Leaderboard

Hi guys, I'm new here and I only build 2 basses, this is my third bass and it is a headless bass to show the bridges I'm producing here in Brazil, so I hope you like it. The design is not mine, my friend Samuel Martins, from S.Martyn basses loaned me his design. Here are the specifications: - Body: Cedar - Top: Champaca - Black veneer between body and top - Neck: Marfin, Louro Faia and Purple heart in the middle - Escale: Brauna (34") - Pick-ups: G&B Alnico V, Jazz Bass Style - Bridge: Nova Headless bridge (Nova Guitar Parts)

There has been a huge amount of discussion on the topic. There are various theories, but the one that seems most plausible is that originally, on instruments like guitar and bass, the main hand was the plucking/picking one, as opposed to the fretting one, so you would learn to use your stronger hand for the most important aspect of playing. All the virtuoso stuff on the fretboard came into fashion much later, when right-handed and left-handed playing were already established as we see now. I'm not too convinced by the above, as to me - an almost totally left-handed person - playing a left-handed instrument came much more naturally than a right-handed one from the very start, and I deliberately tried both. Also, if it was true that the fretting hand has actually become the most important hand on a guitar/bass, why aren't we seeing thousands of righty players find out, when they start learning, that they're far happier playing on a lefty guitar? To confuse the issue further, in normal life most of us are on a scale of righty to lefty, as opposed to being 100% one or the other, and some lucky ones are 50%; if they are musicians, they can play whatever they like, right way up or upside down! 😮 IIRC @leftybassman392 has a lot of knowledge and info about the whole concept.

Well after a couple of years looking I have finally settled on a new bass. I went to Bass Direct and spent time on three basses: Roscoe Century Standard Plus, Sandberg VS5 Masterpiece and a Dingwall AB1 5/3 with Super Fatty pickups. I came away with this: Let's face it, everyone has to own a bright purple bass at some time! Very happy here for now.

More like this - which is I reckon closer to how @fleabag drew it in concept anyway

"We can lose an elephant and break an anvil".

While I ponder on the next stages of the body carve, I made the final version of the pickup cover. I'll send this off to Armstrongs early this coming week: I have to say, making a thin-walled box like this was quite satisfying...

The dominant hand is doing more than most people realise. It is responsible for the rhythm and expression, whereas the non-dominant hand is the one that apparently moves around more and gets all the attention

In an earlier discussion on the topic, I recall somebody once saying that all Left-handed players should really be playing Righty. Using the same logic, I felt constrained to point out that all Right-handed players should really be playing Lefty. As our esteemed Silvia has most eloquently pointed out, it doesn't work that way. The idea of the fretting hand doing so much of the work is a pretty recent phenomenon. Historically, the only function of the fretting fingers on any stringed instrument was to be in the right place (sic) at the right time. The more important job of actually producing the notes, with all the subtleties and nuances that entails, was (and for the most part still is) done by the picking hand. While I'm here, (and as I mentioned in a thread on the subject of handedness quite recently) handedness isn't an either/or thing. Better to think in terms of a sliding scale with most people somewhere vaguely right of centre and very few at the extremes. In other words, most people can do something useful with either hand at need. Like Silvia my handedness is quite pronounced, and trying to (for example) play a guitar or bass the other way round feels decidedly uncomfortable. In practical terms it's mostly a bit of a PITA to be honest, but I can console myself with the knowledge that being a Lefty means I'm right-brain dominant. The right hemisphere of the human brain is where all the artistic and creative stuff is. I get to share this advantage with the likes of da Vinci, Rembrandt, Hendrix, Bowie and, er, McCartney. So there is that. 😎 ETA. Nearly forgot; at gigs you never, ever get drunken punters tottering up to the stage asking if they can have a go on your instrument.

