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Hi folks As you know, items priced at £50 and under are free to post here. Recently we introduced some code that means anything listed under the threshold has to be approved first, because in the past we’ve seen scammers listing basses worth thousands for £1 just so they can avoid paying the fee. The fee protects you as customers - if a seller is dishonest enough to defraud our system we don’t expect them to be great people to deal with. Currently there’s a gap in the code where items posted at exactly £50 are free and may pass by the filter, too. Today I’ve had to stop three idiots trying to evade payment this way. Often people have commented on the thread before I’ve been able to take it down. Could you help out by clicking ‘report post’ instead, so I can get rid? I’ve asked for the gap to be plugged ASAP so hopefully this won’t be for long. Lets try and keep the marketplace free of these types of people please! Cheers ped

When I finally amassed enough gear to actually be able to sell some of it, I havered over paying to advertise it here. How much would I have to charge per item to make back my £20. Then I had a bit of a word with myself. Basschat is worth the £20 regardless of whether I buy and sell here. The advice, companionship, inspiration and ideas are worth a sight more in fact.

It's not that much of an OMG moment, but... back in 1986 the band I was in were rehearsing one Saturday afternoon at Angie's in Wokingham. We'd pretty much finished and were having a chat prior to packing up when a guy walked in at the back of the club. He was in shadows so I couldn't see his face. "Oh sorry", he said, "are you still playing? I can come back in a bit". We told him we were done and were about to pack up. He struck up a conversation, asked us what we were called etc., and being young and arrogant and convinced of our impending fame, we were a bit cheeky with some of our replies. He either didn't notice or wasn't bothered by it. After a few questions he says "Good stuff...", steps forward into the light to shake our hands, "my name's Herbie...". I mentally added the word 'Flowers' and my jaw did a clang. Turned out his jazz quartet were playing at Angie's that evening. After the greetings, he looked at us and reached into his pocket... "Well I dunno about you, but I'm skinning up...". Made one for us to pass round and one for himself, and my god it was good gear Thank god he turned up too late to hear me playing

Well, I was at in a meeting recently and who should be sat opposite me but who played the with . Even younger readers will have heard of . Just about one of the most famousist bands on the planet. Given the strict code of anonymity governing the particular organisation to which I belong some of the specifics have been deleted from this post, but hey - still a heck of an anecdote I think you'll agree. Oh and I regularly see there as well, not as famous as he once was but highly influential back in the day.

........ I don't even get the "having a wife" part, nevermind sneaking basses into the house shoved down my underpants bit. 🤪

I love scooby doo, shaggy and all the gang. can you give me an address for the site please?

£18 to renew an existing £20 sub. Most people also see the sub as a kind of ‘thank you’ which is nice, and the good people far outweigh the scammers. It annoys me when they get through though because it makes a mockery of those who pay and pierces our safe little ecosystem which we’ve developed over the years!

Strangely enough they never reply to the PM I usually send! Everyone who does it gets a warning which stays on record and after two goes their content gets moderated before it appears on the site. Some own up and apologise, others scuttle back off to gumtree or Facebook 😝 good riddance.

New amp arrived. First thought - ye gods it is punchy! Way more punchy than my Darkglass. To the point that I will be compressing the shite out of it! Far punchier than any other Class D head I've owned. It's hefty! Second thought - ye gods is it loud! Third thought - Fan noise is louder than my Darkglass, but I am trying to relax about such things as in the house I most often use my Helix and studio monitors, and when I'm playing with a drummer nobody will care. And the most important thing to those who think MB amps look child-like... it looks like Iron Man. So you are wrong. Very different tone to the Darkglass of course. Only had 5 mins with it at lunch time so far, with my Sandberg Super Light, but those Marcus tones are there, and more old fashioned is easy to dial in too. Not a sterile sound either, just clear and warm. I'll try my P bass with flats later. Alas the big band only meets during term times so I've got to wait until September before I get to play it with the band. Looking forward to it though!

