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Noticed a funky looking Wishbass on ebay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Fretless-4-String-Curly-Ambrosia-Maple-J-B-Wishbass-Kent-Armstrong-J-PU/143531217204?hash=item216b209134:g:ks0AAOSw7UheGOpm and this fugly one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lefty-Bass-Fretless-4-String-Red-Cedar-Fiddle-Shape-Short-Scale-28-Wishbass/133325147860?_trkparms=aid%3D555021%26algo%3DPL.SIMRVI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190711100440%26meid%3Daf81145a6a9f4ca6b4d1f88154fb85a7%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D18%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D143531217204%26itm%3D133325147860%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982 Also noticed the verbiage near the bottom of the page: Unfortunately this video exists with Mr Wishnevsky himself demoing one of his basses by using it to make a noise like a dying cow

Right... day one done. 9:30am-6pm. Knackered. We got a decent balance, ran about half the set, sorted a few endings, and ironed out a few bumps, and identified something we're all going to have to work on for tomorrow. Every time we run a tune, we can ask for monitor tweaks and they'll all be stored individually for each tune. That way, everything should be optimal for when we move into the arena. One weight off my mind is we've run the song which is the hardest work from a bass POV, and all the swotting paid off... it's going to be fine. Thank goodness. Tomorrow we'll be joined by our lovely backing vocalists, and the brass lads. Looking forward to it.

Some pics from early in day one... We (the core band, no vocals, BVs, for brass) have ran through a bit of the set, and so far so good.

Definite improvement in sound and volume, mostly due to getting the sound post back to where it belongs. There was some damage about ten years ago when the original owner had it and I believe the sound post fell and was put in the the wrong place by the person who did the repairs, almost two inches from where it is now. The bridge feet were also contoured for a better fit to the top and that may have affected the sound too. The new adjusters work well and the top profile of the bridge was reworked for better bowing although I only bow while practicing at home, I can't inflict my poor technique and scratchy sound on anyone yet. The volume and tone from string to string are more uniform now and the E and A sound "like a real bass" instead of a dull thud, especially when played without the amp, while the D and G sound clearer than they did, particularly at the G to B on the D string and C to F on the G, not the dull "woody" way they sounded before the work was done. Although no work was done on the nut and the bridge height is about the same it just feels better to play, more sensitive and easier on my left hand. Perhaps not quite "like butter" but I can still make some adjustments with the bridge now and find the perfect height for me. He did some sanding on the fingerboard and that may be why it feels different. It also sounds better through my amp as I had hoped, cleaner and clearer than it was. All in all a good investment, now I know why so many on here have urged us to have a good luthier do a set up based on how we as individuals play so we can get the most out of our instruments. One very important thing is that Paul, the luthier, treated me and my cheap ply bass with respect and didn't trash talk my bass and try to sell me one of the Shens or other basses that I tried in his shop, although he was certainly aware there was a strong aura of GAS around me. So two trips of 780km each and $320CD and I am a happy old guy, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to play my "new" bass. 😊

Day one in the rehearsal house. I’ve done my prep.. I hope.

Cover band or Originals, the key is playing with good people. Not necessarily good musicians but good people. I would bet most of us would rather play with a marginal musician that's a great guy then the local hot shot that's a jerk. Blue

Hey gang! A couple of years ago I played two shows at Newcastle Arena, as part of the house band for Sunday for Sammy. It was lots of fun - two sell out shows of 5,000 each, and I got to play with the likes of Trevor Horn and Ralph McTell. Here's the last diary thread if you're interested. With it being a biennial thing, the time has come around again: 23rd February is the date - afternoon and evening shows, and a slightly larger crowd (7,000 at each show, I think). The shows have basically become a Tyneside equivalent of the Royal Command Performance, with music and comedy lots of local slebs (the Auf Wiedershehen Pet cast, etc.), visits from AC/DC's Brian Johnson, Mark Knopfler amongst others, and more 'national' faces (hence Trevor Horn, Ralph McTell). This is the 10th show in 20 years, and the second to be held at the Arena after 16 years at Newcastle City Hall. It's a HUGE production, which is also shot for DVD release. By nature of the show, plans can be a bit liquid which means it can get interesting, so I'm going to post a diary sort-of thing here as it all unfolds. To complicate things, the line-up is top secret until the last minute so I can't post any details of the show, songs, or names of guests. Apologies in advance. The core band for 2020 is largely the same as 2018 - Bass, drums, guitar (John Ashton, who worked with Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets), 3x female BVs (Including Lorraine Crosby, who duetted with Meat Loaf on 'I'd Do Anything for Love', brass section (headed up by John Waugh from The 1975). One change to the line-up is that Jamie, the usual keys player and MD, isn't available so Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is taking the reins. The band don't exist outside of these shows - I play with the drummer and other sax player occasionally, but that's it. With 3 weeks to go, I'm aware of 13 songs that are in the frame, in keys that are subject to change. I've familiarised myself with them already - some I knew, some I didn't. No nightmares so far. One of the tunes might even need a bit of slap on it. I'd better remind myself how to do that. What I don't know is any specific arrangements... yet. We've got a solid week of band rehearsals before the show, so I'll post more updates & pics etc. when it begins to happen. In the meantime, here's little video from the last gig, and a photo of my little bit of the stage.

