Leaderboard

Jon decided not to charge me. I was floored by that alone.

An unexpected NBD. So when I got up this morning I wasn’t expecting to head to Stoke on Trent to do a deal in a tree shrouded shady lay-by. I’ve been getting along famously with my stingray and modulus FU lately, the sound I’ve finally dialled in is the tone that’s been living in my head for many years so all my attention has been on that. But there’s the problem, my Spector LE 77 is a 24 fret and the stingray 21 while the modulus is 22. I found swapping from the stingray to the modulus not any issue but when I popped out the Spector for more of a precision tone It felt like the 12th fret was suddenly far far away. Trying to just pick it up and play a riff I was on the wrong fret due to muscle memory reacting naturally to where I know I should be. (Well it Was on my stingray) So enter the market place for a quick peek (just research you understand) And I saw this…. 😯 Oooer missus!! But it’s passive? It’s beautiful, but it’s passive? Musicman quality, but it’s passive? 21 frets, but it’s passive… Suddenly GAS which I’m sure started in my bowels and then spread out to encompass my body kicked in and I was sending a PM to @ribbetingfrogto see if he was interested in a Noel Edmonds type Saturday morning swap for my Spector. After a bit of nail biting and googling the stinky poo out of ‘Musicman cutlass bass’ he agreed the Spector was something he did indeed like the look of. What can I say, shes a beauty, after getting her home and extracting her from the case she feels like a vintage bass, I can’t explain it, comfortable, familiar but worn in. Punchy, juicy but also not a tone I’m used to coming from my bag ends, it is however a sound I’ve known from so many tracks over the years. With its split humbucking pickup, tone wide open it’s a rock machine, tone shut down completely ‘look at meeee, I’m James Jamerson’ What a cracking bass and through the full tube Mesa or my Ampeg SVT it’s straight out of the golden age. This IS a reason to have more than one bass. Completely polar opposite to anything I own tone wise, but being a Musicman completely familiar in feel and playability. If you’ve not tried one and are a diehard fender man then your missing out. If your a staunch fender man and will use nothing else then avoid this bass, it will spoil your boyhood dreams The build quality is i feel better than any modern fender precision, custom shop I’m not including but they cost ridiculous amounts. The neck heel is a sculpted masterpiece and the neck like most musicman basses plays like a dream. All in all what a great day to check the market place and thank you to @ribbetingfrog for the deal.

2003 Bongo in Lava Pearl

So the long wait is over and DHL delivered my finished body today. Got to say it’s rather excellent. It will need the minimal amount of fettling as everything is tight (very tight), but I’d rather it was like this than the other way. Looks like a quality piece of timber and the finish is flawless. Please ignore the gratuitous mock up shot, that’s a standard Fender five string scratch plate that will be used as a template for a custom made BWB scratcher to suit the Bartolini 5 string P pickup. Of course as luck would have it delivery has neatly coincided with a really busy time in the day job so there will be little to no progress with this in the next couple of weeks.

Well....I won't know for certain until the morning but - I think we have a working trussrod. It's presently sitting on my bench with a distinct back bow and - as it was tightened to get there - it felt 'right'. I will judge it properly in the morning because there may be a wood movement under the extra pressure over time - but I think there's a better than evens chance I'll let you know first thing tomorrow.

I've been pondering one of these for a while. They don't come up very often, so I just went for it. Bought from fellow BC'er Bunion, this strange little Wingbass is rather nice. I've been noodling a bit with it today, and I think it's going to take a while to get used to. But effectively, it's like playing a "normal" bass guitar - but only above the 12th fret. I got it for taking as a backup, and to take to pub jams with my local folk club pals. We often end up in tight, cramped spaces, and I usually end up almost hitting someone with the end of my bass. This is really nice construction quality & finish, and I like the sound from the pickup. The neck, such that it is, is a rather strange shape, as I'm used to being able to get my thumb over the top of it.... But I'm sure I just need to play it quite a bit to get the hang of it. I got myself an Electroharmonix Octave pedal, and I've been enjoying playing about with that too. I once had an ashbory, and a ukebass, but didn't like the feel or tension of the strings on either of those. This uses standard bass strings cut down - so feels better to me.

There's a few topics over on TB about him, his gear and setup etc, but there doesn't seem to be much over here. I was just wondering if anyone has played any slide bass or setup a 2 string bass? Here's some Morphine for your listening holes

Ok, So Andertons pulled a rabbit out of the hat and despite DPS telling me yesterday I’d get my Waza air Monday it arrived today 🎉💥 all I can say is ‘WOW’ absolutely love it!! There’s not much I can add to what @ped has already said but as a regular PJB bighead user this is indeed another level. If your on the fence then it’s time to jump. ‘Come on in, the waters fine!’ As regards a case for the Waza they are saying a 7-12 week wait on most sites or simply out of stock. I was reading a post on another site and they recommended this from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016KV79X8/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item I’d say probably not as high quality as the named brand but nevertheless it’s a snug safe fit plus it’s less than half the cost of the branded item and available on next day delivery and it’s got a handy net pouch that can be moved anywhere you want for charging wires/plectrums etc. all in all I’m well chuffed.

