Leaderboard

And here she is, the object of my affections. One Y.O.B Fender Precision Bass (1976) Of course in natural with a rosewood fingerboard. This is a very specific configuration for a reason. Firstly, because I grew up listening to Queen. The late-70's mid-d80's era of John Deacon's "main" precision bass actually had it's sunburst finish removed to natural, rather than this one that came as is. Said Precion bass ended up having a refinish in black with gold hardware, which is rather sexy! Anyway, I digress... I've been trying to find this spec bass for ages and have never been able to afford one. (I've just sold lots of bass gear!!!) Also, many years ago, my mum helped me buy my first precision bass (which I tried to re-buy last year when it resurfaced some 25 years later on this very forum, but the seller wouldn't budge). I've always felt rubbish about selling it, so it will help put my mind at ease now that I have replaced it. - Funnily enough, same colour scheme! And, finally, to bring this long tale to an end, I have of course a huge thank you to make. WUNJO GUITARS https://www.wunjoguitars.com for being, frankly, bloody amazing in all of this. I've had so many conversations with Jimmy in the bass department that he's practically family now. They kept on at UPS every day and would not let this situation drop for a second. They've displayed a customer service that I've not experienced "when the sh*t hits the fan" and get my thorough thumbs up. I'd also like to thank Tom who stepped up to the challenge of recording me a whole bunch of videos so I could see and hear the bass in action as I was unable to get down to London to see it in person. Now that we are getting acquainted, me and the bass are gonna see if we hit it off together. We've just played through the whole of Queen's The Miracle from start to finish and that went pretty well.

Lest I forget it (not that you could ever forget such a shape), the Mouradian-esque built for @gelfin

Good advice on looking after 'em above, but just in case you need more cables another day, this site is the 'go-to' source for all the cabling needs, at more than reasonable cost, very fast service, top (and I mean top...) quality, run by our very own OBBM, a long-established, highly respected member here... OBBM cables ... What is my relationship..? Only that of a very satisfied repeat customer, for both standard and custom cables, nothing more. Just remember: Cables = OBBM. Hope this helps.

I used a V7 5 to record our last CD so I thought I'd take a punt on one of these. Hard to fault at the price I think.

I don't think it'd pay well anyway, moneys too tight to Maension

Well, in response to the Basschat FB page, I will relate the story of my newest family member - a 2005 Fireglo Rickenbacker 4003. I asked for your opinions some months ago about whether it was worth trading my Spector in for a nice Ricky. Almost unanimously the members of this group said no, and I am glad you did! The Spector is the best bass I have ever played, but I still felt the pull of a Ricky. As a lifelong Rush and Yes fan, I just had to get one. So, I finally took the plunage got the 4003. Well, for those who know, none of this will be a surprise, but for those who don't, here's my review. It looks great and it sounds great, but my Ged, it's a pig to play. I still haven't tamed it. Not quite sure how to get comfortable with it. I have tried it slung low and now have it up high, which is a bit better. But I am a fingers player and found it ridiculously unfriendly on the right hand, so I am learning to play it with a pick. This is a whole new technique to get my head around. Any advice on how to get the best from a Ricky, I am all ears! I do feel I have to add that I love it anyway! I will overcome this plank! PS. Anyone who mentions the shed, dies!

Just picked the bass up. Turns out he checked the electronics, truss rod, action, and set it up amazingly for £28. He had the bass for 9 days. The Sei now plays beautifully with the low action I wanted. I can't recommend this guy enough. His name is Lance and is in the Evesham area.. https://www.guitarstudio.co.uk

I've more often than not joined bands that were of a better standard than myself. The best and quickest way to improve IMO is by playing with people that are a step above you.

It’s almost as if there had been some kind of avoidable event where a third of the population had voted for something that meant the pound dropped in value...

Collection only

I just like big bottoms. I can not lie.

We're hosting a masterclass with the bass legend Victor Wooten. Click the banner below for tickets, they're going fast!

