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I joined this v odd band because a mate was singing in it - we dressed up as vikings and played '80s anthemic pink torpedo rock to bemused people out for a quiet pint. It was fantastic fun as the singer had an amazing rock voice and the guitarist was a brilliant player of that riff-heavy, blistering solo style. Guitarist was a bit odd, though. I worked hard to arrange my work and young family life to make it on time to rehearsals. He had v little else going on (self-employed, no family or really any other commitments) but would breeze in 45 minutes late to a three hour rehearsal - every time. Drove me nuts. He was stone cold broke - so bad he couldn't contribute to rehearsal costs sometimes and actually just took a whole gig fee once without consulting us because he was so strapped. But he always drove a new Merc on lease 'because it gives the right impression'. We never worked out who he was trying to impress. He had other quirks, like being a bit of a conspiracy nut and carrying his thoughts/convictions to pretty extreme ends, but he could be lovely too. It all came to a head one night in a pub with a full-wall plate glass window looking out on to a side street. His gear gave him grief and he wasn't loud enough on a big solo so he got in a huff and unplugged his guitar. He walked out the door, took his guitar by the neck and started battering it on the ground, Pete Townsend-style. Trouble was he wasn't very strong (or the guitar was very well built), and not much happened. It stayed intact. So the rest of us keep playing on, just cycling through the chords as we and the bemused punters watch through the window as this guy in a viking outfit and Christina Aguilera wig ineffectually leathers his guitar at the road outside. We, and the crowd, were pissing ourselves. Best bit was when a homeless guy came up and tried to take it off him, thinking it a terrible waste. He came back in sheepishly, picked up his spare guitar and finished the gig. The band dissolved in acrimony not long after because of a bitter dispute about the ethics of giving to charity. Odd all round.

Instead of boiling your dead strings or soaking them in meths like some mad scientist simply stop being a tightwad and order some new ones from a guitar shop or online store, the end result will be the sound of a new set of strings which lasts longer than one gig and is much less time consuming than faffing about with metre long glass tubes or pans.

Got a new base last week (I blame the snow – I worked from home due to the travel warning a couple of weeks back, and found I could fill some of the time I was waiting for network connections by looking for bargain basses on my tablet. Ahem.) I don’t have easy access to a guitar shop with a decent range of basses, so I am dependent on basschat for working out which guitar will suit me best. Based on what I’d read on here, I began to focus on G&L, with my criteria for my next bass being: passive, 38mm nut width, not JJ pickups. There was a B-stock Tribute Kiloton on DV247 with about £120 off. It was white, with the reduction for a “chip in paint by the neck joint”, although there was no photo of the actual bass/damage on DV247 website*. It arrived, as promised, in 4 working days from Germany (got to say, I was impressed with the communications from DPD via their app). First impression out of the box is that it’s a bit chunky. Reviews mention the slimline SB body, but it’s about twice as thick as my Squier VM Jaguar. In terms of weight, though, both have basswood bodies but the Kiloton (counter-intuitively) is half a pound lighter. The plastic scratchplate protector had been removed, and there was no documentation at all in the box. The strings are not the standard stock d’Addario EXLs (no coloured ends or silks), and feel like they’re nickel-coated. I’m guessing that this is an ex-display model, and that the strings have been changed at least once. The serial number dates the bass as Sept 2017. However, the scratchplate has no scratches, so there are no actual signs of wear, and everything else is fine apart from the paint chip and the neck joint, which isn’t the neatest: some of the cuts appear not to be perfectly straight. Plugged into a practice amp, at first it was all about playing with the 3-way switch, working out which is series, parallel and single coil. Online reviews mention the increased output through the series setting, and this is clearly the case. The neck is nice and quick; the large inlay dots somehow make it look wider than it actually is. The tuners are smooth (noticeably smoother than the Gotoh GB707s on my step-son's SR1605). I was asked to play in a one-off band at a local church 4 days after it arrived so had an early chance to give it a proper test, playing through their huge Peavey combo. I instantly had to turn the master volume on the amp down from 5 to just under 3: this MFD pickup is certainly as hot as all the reviews suggest! The thing with the three-way-switch pickup variations is that they have such different outputs that I decided to stick to just one: in this case the parallel because it was a church, and I didn’t want to blast them away with the series option. I’m afraid my ears aren’t good enough to tell how closely this sounds like a Stingray, j-bass or p-bass in the various pickup settings: all I know is that there is a lot more variety than I expected, and that I can see each having its place. To me, the bass sounded brilliant – deep, rich, clear and with incredible sustain, I’ve never really considered why sustain is important to a bass, but now I think it means the full tone of the note lasts longer: for any notes of a minim or more in length, the outstanding, full timbre of the Kiloton just keeps shining though. And there’s no worries about getting lost in the mix: you won't. Even with the unknown strings , I didn’t want to stop playing. It's made me aware of my poor technique (particularly right hand) – there’s no hiding place with such a powerful pickup, but I’m looking forward to the challenge as it means more time playing this bass. Next step is some new strings, probably GHS Pressurewounds as I’ll be playing a fair bit of pick and I hate string noise. Overall, this was an excellent purchase, and for the first time, I can't imagine needing (or even wanting) any other bass. * BTW The paint chip is about 1cm across and ugly, but only visible to the player, and there’s no damage to the neck joint. I reckon a dab of tippex and some superglue on top will be good enough for me: I’m not selling this beast!

