Leaderboard

Mine have. I got struck off for having sex with a patient. All that money spent on Veterinary College, wasted.

You tapping on it?

I don't often post on here but wanted to publically credit a bass manufacturer, since it's always good to hear good news. Long story short, I have a Sandberg California TMII 5 string bass, which I absolutely love which I bought 18 months ago second hand from Bass Direct. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, it just stopped working, took it to a local guitar repairer I trust and he basically said the electrics are buggered, a circuit has gone, not a lot he could do without direct contacts in Sandberg etc. I emailed Sandberg directly (only hoping they might recommend someone I could pay to fix it etc.) But instead, I got an email from Mike, one of the service engineers, who asked me to remove the entire circuitry and send it over to Germany for immediate free repair. I did this, he sent back the newly repaired circuit (1 part on the circuit board replaced), with lots of good communication along the way and last night I put it back in. And it is now as good as new! I just wanted to commend Sandberg for their amazing customer service, all done (including free tracked postage back to the UK) for absolutely free, there was no obligation from their side, they could have just sent me back to the second hand dealer I bought it from. I wouldn't imagine you would get the same level of service from one of the other big guitar manufactures (although I've never tried)! So hats off to Sandberg....not just great quality guitars but a top notch company with amazing customer service too!

Upgraded the Shuker Fretless today. Nordstrand NJ4SE Pickup bought. Also decided that the old preamp in it was probably a bit long in the tooth and adding to the general hum, hiss and crackle and bought a shiny new Delano Sonar 3 to slap in. Also decided to go 18v for extra headroom and so forth. Spent all afternoon ripping out the old and putting the new in. After my travails, I plug in - and get nothing at all. Nowt. Nada. Nyet. Zip. Long story short - here are three ways not to be a numpty: - When installing another preamp with a graph tech ghost piezo system, always use the AUX PWR out from the ghost board and don't splice the power line from the battery to power your new posh preamp.. - String up your bass after install, as it turns out that modern preamps are super quiet - lack of noise before moving strings does not mean you have wired it like a numpty. Not putting the strings on to check does make you a numpty. - When going from 9v to 18v you need a second battery. ALWAYS CHECK THIS IS NOT DEAD. As you look like a proper numpty when the missus asks if you've tried another battery "in case the one you got out of the kitchen drawer which has been there 3 years is dead" Sigh. However, it's now a super quiet hum and buzz free bass with nearly no hiss except with the treble dimed. It's probly quieter than my passive p's and the Nordstrand pickup sounds glorious... so much so that I may have to get a Jazz and live with the crappy neck just so I can fit a pair of them

And then the weather changed, and they might as well have been ..

Got a Stingray5 from skidder (Steve) in an exchange. Played and sounded great. (Great guy by the way) Only problem, it was black, and had high mileage😂 A luthier quoted me 320€ to strip it back and finish if I gave him just the bare body. So, a Black & Decker heat gun, about 8 hours work and a saving of 320€ later, here's the result. I'm really pleased. Before and after.

That does it, I am going into the setup business..... looking at providing set up services and clients can choose a scheme to suit their needs. For a tenner (aka the cotton scheme) I will look at your bass, frown, sigh with clear disdain and give half thruthful tips on what to do The gold scheme will be 75 quid (strings excluded) for which I will take your bass, bring it to Gary Mac who charges 35 and when back make you a cuppa whilst explaning how difficult it was to get your bass just right. oh dear............I am in one of those moods, apologies especially to Gary Mac

They'll clear your estuaries. No....... Hang on......... That's not right.

And now, the first outing for the AliKat ... Note the fine guitar work by MacDaddy, too.

Ok I pulled the trigger on one, £131 from BAX, silly money, I will report on its gig'fullness!

It really should have been a pearl finish Dean bass.

Today was inlaying, joy!! Briefly, bottom of the design stuck onto masking tape, masking tape on top of headstock. Masking tape to masking tape superglue the inlay in place Scribe around the design with a sharp marker, I used a scalpel but I'm sure there is a better tool for this than that. Pull off the surrounding masking tape to make sure you've scribed everywhere Pare off the inlay with a chisel then rout out the design, I forgot to photo this but I used a Dremel, a 1mm bit for the outline and a 3mm bit for the bulk of the waste. I tend with dark woods like this to actually rout half and half through the line leaving something like a 0.5mm gap all around which in reality means some places it's tight and in others there's 1mm gap. Then I mixed epoxy with dust saved from sanding the fretboards and glued them all in with plenty oozing out, messy but in this case it doesn't matter as we are grain filling the lot afterwards and the black on black won't show once it's sprayed. Sand it all off once dry and see how it looks, there are still some voids that need filling, they have been cleaned out and done but they're being left now for a cople of days, I'm having a day off tomorrow

