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Thanks for having me today, I really enjoyed meeting everyone and checking out all the gear! Glad to hear my ramblings made some sense 🤣 I’m off to check out some Barefaced cabs online! 👍🏻

Prague last night was hot and sweaty, a perfect end to the tour. On the way home now. What an experience! Hopefully I'll get to do it again some day

Cracking day - thank you @Hamster and @ceteraand all others involved in making it happen. @Kingbassist’s talk was superb. A lovely guy, fantastic player and some really useful tips and interesting stories. Looking forward to his bass course as it sounds like a really interesting approach which I think will work really well for me. My friend’s son absolutely loved it, though I think I’ve now caused an issue with his desire for expensive toys 😂 Here are some pics, apologies I’m not tagging everyone as I’ve already forgotten everyone’s names 🤦🏼‍♂️

Knows his plaice Has good herring Good drum tuna

No @Silvia Bluejay no blog? 😳 I didn't take any pics too busy chatting and playing gear. Highlights included @orangefriday's exhaust pole bass; @Merton's new Trace amp - the only one in the UK; @Happy Jack's lightweight not-a-Lull made by @Andyjr1515. Ian King's talk was entertaining and informative with some sublime playing. I made it back to that London before the downpour so had a dry load in.

"Bass is cool. Today is a great day" Noam Chomsky 🤠

Had a support slot for Ipswich based 80s metal band Woden Forge's reunion gig. Venue 77 in Ipswich, which is basically a warehouse tucked behind a pub with a tented ceiling. Stage wasn't massive, Woden Forge boys had set up by the time we arrived so we had to squeeze onto the tiny bit of space left available to us. Sound was amazing, absolutely crystal clear. We've had the same engineer on other gigs and he is great. We played a 45 minute set to the sell out crowd of 200 and I reckon most if not all of them were there when we fired up. We played well (I made a couple of mistakes but nothing crazy) and we went down really well with a crowd who were absolutely up for it. Lots of people came up afterwards to say how much they enjoyed the set. Apparently the whole of the Woden Forge gig, plus our last two songs, went out on a live radio stream. I also understand that our set was recorded on the desk, so hopefully we can get our hands on that. A great night, assisted by a completely hold-up free journey home along the A12.

It was a Grand Day out and I hope you good folks who attended got home safely as the rains and stormy weather came down just as we left. Thanks to all involved in organising the day @Hamster@cetera Mrs.Hamster etc and I loved Ian King's chat. What a great, solid and versatile player and it was great to get an insight into pit playing. Thanks to all who allowed me to get my Greek mits on your wonderful gear. It was certainly something to hear @Merton new Trace Eliott head and the basses in that corner ? ACGs and thanks to @Simon Cfor letting me try the Laney 85 Octaver - it's a cracker, as well @prowla EBS Octabass (original) and sorry I didn't see you Paul to say goodbye. Right. Off to look at Ebay and Reverb to look for an EBS Octabass..anyone? All the best Cos

Just remembered this for a couple of weeks ago...played a gig at the bar mentioned above, and there was a nice couple in their 50s, seen them before in there, sitting at a table by the very small corner stage where we were playing. They were enthusiastic, listening, and applauded, even shouted for an encore. After we'd finished, some friends of ours were playing across the road, a couple of doors down, and we could hear they had a later slot than us, so before we broke everything down, we popped across the road to see how it was going. Ten minutes later, I'm outside having a vape, and was standing next to the same couple...this was the conversation: Bloke from couple, pointing to band still playing: 'They're good, aren't they?' Me: 'Yeah, very.' Wife from couple: 'There was a good band over the road, too; they've just finished.' Me: 'Yeah, you were at the table at the front' Couple: 'Errr...yeah?...' Me: You know that bloke stood on stage for two hours eight feet from you? On the left? Your left?' Couple: 'Errr...yeah?' Me (pointing to my head, doing the Fozzy Bear thing): .... Couple: 'Errr...yeah?' I gave up at that point...sometimes picking up a bass does activate the Klingon Cloaking Device...

1. Sober 2. Reliable 3. Owns a drum kit sized car Ability to play drums would be a bonus

The journeys, both ways, were simply dreadful... ...but the Bash was sublime. Some great basses, great playing, great bunch of folks, great venue and organisation and great talk and ultra precise playing by @Kingbassist. Perfect day and well worth the pain of getting there and back Thanks, folks!