Not music related but I've always loved the story of the stand up comedian who started his act with the line, "Hello, I'm schizophrenic." A voice in the audience calls out, "Well, you can both f**k off, then!"

Well if we're posting our own, here's my "Nozcaster" thinline tele - my first and only completed build so far

Thanks,! The gold bass is a one off, started out as a 4 string. I rerouted the neck pocket and dropped in the neck from my BigBottom 12er when I was developing the current 12er bridge/tailpiece. BigBottom and NR 12s

These are my roasted maple neck Musicman basses - 2014 Neptune Blue mahogany Sabre with roasted flamed maple neck, and 2018 4HH Special, Aqua Sparkle with roasted maple and ebony board. They both have stainless steel frets. Note the back of the neck colour is consistent, and although the headstocks are darker (lacquered) there's not a huge difference. My 4HH Special was a customer order placed on 14/4/18 with Andertons - so you can get the colour you want if you persevere - the same was true of the Sabre, and various other 'odd colour' Musicman basses I've bought new. Note the new tuners have a much thicker tip area - feel really comfortable to use. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but think my 4HHS looks great. Ive used it now in two gigs with a fairly loud blues/R and B band (v loud drummer!!) - outdoor gigs. The bass sound has fitted the mix very nicely (generally using the dual humbucker or single bridge humbucker settings). I've used the outer single coil setting a couple of times but it simply encourages me to play Marcus Miller quotes. A couple of things I've really noticed - using the classic single bridge humbucker setting, even cranking the mid range (yes, to hear myself v said drummer on occasion), the sound simply becomes more focussed but retains that Stingray Bernard Edwards type sound. I rarely crank the mid on my regular 4HH in H mode as it sounds too much to me - that bass needs a bumped mid in dual H mode though as it naturally scoops. Altogether I'm really pleased with this bass - super playable, light, sounds great, big range of very usable sounds and also turns heads - Saturday night, under a lighting system our lady singer danced over playing an item of percussion and said 'is that a new bass you have there' as it shone in the multi coloured lighting - and then proceeded to make female Kenneth Williams/Frankie Howard sounds of approval - she looked well impressed!!! 😂

My builds.

A great result, congrats on finally being united with that fine looking instrument. What a debacle though! However, it may be that all that angst will actually add to your enjoyment of it. Thanks for sharing the experience, I think we all felt somewhat invested in the outcome.

Goodness me, thank you. 🙏 That’s really thoughtful Aside from this debacle I’ve not been “in a good place” for a while now, so these words mean more to me than you realise. This bass is to remind me of where I came from. Ey, no pressure ‘76 P, alright?

That is an ending I like May I say Dood, although we never had many (if any) dealings on this forum, I've always respected and valued your considered and knowledgable input on many topics. So I probably speak for most if not all of basschat that you absolutely deserve this positive ending. I'm positively thrilled for you!!!

Happy for you Paddy. I've had a couple of CL heads ( not the svt2) and you just cannot better the All valve ampeg sound imo. And man! What a price

I started work a couple of weeks ago, and have taken some pics so I'll start a build thread soon 😀

Because it looks like that😂

Supported 'The Blockheads', chuffed isnt the word, met Norman Watt-Roy and he signed my pick guard 🙂

My Main gigging rig. Mesa Titan and powerhouse 210 + 410 cabs. the markbass on top is for emergencies.

I've been listening to Fields of the Nephilim a lot over the last few days. I loved their gigs back in the late 80s/early 90s. These tracks flow into each other. Tony Pettitt is very underrated

Playing in bands with people who are even better than they are, of course!

Bore oil, fingerboard oil, lemon oil, linseed oil, walnut oil all do the same job, pretty much. I don't need advice about what to clean my fingerboard with. I was just wondering if I could get some more of what I already have. Seems like the answer is either "no" or "here's the answer to a question you didn't ask". Internet...

