Leaderboard

Following my recent Ashdown deliberations, I finally made the move last week, as mentioned in the topic about Musik Productiv and their (almost too) cheap offers. I was going for a RM500, and two 1x12's. However, with things going so fast, I had to make a change, Instead, I opted for the 1x12 combo, and the remaining 1x12 cab. Same thing, I guess, just in a different package. Ordered last Friday evening, delivered by UPS today. No extra charges, nothing sinister - it was all new, sealed, well packaged. I can't try the cab until tomorrow (speakon in the post, sold my OBBM one when I stopped playing for a bit), but the combo alone is a beast. It has much more heft to the tone than others I've owned. With the cab, it's hopefully all the 500w I'll ever need. Any more, and I'd want to be DI'd, as I wouldn't want any more volume behind me! Bad photo attached to prove it's existence. I'd call this the cheapest 500w rig I've ever bought - £460 all in!

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

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 suppose I could upload something slightly more recent than my current profile pic, which dates from about 1978. Not exactly a portrait, but I like this picture as it shows me & my good friend and bandmate, Al, having a laugh on stage somewhere. Just in case anyone has trouble telling who is who, I'm the one with the Thunderbird.

I'm another in the love it camp. It's an amazing looking thing with a Jazz sized nut. What's not to like?

Always felt the Lakland Skyline series fell well short insofar as finishes go, but this popped up on socials yesterday and I got a bit moist. Not on the market for another bass, but as a piece of art goes, this is spot on. Purple and black, what's not to like? I've looked at a few and the colour does seem to go from light to dark(er), probably due to the wood grain and the exposure of the photos. It does look pretty. Yeah, yeah, I know I say all basses sound more or less the same, but the pickups are EMG Geezer Butler, so you kind of know what it's going to be capable of once you plug it in.

Possibly because I am best known for talking complete bollocks

I just got a Broughton Audio Messenger pre-amp/DI and now I'm done. It's a great box with really nice HPF and LPF, super useful. There's a chance I'll upgrade my compressor in future but all my other pedals are stellar.

I'm back in G&L land after some time out. Here's the CLF Research L-1000 I took possession of this week: Royal purple. Lovely finish, difficult to photograph

So after much deliberation, the reverse P/J is definitely the one for me. Orange 414 is staying. White and Red 424x will be listed shortly.

I remember playing a Thunder III Mk2 many years back, and, apart from it being quite neck-heavy and unbalanced, it was a pretty spectacular bit of kit - a proper bargain basement Alembic wannabe with loads of tonal options. They did come out with another bass, the Genesis, that addressed the balance issues. I think it was basically a headed version of the Super Headless, complete with the string-popping cutaway on the treble side. Fantastic gear for the time (let's not forget this was the era of the likes of Marlin and other plywood rubbish), and very collectible these days.

I find my effects great fun, but practically speaking I use them as effects in the same way that a movie uses effects to achieve something out of the ordinary. Too much effect limits my ability to change the sound and dynamics using my fingers. Now I have an amp with a valve preamp the utility of my MojoMojo is becoming moot as just digging in creates the massive sound I want and the jury is out on compression. A tuner is useful, but not essential, ditto an HPF. A chorus is handy for things like Purple Rain, and I will probably move this to be in the post preamp effects loop. My collection of overdrive, fuzz and distortion pedals are possibly redundant unless a real need comes along. Octaver is great, until other people join in. Phase, flange, tremelo* don't really suit. *Worked a treat on boulevard of broken dreams but the concept of a drummer taking his tempo from one of my effects didn't work.

One of the problems with the username 12stringbassist is that people seem to lose their composure if you play one of the other 50-odd instruments that you own...

Here's some pics of me through the ages....

Mine's less a pedal board and more a collection of pedals that sits atop my amp until I buy a board. They'll all fit on a Metro 16, will get one soon.

Picked this up from vibes FM, nice mix for the background if you’re driving or working

Eeew 😄

Somebody stole my hair during the night and I've got an alien getting out of my belly.

My recent foray back in Bass has resulted in me taking delivery of an Ashdown studio 15. After finding a great B stock deal on Andersons. (Apparently the box was tatty). So far it sounds great at low volumes. Given my last gigable combo was a tank like Peavey TNT 160 this thing is crazy light weight. It’s likely to be a few weeks before I get to try it with a band and crank it up.

It seems that KISS has dropped Dave Lee Roth as the support act for their latest farewell tour. Gene Simmons said that in his prime DLR was the greatest ever rock frontman, but can’t cut it anymore “I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don’t want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor.” The thing is, as a massive DLR fan, I have to admit that old Gene has a point. On the other hand, have you seen Paul Stanley or heard him try to sing recently? It all seems a bit rich coming from an old, bloated Gene Simmons saying this about Dave on the tenth KISS "this is really the last one" farewell tour.