Cheers all - that was a fun day! I blinked and missed most people's kit, but I might've made a couple of Rickenbacker converts, so not a bad result...

My blues rock trio have been offered one gig a month throughout 2023 at our favourite pub and we have accepted. Obviously flattered, at first we hesitated but, discussing it, we couldn't actually flag up too many cons whereas the pros were tumbling around freely. It is a big commitment on both our parts but potentially win/win. And, of course, not set in stone so we, or the pub, could change it if required. Being genre specific like this we struggle to go down well in the 'average' pub band environment. Playing where we know we go down well once a month kind of takes a huge pressure off trying to find gigs. They say we are the best band they have had so want us to play there as much as possible. People will know where to find us - 3rd Friday of the month, Toredown will be playing at the Shamrock. Easy. A venue specific con, Load/unload is OK but parking nearby is a problem. Will people get bored? Up to us to make sure they don't I guess. Keeping the set fresh with new songs - a responsibility lies with us to learn new material but I think of this as both a pro and a con. It's possible we might lose out on other gigs but the regularity of those in the diary would make up for it. Has anyone done this and can flag up potential pitfalls?

First practice for us in over 2 years, and the first since losing Kev, our guitarist to covid in January 2021, we'll be having more.

What a fab day today - so great to see good Basschat friends again after all this time , and to make some new ones too... 😊 Big thanks to @Kingbassistfor his fantastic talk - it was such a great insight into the world of the professional West End bass player! Thank you Ian... 👏👏👍 And a big thanks also to @Hamsterand Sarah, aka Mrs Hamster, for sorting out the venue and for looking after us so well today.. The coffee & pastries were perfect! 🙏 And lastly, thanks to everyone who let me have a go on their amp, bass, fx pedal etc ... I had a lot of fun. 😁 Too much nice gear to single out to be honest, but got to say that @Merton's new Trace amp, @WalMan's SkarBassOne pedal, @Captain Rumble's Vanderkleys and @Happy Jack's new build by @Andyjr1515we're all GAS inducing! Photos and videos to follow soon...

Quick phone call and send it back would be my advice, either for a set up or a refund, take your custom elsewhere.

My name is Pete, and I play bass in a tribute band - The ELO Experience. I've been doing it for around 10 years now, with the band being formed a few years before I joined. When the band first started I believe we were the only one on the go, now there's a few more appearing. So, here we go! Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? I think it definitely helps, although in my case I wasn't a full on ELO nerd - actually prefer Roy Wood's stuff to the later ELO albums. Have grown to like most of the ELO stuff now though, especially the crowd pleasers. How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? A difficult one this - when the band first started out, the visual thing wasn't so important, with all the effort being put into sounding authentic. However, mainly due to people coming to our gigs it was decided to make our singer look more like Jeff Lynne. At first I went for a bit of a 70's look with my stagewear, but this has gradually changed to more how Jeff Lynne's band have looked recently. (If any people here know how the late great bassist Kelly Groucutt looked in ELO then you'll understand my relief!) We do try to sound reasonably authentic, with some changes being deemed okay to fit in with our line up, Never had anyone call me out for anything yet, so think it's okay. Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? As I'm not playing anyone in particular then this isn't an issue. Never see it as 'just a gig' though, I always approach it with a positive outlook, thinking the paying audience deserve to see a band who look up for it. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) I don't find it limiting - I'm no amazing player and some of the lines do stretch me a bit which is probably a good thing. I still do other things outside the band - I'm in an acoustic duo which is great fun, along with an occasional gigs in country/rock band 'The Fork Handles'. I also really enjoy doing occasional deps. As the tribute band gigs are mainly in theatre type environments, these other gigs are usually in smaller venues - pubs, clubs etc, which I've done for over 40 years now. Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? None. As others have mentioned, it's only a type of cover band at the end of the day. Hope this doesn't sound overblown, but Jeff/ELO didn't play live for years, and I like to think we played a small part in keeping his music going with all his fans through that period. Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? Our singer and keyboard player were invited to Birmingham when Jeff Lynne was visiting to immortalize his handprints on Broad Street. They got to meet him briefly, and were suitably blown away. (Also met Jeff's mate Jasper Carrot too!) When ELO were rehearsing for their 'comeback' gigs we had some of the band come to see us at Richmond Theatre. They were rehearsing nearby so thought they'd come and check us out. Fortunately I didn't see them until after the show when they came down to talk to us. I met Lee Pomeroy, who was absolutely fantastic. He said some nice things and even had a go on my bass! All the band were lovely and happy to chat for ages, & we were absolutely thrilled to meet them. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Never underestimate your audience. Also always remember how much love they have for the music you're playing and try to do it justice. We have some fans who follow us all over the place, and I never forget their commitment and support which allows us to keep going. Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? This is actually the 2nd tribute band I've been involved in, the first one being a Neil Diamond show. That got rid of some of my doubts over the whole tribute thing, so by the time I was asked to join my current band I kind of knew what to expect. I would consider another tribute band if the situation ever arose, and would most enjoy something like a Stones / Motown / Springsteen type of thing (although don't think I could do Jamerson's Motown bass lines justice TBH). However, I'm approaching 65 and hope that I can carry on with this band until I decide to slow down a bit gig wise - doing gigs all over the UK does push me at times, but still absolutely loving it!