Rubbish, we know EVERYTHING. My grandad was a doctor anyway, so that proves it. What you should do is mix up some porridge with Nutella and rub it on your chest before you go to bed. In the morning stay in bed until at least 11am. Scrape off the mixture and microwave it for two minutes. Serve it up to your wife or partner as a kind of brunch. You will feel a lot better for this. Then avoid watching ANYTHING on TV that could be seen as even SLIGHTLY controversial - especially News programmes. Cancel your newspapers and don't listen to News on the radio. I guarantee your stress levels will reduce massively. PS: Glad this didn't actually kill you.

I'm a Yorkshireman. £65 is expensive for a bass! 😂

I picked this up yesterday. It’s Charvel 1B from 1987 and considering its age, it’s in super overall condition. I was never brave enough and far too cool to own one of these when they were popular, but now I’m older and no longer give a stinky poo, it’s the perfect time to have one! My poor band may think otherwise. I forgot just how good these bolt on Charvel necks are: it’s incredibly comfortable and I’ve been able to get a seriously low action on it. It also doh said great too and the reverse P pickup is a great variation. Now, where’s my hairspray?

Hi, I read you long time ago and finally I register to this wonderfull comunity, I play bass for more than 12 years now, before I played guitar in a metal band (high school years), I started bass when I was in a modern music school but after 4 years I stoped, after someyears I joined some bands where I played from jazz to funk, rock, metal..., but I love to play funk, soul is more funny for me, now I'm without band for a year but it's great for me, I play that I want, I follow scott devine and marlowe dk chanels and I'm learning a lot too My best bass is a Sandberg KT 5, I have a Cort and a icon freetless jazz bass 'modified', sometimes I have a G&L l-1000 from '81 a spectacular bass, amp I have a EBS gorm2x10 and I use a lot for home and more a zoomb3 . I think that's all! Nice to meet you!

Look no further than Jon Shuker - right up his street. For a wildcard option though have a look at Doug Wilkes - daft as a brush but what a luthier he is!!!

Oh yeah !, I have one of these Ctm100's, everything that the other members have said and better all rounder than my Ashdown Bta300 hybrid, which I can barely carry !

Gibson and Fender are each sitting on a pile of awesome, classic designs for guitar and bass. Fender manage both to make both faithful representations of their classic models, and updated versions with sensible, useful amendments. Plus a product range spanning various custom shop, MIA, MIJ, MIM, along with the large Squier range to cover a lot of different price points. Gibson on the other hand haven't even regularly produced an accurate version of some of their existing models, for example the original EB basses, SG or LP Juniors or Firebird 1 guitar (or single pickup Thunderbird bass for that matter). The tweaks made have often answered questions no one has asked - the Firebird X, SG Zoot Suit, the robot tuners, the wider neck and lower frets of the 2015 range etc. Gibson need to concentrate both on making the best possible versions of their own classic designs (which merit the hefty price tag), and make sure the improvements/developments they make on more contemporary models are based on what players might actually want. For what it's worth the Epiphones I've played seem to have a closer take on that that Gibson ironically - models like the Jack Casady Bass, Thunderbird classic pro and the Casino Gary Clark Junior model I have are brilliant designs - sensible rejigs of classic models to make them versatile, affordable instruments.

Similar shot to one of the ones above but the more observant will see that the fretboard is now fretted

I think all if this GAS might be covering other deep issues. Tell me about your mother, etc......🤔

My experience of pub and club bands now is that you very, very rarely see a Gibson bass. In my neck of the woods anyway.

Some up to date photos

I think that their cables contain more conductium than cheaper brands...

Do fender not rely, almost exclusively on 60 year old guitar and bass designs? They even go to extremes to make some instruments look 60 years old ffs.

Firstly, that's an 'open-ended' exercise, in that, if no line is drawn, it's never declared 'Finished..!'. Setting oneself a deadline (at any point, not just 'first version'...) is almost always a Good Thing. Secondly, and, in my case, even more importantly, 'fiddling and fixing' makes things steadily and remorselessly worse..! This, in many walks of life ('Oh, just another pinch of salt and it'll be perfect...', or 'I'll just ease another millimetre off that wobbly table leg...'). There are many examples of classical compositions that are better unfinished than polished (or sometimes, re-polished...), Schubert's Eighth being the prime example. It's a healthy quality, knowing when to stop. It's a pity our Lenny has never 'twigged' this simple fact. ...

