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V, the wife of @nationofzeros PM'd me yesterday. "Dear Kiwi I am V, the wife/widow of the owner of the missing TB. I am incredibly grateful for the resource which is Basschat, and your attempts to get hold of Chris which has meant I have been reunited with his misssing TB - even if only virtually. He died on the 23rd August 2022. The hospital put him in a side room on the 10th August which had pseudomonas aureginosa in the shower water, which the hospital knew about. As he was totally immunocompromised following 5 days of the most aggressive of chemos - he caught the bacteria and died of pneumonia, sepsis 10 days after admission to hospital. He was totally fit and well upon admission, with no symptoms. The guy that sold Chris the bass, Henry Betz Brown, Bonfires Vintage has offered to refund me the money that Chris paid for the bass - ironically virtually a year ago. Life is strange. I have borrowed money from my mother to pay for Chris's funeral - the refund on the bass almost exactly covers these costs. Kiwi, I would be grateful if you could let those member that commented on his story know that I am so grateful for their support and action. With very best wishes V" Props to Henry at Bonfires Vintage of Portland, Oregon. He probably deserves a big thank you for being a beacon of honesty and integrity in these increasingly crazy times.

Morning Folks, So, what are the scores, George Dawes? Taken on the door - 28 x £10 = £280 Refreshments profit - £22 Anonymous donations - £90 Total - £392 From that, £302 has been donated to CHUMS Charity (www.chumscharity.org), with the funds going towards their Recreational Therapeutic Service, which uses music to help children & young people suffering with extreme anxiety, and other mental health issues. And £90 has been donated to the school as our way of saying 'thank you' for the use of such a fabulous venue. Thanks to everyone who came along and contributed to making it such a great day! 🙏😊 See you next year! @silverfoxnik @Hamster @cetera

Just got in from a gig in The Underworld, Camden, as main support to The Guana Batz. Great on stage sound made the gig really enjoyable, and the applause & reaction from the pretty much packed out crowd was great. I used my Ashdown RM500 this eve as space in the car was limited, this put through the venues Orange OBC410, gave a great sound. Overall a very enjoyable gig.

On in 4 minutes

The Dive Bar in Poole, our debut and a groovy experience! Band: Otis Jay Blues Band Gear: MIJ Jazz ‘Sonic’ Peavey Minimax Barefaced One10 Shameful secret: we played a request, Mustang Sally 😳

Smoke is home. What a bass. It plays as good as it looks.

Just landed - I've been after a black and maple one for ages but the series 1 (with scratch plate) versions are quite hard to find compared to the series 2 models. I ordered a custom scratch plate from TinyTone who were great and pretty quick too. BC member @wright/watt had a spare excess plate which he kindly sent me so it was used as a template. The black plate arrived the same day as the bass! The bass is really interesting and I can see how Vigier have taken their idiosyncratic left of field approach to a bass which is more traditional in terms of shape and feel. It still has those Vigier staple touches such as the supercar shape, unique electronics and graphite 10/90 neck without a truss rod. As soon as it arrived I took the strings off (it's been a while since I've had a quick release bridge on anything so that was easy) and gave it a clean, changed the plate (bit of a mission given how the pickups are attached to the plate using bolts) and knobs. Chucked some Elixir 40-95s on it (the 10/90 neck is designed to be dead straight with this gauge string) and I've been getting to know it this afternoon. First of al lit's very light. Seller said 3.3kgs which I can believe. It's made from two pieces of ash with a very thin coat of paint - the grain texture is visible below. The neck has a satin feel and having settled after its ride here it's got almost zero relief. The pickups are two Benedetti single coils which I'm quite familiar with, having had them in various versions in a number of Vigier instruments. They can be a little noisy, so here there's a hum cancelling circuit which is adjustable through a hole in the scratch plate. It works pretty well, and hum is vastly reduced and consistent throughout the pickup pan range. Since installing a mesh router in my office I can get hum at certain angles but generally it's quieter than a standard jazz bass, certainly with the pickups soloed. The controls are vol, pan, bass +/- 10db and treble +/- 10db. Weirdly the controls aren't centre dented which threw me at first. Honestly there's so much sizzle onto I find a neutral setting is bass on 0 and treble on -10. With pickups roughly centred there's a 60s spacing jazz bass with a bit more bite and a thoroughly growly bottom end. The highs are a little more focused and less 'open' than my Celinder, and my fave found is slight front pickup bias which gives a nice Rickenbacker style clank. I think the front pickup might need to go a little lower, but owing to the design I will have to use some washers behind the bolts - that'll mean removing the pick guard screws again which I can't face this evening! The bridge is nice, a little tarnished (actually the whole bass has marks, bumps and wear on it which I really don't mind) with an interesting system - intonation is a bit of a faff because you have to move the saddle with the string slackened and it's tricky to get right. There’s no saddle screw/spring which looks nice though. Once set everything bolts into place nice and securely. What else to say.. well what was nice was that I emailed Patrice Vigier a while back asking about the Excess range (I've never had one despite being a vigier fam for 20 odd years) and took the opportunity to congratulate him on his retirement. He said 'It's all been possible because of musicians like you' which I thought was nice. Good vibes. Just some quick snaps for now!