Save money on expensive plectrums by learning to pluck with your fingers

I’ve bought several different Flea basses, I don’t sound remotely like him, unless I’ve had a drink... that means it’s me.. 😳😂😂

It was actually a song about his Cuban shoes that were en vogue at the time. He had damaged the heel of one of them and just as he was about to walk on for his encore the loose heel fell off.

What's the reason for wanting 35" scale? If you like the extra space between the frets fine, but if it is specifically for getting a better feeling and sounding low B string you may well be disappointed. IME adding an extra inch to the overall scale length on its own does virtually nothing to improve the low B. It is far more important to have a well constructed neck and got neck to body joint, and all these things can be achieved on a well-made 34" scale bass.

Lost your bottle-opener & struggling to open beer bottles? Simply use the headstock of your Rickenbacker! Eh, @Ricky 4000

I've put this in my diary - I can bring a Fender Performer (as in the 80's rarity, not the new 'perfomer' line) and maybe a Hohner Custom V.

Please make them stop..... I thought it was about fishing in Norfolk using an old guitar as a fishing pole and loosing an Eel..... Since ma baby left me, Ay go fishin all the time I don't have no kit An ol' geetar done be my prime I caught me an Eel, slippery soul to go Oooooh Loose Eel.....Ooooh Loose Eel

I love it! And top end Yamahas are brilliantly made. I'm actually looking forward to seeing one in the flesh. Could be on my next bass list.

first of two I'm going to nominate. My first serious band, 30 years ago, playing thrash metal when it was still new and exciting, and the first band I'd been in where I didn't know everybody else in advance. I was the last in, and at my first practice the guitarist (and BL) showed me the riffs to a couple of songs, we run through them, and then we're away. The singer steps up to the mic...and it's dreadful. Like a dying, vomiting dog. There wasn't any attempt at a melody, just shouting in the deepest voice he could manage. Now, there is a place for that style of vocals in extreme metal, but we were far too melodic, touching on prog even, to be in that category. To add to this, when we started gigging, the singer had no on stage personality whatsoever - no confidence or showmanship (he is a bit of a dull man anyway), just stood at the mic, staring at his shoes, making a horrible noise when he was singing, and muttering a few words between songs, never engaging with the audience. Me and the drummer (my mate, who'd invited me to join) complained about him endlessly - it was really affecting the band as everybody agreed that the music was great but the vocals were awful - but the singer was there because he was the guitarist's best mate and he was never going to get sacked. This went on for a couple of years. Then we did a fairly high profile gig as main support on a four band bill, and a load of my non-metal liking mates came along. As the band finished and started packing down, the singer left the stage to get to the bar, to be told by my mates that he was terrible, not the band, just him, what with him not being able to sing and everything. We had a gig the next day and after we soundchecked he announced that he was leaving the band to move on to new projects! I already knew the story of what had happened, as did the drummer, so we sniggered and had more than a few celebratory pints, but not ones to look a gift horse in the mouth we said nothing and let him keep his dignity. We certainly didn't do anything to persuade him to stay (which I think is what he was hoping for). And that would have been the end of it, someone I would never be in a band with again because he has no musical ability, but not somebody I'd avoid contact with... But he's stayed in my circle of friends, and I see much more of him these days than before - we go to a lot of gigs and festivals together. So for the last 25 years I have heard a non stop stream of fake news about how he's always one step away from being in new band, how he's working on a new project, how people said he was a great singer (based on one comment from 20 years ago taken out of context - he does that a lot), and including himself in any discussions that me and my actual musician friends have about bands, gear, etc. He seems to genuinely believe that everybody loved his vocals in the old band and that we wanted him to stay. To hear him, he's currently in between bands, and the casual observer would never know that he hasn't been in a band for a quarter of a century. Worst of all, he saves special disdain for the musical exploits of his former bandmates - me and the drummer mainly, who have remained active in bands from then until now. I'll save the numerous stories, but he manages to dismiss anything we do, but if there is any praise being given, he will bend over backwards to make sure that people know he was once in a band with us, like he's one of the cool kids. When I was depping with a name band for a couple of gigs at Christmas, I joked that he would tell me to my face that it wasn't anything special, and behind my back tell everybody he knows that he's mates with the bass player in this band that they will have heard of. That is exactly what he did. So about a year ago we were out for a drink and the subject of bands came up - him complaining about the delays in yet another one of his projects that never quite seem to happen, so i told him I'd been talking about forming a band with a singer from an old band of mine, who knew a guitarist, and i knew a drummer, etc. He spent the next three hours banging on about how that was a really bad idea because that singer (now fresh out of rehab) couldn't be trusted, he'd let down my old band, what was I thinking? Every time anybody tried to move the conversation on he kept dragging it back to this singer and why he was a bad choice. His girlfriend got fed up and went home, leaving me to listen to him going round and round in circles about it. Which sounds bad, but was a beautiful moment, because it finally gave me the excuse to say to him that I didn't know why he was fixated on telling me that this other singer was awful, but if he was trying to suggest that I should instead be asking him to join my new band he should forget about it because he cannot sing, has no musical ability whatsoever, and I will never, ever ask him to be in any of my bands. Ever. I slept very well that night. He seems to have selectively forgotten that night, or at the very least decided that he definitely wasn't suggesting that I ask him to be in a new band and is back to his usual, deluded self. Oh well, still worth it.

