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No I didn’t, and they did it as a duo. I didn’t go myself, but people I know who did said if was very strange. There was no attempt to replicate any bass parts, nor to fill out or adapt the arrangements. Playing for instance a Muse song, which is very bass driven, without bass. It looks like they’re continuing as a duo. Good luck to them. I had a look at their social media accounts the other day to see if they have any gigs lined up, and noticed that they’d removed every photo with me in it, every post that mentions me, basically deleted any record that I was ever in the band. They’ve deleted any trace of our former rhythm guitarist who left amicably of his own volition a couple of years ago too. Very odd... In other news though, I had my first rehearsal with a new band this week. It went well, I liked them, they liked me, and asked me to join. It’s very early days yet, and we’re a long way off gigging, but it’s good to be back on the bass again. Let’s see how it works out. Tell you what though, it’s great to play with a good drummer again!

This has been a lot of work, but this is our promo video. This kinda started semi seriously to have fun playing hard music with my friends but I've decided to try and get out doing shows. I'm Scottish, so my accent is wrong for singing like Mark King so I just tried to sing in my voice. I am also not a singer! There's obviously some autotune at work, but we probably only spent about 10 hours in the studio recording the audio for this! My singing is...passable live. My sister (who is filling the role of Mike Lindup) is an outstanding singer, who fronts my other band called Danger Zone (wedding/events band). Level 42 splits people. Some people hate slap bass out of principle for some reason. For me, it's hugely enjoyable and highly expressive. So I'm aware I'm going to take flack for even attempting something like this! So be it. I'm well aware of the failings of this band (my vocals!). However, the guys in the band are top notch and I want to show off our hard work. This has been a very challenging project from start to finish. In truth, we don't sound much different live - thought obviously the singing is not a good. I can sing and play the parts no problem, the drummer is super humanly tight and our keyboard player is also a masterful sound engineer. We use a Soundcraft UI24 which is awesome. The bass was my JayDee through a Trace Elliot GP12 with what I think is the correct EQ setting. The only track with the Status was "Heathrow" I'm trying to get this band out doing shows, but my home town of Dundee is dismal for live music. I guess I need a promoter or an agent. Any help or advice would be very much appreciated!

Just move your head to the right a bit.

I'd invite you all over here to stay in Ireland but... you know... well... wow, this is awkward... 😳

Closest I've been to this situation was a couple of years back. It wasn't nearly as bad but my response to it was important. I was promised an audition which never happened, just didn't hear back... until... I got a call saying they hadn't bothered to audition me or anybody else as their regular dep has changed his mind and decided he wanted the full time gig. However he wasn't available for new years eve and could I maybe step in? Oh and it doesn't pay very well, it's for a pub which lets us rehearse for free so we play cut price for them. I could have said all sorts of rude things but I didn't I took the gig and gave depped for them many times since, am in a band with the singer who also got me a regular gig in another band with her recommendation. So yeah, stay cool, keep the contact, you never know.

Not a problem for me, as I have a UK passport, and pre-existing EU citizenship. Best of both worlds. 😎 (Of course all UK citizens had the same rights before the lunatics were put in charge of the asylum)

It's a protest song. It's only doing its job if its being heard.

Can I suggest rounding the internal corner to avoid creating a stress raiser, even a 3-4mmm radius will make a significant increase in resistance to a split starting at this point if it fall backwards and the headstock hits something.

Good news, it seems Juan is making some improvements. I was very happy to hear this!

It's a fair bit bigger than the Elf and also the BAM200: AE Ant - 21 x 11.8 x 6.2 cm TE Elf - 17.1 x 10.4 x 3.4 cm TC BAM - 16.6 x 13.3 x 4.3 cm

In all fairness, I made the decision to buy one of these two years ago when I wrote that first review for Bass Guitar Magazine. I was only ever waiting for availability and for the price to drop to a more sensible level (i.e. below £2k). I like the neck finish a lot. In fact, I like most everything about this bass, despite it apparently ticking virtually none of the boxes that my regular go-to basses tick. I particularly like the fact that it plays SO well with a pick ... my pick-work has long been an embarrassment to me so this should give me some real incentive to raise my game. Once I've had it a month or two, got half a dozen gigs under my belt with it, I'll do a proper review for Basschat.

