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This has the be the smallest bass I've ever had in my actual posession (I did have a 24" National Valco on loan for a while), and it is by far the one with the most thunderous and brutal sound. 1999 Epiphone "Elite" EB-3. From the period when Orville shut down, but before the Elitist-series were rolled out. Basically an Orville with the Epiphone name on it. To all intents and purposes an accurate copy of a pre 1965 Gibson EB-3, except for the bridge, including the rather chunky neck. Has an actual early sixties Gibson mudbucker in the neck.

So I’m up in Coventry visiting my folks, for the first time in 20 months. I see bass direct post on FB for an Epiphone EB-3. Someone asks for scale length “30” “ is the reply. Now I’ve always wanted an EB-3 and I was sure the Epiphone ones are 34”. This morning I happened to be going to Leamington, a short hop from BD. So I thought I’d pop in to see. Was handed the bass, it certainly felt like 34”. I ask and the guy said “it’s 30”, but lets check” “Oh, it’s 34”!?. Never knew these came in 34” “ Bugger… So, here it is!

I'm still hanging in there guys. Busiest gigging summer of my life. Blue

Pimping my 414... OK, after giving up on finding a VW BB3000A for less than a king's ransom anywhere, and realising that the majority of BB necks are a bit too chunky for me (1024, 424, 1100, etc), I've decided to stick with the VW 414 I picked up a while back... It's a specific bass for a specific band, and we've a few reunion-type gigs coming up, so a VW BB is a must. So far, so meh, on to the interesting stuff...I love the pickups; the neck, while not exactly my broom-handle ideal, is close enough, and it plays pretty well. The weight's borderline, but doable. The only things I really considered changing were the tuners and the bridge; tuners for weight, and I play with the heel of my hand on the bridge a lot, so the BBOT is literally a pain, especially if the grub screws are protruding. So I lashed out £30 on a Fender bridge and £17 apiece on Hipshot Ultralites, and the bass feels a lot better. The whole quality of the thing has gone up a notch, and I'm very happy with it. Aaaaand this is nowt without pics, so here they are: Yeah, I know it says 'Fender', but I don't care; it's a fantastic bridge for £30, and verrry smooth under the heel of my hand. The whole 'more sustain/more tone' thing is very contentious and very relative, but I do like it. I'd put one on anything for that money... And the new tuners; the screws fit into the original holes, and they tighten up nicely from the front. Good solid tuning. I also kinda like the tan lines... Total screwdriver/fitting time was under half an hour, total cost £98, and for that money, it's a big improvement... 😃

My Neptune Blue and the Starry Night now with the matte black pick guards on them.

@Pirellithecat if you think this is a thread derail let us know and we'll take this elsewhere. If you are interested I hope the nerdiness is interesting. @agedhorse is right and it is something @stevie and I have talked about before. The 'ideal' speaker cone is a piston moving backwards and forwards without bending pushing the air exactly tracing the waveform of the current flowing in the voice coil. Of course in life nothing is ideal. Cones are heavy fixed on the outside to a springy suspension and are mainly made of papers so they are a bit bendy. As the frequency rises the coil will do it's best to keep up but the outside of the cone lags behind a bit eventually the cone can be seen to be flexing so that some parts are going forwards at the same time as other parts are going backwards. It's often said that the centre of the cone radiates all the treble and the whole cone the bass, but the truth is that it is messier than that. The bits travelling in different directions cancel each other and the bits going in the same direction reinforce each other and the frequency response suffers. Its a distortion of the original sound. I tried to find a laser interferometry picture of this on YT but all I found was a computer simulation. Loudspeaker cone breakup (in a typical loudspeaker) 3 - YouTube At this point there are design problems/opportunities and both have been chased. One approach is to say 'I'll make a stiffer cone' it is distortion and a proper piston is what I want'. The problem then is beaming at the frequency where the wavelength corresponds to the diameter of the cone (ish, it doesn't all happen at once) Another problem is that stiffness usually raises the mass of the cone significantly and other things are lost. One significant thing is that when a stiff cone breaks up it usually sounds horrible. The other approach is to say OK I know this is distortion but I can live with a little and manage it. I'll try and control the flexing so that the middle of the cone does the treble so I reduce beaming and get a flatter response up to higher frequencies. 'Heck, if I get it right I won't need a crossover'+. In a sense the original Barefaced Compact with the 15" driver took that approach, you can have a 15 with enough top end to sound good. Peavey had a Black Widow 15 with an aluminium dome which sounded good and in years long past I used PA speakers with a whizzer cone which I got away with. There was endless experimentation with this in 70's hi-fi. At the time the goal was to make a 2-way speaker with an 8" bass unit and a 1" tweeter and with the technology of the time there was a gap between the point at which an 8 starts beaming and the point where you could reasonably ask a 1" dome to take over. That was a special problem because that point was right in the middle of our hearing range where even small distortions are noticeable. One solution of course is to have a 3way design with a mid driver but that creates further problems with the crossover. This is of very little help to someone choosing a bass cab however, cabs will differ in their radial response in very complex ways. there is plenty of physics to guide designers but no perfect solution and the real picture once you take a cab into real rooms with room reflections bouncing sound all over the place mean that a cab that works well in one room can be a nightmare in another space. Little of this information is available to anyone choosing a cab anyway, but I hope it is reassuring to anyone stuck in a venue struggling to get the on-stage sound right

