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So after having had to leave my band at the end of 2019 due to it taking its toll on me I have a new venture. A group of mates have a jam session every other week and they’ve asked me to join in - as it’s not a band in the traditional sense, as in no gigging, no recording it’s ideal for me, it’s a laugh, we meet up and just enjoy playing for the enjoyment of music. We’re playing some great material, by bands such as Rainbow, Deep Purple, and Led Zep to name a few - a bit of a departure from my previous punk/Oi. The theory is select songs that will push us as musicians, and especially given there are no vocals it really makes you concentrate whilst playing. It’s great to still be able to play as I didn’t want to either give up totally, or to join another gigging band as I need a break from all that. Plus I’ve decided to use my Stingray AND a compressor, so def new beginnings for a new decade. Which is nice.

But Rommel liked jazz. He was always saying ‘Wes Montgomery.’

I thought I'd share my experience taking an Ibanez ATK810E and heavily modifying it. My wife nearly divorced me over it (or at least made me move into the shed) so thought I'd share it with some people who might appreciate my efforts! I refinished it with a hand applied/hand rubbed Cyanoacrylate finishing glue and replaced all of the electrics. Why? Because the ATK800 series is a combo of great build quality, lovely wood, perfect pickup combo and neck, but suffering from a finish too easily damaged which is a little too "flat"/matte for my taste and average electrics that didn't fully realise the potential of the wood. Also I'm a glutton for punishment/Like a challenge/subconsciously enjoy p*ssing my wife off. Having tried TruOil (lovely finish and great to work with, but not tough enough) wipe on Poly (too soft, drying time too long) Polyurethane glue (surprisingly nice to work with, nice finish, not quite tough enough) on previous attempts, I settled on superglue (CA) having seen people do it on YouTube successfully. It provides a very quick to apply very hard and very easily polished finish. After trying a bunch of CA brands, I found Starbond Semi-flexible Thin Adhesive SBEM0250 to be the best. It was hand applied using kitchen roll applying in straight lines with the grain, using accelerator. I then used 600 grit wet and dry on rough/uneven spots with a polishing block on flat areas, then 1200 grit wet/dry followed by 4000 grade Micromesh for final finish. The finish is effectively a thin top coat on the existing poly, as I found stripping off the existing thin poly coat on the ATK800 to be unnecessary work having also tried that previously. On other thicker coats, that will likely be a different story. The finish isn't full on mirror gloss (I didn't want that) has a very slight organic grained texture to it and retains the open non-filled grain of the previous finish, which to me is perfect compromise and I now have a finish I can relatively easily repair. In the pics you can see the difference in the finish, from matt to gloss. For the electrics I removed the entire wiring loom and electrics and replaced everything. I replaced the pickups with a Nordstrand MM4.4 and Nordstrand NJ4SV for completely hum free operation in all coil combos. It's a traditional vol-vol arrangement on the passive side with a *bridge coil*-*both in parallel*-*neck coil* switch setup for the humbucker (the same switching as the original bar the treble filter on the neck coil of the bucker). The switch is a Dimarzio EP1111. The pots are CTS; 500k for the big buck and 250k for the Jazz, wired in parallel. This is all screwed into a lovely John East SPM-02 preamp. John is an absolute gent providing outstanding very personal customer service (dunno how he does it..) Selectable frequency points on the pre mean I can get then exactly right for the pickups and bass. I also added extra shielding, including by running a copper foil covered drinking straw run through the routing for the neck pickup wiring into the control cavity. The bass had been well gigged and the poly on the fretboard noticeably a little worn, so I stripped it (Stanley blades, nail files and wire wool) and refinished it in buffed TruOil. The scratchplate is custom made by Jacks Instrument Services. Lots of trial and error on previous basses, stress, arguments, late nights in the shed and learning from forums and YouTube but I'm proud of this and it sounds absolutely fantastic. Real powerful organic rich bass tone with excellent impressions of Stingray, active Jazz and some unique tones all of its own.

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!

I always found my old Trace Elliot rigs with the UV front light something special, having moved on to light weight gear I have always missed that Trace look so I decided to build myself something to emulate it! What do you think?

...is the right answer. As for the rest of you....yer a bunch of weirdos!!

Lark Ascending. Ralph Vaughn Williams.

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!

Went to see a band last night and was reminded of just what a great combination a Fender Precision and a Markbass amp are. The bassist was also using an MXR M87 compressor and the sound was great, really good solid low end, nothing fancy, just a great bass sound that really locked in with the drums.

