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Great day today. Thanks to everyone for organising, see some of you around soon. If anyone is interested, Richard's band Corduroy are playing in Guildford on the 26th October at the start of their tour. Well worth seeing if you get a chance - https://www.seetickets.com/event/30-years-of-acid-jazz-corduroy-eddie-piller/suburbs-guildford/1250971 Cheers

The only thing that ever worked for me was staying away from Basschat. Seriously. Bought nothing for years. Came here spent my retirement fund in six week.

OK - last shots before the potential of me wrecking it and it becoming BBQ fuel. This is one of the more - er - exciting bits of building acoustics. The fact that pretty much the most critical and difficult bit comes at the very end! Fitting the bridge. Here we are before I potentially wreck it: The neck is fitted - and I'm pleased with the fit. The tuners are some leftovers of a gold/black mixed set I used for one of my electric builds - that one was black knobs on gold bodies, so the leftovers are gold knobs on black bodies. The neck profile will be tweaked once the strings are on it - because then I can shape and play and reshape the neck to get it just right for my playing style. Then it's just the fret-levelling and final setup. But first I have to fit the bridge. And it has to be right. The only thing you have to play with is the saddle insert height and the 1/2mm or so either side of centre of the saddle top for intonation. So that bridge HAS to be glued in the right place. If it isn't, the guitar will be, at best, lack-lustre and, at worst, pretty much unplayable. This weekend is a bit higgledy piggledy for family reasons, but in any bits of spare time I will be re-looking on the various websites about the best way of positioning and fixing, finding my bridge clamp and then checking, re-checking, re-re-checking EVERYTHING before attempting the scrape (the area that the bridge will be glued to needs to have the varnish scraped off first) and finally the fix. It's only a guitar, but this is the bit of the whole thing that most scares the c**p out of me!

Last night I saw Paris Monster in Glasgow, at The Hug & Pint. Great gig. However, the support band were brilliant local band - so much fun. TOM McGUIRE AND THE BRASSHOLES. Really great syncopated guitar, bass, and horns - I'll be going to see them whenever they're next playing live.

Huge shout out to @silverfoxnik, @Hamster, @cetera @NancyJohnson and everyone else that made today happen. Great day out as usual. And Richard Searle was a revelation. I knew his bassing would be great but what a raconteur and so entertaining to listen to. Well done guys. Great to chat to so many of the regulars and try some lovely basses out too. Can’t wait til next year’s!

Got to agree with the sentiments above - great day out even if the numbers were down on last year. Good to see that Jack made it despite also having the lurgee which brought down the drummer. Many faces old and new alike - got to chatting with a few people I didn't know. Loved the Rob Allen Mouse and the two Alembics. I'm sure Silvia will be along shortly with photos. Richard Searle was excellent, but I would say that as a big Corduroy fan. Got him to sign some CDs and a HRC baseball. Not sure how many got to trial the Elwray bass which reached me on Thursday. Check my review elsewhere. I believe that Grangur will be collecting this in a few days, before passing it on to GaryMac. Get your name on the list if you're interested. One of the stars of the event was one of Jez's (Jabba) basses which was highly acclaimed in the "Bass Identity" Test. Have to fess up, I didn't get a single one right - but did have a near miss with the Ricks. Controversy remains following "The Heft Challenge" - was there a discernible difference between Class D and Valve Amps?? The committee is still out and if we can't tell the difference, how can we expect the punters too?? The usual fun/frustration with the raffle. Due to reduced numbers there were raffle prizes left over which Colin (Hamster) and Nik will be advertising here and the proceeds going to this years Charity. As I said, great day out. Many thanks to Cetera for getting Richard Searle along at short notice, everybody else who helped out behind the scenes and especially Colin and Nik for putting together another fine event. Long may they continue.