Back on topic, it's a shame that @danweb22 had a bad experience. I thought the whole point of CS was consistency. I bought my Jazz unseen from gear4music, and it arrived in it's factory packing box unopened, so I guess it was as it left the factory (sorry, artisan workshop....). Set up was spot on, played beautifully, everything in order. Gigged it the next day. Which is what I was expecting, for the price. You're probably much better off buying used, with any issues sorted out. Also, if you buy new, you'll instantly lose a grand in value when you first plug it in. The Jazz:

I’ve been busy with other builds, but finally got round to glueing up the body. I may keep a natural finish rather than colour. But as usual, I change my mind many times during a build!

The story of last night in three pictures...

Image from the Bass Gallery website - but only cause i can't find a suitable place to take a picture at home but It's HERE WOOOOOOOOOO and boy does it sound good even through the cheap old Thomann practice amp i have in the lounge getting up the studio tomorrow so i'll push it through the Barefaced 212T and get a real feel for it. Oooo i think I might have a problem coming with buying new basses lol

For the 5 mins that i've played it through the cheap o Thomann practice amp i have at home - all i can say is WOW Get to put it to the real test tomorrow at the studio though the Barefaced 212T and Eich powerhouse T-900 Cant wait !!! (image from The Bass Gallery website as i don't have a suitable place / lighting to do it justice at home)

The finish of the Sean Hurley P Bass in the pic is Charcoal Frost. It’s such a lovely colour - to me, anyway! It’s lightly reliced, where there is checking on some of the finish but all the paint was/is fully intact - any subsequent wear (where the finish has disappeared) has come from myself. The back of the neck on mine wasn’t reliced but it’s started to wear (from around the third to fifth frets) through playing. A few more pics…

I think they all have it, my sunburst one does. Very smooth and comfortable. Terrific bass, wonderfully fruity mids, big chunky neck, impeccable build. Indeed. I bought the Sean Hurley, used, on here at what I thought was a very acceptable price for such a good bass. There are many viable alternatives at the brand new price though. Gratuitous pic, alongside my Nash:

Flying to Finland stupid o’clock Monday morning so yet to work out when I can collect but… I would like my business trip to go by quite fast please 😀

Similar here. I’ve a couple of CS Precisions and a CS Jazz (all bought off here, funnily enough!) and they’re fabulous instruments - from a build, sound and playability perspective. I can’t praise them enough. The prices for newer ones (and secondhand ones in various bass shops) do appear to have risen significantly over the past couple of years, but private sales (and Basschat marketplace, obviously) can throw up some excellent basses for not-too-outlandish prices. Don’t think I’d be minded to shell out for a new one, mind, especially when there are some excellent used CS basses for sale out there. Here’s a CS (Sean Hurley) P Bass alongside an original ‘66 Jazz!

I had a truly staggering experience today. A friend of mine is selling a few basses for a colleague, and one of them is an August 1960 Jazz Bass. So I said "please don't sell it before I've played it". So today I had some coffee and a few minutes on this amazing instrument. It has had a refret (and a new nut), the pickguard has been removed for many years now so it doesn't fit anymore, but otherwise...boy o boy what a bass. One of the best Jazzes I've ever played, I think. I wish I could afford it.