So my review isn't due to print for a few weeks so a translated version will have to wait a while too, but I can say I liked it so much I'm going to order a four string version of the bass I have here. I already own an amazing five string Jazz (with my De Gier Bebop) so a fiver won't get used a lot here, but a four string version will definitely get a lot of hours. I took the fiver to a gig a few weeks ago and my face pretty much tells how that went...😁

Ok, not bass related but musical instrument related. Last week I bought a Gibson SG Standard, great guitar but realisation hit at the weekend, I’m not in a band playing guitar, and very unlikely I will ever be so having a grands worth of guitar seems a bit extravagant. So I ordered an Epiphone SG Standard which arrived today. I was hoping it would sound ok and play ok, if it didn’t I’d send it back but hopefully it would do for my needs. Would it do, it’s amazing, I prefer it to the Gibbo! Now I’m not a great guitarist, I can play rhythm pretty well but that’s my limit, but this Epi just works, and out of the box with no tweaking at all plays and sounds fantastic. Am well chuffed, my mature decision to offload an expensive instrument and replace with a cheaper version has paid dividends.

Be sure that whatever cable you buy, it uses genuine Neutrik SpeakOn plugs. The cheap Chinese knock-off plugs are notoriously problematic, and the source of many frustrating problems out in the field.

They also do a 3600w version for those with a really tiny penis.

Veteran rock and gear journalist Tony Bacon, a lefty himself apparently, just published this: https://reverb.com/news/musical-implications-of-being-a-left-hander

Hi All! Just thought I'd say hello and share my latest eBay score! I got this for £50 over the weekend and it arrived first thing today (literally 07:55 - Parcelforce actually pulling their collective fingers out for a change). Firstly, I didn't know it was purple from the original listing (the photos weren't very good). I had originally bought it for the neck as I thought it would fit my 1986 "The Cat" (another eBay purchase) which has a crack on the headstock running underneath one of the tuners but on this model they use an Ibanez style ferrule system. When I checked the serial number it turns out to be from August 1992 which is pretty late in the run as I don't think they were made after 92. I've also got an SLB-2 from 1989 which has the pointy style headstock. I know they're ply bodies but the weight on this one is pretty good. Obviously it's a bit battered and missing some screws on the rear plates. The battery I removed from it had a "best before 2002" label on it and I'm amazed that it hasn't leaked everywhere. The pots need a good clean and the preamp is pretty junky. It gives the pickups one hell of a volume boost when turned clockwise but it's pretty savage. I've got an EMG Geezer Butler PJ set that's currently in my Squier SS Jag and I think I'm going to put those in here. I might fit the preamp from my Ibanez SR500 as well once I've swapped it out for the Aguilar OBP-3 I bought recently. The neck needs to be shimmed (the bridge saddles have been adjusted to the deck) but there aren't real signs of fret buzz (it plays all the way up without choking) and it's super fast. I think I've lucked out!

You forgot: If cutting suddenly becomes more sluggish & difficult, stop and move panel further out from the edge of your workbench, which now has a 1" slot sawn into it.

