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I wish i'd seen this thread earlier, i've just come back from a music shop where the first thing i did was light up my trusty crack pipe, then I started morris dancing, and in the excitement i shät myself, and with all the energetic morris dancing it sprayed all over the equipment in the shop. When the staff tried to stop me, they took me by surprise and I accidentally assaulted them by throwing excrement at them. It all worked out in the end though because I apologised and purchased 1 used plectrum for 9p.

After acquiring and really liking the Mesa Subway Preamp pedal, I decided I would like to buy a Poweramp - ideally small - to give me a small but powerful gigging set Ultimately ended up buying this: GSS Sumo 1000 Thus far I am blown away by the size and power. My Mesa MPulse 600 is a very loud amp, the Subway/Sumo combo is easily as loud whilst giving me the Mesa tone I like at a fraction of the weight. Pretty good on “girth” too! Still needs lots of road testing etc, but so far so good!

...and I've just played Streets of London with Ralph McTell. Just him, me, and a choir. It was gorgeous.

Cheers! Here's a few more I took later yesterday. A shot from my stage position Some flightcase porn (this is only a tiny part of it!) The backstage village (basically, the producer needs all the cast members to be in this area at all times. It has to run like clockwork) One of the millions of camera shooting it. There's cameras everywhere, and GoPros all over the stage Alan Clark, a fantastic keyboard genius who I'm sharing a riser with. In April he's being inducted into the R'n'R hall of fame with the rest of Dire Straits. An today is showday!

Definition: Bass Bash is a term used for a day hiding from your so-called loved ones (family) to spend with your true love ones (instruments) and other like minded individuals in a secret location known only to those who play the aforementioned gear and frequent these forums. There are the odd exceptions, Happy Jack/ Bluejay, Grangur and Mrs Grangur, and Silverfoxnik & Hamster whose lovely wives (only one each) support these events with copious cups of tea and cakes. However, normally they are populated by sad old gits who want to talk about a subject (The Bass guitar and equipment) that no other band member or "normal" member of society can even bear to. Along with the attendees, you will find some beautiful examples of the luthiers' art which are available for the aforementioned sad old gits to try and discuss at their leisure. Other features of Bass Bashes are seminars and gear trials, (seemingly) never ending Raffles, and of course a great review by our own Bluejay which is generally better than the event itself. Stay tuned to the "Events" thread for details of your next/nearest one.

Here’s a murky shot of playing Video Killed The Radio Star with Trevor Bloody Horn :-D

Squire are one of the worst brands available these days. It's a real shame. Then again, how can one be surprised, them trying to cash in on almost copying the name of a really good competitor (Squier). I hope bankruptcy will be their fate.

I refuse to play anything unless they provide me with a music stand.

Funnily enough it’ll have a maple top with transparent coloured finish probably so your suggestion is bang on where I was headed! Builder? Maruszczyk

Thanks again for all your get well messages, I’m very grateful. i have a hospital appointment tomorrow to assess the damage. Hoping the doctor will have some good news for me.

Always fancied one of these...

A few pics from a couple of years ago just to give a little taste of the SE BassBash. Me and the lovely Herbie, the main rig room, John Rhino Edwards from the Quo trying my bass and John Bentley from Squeeze giving a talk and playing some. Sadly I was too ill to attend last years!

Did anyone mention cake?

Best bass hang out ever, bassically (see what I did there). A chance to do all the things you mention... ogle and try out gear you’d never find in one place anywhere else, jam if you want to (I’ve never actually got round to that), meet other BCers in the real world, chat, listen to interesting and varied seminars if you want to... I first went three years ago, ostensibly because Silverfoxnik asked me to do a talk on Wal basses. It’s been a fixture in my diary ever since. Great bass day out. The second year I went Herbie Flowers was chatting - I wasn’t to miss that! John from Squeeze was fascinating. Last year was Davey Rimmer from Uriah Heap. I’ve no interest in the band but it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on playing and stepping into big shoes like John Wetton’s and Trevor Bolder’s. Steve Lawson was random, philosophical and amazing too. For a flavour you could do much worse than checking out Bluejay’s excellent photo blogs on the Bashes... https://silviabluejay.blog/2015/10/05/basschat-south-east-bash-2015/ https://silviabluejay.blog/2016/10/05/basschat-se-bash-2016/ https://silviabluejay.blog/2017/12/08/basschat-se-bash-2017/ Basically, get it in your diary and I doubt you'll regret it.

