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Well, I thought they were good mates but then the buggers gave me an early birthday present at rehearsal last night!

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I don’t even know what we’re playing till I hear the first bar.

People I know.

I was thinking that too. Someone should start a Glenn Hughes thread and we can all pile into that one.

If they're not tanked up I do indulge some people. Like the bar staff where the girl is explaining to the others what a Fretless is because her dad plays, so I handed the bass over the bar for them to look at, that really shocked them in to behaving and not trying to make innuendo out of "smooth tones" etc. But if they're hammered and "my mate is better than you" they get my Northern accent. You won't like when I speak Northern.

Supported The Exploited on Saturday night in Belfast. Absolutely fantastic night, they were totally on fire! Big brawl broke out at one point which was a shame and the PA packed in briefly but otherwise amazing stuff. Felt like I was 15 again when Wattie signed my original copy of Punk’s Not Dead!

OR "Can I have a go on your girlfriend?"

I read all of this and thank my lucky stars I’m in an originals band. The only people we get on stage are the ones who’ve been thrown there by the rest of the audience.

Black Friday deal saw me parting with my credit card for a new one. BUT omfg. Lovely brown hard case, holding a bass that was so covered in dust, a fingerboard that was so dry it was pink. Pink dust everywhere that looked like the paint had not adhered to the corners or crevices and a loose jack socket. spoke to the dealer, who said it had come direct from Gibson, and the security label was intact when it arrived so I believe them . secured a further discount on the price, dusted it off, oiled the fingerboard, tightened up the socket, and its wonderful to play . Im surprised ( despite hearing lots of nasty comments about Gibson) that they allowed this sort of lack of final inspection lack of quality.

1/ One of my customers is just learning to play guitar, he's in his mid 50s. His guitar tutor asked what his aim was and the chap said he just wanted to play one gig. The guitar tutor replied that he'd need a better guitar. The guitar in question is an Epiphone Les Paul copy. It's in good condition and very playable. My customer asked me what I thought, I said I thought his tutor was talking out of his rear exhaust pipe. 2/ The music teacher at my son's school told my son that bass players don't play with plectrums, so he should only use fingers when he was playing the bass at school. My son told me this so I suggested next time he 'plays' bass at school and the subject of plectrums comes up he just says Bobby Vega or Carol Kaye. I then told my son, who is learning to play guitar, that anyone who wants to be a well rounded player should try to get to grips with all techniques on their instrument. Being deadly serious, I don't think people, who regard themselves as Music Teachers, and make such nonsense statements should be teaching at all. They're doing a disservice to those they are supposed to be teaching. It may seem minor, however, such narrow minded ridiculousness...well, it boils my waste water!!!

Thanks, it was 3 hrs of of stuff I knew stuff I'd vaguely heard of and stuff I'd never heard of, Intense and a load of fun. Loads to look up and learn at least the root notes of. Lovely bunch of people, it'll definitely become one of my regular evenings.

I got my ABM head a couple of years ago in a trade on a whim (it's the chrome fronted rack mount version - I guess I'm a bit of a magpie). I'd had an Ashdown head about 15 years ago that developed a fault which the store I bought it from failed to get sorted so I just gave up on it. If I'd have know at the time about the level of customer service that I'd have got by taking it directly to Ashdown if have saved myself a lot of money going through other amps over the years. Anyway, my current ABM head was a revelation - powerful, punchy and I don't know about anyone else's but mine is 100% wool free. I recently got myself some Ashdown cabs to go with the head and a little Five Fifteen AAA head as a backup and honestly can't see myself using any other make of amp in future.

Nah. Mutual online appreciation of each other’s awkwardness is enough socialising for this week.

128 presets dude. People pay £375 for a Darkglass pedal that does dirty or clean. Let that sink in. A 128 channel preamp. It's not new technology, but it makes other things that claim to be "versatile" look like they should have a sign showing where the coal goes.

