Leaderboard

I really need to get my impulse buying under control. Bought this. Really don't need another PJ. I blame @AndyTravis for introducing me to Yamahas

Anything that involves slapping - a technique that I find impossible - but that's not really bass playing, is it? It's just making a racket.

Well that's that then. Final gig with the band this Sunday. Too many people pulling in different directions so I'm out before it starts to effect the friendships I have with the rest of the band. I made it clear from the start, before we even played a note that the band was very much a hobby, and I wasn't interested in, and don't have the time or inclination to be out gigging every weekend. 12 gigs in 10 weeks, plus practices in-between was breaking point for me. I still have to earn a living in-between gigs while the rest of the band are financially independent. It's been fun for the most part, even a couple of the gigs were enjoyable in the end, but it's become obvious that some of the band want to do far more than I'm willing to commit to, and while they love gigging, I honestly don't think I ever will. It's a shame really. Things were really starting to come together and we were sounding pretty good. Still, we raised a fair few quid for a local charity supporting children in care, so it's not all bad.

NOT MINE!!! I just had to show what is out there... This should be an intimidating rig: the EICH Amplification XXL cab under an EICH amp head... XXL Cab Features High-quality 2 x 15“ Ceramic speakers TE15D High-quality 2 x 12“ Ceramic speakers TE12D High-quality 4 x 10“ Ceramic speakers TE10D Neodymium tweeter 2 x NT 1 Tweeter Switching System Extremely lightweight construction Classic grill cloth Speakon® connectors Non-slip rubber feet Two high-load 80 mm castors Two sunken side tray handles and one edge handle Wooden protection rails Ampfixing Specifications Model: XLCab Configuration: 4 x 10" + 2 x 12” + 2 x 15" Ceramic speaker Power RMS: 2400 W Horn: 2 x 1” NT1 horn with tweeter switching system Sensitivity: 105 dB Freq. Response: 26-19.000 Hz Impedance: 4 ohms or 8 ohms Connections: 2 x Neutrik Speakon® parallel Tweeter Switching System Dimensions: (W x H x D): 74 cm x 157 cm x 41 cm / 29.2" x 62" x 16.2" WEIGHT: 70,55 kg / 155,5 lbs

I reckon if you can master Hit me with your rythm stick, you can give yourself a gold medal 😃

No, they didn't waive it, they realised you knew the law and stopped trying to rip you off!

I picked this up on Monday after a nice drive there and back over Snowdonia, it used to be @Beedster's https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/262287-fs-squier-classic-vibe-50s-precision-sd-pup-us-circuit-sold/?tab=comments#comment-2776167, as we know Chris has great taste in basses, especially Ps Previous owner hadn't used it a lot in the intervening period, hadn't cleaned it much if at all and I'm pretty certain it was wearing the same set of D'Addario strings that it had when sold last I spent a bit of time yesterday and this morning giving it a thorough clean and spot levelling the 8th fret which was causing a buzz on the A and D strings and set it up with a fresh set of flatwound Maruszczyk strings and wow, it is lovely, the neck adjusted to really flat and action to 2mm and the response across the strings is very even and the tone is just what I've been looking for, that sound that was in my head, that I'd been approaching with '57 on P style basses but not actually quite getting. I'm genuinely surprised at how good it is, even more surprised that none of the 22 who were watching it bid for it, I guess for once being in Wales counted in my favour, usually the nice basses are a long drive away and collection only, or overpriced or deeply flawed if delivery is included. The blue one that was listed and finished this week sold for a good bit more, though maybe had a better pickup in it, but this Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounder is good. It's really pretty without the scratchplate (included but no need to fit for me), 4 piece body really well done, I believe it is pine, anyway it is really nicely balanced, comfortable with the '54 contoured body, and the neck is just what you'd like from a P, 42mm nut and chunky enough, maybe not the fattest of the possible Fender profiles, single piece Maple with real rear fitted truss rod, and maybe there is something to be said for the tele shaped headstock in weight reduction which helps the balance Bit of a punt with Ebay, 3 hour round trip but quiet Welsh roads and the sun was shining, and a bit of work to make it nice but very definitely worth it 😀

If definitely have any of the "Vintage" bass lineup on there. Absolutely superb instruments. Cheap as chips and punch massively above their price tag.

Anything by the Eagles; just can’t bear them.

...and we have a winner: Karlheinz Stockhausen: "Gesang der Jünglinge". Incredibly hard to play on an electric bass. I'd seriously like to know whether this thread has a goal, an aim or a purpose.

