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Noooooooo! They're the devil's work!!

OP reported to the mods for breaking the Prime Directive of the forum.

This might come in handy

After a mad busy weekend I’ve finally got a couple of mins to put fingers to keyboard…. It was another fantastic SE BassBash wasn’t it?! Great people & venue, lovely coffee and pastries (thanks Mrs Hamster!)… and lots of fantastic gear Due to running around sorting stuff, picking up Richard Searle from Surbiton station, doing the identify-the-bass test etc I didn’t get to properly try or hear as many basses as I would have liked but that was still more than Hamster (Colin) was able to do as he basically ended up manning the front desk for most of the day! So, let’s have some huge appreciation to Colin for his dedication! Gear-wise my personal highlights were FrankBlack's 'Rob Allen Mouse' (stunning) and Jabba-the-gut's delano loaded bass – played & sounded gorgeous during the identify-the-bass test! Re: the test – you’ll all be pleased to know that having played the ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ riff some 30 times in half an hour I think I’m getting the hang of it and should have it mastered for another bass test next year! Lol!! Richard Searle (Corduroy) was a complete star. Track problems on SWTrains meant it took him 3 hours to get from SE London to the bash….. and probably the same to get back home - but he did it in the full spirit of our bassist brethren without complaint or request for compensation. His hugely entertaining talk and some filthy funky basslines made it all worthwhile I’m sure we can all agree?! Finally, I’d like to extend big personal thanks to Silverfoxnik (Nik), Hamster (Colin), NancyJohnson (Paul), Silvia Bluejay (Sylvia) and others who helped pull stuff together and ensure another successful day for all. On a personal note - my mate Kebabkid (Costas) was also a star for his help in looking after my gear while I was busy and taking Richard Searle back to the station post-bash. See you all next year?!

sounds like my Dad when he first heard Hendrix

*EDIT* Off the back of this becoming more popular than I had anticipated....here are the RULES: Tier 1 Challenge During the calendar year of 2019 (01/01/19 - 31/12/19): - No bass gear purchases/trades whatsoever, be that amps, pedals, basses, accessories. Tier 2 challenge (should you play other instruments, engage in music production etc) - As above, but extended to your other musical gear Allowances in both tiers: - Strings (sticks, skins, reeds etc) - Maintenance/setups that only involve work on existing aspects of your bass (ie no purchasing a preamp to add to it) - If something breaks through no unusual intervention of your own, and is unable to be repaired, you may replace it. - Educational purchases, ie tutorial books, lessons, anything that furthers your playing is permitted. - If you have purchased something in 2018, you are able to take delivery of it within 2019. - If you have put down a deposit on something before committing to this, which then requires a final payment within 2019, that single payment permitted. However you may wish to explore whether you can pay the balance early (if you're a little OCD like me). I think that about covers it, please also treat this thread as a bit of a 'support group', any funny stories about near misses, discoveries about your current gear that you might not have focused on before, things learned by spending money on learning over gear etc etc etc. Finally, I would like to say that THIS IS JUST FOR FUN, if someone falls off the wagon, no-one cares. This initially just started out to see whether I can achieve it.....a rather extreme exercise in really appreciating the amazing gear I already have. *original post* I've been thinking about this for a month or so, but Al Krow's topic about the difficulty of going for 9 days without a gear purchase has prompted me to start this thread somewhat early, just for fun really. The setup? I'm setting myself a lofty goal for 2019....... No gear purchases all year. You heard me, I've said it here first. NO bass gear purchases for a year! There are a couple of (what I consider to be reasonable) exceptions to this: 1) If I haven't been able to secure one before Jan (my self imposed deadline), I'll allow myself to buy a decent gig-bag for my Mustang bass. 2) Strings, although I have a decent stash for at least 6 months or longer. 3) If anything should break, that cannot be repaired, I'll allow myself to replace that piece of equipment should it be necessary. I figure I'll update the thread weekly (as daily may be a bit much with 'nothing purchased' 365 times in the thread haha) So there it is, my statement of intent. Up until Jan I have two purchases planned, and one order to arrive: 1) COG Mini 66 - purchased Dec '18 2) Noble Preamp - collecting at NAMM in Jan '19, paid for in Dec '18 3) Lakland US 44-64 Classic - paid for Nov '18 Let's see how I do Anyone want to join in? Si

Bass direct. If you are going to do this - do it properly. Temptation in full view, the lot...

