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I only have positive things to say, the first time I traveled to the shop was to buy a Dingwall Combustion bass, instead of a taxi Marks wife came and picked me up from the train station in her car AND she dropped me back off after buying the bass. While in store Mark let me take a tort pick guard off one Combustion bass and put it on the one I was buying, no fuss, just did it, let me play on what I wanted while I was there, all ace. I have also sold a Dingwall Afterburner II bass through Bassdirect, again, Mark was good on email, told me once the bass had arrived with him, gave me a heads up when it was online, told me when it was bought and sent me my money with no delay. My most recent transaction I wanted to buy a second hand bass from him, I cheekily asked for a bit of money off, he agreed, sent the bass out and I received it the next day. It's upsetting that people have had opposite experiences to me but I understand not every transaction / day is the same.

Mine is out for delivery. Hopefully today i will be the owner of a WB-100 Dave

Finally completed this board. Try as I might I could not fit the Love Bomb pedal it's just too effin big (10" x 10" x 4"), so it will have to sit on a stool or table alongside my board. A few first on this board. First Stereo board and my first foray into MIDI though I must admit to stumbling round in the dark a bit with the MIDI. Any pointers or suggestions.

@Ricky Rioli thanks for the screenshot, in the future send them to me directly and I can look into any issues. I’ll take a look into why that has come up like that. It’s not normally displayed like that on any of the browsers I’m using so I’ll investigate further! Not sure why you’re put off selling, we sell plenty of ‘cheaper’ basses and just because we have other more expensive ones that’s just variety. If you go through our basses page there’s plenty of variety. It’s definitely not just experienced bass players we cater for. We do try to keep a good range so there’s something for everyone. Thank you for the words about your previous good experience! Hope to speak again soon!

Beasley Street Dr John Cooper Clarke (It's where the action isn't)

Noose Of The World - The Jam

So I recently had a mid gig breakdown (https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/468243-mid-song-catastrophe/) which put the fear of god into me In the end, I bought a used Behringer BDI21 as back up for a great price locally, and pulled the trigger on a Mark Bass LM vintage 1000! First off, I must admit that I've forever been a class D naysayer, I'd tried various class D offerings from TC, GK, Ampeg and Aguilar but bought into the whole "class D lacks 'heft'" arguement (although I thought the Aggie sounded great through a pals Aggie cabs). There was likely an element of listening with my eyes and putting too much stock in other's opinions on local pages etc, but I always went back to my type A/B GK1001RBII. Anyway... Long story longer, I decide it's time to retire the 18 year old GK, and when looking on the standard online seller pages, 90% seemed to be class D! I'd forever been buying preamps and compressors to try and give the GK a bit of warmth, so figured a tube pre would be the way to go. After a bit of limited reading, I took a punt on the Lm vintage, and 2 days later it was here! Got to use it in anger last night, after 2 plug and play festival sets on the Friday night and Sunday afternoon. First thing to note was it held its own and more against a full p.a. set up with the gain at 11 and volume at 10 o clock, to the point I had to turn down. There's some serious warmth and weight behind every note. I was using a Nordy Acinonyx bass with both pick ups parallel, and an array of synth and octave effects. The EQ points were a concern beforehand (68hz Bass, 400hz Low mid, 2k hz High mid, 10k hz high), but with the bass and low mids boosted it was a really musical sound. This amp head has been labelled on forums as the markbass head for people who don't think they like markbass, and while I'm fully aware that it could be the honeymoon period, I think that's a pretty bang on description from early findings to be honest! 🤌

