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So, I've listened to them all a couple of times since posting this. @Chiliwailer - you were quite right, Blood Sugar Sex Magik all the way for me. I was going to re-iterate what I said on the FB post which was 'by a country mile', but I'd like to amend that. Badmotorfinger is actually a cracking album, but like you, I don't really care much for the production. Perhaps a better way to put it would be that it doesn't hold up very well against Rick Rubin's effort. I have nothing against Nevermind, there are some great tunes on it, but it doesn't feel (to me) like one cohesive unit the way BSSM does. I was once again reminded why I don't listen past Track #11 due to the drone of Something In The Way followed by that ridiculous ten minute silence and then the cacophony of Endless/Nameless. I very much enjoyed listening to Badmotorfinger again and if the production was just that little bit better, it would be right on the tail of BSSM IMHO. For me, Red Hot Chili Peppers just got better and better by the album. When Slovak died, I thought they were done; then Mother's Milk came out. I didn't think they would make anything better. I must have played MM hundreds of times in the couple of years after it came out and I still love it. Much to my surprise and enjoyment the 2003 remastered edition contained extended versions of two of my favourite tracks from that album, Sexy Mexican Maid and Knock Me Down. Nirvana indeed. I bought BSSM the week it came out and loved it. Subsequent playings have not diminished my opinion on the album, whereas as Nevermind, also bought the same week, now just feels a bit 'meh'. Let us not forget that the BSSM recording sessions also gave us 'Sikamikanico' (which sounds more like MM era RHCP to me) as well as the mighty 'Soul to Squeeze'. Right, I'm off to watch Funky Monks again 😀

Not at all! Whippersnappers stealing my gigs, buying the gear I want! They should should be up chimneys, making sure that they're clean! 😡 And seriously now folks. Yes, it was good see a large contingent of youngsters present, certainly flies in the face of the, clickbait type proclamations that guitar based music (and bass of course) is dead. It's also something I see in my local Guitar Guitar, a good number of young folk coming in with adults to buy instruments. Long may that continue.

[eating big bag of popcorn] 😁

Class D amp manufacturers on the whole don't believe anyone would want to rackmount or even flightcase their products because they are "made for portability". They are wrong Most Class D users are limited to either carrying them around in a mimsy little nylon bag that will get smashed to bits in the back of the van on the first speed bump, or putting them in a sturdy box for transit then leaving them perched on top of a cab, ready to be squashed by someone elses amp, pulled off by someone tripping on a cable, or worse still, nicked because they are so compact and easy to smuggle out. I am one of those musicians who need their gear to be flightcased as my stuff gets thrown around in vans and in and out of venues a lot, but is also sick of having to lug a 50 pound Ampeg between vehicles and venues/rehearsal rooms, up stairs and onto 8x10 cabs. Apart from the inconvenience, it is too risky on the wrists, one false move and you're sunk. So I decided to take the plunge and buy a Magellan 800 (a beautiful and great sounding little amp, cheers @bassace !) then work out how to incorporate it into the setup without having to spunk more money on a custom flightcase to hold it and my rack tuner. So I thought I'd just post some photos of what I was dreading having to do, but in reality only took an hour to complete. 1) Removed the rubber feet from the amplifier and very carefully measured then copied the hole locations onto a 2u clamping rack tray. 2) Drilled the holes to match the existing holes in the amplifier baseplate, then deburred the edges. 3) Made up a couple of spacers from scrap 6mm plywood and drill matching holes to suit the existing ones. I decided to do this to give a little airflow under the amp, and also just in case a gig gets rowdy (and a lot of mine do!) so if any beer hit the rack, it would run off under the amp, and not soak the baseplate and potentially get in and cause problems. 4) Removed the screws from the original feet and gave them larger washers to spread the load a little on the rack shelf. Used spirit pen to blacken the front edges of the spacers so they are invisible. 5) Screwed the amp to the rack shelf via the spacers. It sits nicely and has loads of airflow. 6) The amp, screwed into the shelf. I measured it so the front of the controls would be just behind level with the front lip so even if the entire lot came crashing down off an 8x10, there is virtually no risk of the controls getting sheared off. 7) Fitting the clamp bars on the rack shelf. This way, the amp is secure sideways and front to back, but if the case gets tipped or dropped, the clamping bars will hold it in place on the up/down so there is no undue strain put on the bottom screws. This is important if I ever wish to re-rack it and revert to freestanding. Small pieces of hard foam sheeting were placed between the bars and the amps surface to stop it getting scratched by the bars. And here's the finished case. Looks a bit gappy but hey, airflow! So there you have it, I wasn't looking forward to this job as I thought it would just be a bit of a bodge, but needs must, and this thing is absolutely bombproof now in my full flight rack case. My rack is now 13 pounds lighter than before, and I have an arguably better amp for my purposes, with a lot more welly if I need to drive it.

