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Arrived yesterday after tortuous Brexit journey from France (6 weeks ...). Thanks to the patience and assistance of excellent seller @Hooch aka Yannick. Sounds wonderful and the J width neck suits my knackered left hand nicely.

And today was chamber day Weight relief top left; shallow weight relief top horn due to cutaway the other side; battery slot in control chamber; access from the Superquad chamber to the control chamber for the SimS 140-wire (or that's what it feels like) wiring loom and connector; no weight relief at the lower horn because we are going to have a deep cutaway cutaway there (a particularly nice feature on @Matt P's design); no weight relief in the central area to maximise the stiffness and density between the neck and bridge (although, of course, there will be an enormous Superquad chamber in the middle. This little lot... ...now weighs around 7.3lbs, so, adding Superquad, pots, tuners but less wood still to be carved, I think we are on target for 7.5lbs maximum, with some remaining options up my sleeve if I'm wrong Time to ponder and take and record measurements so I don't inadvertently carve into the chambers once they are hidden...but we're almost ready to get that top on!

I was hoping this was about Indian cookery using spinach.

Apologies gentlemen, but I can beat that too! I flew to San Francisco on a Friday evening, picked up a bass (a 9 string Pac Man Conklin form Jean Baudin) and flew back on Monday morning. On the Wednesday of that week I did a 1100 mile total round trip to collect a Mesa M-Pulse and Powerhouse cab as well as dropping off 4 of my eBay sales on route! My average speed for every hour of that time frame was in excess of 100mph and I clocked just over 12,000 miles total! Beat that! 😜 I've also taken a bus to Belgium to meet @Hellzero and flew to Croatia to meet @basscell ironically for the exact same bass!!

In order : Bad, Worse, Awful. Over to you, @Leonard Smalls Edit : Overdrive = 'Too Loud', Distortion = 'Amp/cab needs repair', Fuzz = 'Swarm of Killer Bees Nearby'.

Hello All, just thought i would give a shout out to to the amazing talents of Doug wilkes. very little is known about dougs work by the most, but is in the more pro level shell we say, circles, doug is based in KEEL just off the M6 doug has made guitars and basses for the likes of dave gilmour and sting and is a true custom builder of guitars and basses in that he does not have a template of one or two designs with a few options, doug will build you ANYTHING no matter how bizar, want a half mandolin half strat with a harp over the top doug will make it. He has been doing his thing for a loooong time now and has come up with some amazing designs, i remember in the late 80s a friend having a half fretted half fretless stick bass with slap plates at the begining of the neck to save the strings chewing up the wood, a great design, i was round his last night picking up a bass ( more later) where he produced one of these amazing things with a more modern john east preamp in, a really strange unique design ( its one of these i think sting has) so, my fender jazz fotoflame has on it the most amazing slim 62 neck which i love, but always though the body was a bit light and so not giving the low notes that tight bottom end which i love in my wal and G&Ls so guessing this was down to weight when i went to pick up my G&L he had done i got doug to have a look the fotoflame is starting to peel and is badly cracked on the body so something needed to be done, he looked at it and said wait there, he came back with a slab of flame maple he had brought back with him from the usa years ago and said iv had this sitting around for a while now just waiting for the right job, and this is it, so a very very very reasonable priced was agreed, and left the jazz with him and my goodfellow to do a laquer crack, He is just ordering some nice wood from the usa so next in line is a flame maple jazz neck a replica of this 62 to go on the nice body he has made then i will put back together the fotoflame as original and hay presto i get a quality jazz based on the one i like, just as a side note here when you look on ebay for these fotoflame jazz basses and strats what you will find is loads of fotoflame strat bodies as guitar players have also jumped on to how good the necks are to play and are picking them up just for the necks then getting bodies made, then selling the bodies i think also the pickups on the strats are very good so also kept. sorry back to the story...I went to pick it up yesterday and here it is, turnaround less than 4 weeks, on the rear is heavy ASH and on the front is not just a veneer ohh no not good enough for doug, but a SLAB of flame maple bookmatched that half the thickness of the body all hand carved to get that rounded arm corner, he coulkd of split the slab into 3 and made 3 tops out of it easy, tried to show this in a pic, what you cant see is the finish its like a piece of glass 🙂 here also is my G&L L2000-E he did, before and after im really made up with both of them thanks so much doug your a star. Dougs site... http://wilkesguitars.co.uk/

Am I the only one seeing a four eyed robot smiling at me?

True but it would have sounded sh1te if you couldn't compress your bass properly

The control cavity was shielded with copper tape so that's done. Next was the wiring. The original plan was to have two knobs that do nothing and the other two to be passive volume and tone but I thought it might be an idea to see if the original preamp would work with a magnetic pickup instead of the original piezo. I've seen some preamps whose input is suitable for use with either but I have no details of this one so it was a question of just 'giving it a go'. And it does work, surprisingly well too. I'll chat with Owen to see how he would like it but it had to be tried as it was so simple to refit!!! Recessing the bridge has worked quite nicely - the strings can now go that little bit lower which makes quite a difference to how it feels.

