Leaderboard

Our second night supporting The Long Ryders, this time at the Cavern Club (it's a small venue in Liverpool, you've probably not heard of it...) Really happy with the way we've played over the last 2 shows, everything just seemed to click into place and we did a good job. I had a slight pedalboard panic, where a high pitched noise appeared which at first I put down to the new wireless unit. Checking though the signal chain, it turned out the problem lay with the compressor where the output volume had been knocked and was maxed out. I think I'll be marking the settings from now on!

Sent my P Bass build away to David Wilson for a refinish. It was 3-tone sunburst, but is now sonic blue. The picture doesn't pick up the true colour, it's a fair bit lighter in real life. It's got a light relic finish, similar to the Fender Journeyman CS relics. Specs are: a Fender MIJ 70s P body, Fender Road Worn 50s P neck, Creamery Classic '58 pickup, Fender anodised aluminium pickguard, ashtrays, knobs, and tugbar, Squier JV reverse gear tuners, Hosco threaded saddle bridge, and Gotoh strap buttons, string tree, and neck plate.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. The non aesthetically pleasing string arrangement is because I do not have the required B. The string runs over the headstock are due to the non-pliancy of the plastic-coated strings, not because Jez cannot plot his machine head paths correctly.

I think that's it - this whole topic of discussion, like so many here on Basschat, is very subjective. We each have our own tastes, preferences and real-world band/rehearsals/recording /gigging situations to navigate. If you're happy using amps and old school PA set ups with monitors - great. If you're happy with amp modelling and IEMs - great. It's not a contest IMHO, or it shouldn't be. The important thing for me is that, as musicians, we can each get out there and make music to our hearts content on a regular basis, whatever way we choose to do that. And if you're lucky enough to have that going on in your life, long may that continue... Going back to the issue of subjectivity, we had a band using amp modelling & IEMs play at my Charity's Gala Ball in March. They had a great attitude, easy load-in and load-out, nice stage set up and they played/sounded great. In fact, the bass player had a really good sound through the PA. Having said all that, to my ears at least, the overall sound and vibe was a bit tame and a bit sterile. Did the audience notice or care? No, I dont think so. They were just happy to have some music to dance to... In fact, when the band stopped, the audience continued dancing to a playlist for about another half an hour and the dance floor got busier. As I think @BigRedX alluded to earlier, most audiences at gigs don't notice this stuff and they don't care about it either; it's only us musos who have the time or bother to talk about this sort of stuff. And knowing Basschat as I do, I expect that we'll still be doing that in another 20 years or so, by which time the songs will all be written by AI/Chat GPT and the music and sound will be effortlessly and artificially generated out of the backside of a Robot that look like the silicon lovechild of Lewis Capaldi and Lizzo.

This question is as old as the hills and there’s no absolute answer. You can find examples where either type of instrument is out front or back in the mix. So many other variables come into play, not least what the rest of the band are doing, the space you have, the mix - before you even get into how the bass in question makes you want to play. …but it sure is fun experimenting and getting the feeling when everything aligns and works perfectly.

I found the Ibanez Mezzo strings worked on this - just the right length on the B string for the tuning post!! I've also tried the 4 string sets on my 4 string version of this bass and they were good too.

We were invited back to play for the Hackney half marathon runners for a second year, which also included an afternoon slot on the mainstage this time around. A huge amount of fun: 20k+ runners this year, made doubly special for me as my daughter was one of them 😊

Is it home time yet? DHL just dropped this off for me to play with later…. Can’t wait!

And it is done (almost), very pleased with how it looks. Think the machineheads need a wee tweak as they aren't all at the same resistance. Never put together a p bass, so how important is a string tree for the D and G strings? Will order one anyways since the hole is there. Strung up with Chromes for now, will let them settle overnight and see what I need to do tomorrow

So it arrived yesterday along with a fretless TRB1005 but I haven't been able to play either due to a damaged hand. Bought from our own @cammymaxwellbass this short scale Sterling Ray fills a hole in my range of basses. As I said, haven't been able to play it yet but I took some photos for posterity.

The Lady is a Trump ～ Frank Sinatra

I had the pleasure of 20 minutes in an audition room with Tina and an agent in the late 80's, a glorious lady with the most infectious laugh and energy. I still smile when I think about it, I was young and crap, she knew it but she still made me feel I'd done well. One of the all time greats, and what a life she had. RIP Tina ❤️

I've been very impressed with the build quality from Yamaha. The basses play like instruments twice the price, so if that's the case why not get two? Fretted and fretless TRB 1005.

