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Fantastic night in Beat Generator in Dundee with 70's Glam Rock covers band BLOCKBUSTARZ. First time at this venue, well to be honest my first time in Dundee centre and have to say i was impressed. Looks like a good day out could be had there. Bit of a pain loading in and out with 3 flights of stairs but no PA to carry. Good size stage a bonus. Sound was first class from SE and PA was good quality. All in all a great venue and really nice owner too. Good sized crowd too that spent first 6 songs just watching us before they eased off into a bit of dancing. Many had even dressed up in their 70's Glam gear so that was good to see. It was more like a concert audience, all standing from front of stage to the back entrance door so pretty full by looks of it. It was a door money deal 70/30 to us so we ended up with a tidy sum at the end of the night. They want us back this year again and owner said the feedback was astounding. Not just a band but a full show. Had to cut the set short as they only wanted two 1 hr sets whereas we normally do 1hr:15mins first set and 1hr :30mins the second set. On stage 9pm finished back of 10 and back on 10:15 to 11:30 altho we were asked for more and got permission from owner to do another encore. Very warm night but everyone was happy. Sandberg VM4 into Shure wireless and then into Roland mfx then into Handbox WB-100 head and Mesa 210/115 cabs. I'll add some pics when they come in. Dave

Headlined a 'sausage n cider' festival last night. Judging by the condition of the audience the emphasis throughout the day had been decidedly less sausage and considerably more cider. But they enjoyed themselves, danced and cheered, and generally had a good time. The highlight of the evening was that rarest, most precious thing, a member of the audience who actually understood music in all its subtlety and all of its majesty. She stood open mouthed in appreciation of my supreme bass playing skills, and at the end of the song announced that I was 'carrying the whole band'. A fact I had previously considered blindingly self evident and yet one that had always gone curiously unrecognised. After one particularly superb bass fill she told the singer that the entire room now needed a pregnancy test, such was the filth with which it was imbued. Probably the greatest compliment I've ever been paid. Where was this creature come evening's end, I hear you cry? How did she show her appreciation for my hypnotic musical skill? A gentleman never tells...

Of course. I learned early on (12 years ago) that I would be a rubbish bass player. So I focused on what I was good at and enjoyed - packing, sending and receiving cardboard boxes and selling gear at a loss. I could probably be as happy just sending myself empty boxes to open.

From a shop in Kidderminster. A lovely chap on BC gave me the heads up. Not a mark on it.fairly light for a V7. 9.3 pounds on my digital scales. It was set up badly and i was using the wrong allen key.thus my previous post. .fresh set of DR Low Riders. Monstrous tones. It makes me wonder why i spent thousands on very expensive basses in the past. £240 for this quality of bass, that preamp and those pickups that sound this good. Really.???!!!

I usually play a G&L l-2500 but thought I'd try out this Jazz bass last night...it cost me £30 off Facebook and it was in a right state, looked like it had been pulled out of a skip, it was a really cheap make but the body and neck were really nice so I took the body down to bare wood and dumped all the hardware, I fitted a pair of Geddy Lee signature pickups, cts pots and switchcraft jack, hipshot bridge, new control plate and machine heads, all in black. I was hoping it would sound good and I wasn't disappointed, I went back to the G&L for the second set and ended up wishing I'd stuck with the Jazz, very pleased with the end result!

Last nights gig required my smaller but equally as loud set up. Mesa Boogie Buster 210 combo