Saw this in the cinema when it came out. Amazed the full thing is on YT:

After another bout of tweaking, this is where my board is at. It’s set-up to have two basses (fretted & fretless) plugged into the Preamp simultaneously, with 3 programmed tones (2 Clean & 1 Overdrive) for each bass. All the other pedals are linked through the internal FX loop of the SansAmp. The pedal order works for me, I’m delighted, although a few compromises were required for the greater good. The chain goes ... Preamp (SansAmp Bass Driver Deluxe) >>> Tuner (Korg Pitch Black) >>> Compressor (MXR M87) >>> Synth/ Octavers (Markbass Super-Synth) >>> Fuzz (ZVEX Mastotron) >>> Envelope Filter (MXR M82) >>> Chorus/ Flanger (MXR M83) >>> Phaser/ Ring Modulator (Ibanez PM7) >>> Delay/ Reverb (Boss RV-3) >>> Volume/ Wah (Hotone Bass Press) >>> Boost (Mooer Pure Boost) >>> Looper 1 (TC Electronic Ditto) >>> Looper 2 (Boss RC-300 *not shown*) >>> DI/ Out (SansAmp again) ... Elsewhere on the board, the PSU is a Diago Powerstation, plugged into a 3-port extension socket (adapted with a right-angled female kettle socket) . The 12v Markbass PSU also plugs in there, with a free socket available for my amp if needs be. I just plug a kettle cord into the board and I’m totally powered up and good to go. The patch leads are Bespeco. These have been totally reliable and are noise-free. The whole board operates very quietly and cleanly. The 3 buffered pedals are all good. Also in the case is a wee box for bits n bobs; earplugs, spare patch lead, spare battery, capo (yes, a capo), and a couple of mutes. I made raised plinths of various heights to attach some of the pedals to, so that they’re all accessible/ easily clickable. In addition to this board I use a multi-track Looper (Boss RC-300). It’s about 2/3 the size of my pedalboard, so it lives separately. That unit has its own FX section, though I only use the delay function. Very handy when looping, as the delays are synced. I’m satisfied with this for now, but you know how it goes ... I’m already thinking about putting an anologue Octaver in there (in addition to the Markbass). I’ve got 3 switchable Octave settings programmed via the software on that, and they’re fantastic, especially when used in combination with other pedals ... but they do sound very digital. I had been thinking about the new MXR Vintage Bass Octave, though I’m coming round to the idea of the wee Valetone OC-2 rip-off. Small, cheap, and good. Hmmm 🤔

I recognise the symptoms and am trying to detox myself. At the moment I've instituted a one-in, one-out policy. So i can't buy the Barefaced One10 i crave until I've sold my fender 410. And then I'll try and move to a one-in, two-out policy and see if I can cull the herd a bit. Maybe a support group on here? One without Cato's "help"?

Good excuse to get out into the surprise sunshine Carve is starting to get there. You can see here that my chamfer isn't quite deep enough yet - you can see the very edge of the glue-line/step-line there!: In terms of the overall shape, still a bit to do but I think this is starting to look right:

Trying it on the body, I reckon this is visually too long. I'll take 10mm off each side by softening the radius: There's plenty of meat there to take off and still have large enough blocks for the height adjustment screws: Carve-wise - I think this is actually just about there for most of the body. Just got to finalise how to treat the chamfer on the lower-horn cutaway. Anyways, I'll consult @fleabag to what he reckons

@Graham Like my one but newer

I joined a new band about 14 months ago. They showed me 86 songs and said that they never play the same set twice. As said before, we were all sensible about it and worked on 12 songs over 2 weeks and then another 12 songs and we gigged those the next month. There was a mix of tricky and easy. I had to decide to play the trickier ones within boxes first so I could jam them at rehearsal to see if their arrangements were true to original. From there it was a case of putting in the time and having fun with it. I’m now fully up to speed, have put forward a good dozen of my choices and I’m now comfortable playing duke box gigs with them. This is where clients get a full list of our repertoire on their tables and they tick ones they like. We gather them up while they’re finishing their meal and make a set list on the fly, keeps you on your toes as a musician and it’s pretty good fun. Main thing is to enjoy yourself, have fun, and be realistic as to what is possible in time constraints. Good luck!

This is how revolutions start

I once searched YT for a bass cover, and the one I clicked on turned out to be me doing it. I'd forgotten I knew it already. None of that's true, but it would be funny if it was. 😬

Nice bouncy fluent playing, but is it just me that is reaching for my toolkit to get rid of that freakin annoying rattle on every string???? Aaagh!!!!!!!