Aye... Our band decided before our 1st gig that we'd all wear similar clothes (basically the urban commando look). I turned up with camos, boots, the lot. Suitable, I felt, for a protest sort of band with songs like "Fight The System" Singer wore a Stussy t shirt with jeans (he said "but I like them!" with no irony at all in wearing a corporate logo!), drummer wore shorts and metal band tshirt stretched over his belly - his excuse was that he'd be too hot in anything else; I pointed out that camo shorts are available, and that I'd specifically gone and bought stuff according to what we'd decided! So no unified band image - we were just another band on the circuit looking the same as all the others.

True. You post some cool photos Blue It probably helps that I play in a trio. That way I get at least 5% of the attention

Ah yes, the poison from within. I think that at the grassroots pub band level there are too many lack-lustre, mediocre bands who have no chance of attracting new listeners. I've stood supporting too many of them just through loyalty (and played in some to be honest). Also, visual image has always been crucial in rock. For physical and sartorial reasons the majority of pub bands look terrible. About a year ago, whilst at the bar during the break I overheard a youngster, "that guitarist, he looks like the old **** next door to me who cuts the grass when I'm trying to have a lie-in'. A sort of epitaph.

Just picked this up today as a swap for my Ibanez Singlecut, a 2014 Mex 50s Roadworn in the best colour. Now, when I’m going through a Fender playing phase, I’m normally a dyed in the wool US made or nothing kind of chap. But this Mex P is, by quite some margin, the best P I have ever played, and I’ve owned, like, 2. A weighty ‘78 and a ‘79. Oh, and a brief but successful affair with a Jap 57RI until GAS got hold for a Jazz. It has everything I want in a P. Fairly hot growly pup, superb action, very light, and that unbeatable combo of Fiesta Red/Maple neck/Gold scratchplate. I’m pleased.

Good Afternoon all, My name is Sam Bisset, 25 from Lancashire UK. I've been playing bass for 11 years, 10 of which have been spent performing live. The band i currently play with is called "suburban symphony" a 5 piece alternative indie band. https://en-gb.facebook.com/SuburbanSymphonyUK/ Aside from this, I have performed in function bands, jazz ensembles and progressive metal bands. I look forward to engaging in bassy conversations\debates with you all. Good Afternoon, Sam Bisset

I will be KING of great little basses, oh yes! My first Bash, I had a great day meeting lots of new folk, everyone was ace! I spent half my time discussing @Jabba_the_gut‘s superb builds with @TheGreek and the other half of the time just wanting to nick one of them. I want a version of that dark semi acoustic so much. Another highlight was playing an upright for the first time (thanks @bassace) and particular thanks to @cetera for making me welcome right at the beginning when I was wandering around wondering where to set up and actually considering legging it, cheers Sir. Great day, excellent company, can’t wait for the next one.

My first bash, really enjoyed it, top organisation by those involved - kudos. ’Spot the bass’ blindfold test was an eye opener, or should I say ear opener. Fortunately, I recognised my own basses (sort of, I confused a vintage 4001s with my 4003s, but I nailed my Maruszczyk Elwood) but was at sea with the others. The ‘heft’ test was another interesting demo too. I took away the personal conclusion that one should play what you like the look, feel and up close sound of, because from a FOH perspective, there’s not much in it. A cure for GAS? Unlikely Played some really nice owned basses, with some absolute stunners, everyone was so generous with their often very expensive instruments. A big shout out for our own @Jabba_the_gut‘s semi acoustic build, easily at home with the Alembics, Wals, Rob Allens and other exotica; top work, sir. I’d definitely come to another bash if possible, preferably without the tiredness and banging headache I brought with me this time.

Soft Cell. Oh dear.

