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Hey folks! I thought this wild looking thing would interest some of you! it’s a 1979 Ray in a very aged and rare Inca silver. Apparently there were less than 200 of these made (some say 153) out of 25,000 pre Ernie Ball basses! so i feel pretty lucky to have snagged one! I’d love to know your opinion on Mojo vs case queens! What’s your preference??

Not only do they make, in my opinion, the best bass amplifiers, but if you’re lucky enough call in and see them, they are the most amiable, passionate and generally awesome people you could ever wish to meet. I purchased a pretty tired EVO II 500 combo from here recently, at a bargain price. I took it apart, cleaned the cab and vacuumed it out, and took the amp stage into Ashdown for a service and replacement parts. Unbelievably lovely people, unbelievable value repairs and this old ABM now sounds absolutely stellar. I had one years ago, and totally loved it, but mistakenly, I went down the smaller, lighter, more expensive rig route, and could never recreate my sound. The band never forgave me for it. Now, this 20yr old EVO II has a new lease of life, and according to Dave Green, another 20yrs in it at least. I’ll never go for another brand, they are my sound. A small British company, with a big heart, made up of awesome people, building awesome amps. Proper amps.

After unexpectedly having the chance to try out a Fender Mustang last week I got enthusiastic about buying one for myself, or at least something similar like the Squier Rascal, as a complete change from my conventional J and MM big boys - fast fingering, low weight, what's not to like? Sanity prevailed when I remembered my rapidly diminishing bank account (two privately rebuilt teeth recently = £2k) and the fact that I still had that old Fenton Weill bass up in the loft that I was given in 1974 - vintage even then! - surely that was a shorty and worth another try before splashing more cash? When I was first given it the poor old thing had a very tatty dark maroon finish, a cracked scratch plate and two non-functioning tuners. Nowadays that might have added value by making it 'road-worn' but back then I had no qualms about restoring it. The paint was stripped back to natural wood, the whole thing polyurethane lacquered, the tuners were all replaced, new pot-knobs fitted and I had a new scratch-plate made by Taffy, a very clever tech in Yeovil where I was living at the time. It was my only bass until '79, when I splashed out on a new Jazz, at which point it went into storage. So I recovered it from the loft last week 44 years later, fitted a new set of Tru-Bass strings and plugged it into my Cube 100w combo for a trip down nostalgia lane. Wow! The very punchy sound from those twin PUPs was still there, the 30" neck and floating bridge were a pleasure to play on and it still looks (to me) amazing for a 60-year-old bass. Downsides? Well, it weighs in at 10lb (4.5 kilos)so it's no lightweight and the neck is pretty narrow (40mm at the nut) - not for the sausage-fingered, I think, although fine for my cute little mitts! It's going on-stage this weekend, should be fun. Does anyone else play one of these or anything similar? Here are some pix of the beast...

Reverse calculate the numbers; how much do 'you' need to live on now and in the future. Base it on per annum, ideally calculated by putting all of your other income streams and EVERY outgoing into a spreadsheet (I downloaded one from some money saving site), be sure to assess your fuel costs if you need to start travelling under your own steam. Divide your necessary income by 52 and that is how much you are going to need to generate EVERY week to make a living. Be sure to bear in mind that had you done this 4 years ago, your mortgage interest would have been 0.5% not 5% and your heating costs would be 50% of what they are now... do we know what 4 years in the future will bring? I've no idea what number you will have come up with (are you single, married, family; where do you live for housing costs) in your calculations but I'll hazard a guess that you will need a minimum of £500 a week. That could be 1 or it could be 3 gigs every week just to generate enough income to live on. If you don't get bookings, fall ill, you are going to need to do more than that number of gigs. This work will invariably be every weekend and will entail long days if it is corporate or wedding based, if you want a few weeks holiday or weekends off you are going too need to increase the number of gigs (or increase your fees) to cover this. Have you also considered tax and NI? You'd be silly to not declare your income and pay tax and if you aren't paying NI this will affect you state pension! I know people who play in function bands and generally the bigger/better corporate/wedding bands are run by someone and you are a hired gun. Bands such as this can't afford to be set up like a bunch of mates where you all phone around and ask who's available for certain dates/locations; the leader/owner of the band takes gigs regardless of your availability and it's tough if you can't make it. Often these gigs are reading gigs where sets are issued based upon the needs of the client. Consider if you were to take a low pressure job and just play the pubs for £100 per gig... what are your earnings then?

