Leaderboard

***UPDATE*** As I mentioned MM finally sent me my refund in full after filing my Fraud case with Barclays and Action Fraud. However a day ago Barclays fraud department have managed to also get my money back from MM so a conundrum for me! I now have 2 lots of money! Having had a chat with @prowla going through some options, ive sent the money back to MM this morning via Bank Transfer. I was so tempted to pay a couple of people money they have lost but I think the right course of action was to give him the money back. It means I’ve done everything by the book and keeps everything right. I hope you agree? I could have kept it and said nothing but I’m an honest guy and it would rankle with me being dishonest

This morning was about tapering the fretboard and starting to think of options with the trussrod and headstock. Using last night's calculations, I marked the cutting line on the fretboard in pencil (best thing to use on ebony - it shines, giving a decent contrast...and it rubs off if you mark it in the wrong place ) then onto the bandsaw and finishing it off to the line with a sharp plane: I'm sticking with the string spacing of the Nova headclamp and so should not need a 'nut' behind the zero fret. Instead, once it has been fretted, I will chamfer the fretboard overhang and cut some relief grooves down to the clamp holes. As such, the clamp unit will butt right up to the fretboard end. The fretboard thickness also gives me a decent break angle over the zero fret without the need to step the neck at the head: The pencil line beyond the clamp block is the closest I will go at the top to allow any string ends to be still protected by the head, hopefully leading to less mysterious holes in @Jus Lukin 's , his band-mates or their audience members' jumpers I will give some thought to end detailing/shape and bounce them off @Jus Lukin One thing that will be there is the truss-rod access hole that will be drilled just below and under the clamp block. Albeit 10-12mm lower and in the centre of the neck, orientation and lengthways position-wise the rod will go here with the slot, running up to the zero fret, meeting up (hopefully) with the hole drilled under the block that the adjuster will sit in: So this afternoon's tasks are: - rout the trussrod slot - drill the rod access hole - finalise the profile shape under the zero fret - rough taper the neck a couple of mm oversize to the fretboard (which is already at finished dimensions)

In the summer I bought an excellent MIJ Squier Bullet Bass from Gareth of this very forum. And it really was excellent. It recorded beautifully and looked handsome, which always helps. But I ended up having difficulty playing it for long due to the state of my left shoulder, neck and back problems and this made me move towards something short scale and hollow bodied. I'd planned to sell the 34" scale Squier Bullet and buy a 30" scale hollow body bass, before emigrating on the 17th of December. I'd advertised the Bullet on here but it didn't sell so I was resigned to taking it with me but still getting another bass before I moved to France. And then maybe buying something online from Thoman.fr or Le Bon Coin once I'd moved. On the night of the 14th I googled 'Hofner Violin Bass' just out of curiosity and the search results threw up a load of results but at the top of the first page were a load of ads for Hofners, from Thomann, Absolute Music, Guitar Guitar etc. And among them was an Ignition series Hofner Violin Bass at a stupidly cheap price with 48hr delivery so I hit the buy-it-now button and hoped for the best. Me and my wife were fully occupied, still packing up boxes of our belongings for the move, so I didn't have much time to think about it but hoped it would arrive before we left for France. On the 16th I had a mate come down to Brighton to buy my old 1960's Philips organ. He's a pedal-steel player by trade but he's just got a studio space in north London and before he set off for Brighton he was looking for a bass on the Facebook marketplace in East Sussex. He hadn't found a bass but he did collect a Fender Twin from somehwere on the way. Then he got to our place and he saw the Bullet bass, picked it up, said "God, how light is this?!" and fell in love with it and we did a deal. While he was playing the Bullet, the doorbell rang, it was the courier guy with the Hofner Bass. When he handed me the box I thought it was an empty box, that's how light these things are. Even double boxed with bubblewrap it still felt empty. When I opened the boxes and got the Hofner bass out I was surprised at just how light it was. I don't have any scales so I didn't weigh it, but it's probably about the same as two packets of crisps or something daft like that. Big packets of crisps obviously, but you get my drift. Our move was being co-ordinated and handled by Douglas a.k.a. @Dad3353 and he knows a fair bit about Hofners so I handed it to him and he said, yeah they're all usually pretty light. Didn't have a lot of time to spare before the morning of the 17th so I boxed it back up ready for the move. I was sad to see the Bullet go but at least I knew I was going to a good home, and I did mates rates on it because I've known him for years and we'd done sessions together etc. All good. Anyhow we did the drive from Brighton to South of France (well @Dad3353 did, I just looked out the window and drank fizzy pop) and the day after we settled in I got the Hofner Violin Bass out, plugged it into a little practice amp and fell in love - It's such a funky sounding little thing, super light, and has more bottom end than it looks like it should. Couldn't stop playing it, didn't want to put it down. The neck is so easy to get used to, and the pickups are great. It has more sustain than I was expecting but flats and a bit of foam at the bridge should sort that. The whole feel of it is superb for the money, I can fully recommend the Ignition series violin bass if anyone is thinking about one, they're ace. I removed the guard as I prefer the look without one, and I couldn't get on with the roundwound strings that came with it though, so tried putting on a used set of Roto black nylon flats I had hanging about. But the E string was too big to fit into the tiny little guitar machine heads that the Hofner has. No problem, I've got a set of D'Addario Chrome flats that I'd had on my last Mustang bass, I'll just put them on. But no, the gauge is still too big for the tuners. Fergling little Bergstedts!!! 😡😆 So I've ordered a set of Hofner Contemporary flats from Thomann. They haven't arrived yet so I'm still making do with the roundwounds, but once they arrive I'll get them straight on and record some clips. Meanwhile, here's the obligatory pics: And because @Len_derby asked for a pic of it in the sunshine I took it out onto the balcony of our apartment and took a quick pic. It's not my best photo, but the sun was out and it was 14 degrees here. I was even wearing shorts but of course nobody wants to see that 😂 Anyway here's the bass in the sun: If anyone is on the fence about buying one of these, or can't quite make their mind up, all I can say is the one I got is brilliant. Wish I'd bought one years ago. If you see one at a decent price go for it 👍