In terms of the neck joint, this was the one I did for @eude 's 6-stringer. I cut a fairly standard neck-pocket in the top (underneath in this shot, then an 'L' shaped cut for a half-tenon in the neck: Note also the little feature added - an ebony biscuit joint in the middle. This was actually my safety feature for similar issues that @Stub Mandrel refers too - although in this case it was to prevent the joint failing through the additional tension of a 6 string bass rather than a knock. The idea is that the biscuit takes the force and doesn't allow the joint itself to be strained. I'll probably do both in Tom's - the radius that @Stub Mandrel suggests and a similar biscuit to this. Back to @eude 's, the neck then was attached with machine screws and inserts and the heel sanded flush with the body: As @eude says, it worked quite well - giving the advantages of both through and bolt-on necks without - pretty much - any of the disadvantages of either Anyways, spurred on by beiginners luck, I'm going to try it again

With huge thanks to @lurksalot and @Leonard Smalls I'm delighted to say that I was able to get a bass from Liverpool to my home in Monmouth. I'm incredibly grateful to both of these Sterling Basschatters and of course if I can ever reciprocate, please don't hesitate to ask. Now, where's my rubber gloves and emergency tetanus shot? A good scrub of the bass is required as I fear the previous owner hasn't cleaned it since about 1984....

My Harley B obsession continues unabated. Just landed one of these beauties However there is a catch. Nothing wrong with the bass. The HB quality is evident throughout, B-stock (as is my preference) but I can't find a damn thing wrong with it anywhere. The problem is I made a promise to myself to fund any bass related purchases purely from sales. The bulk of this particular transaction was made possible by the sale of a bass the remainder from a couple of pedals. But the bass I sold is coming back. My fault, no blame attached to the buyer whatsoever, but I have refunded the money. So, before I take a drill and some filler to this for the obligatory strap button relocation operation, I ought to take advantage of Thomann and their 30 days no quibble returns policy. Didn't I? But my god this is a lovely instrument.

Glad you said this first, but yes. If it works like it should and sounds like it should then what, really, is the problem? Without wishing to sound unduly immodest I have very good spatial awareness and can spot minor misalignments a mile off. Being bothered about them is an extra step that I don't feel the need to pursue unless they materially affect the sound or playability of the instrument. No names no pack drill, but at the risk of incurring the wrath of my fellow Basschatters I can't help thinking that there are one or two people around here who really should get out more.

Stevie will fill you in on the flatpack situation, but to chip in on the modular solution - this is what I am (slowly) doing - though Stevie has suggested not only building the "sub" without the tweeter, but also to add a low pass filter so that only the bottom end is being used. So in fact, you may find that the existing v1 cab with a suitable low pass filter on it would fulfil those duties and save buying an extra driver and building a second cab. It may be that the two drivers wouldn't work too well together, but I'm sure Stevie will be able to comment more definitively!

If you could take the song and its subject matter purely in isolation, then I imagine you could make a case for it being apolitical. Unfortunately, there's too much baggage attached to it, and the context around it. The song was clearly written as a protest against the way black Americans were being treated by the majority of white Americans who held the power - not just the angry rabbles who saw fit to blame the nearest black guy for anything that went wrong in the town, but the authorities - local, federal, governmental - who turned a blind eye to the fact this was happening. When the song was released, Holiday experienced a furious backlash from white record label execs and commentators, who were utterly livid that she should sing about such a thing (their point being what?, you wonder - "Yes, we know this is going on, but don't tell people it's going on"?). One of the other well-known versions was recorded by Nina Simone, who was a very active and outspoken supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. And if it's not clear from her associations, it's clear from her chilling performance that Simone had a point to make when she sang it. So whilst it may not political in the sense of party politics, and whilst it may not have been as much of a turning point as Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on a bus, it's definitely a bit of an "event" in the story of America's racial tensions. Ironically, I think the best solution for @AdrianP is going to be the same consensus that we reached on a thread about Conferedate flags a couple of years ago. Which is to say: err on the side of caution. There's an argument for saying that it might be timely to revive the song, but with all due respect to your band, I don't know whether a mostly-white covers group at The Trout and Kettle Plug are the most appropriate people to undertake that job.

I've never heard the song before, just gave it a listen on YouTube. I'm not sure what is considered the definitive version, but the one that came up was Billie Holiday. From a lyrical respect i'd have no problems playing it. The more meaningful the lyrics the better. To suggest that because you're white you can't appreciate or comment on the struggles of another culture is absolute Bull, and pretty much sums up everything that's wrong with society today. On that basis alone, I'd also play it. As a protest song being played as a protest about not being socially allowed to protest. The only reason I wouldn't play it is, it's actually dull as dishwasher and pretty much musical dross. I can't imagine a quicker way to kill a gigs vibe than playing this.