I've definitely got (almost) all the the gear and plenty of ideas, but probably not a lot of technical ability compared with the typical Basschatter. However I'm sufficiently competent to be able to play the music I want to play and I'm able to play the songs in time and in tune and get to the end of each one without causing any problems that would be immediately noticeable by the majority of the audience. And while I have goals for improvement, and I am slowly working towards them and have been doing so for the past 50 years, mine are probably slightly different to there typical musician - rather than learning any new techniques I'd like to be able to execute those I can already do whist being able to throw some serious shapes and poses on stage and not miss a note. I also like to have nice things (or at least nice things that I am interested in) and for me the musical equipment goes with the band image. Of course "nice" is totally subjective and in the world of bass guitars not always an indication of the instrument's worth. So I have some interesting looking guitars and basses that cost me quite a bit of money. But it's money that I had available at the time of purchase and money that I wanted to spend on musical instruments. Also bear in mind that there are plenty of people on hear with vintage Fenders that (IMO) look like stinky poo but are worth considerably more than my flashy looking basses. No-one would ever give them any crap about "All the gear..." So don't worry about it. You're probably already a "better" bass player than me, and if you can afford it there's no shame in having nice instruments and other musical equipment. Also even for someone like me a good musical instrument does make you play better. I know that for a fact, whether it is because it's easier to play or because you can no longer use your gear as an excuse - a bit of both in my case.

I write off small losses as bass rent.

I've recently completed a pair of Basschat 12" MK3 cabs. I took them out for their first try last night complete with the sweatshirt covers I posted about recently I play in a moderately loud glam rock band. We had a "charidee" gig in a hall around 80 x 40 feet with a high ceiling last night. I used the cabs in "landscape mode" with my trusty old TC BH800 perched on top looking a bit lost. The temporary stage was a bit lively, otherwise I would've opted for portrait mode. I was afraid they'd topple over - especially whilst watching the support band's singer leap around like he had a bum full of mustard. When I built the cabs, I mirrored the baffles, so that the HF horns could be kept in alignment The amp was barely breaking a sweat and the bass control of the 4 band eq was reduced by maybe a third. Bottom end was plentiful My setup was Yamaha BB734A, lead, amp. Tone print compressor used in the amp. That's it. I'm very simple.... The tone was everything I want from a cab. Clear, defined without mush or muddiness that I normal get from my older home brew cabs in large halls. Felt good knowing I had oodles of power on tap if required. Bass filled the room without overpowering. Mids were strong and the wonderful HF section barks a great deal of clarity towards my moulded ear plugged lugholes. I could "feel" as well as hear my playing whilst stood in front of my cabs. Rather nice. Yep - the parts involved aren't cheap, (and all the little bits do add up when you begin building) but my oh my the performance is worth it. I own a couple of well respected manufacturer's cabs and these are making me wonder why I bothered!!! One is for sale as I type. If you're a liability with power tools, then you can buy a mildly supercharged version of the mk3 in the form of the LFSys Silverstone. If you can measure, use a few tools and enjoy a challenge, then you can still obtain the mk3 plans on this 'ere forum. I really would recommend it if you're thinking of having a go. Pub gigs will be easily taken care of with one of the pair. Outdoor or BIG rooms will be dealt with by the pair running together for sure. Any more required would be a PA job.... I've built them with top hats in the bottom, so we have a get out of jail PA system should ours cr*p out on us (its a pretty shonky setup that I hate with a passion, but my band mates are too tight to invest in upgrades) I look forward to trying the cabs in a PA role soon. I also recessed the handle on the top. I promised myself i'd take a few pictures, but as usual forgot. If you're near Norwich and interested, then i'm more than happy to let you come and try one/them Again... Big thanks to Stevie, Phil Starr and the crew for making this great resource available for us all. Cheers all Jon

You should hear the absolute racket my neighbour makes. It’s usually his TV, though the other night at 3am he was shouting, hammering and banging. Luckily, I was still up, playing my drums, otherwise he’d have woken me up.

I only turned 50 a couple of months ago but my teens was spent thinking more about how I looked rather than my playing and it is a trait I am embarrassed to say continued into my 20s. I started getting more serious in my 30s and over lockdown I actively started practicing every day - and continue to do so. I think I have a good reputation both locally now and on the circuits I play on, usually get good feedback after shows. All of this is offset by my own personal crippling self-doubt but I guess that is just typical of a lot of musicians. I definitely subscribe to the view that anyone who does something for a long time gets better at it.

Played with The 77s at The Queen Charlotte in Rochester last night. it was our 2nd gig as a band and it went really well. We played through our whole set, and then had to play through 5 again that we’d already played as people kept shouting for “more”. We didn’t have any spares that were rehearsed to a good enough standard to play, so we let some of the crowd pick the ones they wanted again, which was fun. I had to hire the Ampeg SVT 3 pro head again, put it didn’t seem anywhere near as loud as at our last gig. The pub was smaller, but I had to have it at max volume to keep up.