I was in a Bon Jovi tribute band, Just Jovi, for around 5 years. That sounds a long time but the last 2 years were during COVID so only really count nominally. It morphed from a classic rock covers band where there was a feeling that we would play better gigs and generally have a better time of it as a tribute band. Bon Jovi was picked as we did a few songs in the set and it suited the singers range. We made the change 2016, I stepped down in 2021 after lockdowns gave me time to reflect, Warren @hiram.k.hackenbacker replaced me. Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? Fair to say I only knew a handful of Bon Jovi songs when we started. Learning the basslines I grew to have enormous respect for Hugh McDonald as a bass player but, ultimately, not particularly liking the songs was the main reason I stepped down. How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? We decided to do the whole dressing up thing - wigs and costumes for the main players. 99/100 Bon Jovi fans most likely couldn't pick out Hugh Mc in a lineout as he always took a step back from the limelight so visually my role wasn't so important. Physically I bear little resemblance to him but nevertheless wore similar clothes and the same shape sunglasses - that was about it. Musically was a different matter. I tried, best I could, to replicate the basslines note perfect. Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? Just a gig, although I did a lot of reading around the band and HM in particular. Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) At the time it was one of 3 bands and different to the others so, no, not at all limiting. If anything it made me grow as I was playing with some of the best local musicians, making me keep at the top of my game. Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? Not even remotely. Tribute bands have a very definite and distinct place in the market. Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? No. What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? Discipline, as a player. It has given me experience of playing larger venues and also taught me the value of tribute bands as a whole. Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? I'd do it again but only for music that I enjoyed myself. That said I am knocking on a bit at 65 so opportunities and ambition may be a limiting factor! I am currently in a 3 piece blues rock band. In one sense it is a tribute to a genre of music but a different approach - we interpret songs rather than cover them, which is very rewarding. It is the music that I grew up listening to, it is a part of my DNA, it feeds my soul. I enjuoy it far more than any other band I have played in and hope it lasts until decrepitude forces me to give up.

Great timing (no unintentional drifting). Good ears (listens to the rest of band). Affable (you don’t want the next Vinnie Collaiuta, who is then a complete butthole). If allowed a 4th: the ability to play softly as well as hard, although this should go hand in hand with #2.

Any chance we can have a day on here with no Drama, politics, trolling or arguing? how about we just… Bass 😄

Great day for a mix'n'match meet up once the clouds parted. It's always interesting to see all the kit variations that work for each of us and get some ideas for what to try next. A good insight into another world from Ian King along with some enjoyable demos. Thanks to all those who did the work behind the scenes and here's a few pics for the peeps that didn't make it today.

Norwegian Wood - Decca Rejects

Did with the Zoom B6 - but the effects used are available on their cheap pedals too. Its quite close (forgive the sloppy playing!) It's two of their synth sounds blended...