I posted a question about the Kala "Journeyman" U-bass some time back. I'd not seen one in the flesh, and wanted to try one out. Several months back, when in my local PMT branch, I was discussing this version of the U-bass with a staff member I often chat to. He suggested I order one, and if I didn't like it - I could simply return it. So I ordered one, and it took several months to arrive. So long in fact, I'd almost forgotten it. Apparently, there weren't any in the UK, and bear in mind that the UK distribution centre is just a few miles up the road from me. I'd previously owned a Kala U-bass, and as I've mentioned before - I just didn't get on with the strings. I know others have said that's not an issue.... but for me it was - so I ended up just not playing it. Anyhow, on spotting the Journeyman, I felt like trying again, especially as the one I'd seen online had flatwound strings. Mine has rounds - but that's OK. In any case it would be a simple swap to fit flats (wouldn't it?). My first thoughts were that I had more of an instant bond with this than the last one. The strings felt a much better / more comfortable gauge, "feel" and tension. Moreover I instantly liked the sound too. It's quite different to the rubber string version. It sounds less DB-like (which was one factor I liked about the other version) but still sounded great anyway. It's also very loud unplugged - notably more than the version with rubber strings. I'd say it's possibly as loud as my old Ibanez acoustic bass.... maybe. Amplified, it's got very different sound characteristics to any of my bass guitars. I can still get a tone that's a little like an uprtight (ish). Now I need to play it more to get used to the scale, and I need to take it to rehearsal to see what it sounds like in the mix. I'm looking forward to taking it to one of the folk club pub-jams I sometimes tag along to. Very happy

Lol. I had to cut While My Guitar short on Saturday coz if I didn’t go RIGHT THEN I’d be ringing the wife for emergency trousers. At my age: always go just before you start playing. Or leave the house. Or leave anywhere that has a toilet. And don’t forget to put your ear plugs in and take your wrist supports off. Rock n Roll!!

Wow, there's some real bass royalty at the LA gig! And Gene Simmons.

That could be it - he’s doing basic home air guitar - he’s not practiced the stage air guitar - anther one for Mr @warwickhunt when he’s setting homework next time!

Hipshot Ultralite tuners fitted Hipshot Kickass Bridge fitted Could possibly fit a Dunlop Flush Mount strap lock to the back of the body like Dingwall do and a normal strap lock to the horn to get it nearer the 12th fret to help the balance even more. Pretty good as it is though!

A month or so ago a vocalist put a shout out in a FB local musicians group, asking for musicians to back him as an opening band at a local music festival. Me being me, I like a challenge and said I'd do the bass (I had noted several other guitarists who I respected showing support/interest). The fact that the guy was happy to go with a 'scratch band' and play live gave me a degree of confidence in his abilities. To shorten the story, myself, 2 guitarists (1 of whom I was familiar with) and a drummer were co-opted into this project and set up a FB chat group. All hunky dory and within 24 hrs the singer had presented 8 covers (Journey - Seperate Ways, Led Zep - Rock & Roll, Def Lep - Hysteria, Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl etc) which we agreed to learn and all agreed 1 x 3hr rehearsal on 25th (approx 4 weeks from this inception and 3 days before the gig). No probs... so far! We asked the vocalist, who had been booked for this little festival by the organiser (a personal friend of his) to find out what the tech spec, parking, access etc was. 16 days later he'd still not responded to any of the messages (he was active elsewhere on FB) and no indication that the rehearsal was booked. Messages started getting more direct and curt. Eventually the vocalist got back and apologised as he'd been busy. He wasn't sure where to book a rehearsal so it wasn't booked yet (about a week to the gig). I politely pointed out that Google would give him 10 rehearsal studios within a 20-30 minute drive of all of us (we'd previously said where we all lived), he responded saying he was on it... 48 hrs later and nothing from him despite questions (Oh and we still didn't have info on the tech spec or anything), then he popped up to say did anyone know anywhere else as he couldn't get in at short notice to the studio he normally used! At this point I took the lead, phoned 2 rehearsal rooms and booked a rehearsal on the agreed date and time; sorted! 2 days later the band turned up at the allotted location and time, all except... the vocalist, he arrived an hour late. We were miffed but thought we'd just crack on. 30 minutes later I called a halt to proceedings to point at the elephant in the room; the vocalist didn't know the songs, couldn't hit some of the notes/keys and barely knew where the entry point for the vocals was. I have to admit I'm pretty easy going but it took me a bit to keep my cool. I could see the rest of the lads nodding and backing me as I pointed out a few home truths and I suggested we bail on the whole thing. As it happened the rest of the musicians (I'll not include the vocalist in that) were good musically and were easy to get on with and they were thinking that as we'd put the effort in to learn the stuff, the gig might be a decent experience (the 2 guitarists were wanting to get their faces seem a bit more on the music scene). I didn't want them to be let down by me so I agreed to continue with the next 30 mins of the rehearsal and if we could get through it we'd do the gig. First off we scratched 3 of the songs as they patently were not going to be achievable by the vocalist and pulled in the cheese classic 'Summer of 69' to fill the set out a bit. We got through it and the vocalist left promptly leaving us to reflect on the experience. It's been quite cathartic to type this up and there isn't really any advice that I'd like from anyone BUT it has made me realise that just because someone is so absolutely sure of their own abilities it means nothing. This guy had been told by so many people that he had a good voice and looked the part that he absolutely believed in himself. We really should be honest with folks like this and not pander to not hurting feelings (without destroying confidence obviously). It also highlighted that the music side of things is one aspect but being organised, communicative and straight with people is equally important.