Started the neck carve. It will probably take the rest of the day off and on but the bulk is removed: Other than checking the neck thickness with some calipers, I'm carving this one pretty much entirely by feel - sitting in a chair, holding it like a back-to-front cello and using a variety of tools including spokeshave, cabinet scrapers and microplanes. I often tweak the shape in the same way once the guitar is fully finished and strung up, just using a cabinet scraper and finishing off with sandpaper, followed by a quick reapplication of tru-oil slurry and buff.

I like that!

Nice playing - sounds great - I saw Ronnie Laws around 79/80 - great gig 👍 Encore eh? My son still has one of them (was his first bass many years back) - has used it to record several times and people have asked him what year of Precision he was using to get such a good sound!!

Learn to coil them properly, always remove them with the jack, not the cable. Thats it pretty much.

Option 2 Mother of Pearl is a natural product and natural products vary...otherwise they don't look natural. Those blocks look perfect

Here's a couple of mine..... (Edit: Mods, am I alowed to post my own? If not, please delete!😁)

Shed's alright but the trainers clash with the bass. 😜

Fnar, fnar.

BLOOD The very first pub gig I ever played was at the Salmon & Ball in the East End, a corner pub with doors onto Cambridge Heath Rd and Bethnal Green Rd. Maybe the area has been gentrified since then ... it certainly wasn't bloody gentrified when I played there. We set up with our backs against the East wall of the pub, between the two doors, and started playing. Halfway through the first set a couple of black guys came in, bought their drinks, and sat peaceably at the back of the pub. Some of the white skinhead types at the bar were giving them the eye, and the atmosphere went thoroughly rank. It didn't help that our keyboard player was black. Sure enough, after a while a couple of these East End good ol' boys decided to start something and headed to the back of the pub. There were some verbals, and then one of these idiots decided to do it like they do on telly and knocked the end of his beer bottle on the edge of the table = instant lethal weapon, right? Erm ... no. I come from a family of coppers going back to Victorian times (believe it or not) and one thing I've heard plenty of is that when you smash a glass or a bottle like they do in the movies (with a prop made of sugar), the most likely outcome is that you end up with a handful of broken glass. So tough guy idiot #1 is now standing there with blood spurting out of his hand, tough guy idiot #2 looks like he's going to cry, the two black guys seem unimpressed, and the landlord takes over. This being the heart of the old East End, the guv'nor looks exactly (and I mean exactly) like Grant from Eastenders. He drags them behind the bar so that he can run the cold tap over the damaged hand, then produces a mass of that blue kitchen towel they use in pubs and gets tough guy idiot #1 to mash it up in his hands, finally escorts them to the Cambridge Heath Road exit and shows them the way to the nearest A&E. He's done this before, hasn't he? We're still playing. Next, the guv'nor starts taking tables and stools and builds a barricade (seriously, I'm not making this up) against the newly-bolted door onto Cambridge Heath Road. Then he goes to the door onto Bethnal Green Road, which is actually a pair of narrow doors. He closes and bolts one of the narrow doors and takes up position in the narrow doorway that he's left open. His white t-shirt has been liberally sprayed with the blood of tough guy idiot #1 which makes him look a lot like Bruce Willis in a Die Hard movie, and there he stays for the rest of the set. People in the pub are allowed to leave, people outside the pub are not allowed in. Unsurprisingly, by the end of our first set the pub is empty apart from us, the guv'nor, and a barmaid. He pays us off, apologises to us (!), and we very sheepishly break down and leave. The most astonishing thing about this story is that I ever played another gig.

What's the betting JPJ never played Lemon Song exactly the same twice!!?