So to close the loop, big thanks to @itu for patiently helping me to get the diagram right, I wired it series parallel in the end, here is the schematic for the interested.... And a massive 👏🏿 To @mybass for sculpting a cracking piece of wood into a gorgeous bass, I feel privileged to have popped together. Awesome Gotoh resolite GB 350 tuners, Atelier Z pick ups, TI flats. Sounds very very nice

Get yer teef into this 12+ minute wotsit

Yes it was me and I read this with thread interest but have a different take on it perhaps. I cannot remember having ever returned something (musical) for a refund simply because I didn't like it which is, in effect, what I have done in this instance. You could argue that I should have taken the trouble to drive to Warwick to have a proper go on the bass and saved some dosh up front, but a lot of us are seduced by reviews and pictures aren't we(?) and it's dead easy to pick up the phone or buy online... In this type of instance, I sympathise with the retailer because I have basically asked him to send me a bass to try out in the comfort of my own home and I believe that should come at a price if I decide it's not for me and send it back so I do not necessarily disagree with the 're-stocking' fee because it is far less of a hit than would have been the case if I fell out of love in 6 months time for instance. All that being said, it is a little remiss of B.D. to be charging for something they are not legally entitled to but I am not going to challenge them because my conscience won't allow! P.S. The bass was fine but my last four basses have been 3xStingrays and an Enfield and the Jake was poles apart as you can imagine.

Non magnetic scrabble

So we're now another two 1500 grit wet/dry sands down and it's starting to come 'alive'...there's definite signs of a shine beginning to come through. Planning on another two sands at 2000 grit wet/dry, leave it for a week to fully cure then a final Tru-Oil polish coat and see where we are. I've also been reading up on the "Well Oiled With Adamson" PDF and I've got the 6000, 8000 and 12000 grade micro-mesh pads and the lemon oil on standby for a final, final buff just in case.

A bass solo that engages an audience?

Tastefully.

Well I took the 5-string to last night's rehearsal, having gone through all the songs on our list looking for ways to use it. For some it's just adding a couple of low notes, others you can add a bit more depth - doing the dum-dum-dum bits of Crazy Little Thing Called Love an octave down made them satisfyingly thumpy 🙂 The song that befitted most is Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting, with an assortment of riffs all of which can be played an octave down from time to time and this seemed to work well. Finding that with practice it's becoming more natural - but not all rosey - at one point I found my right and left hands were playing different strings and I had a major panic trying to work out which hand was in the right key... But the best thing was that last night we revisited songs we hadn't done for a while, and (a) they went well and (b) best of all a couple of times when we did get a bit lost we improvised and it worked.

We do whatever the contract stipulates. We're a function band so it depends whether the client wants us to. I joined my current band in January and it still amazes me that my band mates just stand on stage gawping at their phones before, between and after sets. Looks terrible if you ask me. We are booked solid for good money but I think this really lets us down.

Inspired by the "show us your rig!" thread and being the owner of a, quite frankly, fugly Markbass head & cabinet setup I'm now on a quest to find a good looking (and great sounding ) rig. I'd love to see some glamour shots of your amps and cabs.. I grabbed some from the aforementioned thread as a starter for this gratuitous thread (hopefully I credited the right people). @Merton @VTypeV4 @Wavemerchant @DanEly @Paddy515 @wateroftyne @Cat Burrito @jrixn1 @l. W.

My Harley Benton JB-75, albeit with retrofitted Fender pickups, has ousted my EBMM Musicman Sterling, Fender Geddy Lee Jazz and soon to go Fender Player Precision. I was going to get another but those J&D basses at DV247 have mighty similar headstocks and come in nicer colours so I could be going for one of those next. I don't believe that there is anything that can be defined purely as a beginner instrument. I've had 140+ basses and could have chosen something costing thousands but chose a £140 bass instead as my main player.

You should definitely have a look at the EQ section on the mpulse to get the best out of it. It is one of the main things that distinguishes it from other really good amps. Probably best to start by trying out the factory sample settings in the manual, which you can download off the Mesa site if you haven't already got one (link: https://www.mesaboogie.com/support/user-manuals.html?page=2 / https://mesa-boogie.imgix.net/media/User Manuals/M-Pulse.pdf) I pretty much use the 'Driving Rock' setting with a few minor tweaks, mainly changing the frequency centre on the low mids to suit the room to ensure that there is no 'boominess'. Whatever you do, keep the mpulse...!

Thanks for this.

Football

I wouldn't have the Gear4music LA bass on your list. The Harley Benton brand is far better, and the Harley Benton pb50 is the best new bass sub £100 on the market! Any Yamaha rbx are also excellent.

