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Thank you to everyone that came down to to say hi at the SBL Masterclass stage - it was an incredible (and somewhat overwhelming) weekend. The masterclasses were awesome (Bobby, Rich and Mo were outrageous!), and i enjoyed checking out some of the stands in the little time I had away from the boss! After this years show, I'm going to try and make a point of heading down to some of the bass bashes, so please keep me in the loop as to when and where they're happening! It was so lovely to meet so many faces, chat equipment, lessons and progress! Thanks to all those involved... Phil.x

Jamerson's supernatural playing on "What's Goin' On?" and "For Once In My Life" alone are enough to make him a total genius, and that's all I need to know.

I left a band once after a blazing row at the rehearsal rooms in the coffee machine area, stormed off back into the room, packed my kit...and then had to go back and ask for a hand getting my Ampeg 810 up the stairs and into my car. This is why lightweight cabs are the way forward...Flouncing Ability is an often-overlooked plus point...

If you fancy doing a recording - it would be just GREAT to hear you playing the same track on your Model T, your Fender P, your Maruszczyk Jake P/JJ and your Stingray so we get to hear an A/B of the four basses. If you mange to upload something on YouTube as a Bass Shoot Out even better - I suspect you'll get a fair few hits (although not as many as the young lass playing a Yammy BB2024 on the Yammy thread ) PS love the candid honest review you posted above. So much more useful than the not uncommon "I've just got the best thing since sliced bread review...ooops I've since moved it on 'cos I've discovered croissants taste nicer."

I'd just like to call attention to the splendid effort and dedication to detail displayed by our colleague The Skank. Keeping up to date with such a plethora of images appropriate for almost every occasion is no mean feat, and should not go unrecognised. Please rise, then, and as one, applaud our graphic hero with gusto and enthusiasm. Here's to you then, Skank, Master of the Matching Cliché.