This looks super nice, congrats. I still remember and regret not buying a couple of Classic Vibes I've tried. My friend's CV Tele is also one of the best guitars I have ever played. I also had this impression about not having to play as much on a P bass. It's almost as if it sounds better played more sparsely, because each note needs time to bloom. Also, you can play licks higher up and not necessarily lose the groove (depending on the playing really) as it still sounds meaty. Js can need more notes to occupy the space, and thin out as pitches go up. Oh sorry, I thought it was the daily PvsJ on talkbass 🤷🏼‍♂️

Ideas!! Natural wood is my first choice. The grain is too nice to hide. Tru oil and a long lockdown of gradually getting it to a glorious sheen is what I'm thinking... It might be a terrible idea. But I won't know for sure until I've actually done it. I love the aubergine purple idea! I am eyeballing another bass, an 80's Jazz bass special (the one with slanted pickups) which looks like it was left out in the Thai sun for year, which would be a good candidate for that kind of treatment! I''ll include a pic below. This bass is on sale for £140. Scratch plate is anodised metal. Screw holes appear to align with standard fender dimensions, and there are 13 filled holes in the body, which leads me to believe that someone had to make a fender sized one fit. I'll go for black. As for the bridge, I actually have an old spare fender one kicking around that fits. Electronics seem fine as they are. I think they've been replaced, as pots are nice and sturdy with no crackles. Also there are weird routings where it looks like someone might have added active electronics at some point. Pickups seems OG and are nice and hot. However, for the sake of getting it up to the next level of quality, KiOgon is a good shout. I installed one of his harnesses on my main player and it's top notch. Here's that other bass I'm talking about.

Another rebuild. Running order still the same apart from the TU3 added so can use wireless or lead a lot easier. IN/OUT/OUT locking jacks mounted to the back. Matching purple boots on the jack plugs ........ New (don’t know what to call them, plastic bits underneath for the cable ties). They were previously bits of random mismatched wood covered in black tape, worked fine the last ?? many years but now custom cut matching plastic bits of thingy

Edit: I am ummming and aaahing about taking her to my local luthier and getting a brass nut and a fret dress done, but I'm gonna gig her with the pub band on Satdy night, so we'll see how that goes before I spend any more money...

Trawler Long the Watchtower ～ JMH

Well guys I’ve done it. Marked and drilled. I glued two speed clips together and made sure that the screw fitted just right. 1. To ensure the screw went in without to much trouble and 2. To ensure it was tight enough. I added double sided tape to the clip and the fed the yellow line through as shown. I pulled on the line so that the clip stuck onto the inside of the laminate. Once this was secure I removed the cord and carefully screwed in the strap lock. The guitar was then turned upside down and I poured in a good amount of Gorilla glue. It’s not upside at an angle that ensures the glue levels itself over the area of the speed clip and will be left overnight to set. Fingers crossed this does the job 🙏😊👍

I've owned a few USA Sterlings that were just over 9lb and they were OK but I have a shoulder that doesn't like a couple of long sets with a heavy bass (before anyone says; yes I have a wide strap and yes I've adjusted strap lengths etc). My USA Stingray is 10lb 5oz which is just a no go but I love the sound of a full bore active MM. In comparison my German 87 Streamer is 8lb 2oz and my European PJ is 7lb 9oz.

I totally recognize the problem. C string sounding sharper than the others. I had this with Warwick strings and D'Addario's. Since switching to Fodera Custom Steels that problem vanished though. These strings are marvelous! Even being stainless steels, they do not sound overly bright and have those nicely even mids I am always looking for. Give them a go the next time you need new strings.

It feels very solidly put together, all the controls are nice, smooth and quiet. As I'm away from home I only have my Zoom B3 to play with and I think the EB's output is just a little too hot for the Zoom. But it sounds and feels great. Looking forward to hammering it through my CTM-300 on the weekend!!

I remember them playing Glastonbury when a helicopter had to land in the crowd.. can’t remember the year but am sure I’m not making it up! Edit: 1990. Someone has uploaded the whole gig to YouTube (audio only).

Our guitarist tried to pick up my SVT-II. He's shown me far more respect since

That’s the one I had. The Knobs are non original and under the E at the bridge, there’s a little mark from string pull through. I nearly pressed “buy” last night, but I know the body shape wouldn’t work for me. And I’m in pursuit of another reverse P/J BB which I used to own 😂

Thank both. I was just about to ask the same question, and found this helpful thread.