No one tell @cetera then; he'll be unavailable for work for a week!

Based on the current one, I suspect Comic Sans will be next on their list.

I just headbutted my colleague. Thanks m8

Dark Cloud Carl, my new band name...

Easily solved. Just leave the UK. Plenty more cheap Thomann goodies for me. 😁 Oh, and did I mention the cheap beer, low cost of living, borderless travel, and the right to live and work anywhere in Europe unhindered. I really miss the UK. 😋

You never know who was the instigator on things like this, so rather than burning bridges with all of them I’d just reply and say thanks for letting me know, wish you all the best. That simple communication could really work to your favour years down the line when not expecting it.

I'm sorry, but you've been well and truly shafted here. Shouting and banging your fists might make you feel better but won't change the situation. Yes, have a conversation or respond to the email, but keep it reasonably polite. You never know, It may all go t**ts up with their mate Carl and you can be ready to take his place, or if you've proved you've been reasonable you might get a recommendation for another band at some time in the future. My approach is always to keep it polite and professional, even if in this case they clearly haven't managed this. 😧

Anyone remember Tom's ( our very own @wwcringe ) African Build? Turning a wavy, cracking, variable hardness, unknown species and less than an inch thick body, presented to him by African drum-maker contacts of his in (I think) The Gambia: Into this fretless through-neck: Which he played later that year at the Mayor of London's Show in Trafalgar Square?: Well - they've presented him with another one: And before you ask....of course I said yes

I splashed out on a 62 relic Custom shop P bass two years ago this month, On the talk of starting a 60's band with a couple of old friends, it never happened It has been to just two rehearsals in two years and I had convinced myself that I am now a five string man till the day i die, the 62 CS and has been marked for sale at the bottom of my page for months 😂 But hey, a new year and I have been shedding away for three weeks on this and it has all came back to me, that 62 string spacing is no longer a canyon and I have now clocked up my first big band reading gig on it. When i went over to five string bass about 17 years ago i made myself play it for a year with no going back started by using the B string as a thumb rest until comfortable when to use it in my playing. So seems crazy why i didn't treat the new my P bass with the same dedication and determination. So I am now going to make sure i keep both 4 and 5's in use so i don't get scared and have to relearn them again. hope this helps some of you having the same fears in either direction. PS It is no longer for sale sorry, I will be editing my page very shortly , 😊

and the newly built "Bruce Foxton" bass gets a video debut..

There’s a pretty cool cello patch in the Future Impact v3 factory soundset. Check this demo:

Here’s a brief video 🙂

Same for me. I sent two MIA Jazz basses back a few years ago because of string miss alignment. I felt that although it doesn't effect tone, for £1200 (at the time ) i should get a bass thats been made properly. I would feel the same about this one. Doesn’t matter what the cost, money is money and if my money is good, I expect the item to be.

I forced myself to learn it by putting in Marcus Millers version of What is Hip? into my band set list. We play it pretty well unless it starts to speed up, then I'm in BIG trouble. In fact it's not a technique I use often just on the Marcus Miller covers that we use sometimes in the set. I don't have an upward curl on my thumb. There are a couple of ways I execute the technique. 1) Down and up with the pad of my thumb on down stroke and the top of my nail on the up stroke. 2) in and out hitting the outside of the string with the inside edge of my thumb so that the thumb finishes between the body and string, then pull the thumb out using the outer edge of my thumb on the inside edge of the string for the out stroke. A bit more percussive and less of the note and more attack.

Perhaps we should actually try the new Warwick-made lines before slating them? As for Rockbasses, they're pretty damn impressive, even the cheapest ones. If the MetroExpress goes the same way as Rockbasses, Roger has nothing to worry about.

