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Massively overpricing coupled with a steep decrease of build quality will see off even the most iconic brand eventually.

If that was true Rickenbacker should've folded 40 years ago. Ricks have always fallen to bits if you look at them funny. Maybe Trump will succeed where John Hall's bloodyminded incompetence has failed. Probably because Fenders were designed to be mass-produced inexpensively & they've sensibly decided to maximise the cheap & cheerful end of their product range for the last 35 years or so. Can't help thinking their cleverest trick might have been to persuade some people it's worth paying £3000+ for a bass/guitar that's fundamentally identical to a £200 one with Squier on the end.

Having worked out the carve shape - and therefore the thickness of the body at various points in the cross-section - I was able to rout the main chambers and cable routes. Control chamber-wise, we are going for a Master Vol/Master Tone/Blend option, with the pots following the curve of the lower bout. Theoretically, I could rout deeper at the areas further from the neck but the swampash is so light it really won't make a difference. The rout in the top is more for aesthetics than weight. Bear in mind that the top will be curved and so this will slim quite a bit, it will eventually give the illusion of being a semi, when it's actually basically a solid: Before popping the top on, I will line the f-hole chamber with some redwood veneer to further give the illusion of depth.

George W got in by accident. After screwing up so much and taking the country into an unnecessary war and getting US soldiers needlessly killed you'd have thought the US citizens would have turned around and said no more. But they didn't. . . they bloody well voted the idiot back in! Trump is a far more dangerous character because he is totally uncontrollable and seems to have no idea what effect his words have on other, equally dangerous, leaders. I can understand why he got in this time, but he's a bully, egomaniac and unconcerned by any view point other than his own. That's why he likes Putin so much. Two sides of the same thuggish coin. Trump for a second term would indicate the American people really have no idea what is the best for them. A trade deal with Trump? That is the really frightening thing. For anyone who thinks the EU exerted too much control over us, wait till the details of the UK/US trade deal emerge. We are going to be royally screwed and with no way out. Oh, and Gibson are in such a bad shape because they are badly managed and charge top prices for poorly made instruments. Talkbass have had ex Gibson employees posting that one reason for the bad QC was they were on a target of instruments to be completed each day. The target was way beyond what could be achieved in the time so the manufacturing process was rushed, corners were cut and inspections were derisory. Gibson's did make instruments that had a good reputation, they don't any more.

True, but why not? Trump claims EU steel is unfair competition, meaning the U S steel industry is simply not up to speed and fails to compete. We could do the same to their musical instrument industry. Even better, tarrifs on all the junk food they dump on the unsuspecting.

I nipped in to toolstation on the way back from shopping and picked up some 600 and 1200 paper. Now I have done the body in 1200 I can see what you mean. It felt smooth before I started, but after doing the back with the 1200, the other side suddenly felt as rough as old boots

Age has no influence on if you should do something in life or not, only ability and if you want to do it or not. Being 42 is no age either, only half way through your years. I say stop thinking about it and go do it, you don't know the fun and enjoyment you are missing. As a tip for when you get started, don't pack your bass away in its case with the intention of getting it out to play each time. It won't happen I promise you. Leave it out somewhere where you see it or walk past it all the time. You'll then get the urge to play it more often, usually at weird times like before going to bed, waiting to go out as your other half gets ready, sitting waiting for a courier, waiting for the kettle to boil or the oven to warm up but it means you still get to play it. Pack it away and you'll never play it I promise. Second tip, play everything, literally everything, play along to your favourite advert, genre's you dont like, songs on the radio, literally everything. At this stage, be a sponge so be as open to everything you can and take everything in as there will always be something you can learn from. Final tip, there is no right or wrong, there is music and expression and how you play and express yourself is your choice. Don't be told you are doing something wrong but be open to learning a more efficient way of playing.

Hi All, Arrived yesterday a new ACG TKO from Alan. It is one of two he has made and it is absolutely stunning, the photo's only get you 90% there. The texture within the wood itself really adds something. It comprises: Black Limba body and top. 3 piece Maple with carbon Rosewood neck, 30.5" scale. Hipshot Type B in chrome.Hipshot string tree, Gotoh GB7 tuners, Dunlop straplocks, Newtone strings. ACG PB pickup with Alnico magnets. Weighs around 7.5lbs (not put it on the scales yet). It has what I would call a true PB sound but with more tonal variation available. Can't wait to try it out at band practice on Tuesday.