And they wisely left the 'rape, murder' bit out of the lyrics! 👍

Some important progress. First I drilled the trussrod access hole. This end has some excess wood to the length and sides for @Jus Lukin and me to sort some degree of carve, chamfer or rounding: Then the trussrod channel routed, happily successfully breaking into the access drill hole at the head (phew!) and the taper cut oversize, leaving also the head oversize on the basis that you can always take wood off but it's more challenging to put it back on! Long way to go yet, but it's looking closer like a bass at each step Next will be sorting the head carve and achieving the final 'spine' depth of the neck while the blank is easy to handle - leaving the rectangular cross-section of the neck until quite a bit later - before then gluing the top to the neck.

NYE - NBD! It’s an 08 USA Fender Jazz standard bought privately from a lovely chap in Cheltenham today, following all the normal social distancing guidelines of course. I’ve had it a few hours, made some adjustments to the neck and saddles to lower the action, but it’s a lovely piece and a great first jazz bass. Holy trinity now competed! J-bass, P-bass and Stingray, so chuffed! I’m a very lucky bloke indeed.

That was a bit wordy wasn't it? Here's the TLDR version: I bought a Hofner Violin Bass, it's excellent, here's a pic: All the best for New Year - Lee

I really like the shape of the headstock on my Guild Starfire bass. The thunderbird headstock is also one of my favourites, but the extra long version on my Epi vintage pro with added Gotoh GB640 tuners makes it look even better.

Yes they are. At the rehearsal studio now. First impressions? Wow. Just wow.

I’ve had many years trouble free buying/selling/trading on Marketplace. Bass players in general are a nice bunch and seem to be less problematic compared to other instrument communities (a complete generalisation of course, but something I’ve observed in time). Since ScamAmp-gate, I’ve recently sold an amp to recoup some funds and I’ve upped everything from a seller’s perspective - complete photo documentation of packing and a video of everything working beforehand, paper trails everywhere and PayPal G&S only with the buyer incurring the 4%. Reputation is everything on these sites, we don’t want people soiling the name of what I can honestly say has been one of the friendliest, most welcoming and knowledgeable communities around. The advice on this thread alone has proved that.

It looks good to me...

Look, we need to see pictures of your rehearsal room lying in rubble after you played an open E. Oh, and if you set someone on fire as well that would also insinuate that the amp either has a flamethrower or possibly a pop out cigarette lighter that can "get a bit out of control."