And just as yours arrives so does mine! Here is the lefty StingWal... Gotta say I have to take back what I said about G&B Builds, they did a great job in the end and it plays fantastically. Still just getting to grips with the dialling in of tones, but here are some quick rough takes of the usual Wal tone examples. Schism is Neck and Bridge, Give It Away is just neck pickup. Running into UAD Softube SVTR and being driven a bit, especially with GIA. No other processing - gonna experiment with my Mesa M3 and maybe some pedals etc in the next week or so. Herrick Multicoils Lusithand Double NFP Special Mahogany body with walnut top (and a maple veneer in between) Maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard Schaller DaVinci machine heads Stingwal(Schism)(NeckAndBridge).mp3 Stingwal(GiveItAway).mp3

Here goes. My initial thought was remembering back to when I was a child... my friend told me that his parents had told him that they could see him all the time, wherever he was, whatever he did. I told my Mum about it and (looking back) her body language showed no little disapproval at their parenting methods. So it's about the "eye in the sky watching you until you die". The music came naturally but didn't support a full set of lyrics, just the single refrain. Technotes: Usual suspects... Studio one DAW, MT Power drums (with some tweaks by me), Vantage Avenger bass, Squire Tele guitar, a couple of keyboard settings in Studio One.

IMO "One size fits all" is the right way to think about buying gear. All rigs can play quietly, so you are making decisions based on the loudest you're going to play. IMO separate amps and cabs are a better idea. Then you can up upgrade each part independently. Your 200 watt Elf is only 100 watts into 1 8 ohm cab, when it is flat out, and flat out probably won't sound too good. So you're realistically looking at using 50-80 watts. Is that loud enough? I'd say probably not. I play from very loud to a whisper. I have one rig that does it all, a 700 watt amp and 2 112 cabs. That's 700 watts into 2 8 ohm cabs and 350 watts into 1 8 ohm cab. I want a clean sound so I don't run the amp with the master beyond 12 o'clock. Having more watts on tap than you need is never a problem, not having enough watts is always a big problem. My suggestion would be to start looking at 500 watt amps and good 112 or 210 cabs.

As others have said there's no right answer here. Whenever I see these discussions I tend to remind people that more important than the bass you're using is what guitar/amp combination your guitarist is using, what drums is your drummer using and if there's any keyboard parts involved. All of those make a huge difference. If your guitarist is using a Marshall, which is very mid-heavy, a Stingray or a Jazz Bass fit perfectly because of their presence and more defined low-end. If your guitarist is more into using cleaner tones a P-Bass does wonders because of those low mids that sit perfectly in a cleaner mix. Also the most important thing is the arrangement of the music. If you're playing a Rock song and there's two guitar parts playing power chords on the lower strings then there's no bass/amp/pedal in the world that's gonna make your bass "cut" through the mix, there's way too much sonic frequencies in the same place. Any bass can work in any genre, in music it's all about the SONG and each one is different. I know this isn't the right answer for the marketing guys who'll say "oh just get X bass + amp + pedal and you'll be HEARD!" but this is simply just not true, there's a lot of variables at play each time.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. Opinions aren't facts though - sometimes people forget that, and when they're called on it and the double down - that's just a recipe for disaster. I'm sure I've fallen into that preciousness trap myself, I apologise for all the times I have and will try to do better.

It is. a 27" 5 string. Ash body, maple neck with padauk fretboard. You get a better idea of the size next to this Markbass 801: There's a build diary on here for reference https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/440731-27-short-scale-5-string/

Too funny not to share. The Oberheim Matrix 12 is the clear winner.

I just stumbled upon this quirky piece from the BBC archive. Fascinating stuff from these pioneers.

