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And the last word on this before we go back to the most important thing - that is: me! ME! MEEEEEEE!!!! Yes - happily everyone has different tastes and that's absolutely fine. For example, I personally cannot see at all the aesthetic appeal of a standard, painted Fender Telecaster. Happily for Fender, tens, if not hundreds, of millions of folks around the world strongly disagree with me. The most important thing to me - actually, as @eude rightly says, the only really important thing - is that he, the original builder and owner, loves it The next important thing to me, personally, is that I love it too. And I do. I love the history of it - a dream of twenty years ago that was dashed. If I can be part of fulfilling that dream, then I will be utterly delighted. I love the katalox. I had never heard of katalox before and it is a bit of a revelation. The photos to it no justice at all - Canon DSLR's are notoriously bad at reproducing accurate reds. It's got a natural oxblood hue to it and that redness contrasts beautifully with the ash. In real life, it looks really, really classy. Bit of a pig to work with, mind you... I love the scale length. @eude had said to me that the 31.5" would make it feel totally different and it does. I love the original carve. I suppose I have the normal paranoia of a builder and modifier whether the changes I make detract rather than enhance. The original carve was VERY tactile. A bit like those wooden comfort stones you can buy. Albeit the body wood alone weighed only a touch less than @Len_derby 's fully finished full scale bass! So, to summarise: I love @Marcoelwray 's builds I love this build Most of all, I love ME 😍 So I'm going back to concentrating on THAT

The WD-800 has a great feature set which in theory would allow one to maximise the efficiency of both the head and cab between the hpf and damping. Its the old thing that people would complain that an amp doesn’t have a feature such as ‘tunable’ HPF and when a company adds that feature along with additional control for a damping thus offering the user a complete ‘solution’ it’s criticised as being superfluous with no actual real world use or experience of it. 😀🤣 Forums eh!!

Cheers people ,you're a lovely bunch and all your posts are much appreciated as always ,I won't stray far from the fold , I've met some of you over the years and some I haven't,all of you a lovely bunch ,big love too you all ❤️

I don't know what is was like in it's 'heyday' but of the 11 basses listed since Thursday morning the 4 priced to sell / good value (imho) for money instruments have sold and a good number of other basses listed earlier have also sold in the last couple of days, so I'd say once people got paid this month and allowing for the seasonal feast of mammon wallet draining the market is fine if things are correctly priced but there are too many overvalued instruments imho, including obviously my Kala Ubass, which I am listing for 50% of what it cost me (I clearly paid too much), but since I bought it Harley Benton and others have been knocking out Uke basses (and everything else) for not much more than the cost of the materials in the west so bringing down the whole lower and middle market values used, why pay £70+ for collection only from Ebay for a often well used or neglected used instrument that was £200-£300 (when originally sold) when a new one with 30 days return and 3 years warranty is now £120 delivered How anyone can think an old Squier is worth twice what a new one costs I don't understand, should be less than half the price of a new one surely regardless of how 'nice' it is as no return, no warranty. I don't think your home insurance company would pay out £700 for a 25 year old mid market bass if it was stolen or lost in a fire without some damn good valuation evidence I bought my used Maruszczyk less than 12 months old for 50% of it's new actual price (not it's list price) and at that price I thought it was a great/good buy but worried that it was flawed somehow as otherwise why would the PO be selling it (and the fact that none else bought it in the month or so it was on Ebay meant others were also concerned as to why it was for sale so cheap), but it's absolutely perfect 😃 just the brand doesn't hold it's value in the same way that overpriced (what the market will bear pricing backed up by price agreements and restricted access to trade) Fenders seem able to do I don't have replacement value insurance so if the Jake was stolen all I'd get back would be what I paid for it and the hard case(which I can prove) probably less some wear and tear and I doubt I could sell it on here for any more than that and I certainly wouldn't ask a lot more than that as I just don't have the front to do that but others clearly do I see the same thing in my day to day work with VW campervans, people buy into the lifestyle, buy a van, do it up, use it, appear to have a great time, then sell expecting to get back every penny they have spent plus some scene-tax, not allowing for all the fun times they had or depreciation due to age/mileage and thus expect the next owners to effectively have subsidised their previous fun; price of vans goes up, everyone tries it on, the value for money/correctly priced stuff doesn't sell as quickly as it should because people are suspicious but if you ask a silly inflated (to me) price people somehow buy into that and then end up paying over the odds and when they come to sell the cycle repeats Don't forget the younger generation didn't grow up with records and record players and buying stuff once to own and have for ever (a good long time at least), they live digital lives, pay to stream, have smaller footprints, micro this and that and 2-3 year replacement cycles on stuff (3-7 years for really big ticket items like cars and domestic appliances), and needing to save money to be able to buy a house or paying over the odds to my generation of landlords means that they won't be buying 2 or 3 or 4 shiny objects to possess unless they are actually making money out of them and I suspect there's a number of traders on here who have realised it is quite hard to monetise music in the digital world but it is possible to make money buying and selling instruments/effects etc. so expect more of that

