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Engaging in this thread has had a deleterious effect on my bass playing (some might say I do not actually play the bass, however I will not digress further). I started to think about my right hand technique and subsequently things that previously had automaticity have become challenging. Sartre, although in a different epistemological context, provides a transferable existentialist insight on the matter of right (and left) hand technique "No finite point has meaning without an infinite reference point". A pragmatic simpler approach may be found by paraphrasing Sartre - "Bass playing is a question of absorbing other people's techniques and adding some of your own experience". Anyway, I have had a good lunch, it is time to take my medication and lie down.

So, after Saturday's 70th birthday gig, onto last night's wedding gig. Nice pub venue, but an interesting load-in through a rabbit warren of passages (Hello Cleveland) and up two flights of stairs, with the added complication that Mr Drums is currently suffering from a severe case of L5 nerve root compression, so a) can't walk far, and b) can't lift anything. Fortunately he lives about halfway between my place and the venue, so it was easy enough for me to stop off en route and help him load his gear, then we all mucked in the other end to unload and get him set up. The room we were in is normally used as a restaurant, and while there was plenty of width, there wasn't a whole lot of depth, so the "dancefloor" occupied about the same amount of space as we did. As it was, most people at the event only seemed to be interested in pouring booze down their necks and shouting at each other, so the area available was just big enough for the few people who did actually want to do a bit of dancing. Onstage sound was a constant battle between the monitors and the cackling crowd, but out front it apparently sounded good, as did my "Baby Trace" setup of AH200 head + BLX-110 cab. As nobody seemed to be in charge of proceedings, we just made it up as we went along, kicking off at 8pm and doing an hour, then resuming at 9:45pm and doing another hour. We dropped one longish, very wordy, song towards the end of the second set as Mr Singer was flagging a bit, but apart from that and a handful of off-piste moments, everything mostly went to plan. One moment in particular stands out - as we launched into our traditional second set opener "Call Me The Breeze", the front three all stopped playing when Mr Singer realised he'd forgotten to switch his new-fangled radio mic back on, but me and Mr Drums just kept the groove going until switches were switched and normal service was resumed, amazingly at the right point! All part of the act, obvs... 😉 We also managed to get the Happy Couple onto the dancefloor for our rendition of "You Do Something To Me" which went down well, and then the night ended with the pub manager joining us to do harmonies on "Stand By Me" - very good she was too. As the pub owner has invited us back to do one of their Sunday afternoon beer garden gigs next Summer, she may well get to sing with us again. Obviously, the most fun we had all evening was loading-out through a slightly diminished crowd of folks who seemingly had no homes to go to, but everybody was very polite, and also very complimentary. Quick stop on the way home to help Mr Drums unload his gear, and that was that. Mr Drums has been told by his physio to take at least two weeks off even touching his drums, so we're now on an enforced break from rehearsing and working up a number of new songs, but I guess it couldn't have come at a better time as we don't have any more gigs currently lined up. Onwards and upwards next year then, L5 compressions permitting. Postscript: Just had the following message from Mr Rhythm Guitar:- "Out of the gigs we've done, I've never had so many people come up to me and say what a brilliant band we are, and quite a few said how refreshing it was to hear songs that other bands don't play, and we play and sing them so well." Case in point - the number which got the most people up and grooving, and got the biggest reaction at the end, was Mr Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance". So, we must be doing summat right... ☺️

Bought this about a both ago…cash converters. Had an unoriginal neck. It was lovely…but then spotted a nice 70s Reissue P neck. Game on!

Tell me about it. You get up in the morning and drive the van round to collect the guys and the gear, then you motor over to the venue and unpack and set everything up. Then there’s the sound check and when everyone is happy you wander off looking for somewhere to eat. After that it’s a matter of killing time until you are ready to go on stage. As the evening wears on the punters get more raucous. The set is due to finish at 11.00 p.m. but the crowd keep calling for encores. Then someone wants you to accompany his granny singing Ten Guitars. You finally finish and then dismantle all the equipment when there are still bodies staggering about, getting in the way. Finally you escape around 1.00 a.m. drive home, drop everyone off and unload the gear. Back at your place you creep in the door not wanting to wake the family. You slip into bed and lay there exhausted. Then the wife slides her leg over your thigh and begins to nibble your ear. What a life!