Now, you say it's impossible to play at the first fret, but blame the nut. Do the strings choke when played open or do they buzz when you play the first fret. If they choke on the first fret when played open, have a look at how the E and A strings are sitting on the string posts. There is supposed to be a decent break angle of the string over the nut which means the string actually rises slightly as it leaves the nut. If the strings approach the nut quite straight, if the strings are sitting high on the tuning posts, they will choke on the first fret. Loosen the strings and push the windings down towards the headstock, then tune up, making sure they don't just lift again. It would be very, very rare for an instrument arrive with a nut cut too low. They usually leave them way too high. If they are ok when played open but buzz at the first fret, it's likely the truss rod is too tight, causing the neck to arch back slightly. The easy way to check is to sit the bass on your lap as if you were playing it and hold the E string down at the first and last fret. There should be a very small - business card width - gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the frets at around the 8th and 9th frets. If there is no clearance there at all, loosening the truss rod slightly should cure that. Take pictures and post if you're not sure.

Hi Ben, just look here for headless designed basses as he is still using this design today : Another headless specialist is David King as he only builds headless basses : https://www.kingbass.com/

Agree with a lot of the points made so far. The smaller the kit, the bigger the talent, from my experience.

To improve your playing you need to listen to other bassists from genres you don't normally listen to and learn to play their bass lines. You need to be a sponge and soak up as much influence as possible. You don't need to become an expert in how to play other genres but just pick up how bassists from those genres approach writing bass lines. For example, if you play rock and listen to stuff like Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Nirvana etc. then go listen to some reggae and start learning some Bob Marley tracks, or go and learn some early The Police tracks. I guarantee you'll learn something new that will start to come out in your playing. Just be open to all genres of music and listen to the bassists that are well known and regarded and listen to what they do. You don't have to like the music but as a musician, you need to be open to everything and as a musician, you never stop learning. The other thing to do is look at your bass lines and start the root an octave up to just add a bit of variety. For example, if you are doing a walking bass line starting on the A on the E string, then the C# and E on the A string and then the F# and A on the D string. Try starting by playing the A not on the E string but on the D string. So look at the notes you are playing on your bass lines and see if you can play any of the notes elsewhere. This will create a bit more variety and movement in your lines. Even better if you can slide up to a note or play one as a harmonic instead.

The ability to actually play it straight without endlessly adding unnecessary stops/starts, fills or frills. Owning a car and having the ability to drive it. Taking the time to learn what’s actually going on in the song.

As I said we were using the residency angle as a promotion of the band ('we're good enough to get a regular booking') so we would invite potential bookers to see us. If we knew there was a function gig on offer, our set would contain some function standards. Like you, nothing wildly different, but varied enough to showcase what we could do. As I recall (and it was a while ago) we got 4 or 5 wedding gigs, several birthday parties and quite a few pub bookings as a result. And one Christening! (The father saw us at the pub and asked us to play the post Christening party, everyone else on the guest list was blissfully unaware of what he'd booked until we kicked off with the pub set he'd specifically requested. He was not popular afterwards, apparently).

+1 I've had an Alder P bass body from Northwest and it was superb.

An approach that has worked for me since I first started!

Good point :)

Friday evening's gig, decided to give the MAG300 a run out, and also used the Jazz instead of the '51 P. Delighted on both counts, will definitely be using the same setup again this coming Friday.

Last night I was on bass as part of an acoustic duo as the drummer and guitarist couldn't make the date. It was a standard Cheltenham race meet affair. Basically a mix of old blokes in tweed demanding Irish songs, young blokes in unintentionally hilarious ‘Peaky Blinders’ fancy dress, women in jodhpurs with a dead bird on their head and orange girls apparently live streaming themselves posing into their phone screen all night. All of whom are screaming the word ‘Oasis’ in perpetuity. standard.

I suppose you should Paul if you're going to fake your own death and go to Panama.

It's a F a n n y

I like the brighter low mass bridge. Better twang.

Send Away The Tigers - Manic Street Preachers

Stockbridge? Eye-wateringly expensive and packed with hipsters! Anyway. Years ago someone on here did the same A/B with a BA2 (which the hi-mass is a clone of) and a standard BBOT. The consensus was that the standard bridge sounded better - and listening to this I think that bears it out. Noticeably much more top-end and definition with the BBOT, slap sounds tighter & more focused, and despite all the claims made about cast bridges the sustained notes, while not necessarily longer on the standard bridge, certainly sound fuller & seem not to fade so quickly. I suspect comparing the waveforms would bear that out. In fairness though, not different enough that you'd notice in a mix, and nothing you couldn't fix with EQ if you cared enough.