I designed this thing in my mind, combining features of my other basses and then made this somewhat visual using my impaired photoshop skills. Once I was happy about how things looked in the digital world I had it built by Vincent Guitars in the Netherlands. Now it is real and here to stay. Two bridge pickups in one casing - the front coil is sitting at sixties bridge pu position. They can both be switched on/off and in series/parallel using the 'jaguar style' switches. Slanted neck pickup for a more even tone across the strings. It crosses the E string at the usual jazz bass neck pu position. Thick Bubinga lacquered fingerboard because my Rickenbackers sound so awesome with it. Red Cedar body, Black Walnut top, Purpleheart+Maple neck. The thing is very resonant and lively, deep sounding. The pickups were also custom made by Vincent, I requested a tone somewhere between my Ric v63 (which has high output and this really warm but tight bottom end going on) and a regular jazz. Vincent tried out the v63 and agreed that is one great sounding bass. The pickups he came up with seem to be spot on for what I requested. When switching between modes you get these types of tone: Single coil (either) - Really snappy treble and tight lows. Somewhat scooped compared to the other two modes. The treble slightly differs between the two coils, I use both depending on the stack I play through. Parallel - The treble becomes more gentle but is still there and the midrange comes through better. This makes the instrument punch through mixes better which is sometimes a hard task with Jazz Basses. Series - Humbucker mode makes the bass sound 'bigger'. It becomes a lot more growly in this mode and can compete with my Rics for excellent rock tone no problem. I was amazed the first time I heard this! What do you think? Me I totally love it!

Sound clips won't be coming before next weekend, I have a busy week ahead @ work doing IT stuff. I will chime in and link those soon as they exist though... Cheers for all the positive feedback! This time I may have really found the one bass that will stay on. (gawd the numbers of instruments I have flogged after a while...)

OH! I found one of those reverse keyboard thingies: The Korg Poly-800. Yup! Sorry. Couldn't resist. 😊

Ahem...

I'm not here to help, I'm here to enable and encourage.

That’s why the offer shiny ones too innit? Im not getting into the relic being “pointless” debate as I’ve done it before and it always get shirty as nobody wants to be “wrong”. I have a CS relic jazz, a 35 year old actual relic, a 32 year old “closet classic” with a few little marks. And 4 pristine basses. All picked because they’re ace. I have no predilection for either. But I’m certainly not offended by them. I don’t get the relics some companies do on modern looking basses. But vintage reissue Fender and Gibsons (VOS/Aged) I totally get why they do it.

Well if you've only got the one you can probably have a whip round and pay him back for the ticket.

Well, I couldn't wait any longer. That Big Block 750 that was on sale with the matching case? Yeah bought that for a great deal, for not much more than what I sold my M6 Carbine for. I have wanted a Big Block for about ten years so I really couldn't pass it up. From initial comparisons with my Walkabout and old M6. The Big Block has a much more limited EQ than the Walkabout and has much less clean headroom, sub lows and cutting highs than the M6. There is a bit of built in 'grunt' to the sound as well which might not be to everyone's tastes. To my ears it is very much Mesa's approach to an Ampeg SVT pro series amp and is very much a 'rock' amp rather than the M6, Walkabout and WD-800 which could nail any number of different styles. This means that the Big Block will not be everybody's favourite amp. To my ears though it is one of the best amps I have ever played through and it absolutely delivers exactly what I want out of a bass amp, which is basically something like the V6 I have above, but with a slightly more aggressive, in your face, voice, and less likelihood of breaking down and costing me hundreds of pounds to replace 6 power tubes... The Big Block absolutely delivers this in spades. The overdrive is also probably the best high gain bass overdrive I have ever heard, which is saying something considering I have been running the Darkglass Duality for years and it just doesn't get anywhere close to the high gain tones from the overdrive on the Big Block. If Mesa delivered a WD-800 with a version of the Big Block overdrive circuit as a footswitchable drive, then I would be all over that.