I love this. Its just brilliant. I love their mix of musical styles. He is very creative. Tina's playing is just groove.

Depends on what your looking for. For example, say you want to gig and you find your hot shot musician doesn't want to do this or that won't play here or there. I don't think there's an upside to playing with jerks or Aholes. In most cases they're going to deal with you before you deal with them. Keep in mind I'm talking about local level pub/bar band opportunities. If I had the opportunity to tour the world with a major artist that's a jerk I'd take it in a heart beat. Blue

In defence of cows they are far more melodic, even when calving or dying. (I raised cattle for 45+ years)

Other cows?

I'd have liked to have been a true artist but I wasn't naturally inspired enough nor prepared to give much up to become so. Instead I became a pretty good craftsman , which I enjoyed being , so much so that others were prepared to pay for my time and skills. There's your answer.

So... it happened again... I need genuine medical help. Our good friends at guitarguitar have dropped the price of their last 2 Mesa Boogie Traditional Powerhouse 4x10 cabs to a lean £599 a piece, that's 55% off the RRP of £1350 (currently selling for that at gear4music). And, well... I may have accidentally bought them. Both. My inner OCD required a full matching rig after having bought the Mesa Boogie Strategy Eight:88 from err... well... guitarguitar a month or so ago. So now, once these cabs have been delivered, the rig will be a Mesa Boogie Strategy Eight:88 head with two rather tasty 600w Mesa Boogie Traditional Powerhouse 4x10 cabs. If I'm not heard from in the next few days, it's because the walls of my house have crumbled due to the horrendous volumatic nature of this completely unnecessary rig! Help. Please.

Interesting, and thank you for taking the time to come a explain your thinking behind the construction of your basses. However, it is my understanding was that the Fender method of non-angled headstock construction was done simply because it allowed them to use smaller pieces of wood for the neck blanks as well as reducing the amount of skilled craftsmanship required, and Fender were all about keeping the production costs down. Any additional benefits appear to have been "invented" later. Personally in 45 years of playing guitars and basses with angled headstocks I have never come across any problems either with weakness at the head/neck transition or deficiencies in tone; although that is far harder to quantify as tone is entirely subjective and I've never payed two instruments that were sufficiently identical in all other ways for me to be able to say categorically that the headstock angle is what is causing the difference in sound (and no-one else has either). Also IME non-angled headstocks come with their own sets of problems - variable break angles of the strings over the nut leading to a mismatch in the compliance of the strings and tuning issues caused by string trees/retainers. And what is so bad about a glued scarf joint? Modern machining and gluing techniques will guarantee that the join is at worst as strong as the surrounding wood and if done properly will be stronger. And why is a joint at this point on the guitar or bass less good than the one between the neck and the body? Or the joint between the fingerboard and the neck? Or even the multiple joints that are made between the various pieces that go to make up the body itself?

Bob Marley & the wailers- one of my first concerts Black uhuru- watching Robbie Shakespeare play was inspiring UB40- signing off , was something really different at the time

You can stand your ground all you like, it's when you denigrate other people's views that you sound verrrrry defensive, for no real reason. As someone just said, it's not a battle. I'm in an originals band as well as other covers/function bands, and I'm not as precious as some about either. It's only rock n roll, but I like it...

You said open E dies but a fretted F rings for ages. Might be worth tuning the E string up a semitone to F and see what happens. That would tell you if it was a resonance issue or if it was something else

The Sex Pistols - simply the most exciting band I’d ever heard when they emerged to the masses in 1977, and still are today. Stiff Little Fingers - first punk band I actually saw, back in 1980 probably. I listened to these more throughout the 90s than any other band and loved the new material they were releasing. Hanoi Rocks - found out about them just as they split up. A real influence on both music and image for me, and their live album All Those Wasted Years was never far from my car stereo in 1986, def the sound of the best summer of my life.

