Leaderboard

Thanks obbm.... received in the post - top bloke! Just goes to show what a great community Basschat is!

New Player Series Buttercream P Bass! Just when I thought I had bass GAS under control, Fender release this... Buttercream, Maple... OMG, GAS! GAS! GAS! I'd stick a black guard on it (of course) but even so it's unlike Fender to produce a colour combo that I actually like. Dammit! They're £649 or thereabouts, too... https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/electric-basses/precision-bass/player-precision-bass/0149802534.html#start=1

I've just bought the Vinyl LP of Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake on impulse. (For anyone in marketing, the sleeve made the sale.) I wasn't familiar with the album as a whole so when I got to Side Two it blew me away. Side one ends with the classic single Lazy Sunday. Turn the album over and Stanley Unwin takes you for a fanciful ride as he narrates the Small Faces version of an original fairy tale about a boy called Happiness Stan. The tale unfolds over the entire second side in six tracks with Stanley (mis)guiding you through the story in a way that you think you understand but; do you really? He starts the tale with the words: "Are you all sitty comfibold two-square on your botty? Then I'll begin..." Masterpiece!

What I would like to add that the full solid neck is said to contribute a lot to the uniqe sound and endless SUSTAIN of the Vigiers... May be a matter of personal taste: I never played basses which would allow such a low string action. On my Arpege 6str string action at 24th fret is less then a matchstick:

^^ This! If you're aiming to be a high end function band then you can't afford to be leaving your audience on the dance floor 'hanging' 30 seconds to a minute between every song. It's really this point alone that has got me rethinking the subject - which is driven by live work flow and ties into programme-ability and presets. I'm definitely starting to think that something like @HazBeen's board in the OP is the future for this sort of live work. The difference between the superb song flow / lack of 'dead air time' when our dep guitarist came in recently and had every song set up sequentially (on his full fat Helix) so that he could scroll through the set list with a patch per song vs our long standing guitarist faffing about adjusting his analogue pedal board between songs was a complete revelation. I noticed big time at the gig. The rest of the band noticed pretty quickly when they looked back at the footage. We're just gonna need to tell our long standing guitarist that messing about with pedals is something he can do in his own time and not in the band's time during a function set! I completely accept song flow is less of an issue when we play pubs or for original bands where the crowd are there for the 'music' and not for the 'party'. I also totally get that digital pedals aren't 'up there' with the best of every analogue pedal (they're getting closer, for sure). If that makes a difference to us as bass players that's good reason enough to stick to analogue even if 99% of the audience won't care in the slightest about the nuances of bass tone between an analogue and digital effect. But NOT if it's going to kill the party vibe in a function band setting. Time and place; tools for the job.

Sonic Red? Blasphemy!! Next they’ll be releasing a Fiesta Blue Great looking range though in all seriousness! Si

Happy perfection. Stay cool won't you.

The tidepool colour looks to me like it should be accompanied with acres of chrome, and have a badge like "Cadillac" on it.

This is the first time I have had a crack at this little monthly comp, but I have had my home studio up and running for a couple of weeks now so thought i would through my oar in the pond. The picture just reminded me of our cat and this is what i think is going through her head as she struts around the house, her name is 'Bootsy; by the way...

I appreciate that's a possibility but we have to remember; that the same could be said for a shorter episode. This is all an opening gambit and it's just the pilot. Nothing's set in stone and it'll be easier to focus in on a workable format once we have this out so we can get objective feedback. Ideally I want this to be something everyone can enjoy but it's an impossible task to please everybody at once. As I've said I want this to be a representation of the forums wants/needs, so once we've put out the pilot we'll make a proper feedback thread and poll the opinions that people put forward to see where we end up. Until then everything's in a liminal zone really. I just need to make something happen for now, so sticking with this format/length is my safest bet for actually getting something coherent together. I mean everyone could turn around tell us it's terrible and the idea could languish in the bardo of unrealized potential for all we know. So lets not get ahead of ourselves.

As a fortunate owner of a series11 and series111 Passion basses, 31 and 27 years old respectively,with no movement on necks what so ever.I can vouch for the prevoius comments.Amazing playing and comfortable necks on any Vigier I have ever played.It is fantastic not to have to worry about neck relief and lack of truss rod, if all you have to consider is intonation and your personal string heights.That said if you like experimenting about with neck relief and set-ups a Vigier is maybe not for you.Though that said i believe every bass player should have a Vigier (if lucky enough)😁

Would have to be a really nice tort, though. Probably costing about a third of the value of the bass. Yer typical modern 'shitty corned beef' or 'slice of crap salami' tort just won't cut it... in my humble opinion, of course.