No. First off the position of the volume control doesn't indicate the power output. Depending on the level of the input signal halfway on the volume control could be full power, could be 1/10 power, could be clipping. Then there's the matter of the impedance load, which isn't constant. A nominal 4 ohm load will have an actual impedance anywhere between 3 and 30 ohms, depending on frequency. Power varies with impedance, so with 20 volts output the power can range between 13 watts at 30 ohms to 133 watts at 3 ohms with the same volume control setting depending on the note being played. Lastly, perceived sound levels are logarithmic with respect to power, not linear. To sound twice as loud doesn't take twice the power, it takes ten times the power. As for measuring power output, to do so requires simultaneous measuring of voltage and current, which requires two separate meters and a method to extrapolate the result, which will still vary with frequency. Engineers don't even try. We measure voltage, which is constant into any impedance load. We know the voltage output that an amp can cleanly deliver, and the voltage limit that a speaker can cleanly handle.

@walshyhas just posted an absolutely gorgeous 72 Precision on his Facebook page. It’s not on the website yet, so I don’t know how much it is. If you’re listening Walshy, please give us some more info. Cheers, Rob

My first gig playing keys & weird noises for space-rock band Litmus:

Congratulations! An awesome find for sure. Enjoy it! I've been a huge Vigier fan for 40 years and adore them.

Nice work and thanks for your efforts! @silverfoxnik @Hamster @cetera

The 610 is light. Handles on both sides and I can pick it up and pop it in the car. And a handle on top and wheels. It’s not like the 610 cabs of old. And yes, BF with a Precision and an ABM just works!

Lots about high cost to low cost basses above. When you buy the economy version you are buying the basic item no frills. Next up the all singing all dancing top of the range same item covered in all the frills. Flame tops, quilted tops and facings. Gold plated tuners etc. Different fretboard material (does make a difference) In the furniture trade we referred to them as decorative features. A nice looking piece of timber is actually a pretty looking grain that is more likely than not difficult to work because as far as stable timber is concerned it is a fault which is usually useless structurally but marketing has turned into a positive. It doen't and never will make the guitar sound any better and using it for necks is a very brave move. Move being the operative word here. If you find a gem with cross grain across the neck RUN! The result is you pay more because it takes more operative hours to build and because they can get away with inflating that price. Now for those that like to troll! Yes I have worked in the furniture industry in the frame making department of a high end manufacturer. Yes I did run the frame shop. Yes I did make continous product and process improvements. Yes I was responsible for checking quality of incoming timber and the only person qualified to sign it off. Yes I have been a member of TRADA for longer than I can remember. No you can't pick my brains I'm now retired and enjoying BC and playing my basses and other things. Although I am always happy to share what little I know to genuine people with genuine problems. So bottom line is 1-2k bass nice sound instrument one hopes. 4,5,6,7,k bass=more work fitting decoration and make up. Recently bough me a Squier 70's cv jazz for £220. Didn't need it just fancied one Fabulous instrument no frills. Big Grin.

Hi all For anyone interested, I’ve been breaking down some of Mick Karn’s bass lines note-for-note. I plan to get to them all, but so far, it’s mostly Japan era stuff. I take the time and research them to be as accurate as possible. I hope they’re of use to some of you. Cheers!