What a great idea. I recommend exploring if you like the vibes. Every cover is awesome. Members of Vulfpeck, Knowler, Postmodern Jukebox etc can be noticed there.

Love these guys and associated bands, you should check out Pomplamoose too:

I've held (my) fire until now....!

That is both weird and wonderful.

I think the important thing to note about Hooky's melody lines, especially in Joy Division, is that he'd often be adding an open string 'drone' alongside the line to keep some low end, e.g. She's Lost Control. He did this less so in New Order, though there was usually a Moog Source or similar synth pumping the bassline out, and his Clone Theory chorus sound would cut through most mixes! This is my recent attempt at a definitely Hooky-influenced bassline!

About 5 years ago my next door neighbour, a lovely German lady, decided to learn double bass. She was in he 60's. She plays jazz and her band (she already runs her own band!) is rehearsing next door right now. 3 years ago they were always out of tune and there were bum notes all over the place. These days there are hardly any and they all sound sound pretty good. They are not picking the easy songs to play either. If anyone wants to play bass be it like Adam Clayton or Charlie Mingus. . . just do it. Have fun.

i think linking it to trumpy pumpy or any politician for that matter, and inferring that gibson's decline could be terminal because of politics is a bit disingenuous - gibson's ceo and his board chums managed that all by themselves with their executive "lifestyle choice" decisions without any need for political scapegoating

doesnt work very often ( imho ymmv mcton etc etc) this example works extreemingly well great player great tune

Thanks @dmccombe7 😊 I have the harmony vocals coming off the backing tracks with the drums. Long story short I recorded my album then just used the drum and harmony vocal tracks for the live tracks. Thanks @BreadBin that's very lovely of you to say. 😊 I'm beaming now chaps, you've all made my day. 😁

Let me know what you reckon folks, I think this is better than my last one but It's still irks me that my vocals are pitchy in places. I suppose I'm making progress though so I should chuffed about that. 😊

I think you might find that 320 doesn't look as good as it feels once the finish goes on. Edges are unforgiving. If you are unsure, prepare a test piece to the same stage and apply the finish. You might find that there are finer grades of abrasive to work through yet. On the other hand, you might be happy with the finish as is. Now that you have power in your shed, It would be worth clamping a good anglepoise lamp to your bench. This will help when natural light is of poor quality. Maplin used to do a good one that had a ring tube with a large magnifier at the centre for less than fifty knicker. It gets lots of use. Good progress! From a standing start you've now got a lickle workshop and a taste for whittling. Just be aware that sheds can become storage bunkers during the colder months. If that happens, it is very hard to come back from.

I have asked the original thread that Funkinshui posted with the details about this fraud be put on hold as we wouldnt want any details that have been mentioned interfere with any trial results. So please dont ask for details as the safest thing to do at this moment would be to not mention any, there is a basic explanation at the begining of this thread, the person involved as scammed many others as well as us, it is going through the legal proceedings at the moment and as soon as we can tell you anything we will do, at the end of any case we will give you all the details we can. Thank you for any donations so far and we are nearly halfway to recovering what Funkishui lost, when his bass was stolen. Cheers everyone, you guys and girls are amazing

From what i am reading here - the thread should read Still learning bass after 40 years and that's how i look at my position

Thanks for the replies guys - the humorous ones too 😏, plenty of food for thought there. Despite historically being a strong jazz bass man (all my fav's play jazzes), i am leaning towards keeping the P...bit of a late P convert if I'm honest. That said I like the idea of perhaps selling both and getting a P with a rosewood neck. Have to say though I'm quite smitten with the Warwick Streamer S1 at the moment. I have also got a Vander End which is my modding bass (has had lots of mods before my time), and is currently set up as a PJ but it can easily be set back to a jazz if I need a jazz option....I guess I should have mentioned about that in my original post, that one has a maple neck too - it feels like it's been somehow relegated that bass but it's such a great bass and again probably not going to sell that one. Yep, I think in reading and reflecting upon your replies above and typing this up I've made up my mind to sell the Jazz and put the P up for sale or trade for another P with a rosewood neck. Thanks chaps...I think I've got there but will still sleep on it. Incidentally I did say to the wife they may not sell for a while 😆