No

Nope, just can't get on with it. I'd have to do this.

Jeez mate, that's a lot of cab. Think yourself lucky they're the Traditional Powerhouse, which are slightly shallower and lighter than the Standard Powerhouse which are massive (I sold my Standard 4x10 to a USA bassist touring Europe and he asked whether I though he'd need two to get decent volume on stage; I said I'm not sure he even needed one, the Standard 2x10 is enough for most applications). That is a monster rig you have there. I'm guessing as I only live 100 or so miles away if I open the windows I'll probably hear you. Can you do Seven Nation Army so I can check it's you?

OK so on reflection and research, I've decided to give the Markbass Traveler 102P a try with my Trace head. I've gone ahead and ordered one and I'll let you know how I get on.

The Clash, Joe's lyrics, the anger, the political stance, everything about them was exciting on the first album Stiff Little Fingers, Jake's lyrics introduced me to world I knew little or nothing about and through countless albums SLF continue to deliver, Ali's bass playing and the brilliant live performances all add up to SLF being a seminal band for me! The Chameleons, introduced me to beautiful arrangements, stunning pieces of music and the fact that you don't have to have commercial success to qualify as a massively influential artist Although Frank makes a very compelling argument that Crass should have been one of my three!

Personally I dont have a problem with the headstock. It works well in context of the rest of the guitar - ties in and balances nicely with the shape of the upper horn.

We have a different set list for every gig. It is usually thrown together at the last minute by the singer and occasionally guitarist, and then completely ignored by the end of the gig.

Fortunately @PJ-Bassist and @Reggaebass have covered some of my big big influences in RATM and Bob, so I am going for. Kings X - so much Rock and grunge etc has comes from their influence without them hitting the heights, as well as bass and guitar tone for days Boney M - Guilty pleasure (just like @51m0n) but Night Flight to Venus is a stand out album, they are pop and disco and showmanship in a nutshell - love them. Muddy Waters/Mississippi John Hurt - you cant argue with those boys DJ Premier - this is a wildcard as he is one of the foremost producers out there and not just hip hop, but his beats were always on point. Only 3 is very very hard

Absolute classic ☝️

You could always try looking at the Ashdown AMP300 2x10 combo from Musik Produktiv in Germany. It's a MAG300 Evo III amp, comes with a warranty that can be extended to 5 years if you register it with Ashdown. Not the lightest rig out there, and only punts out the full 300w with an extension cab (4 Ohm load), but it does put out over 200w from the internal speakers (8 Ohms), which frankly is loud enough for a heavy rock band. Bloody good VFM, and they'll deliver it cheaper than most UK suppliers.

Can’t disagree, but if you know what sound works for you solo’d in a band, then it still gives some info. Sometimes something which sounds horrible solo’d is the sound you need

I know I'm fighting a losing battle here, but I will still stand my ground as someone who has only ever been interested in playing original material. If you're looking for a decent gurning bass-face, go and search for the beardy guy who currently seems to be the face of Tech21. Just copy him.

It really doesn't matter. It's like asking what bass is best for funk...or metal even. It's not the amp that makes it funky and, so long as you get an amp that gives you enough control to get a sound that works for you, then that's all which is needed. I used a GK rig for a while in my dance/pop covers band because (as Bill Fitzmaurice suggested) it helped keep the mids prominent in a set up that otherwise favoured scooped mids. And don't get me started on which types of funk we're talking about either. Just go with whatever you like - valves and flats on a J bass for 70's, solid state and lightweight strings on a thru neck for 80's, stingray and gk amp for 90's, hybrid amp (SWR/Eden) with a MTD/Smith/Tobias for noughties, pretty much every kind of amp is covered within that genre.

https://www.rapidonline.com/Catalogue/Search?Attributes={"Capacitance"%3a["100nF"]}&tier=Polyester&Page=1

This is absolute fückïng gold!

Never has a description, of anything, been more accurate.

Unbridled self promotion..... BTW Those Canadian Peeps are COOKIN!

It’s nice to see manufacturers engaging with a forum. Hats off to you, chaps!

Read the thread title quick, thought it was about Hair Styles 😀

Holy cow!

If they ask for your NI number, ask them about the Work Place Pension. A Pub Landlord doesn't need to know about you or your bands NI details. He's employing you as a Sub-Contractor to provide musical services to entertain the punters. As a Sub-Contractor, he pays you direct, and it's up to you to declare your income from providing your services.