Rethink your plan of never playing in a band - it isn't compulsory to play gigs if you want to enjoy playing music with other people, so discarding this as an option outright is limiting your experience. Of course playing music with other people has it's own set of challenges and complications, but if you don't give it a try you'll never know what you are missing - if you have a friend who can strum an acoustic guitar and sing, providing a bassline to fill out the sound and drive everything along would be where I would recommend you give playing with others a go rather than dismissing the idea completely.

I check the monster thread by a similar title on a daily basis for new music that i haven't discovered yet.... This is a thread in a similar vein, hoping to find "NEW" music recently recorded or live on a stage from the last decade or so, preferably still gigging bands that we can go and watch live. Ill kick things off with my favourite current band...... introducing.... ......The Motet and more....

Proof that the rebellious, devil-may-care, sticking-it-to-the-man spirit of rock'n'roll is indeed still alive and well: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45667802

Here's my handy cut out and keep guide to the genealogy of Rock'n'Roll:

Crossover points sound good to me! Don't confuse this with a speaker protection HPF like the Thumpinator, the HPF here only affects the high channel. You could rightly want a 30Hz HPF on the low channel, but that's not where the HPF is in the signal chain. The HPF just affects the highs going into the distortion and the LPF just affects the lows going into the compressor, both sides run in parallel like the DP3-X. You really don't want anything under 100Hz going to the distortion here, the other channel is taking care of the clean low end. Setting the HPF to 1KHz would be similar to the DP3-X which is fixed at 1.2KHz. Setting it to 500 or 100 would let you have more fullrange distortion without the big hole in the midrange that the DP3-X has. The only part I don't get is why the lowest setting on the LPF side is 50Hz and the lowest setting on the HPF is 100Hz. If you set the LPF to it's lowest setting you would end up dropping all the critical 50Hz-100Hz range (unless the cutoff slopes aren't that steep), it would make more sense to make 100Hz the lowest for both controls.

You need to learn to turn that 9 day cycle into a "NEIN! day cycle"

Surely that’s like having an AA meeting in a pub.

I was getting worried until I got to the end of that sentence......

I suggest some kind of venue to meet in, maybe mid week to form said support group, ring of chairs in a village hall somewhere to discuss all the nice shiny things you’ve drooled over that week and asked your partner to buy on your behalf.....😂

see, I'm reading this not so much as going cold turkey for a year no matter your GAS, as using it as an excuse to bring forward your Status purchase Good work

'So, what advice would you give a 51 year old brand new bassist?' Get another job because if you spend any time on here you'll soon be lusting after more Basses, Amps, FX's etc etc...it's called GAS😁

(That's a no to joining in.. but I admire your intent) 😁

As Mr David Coverdale opined some years ago: 'Dark days for a cöcksman, dark days indeed'. It's true, of course and it all comes down to the fundamental misapprehension held by some men that these days the only way for one to get one's leg over is to feign 'sensitivity' and to pretend to oppose 'patriarchy'. These chaps think that coming on like a feminist is the surest route to the love bower. It's all nonsense; most women are entirely open to a dash of roguish male charm; well, not the ugly ones, of course - that's why they go round wearing püssy hats. It's a way of getting noticed.

That's true but large amounts of Rap tracks etc are hardly respectful to women, yet they are hugely popular. Videos etc of Rap and associated styles are full of cocky men showing off, fast cars, partying etc with girls fawning over them.... just like rock music used to be. You'd think that would be rejected....

If what you're saying is that rock'n'roll is inexorably linked with misogyny, then perhaps it's for the best that it's dead. S.P.

It was a great day... Many thanks to all those responsible for making it happen! I must admit that Corduroy pretty much passed me by when they happened, I must find time to have a listen after hearing Richard's lines. A great speaker too, warm and entertaining. We arrived too late to get a card for the shootout so just remembered favourites, strangely enough mine was the old Aria P bass. Just goes to show... Erm... Well I'm sure it shows something. 🤣 Jabba's basses though... I'd have gone just for those alone!