This started out as New Amp Day thread for my Genzler Magellan 800 but has grown a bit more than I was originally anticipating…. DISCLAIMER - what is stated below is just my opinion based on my experience with my bass and my cab being played at smallish pub gig volumes. I thought I'd throw that in because there might be 1 or 2 comments below that some people might not agree with. This thread just relays my experience, thoughts and feelings at the time. Having been in the market for a new amp for a while, I'd managed to narrow down a shortlist of amps that, on paper at least, ticked all my requirements; lightweight, plenty of power for bigger/outdoor gigs, more voiced towards a vintage rather than a toppy hi-fi tone, and, sensibly priced (not cheap as such, but nothing ludicrously expensive either). In the end I'd managed narrowed it down to the Aguilar Tone Hammer (either the 350 or more likely the 500), the Darkglass Microtubes 900, the Mesa Boogie Subway D-800 and the Genzler Magellan 800. A recent trip to Bass Direct armed with my own cab, a Tecamp M212 and my trusty passive Sandberg TT4 jazz bass, I had the chance to try out and compare the Darkglass (DG), Mesa (MB) and the Genzler (GZ). My test driving session was in BD's store room which is nothing more than an industrial unit full of boxes, so possibly not the best acoustic environment to test gear out, but that's how it was. I started off running each amp with all the tone controls at 12 o'clock. Any adjustable preshape filters were set to their off/minimum settings and the GZ and DG were set to their clean channels. All 3 amps the were broadly similar tonally, but there were differences. The MB had noticeably more bottom end than the others. The GZ sounded flat with no obvious frequencies either cut or boosted. The DG, somewhat surprisingly, had what sounded like a bit of a roll off at the lower end. Not much, but it was noticeable compared to the others. However, the DG had something more pleasing in the mids to my ear. It probably all comes down to what each manufacturer perceives a 'flat' sound to be. Next came an hour or so of finding out what each amp had to offer by going through various eq settings and swapping the amps over to compare each one with similar tones dialled in. Each amp yielded some fantastic tones and each had their own distinctive voice too. In fact I wasn't able to coax a bad or unusable sound out of any of them. It was a tough call as each amp has its own strengths. Mesa Boogie Subway D-800 The MB was the least versatile of the 3. Tonally, it goes from shouty and aggressive to really shouty and aggressive. Not that it has a bad tone, far from it, but it is anything but subtle. With the 4 eq points set to 12 o'clock and the voicing control set flat there was more inherent low end than the GZ and the DG in particular. Using the bass control, voicing filter and deep switch, you had 3 options to dial in even more bass. Not that you need any of them. I found that I was having to wind the bass eq back to 11 or even 10 o'clock and keep the deep switch off to stop it getting overpowering. Not that the bottom end was dominating the other frequencies, but I'd imagine that it could get overbearing in a band situation if you're not careful. The voicing control on the MB, which is an adjustable mid-scoop, has a wide range and to my ear but anything over about 9 or 10 o'clock and you were getting into 'sounds great on its own but makes you disappear from the mix' territory. Less is definitely more with that one. The tone that really put a smile on my face was playing the Sandberg on the neck pickup, the voicing set at about 8 o'clock, deep switch off, the bass eq set about 10 o'clock, low mid at 12, upper mid at about 1 and the treble at about 11. It pretty much turned the TT4 jazz into a Precision! This tone very nearly sold the Mesa to me there and then. But much as I loved the core tone of the MB, it was hard to make it sound anything other than aggressive and bass heavy. It felt like it was constantly having to be kept in check. Darkglass Microtubes 900 There's no denying that there's a lot of hype about the DG, and rightly so, it's a cracking amp. On the clean channel with the EQ set flat, it was the least bassy sounding of the 3 but had something going on in the mids that I really liked but can't quite describe. It was in no way thin sounding, it just didn't have quite as much low end as the other 2 with all bass eq at noon. Upping the bass eq to about 1 o'clock bought the low end back up to a similar level as the GZ. Of the 3 amps, the DG has the most comprehensive eq section which was quick and easy to get a great sound out of. It was the only amp not to have a preshape or contour feature, just a 4 band eq with each mid band having a switch for 3 preset frequencies. A setting that sounded great to my ear was bass between 1 and 2 o'clock, low mids at 11 on the 500hz setting, hi mids at 1 on the 750 hz setting and the treble just backed off a touch. The big selling point of the DG is the Microtubes circuit which has both the Vintage Microtubes and B3K voice settings available. Tonally, like a lot of guys, I want a bit of warmth/hair/grit/additional harmonic content (insert your favourite adjective here) in my sound, not overdrive as such, but something that is neither squeaky clean nor yet dirty. A bit grubby I suppose. I was expecting to get some mild warmth using the VMT setting at lower gain, but even with the drive and blend controls down in the 8 to 9 o'clock regions there was still too much on tap for what I am looking for. Switching to the B3K mode changed the voicing and actually sounded less driven to me, somewhat surprisingly. It also introduced a slight mid-scoop too. At higher gain settings there are some great overdrive and distortion sounds to be found, but these are way over the top for anything that I play these days, everything from 70's disco to contemporary indie. Having said that, the hairy teenage rocker in me who first picked up the bass more than 30 years ago was screaming at me to buy it for