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Following @FinnDaves new pair of sunburst beauties, I received this today, a Fender 2016 US Standard. Shock horror, it’s not black as you can see but the classic Precision imo in sunburst/tort/rosewood. Plays and sounds fantastic, largely thanks to the Custom Shop 62 pickups. Thanks to Mark at Classic & Cool Guitars for a nice & easy transaction.

Not last night, however I'm really looking forward to our gig opening for Larry McCray Friday night at The Bend Theatre. It's sold out so we'll be playing to 350 people. It's a small theatre. I've never played a theatre gig. Blue

I've always tied their left hand behind their back

I love Big Country still. This a particular favourite of mine. Just listen to that bass sound and the energy being shown on stage by a bunch of young guys really enjoying themselves. So sad that Stuart had those demons that took over. At least we still have these memories.

Just bought a friend to the BB1025 I have. I just realised that we must have at least 2. Its B & B 🤦🏻‍♂️

It's easy for a neck pickup or P bass tone to become lost in a dense mix that includes keys. This is where a J bass blend control favouring the bridge pickup, or a Stingray come into their own. I have found this even playing along to tracks at home. When I played in a keys heavy, 80s band, my solution was to use my J and MM types as described. There is another solution of course...

? ! It's a bit heavy but...

It’s happened to me. I had hassle from someone a couple of years ago when I was selling a pair of Genelec monitors. The guy was going to pay but didn’t, then demanded to know why I hadn’t posted them. Now I always state clearly on the listing that it’s strictly cash on collection only, and give my post code. Anyone wanting anything different the message is deleted and they’re blocked. Life is too short to spend messing about with dishonest people on the internet.

Rare occasion I overdid the wine last night… used to be every week. Always came with hilarious consequences. Spotted this on Facebook marketplace earlier in the day…”damn that’s nice…must behave” Anyhow: apparently at 2am this morning, just before going to bed… I bought a bass… Could've been worse. Damn PayPal interest free.

In the time since this was originally posted, I have moved house 7 times, got married, had a child, divorced and remarried again.

@dclaassen - I have an utterly ridiculous certifiably bomb-proof flight case that'll almost certainly fit your bass, you're welcome to borrow it if you want. I'm in Essex so not a million miles away. Without exaggeration these cases used to be tested by the company (Rock Hard Cases) by being loaded with an instrument then being chucked out of a van driving 70mph! So should survive even Ryanair... It's basically one of these, but white on the outside, red on the inside and cut for Binky (my 10 string bass).

Got the pick ups cleaned and ready to fix with new screws

Although my first love is bass..... I've been the front man since I was 15.... these are the metal band I was in during the 80s, did Radio 1 sessions at Maida Vale etc.... fun times. Check out the look......😆

Hey folks, was in my local cash converters today on Leith Walk in Edinburgh. Sitting in the shop is a Yamaha BEX-4 in blue, cost £219.99. That is very cheap for a bass this rare so, thought I'd give someone the opportunity to snap it up. CC Edinburgh Contact: 0131-554-2266 Andy

Ive said it before and ill say it again. This guy is hands down awesome.

Very Mike Mills…

I’m bit late with this one from Sunday afternoon. Fair weather vintage rock band we put together during lockdown but which has run it’s course really, so this was probably our last planned gig. As a result it was super chilled and a really good fun vibe. Had a great time and went down well - judging by some snippets on Facebook it sounded half decent too.

Oh, sure, myself, I'd prefer to move the bridge but that option's still open to Daj if he wants to try it further down the road. At which point we'll re-open the 'algebra vs masking tape' debate and we can all completely lose our minds

My sound is akin to having spent £1600 more than I needed to as it's the same sound as the one that was £1600 less.