Me too, and it's going to be mine once it's done, which is nice 😎 I chose the Katalox as I wanted something dark and understated and it absolutely delivers. The carve may seem a little basic, but it's smooth and elegant. I originally carved it over several evenings until it felt right and that's a process that Andy also did which was good to hear. Personally, I'm absolutely delighted about how this bass is turning out, and given the customer is always right that trumps everything 😉 Eude

And wine. Thread wasn't derailed, it just bacame a wee bit Pinteresque.

Absolutely! Black Friday Week on Saturday Deal - free colour coordinating cushion with every heavily modded 20 year old project! Haven't told MrsAndyjr1515 yet, but I'm sure she'll be fully supportive

Funnily enough I’m at the studio next to phil’s workshop on Monday. i played his final dissertation build (hollow Ric inspired thing) in 2003! you do the thinking, I’ll do the walking - cheers @BassBunny

Good news! My ear is working again!! Still ave to have another op but I can hear 😁

Second slurry and wipe for the body and first for the neck and headstock: Piling this and all of the hardware on the scales, it's going to end up just over 8lbs and should balance nicely Not too many items left on the to do list, to be honest... Andy

...and there was me thinking I needed to develop my own style of music...

Imho it's more about respect than food. I've never (yet) played in a function band, but I've twice booked a band for a function - for my wedding in 1999, an excellent local pub covers band with the wonderful name of Gene Therapy and the Chromosomes, and for my 60th birthday party in 2015, Kyla Brox, and Virgil and the Accelerators. Both times I made it clear in advance that they would have as much to eat from the buffet as they wanted, and an open tab at the bar. For the first they only arrived to set up after the other guests had helped themselves, but there was plenty of everything left. For the second the musicians got first dibs. All were musicians I'd seen live and chatted to many times, and I'd booked them because I liked and respected them, but I'd have done the same for anyone I was prepared to book. Musicians aren't servants, they (we?) are skilled professionals and should be treated as such. As I said to the buffet and bar staff on both occasions, "Musicians are important, and should be looked after."

Well if it has to be gender specific, I would say it's a boy's bass not a "Men's" one, I'm sure most women players would be more discerning. It's also priced 1p more expensive than a brand new one.

Friday night randomness happened, aided by gin.

Sorry but I completely disagree sometimes less is more!!...............

I posted in a similar vein last month. on Monday I meet a new band. hard to tell what can be around the corner

Hotel California.... Just saying' 😀 You can check out, but you can never leave (There is a much deeper story from me, but another day mebbe.)

First finish coat. Well, I think that looks pretty classy already I'm still amazed what a difference 0.6mm of veneer makes...

OK peeps, advice if you could be so kind. I picked up a bit of a broken P bass body, may well be Fender as the neck that came off it I was told was a ‘78 neck. I think the pocket is standard size. I got the body for postage cost only and fancy a go at repairing. I picked up a really nice P bass Lyte neck for a good price and I would like to fit them together. (I did know it had a different heel width to a normal, but was a nice neck at a good price). I would like to fit the 2 together but obviously I need to tighten things up a little. I know I will need to fill the original screw holes and match up to the neck. Am I right in thinking that gluing a veneer would do the job and then sand/shape to size? Any other tips, apart from get a neck that fits! Obligatory pics...

