Leaderboard

Thanks all. It went pretty well I think. No obvious mistakes and I got on really well with the band. I also knew everything on their set list, above the 5 songs they'd chosen for me to do, and let them pick some at random so they could see I knew it. All gear functioned flawlessly and I showed I'm really comfortable using in ears. They had over 70 applications so I won't be holding my breath but at least I didn't let myself down in any way. Aaaaaand breathe 🙂

I dont have much time for Cliff's music, he was a late 50s/60s artist to me, but to suggest someone should stop doing something they love seems strange. If what he was doing was important to well being in any way (Yes I know ) then yes, give it up, but its just music and if he and the audience enjoy it then why not? Its his job after all. My old man loved his work as a carpenter and did his job till he was 76, not cos he was desperate for the money but because he loved it.

Outstayingwelcomeitis?

Fabulous gig at Cafe Choux Choux, a gorgeous cafe/bar on Keighley station. Tonight is the first gig of this kind at the venue. The local promoter was let down on the original one, so these guys stepped in. Very hospitable, as are the promoters. Really well looked after, and all three bands putting in great performances. Could get used to this 😀 Here's Eliana Cargnelutti and her band closing the show.

Spent yesterday sorting through some old photos for my Mum and found a very old photo album I'd never seen before. Turns out that this is my great grandfather Not sure what being a Banjoist said bout you back then, but on seeing the pic and finding out who he was, I felt a really strong emotional link to my past (kinda wished it had been an upright, but c'est la vie). Anyone else got any old pics of distant musical relatives?

erm.... actually they are Aluminium... The kind that's pronounced Alu-MIN-ium.

They were a steal...

My band Goodfoot did a live session the other week. Hope you guys like it!

I got some good string/woodwind/brass collections from Plugin Boutique for 91% off or something stupid, £4 each. Also bought some Nike running shoes today for 50% off, direct from Nike. Doing well lol. Not spotted anything of interest bass wise, but I’m pretty much sorted! Si

If you play music then you're a musician. With regard to people doing other things too that aren't playing, but are still within music, we were encouraged at uni to adopt a portfolio approach to a career; so playing, teaching, composing etc.

I have this in a week or so's time but as I keep telling myself, joining a band is a two way thing and you are auditioning them too! To make a band that works needs so many different stars to align that if you don't get the gig it's to be expected in many way - getting the gig is a bit of a miracle! Good luck!

Maybe someone in say Canberra would also like to collect in person. Just sayin'.

Just got myself a new BB734a in the matt black finish. First impressions are it definitely lighter than my BB1024X. The Fit and finish is absolutely top draw. In passive mode it doesn't seem quite as loud as the 1024X but in active mode its absoloutley thunderous, whith lots of usable tones. The neck profile is a bit slimmer than the 1024x front to back but both of them feel really comfortable. Not had a chance to try it at volume yet but should get a opportunity this week. Got great service from Wunjos who had it sent up to Liverpool in a flash. Just a pity that Dawsons in Liverpool would not price match them and lost out on my business. So top marks to Yamaha and Wunjos

@Marcoelwray Just for you.. seeing as I had the bass ready for tomorrow, I thought I’d take a pic just like the famous Uberhorn Fretless one for your album

I've got the earlier MIJ Mustang, which i think has a tighter radius neck and smaller frets than the JMJ. Mustangs are lovely basses (def go for the La Bella mustang strings too - they sounds great).

G'wAAAN! Take it steady on the caffeine.. less is more! 🙂

You are not Cliff Richard. Remember this and do not try and imitate him.

I have this model in black. I took off the stinky poo tuners and fitted Wilkinson black WJBL200 tuners. I love the feel and build of the instrument and the active circuit is very versatile and quiet. Quality in a low-priced instrument. I plan on turning the bass 'stealth black', replacing all the hardware with black hardware.

Reminds me of the little girl hearing a Toad near a pond : "Hey, I'm a musician, I've been cursed by a witch, just kiss me, I'll become normal again and marry you …". Then the girl just puts him in her Pocket, and goes away, saying "I'll earn way more money with a speaking Toad".

A minor point: the sale finishes late morning next Friday. Everyone knows that a bass bidders GAS and possibly alcohol fuelled fingers work better mid to late evening! 😉

Thanks for the contribution lol Si

Most disappointed. I used to be able to confidently and happily say I’d never seen a Spector I actually liked.. .. or a Warwick for that matter 😜 Lovely bass!

All went good! :

Not bass related but.....I applied for holiday leave at work for a fortnight in 2019. Already planned what we were going to do - Eurocamp. Price was £1239 for a fortnight in a caravan in Italy (flights & car hire on top of this). My boss approved the holidays yesterday so last night I sat down to book. Black Friday deal with Eurocamp reduced the cost to £560 thus saving a whopping £679. Unexpected and a genuine saving for something I was purchasing anyway. Impressed!

