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As some of the regulars on here may or may not know, I now live in Bulgaria, having made the break from the UK 4 years ago (hence the forum name). I'm a newborn bass player, now I'm my mid 40's, having not really played since leaving school at 16. I've tried joining / starting many bands over the years in the UK, but due to very busy work / life commitments, nothings ever really got off the ground. So, quite randomly, I met a few other British musicians out here in my local area. Now this might not sound like a big deal, but this is central, extremely rural Bulgaria, not a holiday resort. So the chances of us meeting in the first place are extremely remote. Plus my wife is the singer, having done the club scene in the UK for many years singing and running a karaoke business. Anyhow. We decided to try and get something going a few months ago and after a bit of hard work and rehearsals, we've done several gigs in the past few weeks. We decided, as a band (especially given the local pay rates) that it was never going to be about money, so we may as well try and raise some money for a good cause. So all the gigs we do go towards raising money to support a charity helping children in care here in Bulgaria. Tonight we played a local, extremely rural bar in a small village, which was probably 80% Bulgarian, 20% British (due to our promotion) audience. It was an absolutely superb gig. Outdoors in the heat of summer (30C degrees at 11pm) and the audience, both Brits and Bulgarians were brilliant, and we managed to raise a fair few quid for the charity. (zov.org.uk if anyone's interested) So here's the icing on the cake. After the gig we were given this by the owner and staff of the bar. It's a framed, printed bit of paper which is absolutely worthless at face value, but to me it's priceless. It says. Thank you MissEducation (our band) Keep doing good things. Bulgaria is as much yours as it is ours. From Krichmata (the pub) Lesicheri (the village) Best payday I've ever had!

Finally I finished the bass:

I suspect the real problem is that we're getting older.

Bow down, puny Earthlings!

I'd like to say that now - right now - is a golden age of music with an unceasing flow of new stuff that will please the ear. But that would be a lie. Commercially produced music (and I include popular classical music) is currently in a trough so deep you'd need a bathyscaphe to explore it. Let's try, anyway. Pop music is basically split three ways between (i) Large-bottomed ladies shrieking 'I'll suck you better than your girlfriend does' (ii) pallid, wistful, acoustic guitar-toting young men consumed by unrequited love (iii) stuff that's even worse, e.g., reunited Boy Bands on Zimmer frames. Or Christine and the Queens. Rock music is either re-packaged compilation albums or un-listenable tripe performed by old men or un-listenable tripe (in a different way) performed by young men. Heritage acts dominate the touring circuit; Metallica and the Foo Fighters are applying for their bus passes. Young rock acts perform in toilet venues to two barmen and a dog but it serves them f*cking right because they're either copies of bands from the 1970's or their material is un-listenable tripe. Minority genres like folk and jazz survive in their little bubbles of devoted acclamation. No one else gives a sh*t. Contemporary popular classical music is best exemplified by Mr Ludovico Einaudi, a baldy man who plays repeated minimalistic arpeggios on a piano while someone else sketches out a rudimentary violin part, all of it shoved through a cavernous reverb. Classic FM won't stop playing Einaudi or his similarly gormless cohort Mr Karl Jenkins. There are probably some areas of musical endeavour I've forgotten but who cares? Certainly not me and my cold, black heart. It's all sh*t. Stupid music for stupid people who like music for people who don't really like music. Now go away.

Judging by what I can see on their website, it looks more like a NAMM-style layout than two separate halls. While I share the feeling of frustration with you all, may I suggest we stop being defeatist on principle, and wait until this event has taken place, before we rant or rave about it? I do understand that those of you who live far from London rightly don't want to risk the hassle and expense of a 'wasted' weekend in the capital, should the show be a bust. In that case, I'd suggest you sit and wait until we Londoners, and those who live close enough to try this unknown quantity without too much damage, report back on what the show really was like. THEN you can slate it or decide that, after all, it sounds equally intriguing and you will try it next year. (Note: I have no particular affiliation with the show, other than being a contributor to BGM. This year I've made sure to buy my own ticket so I don't have to work while I'm there, and can instead look at the whole show, guitars included, on my own terms.) I for one will be attending, observing, and reporting back in detail, before passing judgement.

