Leaderboard

As a longtime Spector endorsee and collector I have always wanted to see a mid-price Euro version of their custom USA-X (Spectorbird) model.... So, using my contacts and linking up with UK retailer Bass Direct we organised a special limited custom run (less than 25) of just that! After a 9 month wait they have just arrived. Black, white, tobaccoburst flame and an amazing ultraviolet quilt! Equipped with EMG pickups, Tonepump preamp & gold hardware, they have turned out amazingly well.... I'm so pleased 🥰😎 Thanks to Bass Direct for their assistance and here's to our next custom build!

Played a club on the outskirts of Chesterfield Saturday night, nice place, well run and their own light system which is always a bonus as it reduces our setup/strip down time. Club liked things a bit on the quiet side (though thankfully no db meter cutoff system) which made it a bit polite for the first half of the first set. Things warmed up however and when the dance floor filled we upped the volume a bit; by the second set we were at our normal level. Concert sec came into the change room at end of play and expressed appreciation and took our last available date for 2023. So all in all 'job's a good un'. Was home and watching Mick Ronson doc on Sky Arts with a Glenmorangie nightcap by 1:00am.

Velcro Cable Ties packs of 30, 200x20mm Black or colours £1.99. The quality is OK, they won't last forever but should work for a few years. I'd prefer a 30x200mm but at this price I can have a cable tie on every cable for the price of a large Americano. There are also packs of 20 300mm ties

So, after 30 years of gigging with an amp behind me and blaring guitars and monitors everywhere etc last night I did my first ampless gig. None of us used amps (x2 guitars, x1 keys and me on bass) so the only noise apart from the pa was the drums. We used in ears with our own mix. It really was great. No need to worry about a bad mix or not hearing anything. However, the main revelation which should have been totally obvious but wasnt, was that for years it's been the amps on stage that have been the problem on stage regarding hearing everyone, rather than being a necessity to hear everyone. Everyone could hear the pa perfectly clear and could have easily got away without the in ears. The in ears were perfect and I kind of had the 2/3ds in rather than fully as a reinforcement. For years I've played with guitars at a million decibels and not been able to hear them at times, hardly ever heard keys and had bad monitor mixes. But I'm now convinced it's the amps that were the problem. Just sound smashing around everywhere. I'm from the totally hardcore you need a big old amp behind you and need to feel the bass and the wall of sound, but now weve took some time and done the ampless thing as a whole band I'd reluctantly have to change my mind. The front of house mix was so much easier to do as well. Literally just have to worry about what's coming out of the front. No clash or bleed with amps, direction, or monitors etc. Oh, and pack down took 15 mins and was so easy and lightweight with no compromise on sound.

NBD! BB450! Last friday, in fact. Took me a couple days to get it to a playable state. Unresponsive truss rod (fixed, I hope, will see in a couple days), at least one broken tuner, badly worn and cracked P pickup cover. Great neck, sounds very good. A nice addition to my BB collection (if the truss rod holds).

Does this qualify....

Warning. Warning. Warning. I'm one small sale far from affording the Capo. Whilst that is good news, oh boy, what a dry dry dry month awaits until I get it, with nothing more than a compressor and a distortion pedal on my board

Arriving at 8.30am this morning and weighing in at exactly 9lbs, here is my Ultra Violet Spectorbird Euro X. I can't decide whether I like the back or the front better.

Well, that's very pretty.

https://www.guitarworld.com/features/fender-sparkle-finishes

Mine rocked up this morning. Cannot wait to get home and. Plug this one in!!!

I got lucky - under 8lbs! Thanks GuitarGuitar - fast delivery and a decent bass too…back of the net 😁

Blubbery Hill ～ Fats Domino

Here yer go... I only need 3 knobs so I prefer the input jack on the front.

Hey folks, just did my first gig with newly build pedal board. Was really good 😊 Great piece of kit.

I once dated a large Americano.

I don’t find TB as interesting or enlightening as this site. I’m a Yank who has lived in Cambridgeshire for 23 years and just started gigging this past year after decades off. The differences between the band culture here vs the American midwest are subtle but important to know. The freewheeling discussions on this site have been invaluable for helping me fit in.It’s a great community. I also own a Hartke kickback 12. Brilliant practice amp…adequate for jazz with the fretless…rubbish for anything else.

Where do you buy your large Americanos?

De Dodo The Police

Very near the end now. Put in some acoustic wadding (left over from the BC112 mk3 which is still awaiting completion) and mounted the speaker and grill. The front panel doesn't bear close, or even medium, scrutiny, but it's all valuable lessons isn't it? I haven't put any wadding on the rear panel - I may be putting a mini power amp in there so I didn't want to put wadding on until I knew how much space there would be. Waiting for some screws to arrive to fit the rear panel on, and then it'll be all systems go.

