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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...

A great day and thanks to all who set it up. And much thanks to those who let me make off with their amps to a/b with my double bass. Nice people, all of you!

Don't really want to chip in, but on behalf on the majority of honest and diligent RM workers, I find this assumption to be a little offensive. Do you really think people kick items around? Good grief.

Yay - another great day out; enjoyed meeting up & chatting with all the folks and playing a few really nice basses!

This was the point i was trying to make.

Well if everyone liked Yamaha that would lead to shortage of Yammy basses and the prices going up, so I go guess we should be grateful when people don't! 😄

The problem is that a lot of the sorting and delivery process is automated. They’re also dealing with tens of thousands of items a day, it’s not practical to separate the fragile items and sort them separately. I’m not defending them, merely pointing out that a fragile sticker won’t protect the item, that’s entirely down to the packaging.

Good afternoon, Sam , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

I think we're all with you on that Andy. Take a deep breath... and relax. You've made some superlative instruments to date. I really LOVE your headstock. The tuner alignment is what's caught my eye. I haven't seen that anywhere else. Is it original? It's bl**dy good!

Just finished soldering some bass wiring.... See you in a couple of hours

Haha fair play. I would love to know how they and other manufacturers go about relicing though, especially the hardware and the checking finish. I know relic’d basses aren’t for everyone but on a Fiesta Red P it just seems somehow right.

Spotify and the others' remuneration policy is s big part of the problem. When I buy a cd, even from Amazon, say, the artist gets for that one-time purchase the equivalent of tens of thousands of listens.... Also, Spotify has tsught kids music is of no value. They don't even pay ten bucks a month for it: the money is to get rid of the annoyance of ads. It's not an equivalent of the radio. I used to use radio to discover new stuff then buy. Kids use spotify to avoid the need to buy. With fewer and fewer live venues available, how else are artists to make a living? And no, it's not a quality thing. Getting digned and being a success in the music biz is far more luck than anything else.

I’ve somehow fallen off, and am still coming down today Updated attendee list... 1) Cetera - Spector NS2 & Legend 4X, Dingwall NG2, Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird, Yamaha BB3000, GK800RB head, Genz Benz Neox212 cab, Tech-21 Dug DP3X preamp/pedal 2) Ezbass - Maruszczyk Elwood L 4 string fretted (J pickups), Maruszczyk Elwood L 4 string fretless (MM pickup), Rickenbacker 4003s, Rob Allen MB2 fretless, Phil Jones Flightcase + PB300 3) Happy Jack - AliKat DB #004, Mike Lull 54P, all I need to play a doubling gig (that evening) on those two instruments 4) BlueJay - Eminence Upright (left-handed) - IF IT FITS in the car, as we're now carrying a full PA system as well. Loads of camera and audio equipment 5) obbm - Fender Precisions, Sadowsky HPJ, Bergantino NV115, Handbox WB100 and if room Quilter BB800 + BF One10 + Nate Mendel for sale/trade  6) Nancy Johnson (Paul) - The Big One, rack (GED/poweramp), possibly the dUg DP3x. A bass. 7) MacDaddy - Shuker bass(es), Snapdragon Folding bass, Flattley Bass Poison Ivy. 8 ) prowla (Paul) - Maybe a Ric or two and fakers, maybe a couple of Statii, maybe J- & P-basses. Probably a Markbass amp & cab and a pedalboard with some FX. 9) Graemeross - Sire V7, USA Jazz Deluxe and USA Precision (for the bass shootout) 10) TrevorR - Wal Pro II E, Wal Mk 1 Custom, Aria SB700, MarkBass LMII and Traveler 2x10, pedalboard. 11) TheGreek - Mesa M Pulse 600 head/ Powerhouse 1x15 cab and The Psilos bass built by Andyjr1515  12) JapanAxe (Graeme) - most of the stuff in my signature!  13) Wolverinebass (Andy) - Maybe some Wounded Paw effects/signature preamp and a bass.  14) Silverfoxnik (Nik) - Roscoe Beck 5, Gibson Thunderbird, BC Rich Eagle, plus my Ampeg V4BH Rig 15) Paul The Drums of the Junkyard Dogs, with kit.  16) Frank Blank (Frankè Blanké) Rob Allen Mouse. 17) Ordep - Noble Preamp, Modulus Jazz, Fodera Monarch New Std, Amp, pedalboard depending on the day’s mood. 18) Jabba the Gut - TC Electronic RH450, RS112 and some own build basses 19) Thestick - Vanderkley cabs, Aguilar ag700 head, selection of basses 20) Mr & Mrs Hamster - Tea, coffee & cake! Might bring a couple of basses too 21) bassace - usual double basses etc. 22) OutSpoon (Steve) - Fodera Monarch Standard Classic, Sandberg California VS5, Maybe a '94 Stingray? TC 208 combo or PJ Double4? 23) Walman - BF Super12T, FPPR Status S1 (yes that one ), Genz Benz Streamliner, Helix Floor, and a load of EBS pedals for sale 24) musicbassman - planning to come, sorry I've nothing of great interest to bring with me, just some respect for all you guys bringing your treasured possessions to display. 25) Kebabkid - Sire Marcus Miller V7 (4 string), Roland Bass Cube 120XL, Zoom B3 & EBS Octabass 26) Graham (still tentative at the moment) - Lakland DJ5, G&L USA SB2, Yamaha TRB1005J, EBS HD350, EBS Neo 2x12, EBS Microbass II, EHX Big Muff Bass Deluxe, Joyo Orange Juice 27) NickD - Maruszczyk Jake 5P+, Maruszczyk Elwood L5A, Markbass 121H, Zoom B3, Bass Soul Food, EHX Freeze, Mooer Tender Octaver, Ebow. 28) Rodfunnell - Darkglass Microtubes 900 head, Barefaced Big Twin T, BB2, Super Compact, Warwick Corvette $$, Streamer $$, The Alien; Various pedals including MXR, AudioSource (inc a Hothand) and a couple of Darkglass bits and Phil Jones EarBox 29) JHK -usual yamaha TRB 6P ,Musicman stingray 5 fretless,GB Spitfire fiver,EBS Neo 15 cab,EBS 350 head 30) Hen Barn - status kingbass, nightingale, ebs reidmar & 2 x 10 LMT Vanderkley 31) Captain Rumble - walkabout, m pulse, Vanderkley 112, 212, Exotic Jazz 32) PTB - MTD 535, Sadowsky Metro Will Lee, Mark Bass amp, Barefaced S12, various pedals 33) clivem - Yamaha BBP34, Eden WTX264 amp, Barefaced 110 cab. 34) Captain Bassman (tentative) - Alembic Series 2 medium scale ‘Fire & Ice’, Alembic Series 2 30” short scale; RH750 and 2x Berg cabs, or old Aguilar DB750 35) Seer73 (Harry) - Lefty: Sire V7, Warwick Corvette Std, Overwater Hybrid Custom, Aguilar TH500, PJB C4