Watched a recording of our gig on Sunday. the guitarists girlfriend filmed snippets of each song, and it’s obvious how crippling the stage fright I have is. loosen up about 2 songs in, actually danced.

Hah! Didn't I just ask that? You probably like West Ham and play bass too... 😂

Me neither! I didn’t realise the finish was quite so translucent!

Some kind of Harley Benton ? https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_electric_basses.html Great value for money

Playing at the Download Festival is probably what I look back on most fondly. But also, playing regular, paying, fun gigs in my current band with three other people I actually like, is awesome

I got a Supro 2042P Huntington bass, two pickup version, in natural mahogany with a piezo under the bridge. Here's Dood's review of the single pickup version, followed by a review of the two pickup model.

I'm on the same journey as you. Had it a couple of weeks and I'm gelling with it, easier to play than I expected a five to be. Got it for one particular band and running through the set before next weeks rehearsal I found the only one i needed a 5 for was Elton Johns I'm still standing if I wanted to play it correctly cos' of the Eb. I quite like it and I'm going to give it a go with one of my bands but I couldn't honestly say I needed it if you know what I mean ? Les

All the routing is now done just got to tidy the J pickup cavity up a little bit then it’s ready to sand and spray..................😀

Budget kits are utter rubbish, I'd save your money. @Cuzzie is right, mighty mite and allparts are the best around at the lower price point.

I tell you, I've been trying to play "Three Blind Mice" for the last 19 years and still haven't mastered it. So I'm going to say that one. S.P.

I would turn down the offer. I would say I was made up to be asked, and loved playing with you guys, but you already have a drummer who is a band member. I would add that If the drummer ever chose to leave I would be more than happy to step in. That way you leave all the doors open without making any enemies and you keep your reputation as a good guy and someone who can be trusted.

Tell your 'friend' it's a Daisy Rock Stardust Elite. Dammit Maude, now I want some coconut ice too.

I don't know but now I fancy some coconut ice.

#1 for me, but with a side order of 5. Say you respect the community and don’t want to be the guy that takes someone else’s gig. Say your always happy to dep, and say if anyone fancies a jam and wants to do something a little different musically on the side that could be fun. In my eyes there is no issue with gigging a couple of bands with different people.

We do unless the venue specifically requests us not to. We're an 80s covers band too so the playlist reflects this. It helps set the mood. I also use it to sneak in tunes we're thinking of adding to the set so I can see how they go down.

Same here, but my decade starts with a 6 now. I have never played to such enthusiastic audiences, in such good venues, with such good musicians or been as well paid as I am now. Being in a rather niche tribute band (Grateful Dead) does slightly restrict the number of gigs we play, but those that we do are real events to remember. Two years ago, I could never have dreamt I'd be playing a three night run in the main band at a German festival - but I've done that this year. It's still hard work catching up with the very experienced other guys in the band, but it's worth it.

Well, she's arrived. Via Hermes (terrifying) and yet not in Hermes usual self assembly pack. Thank you all for spotting the deliberate mistake I was mentally prepared and got straight to work. Neck seemed to be in the right place, snugly in its pocket and wasn't squiggly shaped which I like in a neck. So to the bridge. Not only was it in the original factory drilled holes and the appropriate size, but was soundly fitted. However, it was pink torpedo eyed to the tune of a whole 8th of an inch and fitted a similar distance too low. I filled the holes, redrilled and shifted it. Players like a dream. Light as a feather and a nice growl. Flats to come next.

I’ve finally got round to recording some clips of my C4 patches:

I’m quite proud of this thread. Normally my contributions elicit two responses at most.

Being replaced on a track by Pino Palladino.

G&L SB-1 😎 Leo Fender got it right eventually!

Trace Elliot is magic. That's the scientific answer. It can be proven with a magic detector, or Magector™. Here my Magector™ measuring bar is bent to 82° by the sheer force of an AH500X GP11 running at only half volume. And I was never closer than 30 feet from the amp at all times. The bass wasn't even turned up that much. The magic field was so strong during this test that you can clearly see where my white sleeved shirt turned entirely into a two tone blue denim overall. It had to be buried in a lead lined box until the magic levels (magevels) reach a safe and above all wearable state. To put this into context here is a Magector™ measuring bar following 2 hours exposure to a Penn & Teller live show. The Magector™ was never more than 8 feet from the stage and yet only a 15° bend was detected. Now I respect Phil and his decibels, of course I do, but I think the pictures speak for themselves here.