SATURDAY Up at around 10am. Had a coffee and then filled the car with all of the gear for the day's exertions. I wasn't looking forward to Saturday very much. Two gigs in one day, both with a full rig and PA set-up to do. I've had radiotherapy recently and that, as well as a Covid booster on Monday, are flattening me. I arrived at Atherton Collieries AFC at 11.30am, as the fun day started at 12 noon. The weather did not look promising. There were lots of clouds and it looked like it might rain. I wasn't feeling too good about all this, but got on with the job, instead of moaning about it.. Our guitarist Ian arrived next. He unloaded his gear and was then made to take his car out of the grounds. There was really no need for that. There was masses of space and a row of cars parked not far away. He could have parked there with the others. I butted my car up to my side of the pagoda that we were hiding from the weather under. It didn't have any side panels and the wind would have blown us all over the place. Someone looked at me to move it and I pointed out that it was a windbreak and to protect us from the rain. Graham arrived and stuck his car on the other side of the stage area. We moved some large bins so his car could fit in the gap. The PA had to sit outside the pagoda. Ian put an overcoat over one of the PA speakers. Eventually a side panel was found for the pagoda and we tied it on and I trapped it in my car windows to try to keep it firm. It still blew around like crazy, but at least the little burst of rain that inevitably happened didn't get onto the gear. I covered the PA speaker on my side and I wasn't at all happy with the wind. There was now a rear panel attached too. This all hadn't been thought out. A single extension cable came to us from inside the clubhouse. I put my circuit breaker plug first in line. Our first spot was largely ignored by the punters, as they were around the corner from us, outside the main clubhouse, or just inside it. We played well enough on the whole, though Graham was on the CBD and wasn't feeling at his best, and we also made a couple of changes from the normal set. A quick video call to Chris in the break regarding the book. Everything appears to be approved. Our 'rather abridged' (shortened) second spot was pretty much the same, though we did have some people watching, as the weather had brightened up a bit. We interestingly seamlessly missed a whole section out of Tell Him (the 'Ever since the world began' bit and the last verse) and nobody noticed. The wind had really got itself together and the PA speaker on my side started to go over. Luckily a couple of our mates, Kenny and John, managed to avert a gear disaster. I have to thank them for that. We broke the gear down quickly enough. The next band were on at 5pm and we learned that they would be playing indoors. Typical. They are keen to have us next year. IF WE CAN PLAY INSIDE, PLEASE. The other afternoon events we are doing this year are all organised with the PA and drum kit provided, so I won't have to put the PA together at those. They will be nice to do. I will just be able to put my bass rig in place and play. Heaven. I was back home at about 4.30pm and settled on the sofa. At 7.30pm, I pulled myself together and went off to Lowton for the evening's gig. I was there just before 8 and Graham was already loading in. I just felt shattered. But I had a job to do. We set up. Graham had managed to have a sleep inbetween, so was feeling a lot fresher than I was. Graham and I had a brief discussion about which way the band should be angled on stage. One option would have left me with practically no room and the stage is a bit of a bass trap, amplifying the low end ridiculously, so I had suggested we didn't use the bass bins. That helped a lot. I kept my amp rig right back in a corner and it didn't really rumble too much. I have had to get it on a chair before now to stop it taking over the whole soundscape. The evening gig was an entirely different affair to the earlier gig. We had a packed pub, did a slightly altered set and played with a lot more enthusiasm. The crowd loved it. I was bushed, but the only real mistakes were forgetting to sing the last line on a chorus on the Boys Are Back In Town and a pink torpedo-up of sorts in Do wah diddy, where I missed a final section of the song out and just extended the next to last chorus. I put that down to being really really tired, as well as us not playing the song often enough. We came away with a very large tip and I was home before 1am. Bed immediately. A quick read and then off to sleep. SUNDAY I first woke up with my alarm at 10am and snoozed it. 10 minutes later I got up and went to the bathroom and perfomed my ablutions... and then I went back to bed. I woke up a few times, eventually rising at 12.20. I went upstairs and did this blog for the last couple of days. Last night's venue messaged me to reclaim 'the large tip'. It was a staff error. I responded positively, saying I had said it was more than I was expecting when being paid, but, as I had said to the lady who paid us, I didn't have my diary on me at the time. We have the jam night later on, so one last heroic heave and my weekend's work will be over. An afternoon of walking dogs on the park, TV and resting. I got to the jam night at 6.15pm, despite road works and set about beavering away straightaway at doing the setup. I chased cables to the far side of the room for stage left and stage right power. I got my gear in and the PA cabs and stands and the mixing desk and monitor. Also 3 instruments and a large Stanley 3 level tool box full of cables etc. I had finished doing my bit, setting the PA up and my gear, so we were ready to start at 7.10pm. The stage wasn't lit properly as I forgot the lights. I was too rushed and forgot to get some of them out. I have too many jobs. As I rushed round frantically, setting up, I listened to the other guys warming up on their instruments, while my stuff was still in cases and i was still putting things together. The jam night was what it was. Some new blood again, and really promising stuff. https://fb.watch/lz7MbGP1OV/ At the end of the night I broke the PA and my gear down and got it to the door. It took me 40 minutes of non stop running around to do it on my own. Me and Graham had our gear down and ready to go at the same time. Thanks to Nigel and Ryan for their kind help with Graham's gear. I was utterly shattered after breaking the gear down and loading it out. I'm going to have to make a decision on our jam nights. They are a lot of work and I'm just not sure I'm up to the effort it takes at the moment.

