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Played a new (for us) venue last night - the British Legion Club in the old fishing village of Watchet in our home county of Somerset. High expectations as 'Legions' normally have a decent car park and stage. First problem was the sat-nav led me to the car park of a pub called the Star. As there was no sign of the Legion and the Star was in a cul de sac, I decided that road access had to from somewhere behind the pub and set off on a big loop to try and find a way in from the other side. After stopping a couple of times to ask directions, I ended up back at the exact spot where the sat-nav had taken me in the first place. This was indeed the nearest place to off-load and stuff had to be hand-balled the remaining 100 yards to the Club. By now, I've wasted 20 minutes searching the tiny, winding streets around the harbour and am somewhat whizzed off. At least the hoped-for stage is there when I arrive. So, quick set-up and we're straight into Gimme All Your Lovin'. This results in a healthy round of applause and four punters jump up to ask if we can do some more ZZ Top. "Yep, we always finish with Sharp Dressed Man and Tush." The sight of four smiling faces and 8 thumbs held high means that either there's a party of hitch-hikers in tonight or that we're guaranteed an audience of at least four at the end of the gig. As we get into the first set, we realise that the venue's acoustics are great, the mix is perfect, and the band's exceptionally tight tonight. The gig is even better for me as I'm still in awe of the sounds coming out of my relatively new Mesa TT-800 now I've got my head round it. Because of all the covid stuff, mine's one of a very small number of these amazing amps to have made it to our shores so far, and I'm feeling grateful - smug even 😊. The crowd are with us and the first set just flies by. During the break, I spot that the two different groups of people I asked directions from are in the audience and go and have a chat with them. Like most people, they love classic-rock covers and, even though I've enjoyed playing in a number of bands doing all original material, it's the classic rock that really does it for me. The second set kicks-off with Thunderstruck and also passes in a (Jumpin' Jack) flash. When we're all done and dusted, the Club Manager comes over with a big smile on his face and - even more important - an envelope containing our ill-gotten gains. The cash turns out to be more than expected, which is the icing on the cake! It's 56 years since I played my first high-school gig and I can honestly say that the buzz I get from gigging is as strong now as it was back then. On a good night at least 😉

The first coat of satin Wax & Oil have been applied and the pictures show it still wet. 12 hours to dry before I can re-coat.

My pair... just need to find an equally light J type.

Still quite a bit to do before this can go courier-ing back to chez @fleabag , but it's starting to look like a bass neck. And it still lines up! (Not that I'm stunned and amazed, you understand...) But I'll let it be for the rest of the day so that the epoxy has fully cured before any physical work is exerted on it. But seems a shame to lose a free day now all the tools are out. So what can I possibly do? Hmmm...there's that Wal-ish neck of @funkle's waiting in the wings. Hmmm...I think I can feel a flurry of sawdust coming on

Yeah but... Oh bog off [/runs out of vocabulary]

Hey! Hope this is in the right place , the luthier section seemed a little off for what is essentially a few mods. So, for my birthday the Mrs treated me to a bass i had my eye on and i was happy. Then it arrived and i could not for the life of me find the arrows for the 4 sting bow i had been sent. Neck angle was waaaaaay off and even with the bridge saddles absolutley slammed the action at the 12th was about 6mm... Unfortunately i have no pictures of just how bad it was, i'm not one of those who photos everything and shows the world what i had for dinner last tuesday. The finished pic i had to take for this post, its been finished for 2 weeks now. I had my eye on this bass as a project, a cheapo wonder to be improved upon with as little as possible spent but all new parts. Wanting to do things properly, or as properly as i know how i opted to copper shield the bloody lot. Turns out it was possibly the best £7 mod i have ever made and every instrument i own will be treated to the same eventually. The bass was £105. The parts (pickup , knobs , bridge , tuners ) inc. delivery were £74. Neck shims and p bass wiring kit delivered from Stewmac was £45. The time was my own , and it turns out it was well spent. This bass is incredible, Incredible to play, incredible sounding. I have never owned a P bass before and have been looking for this sound, Wow. Action is really nice too , the 1 degree shim was perfect. I honestly did not expect results like this and am kind of blown away. I still have a couple of high frets to deal with and they all need a good polish but that'll be sorted at next string change cos i can live with it as is until then. £30 quid a bloody pop for strings damn sure i can wait. Parts used were Wilkinson bridge , pickup. Northwest guitars gold tuners and knobs, Stewmac wiring kit with cts pots. Strings are DR fat beams. Sound is heavenly. A friend who had a go today commented it's so quiet its like playing with a noise gate. For a first go i think i did alright.