I am rapidly falling in love with this for pop and rock…anyone else have one of these?

Another Girl Another Planet - The Only Ones

6 Gigs this weekend, 1 friday, 2 saturday, 3 sunday... I earned, and learned. All bar 1 were 2hrs onstage. Only one concert was a bit Kak. Monday I did nothing out of fatigue, and now I think I'm coming down with a cold (Sneezy, Teary, Achey). 3 coming this weekend. Now back to the books, one song to learn (Miley Cyrus/Stevie Nicks Mashup) and I've been asked to get my 6 String Bass out because a few synth tunes are coming into the set. I am tired.

Hanging Around ～ Wotch's Mob

Sofa Away - Dire Straits

Bag arrived this morning and I’m really happy with it. Now the Levy leather is softer but this Maruszczyk is beautifully made and will easily fit most long scale basses , with the exception of my Eastwood Classic IV , which is a big hollow body bass . I have a nylon Eastwood bag for that , not a big deal. The storage compartments on the Maruszczyk have Velcro , whereas the Levy has leather buckles. They should be fine . I plan to use it this weekend and am looking forward to driving it around . I’ll probably put some leather conditioner on it. Here’s the two side by side , the Levy is actually a guitar case , but my Dano Longhorn fits perfectly. edit … my Flying V will not fit either , but I didn’t expect it to

We played Friday night at Cottingham Folk Festival. New Model Army were the headline and I'm pretty sure it was sold out. It sounded like plenty of people were there for us, judging by the volume of the choruses from the crowds. I can't find a decent photo but Cottingham Folk Festival put a video up on Facebook, hopefully that'll work.. https://fb.watch/fdvjaQGUQA/

Teak a chance on me. Abber

Wood & Tronics is now https://www.pasinibasses.net/ Perusing their wares, I was struck by a resemblance: Is it just me?

I’ve been in Covid isolation , but expect to be back in the saddle this weekend . Regular gig in my favourite dive , not a loud band but not in the PA so I need to fill the room . I’ll probably run the Forte with a single HDN112 .

Not exactly tonight, in fact a fortnight Saturday (17th September), but it's a ticketed event so it's only fair you all get fair warning! I'm back at the Old Court in Windsor (aka Windsor Arts Centre) with Rebel Heroes Bowie Tribute, hopefully back on guitar now that our bass player's wrist is on the mend. Expect 2 hours of classic Bowie, from sing-along anthems to fan-pleasing deep cuts. Tickets available here. Some pics of recent shows to whet your appetite: Backstage with Woody Woodmansey:

Remember, if you ever say that out loud it will be hilariously funny to emphasise the wrong syllables in the words "emphasis" and "syllables"

I’ll be playing with my band, Sula Sula, at Behind the Wall in Falkirk on 9th Sept. Two half hour sets (first at 8 ) playing mostly originals with the odd cover. Won’t have any amps or drums mic’d up, so just vocals through the PA so it’ll be interesting to see how the sound goes.

TC Spark Booster (full sized one) I reckon would fit the bill nicely.

