Leaderboard

Well after 40 years of playing, Mrs JPJ bought me a beginners book of reading the dots and an introductory lesson with a local music school. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years, especially as I’m working with ‘proper’ musicians these days. So yes, this 54 year old is going back to school and I couldn’t be more excited 😎

I'm not going to try and work out how much a little piece of rubber would have saved me over the years!

I also think that Rutherford's role in the multi-12 string guitar thing that Genesis made their own was a massive factor in their freshness and originality.

1972 all original Fender Jazz, with the original case, she’s aged beautifully with great looking wear and checking all over, she was Olympic white but is now a gorgeous buttermilk colour with the most beautiful piece of tort I’ve seen, I think my soul was a small price to pay.

A bit weird to see Geddy in the Guardian. Like they've finally allowed in from the cold which is a bit ironic given Neil has stopped drumming. What are your favourites ? https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/24/geddy-lee-on-rush-greatest-songs

A Zon Sonus Standard 4 string bass and 6 Dunlop Ultex 2mm picks :-) I had a pair of lounge pyjama bottoms and a new scratchplate for my Precision on my list but it went a bit wonky........

Not a Morning Person myself... after a quiet day and a sedate couple of G&Ts it's time for a play. I've just started a policy of rotating my (now stable I hope) family of five basses, today it's the fretless, for the first time in a while. It's the smallest and heaviest of the five - I need to do some strength training before I gig it again 😞 Ps half an hour later - I'd forgotten how easy she is to play and how good she sounds! 🙂 🙂

Got nothing bass related today so pulled the trigger on an Orange 4 Stroke 500 as a gift from me to me 😂 Arrives Friday

My luthier friend dropped this in my lap last week. Part gift, part barter for preamp design work I've done for him. Purpleheart fingerboard, custom neo sidewinder pickups optimized for slide bass. The bottom knobs are a temporary set I put on so I could get started on the electronics package. I'll probably go with something blond to complement the pickup covers and headstock.

From my daughter. Main pressie from the wife was the Bassix EUB.

I made it until about 4pm when I heard this and had to whip out my bass

A huge part of Genesis was about having two guitars. Mike's role was just about unique. Something they also did was bring bass pedals to the fore.

This. That era (Permanent Waves in particular) is the point where they stopped being a mishmash of plagiarised influences and defined their own sound, to my ears. Never been one for picking "best" or even "favourite" tracks but if I wanted to play a track that represented Rush to someone who didn't know them, it would be Free Will from PW. Hits every defining Rush feature, for me. Re: the article itself - a bit of a shame that even after Rush being validated by an outrageously successful 40-year career, the Grauniad writer can't get past the sneery put-downs - "widdly-woo music" and the inevitable implication that musicianship & technically complex music are intrinsically valueless. Seems some dismal & dated music hack tropes are destined to never go away...

Stop getting Rush wrong! It's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures that are the best. Not the bland synth Pop of the latter years.

Now now, what would the Nickelback museum need Geddy's basses for? 😉

How’s about this then, Santa’s only gone and got me tickets from the Friday at the palladium. So it doesn’t matter if I get the call or not, I’ll see you there.

Ah, you’re referring to the 1/4” amp output then, which will be at instrument level. Merry Christmas, Rock & Roll Killers!

As if you could buy eggs at this time of night on a Christmas Eve! 😂

Totally get what you mean Dribble is her middle name. Never got why she is so popular, although its seems she is more ‘hip’ than popular. Bland self indulgent wailing springs to mind.

Agreed, I get concerned when our band leader calls multiple 12 bar blues tunes. Thing is we have so much other material . However it's not my call. Blue PS: I'm in New Jersey over the holidays and had a chance to jam with my close childhood friend Doug. We started our first band when we were both 12 years old.

Hi, I'm an British ex-pat, living 25 years in South Germany (Augsburg). Been playing on and off over 40+ years as work / family allows. I started on upright about a year ago mainly to get that off my bucket list. It's been a hard transition but fulfilling because, for the first time, I've taken tuition. I also play and adore steel guitar (not the one with pedals) I play in a duo (bass & sax + our 2 voices), a jazz -guitar trio that keeps to the tradition of never being able to find the right direction(or gigs) and various bands that form when someone has a gig, agree a set over email and then play without rehearsal. I play steel in a tex-mex / western swing band. I'm a regular at local jazz, blues and Western Swing sessions. Gear: I have an Antoria White Eagle, Fender(s) Jazz and Precision, a Sei Flamboyant 6 and an Aria acoustic bass-guitar which I am curiously fond of. My upright is built in Romania, of all hard wood and fitted with a Shadow pick-up. My steel guitar is a 1956 Rickenbacker twin 8 string. I have a Mark Bass combo for gigs and a Phil Jones practice amp. I have an embarrassing number of effects pedals that I consistently and convincingly tell myself I need. Looking forward to interactions! \ paul

Roughly 108 days give or take..... shiny new Status series II to be flaunted, shamelessly, here as and when it arrives...... 🙏🏻😃

Hiya. Mug anyone is in the market for an Ampeg SVT this could be the best Christmas present ever! £999 from guitarguitar https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/07120610302928--ampeg-svt-vr-vintage-head

I have just complete a tremendous experience, ordered a bass for my 50th and it arrived early thanks to Alan. From start to finish Alan has been great. The bass on the other hand is fantastic. Full specs here: https://www.acguitars.co.uk/project/0328urecurve5/

Not seen a Euro P/J setup before (I'm happy to be proved wrong here), they're usually twin humbuckers with EMG pickups. I'd imagine if you asked nicely you'd be able to get one made but it wouldn't be cheap. I know that there a USA customs with a PJ setup:

It’s the Hal Leonard one: https://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.action?itemid=696481&lid=8&keywords=Blues bass&searchcategory=00&subsiteid=7&

Very nice, it has made me want to get the Warwick corvette fretless out

Thats probably why they never interviewed him.