Lovely read. Thanks for posting. They're right, ya know. What can I say, other than: Thank you, Newfoundfreedom. Keep up the good work. Basschat is as much yours as it is ours. From BassTractor (the bloke), Søgne (the village).

Home made bass, pretty all second hand and a phenomenal interface

less than one mile in the car!

As much as I love artists like the Rolling Stones & Elvis Presley, there are some great newer acts out there. If you haven't already, I seriously recommend you all check out some of the newer acts like David Bowie and The Clash. 😹

It's fairly obvious that most of us like the music from our formative years and nothing compares to it because we are no longer that age, sadly.

Here's a gratuitous shot of my cheap practice set up, a £30 amp with a £50 bass. For creative home use on a budget only.

Prince‘s quote about Sonny T. (I think it was on the cover of the Diamonds and Pearls album) prince on sonny t........cool quote ! "my childhood idol on the bass-sonny t.he can play a french girl's measurements on the bass and make u see' em"

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I have had a lot going on at work recently so playing bass has been hit & miss for a while. Anyhow I've been moving things around this morning and opened up, the case containing my 1986 Peavey Foundation bass. So I tuned it up and gave it a quick clean & put it through my Fender Rumble 200 combo I had forgotten how, good and easy this bass felt to play & how well made they were as well. Will be playing this a lot today

Dreams do come true!! I've finally received the bass I've ALWAYS wanted but never dared believe possible..... a stunning super-Rare US Spector NS2X 'Spectorbird' complete with 9v Haz preamp!! Just "Wow........"!! 😍😍😍😍 Solid 5A quilted maple body, thru neck, US 9V Hazlab preamp, Abalone inlays, heavy duty gold Spector hardware and Gotoh lightweight tuners.... It's almost 7 years old and in absolutely mint condition! Perfection...!!

Just acquired one of these from eBay. http://leejameskirkham.com/p-bass-special/specifications.shtml Idea is to leave it at work for stress relief - Managers recognise that working with Homeless substance misusers with MH issues can be stressful. There are also moves afoot to convert an empty office into a studio at which point the company may buy it from me. I have the tech spec but what are they actually like to play? How do they compare to their lookie-likies? Should arrive mid week.

Moving Pictures. /thread

How far is it to the next village? Three miles, but if you run you can do it in two.

I'm 55. I've recently come across Fantastic Negrito, White Denim, and solo material from Britney Howard of Alabama Shakes. All with roots in the Blues and Classic Rock. And there's plenty more where they came from. Give Fantastic Negrito a whirl Dave - might just be the right thing for you.

This all sounds like that old Two Ronnies’ sketch: ”Are you the village idiot?” ”I was until you got here.”

I'll have you know that the title of village idiot is keenly fought over round here!

There's great music being made currently. We just have to look harder to find it.

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Bottom left, staring balefully north across the Bristol Channel at Wales.

(F)ucking hell.

Power Windows still is my favourite. Not a duff moment on it, and a bass tour-de-force.

Another update from Jon. Really liking the headstock shape.

No agencies round here and if there were, you'd get even less. When I say South East I mean East Sussex. It makes me laugh when everyone says the affluent South East, they obviously haven't been to Hastings.

I'm also in the 'all of them' camp. There's not a single one I don't like. Only gripe is the 00's production values. I too wish there was more 'space' in the Clockwork Angels sound - it's such a strong album. I'd probably have to plump for a live album - the longer, the better! 😀 Am I the only person who loved Ged's ' In Rio' tone?

Oh you're in the right place!

Gorgeous bass and understated classy rig. Love it

The only differences between the EVO and the II are...: 1. Headphone output on the II 2. Lighter 3. Polished chrome front panel replaced with matte finish 4. VU meter has not just a blue LED for when the amp is muted but yellow/green/red LEDs for showing your signal level (as well as the VU needle). If you can live without any of that then get the EVO

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Here's mine:

Superb, that's what I call a glowing endorsement. People can be wonderful, even to strangers. You are now locals it seems.

Well done, you are the best sort of ambassadors.