Well... I've got the bass. Today I was home at 4pm from work (today it was a very early start but literally 4min away from home, so it was nice to be home before the traffic even really got seriously bad). It was doubly nice as I had arranged online to have the bass stay at the depot and for me to collect it. I received a confirmation with a note stating that they were open until 8pm and that if not collected today it'd be sent back. Well, they attempted to deliver anyway, and ended up leaving it with a neighbout. UKMAIL... I can't tell you just how many times you've failed me like this in the past... at least this time they actually left it somewhere I could get to it quickly, so l was lucky, but I'd have been really annoyed to go to the depot (13 miles away) to find they again said one thing but did another... Anyway... I got it out. I haven't weighed it but it's not heavy, which is a good thing. It does look as nice as in the photographs... or better. Mine has a very nice grain and I love the tint in person, very nice and warm. It had a rather high action for my liking, so before I even plugged it in I changed that. I had to lower the saddles quite a bit and tweak the truss rod more than I expected... so I was worried the high action was hiding uneven fretwork... but nope, I got it really nice and low and it looks like the frets are all nice and even, the nut is well cut, and it's a very nice neck to play. Pretty shallow profile. Then I plug it in, with the preamp (Bass/Treble) set at the centre detent which I assume is flat, and both pickups on (blend control set at the middle) And it's ok. Not great, not bad. OK. I'm very underwhelmed here, especially after all the anticipation. There's some funky harsh midrange going on that I am not loving, especially slapped. Bass end of the P pickup was a bit too overpowering, perhaps due to my lowering the strings? I bring that side down a bit and things get better... but it's not a lovely tone. The bridge pickup... reminded me of why I didn't like a 75RI Jazz bass I had, which was equipped with a set of EMG J. They really are not my thing, and boosting bass a bit doesn't really make it thick enough, it still sounds way too clean for my liking with a lot of top end and some added low end on top... The neck pickup... hmm. Ok, I actually like the neck pickup a bit more. It's aggressive, and it has that mid-growl that I love on Precisions... but it's still a little 'unrefined'... so I turn down the treble a bit. NOW we are starting to get somewhere. This bass comes with Ernie Ball nickels 45-105. They are not high tension, but when I use these strings I prefer their 45-100 set and only really after I've played them a bit. I really dislike the brightness they have when new. I generally hate new strings. I don't want them dead, but I struggle when I change strings until they are tamed a bit. So here we have a bass with strings brighter than I like, and pickups that are probably brighter, or at least with an extended top end compared to what I prefer... so not the best combination to impress me on a "first date". I played a little more, turning down treble almost to max, and it is nicer but I'm not fully feeling it. I miss having a semiparametric mids control... the treble frequency is quite well chosen so when I cut it works the way I want it although it doesn't cut quite enough. The bass... I don't really feel like adding or removing. I wish it had a passive pone control and a semiparametric mids control instead. At this point I look at it, put it down, and go away to do something else. I'm thinking that I should be very careful with it, not mark it in any way, because there's a good chance this bass will be returned: it is a perfectly fine bass... but I'm not really loving it and I don't see myself using it that much after the "novelty" wears off. ... I'm pretty much sure that I will return it. But I decide to give myself until Monday to make up my mind (it just leaves me tonight and Wednesday night, and Sunday night, as I'm busy the rest of the time). ... Then I have another go, after I've eaten. This time, crucially, I'm using backing tracks (some random funk/rock/reggae ones I find on youtube, as well as stuff from my own band). And now things start sounding better. About an hour and a half later... I'm leaning towards keeping it, but I'm still 100% sure. These are my thoughts at the moment: The bass feels very nice, the neck is just my kind of neck (I could do wider, but it's wide enough and it's shallow so it doesn't feel chunky but it's got "meat"). Cosmetically and physically I have no issues here. It's not the lightest bass but it's not a heavy bass at all, probably a bit lighter than my Stingray. The preamp... I'm not a big fan of. The stacked knobs don't feel that great, a bit 'gritty' even if the operation is noise-free. The treble is just right in terms of the frequency centre that I like to cut, especially with new strings. I wish it cut cut a bit more than it does. The bass... seems a bit lower than I'd like... but then that's usually how I feel with most preamps. I miss having control over the mids. I'm used to the John East mids module, or the 2-band Stingray preamp which after years of use I instinctively know how to set so that I get the sound I want. This preamp doesn't seem as interactive as the Stingray one, but there's still some degree if interaction and I'm not yet familiar with it. As it is, I still would like to have a bit more control on the mids... and if this bass was to stay, I can see replacing the preamp in the future for a John East mids module, and using a passive tone control. But not in a hurry. I'd imagine most people would be more than happy with the EMG preamp, I think it's just me being almost obsessed by the John East preamps, of which I have a few :D) The pickups... I still don't love the Jazz bridge. It's too clean and thin and I can't thicken it the way I want by adding bass to it the way I can on a J-Retro preamp with any other standard Jazz pickups I've tried. However... with both pickups on, you get a nice sound, with a bit more midrange than usual for a P/J combo but still somewhat scooped... but here is where the blend knob comes handy: just turn it a bit towards the bridge... and you gain clarity very nicely, still sounding fat and punchy. For THAT reason alone, the EMG Jazz deserves to stay. I'd never use it on its own, but it allows me to control the midrange when using both pickups, and it's what makes me not too worried about keeping it stock. It's a sound that on its own wasn't that nice.... but when playing along to backing tracks it started to make me smile. It sits very well in the mix, but it still has a nice presence. The EMG P pickup... now, this is a LOVELY sound. It's not a traditional vintage Precision type of sound at all... but it still sounds like a Precision, and it has that low midrange growl... hmmm... This is a very good sound! No more to add... it's just a really good Precision sound. Aggressive, but taming the top end just sounds incredible. In the mix it sounds really really good. Powerful, strong presence, but not overpowering. It's the EMG P that probably swayed me the most towards keeping it. I'd probably use this bass as a Precision most of the time, and sometimes with both pickups on. But it makes me wonder... what if I just put an EMG P into my cheap but lovely to play Squier Mike Dirnt Precision? I suspect I'd end up with something I really like, and save a bunch of money. So, is it really worth it? Should I keep the Model T? I'm not sure. It will not replace my Classic 50s Fender Precision, because this one has THE classic Precision sound. It will not replace my passive Maruszczyk Jake P/JJ, because this one has righteous funk and reggae sounds and the JJ pickup at the bridge is a very useful sound by itself... although it doesn't do very well the classic Precision sound. But the EMG P on the Model T is completely grin-inducing once I tamed the treble a bit. I think once I put a set of stainless steel DR Fat Beams, and let them get 'funky' for a couple of months, the Model T could sound pretty awesome. But... the tonal adjustments onboard are not my favourite options, and I'll never know 100% until I use my preferred strings for a bit... Some argue that if you say "this bass is great but... " and then start saying how you'd shape its sound with EQ etc, that it's probably not a 'keeper' bass. And in my experience, the basses that are surviving any culls are the ones that felt and sounded right from the start, regardless whether the strings were my favourite, new or old... It just seems that £700+ may be a little too much for an instrument that doesn't completely floor me (as nice as it is) when I really do not have a need for a bass like that right now. So... I'll retire and meditate for a bit, then play some more... and see how I fee in a couple of days.