Where's the loo? Couldn't hold on if I wanted to.

I think the last bit should read, 'You slip into bed and lay there exhausted and totally unable to fall asleep as you're still buzzing, analysing the gig, and thinking about how you played, how you could of played better, how the audience reacted, how your bass sounded, what new gear you should now buy, what someone said to you, how you're never going to play there again, do I need a wee, how you're going to tell the singer what you think, the girl on the left of the stage was super cute, why does the guitarist never lug any gear unless it's his own, what time is it, why does the drummer never buy anyone a drink, I definitely need a wee, why can I never hear myself on stage, when's the next gig, why can't I fall asleep, I'm going for a wee' 😂

It's home. First impressions - exactly what I was hoping for. The output level is INCREDIBLY loud - too beefy for my practice amp. So I'll have to dig out the big rig to give it a proper shakedown (and maybe make a video). Any riff requests? Interestingly, it has a big dose of that Wal flavour (it's got that "complexity" in the upper mids), but it's also retained some of its Music Man-ness, probably because the pickups aren't in the Wal positions.

Original and Copy:

Exactly. We’ve all typed out a message on a mobile and realised it’s full of mistakes later. Not a big deal! Here’s my new strap, anyway!

Short scale MM added...enjoy!

I blame my mother for my poor sex life. All she told me was 'the man goes on top and the woman underneath.' For three years my husband and I slept in bunk beds. Joan Rivers

My love for old peavey gear is getting out of hand! this is super clean, I’m gonna be taking it out of the flight case as that adds a lot of size and weight but can’t wait to plug this in alongside my 2x215 peaveys and my custom 215 when one popped up I had to grab it!!

Fixed 😂

Raven - Buddy Holly & The Crickets

I've got a few 31.5" ACG 6ers, and a 26.5"... . I have tuned the 26.5"er B to C, and it works, but I find it cool to have something tuned a little differently around too.

It's television. None of it is real.

The Needle And The Damage Sewn ～ Neïl Young

Should have brought her in a McDonalds seeing as she’s hungry 🍔

Or a prats?

Thatis scarily accurate

Sitting in a silent, empty, shop demoing basses is not for the faint hearted. The last time I did that was in my local Guitar, Guitar on a wet Wednesday afternoon. I was playing my usual bluesy, jazzy stuff and just for a laugh started to play the sailors hornpipe (it's actually a good warm up routine). At which point all the shop assistants burst out laughing. They listen to you, you know..... Every note. They probably have score cards n all.

I'm liking playing with my thumb these days, something I started doing when trying to emulate the feel of a double bass albeit on an electric. I find it slows me down, simplifies what I'm trying to do, makes me more attentive especially to the drummist, and at times produces a tone I can't get using any other method. Of course, this opens a whole new can of worms as to the correct placement of my fingers 👍

Clean everything with contact cleaner, including the pots, tube sockets and tube pins.

Gigging on Tuesday but which behemoth do I take with which cab? 1971 P Bass with flats - Shure Wireless - Cali Big Box Comp - Russian Muff - Sansamp BDDI = Perfection 👌 *still setting up home studio so pics not up yet.

I am with the posties, and the rest of the current striking workers. There is plenty of money in the system but most of It is in the hands of a few obscenely wealthy people, and their friends. We have raging inflation but it is caused by corporate greed, not inflationary wages. Most people are worse off in real terms than they were in 2008, and it looks like they have finally decided to fight back.