My band's just had the polar opposite; nice lad, decent enough player but never been in a band before. That's okay, we can get him up to speed, but the gear? Nasty pointy things and 'orrible amps. He's reporting at 1000 hrs for political re-education.

I stuffed my kids in an orphanage, saved a fortune, and managed to score 2 x one off custom built basses to my specs. Happy days

I'm not one for buying bass gear all the time. I've pretty much accrued everything that I need. But every now and then someone brings out a new piece of kit that catches my eye. In this case it was the new Ampeg SGT-DI pedal. I've always wanted to have an old-school Ampeg amp and cabs but I just haven't got the room to store them and my osteopath bill would likely go up after carrying that weight to a few gigs! So when this new Ampeg pedal was released, I jumped at the chance to try out. This latest offering from Ampeg is a preamp pedal with EQ, cab simulation, grit and of course it contains the classic SVT and B-15 tones. Find out what I think of the pedal and whether it ticks all the right boxes in my latest YouTube video review.

Picked this up today, it plays superbly well. The prior owner worked for Burns Guitars and did a full set up, changed the machine heads and strings etc. The action is nice and low , for a copy it's a really funky motown-sounding kinda beast!

Get a room!

Ooh I don't know. I saw your gig last night 😬 😜

Consecutive gigs this weekend, Horns Inn near Wimborne and the Gillingham Coronation club and no, Charlie wasn’t there! Both went well, Saturday better acoustics and the first time we’ve managed to nail ‘Geno’, albeit with me moonlighting on sax while Francis thrashed my Bongo (ooh, really!)

Some people buy the expensive Kellogg’s shreddies rather than the Lidl version we do. never something that has tempted me, but you know what, if I was into my cereal, and I work hard in a good job, so if I wanted to try I think I would be able to justify getting them to try. I don’t really understand the ethical dilemma you’re having. our society isn’t equal, some folk have more money than me, some less, some choose to spend more on things, others less. sometime it might be nice to try the fancy shreddies just to see.

If I got a room with everyone who said that to me these days, I'd prove my age by not having the energy!

An odd weekend for Yellowhouse. Friday night at a big sports bar/pub in Chelmsford and upon arrival the manager said that he wasn't expecting much of a turnout after 2 busy bank holidays, everyone is skint. First set started and as expected there were just a few hardy dancers upfront. At half time we were trying to muster up some enthusiasm amongst ourselves with one eye on the money. Second set - batshit crazy, loads of people suddenly appeared and it was a different world. Supposed to finish at midnight but played until 12.45 and fished a few crowd pleasers out of the first set as noone had seen them earlier. Saturday was at another large pub in Staines. We thought it may be a bit quiet but it was totally the opposite. Bonkers all night.....The iffy video below is at the end of the first set and it's the sort of reaction we would normally expect at the end of the gig. Jovi London Stone .mp4

This. In fact if a beginner plays a good bass rather than a "beginner" model they might find they learn faster and easier.

I don't really think skill level of the player has anything to do with it. If you like something and it makes you happy, then I don't think there's any harm in doing whatever you like as long as you can afford it. Though I do think there's a difference between getting caught up in having to have all the latest gear that's pushed on you by advertising (same as people do with new phones etc.) vs. buying something that you really wanted. I'm also in favour of supporting independent builders (so that we don't end up with nothing but mass produced factory made instruments in the world) - not because I think they'll make some magic bass that makes me a better player, but instead they'll make me something unique/interesting that makes me happy (and happens to be a bass ). It's similar for me with computers for work/home. My work computer is a piece of junk, but I don't care, it gets the job done and gets me paid. My home computer on the other hand is something I use for fun (games, music production, coding etc.), so I spent time getting a nice monitor and keyboard, spent time tweaking things to my liking, upgrade memory, etc. None of those things let me do things I couldn't before, but just made for a nicer experience.