Looking back over 40 years-worth of drummers it's clear that the softly-softly approach is a complete waste of energy. However nicely one puts it, drummers always get the hump. This being the case, I have eschewed diplomacy and now adopt a more robust approach e.g. 'Play it like that again and I'll f**king kill you stone dead on the spot. Savvy?' OK, they still quit the band but it saves time on all the pussyfooting around.

Well, he used the same argument about his lead so I got him a very early prototype wireless unit and he still did it after every song. Bow, kick, bow, kick, bow, kick. Only years later did I come to realise that the foot thing was a sort of nervous reaction born of low self-esteem and stress. By then, of course, it was too late to do anything other than pen a fulsome apology and stick it in the post. Months went by and I'd heard nothing so I wrote him another letter and was promptly slapped with a restraining order. My wife of the time (a Japanese lady artist) insisted that it was all his fault anyway and I was much more talented so I left her, sh@gged my PA, got drunk for years and eventually took four bullets off a nutter. That's showbiz for you.

Only when he was pretending to be Carol Kaye on all those Beach Boys albums.

And I regret selling it to you

Yeh! Well spotted Dood! I thought it didnt look quite like a standard bridge. More a thicker/fuller type. Ive never heard of a schaller 3d bridge but will have a look. Ive now nearly got my sound sorted: im using my markbass evo on a sunn valve amp (it just sounds much nicer than tbe swr and ampeg models) setting and treble quite well backed off through a super compact. Thats what i have found fits our band well in a live setting. Nice and rich sound but well defined. Also added the built in compressore which clamps down nice and really evens out the sound as the lines are all over the fret board. Almost the look now (instrument wise). Going to swap out my hardware for some gold aka the black bass above. Hadnt considered gold strap locks too. Hopefully its going to look class when done! Its been a real experience learning johns basslines. Every type of genre is in there at some stage.

https://www.jhaudio.com/p/iem-display For when life is telling you that you really have nothing better to spend your money on!

Great idea. You could also playfully slap them round the face as well - to see if they're violent. If they are, go straight to A&E. And don't join.

Pa Clampett Because you can never Clampett enough.