In the old days radio would dictate what you should be listening to for 'free'. Spotify offers bands great and smol a platform to be heard, and is actively promoting shows in your area by the band's you're listening to. Also links to band merch and hardware are now on Spotify. Now if Spotify would distribute my monthly fee just between the artists I've played that month, that would be great. I suspect people who think rock is dead have lost touch. Give a quality performance in both music and show and people age 16 to 60 will appreciate!

Great stuff!

Supporting and yet doing his own thing.

An Ebay purchase for £160 delivered. Chosen for the reputation Ibanez have for making great cheaper basses and the slim body as I was after something lightweight after a minor back injury earlier in the year. Owned for a couple of months now and used in bedroom, practice room, studio and on stage so I've had some time to get to know it. Condition - Great first impressions. Really slim neck, great for my small hands, and no issues with sharp fret ends and the like. A little unremarkable design wise and I wasn't sure on the overly long upper horn but that made sense when I got a strap put on it as it helps with the instrument balance, presumably due to the light body. The intonation was a little off past the 10th fret but I'm confident I can sort that out next re-string, as well as sorting out a buzz on the low E which thankfully doesn't come through the amp at standard tuning but sounds awful when dropped to D. The input jack is also a little flaky, sometimes the cable requires taking out and re-inserting otherwise there's a terrible crackle which I hope some contact cleaner will fix. I've used another one since buying mine and it didn't have this issue so just one of those quirks I guess. So a few minor issues with the setup but nothing deal breaking as far as a 2nd hand instrument goes. Playability - Overall, excellent. The slim neck makes it really fast and I get my hand around it easily for any stretches. The pickup covers are arched, rising up towards the middle 2 strings and falling away towards the edges, making it tough to rest your thumb on due to the lack of an edge. According to Ibanez, this is to balance the output across the strings and it seems to work well for that purpose. I'm adjusting slowly or using the fretboard to anchor my hand but a thumb rest as standard would have been nice as it's obviously going to be a problem for finger style playing. Sounds - 2 pickups with a balance control, volume, stacked bass/treble cut/boost and a "style sweeper" that's meant for making the bass able to go from slap to fingerstyle easily. Seems to alter the EQ as a whole in a way my rubbish ears can't describe very well but adds more girth generally at the clockwise position and scoops the tone in the other direction. I leave it just over halfway and bump it up when playing with a pick to add some growl and to stop the low end falling off on the D and G strings. A little different to the 3 band controls the current models seem to have but offer a nice range of sounds. The P position pickup has a big rounded sound but as I like a more cutting tone, I tend to balance a lot more towards the bridge PU to give the attack more definition but keep some of the P wooliness in there. Dial in a little treble and bump the style sweeper control and I'm set to go from finger to pick easily. Generally has a very zingy sound to the top end and a good amount of mids, very good with slap sounds if that's your bag but flexible enough to work very well with fingers or a pick as well with just the on-bass controls. Overall - for the money, fantastic. I think these are £230 new but I'd still recommend it. Performs well across all playing styles thanks to the flexibility of the onboard controls. A jack of all trades rather than a master of any but what's on offer is a very usable range of sounds in a lightweight package and a great feeling neck. Finally, what's a review without a picture! Here's me, laying down a jazzy line for a friends Christmas charity single back in November.

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.

I like to hold my music. And my books. If anyone thinks that's old fashioned and indicative of someone who isn't "moving with the times", then I'd proudly agree with them.

How about this from former Donald Byrd proteges. Some lovely bubbling bass ting goin' on!