Hello guys I haven' t been there for a long time...A few days ago I purchased beautiful /midnight?/ blue Rick 4003 February 1997./photos/. I would have a few questions: 1.The most important: E tuner is bent-see last photo.It is quite easy to fix -straighten?- it but I am not sure if it could break...It would be disaster..It works perfectly it's only a matter of look. 2.There is a foam to mute strings which I am not going to use.Do I have to unscrew the entire bridge or use a razor to cut out it? 3.The truss rod needs adjusting I did it appr 8 years ago /its my 2nd Rick/ I don' remember how I did it, it's quite easy I would say but RIC manual recommend only 1/4 of round once a time do I have to wait some time/minutes-hours?/ between each adjustment or can I do the whole job within a minutes?Without strings of course... 4.On the photo you can see huge Acoustic 201 300W GUITAR cabinet cca 1972 eq. with 2x 15inch CTS speakers and horn /switchable/. I use it for bass too in my apartment only - not more than 15-20watts putting into it.Can I damage the speakers?I seldom set bass more than 1 o' clock position.I guess not but I am not expert.Mainly I use ACC 126 bass combo /photo/ but I like ACC 201 sound better. Thank you for an advices Jan Slovakia I am putting 7 photos here the Rick is very rare I think black binding and lefty...And beautiful color./Which blue exactly is it?/I bought it on Arni's /great guy/ leftybass site from very nice German bassist. He told me /and sent photo/ that E tuner was OK when packing...I believe him. A few info on gear you can see-some might be interested...From the left: Czechoslovakia/Slovakia/ TESLA /Tesla Vrable/ 40W tube amp 1968 NOT designed for instruments mainly for use at schools etc..Microphone input moded for 100mV believe or not it sounds ALMOST like 1000€ Fender bassman.I paid 85€ for it...Unbelievable.It stands on ACC 126 bass combo 120W 1981. On the right there is mentioned ACC 201 300W guitar cabinet with awesome famous ACC 260 "Doors" amp on it/it's guitar amp but bass and keys sounds beautiful too/ and on it you can see British HH IC 100/Bolan, Waters, John Deacon too?/ as you all surely know it very well and GED 2112 preamp.And very rare today Marshall 4145 4x10 100W guitar combo 1979 /Rush, SRV/ .BTW small Marlboro box is NOT cigarettes but rare old transistor radio, MW broadcasting ended a few years ago...

I'm a massive Cardiacs fan, so this appeared in my YouTube feed. Not to be taken seriously, but a great mashup of various people 'playing' Fiery Gun Hand. There is some footage of the actual band playing in there as well. And extra bonus points for the girl being thrown a Flying V at the start of the epic guitar solo. 😉👍

okay, this is technically not NBD because i've had it for a couple of weeks now, but i didn't want to post too early and jinx it. so, after not really having the chance to do any music due to moving around a few times over the last few years, i've finally settled down and found a local project i might want to get involved with. but i realised that i don't really love either of my current basses, and i've had my eye on one of these for a while, so... i bought one. and i'm glad i did, because i love it. as well as the two magnetic pickups (Bartolini MK1 - i know not everyone loves these, but they work well here), it has a piezo in the bridge and blending the three pickups gives a pretty good range of tones for a fretless bass. it's got the lovely thin SR neck, the hardware seems pretty good, and it's on the light side for a 5er (around 8lb). they're making the fingerboards for these from panga panga now, which i've never heard of before, but it feels good to play and has a pretty pattern to it: it came with Chrome flats on, but i put some TI Jazz flats on after reading a few positive reviews, and those sound pretty nice. they are fairly low tension though, especially the B which is a bit floppy (it's 34" scale) so i don't know if i'll stick with those. any complaints? i don't love the vol-vol-vol control setup, it's a bit awkward to change the tone and keep the same output level, so i'm wondering about putting a new preamp in with a more sensible control layout and an active-passive switch. and i wish there were more colours available than brown burst, which is nice enough, but i'd rather have a natural finish. but overall, very pleased with it and i expect this will be my main/only bass now. i might even sell my SR300E...

I've never really been excited about amps/cabs before as I don't gig and my bass playing is limited to recording (DI into the desk). I picked up an old Trace Elliot combo today and WOW. The tone and power from this thing is just awesome. It's a bit weighty, but these things are utter bargains for what they sell for today. Excited to put it to use, and it might even inspire me to get out there and play live!

I picked up a (barely) used Harley Benton PB Shorty the other day, for sh*ts and giggles mainly. For the €50 I paid I didn't expect much, and in all fairness, it delivers. Supercheap tuners, poor fretwork (uneven frets with sharp ends), a "quick and dirty" black finish with a nice orange peel texture, and a truss rod nut made of chewing gum that is misaligned with the access hole, so no key will fit and the hole will be stripped soon. When I tuned it for the first time, the low E tuning post barely handled the string tension and there are some serious grooves in them from the string winds. But! The neck feels remarkably good and comfortable (despite being a bit bendy) and this thing is so much fun to play! And the best part is it sounds exactly how you'd expect from a miniature P Bass. I don't think it will last long (and I don't think I'll be keeping it for long) but for now I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it.

