Leaderboard

Geezer doesn't carry his own amps! He has a butler for that.

First of all,its my honor that bass players and builders are talking about my bass. In the end of the build i will thank all the people that helped me with this,because behind of this build,are so many great guys hidden,who helped me with their knowledge I will see if i can edit the earlier posts and upload again the pictures. This bass,actually,is not an ergonomic bass. The 2 main reasons,are dimensions and weight. If a person need ergonomic bass,he must look for max 30" scale.The smaller the scale,the smaller the frets,and easier to play This bass because of the bigger scale,have more wood than a common bass guitar and that means it weights more. I will try to make 36mm body thickness to lose weight. I am not a luthier,just a DIYer. In the beginning,i wanted to build a multiscale.Also a headless.So,i make the decision to build a multiscale-headless. From my previous 40" build,i know that if a bass be longer than 40",the wrist on the left hand is gonna be i difficult position.So it must be torzal neck. I choose to put all these in one single build,just for the fun and the challenge to see if i can make it. There are still things that i didn't know how i will do,but as the build is going on,i see what it will be nice or good,and do it. Tha playing positions are these at the pictures.The neck is angled,but there is nothing to rest the right hand like the normal basses,which i like,but there are so many players,that don't rest their right hand on the bass

Rumble 500 V3 Combo - Revisited There have been a number of threads about gear you miss, gear you should never have sold, and gear you got back or re-bought... such is the GAS carousel. I bought a Fender Rumble 500 V3 Combo in February of 2016 and reviewed it on this board. I was very pleased with it in every way, but sold it - as the band I was in, and the number of small gigs it was doing, needed an even smaller and more portable set-up... yes, it is just about possible. A G-K MB200 and a BF One10 cab. However... I missed the Rumble ever since it went, so when one came up for sale here, I bought it. I'm a little further down the road and possibly more able to appreciate the subtleties of gear that I may have once missed. Or maybe not. Anyway, here are my impressions second time around. Now read on... Model: Fender Rumble™ 500 (V3) Combo Amplifier: SS/Class-D Colour: Black and Silver Controls: Gain, Bright/Contour/Vintage Presets, Drive/Level, Bass, Low-Mid, High-Mid, Treble, Master Effects Loop: 1/4" - (Send/Return) Inputs: 1/4" Jack; 3.5mm Stereo; 1/4" Overdrive Footswitch (not included) Outputs: XLR with Ground Lift; Headphones 3.5mm Stereo Voltage: 230V UK/EUR Wattage: 500W RMS @ 4 ohms (with Ext Cab), 350W RMS @ 8 ohms (Internal) Speakers: 2 X 10" Eminence Ceramic Magnet, Compression Tweeter, Twin Ports, Cloth Grille (removable) Cab Material: 12mm Baltic Ply, Black Tolex, Chrome-Nickel Corner Protectors Handle: Moulded Plastic Strap with Chrome-Nickel Plated Caps Controls: Vintage-Style Radio, Cream Dimensions: 23" X 19" X 14" (59 X 49 X 36cm) HWD Weight: 36lbs (16.3kg) I've been using a venerable Trace Elliot Combo for a while (which is really very good) and looked forward to comparing it with the Rumble. I imagined the Rumble would be far superior tone-wise, but this was not the case. They both do the same sort of job, just in different ways. Both the Rumble and the Trace sound best in a band situation, both are powerful and punchy, both have lots of headroom and both are true gigging amps. But their Gain controls work entirely differently. On the Trace you need it high, to work the preamp and EQ. On the Rumble it's more about pushing the Vintage and Drive circuits, which add harmonics, depth, warmth and, er... drive. It also progressively adds compression, which is very cool indeed. But it brings little or no volume or grit to the table when used in isolation... and you don't want it at more than 9 o'clock if you're looking for a super-clean sound. Just push the master a bit more. Dispersion is really excellent and the tone is smooth and consistent. Sounds very lush, professional and 'right'. The combo is small, light and it can get very loud. It's sold as a 500-watt amp, but you need an extension cab to get full beans - thus negating the purpose of a combo in my opinion, but there it is. In practise, the 350 watts on tap without an extension are more than enough in most situations. And of course there is a DI out should you need to go front of house. It's not 'better' than my Trace combo. The Trace has a lot going for it. But the Rumble is much easier to use and is less than half the weight, making it a one-hand lift. You still wouldn't want to carry it very far with that one hand, but at just over 16kg it's just about the smallest and lightest you can go down to, yet still plausibly vibrate the floorboards, annoy guitarists and compete with the most shed-building of drummers. And if you're inclined, a Rumble and P-Bass wearing a set of flats will get you into B15 territory on the cheap. Fantastic with a pick, too - you can really nail that Joe Osborn 'Wrecking Crew' vibe. You can pick one up second-hand between £325 and £350 (they are circa £510 new), so there's not much stopping you from owning one. What's not to like?