I've had this OLP 'Ray for some time. Bought it cheap off fleabay because well, why not? The neck has never been ideal, too clubby for my Jazz pencil-neck preferences plus a couple of problematic frets meant that getting a low enough action for my liking was difficult. So when this fretless neck came up for sale here last year I snapped it up, and have finally got my derrière in gear to fit it. It's actually a Jaydee Supernatural neck (hence the 'JayRay' name ) with a nice slim profile and a gorgeous mostly-unlined ebony board (tiny 3mm fretlines on the fretboard edge, the ideal solution IMO). I've fitted it and strung it, and will give it a couple of days to settle before I tackle a proper setup. Further plans are to move the pickup 3mm closer to the neck (thus allowing the proper MM pickguard to sit flush to the neck), fit a battery box and then build a preamp -- I'm thinking of making one based on the Alembic FET F2-B 3-band, otherwise I'll make a 'Ray or Sabre 2-band clone. I might try to source a better bridge too, the factory one is a pretty crap BBOT really. Dead pleased with it so far though, that unlined ebony board is sooooooo classy. I'll update this thread as the remaining jobs get done. Thanks to @greenolive for this gorgeous neck!

Whilst I grew up listening to bands with the likes of Flea or Les Claypool on bass, it was Zender's work with Jamiroquai that really stood out for me. I almost picked up the bass, rather than guitar, because of him... Twenty years later, here I am 😂 Quite amazing to think he had only been playing for two years AND was still only 18 when Emergency on Planet Earth Came out... Now that's talent. Been working on learning lots of his basslines the past couple of weeks. Currently on this: Any other fans here?

This. Unlike the eminently sensible @seashell I waited almost forty years before I had lessons and I regret every day I missed out on learning with a teacher. Now I do just that and it is excellent. Everyone previously has given sage advice but I will reiterate that playing with other musicians will get you playing better quicker. As has been said you don’t have to play in a band, just play with other folks and don’t be worried about playing with musicians who are more experienced or advanced than you, jump in and you’ll soon find yourself on the same level. ...oh and welcome.

Frank Sinatra on rock n roll: '...the most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression' Bing Crosby on Frank Sinatra: 'A jumped-up, oleaginous goombah who wriggles his filthy hips for the bobby-soxers and utterly devoid of morals' Rudy Vallee on Bing Crosby: 'A slick, crooning snake in the grass preying on muddle-headed American womanhood'. Al Jolson on Rudy Vallee: (Holds finger and thumb a millimeter apart) - 'This much talent and thoroughly evil' Dame Nellie Melba on Al Jolson: 'A foul beast bent upon undermining civilisation with his jungle-jazz rhythms' Lily Langtree on Dame Nellie Melba: 'A shrieking Jezebel; no more, no less' Franz Liszt on Lilly Langtree: 'Entirely without a spiritual compass and sings like a moose. A bad actress, too. Can't do an accent to save her life.' Richard Wagner on Franz Liszt: 'His tight trousers are an offence to the eye. My special friend The King of Bavaria should do something'

I would add that concert ticket prices have gone up considerably compared to album prices whether that be vinyl, cd or streaming. Going back to 70's an album would cost almost the same price as some concert tickets. These days an album is circa £10 compared to a minimum £50 for a concert ticket hence more income from concerts. Dave

And here's one of my own inspired by listening to lots of this stuff 🙂 Listen to Music And Minds Demo by The Soul Sound Collective #np on #SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/soulsoundcollective/music-and-minds

Two fingers is the norm - as you are starting out, I'd recommend reading up and watching videos on the 'floating thumb' technique - I found it really helped to nail it early on.

I love my gear. It sounds great Yeah! I have no GAS! I read Basschat and check the classifieds and accidentally buy something 9 days pass I love my gear. It sounds great Yeah! I really now don't have ANY GAS I read Basschat and check the classifieds. Bugger, that purchase was definitely deliberate... 9 days pass 😄

Just send him your credit card if you're that desperate.

Can he also self ban me from Facebook Marketplace, Facebook groups, gumtree, eBay, other bass/guitar forums, bass direct, andertons, guitar guitar, PMT, the local music shop down the road, other band members selling stuff and the free ads in the back of magazines pls?

If it would help any of you, a quick PM to Ped asking to be self-banned from the Marketplace would work, I reckon (or would that be cheating..?). Just sayin'.