FWIW I use 34" scale strings on all 3 of my short scales and have never had any issues stringing them that way over the past few years. That's both on my string through body Mustang as well as through bridge stringed basses. Yes, you in variably have an extra winding or 2 around the post on the machine head of the E sting but I've never had any intonation issues or had a string snap when I've taken them off to clean the fretboard. There's no other reason for doing this than I've got a stockpile of D'Addario 34" strings from when they were on offer a few years back! No doubt someone will be along shortly to tell us why loads of fluffy kittens and polar bears will die because of me doing this but it works for me and has done for several years

Pop back to page 87 for @Wilson_51_ 's recipe, which @disssa has taken to new heights. Must try it myself at some point.

I did a really short video - I'll do a longer one with more sounds at some point! This is a palm muted groove with front pickup and rear on about half way

This isn’t doing my bass gear ocd any good!!! I’m working on the basis that as they are all handmade, no two sets will be identical!!! Time for a nap! 😃

Cheapest I've seen them in the UK in recent times is £400-450ish. Somebody got a good deal there.

Fixed

Uptown top ranking - Althea and Donna

A host of great bands at the Wokingham Festival yesterday. A great new young band called In Albion stood out, as did The Room but the stars of the show were the legendary Focus who were playing as part of their 50th Anniversary tour! Apart from hearing all those fabulous songs live, the highlight was seeing how passionate Thijs Van Leer still is about music and how much he enjoys it. He was grinning throughout and his infectious enthusiasm for his music, performing live and connecting with the fans was a pleasure to behold... Beyond epic! VID-20220829-WA0002.mp4

Killing me softly. Roberta Flack

Wenge Going Gets Tough ～ Billy Ocean

Sorry for lack of progress! I know who to speak to now, plus have met some bc folk at the EH. Need to find out a hire cost, and will need to fit around an existing event. Alternatively might be possible to combine with some BC putting on a jam night o gig for free in the evening. Or something like that. Night of the Bottom Feeders....

1971 - I can do that. 1977 - told you I could do that. 1978 - this looks like a right toilet full of scrota but it's a start and they're paying me half a weeks wage. 2022 - how come I'm in the same toilet full of scrota for a tenth of a weeks wage ??

Luckily I’ve not seen this type of behaviour at Rebellion. Probably a combination of it both being indoors and punks & skins being just that little bit more cultured & civilised.

Oddly enough I don't want to crush the guy... I should for wasting our time but in fact I had hoped he'd pick up on the pitfalls and shortcomings. Even my dressing down (for want of a better term) of him at the rehearsal was intended to give him a wake up call.

We seem to have wandered off a bit from Al's first post but it is great to have a place to discuss PA Just something to think about really when discussing putting the PA at the back behind the players. It just isn't a great idea really. I'm a pragmatic person so I'm not saying it can never work, I will say it is never the best solution in terms of how your band will sound. Two reasons for this. The PA is louder than the human voice. If it isn't why would you use it, just sing. If you have anything other than an acoustic band the band is likely to be louder than the vocals and even though the mic is much closer to the singer than the rest of the band it will pick up everything in it's line of fire. I have meters on all channels and those vocal mics are busy all the time even when the singer isn't there. A hit on the snare registers at the same volume as the singers voice. You need to get a clean sound from each musician to get a good mix so moving anything away from the vocal mics is good. Don't put the PA at the back, keep it in front where as little sound as possible leaks into the vocal mics. Point everything back line away from the mics if possible. I've mixed for bands that are so loud on stage that there is no point in the set where the singers voice matches the instruments in the vocal mic. Secondly there's a thing called 'gain before feedback' link. It's basically very simple, how loud can you turn things up before feedback. There's loads of components to this from the acoustics of the room, pickup pattern of the mic, how flat the frequency response of your system is, how loud the rest of the sound is and so on. It's quite possible that with a singer with a loud voice you can turn down the gain and they can go into the audience. Or turn down the gain and just be quieter. Or just be in a perfect room with no little acoustic problems but eventually if you turn up loud enough your PA starts screaming. A column may well have a flatter response than a poorly designed horn and a more predictable dispersion but that's as much about the quality of the system. A good horn system will beat a poorly executed column. Putting the speaker at the back was a bit of advertising from Bose written by the marketing people. Putting anything behind the vocal mics just decreases the gain before feedback over placing them in front. Something you can possibly get away with but never a good idea.