The Plastic Mojo Band played our first real gig this afternoon, and I thought it might be interesting to compare stories. (It's probably been done here before...) We came together as a workshop project a while back, which led to a friends-and-family gig in March with a few peeps drifting in off the street. Decided to stay together as a band, using a practice room over a local pub. The landlady overheard us and asked us to play this afternoon, clear that we would just be background noise - which suited us, as it took some pressure off. Apologised that she could only give us beer and food and not money - we weren't expecting even that! This a completely acoustic gig. (Yes, acoustic bass.) We started inside the pub, which has a decent piano, but the very few customers were all outside in the good weather, so she asked us to play outside, which meant that the keys player had nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon but drink with his friends. (We did drag him up to play hand percussion for a couple of songs.) A new (very good) guitar player who we'd barely met. Our excellent lead singer couldn't be there. Luckily we're a blues band, and can jam most of the standards. We played for three hours (well I did, the others drifted in and out) making up most of it as we went along. We got a bit of applause, and we've been asked back, so we must have been ok. I've been playing om's and jams for a few years now, but it's still sinking in that for the first time I've played a gig that was booked by someone I didn't know, and thanked with food and beer. After 45 years of believing I'd never be able to play at all. I realise this will seem pretty pathetic to many of you, but we all have to start somewhere... So how was the first time for you? :-)

My first bass was a 5, and I completely agree with all said above about the hand-position advantages. My lead singer favours E, and it's easier rooted on the 5th fret of the B, plus you have an easy 5th below anything on the E string. Constance Redgrave (Spikedrivers) strings her 4 BEAD, and I'm thinking of doing that with the one 4 I love too much to give up. One of my 5s is EADGC, set up for my ex-band where a lot of the songs worked well with a high bassline. Again it's about position rather than range. I'd been playing above the 12th fret on the G, and it was much easier to move down the fretboard on the C.

I still love mine, I intended to upgrade nearly everything and so far I’ve upgraded nothing, I’ve not needed to. I gig it regularly and it’s a joy to play.

If it made the sound I was looking for, I'd use a dustbin lid

Many do and can. As I just said, it's all about preference and choice.

We had a blast of a gig at The Inn, Greatworth near Banbury last night. I expected a country pub with a couple of chilled out villagers. No, we got a pub full of the most ‘up for it’ party people we’ve seen for ages! Greatworth appears to be the kind of village where everyone goes out to the local at the weekend; it’s just far enough out of town that it’s easier to stay in the village than start getting into taxis etc. We were squashed into a corner of the bar which meant we were eyeball to eyeball with the friendly crowd, who made us very welcome incidentally, which I always enjoy. Pretty much the whole pub was up and dancing from the word go, and didn’t sit down all night. We were still playing at midnight, they wouldn’t let us stop. Really good tone from my MIM Jazz Deluxe and Genz Benz rig, sounded great. When we were packing down I asked the landlord if the residents minded bands playing into the early hours? ‘No’, he said, ‘they’re all in here!’ We left having made some new friends and a return booking for later in the year - can’t wait to go back!

Ciao! I'm Daniele Vacca, from Rome, Italy. I'm a Kala official Endorser, And I play Ubass since many years. I love this instrument! With my band www.facebook.com/ukusinfabula we go often abroad for festival. This year, for example we have been in Australia and Scotland in April, and Israel and Austria in May, and Poland in June. I wrote a book in english about the UBASS, a method. If anybody is interested about that... please contact me! Hoping to receive a feedback! Grazie Dani

That's answered here... Your First Ever Gig..? ... Well done, and please stop selling yourself short; you're doing darned good, better than several here, and far better than anyone who's never even tried to play bass..! Keep going; onward and upward..!