So about eight days ago, I start a new job. My background is in credit management and analytical poop; I'm supervising a team of eight ladies, they're all pretty lovely to be honest. A couple of days in and I'm facing a battery of questions, you know, 'Are you married?' (Yes), 'Do you have kids?' (No, cats), 'What you you do outside of work?' (I play bass and read a lot). The latter question is always a way of saying that I do music, used to gig a lot, but don't now, it's a studio project and so on. I rarely make an effort to big myself up, I mean why would I? One of the ladies says that a heavily pregnant member of the team has a husband who plays drums, so I make a mental note, because drummers are hard to find. I sat down with her last week and we're just chatting and the conversation moves to music. She asks, 'You in a band then?' I explain yes, but no, but yes and it's all studio stuff. I mention I'd heard her husband played drums and - wondering whether he'd be up for a jam sometime - I ask whether he plays in a band. 'Yeah, he's in Scouting For Girls. They've been on Sony for about ten years.' I just wondered why the ground didn't open up and swallow me.

Hey Guys, Martin here... Really excited to be opening our all new Sims Bass Shop, we have loads of amazing products to show you guys, but to whet your appetite here is a link to our newly updated website. https://www.sims.guitars/sims-bass-shop-home We will also be releasing a brand new updated version of our Lionheart model, so come down and see what all the noise is about. https://www.sims.guitars/enfield-guitars/lionheart Tea and coffee provided, you may also see the odd bass celebrity lurking about. Cheers M

Evening guys and gals, I know it’s rarely suitable in a band situation. I know it’s far from everyone’s cup of tea. I know it’s difficult to eq. I know some people can’t get out of E when they do it but crikey, I love it. I remember when I first slapped a groove and I actually drooled....! I remember coming home with Freaky Styley on vinyl and listening to some of Flea’s maniacal grooves and thinking, “What the Dickens!” My first super slap tone was a Squier jazz bass and a Fender amp which lit up red at the bottom...! Any slap tales out there? What’s your favourite rig/set up? Who sucks, who’s amazing? This YouTube video blew me away back in the day......!

That one time at BassCamp :-) (Warning : A bit of Sho-off content :-) ) There were those two guitar guys, mid-long hairs, kinda Old Rock Stars Wannabes. They seemed pretty relaxed, and they often played on stage. So I went to one of those and asks he maybe we could play Black Night by Deep Purple. The guy said "Sorry man, I don't know this one, but if you know some AC/DC, or something ?" I said OK, we went on stage. He called his friend "Hey Stevie, come play with us". And we went on. We played a few songs, the guy sings very, VERY well, makes a friggin' show. I was thinking, damn, this guy should be famous. And then, just then, at the back of the bar, there is a TV. And on TV, there was the guy I was playing With. It was PhilX from BonJovi. The other guitar guy was Stevie Salas (Rod Stewart, and some other bloke named Mick Jagger). And the Drummer was Brent Fitz (That plays with Slash). And, some days later, I was in a "testing Room" at Warwick HQ; playing the intro riff of Angry Again (Megadeth) on a Buzzard bass previously owned by John Entwistle. Tried several times, and finally did it right. The doors open and David Ellefson comes in saying : "Yes ! You nailed it, good work". We chatted and played a bit, and he gave me a pick saying that i could REALLY play metal. Believe me, I played it cool, saying thanks, man... but the 17 YO inside of me peed himself.

Prog-rock yodelling at its finest! I give you...Hocus Pocus...by Focus!

funniest caper I read about was the guy that took his wife with him to the shop and bought a $300 red Squier Which he returned next day for a Fender red bass lol

11 screens worth (on my laptop) of posts from another forum in a foreign language accompanied by tiny photographs. A simple link to the forum thread in question would have been more useful IMO. In a minute someone will be along and quote the whole post...

Playing live, gigging, performing and losing oneself in the musical moment is my therapy and lord only knows I've needed it this year.

Whatever else you say about Yes, no one else has produced a catalogue like it. Gates is a massively original work.