Thanks Stub, Our set is only an hour. It will be fun to blast through an hour of our best stuff. Blue

Thanks Dave, I've only played with signed recording artists a few times. I plan on doing a little networking if possible. Larry McCray is a part of the Joe Bonamassa camp. Blue

I think that that's a sign of trouble further down the line, and would recommend addressing it straight away. Several methods, but looking at that intonation set-up, I think I'd take the strings off (again..!), remove the bridge and move it back, about half the distance of the intonation screws length. Drill new screw holes, but well under-sized, so that the screws have wood to bite into. If possible, use longer screws (not so long as they come through the body, of course; just slightly shorter than the body thickness at that point...). With the bridge a little further back, and the bridge screws now holding the bridge firmly in place, the intonation will need to be little further forward, which is no bad thing, and there's more scope for adjustment. The earthing wire would be better trapped, too. As an aside, I'd be very wary of those barrel height adjuster grub-screws. There's been many a wrist sliced open with the darned things, when they are as high as that. A couple of options (the original 'ash-tray' cover helped avoid accidents, but maybe no longer an option..?). Once the height has been set, I'd see about taking them out and shortening them (sawing the bottom off...), leaving just enough for further work. I'd have them short enough to bury themselves in the barrel, with nothing to protrude; access is still there to turn 'em, but they'll not be a danger any more. Just sayin'.

I wasn't in any danger of being scammed because there is no way on Gods green earth I am sending money without getting paid first. I mean the guy was telling me he had paid the amount plus the insurance into this postal service that I had never heard of. He said I had to pay the insurance first for the company to know that I wasn't scamming. I told the guy straight, look pal, that aint happening. He started saying but I have paid, you will be doing me out of money, then threatening me with fines and jail terms which were way out of a flight of fancy, £75,000 and a seven year jail term 🤣. I was armed and ready for the next one and as soon as the "you are liable for the insurance" came up that's when I hit him with the I'm coming your way I can bring the item, give me your details, he left the conversation. I was disappointed as I wanted a bit more fun with him.

2021 D-Roc 5 purchased at Bass & Guitar Show in Liverpool

@Deedee and @jimmyb625, I can solve this problem for one of you at least. You buy a nice 1965 Precision (my YOB), and I’ll trade you straight for my lovely ‘73. Simples. 😎

Here's my current collection - pre retirement sale!!!

Watching the news on Al Jazeera with the usual round of misery we got to discussing the politics of the day until I was distracted by the sight of someone carrying a mic stand rather than a Kalashnikov. This is just a lovely, inspiring film in rural Rwanda confirming musicians everywhere share so much more than they don't. The point where people who don't share a language start to harmonize.... Anyway 15 mins of pure pleasure Sounds of Home: A Musical Odyssey in Rwanda I Documentary | Africa Direct - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onHzJHWrTiU

I popped into Ashdown yesterday to buy a CTM 100 & they repaired my ABM1000 & serviced my LB550 while I waited. They gave me a tour & I can't believe how much time Mark , Dan & the team gave me .They even tried to fix the clutch on my Van .lol. I love this company for loads of reasons , They take great pride in what they do & over the years they actually listen to the customer & act upon it . I think what ever make you use now you should A/B it against an Ashdoown .

Just came across this: https://www.pedalplayground.com

Man goes to the doctor, saying 'Doctor, I have pains all over', Doctor say 'Point to where it hurts...'. The man prods himself on the leg, then the arm, then the stomach, each time with an "Ouch". Doctor says 'You've got a broken finger'.

Two New Fender Bass Day. By a strange coincidence, I received two new Fender basses today. This morning I took delivery of the MiM Precision I ordered on Saturday and a couple of hours later the replacement for my faulty Vintera Jazz turned up. Each has had a quick once over, been tuned and played along to a few songs, and both sound and feel fine. I'll get them set up to my taste over the next few days. I know have a Precision with flats and a Precision with round wounds, and two Jazzes, one with flats and one with rounds. I sill prefer the feel of the rounds and the sound of the flats, but at last I can chose without having to change strings.

A gig in the village hall to raise money for Ukraine. We raised £1800. The local Ukrainian centre provided a choir of young ladies to sing some traditional songs and one of them is a refugee from the conflict Followed by various ditties from local acts and scratch bands, one of which I was in.... we're mulching our way through 'Sorrow' here. The chap on the left of the pic in the white shirt is Forest & Newcastle legend Frank Clark

Mine should be here at the end of next week. I have been using a JOYO British Sound that I modified to VT Bass specs with a few component tweeks, but the more I use it with my other pedals, the less I like it. Having listened a lot to the American sound demos on YouTube I think that might be closer to what I'm after, but the Oxford has a certain appeal since I do so love the Orange bass amps.

aged gold annodised...

