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Just done some upgrades on my Mustang bass, new pickguard courtesy of Gig.ink @TimAl and Duncan Quarter pounder P pickup

Hi Folks, 3 weeks post surgery and I'm doing well. This post is primarily for the Senior Folks that have been playing for decades. However, please everyone chime in. What do you want to do and accomplish at 65 plus years as opposed to when you were 21 What is your focus at 65 plus,writing, performance, recording , self study What are your thoughts on gigging at 65 plus as opposed to 21. What type of folks do you want to work with at 65 plus I'll be performing tonight it's my 2nd gig since my surgery. I was in the hospital for 6 days. I've been out for 2 weeks. I'm really pushing it and I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

It’s not often I read the Sunday e-mail from Bass Direct. I kind of scan it and rely on looking at the photos of the used section on Monday to see what’s new. Well, I’m jolly glad I did read it Sunday just gone, because there was a Ken Smith BSR 4WT mentioned in the list that wasn’t on the site and I've been after one for a while now. I quickly e-mailed Mark and said I would have it subject to seeing photos and getting a bit more info on it. He came back to me quickly saying it was due in any day and that it was a 2015 build and in excellent condition. A home use ungigged kind of deal. A day or so went by and Mark sent me a couple of photos and it was exactly what I'd hoped it would be. There was a bit of confusion at one point when I received and e-mail addressed to someone else saying it was on hold. Apparently I was not the only one who was after it, so if anyone here was enquiring and lost out, I do apologise. Anyhow, I paid for it yesterday and it arrived just after lunch today - that’s under 24 hours folks! What a bass this is. Lovely weight and balance, plus the neck is just spot on for me - very Jazz like and not very deep either. It's set up quite low, possibly too low for me even, so I'll have a little adjustment session later. I haven’t had a chance to plug it in yet, but so far, so excellent. I know there are some here that don't like coffee table basses, but I think this one is quite understated compared to some.

It's gorgeous!!! It sounds good!!! It looks great!!! And it's enormous!!!! My new rig with PJB C2 and Trace Elliot Elf:

I'm not the most confident singer, and not a particularly good voice either. However in my experience it's better to "go for it" rather than doing it half-heartedly. Keep projecting, but back off the mic a bit to get the vocals in balance. Certainly hearing yourself is a lot better than NOT hearing yourself. If your band(s) are keen for you to do backing vocals, have a vocal session. Put down your instruments, get the guitarist to play along quietly and practice just the vocals together without mics. If you have difficulty pitching, sing your starting note off mic for a bit before you come in

Soo this is my honest rig Ashdown ABM500 Evo II RC from 2007 in Gator retrorack case with a power socket mounted on the back to power the head, pedalboard and Mooer Radar; Gallien Krueger CX210 & CX410 @8ohms that I keep at rehersal place; I almost always ony take the 2x10 cab to gigs In front of that is just bass and pedalboard.

Blimey, that really does sound like those early days of rock n roll .........

Side N°2 done today and I de-stapled the old grill cloth. They weren’t looking to save money on staples at Peavey. There was approximately 300 😬. I’ve stapled the new cloth to the frame just to try and straighten it a little before fixing it properly.

I played a 3 hour bar gig. The tiny bar was packed ( private birthday party but still a bar gig ) I guess I'm spoiled. All summer we played outside showcase gigs and festivals. Most gigs were an hour and a half. I think my bar gig days are limited. Blue

Each to their own mate. I'm quite happy to spend 7 hours getting even a little bit of insight into the writing process of one of the most successful bands in history.

I have a TT4, a VT4 and a VS4, neck profile is the same on all of them (and very nice necks they are too, much more jazz than P).

Trip hazard.

Just reading some of the other replies reminded me of a guitarist I used to play with. One day he turned up to practice with a Helix LT - decided that it would be simpler to have a fancy multi FX rather than patch cables that break. Sounded great, his peals before were fine too though. One day, he decided that he wasn't making the full use of the Helix, sold it and set up a traditional pedalboard. Turns out he had some faulty patch cables and spent the first 20 minutes of band practice tearing apart his pedalboard! I feel like I hear people saying that they're not "making full use of the thing" as a reason for selling their Helix products a lot as well. I think as long as what you're using the thing for is comparably priced to a similar set of pedals and it performs to a standard where you're happy, keep it to do those things. You don't have to use all of the bells and whistles all of the time, but they can be useful every now and then.

Sneaky peak shot of the body and neck sent over to me for perusal.

This year I've actually sold more than I've bought which is a novelty. 3 out, one in, though the one in is special to me and by default has to be my 'best' purchase.

I ordered a G&L Tribute JB-2 (Sunburst and maple) from Anderton's last night when their black friday sale went live. I've had my eye on this bass for a couple of months now since my back started playing up. I didn't expect to see one in their sale, but low and behold, there it was. £299 down from £399. Should arrive Monday. FWIW. My back went twice this year, the last time I was crawling around on my hands and knees for a few days. I think it was a fitness issue at it's core, but triggered by the first gig in about a year, playing my significantly weighty Yamaha Attitude LTD2, and carrying a load of gear (inc PA and helping move drums) up and down a fire escape - my back was on fire after that gig, and a week later I was on the floor. I vowed then to lighten my gear as much as possible. The Attitude now has Hipshot ultralites (makes a big difference to the balance), I sold my very heavy Warwick Corvette. I've been considering getting a jazz bass for a while as in nearly 30 years I've never had one (not a true "classic" one anyway) but I realise they tend to be on the weighty side compared to the average P bass. Bassdirect had a list of lightweight basses and the inexpensive JB-2 caught my attention at only 8.5lbs. I'm not a sunburst guy normally, but I am a sucker for a maple fretboard and this particular model really appealed. I know it's not a "classic Jazz" style, but it's closer to one than anything I've had before, and lighter. I just hope it lives up to it's reputation.