First rehearsal in 8mths and used my Mpulse and new Subway cabs. Unbelieveable is the only wat to describe it. All the depth of the PH212 but the mids to high end a lot more focused. I did bring the mids up after Agedhorse mentioned the Mpulse is naturally mid-scooped but i believe the 210 cab was doing the work. The 115 produced a lot more low end and i had to back the bass control on the bass back to centre position. All other amp settings same as had for the PH212. The interesting thing about this rig is that no matter where i stood i could feel and hear the bass clearly. Maybe helped with the rig being slightly taller but any other lightweight cabs i've had the low end drops off completely when you stand in front of the rig but not with this. I was worried the warmth and depth of the PH212 might not be there with the lightweight cabs but it was the opposite. To round up the tone was deep, rounded and warm with nice clarity in the mid registers. Doing 70's Glam Rock covers so everything from Sweet to T.Rex, Bowie, ABBA and Roxy Music the rig coped without issue. I was using my Roland Mfx to switch between clean and Ric tones i have set up and the Ric tone i use mainly to capture a more live sound for certain songs. Superb day. Cant wait for my TT800 to arrive and no more heavy amp racks to carry about and load into car. Dave

I think that’s certainly the gold for @binky_bass. Do I get a special medal for being the biggest w@nker on BC?

I can beat the 7 hours round trip trade when I drove to do a trade with @Kev Glasgow to roughly Coventry I think it was a 12 hours round trip from what I remember. Totally worth it though, it started my love affair with Alphers.

* Thread Derail* In the late 60's I was invited to a Philips (records) 'do' to a private uk debut launch for Captain Beefhearts Magic Band. T'were somehere fooking trendy in that Lunnon place (Whisky a Go Go ? Dunno, can't remember) Squatting down in the middle, in a bluddy kaftan, were that John Peel geezer, who swayed gently while he took in what to me was a dreadful noise - but what do I know? As you were guys.......... 😎

So maybe nobody else is gonna care about this, but my mind was blown recently! I had posted up a cover of 'Lady' done by Wayne Wade a couple weeks ago on this thread that I had been listening to for years, and it got me to thinking what else he has. I then stumble across 'Too Experienced'. I was like, hold on, that is a Barrington Levy song (Which I absolutely love!)...but Wayne Wade must predate that, so Barrington's is a cover of his! So I keep searching, and I come across this article: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20111002/ent/ent4.html Only to realise that they are both covers of a song by Bob Andy from 1970. This may be old news for some, but I was amazed to find all this out! Just in case it interests anyone, here are 3 version of the same song (or 2 versions and one original). That Barrington version will forever have a special place in my heart from my youth, but it was so cool to find out a little history of the song and hear how different artists did it in slightly different styles. If you've made it this far reading this, congratulations on listening to my ramblings Hope you enjoy the music.

I am now very certain there are. Holy hell! Trying to reason will be useless so I have kept quiet in the thread for a while. Some people know how to use a compressor, a lot of people do not. Some minds will never open. It is what it is.

Which piece of gear would you run a mile rather than buy? Each channel has seven knobs, nine switches, two LED meters, and five LED indicators. And there are eight channels. And all of it to do something I never understood in the first place. Where is @51m0n anyway?

Hi folks, A bit of pure basschat geekery here. Look away if you're expecting anything useful or even musical... Think @warwickhunt and I may have set a record for the fastest sale. From me posting the advert to the item arriving in his hand it took 32 mins according to the forum clock. It was a totally genuine sale with no prior contact or other shenanigans. I confess to getting a kick out of it ...and was relieved that there were no speed cameras on the way 🤣 Happy to take a drug test if the moderators insist 🤣... can anyone beat our time, or claim another Olympian feat?

Brass hardware is so 1970s, I was there when retrofitting was all the rage. Black crackle is the real deal. Accept no substitutes.

I think I went through 12 fuzz pedals in one year. That’s got to be a podium finish?

If you can see your crotch, it's either too low or too high. 😝

Surely @Scoop must be in there for the most ACGs owned medal. Not forgetting @cetera for his modest Spector collection.

It’s not ramblings Tandro , I do it all the time , it’s great to research the origins of the tracks , I was playing the Bassline to trinity a while back and realised I had 4 different versions on various albums, it’s known as the cuss cuss riddim , which led me on a journey to find the original.

