderboard

I feel I just have to share, the excitement is growíng So, after 20 long months of waiting my Wal MK1 is finished and soon to be on the way. Update photo from Paul.

Hopefully the final prototype - first gig test tonight and then i'll make a couple more for further evaluation. Now uses microsuction tape to stick to the helix so will fit both versions and is removable / repositionable with no tape residue stuck on the helix. Screen is now 3mm thick (up from 2mm) and laser cut/engraved

Or if they want to sound like Tom Waits...

Turn your own out of offcuts. On my Nozcaster I cut the head of a coach bolt then screwed it into an offcut, fixed it into my pillar drill, then went at it with shinto rasp followed by various grades of sanding stick. By clamping an engineering set square to the base plate you can get quite a consistent radius

Cheers Al. Totally hear what you are saying, however this is a signature amp built for Geezer Butler.... Built precisely to what Geezer and his tech required with some input from us of course and the Slave Outputs were/are important to what they want. Nothing about the amp was specified down to 'felt like a good idea at the time' I promise. This was never a project to just stick an artists name on a load of existing amps and just take peoples money like one of our competitors in particular may have just done.... with that I guess they have to make the money back they are paying him somehow... ;-) Main point is that anyone buying a Head Of Doom is getting exactly the same amp as Geezer is using built by one of the same two people who built Geezers not a watered down version with his name on.

But the two aren't mutually exclusive - you can be "creative" AND know how to read music. One does not prevent the other from occurring.

Attended audition, passed audition. Didn't mention it in case I didnt get it! Very chuffed to get this one!

Hi I just had to vent my disappointment and frustration at the obvious lack of quality and care that occurred in 2002 when Rotosound produced the batch of RS66 strings that have been on my bass for the last 16 years. The A string broke on new year's eve!!! You can imagine how shocked I was at the obvious lack of longevity of the things these days. Its also meant I've had to clean the fret board eradicating a small but very important ecosystem that showed promising signs of world domination.

And that's exactly why I love 'em.

Second time I've done business with this gentleman, and he is just that, a gentleman for sure, Incredible patience shown, his gear is immaculate, his packaging for shipping is impeccable, and his communication is excellent, have no hesitation in dealing with this exemplary Basschatter, Mark

The only good thing is that a new set should sound just as dead and lifeless as a 16 year old set within two gigs

New transcription of Andy Rourke's great part on 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' - those double stops almost make listening to Morrissey bearable... The Smiths - 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' bass transcription There's also a new series on how to practise the bass, beginning with some thoughts on posture (blog post is HERE)

I've had Sadowsky Black Label Flats on my PJ for a couple of years now but took them off last week and put the original set of Blue Label rounds back on. Yesterday they came off again and the flats went back ready for last night's Jam. They sounded great the through the house band's rig, an old Peavey head and a Trace 4x10. They are staying on now, so yes I'm addicted. I also recently fitted a set of Labella 076 1954 Vintage flats to my '73 Precision but not had a chance to try them through a decent rig yet. That pleasure awaits.

Truth. Generally, if you’re prepared to have a civilised conversation with whoever’s on sound and are clearly not an idiot they’re generally prepared to accommodate.

Re the ‘you will our backline or else’ gigs, I had 3 or 4 of those last year, used my own kit every time. If it doesn’t need a truck to move it and your kit looks well maintained, you got there early, you’ve shaken the sound guy/ girls hand and learnt his name, even paid him/her a sincere compliment they seem to be fairly obliging.

Check some Fat Matress live with Reading on Gittard duties !!!!

That view down the neck from the end of the headstock is lovely. You know your curves young man. I like how neat your wiring is too.

Stunning looking guitar!!! Once again very jealous of the job you’ve done!!!

but now you can run a RAT cable between all your pedals! surely that's useful??... right?...

Wow, your wrist must be quite sore ... ... All those autographs to sign..!

That's just silly.

I'm hoping all that will stop. I sold off 3 over the build time in order to pay for this! I still have a couple, but have been trying to cut down. Lets see

There is no ebay in Japan. Only yahoo auctions. No one on there ships international so yku bid through.....www.jauce.com. This bass is a 77 lawsuit ere aria precise bass. I already have a standard p saw this and thought why not have a pj as well. They play very well.