Bruno , you were unlucky. my bass arrived today! first impressions , a lovely sounding bass to start with and all components seem solid and solidly put together. I took off the scratch plate expecting a horror show and was pleasantly surprised to find no blemishes and continuous sunburst , so I’m leaving it off. The controls give a good gradual roll on roll off for both tone and vol. Action a little high but that’s to be expected. My only ‘faults’ I could see were that the fret ends felt a little sharp and I’m not convinced the pots will hold up (the knobs don’t have a grub screw to take them off and I can’t remove the plastic...annoying) the neck feels like it could do with a bit of a polish also. The only job that needs doing really is a fret job and set up. I may place the thumb rest over the pickup, 70s style. The pick guard wasn’t bad at all well smoothed off to be fair . Overall very happy ....just needs a bit of a finishing off.

Don't think so. Unless she coloured her hair when I wasn't looking. This one's mine.

Ped engineered all this, 'cos he knows a good old-fashioned Mod scrap makes for good content.

Maybe as it's the 3 moderators arguing between themselves that has sent this thread 'off topic' they could just get a room and have a bass play-off between themselves so that this one can get back 'on topic'?

<tries again> Could you speak up a bit?

It was really easy. I paid someone else to do it.

It's interesting (to me at least), that whilst 'grunge' and post- MOR Rock bands (Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Mudhoney etc.) started having success in the late '80s & early '90s, a very different scene was happening in the UK, with bands like Primal Scream, Belle & Sebastian, Talk Talk, The Chameleons, World of Twist etc. and 'Madchester' / 'baggy' bands like The Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets, Happy Mondays etc. The big American bands get remembered as defining the late '80s / early '90s, but I'm not sure that they really did - some of the British music from this era was pretty influential too. Other albums released in September 1991: Primal Scream - Screamadelica (23/9/91); Saint Etienne - Foxbase Alpha (16/9/91); Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (19/9/91); Orbital - Orbital (30/9/91); and last, but definitely least... Simply Red - Stars (30/9/91)!!!!!!

Sorry for having an opinion. Since you seem to be getting aggressive in your replies, I'm out...

One thing that to me became clear last night, on my VM4 with standard Sandberg pickups is that there is nothing wrong at all with these pickups! While it may be possible that I would like it better with other pickups (there's a million out there all slightly different) the truth is that these don't lack in any way. I'm a little picky, I am a serial pickup replacer, what can I say? For comparison, all 3 of my Maruszczyk underwent some kind of change. The P/JJ (stock Maruszczyk pickups) had a P replacement. The reverse P (Delano) , I'm still considering it, but the MMSR preamp helps a lot. The JJ (Haussel) didn't impress me me at all. The stock Sandberg P is very sweet, like a burly big beast of a man can be sweet It's not very traditional sounding but it's got that bark, and it growls (I guess these pickups are dogs 😛) which I can control nicely with the onboard 2EQ (which I'm getting the hang of it, a lot more different from the Stingray's 2EQ than I initially thought). The MM seemed like the weak link., but with both pickups on it sounds very good, and altering the balance slightly towards one or the other gives you a very useable range of adjustment. The MM alone, even, sounds good in a band context once the volume gets to band level (not super loud, but louder than bedroom). The Black Labels may be nice... but I don't think I need them edit: typo correction

I think anyone involved with the show would be foolish to discount the opinions (perceptions?) of those who chose not to go.

All scheduled features have been added now! Just ironing out the bugs and finessing.

Removed, due to not being "onside".

Well done for posting, @Joel McIver, it's good to see that you're taking an interest and noting our concerns and suggestions.

See that ^^^^^? It's not just me asking!

+1. @Reggaebass has said it all right there. Which remInds me I need to order some more soon 😃 Edit. + 1 to everyone else that mentioned @obbm too. 👍🏻

(Oh crap. Wrong Albert.)

The Beatles "She loves you" on radio 2. Forgot what a great song it is. It jumps out of the speakers, so much energy and enthusiasm. Why is modern radio stuff not exciting like that. Mostly bland and over produced.

Done.

Not strictly a gig, I suppose, but I went to a jam last night and played with some decent musicians, and succeeded in getting away with sounding reasonably competent. The audience seemed to enjoy it as well. So, progress!

but but....I only added that to appease him, so I kind of opened the door on that one 😀

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Incudo-Copper-Shielding-Sheet-Self-Adhesive/dp/B00A235WDA A fiver for enough to do a few cavities. All that's required then is a sharp scalpel or scissors to cut it with and some paper and scissors to make templates.

Now that's a collaboration I'd be interested to hear (purely on the grounds of masochism and morbid curiousity).