We definitely do, probably the best fun band i've been in. We all get along so well in the band too and we have some great laughs when are in the changing rooms (ooohhh Matron !!!!!) Dave

She looks nothing like Freddie Mercury, he was much better looking.

I had a set of Prinzsound 909s a while back: Lovely leathery head strap, but they were electrically past the point of saving. Would have been amazing for reggae too... ah well... You don't see anybody collecting vintage IEMs do ya? QED, whatever that means.

I was considering IEMs but if they make you that belligerent I think I'll give them a miss.

My 71 P, 40mm nut and just perfect

So this has been my latest project…. details are in the “build diaries” thread. I can’t tell you how much I love this thing. I’ve spent too much on it, but it was fun, and a decent but modest Thunderbird has been transformed into an absolute beast. Thunderous, piano like tone….. it’s absolutely my current favourite, I can’t put it down. Again, details on the build diary thread. So is it worth spending the time and money on it? Absolutely yes, because I love it and plan to keep it. If I do sell it, I’ll loose money, so if it was something I was going to flip, I wouldn’t have spent so much. It’s a really awesome Thunderbird. My mate already has a Gibson and an Epi Pro….. he wants this one too. Very happy with it.

I acquired a 6 string Spector a few days ago (Thanks @Tjhooker) and felt I needed to start at the beginning with some basic lessons. Found this on YT - really helpful for the beginner.

I take the view that I need to be better than my bass, to justify an upgrade. So far, I don't feel that the bass that I have is holding me back. Rather, it is is my inability to sight read complex (or simple!) rhythms. A new bass won't fix that. However, do wonder if a better bass with a lower action would make it easier to play (say) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - as it is, I do not have the strength and dexterity in my little finger to hit the E string on the 4th fret.

Maybe you would need fewer weights if they were on the edge of the bass, just below the strap button.

Pleasant personality, diligent, competent, cooperative and a quick learner? Why on earth would you keep someone like that? How will you fill your tell-all memoir with the appropriate tales of dysfunction and conflict?

Well, this is embarrassing. Just heard back from Chris at Darkglass and he asked me to check a couple of things, like the PSU, and if I'd accidentally pressed the A&B buttons at the same time and accidentally put it into bypass mode. What? *goes and plugs ADAM in and presses A&B at the same time to deactivate bypass mode* FIXED! So. We've learned a couple of things: 1. I don't read manuals. 2. The Darkglass ADAM has a bypass mode and when activated it looks like there's no power to the unit 3. Darkglass customer service come back quite quickly (and they replied on a Saturday which is above and beyond) 4. I'm a dufus. 5. I've got a spare DI/preamp/distortion pedal now! Have a great weekend!

For sure they are, When im mortgage free in a year a Lakland 5594 or another Suhr is a must. But I think the tools are getting better and better for a cheaper price.

walk on by - the stranglers

One of the best pop albums from the 90s Tori Amos - Cornflake Girl | George Porter Jr.

*titter*

Or reverse the panning and confuse the hell out of your audience 😂

This is the truth of it, I’ve spent a lot of money on a lot of gear most of which I don’t need, but If I had to sell the lot tomorrow I’d get all that money back, there or thereabouts 👍

Well waddya know? I lied. My second contribution to the thread... I still have a pair of these from my studio days: I still use 'em on a regular basis for sound editing (mostly spoken word in my case). By my count they're at least 20 years old, but DT100s are ubiquitous in the industry to this day. I do have a very nice pair of in-ears (not moulded into my ears sad to say, but WTF...), but I still really like my DT100s. Then again I'm just an old lag, so what do I know?

I play what I want. If that means I'm judged to be a bad bass player, that's fine. It just means my role has been to make the rest of you look good by comparison. No need to thank me. Financial contributions are however welcomed.

I quite like paintings but I can't paint. I'm an engineer by trade and for me a big part of a basses attraction is the build, fit, finish and looks....I also prefer to hang them off my walls instead of paintings.😉 But, if you buy wisely they don't loose value, so, are in fact, free😎

The wife is listed on Gumtree , if anyone is interested