Your wish is my command !

Joking aside, if I can do it, then anyone can. I made two instruments while I was still at school in the 70s, when information on how to make an electric guitar was far harder to come by then it is now. It was all done entirely with hand tools, except the roughing out of the body shapes which was done by the woodwork teacher on the bandsaw. I probably spent more time sharpening chisel and plane blades then I did actually shaping the wood, but the end results were a perfectly playable solid electric guitar and a balalaika.

It was looking a bit more than reliced... Body makeover is by the deft hand of @Andyjr1515 who proffered a veneer front reminiscent of the high-end Ibanez models, but i opted for a more honest look.

One of the main reasons I love my MPC(s) (And hardware in general), is that the process doesn't hinder you from making music. I always find if I try to write music within Logic that I'm composing with my eyes rather rather than my ears. Yes it comes out perfectly sequenced, but at the expense of sounding robotic & plastic-y You'll find (as @SumOne says) there is a 'lot' to it, but it is very intuitive, tactile way to make music. As a die hard lover of vintage (old, heavy and clunky) gear I was really sceptical about these new fangled MPC's but I'm really glad I took a punt on mine. Even if it didn't do drums, it would be worth it for the audio recording/loop pedal/fx functionality

A bit more progress with the filling - the back battery chamber is done and the surplus controls holes likewise: Next steps are cutting the new chamber and widening the hole for the tone control. Hopefully will be able to do both tomorrow.

Phew, made it! Time was short due to illness, family events and work trips... but finally completed. Blurb: I've gone for the boy racer angle, although with a punky sound not traditionally heard from such a vehicle..... so I present "Ford Cortina with a Home Made Flame Job". Technical details: DAW: Studio one, Guitars : Vox Standard 25 and Squier Tele, Bass: Vantage Avenger, Drums: MT Powerdrums, Vocals: Sure SM58 Lyrics in spoiler:

You got a few good suggestions already. I have to add another to the mix. I've recently had the pleasure of trying an LFSys cab (Monaco model) from our very own @stevie and I was very impressed with it. It's light, it's loud, I really liked the shape and handle type/position which makes carrying it really easy... I'm using a pair of Barefaced Two10 with a Mesa D800+, and currently I'm mostly playing reggae/ska. The Monaco sounded really good! https://www.lfsys.co.uk/bassguitarproducts

Enjoyed doubling up the PJB cabs this weekend, great stage sound. New bass too, local builder, will review eventually.

The Walrus Hunt - The Residents

I went for this Ray35 from ebay. Not *just* because it's the same colour as my 'Ray and P, but... yes I'm shallow and looks are a factor. I paid 650, which is fair enough I think. First impressions are good; it feels nice and solid, really well put together. It's heavy! Haven't had it on a strap yet, so that's something to look forward to. It plays, feels and sounds fantastic. Lovely StingRay tone with the three band EQ (I like) and the three way pickup selector switch giving some lush sounds on tap. The neck is an absolute beauty, no rough edges and is a joy to play all the way up and down. Bad points: There is a quiet hum when you're not touching it, so probably not completely shielded (?)) and the notes are all in the wrong places 😃 I don't know if it's two and a half times better than a 250 quid S.U B. and/or three sevenths (?) as good as a full fat USA model, but it's undoubtedly a lovely Bass that I'm really happy with and can't wait to play in anger.

Urban Griller ～ Hawkwind

Oh yes indeedy! It's actually somewhere between Ian Hill and a normal Euro LX.

Agree, don't see the point of the PG. Looks a bit like Kaonashi's little, sad kid 😉

I dunno, I rather like it. I guess that if they had put a 2 over 2 h/stock there would an equal number of howls of protest that they'd just ripped off another design. Each to their own I guess

Crying To The Sky - BeBop Deluxe

Spectacular efforts all round, well done!