Today I took delivery of this wonderful, tiny beast and it's absolutely brilliant! Pics are from the seller, he did a much better job at them than I could have. It's a 2015 model, but there are absolutely no traces of use whatsover. It's like new! I've been lusting after one of these for over a year now, especially the PJ version but I have yet to find a lefty version of that. This one was offered to me in a trade against one of my Ibanez MC924's and I gladly took it! I haven't owned a shortscale in years, but it's such a breeze to play that there won't be much of a learning curve! It clearly borrows its design from the Fender Mustang and Musicmaster, but aside from the (rounded slab) body and pickguard shape and the narrow 16,5mm string spacing, that's where the similarities end. This thing is a scaled down active Jazz Bass, and it sounds very modern! Controls are neck volume, bridge volume (push/pull for passive), stacked bass and treble (boost only). Tuners are Gotoh, bridge is a custom aluminium Hipshot style B with extra narrow string spacing. Frets appear to be stainless steel and are very narrow and low and I love the feel! Neck is reinforced with titanium rods. There are a few minor things that annoy me and need to be taken care of: pickup height adjustment doesn't work (in either direction. They're completely stuck at their current height!), and I hate the looks and feel of the control knobs and the pots themselves. The neck volume feels solid and stays in place, but the others turn too lightly to my taste and are very touch-sensitive. I still have a set of Fender Jazz Bass knobs and two Fender Am Dlx stacked Jazz knobs that I hope I can get to fit. It also has a bit of neckdive, but not so bad that a rough strap can't cure it. Otherwise I'm very happy with it, and it's incredibly fun to play!

Oh boy - the previous incarnation of the scam included sending a postal receipt as a proof that the item was returned due to a failed delivery; the thing is, he gave several people the same return receipt reference number, which came to light as a result of sharing the details and was for delivery to him of another item entirely. As far as Action Fraud goes; whether or not they decide to proceed is one thing, but you do get a crime reference number and also the possibility of centrally linking your case with others. As ever, the advice is never use Friends and Family to pay for things (unless you really do know the person); the art of the con-man is to convince you that they are kindred spirits and if you assume the good in people then you are easy meat for them. Similar caution applies to paying by bank transfer, but (some) banks may take action to reverse the transaction (with the aforementioned crime reference number) and get the recipient's account frozen. Whilst of course there are many more genuine folks about than fraudsters, you simply have to take the risk of their being affronted by refusing unprotected payments; I have had something not go through because of that, but I stand by my rule.

So after seeing one of these featured on Bass The World, I've had my eyes peeled for one for ages. It's mid 80s, made India (eh?..... yep), I think its one of the early ones, as there's no bullet truss rod nut, and if you can find one at all in decent condition, they're not expensive at all. Past reviews are mixed... "Budget" or "Cheap Eastern knockoffs" ...to... "Best kept secret" "Future Classic". Not sure about any of that, but this thing is a belter. Really. I've been around long enough to know what's driftwood and what isn't. This isn't. Because it would sink. Many people describe these as "Cheap and cheerful", however having spoken to a couple guitar (6 string) techs, the "strats" were actually really very good when they're in good order, and desirable by some folks. One went on to say that actually the Indians were actually very good with the construction side, with regard to the timber, it was just the electrics that were "functional", but surprisingly, the pickups, although lowish in output, actually had a nice tone and perfectly useable. "Many people will replace the pickups for no reason, they're fine" Quote. Mine was in a sorry state when I got it, poor Ander (who I bought it from) had removed most of its gunk after he received it from someone else in that state. It had a broken tuner, cheap nasty and broken EQ, and looked like someone had used it as a battering ram. Not a bad idea, as it weighs a ton. So, lots of TLC later, an 80s set of (identical to the original ones) Hohner tuners, Dunlop straplocks (wouldn't want to drop it, it would go straight through floor), oiled fretboard, KiOgon loom and a set of D'Addario tapewounds, and I think its bloody awesome. I had my doubts about the pickup before I actually heard it, but it sounds perfectly decent with the new loom, no problem there. The neck is one peice maple with an Indian rosewood board, it's really nice and straight, and the body is.... solid ash? (it took ages to rout out for the CTS pots)(apparently the guitars were 3pcs mahogany). Nice tight neck pocket, decent construction from what I can see. Full ahead mojo on this thing. Very cool. This bass is a survivor, and I hope I've given it a new lease of life, because hasn't been loved for a long time. Great range of tones, SO good with the tone rolled back, lovely low action, no buzz, easy to play thanks to the tapes, AND it looks the dogs. Old school marvellousnes. It's a P bass? Looks like one, sounds like one, feels like one, and it reminds me of a '78 Fender I had in a lot of ways. Definitely 70s vibes, even though this was built 10yrs later, and having just spent a couple of hours playing it, I have a massive smile on my face. I don't care where it was made or how much it cost. With a proper clean up, set up and new parts (Original pickup), this thing is class, I was grinning from ear to ear. I literally haven't touched the other basses since I got this one, I just can't put it down. Fabulous thing. Precision bass requirements fulfilled. Obviously by the time I’d edited this post, I’d added a second one.