When I bought my Thunderbird I went to the shop with the intention of buying a Gibson which was discounted to £1500. I tried it and liked it then just out of curiosity I tried the Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird which was £499 and thought there really wasn't a grand worth of difference. I preferred the sound of the Epiphone as well so I went home with that and the shop dude was regretting mentioning how good the Epiphone was. I've also seen recent photos of Alice Cooper's bassist playing the Epiphone for live shows.

Hit the emoji button on the format line, at the top of the post screen; select default et voila! Use them enough and they will appear at the top too.

Totally, but then again, it's better to be looking at them than looking for them. Since it's combo, it's probably running at 8 ohms and needs an extension cab to bring it down to 4 ohms and extract the full capability out of it. I've used an ABM 300 for the last 20 years with a 1x15 and 2x10 and have never needed more than that but, as we all know, not all amps are equal when it comes to projecting their wattage. Some are better at generating heat than sound.

A few years back, I approached Eastwood to see whether they could do us a limited run of an Eastwood BC bass. We had a few interested parties, but before we even got as far as agreeing on a body/neck design, the thread took an inevitable downward spiral of member-bickering about hardware/electrics, with members chipping in as to why they wouldn't be interested (which really wasn't the point of the exercise). Despite the number of members here, it would never have worked. In my head though, this bass is very close in looks to what I thought we should be doing and it certainly fits the Eastwood build ethic; a bit of a quirky 60s throwback, wouldn't look out of place on The Jetsons, I bloody love that headstock!

I was a late incomer to The Cure, being introduced to them - (I mean, like really listening to them, I always knew the singles) - by the now brother in law. First saw them in 2006 when they played the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust gigs, playing 37, 38 songs, over 5 encores, utterly incredible. Fast forward a full 10 years and I next saw them at Wembley Arena, the Saturday night gig where they played 9 songs from "Disintegration", which was honestly one of the best concerts I've ever been to. The last time was at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, where they played the Glastonbury set, but a combination of the 10 hours plus rain, sodden, muddy ground added to the exuberance on my part with a few too many pre-match refreshments, leaves this one a long, long, long way behind the other two. As mentioned earlier in the thread, the "Pornography" / "Disintegration" / "Bloodflowers" albums are the ones to focus on, in my opinion...however special mentions to "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" and actually, bizarrely I do quite like the last two "4:13 Dream" and "The Cure" which were otherwise universally slated...! The live gig on Spotify / Deezer "Curaetion-25" is also a pretty decent listen too - remember when that gig was announced and was desperate to get tickets for it, but couldn't work around work / holiday / personal situation at the time. Each to their own I guess.

Very sorry to hear this , l am 74 , had carpal tunnel ops on both wrists , cataracts removed from both eyes ( l can read the set list now ) taking daily tablets for my 'dicky' heart , have to get a carer for my wife every time l gig or rehearse ....... been playing music since the 60's ( in fact l play In a Stones Tribute now , so playing the same songs as l did then ! ) l recon l might be playing at my own funeral . I will NEVER give up , so sad to to hear of others having to stop playing . Pete

I saw them in Finsbury Park in 1993, their only performance that year. They had lost... *goes to Wikipedia to double-check which multitasking instrumentalist had left* ...Porl Thompson, so were just a 4 piece for the first time in ages. Having grown up listening to the great wash of sound on the Orange recording, it was really good to hear earlier stuff being played relatively stripped down again, eg One Hundred Years at 7'25". The rendition of A Forest at the end seemed to go on forever

That’s a good point Ricky, no matter what type of bass I play I’m listening for a Precision sound coming back at me. Probably why although I love the design, feel & playability of Stingrays I just don’t get on with them but love the sound when others play them.

That’s a good way of describing classic Precision playing @such

Lovely board! That wiring brings me tears of joy 😂 Mine will never be that perfect.

Played some more this evening, and I'm really enjoying the SB-2. There's something about the immediacy of a high-output all-passive bass. I think it's related to the fewer number of components in the signal path before it undergoes some sort of amplification (I don't really use effects much)

Jeez Lozz, how many SG's did you buy?!

Portable appliance testing is used to ensure that equipment containing dangerous voltages continue to be safe. If your pedal is mains powered, test it: if it is powered from a 9/12/15/24 volt brick, test the brick. David

Loving the break angle at the nut for the G-string ... what could possibly go wrong?