I'm part-way through a big long epic of a day today - more of the stars have arrived, so we're working though the tunes with them at various allotted time-slots. It's a huge production and logistical operation, with a massive crew - the band are just one cog in the wheel. Every song has to be rehearsed for lighting, camera positions, VT cues, walk-on choreography... if one part isn't right, we do it again! Like I say, I can't give anything away, but I've had a couple of OMG moments today... and I get to do it again - for real - tomorrow. Get in :-) Here's some arty shots I took during stolen moments...

I swapped out my Roswell pickup for a Henning one, although the Roswell sounded fine: reminds me must put it up for sale in the For Sale section.

I used to play this with a former band and that isolated track is pretty much it. Ii think I added a couple of extra notes in the little twiddly bit at 5:30 or so in but everything else was how I did it. Except I play with a pick, so the feel is a bit different.

I just got a new hb pb50. I owned the old one with Wilkinson pup, the new pb50 with Roswell pup sounds better. Output is around the same, but the larger poles on the Roswell pup give a more vintage sound, which I like.

Bankruptcy in the US doesn't necessarily mean the end of the line. If Gibson file for Chapter 11 they'll be protected from their creditors while they restructure the business, which could include selling off some of their subsidiaries and intellectual property rights from companies which they've acquired and ultimately wound up. It also allows them to seek new finance. Even if restructuring fails and no new finance is available then the creditors have the option of acquiring the company and it's assets in lieu of the debt. The chances are in that scenario the debtors would attempt to sell the Gibson brand and production facilities to a third party who could then acquire them without taking on the current debt. Even if Gibson has to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which basically means the complete liquidation of all assets, the brand and production facilities would still likely be sold as part of that process. Gibson may be doomed in it's current form but I'd put money on the brand and the classic designs being in production, one way or another, for a very long time to come.

Yeah, bummer. Never mind, I was so chuffed with the sound of the three strings that I did fit, I've just ordered up a new set They really do sound close to that deep, warm acoustic double bass. A bit tricky to play mind!

Fewer student guitar players? That doesn’t bode well for bass only manufacturers then, not that I think that’s correct. I was only talking to someone on Friday about my experiences at university. I graduated in 2015, I was one of only 12 bass players in my year. We were easily outnumbered 4:1 by the guitarists. I think with Gibson it’s maybe more to do with their pricing point, quality control and models etc. I’ve never ever played a Gibson bass, I don’t think I can even name a particular model or a bass player who uses Gibson. That’s more me though. Other major builders have lots of models of both guitars and basses, basically a model of guitar or bass to suit the divergence of music that’s played nowadays, and to suit different people's budgets. Take Ibanez for example. They make fabulous basses, a student of mine plays a 6 string bass that he bought new for a ridiculous price, and the quality is amazing. They also make tremendous pro quality instruments that are equal to most custom instruments. It’s not all just blues and rock n roll afterall.

And here is an alternate opinion on flats! I was not a fan of the tension on the flats, so I would plump for LaBella flats, the white tapes are awesome, even the black Deep talking bass ones. i can’t Argue with @TJ Spicer too much, he is in the south west of England like me and we are always right down here!

As said above, there are many variables other than the wood and it is hard to predict how much and what contributions the wood would bring to the end result. I'd personally choose alder with a fancy top FYI, Roger Sadowsky has a great article about his experiences with the main tonewoods and their combinations. https://www.sadowsky.com/wood-and-sound-in-amplified-guitars-and-basses/

I'm sure not I think with my builds, fate has ample opportunity to do its worst whatever

I don’t think this is wholly out of place here:

Maybe so - but who wouldn't want to look at the Mona Lisa over and over again? I'll happily pay to see Bobby Vega / Steve Lawson and Guy Pratt 365 days a year!

I can fret it. Byl was my nickname when I was young. I made something like 10 instruments on order and wanted to start making that for a living, but after around 10 years of absolutely not earning money I stopped definitely. I was also making repairs for guitars, basses and amps (I was well known for my knowledge in tubes). I even made repairs for high end hi-fi shops but fortunately (according to their retail price) they don't get out of use that often except for CD players. I used to work for the local shops and even for some other luthiers for their electronics issues or their clients amps. When I stopped, everybody asked me why I did it. My answer was always the same : Being honest will not make you earn your life and some of you still owe me a lot of money ! End of the (sadly usual) story.