Hi guys I THANK YOU ALL A LOT! I posted it only yesterday and got so many advices! I appreciate much-indeed. Of course I know what the big screws adjusting foam height are for..The problem is the strings are horribly high /the neck is a bit bow-haven t been adjusted for years and with Rotos on...The seller plays jazz and hadn t been using Rick for years. As you know Rick bridge is...OK I will be polite:-)./I few days ago I got Hipshot from USA for my lefty Fireglo 2004 maybe when I have money /it cost me 244 euro including import taxes/ maybe I will purchase black one for this blue beauty.../ There is not much space to adjust ANYTHING and when I lowered strings at max they touched the foam and muted... So I will definitely remove the foam tomorrow I am going to instatll new Rotos Swing 66 45-105 and I guess I will be able to remove the foam without dismounting the bridge. Strightening the tuner is really a question.Thank you all for advices especially PaulThePlug I will definitely write to Schaller /no import taxes/ and i fthery won t help then to RIC people who unfortunately DO NOT sell anYthing outside USA and Canada. And last solution could be ezbass advice-to warm tuner up before doing anything and then very slowly to straighten. And of course I thank to all for truss rod adjustment advices.As I wrote I did it already but years ago..I have the right tool I bought it for appr 5-7 euros /yes!/ is special tool store it is nonsense that RIC doesn t include this with its products... So thank you all again and when it all is done I will let you know and post photos. Jan

Chris from Turner Pickups here…. I also make multicoils that have the separate outputs per coil pair. I make two main versions these days: the SEP variant (separate outputs for each arch coil pair) and a SPPP variant (wired like 2 split coils, and can be switched to Series/Parallel/standard “P”/reverse “P”)

Couple of thoughts from another 4003 owner. Firstly on the foam in the bridge. As @Doctor J said, usually you just loosen the two thumb screws and the mute drops away. But I think @Bassassinis right that there looks to be too much stuff in there. When you buy replacement foam for the mute (it rots/loses elasticity eventually) it is oversized - you have to cut a piece the right size to glue to the metal former it sits on. I wonder if someone has bought new foam, not realised this, and shoved the whole lot in there? If so, you’ll need to remove the bridge to get to the underside of the mute mechanism to do a decent job of trimming the foam. Not a difficult job - I’d capo the strings at the first fret then loosen them enough to get the saddle out from under them. In the resulting gap you’ll find the screws you need to remove to get the bridge off. The only thing to be careful about is the earth wire connected to the mute assembly - don’t break it lifting the bridge away from the body or getting the assembly out of the bridge. But just a bit of soldering if it does snap off (or just jam the exposed end of the wire back under the bridge when you replace it - that’s what I did when I replaced the original bridge with a Hipshot…) There are libraries filled with advice on Ric trussrods, but here are my thoughts based on owning a 2011 4003 and a 2003 620/12, which should be relevant to a 97 bass. The really temperamental Ric trussrods were on the 4001 basses and possibly the early 4003 ones - then they came up with something more sensible. Well, a bit. The biggest headache is finding a tool to do the adjustment. You need a 1/4 inch socket (the metric equivalent - I’d guess 6.5mm - might work, but I’ve never tried it). The problem is that the clearance around the nut is so narrow that most sockets don’t fit. I’m lucky enough to have one that came with a set I bought in Halfords (UK auto parts store) years ago that fits perfectly. Others speak of grinding down the outer diameter of a socket to make it slim enough. Or spring for the genuine Ric tool (or a guaranteed copy…). Once you can turn the nuts, the rules are pretty much as for any other bass - don’t do anything too crazy and check the results regularly under full string tension/at whatever pitch you play at. NB you don’t have to loosen the strings to make these adjustments - again, that was only required with the older 4001 system. The idea of having two rods is supposedly to make correcting a twisted neck possible. However, I suspect any Ric with a twisted neck got that way precisely because someone who didn’t know what they were doing used this advanced technology to put the twist into it… Anyway, my approach has always been to do the same thing to both rods. As elsewhere, an eighth or a quarter turn is plenty. I don’t think you need to give time for an adjustment to settle, but equally @ezbass’s advice makes sense. An excuse to make a cup of tea if nothing else 🙂 I might, just might, leave the bass side rod a quarter to a half turn looser than the treble side overall to allow more swinging room for the thicker strings, but only if it feels right/suits your playing style - these things are sooooo subjective. Good luck!

Jam night on Thursday was fun. This was the 1st time the 4 of us had all played together (we had a run through but weren’t all able to make it). We had a load of people singing along, which is always a good sign. I also picked up another slot on the night. It was with a couple of guys who I was supposed to play with in December, but who pulled out with about 2hours notice. They changed the set list at least twice during the night, but 2 of the 3 were ones I’d learned for December. Oddly the one we played best was the one I’d never even heard before getting up on stage (Walking the Dog). That may have been because it was the last of the 3, or because one of the others had sorted out his guitar tuning issues. The drummer thanked the 3 of us at the end for letting him play as it was the 1st time he’d ever played live; none of us knew it was his 1st time, he played well; I hope he enjoyed it and comes again. If you fancy listening to a bit of it there is 20s on my insta account https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co2Nn5lhx03/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= ….or for full song versions to 2 of them they are on my YouTube channel Simon-C (unless I get a strike).

Before getting on with the varnishing today, I decided it was time to do the first weigh in... Obviously hardware still needs to go on, but very happy at 4.023lbs.