Arrived today - a Batmanking bass uke, which looks very similar to the Ebay picture: Also included: a soft case (as seen), adequate for avoiding little dents, and a hex key. I was a little puzzled by that, as Mrs Whelsh Ukulele Lady said in her Youtube review that it didn't have a truss rod, but they've obviously listened to her and put one in - or at least put a truss rod cover on, maybe there isn't a truss rod under it. On top is a preamp section featuring a tuner (appears accurate), volume control, and 3-band EQ. Around the bottom is a socket plate with a 9V battery tray (battery not included), 1/4" jack socket, and XLR output. The strings are a different feel to the silicone strings on my Ashbories - not grabby like those are. I've had an initial plunk around and tune up. It all seems nicely put together. If you shake vigorously, the cable between preamp and socket plate does bang around, but I don't think that's a particularly real world test. In these post-Harley Benton days, I suspect that expectations of budget/economy/cheap instruments have risen far beyond what they once were, and I'd say that this lives up to those heightened expectations. A tiny niggle is that there's slightly too much A string wound onto the tuner, so it's starting to overflow. I could do with taking about a turn and a half off. Also it could do with a strap button on the neck end of the body - putting one on the treble string side of the heel, as Mrs Whelsh Ukulele Lady recommends, would avoid having to tie the strap to the headstock. Which reminds me, I should do that to my bouzouki too. I have yet to plug it in and check out the electric sound, which will also give a chance to compare these strings with the old silicone rubber Ashbory ones. For under a hundred quid (with a couple of voucher codes), it's very impressive.

Patty is here! (And I am in love) Patty is my new peppermint green Ibanez TMB35. For those of us who prefer short scale five stringers ... there is not a lot of choice out there (certainly not in the affordable end of the spectrum). The TMB35 is a bass that has had fairly good reviews and does not break the bank. I finally pushed the button yesterday (birthday treat for myself) and Patty arrived this afternoon. Finish - Generally very tidy, the smallest of chips around the perimeter of the headstock (only visible from up close). Body finish is uniformly smooth, neck is nice and smooth. Frets seem to be level, no buzzing notes and their edges are clean with no sharp/jaggy bits. Weight - Not as bad as I was expecting (but definitively heavier than one might expect from a bass of this size). Neck weigh however ... argh!!! Maybe as it is the first bass I've ever had with neck dive I am sensitive to it, but it is ... not nice! (But I have a plan) Tuners - Seem OK, turn easily and gearing is acceptable. Strings - Ruff! I need to get some some flatwound (or ideally tapewound) on ASAP! Action and intonation not too bad for now, will tweak when I get new strings on. Tuning is BEADG ... the low B is not too bad not floppy, but does rattle a bit if I pluck it with any wellie. It's a 0.130, I might replace with a 0.135 which I've found to be great on a 760mm scale. Pickups+Wiring - PJ passive pair. The Neck P Type seems an OK middle of the road pup. The bridge J type is on the shrill side, hum noise is apparent. The controls are Vol/Vol/Tone ... not a huge fan, but easy enough to change to Vol/Blend/Tone (The tone control crackles). Jack socket is a bit wobbly, and some of my plugins ... won't! Feel - I like the feel of the neck and the width of the fingerboard. When sitting, with Patty on my left thigh (in a high neck classical position) I can comfortably reach the full extent of the fingerboard. When positioned on my right thigh or on a strap the head definitely wants to ostrich. Overall, given the price point, I am very pleased with Patty and I would be very surprised if she is not with me for many years to come. Whilst it would be possible to gig with her (once I've got some new strings on) I see her more as a strong foundation of a project bass ... I've already got some copper tape on the way from Amazon to line the cavities, I can definitely see myself changing out the pups and electronics ... most likely passive, not sure if I will stick with PJ or go another route, either way some channeling and probably a new pickguard will be called for. I've read reports of others putting on lighter tuners to help reduce neck dive, but I am seriously considering if I can go headless ... this would totally resolve neck dive (and might even let me pop a cavity or two in the body to reduce overall weight even further). But most importantly ... loads of playing TL;DR Patty is a keeper. For size comparison, here is Patty next to my Hohner Fiver 34inch scale The Hohner (and a couple of other long scalers) are likely to appear in the Marketplace ... I am now totally convinced that a scale length over 30 inch is just too long for me! S'manth x