At the end of this video by miki santamaria there’s a close up of the thumb position ☝️

It was such an awful advert for the company.Also, credit to the show makers for actually documenting that the workers were totally shafted in terms of the false promises made to them. I wonder what an undercover boss Gibson episode would have looked like?

You're right about some people hate slap bass Doc, because i'm one of those, but when Level 42 hit the streets, it seemed absolutley right and i found myself falling in love with MK's technique. You have no worries pal. Your playing AND singing is top notch. Playing a bass and singing is an art in itself, and even harder when using such a bass technique as MK's. The whole band sound 100% and i'm sure everyone wishes you the best of luck. Once you get noticed, which you will, there'll be no shortage of work, i guarantee Carry on sir.

I though I’d just post an update. Took the bass into Tom at Chiltern Guitar Repair yesterday. Genuinely lovely chap. I had booked it in for a full set up, new nut and strings. Tom had a look at the bass whilst I was waiting and checked the relief, action, nut and intonation. To his absolute credit, he informed me that everything was ok and that there was nothing that he would do to it and in fact the bass is one of those susceptible to heavy fretting causing a note to go sharp. He suggested that as it was new and new to me that I try a slightly gentler fretting technique and maybe change the balanced tension strings to non balanced set to increase the string tension on the lower strings. He also advised me to allow 6 months for the bass to settle before revisiting the set up. He charged me NOTHING for looking at the bass and his advice where a less scrupulous luthier could have done all sorts to the bass and charged! i have followed his advice and put some medium D’addario EXL on it and low and behold, almost perfect intonation. I would heartily recommend Tom at Chiltern Guitar Repair who is based in Westmount Music in Marlow Bottom. Thanks to all you wise sages on Basschat that suggested that it may be the string tension or me!

This is so true. I have been a Carl many times in the past, taking offence, flouncing out, nice as nine pence in the early days then a gloomy storm front dragging everyone down thereafter. I try really hard not to be a Carl these days, but it is a struggle sometimes.

P.S. Make yourself a promise: Keep buying loads and loads of different basses, in fact so many, so regularly, you don't have time to learn how to play any of them. Fixed.

Funny thread. The slightly off the pole-pieces thing doesn't bother me at all, but strings visibly not centered on the neck would drive me mad to the point that I couldn't own a bass like that.

For a 'bowed cello' type effect I like to use a delay on a very slow setting and then use the volume knob of the bass to give a 'bowing' sound. I generally use the back pickup of a Jazz bass to stop the low bass from overpowering everything. Combine this technique with some chords on the upper strings and arrange them into some kind of familiar melodic sequence, preferably in a minor key. On top of that, adding a slight fuzz like a Big Muff to increase the sustain can make the 'bowing' pattern sound interesting as well. A volume pedal would also be a great help to save faffing around with the volume control on the bass while also trying to pluck the strings. Then use your looper to record your cello-like chord pattern, then once you start looping your cello chord pattern, start playing some melodic tapping with some reverb and/or chorus over the top of the loop. Then start looping the tappy part and then start playing low single notes on your low E/B string to give added 'weight' to your cello/tappy composition. Also start using using an envelope filter effect over the top of everything, just because you can. At this point, you will release that you want to change four effects simultaneously but you only have two feet and two hands. Putting some effects on a separate loop isn't an option because there is no way of arranging the different loops in such a way as to enable you to have immediate access to all of the different effect sounds that you desperately need. Congratulations, you are now a post-rock bassist.

11 months, not 12. Transition ends 31/12/20. /pedant, but don’t want anyone to get caught out.

I always use combined effects 😁 I normally have on a Future Impact bass synth (with 80s funk zeeeeeeooooow sound), two different envelope followers (one's a Bootsy fwapfwap sound, the other adds a sweep low end), plus basswhammy pedal which either adds one or two octaves (I emphasise some vocal lines by following them 2 octaves up), plus Darkglass tube distortion to thicken up and add grit. All except the distortion are on separate loops of a Wounded Paw blender, so I can control loop and blend levels with the Darkglass on the final output. Not sure how that helps with a Line 6... But I'd say play with it; it's taken me a couple of years to work out how all mine fitted together!