I've been a 4 string player for over 30 years. I've got an octave for getting the lower notes. TBH though, I'm hankering after a nice 5er, most likely a fretless too. For less than £500, the Sire basses get a good review & you can't go wrong with an Ibanez, even their budget stuff is fantastic.

A bassist on the bill last night used a Rumble amp head, sounded great through FOH, really chunky.

Best combo I have owned and my band loves the vintage look. Perfect for home use as well, just hook it up to the laptop and use the headphones.

February 2016? Is that when I took leave of my senses and sold you that Rumble 😎

My son with his new customised bass.........Got it for his birthday and has another metallic green 5 string Squier Standard (jazz pups etc) waiting as a surprise. He's been playing around 6 weeks and is in a young band that could easily blow many experienced groups off the planet - they're as tight as a very tight thing...!! Enjoys loads of music, but loves the Chili Peppers - When they were good (with John Frusciante....) - so decided to play this piece...... It's a short clip, but he's on it...... It's a Squier Affinity with Fender Mex pickups, custom plate, new Fender nut and electronic tweeks........ Blows my mind when I think how many more years he's got as well.........

The GZR amp is a sig model so often that means an existing model is refined or tweaked to suit an individual. If Geezeer needed isolated outs for his live gig then that’s what he asked for. If his tech or a marketing guy approached Ashdown and finagled a Sig amp deal then fair play to all involved. If our understanding is it’s a souped up ABM600 with a specific tweak for a touring musician then we kinda know that if an ABM600 isn’t for you then it’s unlikely the GZR will be. Surely we’re savvy enough to marketing and advertising to know a 70+ year old isn’t necessarily going to be looking to the latests and greatest in tech. To be fair with his age a class d might be better for his back 😂 While sig gear can be very attractive it’s often idiosyncrastic too. I don’t think that’s news to any of us.

Big fan of the Rumble 200 combo bought back in January 2015, see no reason to change it anytime soon love the sound through the 15" speaker.

Hey Josh - thanks very much for taking the time to give me your thoughts. As it happens, I had an unexpected bonus from work, so the B7K Ultra is within budget now. However, I think I will take the time to give the EHX a whirl. Cheers buddy!

Just read up on the little switches on the pickups. Interesting idea...

I too went from a Rumble 500 combo to GK MB200 & Barefaced One 10. I soon changed the amp to an MB500. The main reason for the change was that I wanted something smaller, lighter and that I could attach to a speaker stand to have it at ear level. The Rumble did sound really good when using both my Yamaha BB1025 and SR5 but my sound has revolved around Gallien Krueger and Musicman for a good few years now. I've gone in different directions with both bass and amp/cab but keep coming back to this combination

I'm very pleased with the Fender Rumble 100 V3 I bought, secondhand, for £165. I bought it for the quieter gigs I play and it keeps up with a sensible drummer no problem. I thought about buying a One 10 but now I have the Fender Rumble there's no point. I've got a friend who uses the 500 watt version and it's great as well.

I've recently been embracing the pick more, after seeing Bobby Vega at the LBGS. Currently using Dunlop Tortex .73mm, which is strange as I've always favoured thicker picks (1.5mm +) when playing guitar.

I play almost exclusively fingerstyle, but when I do use a pick I like the Dava Nylon Control as you can vary the stiffness according to where your fingers are.

Ah. The man behind the spider exercise. Cruel but character forming.

I have something not dissimilar...

Speak to Paul at CIEM company. He’ll be able to get one on a shipment from either JH or 64 if you don’t want to go to them direct.

OK, thanks for that - ive gone for a couple of the Derlin Red Rock Control as they look the most robust and also "rubbery" to use the reverse way round. We shall hear how they sound and will advise in due time. Regards, Paddy.

Also message Ashdown to see if this is a fault they`re aware of, and if they can advise as to how to progress. I`ve found them excellent on customer service issues and having their advice to provide the seller with could be a real help.

An Ashdown being played with a P Bass and sounding just great! Featuring one of our 'own' very talented BC'ers:

Fingers - for 90% of songs. Pick - where either: (i) a very precise bass beat is needed (e.g. MJ 'Way you make me feel') which I often combine with palm muting, or (ii) if a drive pedal is being used - a pick generally gets a much less muddy response from drive pedals than fingers.