Thanks for all that @Grangur, much appreciated. The cover is all plastic (no foil covering) by the way. I suppose I'll just have to plug it in and see what happens. Unfortunately I can’t test it at the minute as it’s in pieces, but once I get it back together I’ll see what it’s like through an amp. It won’t be tonight as I have to help my daughter with her GCSE chemistry revision! I hope she appreciates the sacrifices I make for her 😀

The wires you mention that have another wire within them are screened wires. This is where the signal wire (often called the "Hot" wire) is surrounded by a netting of wire strands, and then all encased in another sleeve. These are generally used for wiring to the pups or the jack socket. The main core is the hot wire, the screen is used as earth. The screen also acts to reduce interference in the signal. It does sound like the bridge and tail are earthed. So, unless something isn't working, I wouldn't worry about the stray wire. The only other thing I can think of is, if the cover to the compartment is metal, or foil lined, it could be intended to link to the cover.

Just one cut, the joint is flipped when you glue it but the laminates match up pretty well so I'm quite pleased with it My eyes are like that these days too, I need glasses to see anything and the magnifier is a must if I do anything intricate but as long as no one can see who care I loved furniture making, everything about it from a making point of view, making a living was difficult though but we got by for long enough. I only got into it by accident when I showed interest in another makers work enough for him to offer me a placement, it seemed more fun than working in a shop

Really like Bow Wow Wow - there was a BBC gig from Sefton Park (I think) back in the day that blew me away at the time. As I recall it a Wal bass was being 'strummed/slapped/picked/strangled' to within an inch of its life for most of the gig. Fabulous bass player.

I can pass your contribution along if you want? I could pm my details for you to Internet bank it to me and I'll pay it on with my card and screen shot the deposit, you'll see the fund increase anyway.

Lovely work. Did you make two cuts on your scarf? The grain matches rather well - lovely attention to detail! I'm rather jealous of your cabinet making background - although I'm sure it would be much different doing it for a living rather than a hobby. I would love to have done more woodwork in the past, but the school timetable clashed with music, and I never really did any until the last few years. Now my eyes are about shot for close work these days, so I'm constantly switching between glasses, magnifying goggles and naked eye. It would have been so much easier back when I could see

I believe Orville started first and were taken over by Gibson but not managed by them. Japanese instruments made for the home market seem to be superior in many respects. Didn't Fender try to stop Japanese made Fenders being imported into the US because they were better made than the US made ones?

My oldest student will soon be 81. I think that says it all about never being too old to learn. He’s just bought a 5 string too. I have a few students in their 40s and 50s. You just need to have the desire and time to learn, that’s all.

I had my first guitar at 16, but sat behind the drum kit in bands then, in the 60s. Scroll forward many years, my daughter taking Music A level, playing in our church band, I picked the guitar up again to support her, but changed to bass when a much better guitar player joined. I’d be in my mid/late 50s by then, and at 71, I still play in a church band, as well as a jamming band with blokes ofmy age. So my message to the OP is go for it, and follow the great tips given in other posts. And ENJOY!!

I started at 44 about 18months ago. I did my first gig after two and half months and have been playing regularly since. Got two gigs this month, both rebookings. I didn’t have any lessons but spent a bit of time on YouTube at places like Scott’s bass lessons. Mostly I just found bass lessons for songs I like and learned from them, then moved to working out basslines by listening and working them out. I also found Yousician app useful at first for technique. For me there is one key question - what do want out of it? That will determine how much you need to put in. I wanted to be in a band and be playing gigs so half an hour a week is no good. I practice an average of an hour a day and play seven days a week (have a travel bass that goes on holidays with me), when learning new sets in the run up to gigs I have been at it three or fours a day for short periods. It is amazing fun and I regret not keeping up my very brief attempt when I was 19. It’s never too late and this forum is an amazing resource and people are so friendly and helpful you have an amazing amount of experience at your fingertips.

+1 Great tip.

Originally listened to it with just the laptop speakers and it seemed a bit thin. Put headphones on and it came to life with a lot more depth. The layered vocals work a treat. Not sure if its a harmonizer or double tracking kind of thing but sounds good. Liking the bass fills at the end tho. Not really my style of music so i'm no expert i'm afraid but its well done and wish you all the best with it. Dave

I've always thought that too. Isn't it the same with die-hard Harley Davidson owners? Image is all.