Hey Peeps, I went down to Wunjo Guitars In Denmark Street Yesterday afternoon and they have two new MIJ basses: The Precision in Morocco red (maple fretboard): https://www.wunjoguitars.com/products/made-in-japan-limited-international-color-precision-bass® The Jazz in Yellow: https://www.wunjoguitars.com/products/made-in-japan-limited-international-color-jazz-bass® I Picked up and played the P bass, At the moment I favor P's. The neck is a U shape (this may be my fav). 40mm nut. 70's reissue basically. It played really nicely. the neck was AMAZING.....But the body is basswood! Both are extremely light. I was left confused as they go for £1349! I can't stress how natural and nice the necks were. I just wish it was ash or alder. Wunjo was unpacking a load of guitars so I presume once they have unpacked everything, they will remove the sold-out icon on basses

I am now 65. That said, I had more "chops" in my 20's. I also drank way too much. Which put the love (addiction) of alcohol before music for a long time. Got sober when I was 52. Music came back. I think I have better "ears" (not "hearing") now than my younger years. Musicians hear me and exclaim, "You get it!" I enjoy playing, and I have to PRACTICE to play things I "hear" in my head, and then translate to fingers and strings. But it's freaking wonderful. I'm trying to get "good" every day. If you love it, that's what matters.

Just got me a new gig bag and it came with a free bass guitar. How amazing. 😃 But seriously - I've been GASsing for a headless and reading the BC comments on this one, I was tempted. But it was just a little too much money for what would be a 'nice to have' rather than an essential addition to the fold. After all, I have a Spirit XQ headless, long scale, passive only, and it's the bass I've had the longest. Then this Ibanez EHB1000s turned up 'ex-demo' at a price too good to ignore. I can't find the 'paint blemish on rear' described on the website; it's super light and lovely to play. As has been mentioned in previous posts about the EHB series, the fret markers are hard to see but they will go the way of all my basses and be replaced with adhesive dot markers. One of the reasons I got my Spirit headless was that it was small enough that I could fit into tiny pub spaces without hitting the cymbals or other band members. This shorty is even better for that and as I have small hands, the 30" scale fretboard is perfect for some of the stuff I'll be playing in the three piece I'm currently putting together.

Well it's here... seems pretty good at the moment, I've not had a chance to run it for any length of time yet -- had a quick blast in the garage and it seems to work fine. I'll report back after the first gig or two. This is it, velcro'd into place under my board. @tayste_2000 I couldn't tell you if it'd fit a PT nano or not, as I don't have one... if you give me the critical dimensions, I can measure it up?

Just The Tip ～ Zebrahead

I'd say the majority of private sales are overpriced with a story to match it gets a bit tiring "anyone looking will know how good these are " "rare" " sought after " . etc etc If someone really wants the bass you may get that high price but if i'm selling,i want it gone at a fair price

I think there's a fine line between the evangelical zeal of discovering something that works very well in a particular environment, and the insistence that this is THE BEST WAY...I'm in three bands, one has embraced all/some of the no/minimal backline/DI/IEMs route, one had a go but it the IEMs didn't really stick (there again, that band doesn't rehearse, so trying to get it all running during a soundcheck was, erm, fraught at best), but the third is a startup, and from the word Go it's all going to be DI'd (triggered kit) and processed - luckily, the drummer is also a talented techie/producer, so he's driving all that. As I've said previously, I haven't used a big (i.e. head and cab(s), bass sound onstage) rig for a good while now, and I can't really see me going back, but those standbys YMMV and IMHO always apply... On the in-ear volume thing, yes, headphones can can cause significant damage if overloud, but judicious use of the Volume knob is at least possible...not so much when you're standing next to cymbals and big rigs; as a long-term Tinnitus Boy, I'm very aware of my personal volume levels (I wear ACS attenuators when I'm going to other band gigs), and the Brave New World offers opportunities which weren't previously possible at the levels (SWIDT?) a lot of us are playing at i.e. pubs, clubs, functions, etc...

I have both and I like both. I also know the audience doesn't give a crap.

“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” ― Daniel Patrick Moynihan Sadly a few (inc the OP) seem to think that if they shout their opinion loud enough it will become entrenched as fact.

Just make up your own mind, no-one has the same ears as you. If you like what you hear then you're right. If I saw a Jazz bass on fire, I'd pour petrol on it. But that's just me.

Here's a goth precursor... At the time as a sixth form new-wave-kid I thought this lot (and Bauhaus!) were the absolute epitome of cool'n'groovy! Love the bemused audience at the end.

I have to admit I was the same with my Precisions, although the Mex basses are fine instruments I just didn`t feel "right" unless I was playing a US one, however since going Mustang I`m more than happy with my Mex JMJs. But if they were to ever make a US version, well I`m sure we all know what I`d do.