Hi Just a quick run through of a small job I've just finished for @3below - changing the binding and repositioning the side dots on his bass ukulele neck to give him on-the-fret-line dots rather than the existing 'fretted' positioning. I don't have a photo of the removal, suffice to say that it was a straightforward 'warm it up and ease it off with a single-edged razor blade. This was it with the binding removed. The original dots were drilled and inserted through the binding into the neck wood and so are still visible: A micrometer check all the way round flagged that the deepest point of the binding slot was 1.4mm deep so I opted for 1.5mm. A check all around with a small length of offcut confirmed it: Next task was to cut flush the old dots and clean up the channels all round - especially in the corners: Next, with the neck fully masked up, it was the careful job of gluing the new binding . I used medium-slow setting CA glue and did it a few inches at a time, holding the binding firmly against the two sides of the channel with a heavy-duty-glove'd hand until it was cured and then moved on to the next few inches: For the two tight corners, I heated the binding (very carefully!) with a heatgun to get it round the corners without leaving a gap (too cool) or distorting (too hot). Great relief! And it was done. Next job would be trimming the excess and shaping the binding into the neck. So next was scraping the binding flush with the fretboard top and neck sides. For this I used a cabinet card scraper, being very careful to scrape down to the masking tape but not deep enough to dig through the paper into the neck finish. Off with the masking tape with fingers crossed that there wouldn't be any gaps! Big 'PHEW!' @3below had asked for the new dots to be in Luminlay. Happily, they have started shipping from Japan again after a few months of no shipments due to having to fly the other way round the world to avoid Ukraine/Russia. The Luminlay method and equipment is simple, but essential is a good quality brad point drill...especially for the 2mm dots fitted to a narrow binding strip. I use a sharp-pointed punch to mark the holes for the bradpoint to follow. This shows those two and also the Luminlay stick being pushed into one of the two dots at the 12th. After a trial fit, I pop a drop of CA on the end, push it in and then cut flush with a single-edged razor: And after some final tidying up, here it is:

I decided to upgrade my Burns SSJ and just picked up this Squier Bass VI. As you can see I have already swapped out the pickguard and I have some flats en route in the post as I can see. The Squier set up is much better and my early impression is that this bass is a killer.

The invisibility suit is working well, then!

Well, as Keith Levene died yesterday...

just great looking. I tried this with @Skin Lewis’s limelight and I miss this bass sometimes… I will say I prefer the AO 60s but that should be expected…!

For a lot of people - yes they are.

Swallow - Lady Gaga/Bradley Cooper

As well as being an amazing bass player he's a really nice fella. He did a masterclass at one of the early Herts Bashes and dropped in on his way to a gig the following year. I'd be interested in this event.

They do look great on a big cab, and if you’re looking for a compromise betwen can size and weight, I can’t imagine anything would tick more boxes than a Six10

Peavey millennium?

It is not overkill. Definitely not. Not in any way.

I've played my Strat through my GK MB 800 and it sounds great through a 12 inch cab with a tweeter. All the highs you'd ever need. I've not played guitar through my ABM......I should try it some day.

I have two Custom Shops, a '60 Jazz and a '60 Precision. Both beautifully built, wonderful to play, and great sounding. No complaints here.

Come away Ossie, they 'ain't worth it.

I think we knew that . Well , you did and I believed you . Cheers Mon Ami .

I come back from Limelights and Stingray Specials - I’m genuinely impressed with the AO’s Jazz and Precision I got…!

Upcoming show a week today Friday 18th of November. Trillians in Newcastle. If your in the area come and say hi.

yep, they're currently in A & E

Thought it’d be worth sharing my recent experience of trying to get a Fender Custom Shop quote, which is in-line with the title of this thread! I’ve always loved sunburst jazz bodies without pickguards. I’m also a bit obsessed with one being authentically Fender, so wasn’t interested in buying a third party body and bolting a Fender neck to it. Official Fender bodies are routed horribly under the pickguard section so one of those wasn’t an option either. I liked the idea of a finely crafted custom bass as well, so off to the Custom Shop I went. There were a couple of extra things I was interested in to make the build a little more personal - namely an anodised gold control plate and the truss rod adjustment wheel that the Elite series had. Nope, sorry I was told…that sort of thing pushes it into Masterbuild territory. The gold control plate was a weird one seeing as you can buy them from the likes of Tiny Tone for about £30. Anyway, the apparent lack of flexibility for something called a ‘custom shop’ build irked me somewhat. In all honesty the experience has made me draw the conclusion that non-masterbuilt custom shop basses are essentially just instruments bolted together from stock US parts by one of their top 50 luthiers. Each to their own, but for the prices they charge I’d want something far more bespoke. These days I think the mod shop is a more reasonable option if you’re not after anything too weird and wonderful and just want a specific colour, neck or pickup choice. Bit disappointed by my experience but it’s OK, I’ll either just save the money or look at a classic Roscoe instead 😏

And this evening...

Not a Bass Solo (Or Drum Solo) Fan. A nice Flourish of a Middle 8 is a lot more reserved and stylish.. I'm thinking Burke Shelly or Lemmy...