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

You may not believe this, but during WWII, Nazi officials dreamed up a set of rules that dancehall bands were supposed to adhere to, as follows: Pieces in foxtrot rhythm (so-called swing) are not to exceed 20% of the repertoires of light orchestras and dance bands; In this so-called jazz type repertoire, preference is to be given to compositions in a major key and to lyrics expressing joy in life rather than Jewishly gloomy lyrics As to tempo, preference is also to be given to brisk compositions over slow ones so-called blues); however, the pace must not exceed a certain degree of allegro, commensurate with the Aryan sense of discipline and moderation. On no account will Negroid excesses in tempo (so-called hot jazz) or in solo performances (so-called breaks) be tolerated So-called jazz compositions may contain at most 10% syncopation; the remainder must consist of a natural legato movement devoid of the hysterical rhythmic reverses characteristic of the barbarian races and conductive to dark instincts alien to the German people (so-called riffs) Strictly prohibited is the use of instruments alien to the German spirit (so-called cowbells, flexatone, brushes, etc.) as well as all mutes which turn the noble sound of wind and brass instruments into a Jewish-Freemasonic yowl (so-called wa-wa, hat, etc.) Also prohibited are so-called drum breaks longer than half a bar in four-quarter beat (except in stylized military marches) The double bass must be played solely with the bow in so-called jazz compositions Plucking of the strings is prohibited, since it is damaging to the instrument and detrimental to Aryan musicality; if a so-called pizzicato effect is absolutely desirable for the character of the composition, strict care must be taken lest the string be allowed to patter on the sordine, which is henceforth forbidden Musicians are likewise forbidden to make vocal improvisations (so-called scat) All light orchestras and dance bands are advised to restrict the use of saxophones of all keys and to substitute for them the violin-cello, the viola or possibly a suitable folk instrument. Whole article is here: https://flashbak.com/josef-skvorecky-recites-the-nazis-10-rules-to-combat-jazz-368094/

E to G are D’Addarios and the B is a different brand? Never a great idea. Personally, I think tapered strings make for better low strings. The tapered B you get in a set of Dean Markley SR2000s is mighty.

Fortunately, the Nazi's were too frightened to clamp down on heavy metal, invented as it was by the Vikings in around 900ad.

I had one - nice bass, and as @Machines says, "Proper stingray killer". My issue with it was the God awful "bridge"....was this designed to span the Mersey or something?? For me, it spoilt what was otherwise a really nice bass..

yep great service. I had a faulty new amp, emailed Mark (long story, no good going back to the shop as they didnt have any more stock) and he sent me a brand new amp, even before they had received back the faulty one. That's customer service

I've just bought 2 x pa units from Thomann - B stock, each £200-odd cheaper than new. Clearly neither have been used as they were in the original sealed packaging. What I saved on them was the equivalent of a free mixing desk.

The hard copy will be available at exactly the same time as the ebook, it's just Amazon don't allow pre-orders on hard copy due to people setting the whole thing up, then forgetting all about it. It's a lot less hassle for them if many people complain about a blank ebook than having sent out 100s of blank sheets of paper. Fret ye not chaps, you'll be able to order it for as cheap as I can make it (in the first week at least) as of Valentines Day - which I think is a fortnight today. In all honesty, it'll probably be a few days earlier as Amazon have stung me before by keeping the paperback in review for 72 hours when it's usually pretty instant, and I would like people to be able to order it on the day Ive been advertising everywhere for the last few months. (I didn't think I'd be in to the kindle thing either, until my wife bought me one a few years ago and the 4 hour train journey to London and back was so much easier to get through, honestly, try it.)

That's a lovely looking basss. I don't know for sure, but I've thought for a long time that Thomann's B stock are mainly sales returned under their 30 day policy that they can't legally sell as new

For a tad over £200 definitely keep. What would improve that great retro look is a set of good old fashioned clover leaf or elephant ear tuners ( or whatever else you want to call them).

If you're still on the fence about this book of mine then you can get it FOR FREE For the next week or two if you subscribe to my mailing list here https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/28c0a7cc-405d-11ea-929c-0b6117e6eb2a?fbclid=IwAR3PLNZoUgJXz45SFTaimO7QoracqbEjZZkwFEzcJCTIoSJjiIfE78x0Uec I don't mind one bit if you then immediately unsubscribe, and it's got that preview chapter in the back of it as well What have you got to lose? Nothing That's what. Enjoy your free book

that'll be because of Brexit.

Very. When viewed from an age when whether black people actually had rights, or were indeed 'as human' as white people was incredibly political. It effectively killed Billie Holiday. The fact that it is not as obvious now as it was then, doesn't change that that much.

Hi all, not been on the forum for quite a while but just checked out this thread and the cab design looks great! 👍 I built a DIY cab back in 2013 (using the Beyma SM212, similar to the v1 basschat cab design) and it's been great, still gigging it now. May get some bigger gigs soon, and also starting to use some FX which may benefit from a full-range cab (current one is only a single driver), so this new design looks ideal. Would this likely pair OK with the existing cab or would it be better to build two (one with no mid/tweeter/crossover) as a modular solution? Any info on the flatpack kits? Looks like a great time-saver vs sourcing locally and cutting it all up myself 😀

I think white folk are sh!t scared of everything these days. Do it.

I have no defence. I'll have to remedy that at some point

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.

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

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!

Sod that for a game of soldiers! lol!! I'm just happy if they all work and sound good! 😁

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

Pre-Skindred Benji, this track is superb...