I've been playing bass for about 45 years (minus a few breaks here and there along the way) and have never used any effects pedals. My Ashdown amps have sub-octave and compression built in, but I never use them. I'm not against effects, but view it is just more stuff to buy, store, plug in, etc. which I don't have a need for. No band I have played has ever asked me to use effects to change the sound of my bass, so I must be on the right track.

And I found some pics of how the bass arrived with me, the only thing removed was the cloth bag that the bass arrived in... they must really trust their couriers!

Just watched that: Glenn is astonishing; "Sit down, Bruce: the bassist's got this..." 😁

Hi @james_027 Like many people here, my older Yamaha BB seems fine with a one piece neck, 4 bolt neck join and top loading bbot bridge! I'd not really be concerned about the structural side of things (as you say, that's what you get on most of the multi-thousand dollar Fender custom shop basses) but it's more a question of whether the laminated neck, and through body stringing give a "better" sound to your ears. The biggest difference (for me) would be the pickups. The 2 series have ceramic magnets while the 4 have alnico5 magnets. Received wisdom would imply that the 4 series pickups are a bit more subtle and vintage voiced. As always, it's a bit more complicated than that. One player's "vintage mojo" is another players "weak and characterless", one players "brash and unsubtle" is another's "punchy and agressive" etc. Bear in mind that, unlike previous BBs, these new ones feature standard-sized pickups so upgrades will be possible further down the line if you feel there's something missing. Needless to say that Yamaha make great sounding pickups anyway! I guess this isn't helping. It's 5am and I can't sleep so I thought I'd put some thoughts out there. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice and a great deal on either is what might sway it for me. I particularly like the yellow natural 2 series look but the teal 4 series is pretty saucy too. I daresay some of the Big Beasts of the BB thread will be along with far more informed guidance soon enough.

She plays incredibly well, I’m for sure selling my Geddy Lee, maybe even my MIM Pbass... I have to hunt down my stash of capacitors for the tone fix, and I’m seriously considering replacing one of the volume pots with a blend knob. I did find my thicker Kydex for the pickguard, but I don’t think I need it. The next project is starting with 2 sets of Pbass pickups....

I’ve joined the club 🤦🏻‍♂️ What have I done.....

I love their configurator!

The singer in one local band is a powerlifter and ex-doorman. On more than one occasion, a tanked-up stage invader has been launched back over the monitors... great to see, and greeted with a roar of approval by other punters. Life in Penzance!

"I really want to play your guitar." "I really want to give you four stiff fingers in the throat. It's probably best that we both go home disappointed."

I've got CCTV at home so when delivery firms say this to me I can tell them what a bunch of lying bar stewards they are.

Its a bit like kids playing guitar in music shops on Saturday morning. If you don't own a guitar, then that prospect is filled with excitement and wonder. If you do own a guitar (and amp etc), then you can sit down and play it at any time at home, right? So the mystique is gone. Therefore, anyone who asks to play something at a gig, almost by definition, can't.

Just snaffled this 48 y/o beauty. Weighs just over 7 pounds, which is fabulous for my back/shoulders. Just need to sell a couple of basses to pay for it now!

Excited to give this a spin tonight! I play two basses on pretty much every gig, so something that allows me to swap between them with the minimum of fuss is a win in my eyes. Built-in tuner, boost function and effects all switchable from the MIDI footswitch add to the fun. I doubt I'll use the mix function much, but it's good to have it available. Yes, the EQ is fairly limited, but I'm hoping the 12 amp models will provide me with a good core sound for each of my basses and then I can just tweak.