the fun factor alone. Unfortunately, the podgy, balding, middle aged man in me (which is me these days) was urging something more sensible. The DG was still tempting for the tone and flexibility of the clean channel alone but why pay extra for the Microtubes engine that I'm not going to use other than for a bit of fun? Just to be clear, I'm not saying that the Microtubes engine is inherently bad sounding or unusable, it's just that even at minimum drive settings it was too full on for my requirements. I read recently someone describing the DG sound as like the bass being played through both a bass amp and a guitar amp at the same time (or words to that effect) and I think that sums it up perfectly. It's not your classic Ampeg saturated valve bass sound, it more like a bass being played through a Mesa Boogie dual rectifier. Genzler Magellan 800 Of the 3 amps being compared, the GZ was a last minute addition to the short list. I'd borrowed a friends Genz Benz amp a few years ago (can't remember what model it was, unfortunately) and found that it had a bump in the boxy sounding low mids that I struggled to eq out. I'd just assumed that this would likely also be the case with the GZ. The good news is that this assumption was misplaced. On the clean channel with the tone controls at noon and the contour control wound right back the tone was to my ear the flattest of the 3 on trial. The blurb online talks about a “weighted feel to the notes” which I'd just assumed was the usual marketing claims. However, the low end is definitely forceful, punchy and powerful but without feeling overbearing like the MB. The mids and treble are equally present without being boxy or brittle. The eq section is simple and flexible and contains bass, treble and a single semi-parametric mid plus the contour control that has 2 different voicings, A & B. Voice A is a variable mid-scoop which doesn't have the range of the one on the MB but is far more usable for it. It was only when I cranked it up to 2 or 3 o'clock that it started to get into the realms of potentially not cutting through in a band situation. The MB voicing filter hit that spot much sooner. Voice B is a more vintage sounding mid bump with a slight low end roll off. Voice B set to about 10 o'clock with the bass pushed up between 1 and 2 o'clock gave a great, useable retro tone. Like the DG, the GZ has a dedicated drive channel, but even when ragging it the range of drive available on the GZ still seemed less driven than the DG at minimum settings. That's no bad thing. The drive sections on the DG and the GZ are very different creatures. The GZ is on the more subtle but extremely usable side. I've been through many different amps and pedals trying to find the perfect warmth/hair/etc. tone and the only that came close was the Aguilar Tone Hammer. The GZ drive (more warmth and enhanced harmonic content than a pedal style overdrive) is rich and creamy with plenty of clarity left in the underlying bass tone. There's no fizz either, just smooth, dynamic warmth. Think along the lines of the Tone Hammer but with more definition or a SansAmp at lower gain but without the mid-scoop. This was what convinced me to go with the Magellan. It just sounded right, my favourite settings being with both A or B contours at about 10 o'clock and the eq section all at noon. Even though I was looking for exactly the warm/hairy tone that the GZ delivers, the clean channel has a real immediacy about it. With contour A at about 9 o'clock, bass and mids at noon and the treble back at about 11'o clock, the tone was powerful, punchy and clear. Even now having played through the GZ for several hours I can't decide whether I prefer the punchy clean channel or the warmth of the drive channel the best. Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 I didn't try the Tone Hammer (TH) directly against the other 3 at the time, but having already played through a TH 500 a couple of weeks before, I was leaning more towards the other 3 over the TH which is lower powered (although in reality would probably have easily covered every possible gigging situation that I'd ever need it for) and although it does the warm, vintage tone brilliantly, it didn't seem to be massively versatile. Summary Without sounding like a cop out, these are all truly great amps and I could happily live with either of them. I wouldn't say that any one is any better than the others as each one has something different to offer. Ultimately I ended up buying the Genzler as that was the one that suits my needs. But it was a tough decision. The GZ also happened to be £150+ cheaper than the others, but that was in no way a deciding factor in my choice. If you want a set-and-forget single tone amp, the TH and MB are great choices if their inherent sounds are to your liking. The TH is perfect for warmer vintage tones and the MB is the ideal choice if you want something more aggressive. But if you're looking for subtlety you definitely won't find it in the MB. If you find yourself asking "is it any good for metal?" on a regular basis, the DG is the obvious choice, although the MB is definitely worth considering too. Don't write off the DG purely as a metal amp, the clean channel is good. Really good. For my needs, I found that I was having to reign back both the MB and DG to keep them under control. But I'm sure there are plenty of guys who would just let them rip and sound a damn sight better than I ever could! The simply great tone and the versatility of the Genzler is what made me choose it over the others. It doesn't do the insane drive and distortion of the DG but instead it delivers a convincing smooth valve like saturated sound that could be used across many different genres. It's not dissimilar in that respect to the Tone Hammer, but the GZ has more clarity to its drive sound. The clean channel has a lot of power behind it, real weight, dare I say the H word? The drive channel and the different voices of the contour are usable through pretty much their entire ranges. The only thing I don't like about it is its daft name