I'm sorry, I just can't resist any longer. Every time, EVERY time I see this topic title, I get the same result ...

That's looking really smart

It goes: Football's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming ...

I have several spare ones. If you PM me name and address I'll pop one in the post.

and what if you want a different tone, or have just got the FX and are still looking for the 'right' tone? What if you find (for example) a filter sweep is way too deep on that boomy hollow stage and needs backing off, or the room is so bright your carefully set up distortion sound is way to bright. Just leave it? The Helix doesn't look like it has a lot of real time control, especially if you are trying to balance 2 or 3 effects at the same time. Even the Zoom B3n seems to have more. I have no experience of the Helix, im just going by the photo in this thread. A 'live' situation doesn't just mean during a gig, it can easily cover sound checks and even setting up. I hate seeing musicians bending down and fiddling with things, especially during songs, but if something is wrong with the tone during the gig then i just find it easier to have real time control of everything so i dont take longer than needed. In over 800 function gigs over the past 15 years believe me when i say i have never kept anyone waiting between songs. What is the difference between 'getting it wrong' and trying to get it right? By that i mean how can you get it right without turning the knobs until it is right? The way a lot on here go through pedals could show that maybe more tweaking is needed. Of course then there are those with pedal boards so large they spend all night doing a River Dance impression.

I bought my new rig from Nik. As usual, we had a little chat, little play, more chat and we had a deal. Nothing more to add apart from the fact that I will definitely deal with Nik again. Thank you kindly.

Almost done with my 'work in progress'

Just sold a Berg cab and a Markbass LM3 to Pawel in what was a perfect transaction yet again... After a few PMs were exchanged, Pawel came round bang on time to collect the rig - which saved me hours in packaging & shipping time - and then, after checking out the rig and offering me good money for it, he had the sheer audacity and generosity of spirit to offer to buy me a pint afterwards!! Which was cool because we had a great chat about all sorts of things, including the very fine art of Tattoos.. So... a perfect gent, a fine player and a credit to the forum - what more can you ask.. Thanks Pawel; really hope you enjoy the rig! Here's to the next one. Nik

Absolutely... As a company they are between a rock and a hard place. As a personal observation I wish they’d stop launching classic designs as new models but then I get that it is business and this is how to survive.

Going by my recent experience with a Jess Loureiro split-coil 51 Telebass pickup (which sounds absolutely excellent - warm, punchy and articulate), I can only imagine that his P/J sets would be equally stellar. He does a 'classic' set and a 'coil split' set, thus: http://jlguitars.eu/shop/index.php?id_product=63&controller=product&id_lang=4 http://jlguitars.eu/shop/index.php?id_product=64&controller=product&id_lang=4 All hand wound with traditional materials - and his prices are very competitive, too.

Prepare thyself.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDBren6gJVs

I’d suggest getting a Source Audio Aftershock and trying out all the various models in there. You may end up loving the pedal and keeping it. Or you may come away with a much clearer idea of what kind of distortion pedal you’re after.

I asked for that! 😊

Ah, well if it comes with a brass neck, that's a big difference from the old fashioned wooden one that the Standards sport.

That is really a non colour though isn't it? Its a 'can't be bothered to come up with a colour like blue'.

Oh no, that would just be greedy!

I'm now listening it for the first time, on the basis of this thread! 😁

So happy for you that you have discovered this gem, SpondonBassed! Such a terrific album. I always wished it could have been a double album.. I think some of the lovely tracks seem to end too soon 😍

That's a beauty. The FSR 70s Precision and it's Jazz twin are just about the best looking models in Fender's current line up IMO. Yours looks like a particularly fine example.

That's a nice bit of wood! Never seen black dots and binding on a maple neck before either, I quite like it.

Replacement.

Thing is, when they do rip up the rule book everyone hates it and accuses them of ignoring their 'core values' and 'traditional customer base'. So they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. I say if you want something that looks really radical - don't buy a Fender. In fact, if you want something a little bit off-the-wall that plays like a dream, is hugely versatile, built to the highest standards and sounds absolutely amazing... buy a Spector.