Nice, we were jamming Time Is Tight at a soundcheck the other night.

It can happen anywhere. Many years ago I was in the students union of a very well respected university which shall remain nameless, my mate and I were in the back end of the place with a band I can’t even remember the name of on (would have been either people at the uni or a local originals band). I looked over the see the lass next bay over slide her pants off and then sit on this guys lap. Much squirming went on as me and my mate tried to gradually move away without making it obvious we had clocked what was happening. They seemed completely indifferent to anything else going on. It was a small room and the band would have had a full view of the whole thing. One of the strangest things I have seen I at a gig.

Well done folks another cool n casual outing on a nice sunny day. Maybe next year if im around i can bring along a mcmillan 12 step for anyone thinking of midi backing in their band?

Have a great time everyone. Sorry I can’t be there. Looking forward to pics.

I played my first gig with a new band on Friday and all went really well. A very small pub, so we were all crammed up next to one another, and I couldn't hear myself but it was great to be back gigging again after my previous band came to a stall last June. Nice thing at the break. I got talking to a guy who'd been sat at the bar quite close to us. Turned out he was an ex-pro musician who'd had to give up some years ago due to ill health. We got chatting, he asked if he could have a noodle on my bass, said yes. Then he asked if he could sit in on a number or 2. The rest of the band were fine with it, so I had an extra long break So, Bill, if you're on here, lovely to meet you and your playing is miles better than mine

Not sure if I posted this here or on TB, but here’s my 76 Thunderbird

Yeah, it is. I wonder how the Aguilar stuff compares?

Something about black / maple with a black plate on...

Glad I am not the only one to think that

"That's a lovely rack tom." "Agreed, but don't call me Tom."

Acton Unusually, this time it is me who placed the advert. Dispirited by how many auditions for other peoples' projects have turned out to be fiascos, I decide to try starting a band myself. With a drummer friend ready so that we have a decent rhythm section to build on, I advertise for a vocalist - guitarists are easier to find. Once I've weeded out the obvious flakes & fantasists by email, I'm left with one decent candidate for the role, so I invite him to my studio in Acton for a try-out. He's keen to accept, and he also knows a really great guitarist he'd like to bring along. He sends me some links. MMM, the vocalist, has some YouTube showing him doing a pretty impressive Van Morrison at some sort of open mic, he seems to be an intense, focused sort of person. VVV, the guitarist, is apparently an American now based in London, whose self-published album (recorded in New York) is available on Spotify and contains some very nice guitar work. When the two of them arrive at the studio MMM is very much as he appeared on YouTube. VVV isn't, and things go all to stinky poo very quickly. Actually he isn't American, and his name isn't VVV. He's a Spaniard called JJJ. Huh? What's going on here then? It turns out he loves Americana so much that he'd wanted to record his first album in the States, under an American pseudonym. OK, so far so weird. We try to play a simple blues and it very quickly becomes obvious that JJJ (the artist formerly known as VVV) is no great shakes as a guitarist. In fact, he's pretty rubbish. He explains that he didn't know the song. Erm ... it's a blues mate. What's to know? We try another song. Same result. Well if you can't play those because you don't know them, why not tell us a blues that you DO know. "Fine", he says, "let's play Red House". We wait for the famous guitar intro and ... he plays something completely different. We ask him, what are you playing? He says, I'm playing Red House. No, we say, you're not. Ah, he says, maybe this is a different song called Red House. Game over. Insert new coin. As we're packing up I ask JJJ about his album, and how he'd set about recording it. Simple. He'd recruited a bunch of NY session musicians to play on it. That, plus a decent sound engineer, had produced quite a good album. Having shoo'd the pair of them out of the studio and then wet ourselves laughing, I call MMM the next day and ask if he'd like to meet for a beer. I explain that there's no future for any band with JJJ in it, but that we haven't had a chance to hear what he, MMM, can do. Would he like to come back for another try, this time without his mate JJJ? He accepts the offer, so I call up an old friend to play guitar for us and we set the date. MMM arrives and we play the first song. I wasn't wrong about his Van Morrison persona - he's got that whole Brown-Eyed Girl thing down to a T. We play another song. It sounds ... erm ... just like the first one, that strange barking, almost-coughing delivery, very gruff, very distinctive. Very repetitive. As long as we're playing material that works with the that vocal style, it's sort-of OK. When we try a pop song it just doesn't work. When we try a gentle blues it's horrible. We point this out to him and suggest that he tries a different style occasionally. He reacts badly, says that's the only style he can sing, in fact we get the impression that he's not even aware that other singing styles actually exist. All very odd. The session breaks up in some disarray and it's not looking good. Next morning, MMM emails me to apologise for both his performance and his attitude. He explains that he has a serious problem with autism and is at the far end of the spectrum, but that he's being treated for it. Incidentally, he has now signed a recording contract (!) with an agency looking for new talent, and would the three of us like to be his backing band? I make my apologies and leave ...