Here is my contribution to the August 2019 Basschat Composition Challenge, inspired by a picture chosen by one of the previous joint winners: Upside Downer. A bare bones composition somewhat sparce, with, I hope, a quizical atmosphere. The essentials were teased out of EZ Keys, underpinned with a Trillian acoustic bass. Some horn playing, naturally, by Roland. The purring cat is hidden behind some royalty-free atmospheric pad samples; a dose of Ozone finishes it all off. Thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy.

Spend it on lessons.

Of all the songs from all the albums (and I love them all until hold your fire), Middletown Dreams on Power Windows is one of those songs that evokes images.

Best Rush album? No such thing. Having had such a long career and gone through so many stylistic shifts over the decades, there is no single collection of songs that defines them. I think personal favourite albums will hinge on when you got into them. I can do personal favourite by decade, then overall favourite: 70s - A Farewell To Kings. First Rush album I bought, in 1979, blew my tiny little mind. 80s - Permanent Waves. This transitional point between flowery prog epics lyrics to a more aggressive, pared-back & succinct style is pretty much perfection. 90s - Counterparts. Likely inspired by the zeitgeist of the time, Rush finally abandoned walls of keyboards & pop production and remembered that they were actually a proper rock band. Some of their best writing in a decade, too. 00s - Vapor Trails. Difficult, uncomfortable album - their most experimental music; and Peart's most human, relatable lyrics by a long, long way. I would say if you have not heard the remix of this album, you haven't heard it at all. 10s - Clockwork Angels. Not perfect (no Rush album is) but contains some perfect moments. Good to hear Peart writing imaginative, conceptual lyrics again. Shame it was their last, but a high note to end on. I think because of the pretty much unfiltered nature of their writing, Rush's output has always been uneven. There are a good few albums I don't think I'd go back to and listen through again - although with one exception (Test For Echo), every album has a gem or two. If I had to pick an overall favourite, it would be Permanent Waves - really this is the point at which Rush defined their own sound and stopped sounding like - in fact, being - a mishmash of identifiable influences. Their most consistently stratospheric writing and playing, and a production that properly captured the raw edge of their live sound. Anyone else ever notoce that Rush albums come in distinct pairs? IMO this is a rule that held true up until their hiatus following Test For Echo. They would always seem to make two related, or stylistically similar albums, and then move on - eg Caress Of Steel/2112, KIngs/Hemispheres, Permanent Waves/Moving Pictures etc.

I’m now on my third RM500. Bought one, moved it on, realised the mistake and bought another. Then Ashdown made the EVO II version which is half the weight but more importantly has a matt finish control panel rather than shiny, which helps on stage no end. So I got one of those and I find I use it more and more recently. On our mini tour of Germany I used it even though I had my flight-cased ABM600 with me. The stages weren’t big enough to demand the weightier sound of the ABM and the RM handled itself fine. They really are great amps, the only improvement I’d have would be a pre/post DI option.

Ok to redress the grumpy old Bass-tard sound of the last post I’ll tell you about a 50th birthday party gig our cover band did once. Biggish back garden, marquee sort of affair. We arrived, set up and sound checked while dad, teenage son and chums watched us run through a few songs. Waiting for the guests to arrive we were chatting to the family and then after the first set remarked that the kids very interested and engaged in watching the band. She laughed and said, “Yes, they’re all just learning instruments with the intention of forming a band at school.” The were all really nice, polite, well mannered kids (the antithesis of the teenage yobbo stereotypes) so B/L threw me a nod... then said would they like to do a couple of numbers to start the second set. Son said lthat was really kind but all the other’s instruments were at home so it wouldn’t be possible. But thanks so much for the offer.” - in a totally genuine, non-angling way. B/L and I glanced at each other and said, “You could just use ours...” Kids nearly fell off their chairs! Of course their instruments were the typical teenage starter stuff... bottom of the range Squiers, Epiphones, Encores and the like. The looks on their faces when we slung a Les Paul, a Takamine and a Wal round their necks, plugged them into a valve Fender, an AER and a MarkBass rig and gave them the big “Hello Wemberley, welcome to the stage a brand new rock sensation...” intro over the mic. Seventh heaven, grinning from ear to ear as they hacked nervously through a couple of covers doesn’t come close. We certainly racked up a few positive karma points in our favour that night!

I'm always nervous about posting my shoddy technique!

Sooo happy with my new sound now.