Wot ? Born in 1976 ! But you are just a kid. 😉 Happy ending indeed.

You fiend.

Two coats on. Now we’re rockin’.

Singist: ...and this one is Remedy. Punter: Er...by the Black Crowes? Singist: Yep. Punter: Please don't. Singist: Why not? Punter: Because I simply cannot take any more pleasure. Legend-level sarcasm or not? You decide.

Many years ago, I played in a band with the very talented worldwide talent that is Andy James, with Matt Goom on drums (ex-Quireboys, ex-Glenn Hughes). We had just slammed our way through a covers set and being as our singer and guitarist both loved a bit of Bon Jovi, we finished with "It's My Life". Last note punched out when out dashed behind us (via the toilet next to the stage) Papa Lazarou shouting, "It's MAaaaaaaa Wiiiiife, now!" The funniest thing ever and also the most profound upstaging I've ever experienced!

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

I think there's a difference between playing covers for an audience who mostly wants to sing along, dance and have fun, say at a private party or in a pub, and recording cover versions for an audience who is more interested in the music, such as fans of a band buying their CDs or going to their shows. I'd say the former should try and sound as much like the original as is feasible, depending on the number of musicians available, while the latter should offer their own take on the song. There are, obviously, limits to how much you can make a song your own without ruining it...

I've re-recorded basslines for some Whitesnake tracks, with the intention of them being analysed for an article or web feature by a friend of mine, Oliver Poschmann, who currently plays bass in Motown The Musical in the West End of London. We rather let things slide, and the project needs to be reactivated. I re-recorded FFYL, but I'm not too happy with it, both sound- and playing-wise. I realise that people would like a video, but I very much doubt that I could play the track note-for note in that situation, though maybe showing how particular sections are played would be OK. I just don't like poor quality teaching videos, which is most likely what it would be when I haven't done any previously.