I don't doubt it's a genuine question but useful how? Would you change your opinion because a world class pro uses a comp live? How many WCP's need to be confirmed comp users before the tide turns? The list of Origin players suggest some do? It echos what was mentioned earlier on this tread. You ask a question, you get some examples but the question alters a little... like the question above. List of players posted including the Killers bassist so then the question evolves... we get the question below. How'd you get on with your search into who uses live and who's just an endorsee? Did you go and have a look? You have started a few threads about compression so you surely must have a pretty solid opinion either way to either confirm or deny the hypothesis or be moved enough to try it in your own experiment live if you really are interested. I will mention this again... You have access to the gear to do this on/off experiment for yourself... with your band... with your gear... at the venues where it will (or will not) make a difference to your sound. I was re-listening to footage from The Century Club gigs on the Sector thread. Why not bring a comp next time you play there when the back line is all taken care of or BoxPark - venues you already have footage from where you can compare if it works for you. If you are genuinely interested you would have used this stuff for yourself ages ago and decided if it was worth using on a regular basis. How many more compression threads and polls do you need to start before you will try it? The main thing I've picked up form so many compressor threads and in practice is that it's a personal feel thing as much as a heard experience. If that isn't important to you than cool but sh*t or get off the pot Here's another video to further prove a point. Feel free to re-word the question after viewing... I’ve played a few gig and my advice to a new aspiring and seasoned pro would be much the same. “You know the tunes, watch thedrummer, relax and keep your head in the game” be that with or without pedals

PAMA RECORDS 78 Craven Park Rd, Harlesden, London NW10 4AE. Three brothers, Harry, Jeffrey and Carl Palmer (who had all emigrated from Jamaica in the 50s and 60s) founded Pama Records, a record shop, label and distributor, in Harrow in 1967 with the aim of bringing Jamaican music to the UK. In 1968 Pama relocated to 78 Craven Park Road and became the main-competitor to Trojan Records. Pama released records by local artists, Junior English and Delroy Washington (Federation of Reggae Music) however their biggest hit (released on their Unity label) was Max Romeo’s ‘Wet Dream’, despite being banned from UK radio and receiving no airplay it made no.10 in the UK charts in the summer of 1969 selling 250,000 copies. One of Pama’s first releases in 1968 was 'The Champ' by The Mohawks, which would become one of the most sampled tracks in hip hop.

Just don't touch the red button

So sides are done, transition smooth to the touch and ready for the final all over fine sand and a final couple of very light coats of gloss varnish which will restore the colour and should largely hide the repair: But before I do that, I have to fill that scarfe joint repair. And have the discussion of 'hide or flaunt' with @Fishman And spend most of the rest of today doing some important but exciting stuff on Matt P's build (Which is a long way of saying I'll be doing the scarfe joint repair tomorrow )

-

I'm a cellist and relatively new to bass and have lessons... so on the one hand I've been taught to have the bass so that it's in the same place sitting or standing. The other influence is my left hand technique from playing cello - basically hand shape should be pretty similar and I don't want any stress or strain on my left wrist/arm as that way tendinitis lies... I'll have to take some pics of me playing bass and post something up...

Do you still believe that to be the case?

OK you had me tapping my feet to that. But still, it's a bit like tomato sauce on cornflakes.

This album has a few good dub versions:

Understood. From my perspective it's not limited to singers. Clicks, for example. I get that drummers might need to use one for practical purposes, to sync a production, to enable tracking, or just because that's the feel that's required. But there's kind of an assumption there that the dummer can keep time in the first place. Guitarist using a harmoniser? Same as a above. It's a colour. And, believe me, as a non-guitarist, it wouldn't help if I played it. I'm man enough to admit I'm now in the Tommy Saxondale 'dinosaur' category. I was brought up in an environment where people would get together to sing and play, and the joy would come from the human element of it, and everyone being responsible for their own input. Those moments seem less and less important these days, but time marches on (perfectly on the beat).

Needs longer tassels

I was just going to jump in and comment that I've got a few compressor pedals, and have used them on maybe a dozen gigs over the years. I don't particularly like them up front because I prefer how my pedals react with the compressor off, so when I do use one it's normally to tame my signal at the end of my chain when I'm stacking a lot of pedals. A few of my favourite players use compressors all the time, and I love their tones, but they aren't an essential piece of gear for me. Is that cool, or do I need to state my gig credentials first?

Andy and I will be meeting to exchange the bass next weekend!

https://origineffects.com/2017/09/20/hanging-out-with-the-killers/ All depends on the player I suppose or the right tool for the task at hand. Cherry picking one example based on the fact there’s no pedal board in the stage does not in any way mean that the rack or off stage down with the road crew there isn’t a tech stomping the switching not only for the guitarist but the bassist too. Many pros have their gear midi sync’d or it’s the secondary role of their tech to do the stomping for them. Having the gear off stage means the performer can perform and any tech issues can be dealt with away form the masses. I heartily recommend rig rundown videos by Premier Guitar for some great and in some cases insightful videos.

I’ve got to stop looking at this thread or it’s gonna cost me money 😁

After a lot of hours I spent deciding whether to buy an old one from the seventies or a new Special I finally decided, taking into account my experience with vintage old Fenders and new Custom Shops. I took a new Special and I don’t think I made a mistake. It has everything. Sound, feel and appearance. Craftsmanship is at the level of Fender Custom shop or Sandberg. There are no flaws that have accompanied previous Stingray models and that have separated me from so many pieces I owned. I am especially happy because I managed to find the color that I like the most and is no longer on offer - Aqua Sparkle .