I've just added this to the reviews section. These amps arrived from the US a couple of days ago and I immediately booked a rehearsal studio in order to check I'd wired up the rack correctly, and to give the amps a good go. As with all my Boogie amp purchases, I was buying 'blind' but I have never been disappointed so ordered one as soon as they were announced. My first Boogie head was a Bass 400 in the mid 80's and the fact that this used the same tone stack made it the amp for me (and my back). You can see I was running through two Subway 1x15 cabs. The basses were an SVL Reserve with flats, an old Precision with rounds and my A/E fretless which is active) with flats. I was joined (socially distanced-like) by @rumblefish who brought along an active bass - and his ears! The signal path was bass - tuner - amp - rack EQ in the fx loop - cabs. The EQ's were in bypass mode. I got the unit merely because the 400 has a graphic and I did use it on my one. The amps were rack-mounted using the Mesa kit. The ears weighed a good bit more than the amp I reckon!! This review is a first impressions review and I imagine I've only scratched the surface of what it can do. First of all, a big shout out to the manual. The best one I've read so far. Not only did it have all the info on the amp, it also had a comprehensive table of the ohm settings and power distribution for a number of cab combinations (1x8ohm + 1x4ohm etc). It's a question that comes up regularly and here was a table with all the permutations and the relevant ohmage setting. So, on to the amp. The 'executive summary' is an emphatic 'wow'. The amp (I was pretty much just using the Boogie channel) has all the tone you need and the combination of gain and volume give you everything you want in terms of grind. By way of comparison, I had my channel gain (on the 400) at about 1 o'clock. I ended up at about 3 on this amp. This gave it that bit of 'bite' when digging in a bit on the bass. The EQ section is typically Boogie with loads of variation on all the controls but the biggest differences coming in with judicial use of the mid controls. I had started off with the deep switch on but decided it was not needed in the end, the high pass filter remained fully counter-clockwise. With everything set at 12 o'clock it sounded wonderful and I didn't get a bad sound out of it. To my ears, the sound was pure 'me'. It's the sound I've had since those 400 and Diesel 2x15 days right through to today. It's a sound I love and always makes me smile. This barely scratches the surface, as I said. There are so many possibilities on the amp that I neither had the time, or the ears, to fully explore all the subtleties in this brilliant package. In my opinion, Mesa have delivered again. They took me from all valve to valve/mosfet without losing any of my sound and have now taken me on to valve/digital, again, without losing any of the sound. An exceptional amp and I now just have to wait until circumstances are such that I can run it up 'in anger'.

Good move, @walshy It's important that his victims are seen to be "cleaner than clean" so as not to provide him with anything which could detract from his actions. After all we wouldn't want him to claim that he was a victim of some scam now, would we...

Funny the nostalgia for vinyl. I still remember the anxiety of buying LPs in the 70s, getting them home and then sadly having to trail back to the shop because they were scratched or warped. I much preferred CD although the LP format was way better for artwork.

Got a nice couple of shots in good light this morning, grain on this bass is unreal... 😁 https://www.instagram.com/p/CJbN_bBMB05/?igshid=1fpjx9s23j4nv