So, last Friday, my band Terbium put out our debut single "Hey Ya." It's progressive material per se. For those of you wondering, I'm playing a Wal. As a second shameless plug, I also produced this (recorded/mixed/mastered) at my own studio (www.eraxsound.com). If anyone needs anything done, basschat discount applies.

You sit down in the pub at the only available table, right by the solo guitarist/ singer with the awful classic rock backing trax who can't sing and can't play any of the solos and you realise you're sitting dead opposite and facing his wife and now having to bob your head and play drums on your knees while pretending it's not shite.😳

What neck?

UPDATE Over the weekend I finally got around to improving the port arrangement of the Micro combo. I had some great help and advice from @Phil Starr regarding the size of the Port. I changed the original port to 2 ports 38mm id x 100mm long but sadly I was experiencing some nasty "chuffing". On Phil's advice, over the weekend I replaced the two ports with one port 70mm id X 96mm long and the performance has improved considerably. My implementation of the cab & speaker is still not as good as the solution Phil adopted and this can be seen in the curves below. Phil's is the GREEN curve (85Hz), the two 38mm id x 100mm ports is the BLUE and the 70mm id x 96 mm is in RED (85Hz). The Fane does appear to perform very well in a small cab and maybe if I had spent more time in the research and calculation phase rather than jumping too quickly into the construction phase I may have achieved a better performance out of the Faital. Any how, I am pleased with the improvement in performance and happy that the chuffing has disappeared. Thanks again to @Phil Starr for his excellent support.

I've just put this one together - I say put together, but I can't find my velcro so only the tuner and compressor are "in place", hence the OCD-annoying misalignment. I also have EBS flat cables ordered to tidy things up a bit. First pedalboard I've had in a long time. The Cali76 CB is outstandingly good - I've never been a compressor fan but this has changed my mind! The Oxford has just turned up and it's a brilliant pedal. The Element is excellent now I know how to work the thing properly - I was convinced the touch pad was broken and even contacted customer service at Darkglass about it.... It wasn't, just designed to be pushed harder than I thought! I'm not overly fussed on the X7 in conjunction with everything else yet so it may be getting replaced... I always feel guilty about having a lot of money invested in pedals (probably because I spent so long as a straight into the amp kinda guy) so I'm always on the hunt for "same effect, lower outlay" alternatives. The DIY pedal bug has reared it's head again and I have Vintage Microtubes, B3K and Fat General clones to build so I don't imagine this combination will be fixed for very long!

No, it doesn't, it was a reply to the posts in this thread about reading vs non-reading musicians - not reading requires a very different but no less useful set of skills to those of a reader. Guitarists winging it badly because they couldn't be bothered to learn the song are simply lazy and are unlikely to change - best asked to leave the band in my opinion (on the basis that having them taken outside and shot is generally frowned upon, even though it could be a useful source of capital when you sell his gear).

They're great basses, IMO although I recently sold mine - Yeah, I know, but only because I prefer my JMJ Mustang. Not noticeable neck dive but then again I use a 100mm wide leather strap with a suede backing so there's a lot of inherent resistance to neck dive. A few people online seem to moan about the stock pickups but IMO they were very good, clean and clear with classic Fender sounds on tap. I had mine modded to include a blend pot as the stock 3 way switch was too limiting, but the blend really opened up the tones available, my favourite being around 60:40 mix of neck/bridge. Slim jazz like neck profile. Very good basses, IMO, with bags more tonal character than the Performer bass which is twice the price but just sounded a bit bland in comparison.

Yes, mine did dive somewhat. I changed the machines for smaller (much nicer!) Gotoh ones and the balance is now neutral. The whole thing is now bang on 8lbs.

Why? When I was 16 I was in a terrible covers band, then I got better. If someone is having a crack you beat them down or help them up. Your choice…

That can't be right... if she was your ex-wife, you must have presumably met her before when you got married. Unless it was an arranged marriage or something. [/pedantry]

Out -Pedal Power Mondo -DOD Carcosa -TC Hypergravity -NUX Tape Core In -Strymon Zuma & Ojai -Source Audio C4 Synth -Wampler Ego Mini -Ibanez Mini Analog Delay

This really made me laugh I know, I know!! Its a slow burner for sure.

Peter Hook and The Light in the about an hour and a half. First proper gig in a long time and I'm like a little kid on Christmas eve.

I’m in love with the look of this.