It's about time someone mentioned Norm, and the Rhythm Stick bass line. A case of more is more. That song would not work as well without a busy bass line.

Yup, tighter low E string sound for a more even tone. One of the many reasons I love my Spectors....

Love my pointies 😉 At the last count, there are 4 bc rich, and one Kramer. I bet @cetera could trump that though 😉

Now it´s mine, and I´m super happy! This bass is like a nuclear power station

erstwhile Basschatter and style icon, that's me!

Slightly taken aback at these recommendations for a BACKUP head. The Puma is very nice, absolutely, but a couple sold (preowned) here on Basschat for £325 and the others have all been £450 or more. That's a shedload of cash for a backup amp that will hopefully/probably never be used!

Oh I do ... believe me, I do.

Nah. The socks are one thing but the shirt is upstaged by the shiny head just above. Perhaps a dreadlock wig would compliment it. @Silvia Bluejay; Shouldn't this be on a NSASD* post anyway? If Mr Dury was alive he'd surely have a NBAPD post to go with his New Boots and Panties album. @Happy Jack; You needn't worry, even your shiny head is upstaged by that beautiful bass. Wear what you like mate. *New Socks And Shirt Day

Very cool. I always wanted one of these or a Jackson or, a BC Rich. Ahhhhhh man, got some pointiness GAS now and I just don't need one. Thanks 😂

Friday was the first gig with an originals band I tried out for a month ago. We were nominally headlining, but effectively playing to the second - much younger - band's crowd, which is less than ideal but they did stay and listen despite us not really being metal enough for them. We front loaded with a couple of shorter/ heavier songs before stretching out into our more epic direction. I flubbed in a few places - partly down to only having played with them 3 times, partly down to the drummer introducing a load of extra and wholly unexpected fills and partly due to the reliably awful on-stage sound thanks to the reliably obnoxious sound-guy. Anyone who has played the Maze in Nottingham will know who I mean. I can only assume he hates rock music. This band seems to be all about being thrown in at the deep end. Live multi-track recording this week and another gig next week. Not much opportunity to iron out the wrinkles...

Isn't that how it works? None of my patients has ever complained.

Really? Have you read ^this^ back to yourself out loud?

Ah the cosmic significance of it all. Can you imagine the Bieber generation when they get to middle age? The arguments over who came up with the cuddly stuffed toy impersonations first should be breathtaking. I don't know why folk get worked up over something that can't be defined, even if you were there. It is an interesting topic though and I appreciate an alternative view even if it does sometimes sound as if it comes with a helping of chips on each shoulder.

When I get a new bass I'll have it fret stoned (if required) and set up, usually by the Gallery. After that I'll adjust the bridge if the action needs fine tuning. I don't know what they charge. I can afford it and they give me back a stonking instrument. IMO worth every penny.

I gigged it today and it sounded fantastic and is one of the easiest basses I’ve ever played. The neck and action is to die for. I had more comments about this bass than any others I’ve played too: there’s a lot of love for pointy headstocks and it was great to see people remembering back to the 80’s

Done a bit of sanding on this for the belly are arm shaping. The neck is starting to look quite nice - I think the birds eye maple will finish nicely

I guess this comes down to what is a full set up.?

On a 5-string that's only £13 per string. Unless you have a serious issue to resolve (or in my case anything that involves a soldering iron), any amount greater than a penny is too much to pay for a set up IMHO. Bass guitars are pretty simple - you'd be much better advised learning how to set it up for yourself.

'Heart attack' is a catchall term for so many different problems - advice for the wrong one could be misleading at best, life threatening at worse. If I were in your shoes I'd be looking for the advice of those who treated you and know exactly what your problem is, not a bunch of random bass players who have never met you.

A busy day, I'm getting too old for all this, I'm looking forward to a holiday in a couple of weeks First job was to tidy up the veneers, trim the edges, open out the bridge recess and cut out the bit where the fretboards fit. I then cut the truss rods to size, threaded the ends and fitted the anchors, I flattened the threads to lock the anchors and I wrapped the rods in cling film to stop them getting glued in place, I also greased the adjusting threads with copperslip.. After that I fitted them and glued in the filler strip. When dry I planed that down and fitted the small wedge to go under the headstock veneer. Then I trimmed the headstock to shape and stuck on the veneers. Finally for the day I fretted the Satinwood board so that can be glued on tomorrow