Just have to post this as these two basses are rare. So for all you Fender lovers, here is some history unknown to most of you, at least it was to me. I actually managed to get both the US (2002 -figured maple over alder) and Mexican version (2006 - Sienna sunburst) of this bass. Picked up the US-one for about £ 625 and the Mexican one for about £380. And I managed to find Fenders own words from a Siamese(?) site. A right out steal for the US one (I hope the previous owner does not read this...), the Mexican one perhaps not so much. Both in very good condition, no scratches or dents. I just had to get the Mexican one once I had the US-version. Just to compare... What is there to say, both are tone monsters. The US version a bit heavier, has a far better neck with better fretwork, but other than that they are pretty equal. Soundwise they are pretty close to each other, even though they have different pickup-configurations. The US version came with a really nice G&C Deluxe hardcase. Both necks were lacquered, to a degree that you get stuck the minute your hands start to sweat. So I sanded down both necks and made a nice smooth satin finish. Maybe I should not have done that in terms of value, but now they are so much better to play! Too bad I messed up the picture with the backside of the headstock, but the tuners are Gotoh crome on the Mexican one and the US version got Hipshot Fender Lite weight tuners. Fender Enters the "Zone" American Deluxe Zone Bass Deluxe Zone Bass July 23, 2001 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) will release two edgy new basses this summer with the introduction of the American Deluxe Zone Bass and the Deluxe Zone Bass at the 2001 Nashville NAMM show. Both of the new Zones Basses offer cutting edge features including newly designed pickups and electronics, and in the case of the American Deluxe version, a choice of exotic woods. "This is a very ambitious step for Fender basses," says Richard McDonald, vice president of electric guitars for Fender. "We’ve put a great deal of effort over the past few years in finding out exactly what players want in a contemporary bass. What we’ve come up with is this new line of Zone basses, and we are very proud of the results." The American Deluxe Zone Bass is one of Fender's first ventures into the realm of exotic wood basses, offering a choice of either a highly figured maple top over alder, or a walnut top over mahogany. Engineers in Fenders Research and Development have spent the last two years designing an entirely new electronic platform to match and maximize the tonal characteristics of each of the options, including new hum canceling pickups designed to increase the low frequency response and extend the upper frequency range. Both neck and bridge pickups are designed with ferrous steel pole pieces contained within the core of each bobbin. They are driven with low-profile, wide area ceramic magnets located at the base of each pickup, with the ceramic magnets offering optimal strength and excellent string transfer characteristics that result in incredible clarity and articulation. The unique sonic nature of the exotic woods and their body mass require electronics that can bring the most out of these instruments. To accommodate this, the new American Deluxe Bass circuit is tweaked at the input stage - pre-shape, boost and EQ settings - to match and compliment the instruments characteristics. The Bass frequencies are centered at 40Hz± 12db with a 4db per octave slope, while the Treble is centered at 8 kHz± 10db with a 2db per octave slope, with the Treble cut working as a more passive control for warm, organic tones. The Mid control is centered at 500Hz± 10db and -15db, with a wide-band slope to bring out the growl and new distinctive voices of the electronics. The circuit is powered by a new 18 Volt supply. The bridge on the American Deluxe Zone Bass is deluxe chrome plated steel. The maple neck is C-shaped has a 34" scale, 9.5" radius with a rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. This bass is made at Fenders state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Corona, California. US MSRP is $1,949.99. The Deluxe Zone Bass is styled after the American Deluxe version, offering straight ahead, professional features and the signature value that is associated with products made at Fender’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The Deluxe Zone Bass features two new pickups designed specifically for this instrument, with the popular American P-Bass“ serves as a starting point for the neck position pickup. Fender has added more of a top end response to the flush mounted Alnico magnets, brining more top end definition to the full bodied nature of this pickup. The bridge position pickup is a fully customized version of Fender’s Active Deluxe Jazz Bass pickup, with quarter-inch Alnico magnets and end-to-end hum canceling vintage style construction. The new active EQ circuit is controlled by Volume, Blend/Pan, Treble, Mid and Bass Controls. The solid alder body features a contoured top. The maple neck is C-shaped with a 34" scale and 9.5" radius, rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets. As with the American Deluxe version, the bridge is deluxe chrome plated steel. Available colors are Sage, Pewter, Black and Sienna Burst. Made at Fender’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. US MSRP is $849.99.