@CameronJ & @lemmywinks. Have just sat down for a more educated hours playing through the Fishman into the K12.2 using the Bass Amp preset and at Instrument level. It sounds great, I think I was just freaked out initially by just how loud it was so I was assuming I’d got it on an incorrect setting.

Got up, went for a walk, came home played bass, in laws arrived, started cooking and eating, still going.....send help!

If I had a 55-02 that I liked, I really would not spend time trying other basses. To me the electrics are 'consumables'... you can change, modify, replace. You can restore to original if you wish too. I used to own a 55-02, and I thought the electrics let it down a little. A little. That thing felt great in my hands, it was beautiful, one of those rare instruments that feel just right. Had I kept it (not really into 5 strings after all) I might have replaced pickups and preamp: for me 1st the bass must feel physically right, then I'll deal with the electrics. That's just me.

None of the 1xxx or 2xxx have 3v circuitry, that was only used on the 5000-5006. The premiums all currently have 9v preamp, bass / mid / treble and a 2 or 3 band mid frequency switch. The 3v was on the 5000/4/5 which had bass/mid/mid freq/treble, but I have replaced the preamp with a glockenclang as treble didn't work (as it often didn't). Its a good upgrade. The premiums are basically the all same, mahogany bodies with a cap of something else, which makes the model, mostly all available in 4/5/6 string. I would love a 2605 but it doesn't really give me much over the 1605 (or 5005), and I wouldn't get rid of that and I am trying to cut down!

I love a bit of Collins era Genesis, guilty pleasures be damned. And if Gabriel hadn't left we wouldn't have albums like Peter Gabriel III, IV, So, Passion and Us which are all beyond-words levels of good. Everybody wins!

Second week of July, 2022..?

I've not dared to open the cover on mine yet. Too much clearing up and food preparation going on, and I don't want to upset the good lady wife by spending the big day with my head in a book. I'll wait in anticipation of a quieter moment later on

I use the instrument level input on the QSC K10.2 from the amp output on the Fishman, works fine for me.

I may be able to sort you out with some spare D'addario cable if I can find it all out. I switched to George L's and no longer need it.

I've found that a lot of the songs I prefer on the last few albums are all Vedder's. I do agree there was an intentional change, whether that was to move away from the Grunge scene or to try and avoid radio play I don't know.

I'm guessing from these comments most if not all of you haven't played a 2018 Stingray Special? The new 3 band is quite different and along with the neo pick ups and 18 volt electronics make for a great experience. What you guys talking about the earlier 3 band compared with the 2 band are hearing is the filter cutting the boomy frequencies plus the way the mid is voiced. If you turn the mid down some way, boost bass and treble a little you'll get closer to the 2 band sound. You can get more bass response by moving the position you pluck the bass towards the neck - rather than over the pick up (such as where you pluck a Precision or even closer to the neck for instance). The Stingray has always had more bass and treble than a Precision - that was part of the point of it in the first place - giving the player more flexibility and ability to control their sound.

AKA "Duck Egg Blue"? (Nips off to buy some Bombay Duck eggs for breakfast. They're rare you know, like hen's teeth rare. I might settle for a duck lip sandwich instead.)

Just had a listen ... nice one Andy

Forgot to talk about the merits of this Krampera rig: huge deep clear loud articulate. The cabs are nicely matched/ tuned to work together and it shows. Great quality bass head with practical footswitch. Everything else does seem slightly dull after going through this. Lucky me!

Twin Aria Pro II Super Basses, both made in 1981. Passive Fretless SB900 & Active Fretted SB1000

I found this on the BBC News app this morning and while it doesn't go into a lot of detail about Fender's business it's still quite an interesting insight into the man that leads the company: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46546014

Awesome musician and bass player... which, is the right order. 'Squonk' anyone... bass pedals then high register fills on the bass... not a million miles from Geddy's 'Xanadu' line or Chris Squire...

As much as the FRFR solution is (imho) very much about hearing one’s instrument without the colour certain amps and cabs give to it, for me the weight and size issue was hugely important. The K12.2 rattles my house just nicely! I think you are being wise not putting all your eggs in one basket. I looked. It reminds me of a rig I used in a thrash band I was in. There is a hugely heavy Acoustic (as in the make) head and cab at one of the venues I play at that I deeply covet, if I thought they’d sell it to me I’d buy it in a heartbeat, but, I don’t think I’d use it if I got it home, nonetheless, for some reason, I still want it.

Frank I love your convert's zeal! But have you seen what @Bridgehousehas recently dragged in with the cats? He is single handedly (well with both hands and a fork lift truck) rescuing rock n roll. Just in time for Christmas 😀