Is there not room for both analogue and digital? I find folk tend to get polarised towards one or the other when in fact you can have the best of both worlds with a bit of thought.

Another vote for the Bass Gallery - I've been a regular customer for many years (though tend to work less in London now so don't have so much chance to visit). Unparalleled expertise, genuinely lovely people and an amazing selection of instruments and amps. Martin is a genuine genius - I would trust him with basses that I wouldn't let others touch. Wunjos too - always a friendly welcome and knowledgeable staff in an otherwise rather grim part of the city - some of the other shops on Denmark St don't really shine

Welcome. It's not easy for us to describe how something works/sounds (and equally difficult for you to translate what we say into practical understanding of how well it might meet your needs). For what it's worth, my two pence worth is to stick with proven/mainstream/branded stuff when you're starting out. Avoid unusual options. A Squier plus a Rumble is decent, proven budget kit that will do as described on the tin. It will also be easily sellable when the time comes to upgrade. I wouldn't buy a new instrument. There are plenty of used Squiers about (have a look on eBay, Gumtree et al), so let someone else take the hit on depreciation and buy used. Get something that has been treated well (plenty of people buy Squiers and similar starter instruments, try it for a bit, give up and sell them, so you can often get something that is virtually unused and save a lot of money). Put the money you save on the bass towards a better amp. I wouldn't buy a used amp in the price/power range you're looking at. Used small amps have usually been overdriven/abused (as beginners try to play them in band settings and hammer them when they're only really meant for low volume practice). New or used, the Rumble 15 comes into that category. It's little more than a toy, I'm afraid. An 8" driver just isn't going to cut it for bass. It won't be re-sellable for anything other than peanuts, so buying one will effectively be money down the drain. Save a bit longer and go for something like a Rumble 200, which will last you and be up to (moderate) band use as you improve. Do you have any musician pals who could help/advise when you go shopping? An extra pair of ears is always helpful. Good luck.

+1 for The Bass Gallery. Not visited yet - will put this right in a couple of weeks hopefully. Bought a bass of them recently online which had a problem on arrival and Charlie sorted it all out with minimum of fuss and maximum understanding.

Just trying to help!

That's very sad. I'll keep my eyes wide opened for sure and put it on the other forums I'm in.

Yeah they’re really great for the price! I have a fretless Jive, and it’s excellent! Si

I'm amazed this thread is still running. This is a bass player trying to make a little money by building cabs. He's chosen the simplest of designs, a roughly 50l 1x12 and is offering effectively to put in the driver of your choice at different price points. You'll get exactly what you pay for. His advertising claims are no more silly than anyone else's, kind of true but not very enlightening. I'd suspect you'll get a very simple box which you could build yourself for £40 but someone else has put it together for you. That QTX driver is the sort of driver found in millions of cheap speakers with a hundred different brand names all coming out of a factory somewhere in China. It'll make a noise but won't have a lot of deep bass and will give up the ghost fairly early if you turn the power up due to over excursion. The Eminence Beta will sound like an Eminence Beta, it's a good mid range driver for bass and is used re-badged in a number of designs. An unbraced 3/4" ply cab that size isn't going to be high end but the panels are rigid enough not to be awful and you can always add braces yourself. I'm not as cynical as others, having done something similar back in the early 1970's. It's tough when you have no capital and you have to do everything yourself. You operate on the tightest of margins and keeping costs down by saving on handles and fittings and sticking to one design makes sense. I doubt he's making minimum wage once his time is factored in but we all start somewhere.

Proper bargain!

Great, but you need to check you like the amount of relief because obviously you can’t change it. My series II basses are almost exactly flat which I love. The series Iii and IV have a tad more but it’s still only about a credit card thickness. It’s rare to see one where the neck has moved even a fraction in its lifetime.

In order to keep my strings fresher for longer I wash my hands before touching my bass, carry a microfibre cloth to wipe the bass and my hands and point a fan at my hands so that they don't sweat and stick to the strings which would inevitably cause skin particles to end up between the winds of the strings. I get around 9 or 10 wedding gigs out of a set before they get noticably dull. My bass is also the last thing to come out at a gig and the first thing to get put away at the end of the night

Without doubt Mick Karn was once of the most original players out there, that Japan catalogue still sounds like nothing else on the market. Lovely fellow, sadly missed.

Just received some strings from Pawel: good comms and quick dispatch makes for another good BC transaction!