Morden TTT is the guitarist who placed the advert. He fancies singing some of the material, and he knows that I sing a bit, so he reckons we can split the vocal duties between us ... if a decent vocalist can be found later then all well and good. Yes, everybody involved will be an experienced gigging musician, this is no 'hobby band'. The drummer from his old band is already on board with the project, so straight away we have a functioning 3-piece if we want it. We agree a date for a week later and a studio to meet at, and TTT sends me a list of 12 songs we'll do, who by and which version, and the key that we'll be playing in. This is all very professional and not something to be taken for granted with pub bands. I pick out three songs that I'm happy to sing straight away, TTT does the same, and we agree that we'll busk the remainder on the night and see who makes a better job of it. This is looking good. Next day TTT sends me an email saying how much he's looking forward to this. The day after, TTT sends me an email asking how I'm getting on with the songs. And then the next day he sends me an email saying that he's now got a 'really good vocalist' who's going to join us, so there's no need for the two of us to do vocals. The day before the rehearsal, he sends me a final email checking that I'm fully up to speed on all the songs. Finally I turn up at the studio. TTT is a big guy (sideways) but just as bouncy and enthusiastic as his emails suggest. The drummer is a big guy (like Mick Fleetwood) and very laid-back. There's no sign of the vocalist ... apparently he's spent the afternoon at the dentist and now can't make it. Allegedly. Oh dear. Neither TTT nor I have actually been practising the vocals for these songs. At least I know the lyrics of 'my' songs, I'm blessed with a good memory. TTT has pieces of paper. Then the second guitarist arrives. What second guitarist? Oh, he answered the ad too so TTT invited him along. We start with Shakin' All Over, TTT on the vocals. The drummer sounds like a man with a wooden leg walking along a wooden pier ... boom thump boom thump. That's all he does. The guitarist, who must be about 60, doesn't seem to recognise the song or know how it goes. He's kneeling next to his Fender Twin as if he can't hear himself (he's actually deafeningly loud) and he's staring at his fingers as if he's never seen them before. TTT is trying to sing while glancing at a piece of paper resting on a ledge to his side, so that he sings "when you move ... close to me ... that's when I ... all over me". Oh dear oh dear. Move on to the next song. Guitarist says he hasn't practised it and isn't really ready to play it. OK, the one after that then. Guitarist says he hasn't practised it and isn't really ready to play it. It's I Saw Her Standing There, fer Chrissakes, how can he not know it? Fine, turn this on its head ... what songs DO you know? Grand, he knows Summertime Blues. He launches into a series of power chords, in the wrong key. What the hell are you doing? I'm playing Summertime Blues. No you're not, that's the wrong intro and you're in the wrong key. Well I'm playing The Who's version from Live At Leeds, and it's in A. But we all agreed we'd do the Eddie Cochran original, and it's in E. Oh dearie dearie me. By this stage, the drummer has completely lost interest, TTT is visibly as frustrated as I am but has done enough to show that he can't actually sing, and it turns out that I'm the only vocalist in the room. In desperation I call the simplest 12-bar in G that I know. It's yer standard two verses and a solo, third verse and a solo, repeat third verse and out. I sing the first verse. When I start to sing the second verse the guitarist widdles ineffectively all over my singing. TTT and I start exchanging glances - what is this fool doing now? He plays a simple but actually quite reasonable solo, still kneeling by his amp, still staring at his fingers. I start to sing the third verse and he goes back to his useless widdling. Sod this for a game of soldiers. I stop playing, switch off and start packing up. Words are exchanged, and it very nearly comes to fisticuffs as I leave. The next day, TTT sends me an apologetic email. He doesn't suggest we try again. Neither do I.