I have read this topic with interest and on reflection with some ill conceived snobbery. What is wrong with people, I mused, getting their knicknacks in a knot over the look of an amplifier. Throwing out subjectivity as if it had any basis in fact - and these people are artists for goodness sake. Then I remembered never considering buying Ashdown despite them being UK made, with a bona fide Trace Elliot connection, second to none customer service, and widely respected for their sound and durability. Why? I didn't like the colour. That insipid blue. Can't be very good can they? Oh and the logo looks, well, a bit homemade (yes I know), and that curious knob/slider can't decide which so let's have both arrangement. So I raised my nose in the air and minced away from the entire range. What a prat. Funny how much better their amps look now I use two of them.

Exactly this ^ I don’t get why anyone would even be involved with, let alone married to, someone who told them what they could or couldn’t buy. Obviously one has to be responsible and adult, but then we are responsible adults aren’t we? If anyone patronisingly suggested I didn’t need another bass I’d rather less patronisingly suggest they fvck3d off.

Glued the tenon to the neck and roughed out the mortise in the body,

Our company supplies and fits dancefloors for events. Years ago we were booked by an agency to provide one at the Palace Hotel in Manchester. We didnt know anything about the event only where it was. So, on entering the room it was all plush and decked out really nice. There was ice sculptures, fire and flame items etc - the works. So id brought the floor in on the trolleys ready to get into position to start fitting, when i saw there was a big stage and PA, and the band were just walking off with their backs to me after sound check, and the sound engineer was playing around - so i went for a chat. I asked him how it was going (small chat etc) then asked what the band were playing tonight - he replied "oh, just the usual stuff, that they always play". I presumed the usual party stuff etc and went back to the van for more floor panels. Intrigued by the PA he was using i went for another chat and got back on to the topic of the band. I asked when they were on (as sometimes i like to watch if im just hanging around) and what they were starting with. He replied "probably 10 oclock, theyre starting with the same stuff as usual..." Anyway ive got the dancefloor half laid on the floor now, with the rest resting against the wall about 50ft away, when the band came in all dressed up in posh suits, but looking a bit lost. So, for a joke and to break the ice (as im in a band too!) i went over to them when they were stood near the dancefloor panels and said "hey, stop hanging around looking lost and doing nothing and help me lug this heavy floor over there!" then walked off to get on with the job. .......... all of i sudden i heard "where do ya wan' it goin, sir" I turned round to see 4 of the band all carrying and bringing my panels across the room and giving them to me! I apologized and said i was just joking! They laughed and said thats fine. So, i asked them what they were playing tonight as it looked like quite an expensive party. "oh, just the usual thang" came the reply in an American accent, and then they left. On the way out, once id finished setting up - about an hour before the event was due to start, I said goodbye to the sound engineer who was sat there looking bored, and apologized that i wouldnt be able to stay and watch. He said, "no problem, it;ll just be the usual stuff anyway if i wanted to catch them again in the future" So i said "sorry, i dont know who they are, who are they?" (thinking its a local party band). Then came the reply.... "Theyre the 4 Tops." My face dropped. Talk about laugh! Id accidentally been bossing the 4 Tops about and had them lug our dancefloor into position by hand!

It will hugely increase your sense of ownership if you set it up yourself. Just about the only thing you can't do without special tools is fiddle with the nut slots and you likely won't have to do that. And provided you're not ridiculously cavalier with the truss rod nothing's dangerous to try. I used to take my bass to a tech (charges variable) but he looked at me one day and said ' you know you could do everything I'm doing.' So I do.

Science!

My 3 babies The 64 J is a limited edition custom shop and the 58 p and the 66 J are both Bravewoods .

Hey gang Following a recent fling with a '63 Precision, which made me realise the early 60's neck profile isn't for me, I'm back in the bosom of the lovely fat early 70s P neck. I picked this up a few days ago - it's a '72, with a neck stamp dated the month & year of my birth. It's light (about 8.5lbs) and resonant, original black, with a maple neck. They're just teaser pics at the moment as it needs a little bit of love, but I'll post the full story soon. In the meantime, I can barely stop playing it...

Apologies

I very rarely actually advertise anything on here, but do trade and also answer wanted ads so feel it's only reasonable to pay the subs. But also like you I get plenty of enjoyment 👍

Not one bad gig - everyone gets those, but when you get a lot of bad gigs in a row when you were a bit down to start with, that is when it can start to fall apart

Ooof, no. I'm never going to buy another bass. Had enough of that hobby

It’s the only reason I buy basses.