NOT You are but a nipper in comparison to many of the mature students here. Crack on with impunity.

I started 'playing' in my late teens teaching myself from the archetypal tune a day book for a couple of years so my standard was very to poor to non existent. I stopped due to starting work and re-started at 44 and now at he age of 60 I play in a band. My level of playing is only fair but does the job and the enjoyment I get from have taken up the bass is enormous. Don't think about it just do it and if you need any support there are members on this forum are always prepared to help you out.

Have to endorse @SpondonBassed here. In sending wood, I don't consider anything less than 800 as fine. I often use 1500. You may find that stain raises the grain. So the finer you go the better.

Quite a lot of excellent answers in the thread below...

I run my own pest control business. I spend half the week out on customers' premises and the rest in my office. This is the wall in said office and what you can't see is the drum kit and piano.

Closest build to me EVER!

Wow, that´s along story. Here we go: Passive pickups can be seen as a mixed circuit which consists of resistance, inductance and capacity, hence creating a resonant peak at a certain frequency above which the frequency response is going downwards. This resonant peak is highly important for the sound of the instrument because it sits in the presence area of our hearing range. Now if you plug such a PU into an amp then the amp´s input impedance will interfere with this resonant point, usually lowering and eventually broadening the peak as well as lowering the frequency. We´re used to that and we want to hear our passive instrument like that to a certain degree. To make things worse the cable has it´s impact, too, as it sits between amp and PU. That´s why some people like cables of a certain length. Now there comes the DI with it´s own input impedance, typically 50kOhm for a passive DI and 1MOhm for an active DI. This again will interfere with the PU resonance and alter the sound. And things get more difficult if you go through the DI unbuffered into an amp because that will increase the load on the pickup and the resonance point will go lower again. Technically spoken both input impedances are parallel to the pickup giving an even lower impedance than each single one of DI and amp. For historical reason most bassamps have an input impedance of 220kOhm (many exceptions, though) while guitar amps typically have 1MOhm. To have a proper matching between output impedance of a PU and input impedance of an amp/DI the later one should be x10 of the source impedance. Pickups of passive basses have worst-case output impedances of 17kOhm, hence there should be a load of at least 170kOhm. Passive DIs cannot deliver such high impedances. They are the wrong choice. You´re better off with an active DI. Active basses have worst case output impedances of a few hundred Ohms. Here both passive and active DIs are fine regarding impedance matching. The PU resonances are already buffered by the active electronic inside the bass in a way that both DI and amp cannot have an influence on that. For the studio nerd there´s more to check out: if we have micpres with variable input impedance then this will be the next parameter to look for in a chain of passive bass, passive DI + amp. A lower input impedance setting of the micpre (e.g. certain vintage Neve preamps have this possibility) will be reflected through the transformer of the DI. That means the DI seems to have a lower input impedance than it´s nominal value (wrt 1,2-1,5kOhm input impedance of the micpre) and will load the pickup even more down, eating the treble range even more. Historically this problem has been recognized in times when there were no active basses around. The solution were active DIs, back then made with tubes. All that is theory. You will not destroy either bass, amp or DI with the technically wrong choice. It does influence sound, but if you like it then all is good. If not, then see above.

Trading an item is not what the 'Wanted' section is for. You may place an ad in the 'Basses For Sale' section, giving the value of the item to be traded, and specifying 'Trade only; no cash sale'. Any bass can be offered or asked for as a trade, except, of course, Rickenbacker basses, as BC cannot guarantee the authenticity of such instruments. Trading a 35" scale for a 34", for instance, is perfectly permissible, provided that the valuation of the bass is correct. Hope this helps.

These are moving on okay - I'll post some proper details later. At the moment, there are two bodies and lots of holes... And a neck for the spalted top one...

Well pleased with the results from my recent recording session with my Tom Petty tribute https://www.facebook.com/heartfakersband/?hc_ref=ARRcWgx8vn_Kwfj-SPRAeZ7M_TrGAx5qVpTM6faIZWYKgSkoyj5RmceQawTn36EwhVA&fref=nf

So, my machine heads have arrived from Kala in the US and I have now posted them and a set of Pahahoes down to Toby. He has reached here. Toby is ready to do the neck once the machine heads land because then he can get the headstock right. Exciting times indeed.