Curious little pedal which produces a nice voice like effect. This sound can be enhanced by flicking the switch to 'fuzz'. It adds a touch of distortion and pushes the midrange. Three controls labelled intensity, range and resolution interact to locate a sweet spot which produces something I've only previously found from a Bassballs. I prefer the inbuilt distortion on the Mooer to that on the EHX, not sure if it'll make it to a gigging board , depends how it affects the bass in a mix with other musicians. First impressions; it's easy to get a good sound out if it, but only one sound, shift any of the nobs too far away from the sweet spot and you lose it. The fuzz makes the sound more middy and more prominent, it might cost some bottom end in a band set up.

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!

Cool. The first of the two I ordered arrived today too. I'm looking forward to trying it tomorrow. The second one, from MP should be here in the next few days. 😁

Steroids

Victoria - The Kinks

Couple of things: Part the first Mr Mick Fleetwood and Mr John McVie might gently disagree. It's their names on the band and, really, everyone else is just passing through. Where you are at this stage, it's a matter of perspective: if you pitch yourselves as just two guys that's how you'll be seen. As of today you are a rhythm section. I mean, you've actually got a drummer, the lack of which is the thing that sinks most start-ups. No guitarist of any quality or experience will look askance at the opportunity of picking up (as he might see it) a bass player and drummer in one fell swoop. Anyone silly enough not to take you seriously is one less numpty to audition. Put some swagger in your stride, Sir. You two are the Mick and John, the Sly and Robbie, the Bill and Charlie of Branksome Chine. Part the second Halve your personnel issues by finding a guitarist who sings (as opposed to a singer who plays guitar). OK, guitarists who sing may throw solos in at will and mumble the words they haven't learned but that's better than a pitch-perfect singer chopping out cowboy chords. Also, it's so much easier to do Blues as a three-piece (unless you really must have keys and a brass section) and you'll each get 33% more money than if you have to split it with a singer. Blueprint Take confidence in your general desirability. Scour the online and real world ads. Audition guitarists who claim they can sing. Don't worry if they look a bit dodgy on paper - try out as many as you can so that you and drummer can work together. Eventually you'll find some that are half-decent then get them back in. Also, tout yourselves round the blues jams as a working rhythm section. That might flush out some talent. It will take time. Let time be your friend.

BC - where the UBER geeks hang out. I salute you!

This wee little (!) stomp box just moved in..... HOLY MOLY !!!!!!!!!! Can't stop grining ! Neighbors calling the army 😛 Never heard my BB scream like this!

Are the bandannas to hold the wigs in place?

So after a bit of shopping around I’ve gone with the Aquila Black strings, and after the usual couple of days of tuning instability that these rubbery strings suffer from they’re settling in nicely and most importantly sound good.

Loved the video and thought the harp sounded spectacular.

Sadly I'd look more like a wrestler that a rockstar if I wore spandex

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… why aren’t the gaps between the labels uniform, you’re slipping your standards 😝. Lovely job 😁

It's a matter of lack of time, there's only three of us working on these projects and two of us have proper jobs. It's about prioritisation and also being fun for us of course. The 'paperwork' is never the most interesting bit As well as writing everything up we also have to build the cabs try them out with our various bands ideally at gigs and rehearsals, take measurements and keep our families happy. Not complaining but it is the reality most of humanity shares. Having said that we have talked to the staff at BC about creating a more stable way to save the designs and make them available. They've been really helpful and I need to take them up on their offer, watch this space. The nature of the forum is that anyone and everyone can join in and make the threads as long and meandering as this (on 13 pages and counting). It's hard to go back and edit with the current format but we are working on ways of making it more user friendly. We tried a guided build with a previous design however where @funkle did a build of the BC112T mark III. It gave us a fresh start without a lot of effort Stevie’s 12” FRFR Cab Build Thread (Basschat Cab v3) - Amps and Cabs - Basschat The thought here was that if Finbar or someone else took on a build then I could pack it up front with the necessary information without a lot of effort. He could put up pictures of his build to help people through and it's encouraging for people to see someone build a cab. Talking someone through a build helps everyone, and keeps us all at BC entertained.

I got the mooning badge. Too scared to post in case I lose it.

While everyone else lusts over the jazz may I just say that the fretless P is a slice of 70s inspired magic.

Virtually everything in transducer and speaker cabinet design is all about balancing multiple tradeoffs simultaneously without leaving real world performance on the table.

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A few months later, after trying a couple of flangers (BF-2, HF-2), some choruses (Bass Clone, Ibanez Mini Chorus, Walrus Julia) and an Ibanez 850 Mini Fuzz. Also, another HPF and of course, the Metro 20. The cabling still needs some attention. Next, I need a bigger power supply.

I'm now Experienced... Anyway, excuse me while I go and kiss the sky, or something

I was talking to a friend yesterday who lives nearby and he showed me this when I mentioned the shop

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.

Made all the more sinister by the human entrails hanging from Paul's mouth...