It's hard getting people to change, particularly if they've been doing things a certain way for years/decades. Push for the digital mixer, but remind them that in-ears don't have to be "everyone or no one". I use in-ears whenever I can - but not everyone in our band does; some still prefer floor monitors. Getting the new mixer and getting at least some people on in-ears is a step in the right direction. I sing the praises of in-ears whenever I can - it was others doing that which convinced me to give it a go in the first place. Become familiar with the mixer/app, so that when a bandmate asks a question, you know the answer and can show them what to do and how easy it is. This will give them confidence that it's all a good idea. Or perhaps at first you can control the singer's mix for them; then over time, introduce them to the app. Only once we've had a connection issue - everyone other than the bandleader was locked out of the app. In such a scenario, the mixer (Mackie) continues to use its current settings, so we were stuck for a bit with the monitor mix from the previous gig. The gig wasn't a disaster.

Until it violates any rules, it's whatever the populace of BC want it to be.

The LBGS isn't a charity. It's a commercial venture, and like any other people are free to venture an opinion on it.

I think the problem is due to the fact that there are supposed to be quite periods during the show, but from what I have read very little is being done to enforce them. Every year the organisers say they are going to do something about it for the next show, and so far every following year at the next show we get the same reports that the quiet periods are being completely ignored. Add to that the fact that it looks as though this year the noise was significantly impinging upon the seminar areas, and you can see why people are getting frustrated and complaining. The exhibitors might say that they need to be able to make a noise in order to properly demonstrate their products, but when any sound you make just becomes part of the overall cacophony how can anyone make any meaningful opinions about the equipment they are trying?

Bought Nevermind but I haven't played it in decades. Badmotorfinger still does get the occasional airing and IMO it's far better then Nevermind. As for BSSM, IMO the RHCP are one of the worst bands I've ever heard. Atrocious 'singer', horrible scratchy guitar sound, an ok rhythm section and thin sounding material. The best album released that day and in that month for that matter is The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest, an absolute hip hop classic by one of the very best in the biz. Not far behind is Screamadelica which was put out the day before.

Sorry for the delay lads! (I'm traveling with patchy internet access). Now done...

Are they happy to try things in the rehearsal room? Try your singer with some closed back headphones and an ambient monitoring system. I used a Zoom H4N recorder taped to my mic stand but all you need is a mic and something which will take the signal to headphone level. Using an ambient system was revelation, I was in the room but the sound was hyper real. When we weren't playing I could hear everything everyone was saying, no sense of isolation at all. When we were playing I could hear every instrument clearly in the mix and by sliding the Zoom closer to me I could put my vocals exactly where I wanted them in the mix. Best of all I had a volume control so I could simply turn the whole band up and down as I wanted. You can also tune out the drums by simply pointing the mic's away from the drums. The thing is this shows people what they have to gain. No amount of talking will do that. 30 secs of singing and hearing your voice over the rest of the band will show how it works. Moving the ambient mic/recorder towards the singers mouth to make him louder will make sense in a way that telling him you are going to buy a mysterious box even more complex than your current mixer won't work. OK you'll have to swap in ears for the 'phones and the mixer for moving the mic around but they'll understand the goal. Stop talking about saying they can do their own mix, start talking about giving them their own volume control.

Hot dog? Welcome to BC, OP. 🙂

Used it at rehearsal this evening, at last... I 🥰 this thing. It also sounds a lot better now that the strings are getting a bit older. I still think I'll put a set of Fat Beams on it, but the stock ones are finally losing some of the annoying zing and they don't sound bad at all in the band mix. The Stingray is feeling a bit worried Bring on Saturday: first gig with the Sandberg.

For ease of use here are all my v3 samples so far:

Asking yourself some questions may help you make some important decisions, including who you choose as a tutor. Why do I want lessons? What do I want from lessons? How do I learn best? (Doing, watching, listening, etc) Am I prepared to practice between lessons? IMHO I think it’s a great decision to have lessons! 😊 as an aside, walk away from any tutor who plays “at” you, showing off their fretboard acrobatics. Stay with one that listens to you, challenges you, encourages you, is patient, consistent and isn’t a serial killer. The last one is hard to gauge until it’s too late, but handy to know. Best wishes, have fun!!

I'm afraid as my playing came from the generation before i.e. Guns N Roses / Quireboys etc, this was the death of my era so I took an unnatural aversion to all of this. With hindsight I probably closed my mind and ears to a lot of new music but I wasn't ready to see the back of the current crop.... even though I'd be first to admit that the record industry had seriously diluted the talent pool with the likes of Warrant / Winger and those awful newer bands (at the time).

@Newfoundfreedom really nice job, and what a great space 👍

Did some further research last night and there are just none about in the usual music shops - just a 5er in GAK. Suffice to say I was at Dawson's for opening - they were so sure I'd be back they'd actually put it out the back off sale ! Even got permission off the boss - a happy ending !

It probably would, I’m considering making some bamboo laminate with epoxy and 20mm bamboo strips, if dried right they’re stronger than ebony (and also sustainable)