In between all the other stuff on the day's agenda, I managed to steal enough snatches of time to get all of the bridge stuff sorted up to and including gluing! A bit picture heavy, but this is how I went about it - First was to use the Stewmac fret calculator to determine the exact distances from the nut to the middle of the saddle slot for the top and bottom E. The masking tape will be used to prevent glue squeeze-out going onto the finished top, but is also useful for ensuring that the position doesn't inadvertently slip: Next is to score round the bridge with a scalpel into the finish: Then to scrape away the carefully applied finish from within the score line!: Then I double checked the position and drilled through the peg holes for the top and bottom E. The two pegs will be used in the initial clamping to prevent the bridge 'floating' out of position on the wet glue: Then I put more masking tape around the back (should have done this first and just scalpeled though it round the bridge!) and got out my bridge clamp and home-made bridge sides clamp: Then added the glue, and at first just used the metal clamp, positioning the bridge with a couple of string pegs through the bridge and into the two peg holes drilled in the top. Once I was sure the bridge was secure, I removed the two pegs and popped the home-made clamp to press the bridge sides firmly down: Then carefully wiped off the squeeze-out before removing the masking tape. This will be left clamped overnight to fully dry: The bridge is still accurately within the scraped area, but I won't know if everything is stuck where it should be until the morning! Here's hoping

...oh dear, I've got a very bad feeling that I might not make it to the end of 12 days. Is there any known therapy available, that's been demonstrated to work? 😂

Seriously considering putting down a deposit on one before Christmas, depending on how other things go. Will miss my 40th birthday for sure, but should be just in time for 41st Anyway - I hope everyone had a smashing time there. Will keep my eyes peeled for the date of next year's

Sorry, Dave, but it doesn't work like this and hasn't for decades. The reason that stations now sound so homogenised and samey is far more prosaic. When there were only a few radio stations (R1, R2 and perhaps one local commercial station) DJ's and PD's used to choose songs that stood out from the crowd, the idea being to compete for audiences through innovation and difference. There are now many more competing radio stations (and media outlets) so programmers have adopted a defensive philosophy where the aim is to retain audience for longer periods of continuous listening. It's no longer about gaining an audience - it's about preventing loss of audience. A PD once said to me: 'We have to make it like a constant stream of warm water, not too hot, not too cold. No nasty surprises or anything that breaks the flow and makes the listener hit the button'. Songs are chosen not because they're 'good' but because they comply with a policy of anaesthetising the audience so they don't change stations. Mediocrity prevails not because of corporate greed but because it's the objective. Indeed, on bigger stations many PD's are careful to be seen to be not choosing the songs. New records are put out to panel testing where interviewees listen to 30 sec snippets and rank them. The results go back to the radio station and the playlist is structured accordingly. If a station's audience subsequently declines the PD can hold his hand up and say 'Not my fault, guv. We played the records the panel said they liked'. So: not so much a corporate conspiracy as an institutional failure of nerve and good, old-fashioned ärse-covering.

Thanks! It's a bit of an evolution from a number of the builds I've done over the years. It's actually identical to Jane's Swift Lite: I like it because it lets the strings be perfectly straight through the nut but isn't quite as cut off as, say, a Seagull acoustic (which is very triangular and a bit 'cut short')

We who participate in the Bass Chat community are truly blessed with a wealth of knowledge and experience. We enjoy contributions from bassists, other musicians, artisans, crafts men & women, engineers of many disciplines, technicians and hobbyists. It was one such design engineer, “threedaymonk”, who kindly offered to manufacture a plastic Pup cover for my Jess Loureiro 51P split coil Pup. Paul & I shared drawings of the Pup and he went away and designed a 3D printed Pup cover. Here are his CAD renderings and a photo of the cover actually being manufactured. Having remembered the sadly missed Brother Dave evangelizes in his review of his own Fender 51 RI on his website (which survives his passing). I wanted to make my 51&3/4s Tele-P as robust as possible so it made sense to seek a solution for protecting the Pup. Paul has posted the finished Pup cover and it should be with me on Tuesday.