That's the next band name sorted!

The thing to remember about Precisions like this, is that back in the late 50's and early 60's Precisions were mass produced bolt together run of the mill basses for the working bass player. They weren't high end super duper custom crafted instruments. The price of a pre-cbs P doesn't reflect this heritage any more. The roadworn, however, is bang on this theme - it's a good value solid working bass with a proven design built to the same formula that Leo came up with in 57.

I think unless you really want to drop the best part of £7k on that final 5% then there's no point. For me, the 64 was about the heritage, the history and the fact that I'd worked hard to get the cash and just wanted to do it. I don't gig it, but it does get recorded a lot. But for any recording I've done, I reckon I could have swapped the 64 for your roadworn and we would both be very very hard pressed to notice any difference at all. The 64 does feel slightly different - not much, but the braz rw board with years of play and rolled edges and the unique feel of the tort does give it a slightly different vibe. The pickups have definitely aged as well so the output is slightly different - but again, not by much at all. I may be mad for saying it, but unless you really really do want to have a pre-cbs in the house, and absolutely nothing else would do, then there's no point. A roadworn will scratch any other itch very well.

Good stuff, TripleB67! I endorse Grangur's endorsement of Scott's Bass Lessons on You Tube. Daric Bennett is pretty good too. If you've never studied music before then don't worry about the stuff that makes no sense and watch the stuff that does and slowly you'll work up to understanding more and more. I'm self taught and have gone from knowing nothing to knowing next to nothing, but enough to get me started at least just from guys like that on You Tube. Also sites like Songsterr are good for learning songs. There are also a million bass lessons or bass covers for songs on You Tube where you can learn from. Just search for the song name followed by "bass cover" or "bass tab". It's good to learn theory and such but sometimes you just want to play along with something for fun. If you want something dead easy to play, maybe try Get Back by the Beatles or Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams, which are two I can think of off the top of my head which are easy ones to start off with. Don't be afraid to learn different songs to what you usually listen to either. I've come on loads and found loads of songs that I wouldn't have listened to but actually now like from having to learn them for rehearsals. The main thing is to have fun with it. It's all about the journey!

My Charcoal Sparkle 4H is very comfortable with a very smooth and fast neck. Build quality is excellent as you would expect for a bass costing £2k+. I've just done the first two gigs with mine this weekend and it just sounded fabulous. So far, and probably with a bit of bias because its new, I prefer the sound of this to my other Ray's (a 3EQ and a Classic). The bass control isn't at all boomy when boosted and it is easy to dial in a variety of great tones. The biggest difference IMO is that it doesn't have the top end raspy quality of the 3EQ which was a planned approach according to the Musicman promo video. I've been using my Ray's as backups to my Status S2 for years but this is so good I think I'll be using this as my main bass for a while. 😎

In the begining,even i was not sure what i am doing

Let us know where and when you're playing next . There's plenty of Scottish based players on here that could come and give your sound guy a good duffing up some sound advice. 😃

A self-heckle from our singist/guitard after a particularly inept go at the solo from Smells Like Teen Spirit: "Cheers. The more observant of you might have noticed I ran out of talent half way through the solo, there..." 🙂 And a slightly inadvertent inter-band one: We do a version of Volare, just for a laugh, and singist/guitard can't be arsed learning the lyrics for the first verse, which he plays on his own, so he just does the Fast Show 'Shminky pinky Boutros Boutros Ghali' thing where he makes up slightly-Italian-sounding gibberish. The first time he did it I leant across and said "Are you having a stroke?", which the mic picked up verrrry clearly... 😕😀

+1 ^^

+1 for evidence audio SIS

Possible this coming year as I flunked 2018 due to DIY workload wished on me by the scumbag previous owner of my current abode if i can get a pass I shall be bringing my bass doc P with own-brand relic. That’s got you all excited, hasn’t it

It’ll probably arrive straight!

Oh buggered, those 112's, gotta have. Time for some cab photos & an advert 😂

Mine was one of those pub gigs where nobody claps or cheers whatsoever. And then as you're packing down afterwards everyone comes to say how much they enjoyed it.

New Turkuaz album released today. The drummer has clearly been raiding my wardrobe.