I really like the feature set on this new WD-800 and as a previous WalkAbout amp user - it really is a cracking wee amp - I along with many others wondered what might become of this little fellow. My previous comment and this one are about the implementation of the features and tech. I have two main heads I use live - apologies for the name dropping - My Fender TB600 is about 18kg old school solid state, big tranny power section and sounds great. I’ve used the Fender MB1200 power amp in a previous rig and like the TB 600 it was immediate and had loads of head room - sounding better the louder it got. It never lacked response and was always ‘quick’ and having that kind of power and headroom does make a difference. My other gigging amp has a hypex power module mated to a tube pre amp. It is also a fantastic sounding rig and I believe the implementation of the power section and the preamp in that amp makes it just as much fun to play, just as dynamic and responsive as the tranny, solid state power section in the TB600. On a gig they both sound great! With the WD-800 I trust/hope the engineers at Mesa have maximized the current tech to provide a really well designed and integrated pre/power section to deliver what on the surface looks like a really comprehensive fully featured amp. It should be an absolute cracker if that classic WalkAbout vibe is nailed with the higher wattage. Would I sell my current rig to get one? I certainly look forward to trying one first before passing judgement...

Perfectly happy with the annual cover idea but the idea is to do the thing in the month of the challenge. Otherwise, it's just a case of playing each other things we have written before and could have spent months working on. There is no challenge to it.

Anybody's work with Hiromi is usually pretty darned excellent... Tony Grey is brilliant on the Sonicbloom stuff with The Fuze!

Another couple of jobs off the tick list. With the body dry enough to handle but not dry enough for the next coat, I shielded the control chamber and fitted the magnets. I'll be adding a small fingernail scoop into the rear body edge for easy access to open it. Note the original scratchplate screw holes in the rebate that are now hidden under the new cover Right - that's enough for one day. Besides, MrsAndyjr1515 is pressuring me for a gin and tonic. Maybe I'll mention the cushion once she's had a few sips

Anything by Anthony Jackson and especially is work with Hiromi. Jonas Hellborg especially the album "The Silent Life". And many others...

I picked one up too..already used it on a gig and got another tonight. It's very easy to use and capable of pretty much any bass tone you might want. The eq is very flexible and produces a very powerful sound which works great with the band and seems to be built like a tank. I was interested in these when they came out but at this price it's an absolute bargain. Sonically it sits somewhere between my ABM and my old Ampeg but definitely has it's own thing going on.

Me too thanks to this thread! Really digging their stuff.

For me: Jo Lally on Fugazi's Repeater Justin Chancellor on Tool's 10,000 Days Jeff Caxide on ISIS's Oceanic Caleb Schofield on Cave In's Antenna Brian Cook on Botch's We Are The Romans Steve Harris on Iron Maiden's Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Geezer Butler on Black Sabbath's Paranoid

Once again, I feel I must congratulate you for your great taste in music. I saw them live just the other week at The Hideaway in Streatham and they blew the roof off. FANTASTIC venue for live music btw. First heard them on the Positivity album 25 yrs ago and Randy Hope Taylor is still my favourite out of their bassists. While his playing isn't as insane as the dude off the 100 degrees album, his feel and tone were off the scale.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but please don't rule out returning to the bass. All the best.

My vote - gorgeous breaking up P-bass tones. Plus everything else is incredible too - songs, musicians. Stuff of legend.

I love this album so much and the bass sound and where it sits in the mix is wonderful to my ears. Any track is great

Mate, gutted to hear this. You know where I am if you need a loan of anything etc. Lets share the hell out of this, they’ll turn up somewhere.

I'm not aware of being able to apply more than one MIDI note to a footswitch, someone correct me if I'm wrong. There are ways round that though. I have a patch that I use to play the root and whatever additional pitch I select with it, all at the same time. Plays a two note chord from one note. Great with the Ebow. That uses the 'dual pitch' effect. Very easy to set up. I have it set to play the root with 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th and 10th. I don't know if that's what you mean. Anyway here's a vid of it in practice.