Saw Kylie at the O2 last night. Bleddy brilliant show! Lots of 'proper' instruments as she's in her 'country' period, but lots of re-arrangements of classics and some full-on disco too! No sign of amps on stage so i guess its either all DI or mic'ed cabs backstage somewhere... Rock'n'roll? Yeah. Let it die. This was joyful, no po-faced 'serious' music, just fun, entertainment, some great playing, singing and dancing and a genuine warm from the performers and the audience..! I've not had so much fun at a live event for a long time, if ever...

After a slight incident with Brian Downey's band, and too much beer, I've yet to drag my aching head out of bed.😂 Definitely coming... Definitely gonna be late. 😊

I wouldn't take that as a criticism Blue. Bass playing in a band is one of those things that, when it's done right, the average punter doesn't indentify as a separate thing. Plus, I know Norris. You look a lot scarier 😀😀. In a good, rock way. 😉

Sad stuff. It's standard practice to remove valves, and pack them separately. They could still get broken, of course, but it takes quite a bit more willpower. Too late for this one, but might help someone else another time..?

It's a long long story... So it has two pickup solutions - an under fingerboard mag (jazz style) and the ghost piezo saddles... the ghost saddles were run through a ghost acoustiphonic preamp. Well, the acoustiphonic preamp gave up the "ghost" lol. Farty noise followed by no piezo output. The preamp is kaput. I also swapped out the mag pickup for a Nordstrand, and it highlighted the fact that the (now 10 years old) preamp for the mag is, in fact, a bit rubbish.. either that or it's also kaput. So - all innards ripped out. Now, as the rest of the bass excluding the electronics is frankly just about the best instrument I have ever played.. I wanted a solution that would do the bass justice. No more crappy graph tech preamps for me. I'm going to keep the graph tech ghost piezo saddles, and they are now rewired to a single "hot" and "ground" connection, ready for a new solution.. Having sampled his delights before, I decided to approach John East - mainly as I honestly think he does the very best stuff. John embraced the project with gusto, and rather than cobbling something together, he's properly adapting a UP-4 to accommodate a piezo and mag input, with a single volume and blend, a piezo HF roll off tone control, a mid with mid sweep stacked, and a treble/bass stacked, with pull bright and all the trimmings, including an active/passive switch so I can amp the piezos off bass if I want, and a mute switch to kill everything (something I wish every bass had). It's now at the "he's making it" stage. He's a busy chap (for good reason) and so it's taken a little while to get to this point. But, ultimately, I should end up with the electronics that the bass actually deserves - a Nordstrand noiseless Jazz and piezo saddles going into a custom John East preamp system..

Yup, my favourite P-Bass is my RW too. Mine now has a US pup, Kiogon loom and added ashtray and tug bar. This pic also shows a Hipshot D-tuner on it, since removed and replaced with the original tuner..

Wow....lovely...I think we need a dictionary of superlatives... All paid up? Have you actually met with Mike? I may need to sneak down to his workshop and pretend to be you.

I enjoyed this last night...

Just a quick note for anyone thinking about attending any of the Bass Bashes listed in this section - go! The Bass Bashes are informal get togethers of all things bass with people of all abilities with all types of gear. Don't be put off going if you think that they will be dominated by exceptionally talented folk continually slapping on boutique basses as that isn't the case (there will be boutique basses and a bit of slapping but there is more to the bashes). Folk turn up will all sorts of gear and its a great opportunity to try different kit and put faces to the names seen on here. I've met some great folks of all abilities at these and picked up lots of useful info. I've tried lots of basses I wouldn't normally get the opportunity to try and discovered I dislike some I've previously drooled over and really liked others I've dismissed!! For info, I don't play in a band, I'm not a particularly good bassist, I can't read music, I can't slap but I have a pretty decent amp and I make my own basses. If you're thinking about it, try to come along to one if you can. It's great that someone organises these and attendance will reward their efforts and ensure these events keep going. Hope to see you there! And there's usually cake too.....