Be under 30..? Oh dear. 'Making it'. What does that mean, anyway? Quite a few famous artists had a terrible time of it, really. My definition of 'making it' is not being poverty stricken, having somewhere warm and dry to live, food, drink and a loving family. Not very rock 'n' roll, I know. You can live fast, die young, do drugs, drink too much and be a rebel who plays by nobody's rules but your own if you like. Been there, done that (except for the dying young bit) - and it's highly overrated.

Yes, this is my experience too. It's why I like them so much. I thought I'd give EXPs a go; I do love my Elixirs but then again I always liked D'Add nickels, so the coated ones could be the best of both worlds..? No. One month in and the buggers are already as dead as Julius Caesar, and it's not like it's been a busy bloody month either. Back on the Elixirs for me.

so they were real idiots, not fake idiots?

My two pennorth: anybody with aspirations to be a professional musician in any capacity really ought to learn to read the dots if they possibly can. It's the language that musicians use to communicate with each other, and not being able to follow a part will put you at a distinct disadvantage in many work situations. Even for the more casual musician it's rarely a bad idea in and of itself. That said, it's not the be-all and end-all of being a musician (as some have claimed on these forums in the past). It's still perfectly possible to be good on your instrument, take your place in a working band or simply play for your own pleasure (which, after all, is what many members of this forum are doing if we're honest) without any real knowledge of notation. Tablature is a perfectly useable format that by the way has a long and distinguished history in it's own right (and not just for guitar and bass). In my time as a tutor, I would say that less than 20% of my students had any real need or desire to read notation. Maybe it says something about me and/or my students, but IME ramming it down the throat of somebody who has neither the need nor the inclination for it generally proves counterproductive.

And here it is 14 years later, sans pickup cover

Four different versions of the MM head? What a strange idea.

I have to agree, unfortunately. He always seemed as though he'd be much happier playing guitar and that bass wasn't his passion or his first instrument. From what I've read, this was likely true. His reputation is largely based on the recordings, and he wasn't always playing on them, IIRC.

And a little more progress...

Joined a ska band

Shving!

I hear you, brother:

Yes, depending on the PA of course. I was also wondering, whether in smaller venues (with smaller PA's) whether it could work the other way around? Perhaps with the low bass into a 1x15 cab, and the higher bass frequencies going into the house PA? Of course, that 1x15 cab would probably be the heavier option then.... Be interesting to experiment with doing this sort of stuff though, or from other Rick owners who've tried this sort of thing

The issue I've always had with Fender (and their counterparts) is reinvention of innovation. On the whole, the new* range is simply a re-churn of the same sixty year old designs; I would honestly love to know how many gazillion Precisions, Jazzes, Strats, Teles etc. Fender have sold since their 1950s inception as there must be millions in lofts, spare rooms, under beds and so on. *not strictly true.

I've done private functions for years in my previous band, some amazing and some quite underwhelming. What you need to remember is nobody has come just to see you, they are there for the event and the socializing. We used to find it rewarding when a corporate / professional kind of do which looked like it would be full of people not listening turned into a jolly event with a full dance floor. With my ELO tribute band we occasionally get asked to do private events, usually because the guy booking the entertainment is a massive ELO fan and doesn't understand that most of his audience won't be. At one such event we were asked by the punters to play Mustang Sally / Brown Eyed Girl etc and they didn't get why we didn't do them

Hi Spikey, and welcome to BC I've only ever played either my former Rick or my current Shaftesbury clone in Stereo mode at home... and that wasn't via a proper splitter - just using a stereo lead It did sound nice at home, but I didn't fancy carting two rigs around. (Mind you, these days I often carry a tiny spare head!) Could you think about taking one amp rig, and maybe putting the second signal into a PA? - perhaps via a D.I. or pre-amp pedal? Let us know how you get on with your live stereo experiments

You're a splendid person, such open handed sharing of so much hard work. Thank you.

I suspect we all sympathise with where you're coming from Big Red; but if it's the case that Ashdown now have (generally) fantastic and responsive customer service and from what you are saying it is a big improvement on what you experienced 7 or 8 years ago then that is something to be applauded and cheered, right?

Top fella! Purchased his old Fender 2x15 for a very reasonable cost. The cab was better than described and he was happy to oblige with the courier I organized. A true credit to this community - why aren't all ebay transactions like this!? Matt

Just as an addendum to this, despite Elixirs being on both basses for so long, they still retain a distinct brightness; they've never really gone off. I'd say there's a slight dropoff in zing that you get from any string really, but once that happens they remain stable for a very long time.