Try the mob. 😶

Doesn't annoy me as much as the middle string of a 5er not aligning properly with the dots on the fretboard...

Yes, indeed. Another example of the (over populated?) EB3 and Rick parts bins being situated adjacent to each other. I don't ever recall seeing that 2651B model before but do remember the next version of that model.

Turn up your amps bass and volume more? Otherwise Dimarzio Model Js are brill. If you do change pups, instead of getting the soldering iron out just cut the wires of the pickups a couple of inches from the pots and install small Connector blocks on each one. You can then easily try different pickups to your hearts content just by using a small screwdriver.

@Frank Blank Regarding a book, I don't think - at this stage, at least - it would be possible to write anything definitive, because what's known about vintage MIJ stuff has huge gaps filled in with largely speculative info. Because of the nature of the industry, unfortunately a lot of it will probably stay that way. Also - I have to say, trying to find consensus among the various people studying & discussing this stuff online would probably be harder, more problematic and more divisive than Br*x*t! @phil.c60 You wanna see some Brazilian porn, do you? Oh I bet you do... Meet the Giannini AE10B: But compare these two catalogue shots: I've actually dug out a lot of pics of these old Brazilian beauties - they're understandably pretty common south of the Panama Canal - and they all feature very dark, typically unvarnished fretboards with shiny shell inlays, and tend to have a fairly big gap between bridge & pickup. And the manufacturer's at pains to point something out on the trc: I'm inclined to think they used a sneaky pic of an MIJ (Chushin) Faker for the first catalogue pic - after all, they all look the same don't they? And who's going to notice? Apart from some sad sod with way too much space in his head and time on his hands, in 40-odd years' time. Anyway, that's enough Braziliana - although it doesn't actually end there - Giannini weren't alone, so if you ask nicely, I might show you a Finch one day. When I think you're ready. Back in the day, there wasn't any litigation against Rick copies - in fact despite the "lawsuit" guff that gets bandied about, there wasn't any litigation against anyone, just a mistimed threat that never came to anything. Which leads quite neatly to your second point - they sort of did. There weren't many well-known brands making copies in the 70s who didn't also have their own original ranges, and some, like Ibanez and Aria Pro II made the transition to high-end, pro-level original instruments incredibly successfully. Most people probably won't know that Ibanez' prestigious Artist range first appeared in 1973: Interesting choice of bridge on the bass...

It's early days, and there are some aspects I'm not completely decided yet, but these are the early thoughts. I had most of the day without electricity today, so spent quite a bit of time at the table next to a large window with paper, pencil and set-square. On of the challenges is that - although this wood seems much more homogenous than the previous one, at 25mm, it is quite thin. But, I MIGHT go bolt-on all the same. Using the body as my full-size template, this is where I got to during the day: Those of you who remember @eude 's 6 stringer last year might recognise this flush-heel joint I developed for that one: And those who remember the Tom's African Bass I might remember the headstock. Volute especially for you-know-who: Tom generally prefers smaller scale - originally pitching for 32" But...hmmm...not drawn up yet...but what about multiscale? And Tom says "YES" So I'll be drawing a 33" - 31" multi-scale tweak in the next couple of days...

I think a wee bit of slightly more positive thinking might be in order? 😏 The video and music is way better than you appear to think and I personally can hear nowt wrong with your vocals either. As someone said earlier, Mr King is hardly Pavarotti! You say Dundee has no legacy music scene: Average White Band, Danny Wilson and The Associates all hailed from Dundee (thanks Google) and did OK. You've got a great video, if the rest of the set is as good, get it out there, use social media and whatever else. There must be agencies who book the big 'soundalike bands', find out who they are and make some noise. Why not contact Mr KIng himself, he may be impressed and offer some advice? I wish I had your talent, the nearest I got was having a Jaydee Roadie back in the 80's!!

I gig weekends around a normal 9-5. I had to send them 2 videos of me performing and I got approved. If you 'might' be eligible, I'd definitely encourage you to apply.

Great colour choice...

That's sort of how I play anyway....