That someone, somewhere, can't use their oven anymore?

Unicorn vomit?

Looks to me like the advert has worked perfectly, those with ideas above their station are triggered whereas the ones that are happy to do as they are told and take the money aren't bothered. If I refused to work for every person I thought was a bit of a d1@k I wouldn't have many customers.

i had regular failures with plannet waves cables until i replaced the jacks with neutrix ones. Same with Fender ones, the jacks look sturdy but Neutrix are much more reliable in my experience.

I'm not going to correct that typo 🤣🤣🤣

I’ve never seen another stingray like this before I wish it was mine.

Just reminiscing watching TOTP 1991 (not a good year for music IMHO) but brings back fond memories of doing the same every time I used to watch TOTP as a kid and avidly Bass gear spotting. Obviously in the days before the internet it was a lot more difficult identifying anything even remotely exotic, but that was half the fun

Can you tell what it is yet? I remember seeing them actually play live on TOTP once, it may have been this one, most of their appearances were without a backline. Ac<edit> I think this is concert footage... I remember them with a much smaller stage setup, it was live because they always stressed when bands were live. Motorhead on TOTP? How things have changed 😞

I replied to every email I got like this one: Now I can't turn round in corridors.

Ha. Thank you. I've been scratching my head for the past hour, trying to remember where I had heard Omicron before.

Your right about the Pelham blue colour. This is my bass it goes from blue to green depending on how the light hits it.

nothing really springs to mind, Groovehacker

Yes the Embassy has put on an extra £25, but Thomann will honour the price. A PITA is the cash has not yet been taken by PayPal so I have to keep it in my main a/C.

Sad sign of the times i'm afraid. Ordered my Mesa TT800 in May this year and might get it Spring 2022. Down to a combination of available parts and shipping containers in wrong places plus the workforce effects due to pandemic. Andertons have assured me that price will not go up as i've already paid for the amp so that's a bonus. Dave

Should’ve left it up there

The Mrs hates singing when our church changes key, as it's for squeaky voices (all the worship leaders & the worship pastor are female). They seem to choose what they can sing rather than the congregation. I remember watching a worship video a while ago (IIRC, Chris Tomlin). He said that he writes songs so that the congregation can sing them & should only need changed by a semitone to suit the lead vocal. Our church still go with "capo on the 7th".

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A good bit of progress made... aiming for January delivery (after the Xmas postal madness has died down!)

The basses I've shielded have really benefited - there is an extra silence to the background that lets them sound more clearly - even if you can't really hear it: the hum and interference is there - it's a bit like getting a new TV with a blacker black - the colours in contrast seem to pop a bit more.

Hi there, apologies for the slow reply! i feel your pain concerning ergonomics! After changing basses far too many times i settled on Dingwalls a little while ago, and have now fully made the transition to the fan fret system. They are light enough that i can play three sets in the evening without any shoulder pain, very flexible on tone for different genres!and i find my left hand has no stiffness at all after a gig. For me these three things are pretty huge! i have the Super PJ, which i find really good for solid ‘in the pocket‘ basslines. Anything which means good lo-mid, and non muddy bass then this bass flies. Its not as flexible in the upper register or super zingy if you know what i mean. I have the Pau Pau fretboard, so perhaps the maple would be different? However, when i am playing James Brown, motown or anything that normally suits a P Bass its quite phenomenal. The neck is the best i have played. Ever. The only but for me is the short scale at 32”. I have long monkey arms and prefer longer scale. For others this will be a good thing, so judge for yourself. i also find the banjo frets, and string tension give a great playing experience and sustain that goes on and on and on……. i also have the Combustion 4/2, and recently the NG3/4 and its these two basses that get taken to most gigs. The neck feels more Stingray than Jazz but still super comfy. But the tonal range, especially for Funk, and Dance stuff means i dont have to use an external preamp which i normally would with the Super PJ. dont be fooled into thinking that these basses are one trick ponies. Alot of reviews show people using them for Thrash Metal etc, because of their association with Nolly Getgood from Periphery, but they are great all rounders. The pre amp is very flexible as is the pickup selector, and it sounds great passive as well as active. i would recommend trying both before you make a decision. The Combustion/NG range are quite a bit cheaper, so worth a look. but be warned once you have made the move to Dingwall and fan fret there is no going back !! Let us know what you choose and feel free to ask any questions. cheers, Mike

Growing up we had two music shops in town: a snooty piano sheet music and violence n shop that had high end guitars and a rough n ready guitar shop that sold odds and sods and repaired breakages from shipping accidents but had a good stock of basses. I got my first bass in the latter and was offered ordinary or short scale. This is 20+ years back, before internet. Music megastores like PMT etc just hadn't made it out to the rocky outcrop I grew up in. 5 string basses were not offered, and why would they be? Anyhoo, I asked for flatwound strings once. The answer "sure, I'll whack em with a hammer for you".

They're extremely niche. I would hazard a guess that 80% or probably much more of basses sold are 4 string. 5 strings are a fun instrument to play, but when high street shops, already struggling, have to balance the books and consider what will sell and what wont, a 5 or 6 string is unlikely to be considered high on the list. They're more likely to get more of what will sell.

A bit of sparkle now and again is a fine thing

You know when you think you’ve nailed the brief , and then , you think , bring it on, and well, yeah everyone brings it on , yeah , WOW , yeah , that !

I’ve use various cables over the years and honestly I couldn’t tell a difference in sound. How long they last however is a very different story. As other people have said those Planet Waves cables never last long. The best ones I’ve found for me are Klotz; had the same few jack cables for years and they never go wrong 👍

I’m sure that anyone buying this won’t need the second pillow.