It's taken me 4 days, but thought I'd offer my feelings on the 2018 show. As ever, was particularly excited, and so when I thought I might not make it because of the snow, I spent a good day talking about roads and their condition to Mrs Sibob......needless to say she was bored by it lol. I beat the snowy roads (in no way to the same extent as some peoples treacherous journeys) and got to the show on Saturday about 11:45.......... .......just as Bobby Vega was finishing his masterclass I had my bass with me, for no other reason than I had a gig after the show, but was fun excuse to show a few people my US Lakland 44-94 (passive P/J, think it's the only one they've made in that config) with La Bella Gold Flats. But essentially meant that I stuck to my historical behaviour of not picking up a bass at LBGS. It's not really through choice, but more because I'm very happy with what I have currently, and I always find myself chatting and catching up with everyone, not leaving any time to add to the noise. That said, if Jake's Serek basses had arrived on the Saturday as planned, I would have had another go on those (after my NAMM testing), so was gutted the weather scuppered that. Glad they arrived on the Sunday for him though, they're really very cool....I can see one of those in my future!! (ie I've priced it up with him lol). I enjoyed the layout this year from a functional perspective, I do like open plan, you can see around the place a little easier, however I did feel that the two extra internal rooms dissipated the overall noise better than open plan. Fewer booths than last year, which was sad to see, but hopefully the fact that this year seems to have garnered an overall positive reaction, they'll be back. I fully appreciate that a show like this is probably a PITA to attend, but I'd also like to think that engaging and supporting the UK bass community is high on a number of brands agendas, whether they 'need' the orders or not. Of course, the onus is also on Future to try and facilitate that as well. Booths that would be great to see back next year who were absent this year, including but not limited to: Barefaced, Status, COG, GB, Shuker, Strings & Things. Yes it would be great to have 'bigger brands' there and not just UK boutique, but I think these are largely catered for by retailer & distributor booths, was a shame to see no Strings & Things this year! Had a really interesting chat with Rob Elrick about neck wood preparing and construction, very friendly and knowledgable man, always good to see him at NAMM, so it's a pleasure we can host him at LBGS! Beautiful basses! If I ever went down the route of purchasing a Fodera again.......I'd likely ditch it and buy an Elrick lol. Had some good chats with Alan @ ACG, I have a bass on order, so was enquiring how it was coming and fawning over the Salace SC 6 he had on show. Great seeing the Markbass UK guys, I've been using Markbass heads for probably 6 or 7 years now, and I think a LM Nano will be added soon too! Managed to catch Mr Vega in the SBL room after missing his masterclass, just an incredible player, lovely person and deserved bass royalty as a result! Other than that, LBGS was primarily, as it always has been for me, a wonderful opportunity to catch up with some lovely lovely people that I don't get to see as often as I'd like. It's a fantastic place to meet, catch up whilst also being inspired and humbled in equal measure. Long may it live! See you next year! Si

Totally. They're good instruments, without a doubt. My 'niggles' were purely about whether this is the sound I want, and I should have started by saying that I don't normally get along with twin pickup basses, except things like the Warwick Corvette $$, where the two pickups are not at their 'usual' positions. Unfortunately these basses are not very commonly found in the second hand market, so if one really wants to try it, buying online and gamble is the only option. So the question is: do you think it will be a better bass than other similarly priced ones that you can find more easily? If the looks grab you, there's no question as there isn't really another one like it around. But if you just want a PJ style bass, there are lots of other options too. I have to say I like this better than the vast majority of PJ basses I've ever tried so far. I played the Model T a bit more this morning and now I'm at 99% keeping it. It feels right for me. It's a lovely neck, I got it playing very nicely with pretty low action smoothly, no buzz, I can still dig in and will sound good... and it does sound good. Now that I know where the "sweet zone" is for me, so I don't need but to tweak very slightly the blend or treble controls... I'm pretty happy with the sound. I'll take it to band rehearsal tonight and unless that reveals something negative, I'm keeping it.

Sterling Ball has the lawyers on amber alert:

Did you try the Fender UK website for the owner's manual? Lots of good info in there.

"I get the MEANEST BASS TONE. You won't BELIEVE how I did it".

There's something about drummers - you can't tell 'em owt - particularly if it's tempo- or timing-related. Why do they like to think they're metronomes when they clearly aren't? And why are they so touchy about it when you criticise them out of the blue in front of the rest of the band??

Don't forget Roger Glover, and Andy Fraser! As for Entwistle, although he was a key figure in Marshall's development (along with Townshend), he didn't actually use them for long. He soon moved on to Sound City/Hiwatts. Agreed. There simply wasn't a lot of choice back then, if you wanted to be heard!

There was a thread on here recently about the lengths that online 'tutors' etc go to get people to click on their videos. I sense another attempt.

Not a quest I've ever been on! If it ain't saturated, I ain't infatuated.

My favourite setting was bypass mode.

Hello, Thought I should start a thread for Conan (Geoff). Recently sold my Strat to Geoff and the whole experience was a pleasure and a stark contrast to the problems I was having with EBay at the time. Anyway absolutely lovely chap, great comms and very kindly did a bank transfer for me so I didnt have to pay paypal fees. Top chap, great transaction and sounds like the guitar went into the hands of a young aspiring musician which is never a bad thing. Cheers, Nathan

Having been afflicted with (too...) many a ditty from the Venerable Lurks, I can quite understand the enormity of such a threat. ...