Hi All the shapes I have ever done are still available. The Recurve and Finn still front and centre have been about from pretty much the start. However I don’t get asked to build most of them very often. What you currently see as the main models Recurve,Finn,Krell, Salace and RetroB are the models people actually order. ACG has now been about for 14 years so I am no longer in anyway a new upstart. Cheers Alan.

Interesting; I have an uncanny ability to change the atmospheric conditions myself, though I'm not sure it's a feature people would pay money for.

Tired of forking out for expensive sets of nut files? Simply detune a string enough to slide a 30mm square of 400 grit wet/dry (dry) half way under the string, hold the wet/dry around the string, tune up slightly to provide enough tension to nearly trap the wet/dry under the string, then "sand" the nut with it toward the tuner for the perfect break angle. I don't know if that's a common hack, but I thought of it myself. I've only done it once, and it seemed to work OK. 👍

Oh yes, I forgot I put them together the other day for a family shot

If you're having trouble dialing in tone and just can't get the sound you're looking for, don't waste money on a new amp, just drink beer! Everything sounds fkin superb after 8 pints. (Unless you live in the South of England, then it's probably cheaper to just buy a new amp)

Got this thread on BC Twitter earlier today. I'll try BC Facebook now if it hasn't been shared already. Good luck.

Need a catapault? Place an elastic band across the horns on the headstock of your Jaydee Bass....

Won't this run the risk of damage to the tops on your beer bottles?

Cripes! Do I really own something that beautiful? (Ohhhh yesssss😍)

"*EZO or ES Method – Energy/Space Method of wood, metal, and ctr. treatment. Modifications: mass crystallisation (wood), resonating in human emotional range. Sound effects: real presence with element of reverb and chorus. Developed by Mr. Papian." I was reading this in the ad and I thought, that's familiar. Then I remembered, it's one of Jon Anderson's lyrics from side three of Tales for Topographic Oceans.

This is just amazing looker.

Its not a complaint, its a fact. There are many, many threads about gear that has a big name on it and how some people will expect to sound like the name on the headstock etc. Not my words, that too is fact. What makes this any different? Hasn't Geddy had this tone for decades? That was my point about the fingers etc. He never used a Geddy branded effect in the past to get this tone, yet his tone has remained fairly consistent and distinctive. im not knocking the pedal or Tech 21 as such, im just replaying to your comment about mine. If the new box gets you very close to that tone then thats cool, but so can other boxes i would assume, as many people have gotten that tone. The Jaco statement seems strange. Surely if you buy the same bass as him you will sound like him......unless its to do with how he plays 😉

. .Look for a Peavey TNT 130 - it'll last a while. There's a current thread about it. Shouldn't be expensive either G.