Generally it would be a nonsense to try to sort a neck heel without the actual body to fit it to - but @fleabag's intended body has a 'standard' Fender type pocket and he has sent me some double-check accurate measurements he was able to do with his vernier. And I have 'for this kind of purpose' a paulownia Fender-ish body in my bits pile! In fact, some folks who were at one of the Midlands Bassbash might recognise it as the one that I did a 'live' veneer application demonstration on Also, @fleabag won't fit the bridge until he has the neck and so can do the micro-adjustments with the bridge positioning once the neck has been fitted. The test-bed body also has a Fender-type socket and the dimensions match: So paper template and the all important centre-line drawn: And that let me plane, scrape and sand the heel to size and shape. There's a lot of fettling involved to ensure a good fit and a neck that is straight to the centreline of the body: And a good double check - the fretboard is at finished taper and, of course, that heel is now also at finished taper...so when the fretboard is in the right place, the fretboard and heel sides should be completely flush. And...... So I just have to cut the curve at the end of the fretboard overhang and the fretboard can be epoxied. After which, we move to the neck carve

I’ve often thought of getting a YOB precision, in my case 1973 but I would be scared to death to buy anything other than a bass that was either known to this forum, or from someone such as Andy Baxter. 😬

My recently-acquired, near-mint 2015 SG Bass, the year Gibson included a bunch of upgrades (notably Babicz bridge and thicker rosewood board).

In 1983, when I were just a mere slip of a lad, me and my good lady saw Big Country, The Alarm and Yip Yip Coyote at the Lyceum. So taken with the band, me and a mate decided we should catch them a few months later and decided that (for logistical reasons) we should fly to Jersey and see them in the Fort Regent Centre. My brother (and my mate's dad) both worked for British Airways, so flights were arranged. We'd procured tickets through my mate's channel Island office and found two days board in what could best be described as a house straight out of The Munsters in Pontac. Gig day we pulled on our Big Country shirts, thumbed a lift to St Helier and got picked up by a very drunk man driving a Lord's Taverners Fun Bus. We arrived at the venue around midday, found a bar, had some lunch at which point Big Country just sauntered in. I doubt any of the punters in there knew who they were, but they saw us and just sat down with us. We had a couple of pints, discovered Mark Brzezicki knew my brother, that Tony Butler lived a couple of doors away from a friend of mine in Sandhurst and that Stuart was amazed and appreciative that we'd flown over for the gig from London. They invited us in for the soundcheck. We just hung around with them until 7.00pm. Post gig, we went back to Chez Munsters and were back at the airport about 7.00am for the flight back and in they strolled, saw us and just started cheering and greeting us like old friends. Stuart bought me a roll of film for my camera as I was out of money. We were on standby, so had to wait for seats on the plane, we got called at the last minute, got on the plane and they're cheering us on (again). I met Stuart a couple of times after and he remembered the whole thing. He was a lovely, lovely bloke. I miss him. He shouldn't have gone like that. [Edit] Just wanted to add something for context here. We (me, my best mate and my wife) were all mahoosive Skids fans and remember that The Crossing hadn't even been released when we did the Jersey trip. Obviously, it was an absolute joy to be two young blokes standing in the middle of the venue watching them soundcheck for an hour, it was like a private gig. (Later in the same year, I recall an occasion where me and my mate experienced something akin to absolute joy at hearing 'In A Big Country' on the radio for the first time. We were in my old Datsun 120Y coupe, driving to rehearsal down The Causeway, approaching Staines Bridge. I haven't experienced such delight since. The excitement when it came on - and the silence that descended while we listened - was just fantastic.) I can recall Stuart saying he'd bought a watch for £2.99 and kept showing it to us. 'Two, ninety nine!'. Also Kenny Dalglish (and family) was at the gig and on the same flight home. He saw us in our Country shirts and got a bit animated; I couldn't understand a word he said. Worryingly (I suppose), the drinking thing was evident with Stuart at the airport on the way back. He was knocking back shorts at 7.00am in the morning.

Your not the only one, feel no guilt, as I said earlier I once bought an Austin Healey under the influence of drink off eBay. Shock of my life in the morning when the offer was accepted… I did have one hell of a summer out if it though, top down, warm hazy days and English country roads 😂🤣