Even I didn't see this coming - there I was minding my own business on holiday in Scarborough and I walk past the Guitar Gallery on Bar Street and see not one or 2 but 3 brand new 4003 basses in the window. I hurredly walk past pretending I didn't notice them but the damage is already done. For the next 4 days those Rickenbackers are on my mind until it gets too much. Once I get home I am online checking out the prices and who has what. I already know what I want and luckily a few online stores have them. About 10 years ago I was in Glasgow and bought a new 4003 in midnite blue. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen but a week or so into ownership I noticed that it had the dreaded running paint. The paint under the lacquer actually ran over the binding causing it to go pale blue. I took it back to the shop and was told that it would need to be returned to Rickenbacker but they didn't have any more in stock by that point so I got a full refund. So mind made up I bought this bass on Saturday, it was waiting for me when I got home tonight and took it straight to the rehearsal. I absolutely love it so far. I keep finding myself trying to place my hand where the pickup cover is but I can't work out if it is because that is where I would find playing most comfortable or just because I can't play there because of the pickup cover.

Having gone through a massive pedal acquisition phase last year, I’ve settled on my most beloved effects and am now pretty much GAS-free in that department. Same goes for amplification ever since I went FRFR. Trouble is, now I have constant GAS for basses of all kinds. 4 strings, 5 strings, 6 strings. Js, Ps, Rays. Solid colour finishes, exotic woods. Actives, passives. WHEN WILL IT END? 😩

Looks really good! Excellent use of the masking tape, I will try that on my uke.

Got the music

The 1B has a sweepable mid. The 1G has four bands of e.q.

Pure Highway, its a DAB radio tuner that connects to your existing radio, been discontinued now and replaced by something more expensive but there's similar products out there https://www.amazon.co.uk/Majority-Journey-Bluetooth-Handsfree-Streaming/dp/B07DNH6YQB/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_bs_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0H0K8KBX5MGKPFRDH4A5

If i do a build where I don't changes the plan halfway through I think you'd die of shock 🤯 But I've decided on the next build I won't stipulate anything it will just have the title 'Bass Build'!! 😁

I don’t mind practicing twice a week...I aim to practice personally for at least an hour every day...I love playing. This particular band was not local though. I also like a week between rehearsals to work on stuff. The problem with small towns, however, is the lack of musicians so I am prepared to travel but preferably at the weekend

I agree but with a fully parametric control (one where you can adjust the Q (quality or width) and frequency parameters with a pot, you can cover a lot of the mids and not have a notch or peak at the crossover frequency where a high mids/low mids semi parametric system meets.

I was just saying exactly the same to Mrs Mert - you’ve saved me typing it out! Have a great day everyone

Serious? That’s really kind of you. In return I can “look after” that £2k for you as well

I got my homophones mixed up and was hoping for a post about seafaring low-enders.

Yup, MonoNeon is definitely from another dimension. Anybody come across this ? Maison Guidry and MonoNeon cover 'Innovation' by Anthony Burns. Not normally my main go-to listen genre, but this is so full of spirit and energy that it makes Dream Theater sound like they need CPR.

That's something worth remembering. I'd hate to have an accident with a genuine classic bass sometime down the line.

The Ibanez BTBs are great basses. HOWEVER, the trade off of that 20mm string spacing is that the fingerboard is incredibly wide as a result. I think you should definitely try before you buy, just to be sure the ergonomics work for you.

Well, a very unexpected night tonight. So different from last night. Usually, this venue is really quiet and it’s hard work. They like us, we get encores etc, but it’s hard work, especially after the previous night’s stonking gig at the blues festival. This was amazing, totally unexpected! From the off we were in Stevie Wonderland with some ska a couple of numbers later, the usual swing blues but with lots of interplay and throwing phrases between each other - where the hell did that come from? I think it’s the addition of our keys player; finally, I have the band of my dreams, this is something else! What a fabulous night! Now we need to work out how the hell we market a swing, funk, jazz, rock n roll, blues band?