Although my 'No.1' bass has been my go-to for as long as I can remember, I have always loved the sounds of P, J and MM basses on albums I grew up with, from Sade, Steely Dan, that sort of thing. At the same time, I resisted getting basses like that because I wanted to have my own sound, rather than to play an instantly recognisable type. Eventually I realised it would be great to have one of each as a 'tool' to vary my tonal palette and closely match the sounds I recognise. Having a range of basses also helps me feel inspired and I fall in love with each bass anew when I discover a great track I want to play along with. Also, and this might sound weird, but as 'The Bass Guitar' as a 'Thing' has been so important in my life, both through BC but also in making friends, playing in bands and generally providing the foundation to my pre-child-and-wife days, I believe collecting examples of the seminal developments in bass is excusable from a collector/historical record perspective. Just researching the ins and outs of how these basses came about, leading to things like the Vigier (it was the 80s), is really interesting. Although I'd probably not share that in public for fear of beatings or at least an uncomfortable silence, I feel I won't be attacked for it the same way here, in part because you can't reach me but mostly because I know you'll provide me with the conformation bias I crave. So after much experimentation and false starts, I have now amassed a collection of what I would consider my 'best' J, P and MM. When it comes to the MM, I have only played a few and owned two others, so I don't have as much to compare there. But as stated in another thread, nobody (or very few) luthier/companies make a 'take' on the MM bass like they do the J and P (apparently Ernie Ball are quite lawyered up) so I went straight down the line and got a Musicman for the job. When I say 'false starts' - it's often not the way the bass sounds, but the setup I am able to achieve on the instrument I've had previously. I like a flat neck with very low action, and not every bass can do that in the same way. This has led to some painful realisations when I've had to move on otherwise fabulous basses. If I can't play it effortlessly (I don't make effort very often), then eventually it gets moved on, normally to someone who says 'how the hell did you play it with the strings painted on like this' So here we go: Let's start, illogically, with the bass that's NOT a J,P or MM. It's 'My' bass - it has a sound all of it's own, but it's smooth, focused, detailed and consistent. I know exactly how it sounds in studio, live, amped, the lot - and it's a very versatile bass. It's been likened to sounding like a 'velvet brick' - kind of like a Modulus flea with a wider range and glassy almost digital response. It's a 1988 Vigier Passion Series II (Graphite neck) with a Marleaux pre, Basstec pickups and Roland GK system (I'm sure lots of you know it already) Next, the P bass. It's a G&L SB-1 from 1991. Strung with Labella light flat wound strings, it thumps and bites. The pickup is fantastic, with a huge range of sounds on tap by backing off the volume or tone. I nearly sold this when I nearly gave up on the idea of collecting the set but soon realised that I wouldn't get another like this. So what's next - Here's the Musicman. It's from 1983, the last year before Ernie Ball Made some changes, many probably for the better, but I love the fat slab body and the response of this bass. I have yet to try it with flats but with Elixir 40-95s (which I use on every bass except the G&L) it has that super poky top end which cuts through any mix, and the sound of pops on the G is just perfect. The previous models I had sounded a bit brittle, whereas this one sounds warmer and more 'chunky' somehow, although my setup has changed so much I can't compare for certain. The Jazz bass with the final hurdle. I actually didn't realise for a while that the 60s and 70s spacing on a jazz made such a difference, and when I did I wasn't in the space to buy one. I have had several 60s types in the past but never got on with them, finding the sound a little too rounded for my tastes. So after a crusade to play as many 70s basses as possible (knowing the quality and weight can vary substantially) I realised the best way to get what I wanted was a modern 'take' on a vintage bass, which, more often than not, needed work to support my lazy setup. The search was on - and this is where I ended up. I wasn't able to try it before I bought it so it was an anxious wait and unboxing and restringing and plugging ining, but the reputation of the Celinder J-Update is richly deserved. It's got that grinding, airy feel where the notes have that top detail and a slap sound so consistent and rich you feel like you can bite it in mid air. Oh and there's my 16" Wingbass with Roland GK pickup. Amazing little thing, perfect for playing synths or noodling around the house. The build quality is superb - beautifully carved black limba with a maple top. Guess what, the neck is dead straight because it's a plank of wood on the body, so the thing plays effortlessly and sounds huge. So there we go - If you are still awake, well done. Time to take Sybil for a wet walk. ped

The most recent / "modern series" of Yammy BB basses are: 414, 614 424, 1024, 2024 234, 434, 734, P34 together with their associated 5 string versions (and X for scratch-plate / additional chrome bits with the series 2) You can see that Yammy are using "1" "2" and "3" in the numbering for each of these most recent / modern series, which is a departure from their pre-millenium BBs. There's a lovely little article from just a few weeks back that covers the history of the BB's - I'll post this on the OP for ease of reference: History of the Yamaha BB Bass – Workhorses That Became Thoroughbreds - Bass Musician Magazine, The Face of Bass Happy New Year gents! 🥂🍻 Here's to a great 2021 and hoping that those of us in bands will all get a chance to be playing our BBs to appreciative audiences again!