There might be a case for stating that if left-handed versions are not provided for orchestra instruments, that left-handed people have a higher risk of not being able to play those instruments well. In case, we initially wouldn't know, coz all violinists and flautists in orchestras are good at what they do. One would then need to find whether left-handed people are underrepresented before making statements. Left-handed versions have been built for some instruments that are not guitars, but IMS it was for finding out about these things - not as commercial products. On a more personal note, as a leftie, when I was young, before trying to play guitars, I was handed a left-handed guitar and really couldn't get on with it. Was then handed a right-handed one, and everything fell into place. Still, I believe I could've learned to play the left-handed one. As a leftie there's no chance I can throw a ball with my right hand, but there's also no chance I can fire a left-handed gun and hit the target. Idunno. It's complicated.

Last band I was in, the guitarist kind of held sway. He was royally rude to the organiser of a charity event we played at. After we played, I went over to said organiser whilst the guitarist was talking to them, apologized for his behaviour, and quit right there and then. The drummer was there, too, and quit as well, for the same reason. Not exactly professional, but I wasn't discourteous. Nor was the drummer.

Thats right! You have convinced me that you are good enough, you now need to believe it yourself! The stress response kicks in with "potential critics listening"... it is a natural neurological process. When faced with this circumstance fall back onto your competence, feel the fear and just do it anyway. I am a therapist and I remember discussing this with the late great Allan Holdsworth (who struggled with stage fright throughout his career.) Before gigs he would literally shake with fear... a tipple or two helped him get up there and do it - not that I'm suggesting you hit the sauce or anything! I wish you well. Never forget how good you are and just trust in your ability to do what you know you can do regardless.

I’ve been playing for longer than I like to admit. I am no virtuoso but I think I am a decent player. I know my way round the fingerboard and when in a band situation can play AND sing to a reasonably high level. I still seem to fall to pieces when I’m flying solo with potential critics listening. This is a mental thing and certainly not down to the fact I’m not good enough

Nah! Let em get on with it while you dream of having superman strength and being able to cart Ashdown 410s up rickety iron staircases with a two finger lift...😄

Every time my brain comes up that sort of idea, I remind it about venues like Hebden Bridge Trades Club and the outdoor iron stairs all the gear gets carried up (and down). My brain goes back to thinking happy thoughts about Barefaced cabs then.

Something big enough to make a Trace Elliott elf a viable amp choice. So absurdly massive.

What Paul said^^^^ People will tell you its your pre-amp, soundpost, EQ, Set up...Bla! Bla!.. but playing with a loud drummer and guitarist on small stages will always become a problem for Upright Bass, F-hole covers help a lot. Make your own. I used a masking tape template over F-holes, pencil rub the outline, cut the outline and stick it to some gardeners Foam Kneeling Pads. then using a scroll saw cut out the outline. Cheap and it works.

Well done I’m glad it went to a fellow Basschatter and JV lover!

It's also missing Peaveytifortyensis Ugliensis.

Just got to do the final set up and fit the block inlays when they arrive but other than that it's now finished!!............. I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out!! 😁

You'd think that for a right-handed person, the right hand should be the fretting hand because it requires more dexterity. But it isnt.

The Specials fused old school ska lines with disco fills, if your mate wants Two Tone style I'd listen to their first album. Otherwise try some classic ska - the Trojan Ska box set would be a good place to start. If you're after the new more thrashy ska stuff I'm not sure what to recommend other than play Specials stuff faster!

I'm gonna get this on a T Shirt

Right, all these money saving tips are all well and good but shall we cut to the chase? It's a sad fact and 'The Management' ain't gonna like it, but just delete your Basschat account and never visit the site again. You all know deep down that before you joined here you got by in life with one, or possibly two if you were feeling particularly extravagant, basses and an amp, and maybe a multi or a handful of individual pedals. Now you're not really sure where to put all the basses you've bought, let alone all the other 'essential' gear. Justify it all you want but you don't need all that gear and nobody else can hear, or care about the subtle differences. Now be gone with you you money saving, little bass soldier, play that one bass and play it proudly 😂.

I just took a jig saw to my Sire. Certainly better for me.