Double keeper

Ha ha ha ha ha! Nice one.

We find the volume sliders on the PA work brilliantly as talent filters for BV

Buy a second hand, you won't lose too much money, but try it before.

Recently been watching the 60s series Randall & Hopkirk (deceased) Jeff Randall (Mike Pratt) is Guy's dad!! It was one of my favourite shows as a kid (Sunday lunchtimes, early 70s)

Fingers and thumb, but not a slappity way. I've never got on with picks for some reason - they make my thumb joint feel weird. It's not down to snobbery, I just can't get them to work for me. I've developed a sort of thumb and 2 finger-picked guitar style for playing chords, in addition to the ole floating thumb / 2 finger method, plus getting noisy with chords by striking using the nails on three fingers. Whatever I'm doing, it works for me doing the music I do.

Hi guys, I just spoke to our Orchestral Specialist. Zyex will have a lower perceived tension as it is a more malleable / flexible material. They will however take a little longer to break in than other strings. They are a lot warmer and a variation on a synthetic gut material. The Helicore are stranded steel core so a little stiffer feeling but generally brighter and quicker to break in. There is also a lot of different ranges in the Helicore series dependent on the style you play, there is a set dedicated to pizzicato playing, a hybrid set etc... Other than that you guys seem to have discovered the differences for yourselves. Adam.

Without wishing to state the obvious, lofts are only cold in the winter. In the summer they can get very hot. I have kept my cabs in the garage in all seasons for decades and never had an issue. They are off the ground and wearing padded covers though.

Not dumb, just me not fully explaining! They give you a licence to Ableton to use as a recording interface. Problem is they ran out of licences and I'm on old kit so it's taking them time to get new licences. The fender fuse software runs the effects, cab simulation (the extras to what can be done with just the amp) and all the stuff to edit the amp presets. You don't need separate licences to Fenders own software.

Bought Geoff's Thunder 1 - excellent communication, very well packaged, and the package arrived the next working day. Thanks very much!

Didn't geezer use Marshall before he switched to ampeg? im also not convinced about the Harris thing. His preamp is a cone of a 70's hi watt. As far as I'm aware the only Marshall connection is the cab boxes, which he loads with ev speakers

Ask your GP to refer you to a specialist for an ultrasound scan on your wrist to confirm or dismiss CTS. They will see any damage immediately. In the meantime buy a wrist support and wear it when you play. Or your local physio might provide one for you.

Where was that Russ, looks a decent venue, shame the bassist couldn`t bring a proper set-up though (runs for cover).

Gibson thunderbird 》trade 》 Fender Geddy Lee & G&L M2000 I was approached by Conan regarding my Gibson for sale/trade and came to a good deal on trading basses. Conan came across very polite and open in the first message and stayed true throughout, an absolute gentleman. Someone open, honest and willing to go the extra mile should he know it would benfit both parties. We came to the conclusion pretty early on that it was going to be a pain to meet up to trade and after talking, we both trusted each other to send the instruments directly. Appreciated that Conan was an eager beaver to get his hands on the Gibson, he had already packaged up the basses before we even decided on when we were going to send them. I did recieve my half of the deal before his was even collected too, so I really do appreciate him having to wait on his bass arriving. Thank you very much Conan. It was a pleasure doing business with you and I hope our paths cross again... musically or trading more equipment. The very best of luck to you, my good man.

Young Geoff here is a most splendid and decent chap with whom to trade and do business! A quick, simple and realistically negotiated sale of a Little Mark II head + carry case. Thoroughly recommended as an honest and decent bloke.

Great comms, speedy delivery, goods as described. A pleasure doing business - cheers Geoff.

Sold a gig bag to Geoff, very smooth and easy transaction. Fast payment etc..... Cheers Geoff !

Sold my Carvin 5 string bass to Conan. Smooth communication and a really good guy, definitely recommend trading with him! Thanks, Shane

Recently bought an Ibanez MC-824 from Conan, a pleasure do business with, great communication and prompt delivery, highly recommend him! Stephen