NBD - Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV *Revisited* I had been very smug and pleased with myself for getting down to just the one bass, a Bitsa Jazz that I assembled from parts and finished myself. Hipshot, Gotoh, KiOgon… all proper premium components, no tat! Very happy with it and its powerful Entwistle JBXNs, which sounds really killer through my 1997 Trace GP7 715 150W combo. BUT… dangerously, I allowed my mind to wander in an idle moment. What was the bass I most missed and most regretted moving on? Being absolutely honest with myself, it turned out to be (weirdly) a Squier Deluxe Active Jazz IV - which I bought and reviewed on this very board some four years ago and then sold, for a reason I can’t now remember. GAS, probably. So, as they’re not the world’s most expensive bass and as I was curious, I ordered one - an end-of-line display/demo model from Andertons. Notable features include a three-band active EQ circuit and an Ebonol fingerboard. As I understand it, Ebonol is a phenolic polymer that mimics the qualities of ebony in that it is hard and dense…but is synthetic and thus completely impermeable. I like it a lot. It’s a slab board basically and renders the underlying maple neck very stable indeed. The neck plays well with practically no relief in it and allows a lower (and more buzz-free) action than I would otherwise entertain with a more conventional wooden board. The neck is arrow-straight and the fretwork is superb. And I mean £1000+ superb. Completely level frets and not even a hint of an edge anywhere. To find this quality on a bass that cost less than £300 is truly remarkable. This board is smooth and fast and this neck alone is worth the price of admission. The controls comprise volume, pickup blend, stacked treble/bass and mid. There is also the so-called 'slap switch', essentially a mid-cut which boosts the lows and top end, ostensibly for slapping… I won’t be doing any of that, but it’s useful to have at your fingertips and in conjunction with the EQ allows for more tone-shaping options. The board radius is 12”, a little flat for me but I don't mind so much as the nut width and shallow neck are (unsurprisingly) very Jazz-like, so a flatter board suits me here. The bass feels good in the hand, isn't overly heavy (around 9lb) on the shoulder and balances well on the strap. It's effortless to play and after a few minutes the controls become completely intuitive and very easy to use. This bass punches WAY above its weight. There are always negatives of course - the bridge and tuners are not premium quality - especially when juxtaposed with the Hipshot Ultralights and Gotoh 201B fitted to my Bitsa. The bridge is a generic Gotoh-alike high-mass top-load affair with saddle-screw runners - and does its job perfectly well. The ubiquitous budget ‘vintage’ clover-leaf tuners work smoothly enough and adequately hold the bass in tune, which is all you can reasonably expect, so no complaints yet. The treble/bass stacked pot is quite a bit taller than the other controls and I can imagine it taking a knock or two. The pots could be smoother and more positive in their action and the midway detentes could be more obvious. But I’m guessing Squier had to cut costs somewhere. These are minor niggles. Would I use this as my main bass? With absolutely no hesitation, despite the fact I don’t much care for sunburst and especially not pickguard-free sunburst. But irrelevant cosmetic issues aside, it plays quite differently to my Bitsa Jazz and has WAY more tone options on tap. You can of course produce the generic vintage single-coil Jazz sound if you want it, but you can also quickly dial in more ‘modern’ sounds - and anything else you can think of - from fat, fingerstyle dub tones through clanky, gritty rock via hefty plectrum twang to full-on growl, burpy funk and mid-free hi-fi slap. It’s all in there. And you'd be very hard-pressed to tell the difference between this Indonesian Squier and a MIM Fender (or dare I say it, a MIA Fender) in a blind listening test. The Squier feels right, plays very nicely indeed and sounds fantastic. It’s essentially a wannabe boutique Super Jazz, but aimed at the budget-conscious entry-level buyer. Or those in my position - the seasoned (yet impecunious) overweight senior cheapskate-cynic. But is it as good as I remember? Very much so, and in some ways it’s better. Four years have passed since I owned one and my priorities have changed, my playing has changed and I see things a little differently now, as I’m sure we all do. But I’m very happy to have this back in the fold. I did have a little fantasy about refinishing it in vintage white (and I may yet do so), tinting the headstock, applying an F-decal and fitting a guard. But I don’t want to drill new guard holes in the body, the decal thing is really only of interest to bass players and other idiots and frankly I’m getting a bit bored with the ‘identity’ thing. Name-band pro players regularly rock up sporting the S-decal and if it’s good enough for them, etc. So for the moment at least it’s going to do its thing completely stock and original as nature (and Squier) intended - apart from the new DR Nickel Lo-Riders I fitted. Hardly a modification, but a very positive improvement on the iffy strings that came with the bass. I can easily see it becoming a bit of a workhorse and it’s already a go-to instrument. It’s one of those basses you just can’t walk past without picking it up and playing it. You won’t be surprised then if I recommend you add this particular arrow to your quiver - it can currently be got at a silly price, especially if you haggle - even if you’re not a Jazz person (and I'm not), you can’t fail to be impressed by the dead-straight and supremely playable neck, the smooth, hard and fast Ebonol board, the extremely versatile and intuitive EQ and the huge range of tones on offer. In short, it’s a bargain. But if you ARE up for it, get one ASAP - Squier seem to have discontinued this model and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

First new bass in many years and I'm chuffed! Spector Euro LX4 DW (Doug Wimbush) in Amber. Great quality build, fantastic playable neck (and I'm digging the narrow nut) and a beautiful maple finish, reminds me of a Warwick thumb in many ways, but more 'grungy' Oh, and the pups are *really* hot! Lovely, lovely, lovely!