Yup. That would explain why I've never heard of em. 😜

Ricky, my feeling was that I posted in English - explaining the Dutch post that followed. People chit chatting back and forth in a foreign language is what I would call rude or poor etiquette. Anyway I hope the audio files didn't offend anyone. They are closer to poor etiquette than ant foreign language😉

Case and point. I have absolutely no idea who Jan Akkerman is either. 😕

I think it would look nicer with black knobs and a yellow fascia......😅

Spector Sofa.....

I hate those gigs where you just want it to be over.

my girlfriend's deadbeat older brother rang me at an inopportune moment to ask me to pick him up from a pub across town. Mumble grumble I get there and he's in the beer garden with another man drinking, they were both a fair bit older than I. Anyway,over a beer we chat, his mate Peter and I got around to football (Aussie Rules) when my girlfriend's brother said "you know Peter played SANFL in the 60s?" (SANFL is our state based feeder league to AFL) Me "really? who for?" Peter "Sturt" Me "Get OUT,I barracked for Sturt in the 60s,what's your surname?" Peter "Endersby" Me"................OMFG your number was 3 and it was the first number I put on my guernsey (jersey)" I was having a beer with my first childhood sporting hero, all because of my girlfriend's useless, dropbeat older brother hehe

An old band of mine suffered a bit from, not exactly this, but a fear that when something goes wrong everything would fall apart (largely driven by the two least experienced musicians) We cured it by consciously working on what to do when somebody made a mistake - if the singer misses a cue (about 95% of the mistakes) then we go with him even if it means missing a solo or middle 8; if the drummer misses a beat then we carry on but listen to him and pick up the beat if he doesn't immediately catch up with us; if the bass player starts in the wrong key then the guitarist will shout in his face until he gets into the right key (me being the guitarist in that band), etc. Just knowing that the band could cope with whatever happened released a lot of the tension, especially from the singer, who then made fewer mistakes as a consequence. It happens to everybody, 90% of the time the audience don't spot it (unless the singer really messes up a song that they know)

This is not quite in the same league as some of these stories, but it was my OMFG moment. At least 30 years ago, my band had a support slot at a decent sized club in Bournemouth. It was one of our first "big" gigs, proper PA, proper little stage and lights - the works, so we were all well up for it. The gig went OK & afterwards I was hanging about in the "backstage" area (i.e. the corridor on the way to the kitchens) when I noticed some guy I didn't know chatting to our singer. I wander over to see what's what & this guy compliments us on the gig and says he's a bass player too. I immediately think "Oh stinky poo! Here we go, this is going to get very dull very quickly" expecting a 3 hour conversation on strings, amps, action height and so on, when all I really wanted was a quick chat & a drink with someone that looked interesting. Anyway, I thank him & ask if he's in a band. He is - "What are they called?" I ask "Hawkwind" he says!

I don't really understand the whole 'smuggling in a new bass/amp/whatever past the wife' thing either. We both know the state of our finances, neither of us a extravagant or have secret expensive habits. If I say to Mrs S I am thinking of buying a new bass/amp/expensive plant for the garden/whatever if she expresses an opinion at all she'll generally say 'If you want it, get it'. If I tell her I am thinking of selling a bass/amp/whatever - knowing of my bouts of sellers' remorse - she'll say 'why don't you just keep it?'

Jungle Boogie?

As a mate of John for over 25 years, and having sat in his workshop drinking tea and eating toast, i can tell you he is surrounded by projects, bread an butter jobs, and enough electronics to build a modern submarine. He is a one man band as stated, very busy, and doesnt look at his emails every 5 mins. The advice given on phoning is your best bet. He is one of the most helpful tech guys around

A commodity broker friend of mine who played a bit of saxophone in an amateur big band was talking to a client with whom the conversation turned to playing music. After asking my friend what he did he said his wife was a singer. My friend did the obvious - oh, she could come and sing with us. Turned out the client, a Norwegian shipping magnate was married to Diana Ross 😄