Sooo, oops. I just had to look up my password and it's been 4 years since I logged on. So eermm, yeah, hi everyone. So still playing, giging, recording etc, some good stuff too. As I'm a bit rusty on how the forum works and etiquette can someone guide me to the selling bass stuff. I'm going to unload a few 5 strings... Nice ones If anyone wants to catch the worm it's likely to be a Warwick Streamer Stage 1 (wide neck) A nice red Stingray 5 and perhaps my Status S2 headed. Hope everyone is fine post pandemic an all that, interesting to read the still many many threads. We must all be mad to be so in love with the instrument we all chose! Anyway...Merry Christmas, healthy New Years and all that. Danny

I usually lie awake wondering where that high pitched whistling sound is coming from. And then wonder why I put my earplugs in my pocket instead of my ears.

If you can't trust it, that's that. So far, I've had zero issues, but I haven't yet fired it up in anger outside the house, so I'm quite prepared to return it if anything shows up. I guess that's why we piled in - the 180-day return option, which I'm even more grateful for, given your experience. Fingers crossed, one way or another...!

"I hated that effing Columbus.. but the selmer bass twin in Croc skin I would like back now please. thank you" And in an incredible twist of fate, my original Crocbeast has been found!! Brought by my dad in ~1976 at a school auction in Knebworth for £5 earth pounds and allegedly donated by Henry Cobbold of Knebworth Festival fame, and moreover, left behind after their stint at Kfest with a bunch of other stinky poo by none other than The Pink Floyd in 1975... The Amp was rediscovered buried in a mates loft this year.. How it got there, why it was there, no one can remember. It is at the menders right now, as my mate rightly said when I went all teary eyed, "nope; you will just plug it in and kill yourself, I am going to get it checked out 1st" Now I am looking for a suitable cab to plop under her as the massive chipboard 1x18 blobjob my dad made me having been long turned to weetabix... will post pics when I have my grubby mitts on her again.

Sounds like you might just need to hold on a little longer... from the horse's mouth: 'Musicians in Poland are also waiting for the R-400. The hold-up is the wooden box - it is difficult and time-consuming to do this. I asked the musicians what they thought about the version without a wooden box, and there was only one answer - everyone wants only in a wooden box. My plan is to finish the R-400 by mid-January.'

"Thankfully perseverance is a great substitute for talent"

Now you only need the 3620:

Monet's Too Tight To Mention - Simply Dots

The concept of not buying blind was for real back in the 70s and 80s when manufacturing tolerances were ..... liberal. By now things are much tighter and I do not worry about it. If you want to try different things, find a Bass Bash. Noodle all day.

One of the best, most melodic bassists I have ever seen was playing a fiesta red Squier precision. Possibly a decent Japanese one but only worth a couple of hundred pounds back then. I doubt he's on here either.

Decided not to shy away from the Chrimbo vibe and sold our souls to blatant commercialism! 🙂 "Get ready to rock Your Blues Away this Christmas at the Windsor in Penarth. Bluesfire Blues Band will be playing a red-hot mix of Blues Rock and Christmas favourites with our own twist this Christmas Eve."

The tuning bridge always seems a bit exposed on conversions, like it could easily get bashed hanging off the back of the body. I had a Hohner Jack headless (damn, why did I sell that again?) that had strap buttons either side of the tuners, so you could still lean it up against an amp etc.

The cause is a combination of sky high fuel prices, that impact almost everything that needs transporting, and sky high energy prices. The fact energy companies are making record profits means the price they are charging the public is simply profiteering. Nothing to do with wages. How can any country can claim to be first World when ordinary people have to use "Warm spaces" because they cant afford to heat their homes, and working people have to rely on charity, food banks, to eat. Its a disgrace. A change is needed.

Mmm, matte black. Here's my Ric.

When buying new, I have them bring out half-a-dozen or so, and I try 'em each in turn, with a light touch at first, then a bit of a thrashing. However, I'm no longer welcome, apparently, at the Aston Martin works.

Or just play it 3 times in a row with an average pub band drummer. That will be 3 different tempos!

New short scale bass to the fold, been looking for one of these for a while!