I'm probably on my own here... but I always think that the focus that function bands place on food is very rude. Weddings are very expensive affairs and paying for bands to have a meal when you've already paid for the band is very presumptuous of the band. I can't think of any other job where there's such demands on being fed. If you are a tradesman for example and working on site all day, you make provisions for food. You don't go to your employer and demand food. I see it like this, if there's no plans for food set out, take your own. If you are invited to partake in the buffet, then good - but only when told to... never before the guests unless told to do so. I've played with some miserable bands that just shock me when it comes to their expectations and "right" to food to the point where they cause a scene. It particularly annoys me when bands visibly baulk when presented with a tray of sandwiches. If you want a hot meal, get one on the way to the gig. Early conversations with the clients way before the events can avoid awkwardness - such as asking if there's opportunity to get food at the facilities in advance, will usually avoid embarrassment and win you friends. I know a lot of bands put it into contracts... but that doesn't mean a great deal. And you aren't going to win any friends at a wedding if you start talking food and "in the contract". In some cases, you may actually win for being polite - I remember a wedding where we asked in advance about the food situation and when we got there, there was an envelope waiting for us - "Sorry, there's no space for you guys to eat anywhere and the post breakfast buffet is only finger food, so please find some cash enclosed to get yourself into town and get some food before showtime." - The contents of the envelope worked out to be £30 a head.

It was having an affair with Jamiroquai

Why is quitting the first advice that is always given in these threads. Is this guy the band leader? If he isn't then nicely tell him to stick it. If it is his band then the rules are different. I'd still try to negotiate the end of this micro managing, but either way you've got to come up with interesting parts that show you can be trusted to think for yourself. Quitting should only ever be a last resort and be way down the list.

I don't really understand why someone would want that.

Another video of a Bowie classic. Bit of an odd song this one, but I love playing it.

Well, this was an interesting and extremely time consuming video (for a numpty like me) to pull together. The reason that it exists at all is that we wanted to record something for Paul, our keys player, as this was his final gig with us before moving to Spain. There was nowhere to place my Zoom other than at the far left or right side of the stage (more on that later) and it wasn't possible to get any audio mix from the desk. The footage from the Zoom was OK and I have used segments of it in the video, but as it was a festival and half the joy of performing there was the large crowd, I knew it wouldn't serve the video very well by just having that footage alone. I decided that Life on Mars? would be a good opportunity to grab some stage to crowd perspective on my phone camera. I only play on the last section of the song anyway and I thought it would also be nice to get Paul's piano solo on camera from up close as well. As Nat also wasn't singing on the song, she did the same. On reviewing the recording from the Zoom, the video was as well as could be expected from the poor camera position, but the audio was dreadful. On hearing it, I remembered that I hadn't even raised the mic's on the camera, let alone placed them in XY position. I'm blaming the very quick turnaround we had between bands, but ultimately that faux pas was on me 🙄. The Zoom audio was extremely bassy with a bit of keyboards and drums with very little in the way of main/backing vocals or any guitars. At that point I didn't think I would be able to do anything with any of it as I was relying on the audio from the Zoom, which is normally excellent, to be the audio over which I would edit the video. All those times I've moaned about the audience taking videos with their phones rather than watching the band - well it turned out to be a blessing in this case. A couple of videos turned up on Facebook of Life on Mars? and as a result I was able to create an audio file for this track that was just about usable. It's still not great, but it's loads better than I had to start with. So, all I had to do now was stitch the video together. After finding the audience videos I also found that there was a selection of pro-shot photographs of us that I didn't know existed. I've wanted to incorporate still photo's in an edit as I hadn't tried that before. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity. So here we have it, Life on Mars? from Witney Music Festival, Oxfordshire on 17/8. The video that almost didn't happen.

Here are the encores from our show on Saturday. We had a few issues with feedback towards the end. Still not sure what the cause was, but it didn't seem to make any difference to the audience. Next stop Millfield Theatre, Enfield on 20/4/18.

From Thursday's gig @ Hylands Park, Chelmsford. Life on Mars?