By popular request; SB-2 Tribute All 3 Ibanezzezes; (L-R) EDB605, EDA900, EDC715

With the arrival of the B-stock TC Ditto x2, the pedalboard is - for now at least - complete. I still need the power supply which should be here next week. I went for a Cioks DC5 which will attach underneath the Pedaltrain. I’ve used EBS flat patch cables to connect it all together, they’re really nice quality with a low profile plug that doesn’t take up too much room. The first pedal is a Darkglass B7K, used primarily as a preamp, the distortion settings are fantastic though. Then a TC Electronic Ditto x2. The stereo signal from the Ditto goes into the fabulous Mod Devices Dwarf, which is also stereo and allows for each side of the signal to pass through a different chain of effects. The next two pedals are a Neunaber Immerse V2 reverb and an MXR M300 reverb. These two pedals are also stereo. There’s also an Ernie Ball VPJR volume pedal too, that’s not in the photo.

So, I joined a new band a few weeks back. I've also been selling off a lot of gear that wasn't being used or likely to be used. I sold off a gorgeous jazz bass and an Aria SB. I didn't think I needed another bass but being a "jazz guy" who doesn't have a jazz I was tempted to buy a Sire. Then I joined the new band... The sound for that band is my Stingray, big meaty bass sound with some drive and not so subtle effects every now and then. But they also want to do acoustic sets. Acoustic bass guitars don't have the best reputation so I went for a semi that can be used for electric performance too. An Epiphone Jack Casady came up on eBay Sunday night and after breakfast on Monday I'd bought it. The seller could not have been better. The bass is in immaculate condition. I've binned the roundwounds it came with and stuck on some Fender tapewounds I had spare. The good: It looks amazing. Even the back of the body is nicely figured wood. The neck is chunkier than expected, the fingerboard is gorgeous, I love the massive tuners on the headstock. The range of tones and playability is superb. First bass I've had in a long time that's making me want to explore it instead of just instantly feeling over familiar with it The not so good: Finding a case is hard at the moment. The D string put incredible tension on the neck when tuned up. Slightly better with my tapes on but I think a neck tweak may be required. They didn't do the blue one in left handed.

Nice Marc. I don't know much about these. Do you just add boiling water?

I’m glad you quoted the original post for context! 🤭🤫

Just got back into rehearsals with my new band and got to use my Bergantino rig "properly" 😁. Totally blown away this amp/cab/bass combo...this is the tone I always had in my head. Very happy.

Back in the day everyone fancied 'the blonde one'. But as you get older, a bit of life experience and maturity, looking back you realise that actually the attractive one, was the one with the beard.

Now that explains it 😂 - https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/mark--------phillips/201443/

Designacable is your friend. https://www.designacable.com I use these for all my needs now. Whilst they do sell on Amazon, their direct pricing is better but there is also a lot more choice.

That is outrageously good news!

y'know, he's a multi-instrumentalist too - looks like he'd give Geddy Lee a run for his money...

The first audition I went to, I learned (approximations of, no easy to get tab around 1986/7) seeral songs with help from my brother, a guitarist with a better ear than me, especially back then. Met up with guitarist and drummer. It seems that the sings were 'just an indication of the sort of thing'. They bumbled around various things that may have been nascent songs or just jams At the tiem I felt out of my depth and almost relieved not to be asked back. Looking back now, I suspect they actually didn't know how to play those songs themselves... but at teh time it was a blow to my confidence. Remarkably, I fell in with another bunch without muso pretensions, and we just clicked and had a great couple of years improving our skills and having fun, although we didn't set the world alight. When I moved away I was in a position to do much better at auditions and ended up in an originals band. I did get thrown out for 'being too widdly' - perhaps more that I wanted to play space rock, while the others wanted a sort of garage/goth fusion. By the next band, the audition was basically a pub interview followed by a session with the band leader who taught me a lot of their (Jam-like) bass lines, and passing the audition was basically just being able to play them properly! Left them when I change jobs/married in 96. This time around it's been much easier as when getting into things I developed a voracious appetite for learning songs, without being precious about genre or style. Over time, you develop a whole swathe of skills that help in getting into bands, that aren't simply being able to play difficult passages. Some of these are: A better ear, so you can rapidly work out the key without watching the guitarist and pick up the basic riffs (play along to random songs on the radio). This means you can jam with anyone, even if you just pump out root notes. The ability to identify the core parts of a song you need to do as original, where you can simplify and where you can improvise. A subconscious 'library' of riffs and runs that make improvisation easier. An intuition for anticipating chord changes, including hearing when the melody (often voice or guitar) is leading into a change. Fitting your rhythm to the drummer. Dynamics - when to ease back and when to dig in. I'm sure others will suggest other things, but what they all have in common is that they come with practice, and the best way is learning lots of songs all the way through. I suppose this is really a very long way to say learning those ten songs was not wasted effort!