OK - ref the neck, small beginnings...but beginnings nevertheless. A brief opportunity has been provided by the long set epoxy I used on @fleabag's neck build having its proper time to cure For the Wal-ish one, we have the maple, we have the mahogany and, with great thanks to @Fishman, we have a genuine Wal rosewood fretboard @funkle measured the mahogany laminates on the Wal he has been using in this project at 4.71mm thick. I don't have a sander-thicknesser, which is what the proper builders would use, but the makita planer-thicknesser is actually pretty accurate And that blank is wide enough to be cut in two to ensure absolute match: And so there we go. Started

Each to their own. I like it exactly as it is. Wouldn't work for me if it was a lot smaller.

I should also mention that the fabulous Lawrie Keys at Tempo in Southall had been kind enough to lend me a bass for the night, so if the Wal hadn't arrived in time we'd still have been able to play.

ha ha ha

Hey, I did that already. Although it was on a fretted Precision so it was more a self deprecating comment on the player rather than the bass...

A few times when we've been to pubs and there's been a terrible covers band playing we got up and started dancing like idiots right in front of them while loudly singing lyrics to songs they weren't playing.

Absolutely agree, Mr Zilch. If my covers band decides to add a new number to the set, there’s unlikely to be any sheet music available, but a version of the essential chord charts are usually available onlIne as a starting point, as are the words. The skill of non classical musicians like us is to hear the whole number, deconstruct it into the various parts using whatever tools (including our ears!) we have, then rebuild it as an exact copy or an interpretation as suits our purposes. Post-modern Jukebox are masters at the latter! Funny thing is, although classical instrumentalists are superb technicians at reading parts and masters of their instruments, not many of them can or want to play by ear, busk or do the decon-reconstruct tricks that the rest of us do. My dad was a concert violinist, but could never get his head around a 12 bar blues...

An afternoon gig for us, in the beer garden of a pub in Nantwich. The landlord's off to pastures new and had put on a weekend of different acts as a last hurrah. We played as a 6 piece, as the drummist was otherwise engaged. I always feel a bit nervous when we do this, as there's not much to lock on to and I need to change my usual lines to suit. Overall, it went really well, it was a nice day, we played well and the audience seemed to appreciate it. As a tenuous link, Thea Gilmore was in the audience and didn't walk out when we played, so I'm taking that as a win! 🤣

Get stuck in Good luck

You Wear It Whale - Rod Stewart

I found 2.5mm ties lay flat on the fingerboard ,never got any dings either. They're thin , about 1.5mm, so conform to the shape they're wrapped around; nor do you need to hitch them super tight . Added bonus is the low profile means you don't have to raise the action on your fretless by much. Course it goes without saying, just because these wee ties worked as temporary frets for me it's not a given they'll work for @three 👍

The point is more that where a musical genre is more complicated, then relying on interpreting and playing by ear becomes troublesome in itself; and its by necessity the parts need to be more organised than simply allowing/expecting each musician to transcribe. Also, "complicated" could mean more instruments. A rock band has say 3-6 instruments, a big band has 18 parts. If there is a chord to be played, how does the 2nd alto sax player know which note to play, because someone needs to play the (for example) 9th, but is it the alto sax, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone etc? Not so easy to determine by ear. And an orchestra might have 30-40 different parts. Also don't forget that notated music also has much more than simply the notes and rhythm - there is dynamics, marks of expression, breath, accent etc too, all of which goes to make up the 'feel' of the music, accepting that its impossible to notate everything and there is still scope for interpretation or differences between it and the original recording. Also its about time saving (ie efficiency) too. If you have an amateur music group who rehearse once a week, not everyone has the time to sit and listen to a song and accurately transcribe it (and commit it to memory). There's different skills: reading music; sight reading (which is distinct in itself); expression, playing in time/tune, transcribing, playing by ear, improvising etc. You are what you practice too - if you are an average musician in an amateur music group, you are probably used to reading and sight reading but might not be so great at playing in time, or improvising. A well rounded musician doesn't have a weakness, or has a way to work around eg not reading music so that they're not holding up the rest of the band; or they can adapt to different situations, genres etc without too much issue.

There's a balance to be struck when playing covers. The harmonic structure, melody and key phrases/licks must be there. Outside of that, there is room to be "creative", but beware of going OTT. It's a judgment call. The important thing is to know the original, so you aren't changing things because you cannot play it as written.

I can’t think of anything more boring than playing everything identically to a record. Most bands who wrote the originals don’t even do that.

When I first joined Basschat, in 2009, I had one bass. That didn't last long.

I have had just 1 Bass from 1975 to present 1000's of Gig's

For years I did, due more to funds than anything else, as in my early 20s lager was the greater priority. And I was gigging a lot back then.

Some serious chunks taken out of it with what looks like an axe. It all just adds to the mojo. Playing along to some old school funk and hip hop last night, it was just perfect. If you haven’t tried Tapewounds on a P bass, you should.