Apparently, it seems, after a little digging that these basses have been kicking around around since 2011, but I have only recently come across this SX “nod” to the Ned Steinberger Spector / Warwick ergo shaped bass, for argument let’s agree that this particular model looks, albeit loosely, like a PNUT / Stage 2 / Jazzman Warwick Streamer bass. I’ve been keeping tabs on various outlets flogging this bass and managed to secure one on eBay recently and pocketed change from my £300. Over the years I have personally owned 12 Warwick Streamers, mostly Stage 2’s in 4 and 5 string guises, a couple of Stage 1’s and 1 LX, these have ranged from handmade low numbered beauties from 1983 and some less lovely early 2000 models. Some good, some bad but I really love these basses… or do I? If I loved them surely, I would still have them? Or is it maybe that the resale value of them is always stable or in some cases you can sell it for more than what you paid and usually the demand for them is always healthy so selling them on is never a chore and quite irresistible when GAS strikes? Anyway in short I’ve bought this relatively low cost 5 string homage to one of my favourite bass designs ever, I’m definitely not expecting early Streamer quality, nor am I expecting this bass to rival one of my previous Warwick ownership experiences, what I am expecting is a bass in thorough need of a good setup, pickup / preamp overhaul, a fret dress and a re string, but what might, after a little bit of effort, be a very playable bass that doesn’t get sold as quickly as the rest… It looks like a Warwick / Spector just without putting a dent in the bank balance. Got to admit guys it’s a genuinely good-looking thing. Any way it comes tomorrow so I’ll do a little unboxing video with some pics and some recordings in the next week, I'll give my honest feedback. Does any one on here have one?

A couple of years back I cut down on the gigging out of sheer exhaustion, and now actually spend the occasional Saturday night at home. This means that I inevitably have to sit through Mrs Shaggy's favourite programme; "Strictly come dancing", which I don't mind too much as I can usually find something to like in a programme with musical content and lady dancers in tight costumes. Say what you like about the cheesiness of the show, the way every bit of tension is milked to the nth degree, and general inanity of the dialogue - the professionalism and versatility of the band is absolutely top notch, especially when you consider what a diverse range of material they have to cover, and probably very limited time to arrange and rehearse. Inevitably, I listen out out for the bass (which the BBC being the BBC tend to mix down, but I route the sound through a decent stereo sound system) and am always impressed by the solid and unfussy groove of the bassist, which always totally compliments the tune. Also he wears a hat and always looks happy when the band is introduced, which is a big plus in my book. Google search indicates he's a v experienced bassist called Trevor Barry who I wasn't aware of before. Just thought I'd give him a bit of a big up, as Dave Swift of Jool's band gets a lot of good press on BC (NB: I own one of Dave's old basses...) and Trevor is every bit as good. Any "guilty pleasure" Strictly watchers agree / disagree?

I have the PF500 as my main gigging head running through a Barefaced Two10 and it sounds fantastic. Really lovely tones. Bought it secondhand for £160 and it's been great.

I've currently got both the PF500 and the PF50t heads, the later being especially great. I prefer Orange these days as a personal choice but I had a lot of fun for years with them. The 4x10 cab was especially great but I also used to own a 2x10 and 1x15 Portaflex cabs. Not quite SVT but certainly 100% Ampeg and I usually got favourable comments on my tone. I moved to Orange as it suited the bands I was in better but the Ampeg stuff was perfect for my old bands. Always reliable too.

Ha! Not just me then! Personally I much prefer Diane and Katya....😉

My first gig was caught on mini disc. No video cameras through. I think my first video recorded gig was with me on keyboards wearing a very, very tight black spandex top with an atom logo on it. I was hiding behind keyboards and playing the keys for a law society ball for Oxford University. Hopefully that VHS never surfaces. If anybody finds any photographs/video of a Oxford University law society ball with a keys player wearing a very, very tight black spandex top with an atom logo on, it ain't me... ok? 😛

Mind you, to be fair Mrs Overall has steadier hands than me.

They're Trace Elliot watts, they're made different.😃

It Bites - Calling All The Heroes

I’m sorry but all their songs found a bit samey to me

An audition should be a two way thing. It's been said on here before but as well as being auditioned by the band you're also auditioning them. Twice I've been offered a position in a band after an audition but I've (politely) declined because I found out things during the session that meant it wouldn't be the right move. In neither case was it something I could have discovered in advance by research.

Ah, my good friend, JC. He's always “touched me down inside"...

Please Please Me - The Beatles. Wonder if they are still on dole ?

One with a TV tie-in: Nantucket Sleigh Ride by Mountain...

If I could turn back the clock I wouldn't have waited until I was 50+ years old before I took to playing an instrument.