Oh it's also a finely written review with great photos.

Just remember some of the best bass players are not the best band members. Blue

Hi all, This guy has been mentioned before on BC but I don't think he gets the credit he deserves... LM is a force of nature...! Jaco inspired sure but he's got his own thing going on. Good stuff starts at 2:30... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT6n-oIrLCQ Aimless noodling? visog

Oooh this is good

🥰😍😘

I'm 90% sure you can set the mixer to 0 or - 4db I'd have to check those values tho. There is no volume controll as such.

It's for a bank. They make billions out of pulling the wool over people's eyes. I'd do it and charge a massive fee if it overruns by even a few seconds.

Talent, business and broad appeal?

I think the Thomann stuff is much better than the Gear4Music stuff and a lot of the stuff on EBay etc. I had a cheapy Chinese plywood job and upgraded to the midrange Thomann Czech blonde bass which was a real step up. It's more than good enough for me. I'm sure that the entry level stuff will be equally fine from what I have read.

Nerves can be calmed, to a certain extent, by focusing on the process rather than the outcome. If, as you say, you are well prepared then focus on that fact rather than what might happen. Do what you know you can do, play the way you play and be friendly. After that its apples and oranges.

Good luck. 🤞🏻

I noted that PMT sent a 10% off everything for black friday thing today. As they have the HX stomp for £465 the same as everyone else, presumably that would take it down to less than £420. Might be worth checking out if anyone is looking. Not much help for me, they have the HX effects for 10% more than andersons, and although they price match I doubt they are going to price match and then take 10% off!

Holiday romance, it won't last! I nabbed your Sire V7 a month after a similarly glowing eulogy.. 🤘

A triplet

Oh my! Can't count the times I've heard this song without really listening. Thank you, and the OP for bringing TB to my attention. Wow.

I had one for a while and thought it great, It compared very favourably with my fond memories of the ex Roger Glover Magnavox era SVT that I used for years. In fact it sounded a hell of a lot better than an SVT-VR that I paid 4 x as much for a few years ago. I used it with a 4x12 Aguilar and it felt great. My only reservation was the - possibly undeserved- Bugera rep for reliability but I have to say I used it a dozen times or more and it always delivered for me. PITA to lug around, though. I'm 60 you know. Lovely looker, too... (The amp, that is) Shug

It can be a very useful practice/song writing tool. Once you've got the hang of it it's a quick and easy way of putting various parts together. For practising it's a great way of quickly recording yourself then listening back so you can critique your performance.

Yes - it's much higher than the standard fixing screws. The i.d. of the standard fixing screw is 3mm and is usually - I think - mild steel, the i.d. of a stainless m4 machine screw is 3.24mm and is, of course, stainless giving 16% greater area over a much stronger steel. The o.d. of the inserts is 9mm, against the standard fixing screws at around 4mm. Wal are the only commercial basses I've personally worked on that fit machine screws and I'm pretty certain they are m4 too. The thing that staggered me was once seeing the tubular fuselage of an Auster light aeroplane. Welded on were 4 small brackets with the holes for the 4 machine screws holding the engine on. Now, admittedly, that will have been aircraft grade stainless, but they were tiny. I reckon 6mm tops - maybe even 5mm.

Thank you guys 👍 @Hellzero, cool de voir quelques obéistes I don't have the Capelli 6 fretless anymore and it's a shame, I miss her 😪

Wonder if the shop swapped them?! It's been a long while since I bought Fender strings, but I always thought they were black silks. I can highly recommend the La Bella Mustang Flats. Specific for Mustangs as they have a little extra silk at the ball end to cater for the through-body bridge. You can get them from Bass Direct Si

Spraying again as planned, got the blackburst done but a minor change of plan on the Maple I wasn't too happy with the colour of the red over gold, it was just a little dull so I sprayed a thin coat of silver over the top so it was a gold/silver blend, the test piece looked good so I sprayed the transparent red over the top. I think they are all looking good, the two Ebony ones look as moody as hell and my red one looks very girly Excuse the poor pictures 😦

My regular gig, I switch between three basses... electric bass, electric fretless bass and electric upright... all through a Palmer trinity footswitch, each input has its own gain... out of the Palmer and into my Boss TU2 (can mute everything)... into my Acoustic Image Contra amp (DI’d to FOH) Simple set up, no fuss, easy jump between my basses!