Don't boil your strings. Steep them in meths overnight to clean them then hang them up to dry. Works a treat!

Badum-tish

Mine was a Greek wedding function gig where we used a couple of deps who reassured us they were au fait with the repertoire. One of the deps was a keyboard player - this guy was asking me for an E note and sticking a screwdriver in the back of his ancient keyboard and turning it to tune the bloody thing. I was using a guitar synth as part of my rig and had better sounds than him. That keyboard of his just made an awful sound. Anyway, it wasn't our finest hour but it didn't help that the crowd were pretty hostile, rude and there were problems between the Bride and Groom's respective families, which became evident throughout the evening when a couple of squabbles took place outside. Of course, we did our usual thing of placing business cards on the tables as that normally gets us a couple of enquiries or bookings. Big mistake as it had a couple of our mobile numbers on there. Well, from more or less the minute we finished, and for a good few days later, we were getting prank calls with a common one being 'Do you do funerals'? It was a Greek Tragedy! Name of the band, Jason (the singer's name) & The Argonauts.

My vinyl sounds better in the house for some reason.

I think some on the forum know I have an ACG or two so with that in mind, and having removed my tinted glasses, I would challenge the comment above about pricing of ACG basses. I do look around to see what other builders are offering and still find Alan's basses to be very competitively priced, with the acknowledgement that it's almost impossible to compare apples with apples in the space. I must drive Alan nuts as I very firmly in the traditional shapes fold and am a particular fan of the J Type and RetroB. I did dip a toe in slightly choppier waters recently and bought a Border Reiver S/S but have now scuttled back into the relative safety of a new Finn that I suspect will become my favourite fretted ACG in short order 🙂 As always YMMV

Top sports people become faster / stronger / more capable than the rest by really investing time, effort, practice, and thought into it. Making music is highly demanding, and musicians need to take the same approach. Work on improv8ng your technique. Get a bass that fits you well and get it professionally set up. Show your body some love with healthy living and the occasional massage. Purchase gear that makes your life easier (and your sound louder). Learn how it all fits together - that’s why forums like this are invaluable. I’m too old to work harder, so working smarter is all I’ve got!

Or spend about £1.50 on these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gas-Welding-Tip-Cleaner-Needle-file-set-Jet-cleaner-Nozzle/220417704077?hash=item3351eb408d:g:ohoAAMXQ71xRYR0i:rk:1:pf:0

Aw, sorry to hear you're retiring from gigging But as bigsmoke says above - don't hang that bass up for good. Keep one beside the sofa, for an occasional noodle You know what, I stopped playing in my 20's, and didn't play again for nearly 25 years! And I'm so glad I started playing again - I couldn't live without bass now, I love it more than ever But whatever you decide.... all the best

Sorry to hear your leaving and hope you don't hang your bass up, always good just to noodle and keep the passion going, even just at home. I'm sure speaking on behalf of everyone here that we wish you all the best, hope you enjoy your golden years and you may come back in time

Flash Clap Pensioner? Never heard of them.

By the time my band has kicked in, just about every nuance i can hear on my own, with any string gauge, has virtually disappeared under a wall of keys, drums guitar, and vocals. Just buy the gauge strings you're comfortable with, and quit worrying.

Probably just the Ibanez SR2605. I can bring the CTM100 as that sounds nice. Oh and maybe a Roli Rise 49 if someone wants to see one.

I only got a dispatch email yesterday and was due by Feb 13th - Mar 9th so hopefully yours will be in next day or two

It's good stuff. I refinished the wooden handle of a 50's teapot with it. Other half was pleased, so "that practice on the bass wasn't wasted". Her words.

“Crikey, that Bongo is ugly!” ”Hold my beer,”

Simon Kirke's daughter brought a ukulele home fro school ...

Obviously buy what suits your needs and tastes but if I had that money to spend on a bass, I'd buy a MusicMan StingRay Special HH in Natural Finish with a Roasted Neck of course.

I've only played one a couple of times and have to say, for me, it blew away the competition on that particularly day (which was Lakland) in terms of tone and looks. +1 ^^ I guess they are going to be the ultimate marmite bass and whilst I can't stand marmite, I've always thought that Rickenbackers just looked the part! And if it was good enough for him... ..and him and even him... Then it's certainly not too good for me!

I remember seeing Rick Kemp in Steeleye Span playing one of these and loving the sound of it. Listen to Blackleg Miner - awesome. I then met him and tried his fretless version which was brill. So wanted one but couldn’t afford one.