I for one am delighted that in a world sadly lacking in unasked-for opinionating some people are determined to step to the plate come what may 💪

I like the way you've made sure the Spector matches the colour scheme of that piece of rope on the keyboard stand! Stunning looking bass... A custom order?

Ok then, I'll do it!

Damn, you boys are making this increasingly difficult to steer clear of! Looks like this will be getting added to my 2022 wish list.

Best and worse, hmmm. 🤔 Best was definitely the Jack Casady bass... ... until I bought a Yamaha BB424X which I reversed the P pickup on (Jack Casady still the best), which was supposed to satisfy my desire for a Hooky-esque reverse P BB after the release of his signature bass, which came out just after I'd bought the JC and I couldn't justify buying one. Then a couple of weeks ago a Hooky BB came up for sale within driving distance, and I couldn't help myself. I'm having the most fun with the PHBB, especially with the EHX Bass Clone which is fantastic, so that's probably my favourite. Actually they're both joint first place as they're such different creatures it's impossible to compare. Worst is probably a Crafter Cruiser that I bought purely because I drove past the sellers house on the way home from work and it was £20. It's very unfair to call it a bad purchase as it's a great little P bass, but it's the worst thing I've bought this year. Which means I've done alright. 🙂👍 For the full Hooky 😁

You have jinxed me, yet again!!! The "Must be better than what I already have" rule kicked in again yesterday, but this time it really was better than my current amp, so I have just arrived home with a new (to me) Bergantino Forte HP. Am I bovvered. . . . ?

Looks like a push-pull issue. Check the knobs first, yes the knobs, as they might have moved and are blocking the correct contact of the down position.

UPDATE - got a helpful email from Mats at EBS who suggested running it from an external PSU instead of the 48v phantom from my desk and VOILLA. Issue completely fixed. Turns out that the speaker emulator saturates too easily without a proper external power supply. Thank goodness for tech support!

This year, I got quite a few new things, and got rid of some too, so I am fairly balanced at the moment So my best purchases of the year are probably the basses: Can see there is a bit of a theme there. A Talman35 30" 5 string, a Mustang CV 30" and a JR 27". Its all about the short scale! I also got a X-Touch mixer controller which I am pretty happy with but haven't had a chance to use it live yet, so can't say (all the basses have been used live) Worst, well there is nothing particularly bad. I guess my worst was the future impact, not because its bad (its not, its a lot of fun) its just that I am not going to be able to use it in any of my present groups and I am going to lose a fair bit selling it. Or just leave it lying round in a box!

It is And the even better news is that it has held the back bow all night. So it is almost certain that the neck is fully functional, and that means no fretboard removal and a significantly lower risk of the fretboard or neck becoming u/s. I have some filing work to do to enlarge the inside diameter of enough washers to give the full present and future adjustment but I can now start thinking about the narrowing of the neck and start on that pretty soon. Might also be time to start ordering some timber for the fretless neck

You can play that Paganini piece on bass?? That is impressive! I agree with you that writing and composition is hugely admirable and should be highly commended, but I also think that natural ability plays a part. A lot of artistic people have a natural ability to write and compose. I have a friend who’s a fantastic songwriter and incredible drawing artist, it’s not something he’s particularly had to work on, it just comes naturally. The piece I posted impresses me due to the sheer amount of work and practice she must have put in to get it nailed. Not saying that anyone who writes doesn’t put the work in, far from it. The fact she’s 13 also stuns me. At 13 I was probably still eating mud and trying to impress girls by doing impossible stunts on my bmx, usually resulting in broken bones and cuts and bruises. I almost can’t compute the amount of bedroom hours she spent learning that at such a young age.

Yep. I used an old Yamaha RBX250 fretless with just the A and D strings, tuned a 5th or a minor 3rd apart and the heaviest slide I could find. To get the action high enough, I had to raise the bridge saddles up as far as they would go and run the strings over the top of the nut rather than in the string slots. It all worked well enough for what I was doing.

I pre-finished the fingerboard with tru-oil before installing the gold EVO frets. The rear of the neck has an asymmetric profile.

Quick update with the pickup ring kindly 3D printed for me by @Dad3353 - also ordered more wood for the next build! It's a sickness 😂