Oh and btw, if anyone needs to move house from Brighton to the South of France, and they need someone to drive the truck full of all their stuff I can absolutely recommend @Dad3353. He’s an honest bloke, he’s just done three years in Parkhurst and you can trust him. Lovely man ❤️ Total dude. The best!

Take it out for dinner - nothing pretentious or overly fancy - nice bottle of wine, keep the conversation light, perhaps go dancing after... Ah. Not that sort of dating. Gotcha.

Just waiting for mine to be delivered by Andertons next week - allegedly! The amp has been out in the US since June and the dedicated Talkbass thread (which started even earlier) is a mine of information. I kid you not when I say that it's one of the few things that helped me survive lockdown. Designer Andy has been a major contributor from the start, posting on a daily basis with guidance and in-depth answers to all queries. Deeply impressive!

I notice the complete absence of Warwick headstocks. While beautiful they definitely ain't, some of the headstocks shown in this thread are far more hideous. (Yuk!) My favourite is this one - still a headstock, strictly speaking, rather than a scroll. Elegant and ergonomic.

Keep a bloody good record of that transaction @walshy. All MM would need to do is claim two lots of money came out of his account to refund you and that you kept them without returning them. We know MM is a tricky character so make sure you get absolute confirmation from his side, or an email from your bank if he won't confirm, to ensure you have undisputed proof you transferred that money back to him.

I'm not going to play whack-a-mole with this thread. Keep it on the practicalities of the thread subject, or it's getting locked.

My favourite headstock goes to our very own @Jabba_the_gut I just think its a great looking headstock

My bands EP came out a week or so ago here's my favourite dub from it 😁✌

Hope that’s not the only finish available “post sprout toilet bowl” isn’t that appealing...

You mean a blue passport doesn't solve this? Ye gods....

Such a shame. Our creative industries are a multitude larger than our fishing industry.

These amps arrived from the US a couple of days ago and I immediately booked a rehearsal studio in order to check I'd wired up the rack correctly, and to give the amps a good go. As with all my Boogie amp purchases, I was buying 'blind' but I have never been disappointed so ordered one as soon as they were announced. My first Boogie head was a Bass 400 in the mid 80's and the fact that this used the same tone stack made it the amp for me (and my back). You can see I was running through two Subway 1x15 cabs. The basses were an SVL Reserve with flats, an old Precision with rounds and my A/E fretless which is active) with flats. I was joined (socially distanced-like) by @rumblefish who brought along an active bass - and his ears! The signal path was bass - tuner - amp - rack EQ in the fx loop - cabs. The EQ's were in bypass mode. I got the unit merely because the 400 has a graphic and I did use it on my one. The amps were rack-mounted using the Mesa kit. The ears weighed a good bit more than the amp I reckon!! This review is a first impressions review and I imagine I've only scratched the surface of what it can do. First of all, a big shout out to the manual. The best one I've read so far. Not only did it have all the info on the amp, it also had a comprehensive table of the ohm settings and power distribution for a number of cab combinations (1x8ohm + 1x4ohm etc). It's a question that comes up regularly and here was a table with all the permutations and the relevant ohmage setting. So, on to the amp. The 'executive summary' is an emphatic 'wow'. The amp (I was pretty much just using the Boogie channel) has all the tone you need and the combination of gain and volume give you everything you want in terms of grind. By way of comparison, I had my channel gain (on the 400) at about 1 o'clock. I ended up at about 3 on this amp. This gave it that bit of 'bite' when digging in a bit on the bass. The EQ section is typically Boogie with loads of variation on all the controls but the biggest differences coming in with judicial use of the mid controls. I had started off with the deep switch on but decided it was not needed in the end, the high pass filter remained fully counter-clockwise. With everything set at 12 o'clock it sounded wonderful and I didn't get a bad sound out of it. To my ears, the sound was pure 'me'. It's the sound I've had since those 400 and Diesel 2x15 days right through to today. It's a sound I love and always makes me smile. This barely scratches the surface, as I said. There are so many possibilities on the amp that I neither had the time, or the ears, to fully explore all the subtleties in this brilliant package. In my opinion, Mesa have delivered again. They took me from all valve to valve/mosfet without losing any of my sound and have now taken me on to valve/digital, again, without losing any of the sound. An exceptional amp and I now just have to wait until circumstances are such that I can run it up 'in anger'.