On the 'what's the difference?' question, Fender are as guilty as all the prime movers in instrument manufacture, reinventing 60 year old designs year in, year out. I'd say pretty much all of us here wouldn't have a clue what bass we were hearing unless we had some kind of visual clue; a few basses do have a distinct/identifiable tone out of the box (IE Rickenbacker 400*), but let's face it, even then what we thought we were hearing, wasn't necessarily what we were actually hearing (point of fact, Geddy Lee's using a Fender Jazz). I know this may sound odd coming from someone who has basses costing thousands, but it doesn't (and shouldn't) matter whether anyone is using a non-US Fender, a Squier, or an Epiphone or a Sterling? Not in the slightest. If the decal on the headstock facia says Fender, nobody will know where the thing was made and frankly, nobody will/should really care. There shouldn't really be any stigma using something made in Japan, Mexico, China or Indonesia. If anyone does look down on someone because of their gear choices, then f*ck 'em.

My sister was a full on Goth back in the 80s/early 90s. A core of my music taste comes from her, but I got more into metal and industrial. But I still love a bit of Goth. Got my local bookshop to get these in for me last week:

Coming soon...

Hi there, it‘s me again! Tonight’s rig with my brand new EBS. Nice one!

Yep. Here it is ready to go out at night.

I started on guitar at 14 and played my first gig a couple of years later and have been playing and gigging since then. At age 42 I started bass(EB) when I was asked to sit in with a 15 piece big band and I was horrible but got better and worked with several smaller jazz groups. In 2015 I bought a Stagg EUB and then quickly upgraded to a Yamaha SLB 200 and was playing in two bands. Then in 2018 I visited England in time to attend the Double Bass Bash at Bicester and I was totally hooked and came home and bought a "real" bass, a laminate Engelhardt and then a Czech bass and a couple of years ago got my Shen SB 100 and really started to learn about playing upright and got much better during Covid, no gigs but a lot of practice. The latest step was to finally sign up for weekly lessons last October with a great teacher (bass soloist and symphony conductor) and get to work learning how to use the bow and I have made amazing progress and all my playing is much better. I'm currently in a "little big band" jazz septet, I jam with some jazz friends, I'm working with a new band (jazz, blues, soul) and next week will be in the pit band for a musical in a large theatre. A bluegrass mandolin player saw me playing last fall and today I will be rehearsing with him and we will be playing at a couple of bluegrass festivals, something different, I played at a small festival a couple of weeks ago. The most satisfying accomplishment is that I and several other adults have been asked to fill out the low string section of a 30 piece youth orchestra for a concert in June...after only six months with the bow! I have never worked so hard, the kids are so good I really have to get serious about the music and that pressure has really brought my playing to a new level. I turned 77 a couple of weeks ago and although I have played for over 60years most of my real learning on bass has been in the last 5 years, it's never too late.😊

In 1979, at the second touring-band gig I had ever attended, I spent the whole gig crushed against the stage directly in front of Algy and his blasting natural-finish Fender P, thinking it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. This definitely had an impact on my choice of a natural finish P-copy (Satellite!) to learn on when I started playing bass not too long after. Thanks Algy. The gig was at the local university and was meant for the students, but lots of us local kids had blagged our way in. Before the Damned started, I had wormed my way to the front of the packed bar queue, to be confronted by an intimidatingly mature (student-aged!) barman. Not wanting to push my luck too far, I squeaked "A... half of lager, please". He glared at my blatantly underaged visage and growled "This is a punk rock gig. You'll have a pint or you'll have nothing." "Er... ok... a... pint of lager, please" I squeaked back. He served me and I fled, victory pint in hand.

I don't have any music vids unfortunately, but did find some pics on an old laptop, here's me in the full drag playing at some gig somewhere, we did some photos in the old nunhead cemetery, which was fun, no really it was...

I want as much of the body weight to be towards the rear, but don't want it to be overall too heavy, so a couple of weight-relieving chambers in the front horns will be helpful. I like any use of router to be fully captive, so use the same approach that I use for pickup chambers... I start with a Forstner bit to hog out the bulk: Then use chisels and carpenters mallet to accurately cut the outline to around 10 mm deep: And then, and only then, use a top-bearing router bit to smooth the sides and cut to final depth: And, as I have the router out, I cut the channel that will be between the two pickups and through to the controls chamber for the cable runs:

Walls Come Tumbling Down - Style Council

I remember the Sisters were on at freshers week at Leeds Uni in 1982, which was a decent introduction to Goth Town!... I went with Simon from the March Violets who I'd just met that day having joined his Music for the Masses society. At the time I had an attempted Daniel Ash mohican!

Really? It is called GAS🙂