I’d love a Chapperell 12 string or a 4 string Scarab, just to pretend I’m Jeff Ament and Rick Savage respectively 😎

Check out YouTube, there are a couple of vids on there where a guy is plucking strings while moving a pup up and down the body from bridge to neck and even sideways just for good measure. Very interesting.

A high gloss oil probably

I usually play different stuff to see how the bass responds, so some double-stops up the dusty end and also seeing how comfortable the bass is to play. They never have straps on them, which I find annoying cos I rarely play sat down. Last time I tried a bass in a shop I played Pump it Up by Elvis Costello over and over and got some funny looks from the sales guy. I then found the same bass cheaper and with a hard case on eBay and bought it (I know, I'm going to hell just for that).

I've still got my US Jazz, but I wouldn't buy another US bass... I think they've got a bit silly pricey, despite the obvious quality (obvious in mine, at least). I would absolutely consider buying a MIM... and I think PJs are the future. PS... Karfler... love your crap mex.

Yup - all looking good! As you've described, that'll work for you. That will give you a perfectly serviceable setup - and it'll sound great.

Whenever I buy a car, I test drive it by first revving it as hard & long as I can, hoping that people notice me. Once I have their attention I attempt a doughnut manoeuvre I saw on YouTube (I stall quite a lot, but I think I look cool). It never occurs to me to check if the breaks, clutch, gears, lights work, or if the cars structure is sound...or, heaven forbid, it fits any practical needs. OK, so my cars never leave my garage (but no one in the showroom knows that, they all think I'm the Stig maaaaan)

Just back from the first soundcheck... so far, so good. Tomorrow's going to be a long shift: 9:30am to 9-30pm... ish.,

....well...actually, ...I know that it's not the same thing, but it kind of is. I have an old MIM Fender deluxe PJ from 1996, and despite being constantly told that it can't be good because it's a MIM, it really is a great bass in every way. If that bass is doing it for you then then why buy an expensive imitation?

Gently tip a small amount of baking soda into the E and A slots until you have about as much lift as you need. Then pour in a couple of drops of superglue and let it solidify. A surprisingly effective fix. Doesn't sound like it should work, but my chemist friend tells me that they combine to form a sort of basic cement.

I've always wondered why the flat part isn't removable and why tuners don't use a T spanner type thingy - like a football boot/golf shoe spanner. This would prevent accidental knocks. The drawback would be that you'd need to always carry the spanner and "quick tuning" for that slightly out of tune string would become a thing of the past. Seems I've found out why my idea has never taken off. Maybe there's something in what Essential Tension says..

Whilst I'm here, I find this to be an idea solution

Their "prize" was getting a record contract and getting to spend their lives making music. This is just one more thing to stick in their mansions for the maid to dust.

First rehearsal today - six hours' worth. It was loads of fun. The show's being shot for DVD, so everything has to be spot-on. We've got a week in the rehearsal hall, so we'll have the monitor mixes pretty much there by the weekend, so hopefully the check in the arena will mostly be tweaking stuff. The band is great.. the drummer's from Lindisfarne, the keyboard player's from Dire Straits, the other keyboard player and sax player are from The 1975's live band, the guitarist was a touring member of The Arctic Monkeys, and one of our vocalists sang on 'I Would Do Anything For Love' with Meat Loaf. And then there's me. I daren't pinch myself. Loads of pics here: https://www.sundayforsammy.org/sunday-for-sammy-2018-access-all-areas

I've had this since just before Christmas now. Went out trying to find a lightweight bass with five strings and 19mm spacing. Found this. There was no way I was going to spend over two grand on a bass. Sigh... Neck feels like what a five string Stingray should have been like if they'd done it properly. Ridiculous B string. Seems very simple but works perfectly.

Grade A plonker, don’t stress over it.

I'm another one seeing The Damned on tour, but for me it's Bristol. As much as I love Elvis and the Stones I try and keep up with some of these younger groups!

The Damned at Folkestone Leas Cliff, they’ve recruited the mighty Paul Gray back in for bass duties, listen to the black album there’s some great playing on that.

Nice review, I`ve been looking at these for a while. Never bought into the "woolly Ashdown" thing - if Bruce Foxton and JJ Burnell use them - and have seen/heard them do so - they have enough top-end. In fact seeing Bruce Foxton using an Ashdown stack a couple of weeks ago has made me start looking at Ashdown, just waiting for a retailer near enough to me to see if for one I like the RootMaster tone, and secondly if the cabs will fit in my car!