Sorry, you’re all wrong. This was originally a feature to prevent passing slugs from taking a shortcut to the other side of the body under the strings between the pickup and bridge. It doesn’t happen now of course, so the strip is unnecessary but it was a common occurrence in the early 60s.

.......fixed it for you........ The hedgehog’s song - Incredible String Band

Great colour scheme, looks so right on a Jazz

I think everyone needs at least 4

Based on my previous Mesa amps and what I've read on Talkbass I'm sure I'll be blown away. There's certainly lots of love for them on the US forum.

Absolutely this ^. A favourite of mine, that I’ve posted before but who cares...

It’s more to do with the UK ending FoM for its citizens - it hasn’t ended for citizens of the other EU countries. Their citizens still have the right to live, work, travel and retire to thirty odd other countries. The deal that’s just been signed allows for some people to work within the EU without having to obtain an often costly work permit. This is mostly for people working in technical fields though, it doesn’t allow those in the creative industries, neither does it allow for academic staff to travel to work or to conferences etc, so I’m caught both ways. In the past two years for instance I’ve performed and done academic work - talks etc in Paris, Netherlands and Sweden. That won’t be possible without a work permit, these are obtained per country, it's not possible to obtain one permit or visa that’ll allow you to work across the EU, so you need one for each visit. It just isn’t cost effective. My university’s music department has an expenses budget, it doesn’t stretch to the hundreds of pounds per person - KMH for instance in Stockholm last year, there were four of us there. There’s also other costs and paperwork to consider. Most artists/bands take merchandise with them, the sale of which helps pay for the tour. After Brexit you’ll have to pay VAT upfront on any merchandise, that’s on entry to each country. You claim this back on any unsold items when you return. It’s yet another expense though.

I've been hovering at the door for the last couple of years, but today I finally joined the jazz party. This is absolutely extraordinary. The interaction between the drummer and bass player, the two soloists and indeed the whole gang at times is a joy to behold. Looking like extras playing civil servants in a carry On Movie these guys are beyond cool. I love it.

Simple an elegant. But i would say that.😁

100% agree. It's for the transgressor to right the wrongs.

Thanks for posting this Ricky What a lovely family having so much fun playing music together

I miss the interaction, the almost ritualistic process of playing a vinyl album, poring over the artwork etc, but the vinyl itself? Not really. And even the experience has, I suspect, a lot of nostalgia attached to it. I don’t think putting vinyl on now could ever capture the feeling of saving up for, buying and playing say Wish You Were Here, in my teens. In those days each album was a major life event. I think it would be difficult for me to experience that again at my age and in the modern world, with so much of everything. And if I’m honest, having just bought both Kate Bush remastered boxed sets on cd, they’re beautiful things in their own right, just in a smaller package. But yes, there is no way playing vinyl on a turntable would survive our cats!

You can use different chords over a constant bass line if and when the chords ‘contain’ the same notes that the bass line is using. I’d have to talk to or write the the book for you to explain better...sorry but I couldn’t clarify it in print here. It isn’t complicated and its all part of harmony and theory of music.

And we're back on this one too I'm doing some of the stuff for this project and @Fishman 's Wal save at the same time because they are using similar tools and set-ups. So next steps on this is about preparing stuff for the fretboard to be glued. But on this there are a few things to be done first. The swifts have been tidied up and the fretboard is now ready to be tapered and cut to final width and size: We are going for an 18mm string spacing at the bridge and for that I received a set of the individual bases for the Nova bridge from @Andre_Passini just before Christmas. The reason I needed these are that the 4-element base is 19mm spacing. I really like how the same tuner/saddle assemblies can be used on either types of base - very cool! So my next job this afternoon is drawing the string runs full size so that I can determine the fretboard taper. I will then pencil that onto the ebony and, in the morning, bandsaw/plane the board to finished size and taper. Then the next job after that will be to sort the best arrangement for the trussrod - because it is a LOT easier to rout a trussrod groove before you taper the neck! And once I've done that, I will be gluing the top onto the neck! (Remember, folks. While I'm always happy to share how and why I do stuff...never assume that it is the way it should be done )

I'm a sucker for 2+2. My Vantages have a sleek shape that really appeals to me. As do old Arias and Matsumoku-built instruments.

I'm sorry, I had to do it