KFC bargain bucket works for me 😋

Come On Eileen ～ Dexy's Midnight Runners "It wuz 'im Yer Honour! Wotcher made me do it!" 😂

I used to be in a band with a guitarist who went on about the tonal effects of all sorts of stuff including paint. You can really hear minute tone the differences through his fuzz, reverb, wah and overdriven valve amp.

The outpouring of sorrow and respect on here and on social media in general has been quite remarkable. A very common theme from all who met him seems to be 'loveliest man you could hope to meet'. I just hope he knew how loved and respected he was.

Now roughing out the contours with a rasp before a final bit of sanding

500+ gigs at pubs, clubs & festivals, playing with everything from 3-piece to 8-piece bands and we've never yet needed more than a single 13A domestic socket. That's backline, PA and lights. I realise that other, bigger bands may well have greater demands, but at the pub/club level it's very rare to need anything special. IMHO

My queue catchoo - Alvin Stardust

I recently retired from full time work and worked out a spreadsheet of our outgoings to see how much money we needed to survive. With recent inflation, it is about £20k a year for all food/drink, bills, insurances, house maintenance money set aside, car/fuel, dog etc. but as we've paid off the mortgage this figure doesn't include this or rent. Over the years I've built up a top quality bass rig, with three gigging basses, a main amp/speaker rig, a decent combo for small pubs, a small back-up amp and a small pedal board. I made a decision that once I was happy with the gear, that's it, no impulse purchases and only buying gear to replace breakdowns. My gear is about a £5k investment in total. I haven't spent on bass gear for some time now, so my income from being in a covers band is a healthy supplement to my pension. I'm saying all this because I came at having a fulfilling musical lifestyle by planning what was possible on my budget and then sticking to it, and getting the fun from playing knowing that the money side of things was secure. I've not been good enough to go pro so the issue of going full time has never been one I've seriously considered, but I'm lucky(?) enough to have been in good quality bands for many years so I've had a brilliant time with a lot of really talented and lovely people playing at some fantastic events without it ever jeopardising the family. So I'm an advocate of keep the day job and have a great time in a local band - and any income this generates offsets the tedium of the day job and buys you and the family some nice extras.

I've known a fair few, very good players, make a go of it. None have lasted more than about 18 months as it's hard graft on a personal and professional level, and even with good agencies/management it's hard to keep the volume of well-paid gigs flowing. It can also be quite seasonal work. EDIT: I played in a very good function band for many years and every one of us had a full-time job.

Don't be fooled by the idea of playing as a profession in a function band will be all a bed of roses. Its hard work and one of the main reasons i've avoided function bands over the many years. Weddings can be full day events and altho i enjoy playing i'm not sure i'd enjoy all the hanging around. Many function bands need to set up the gear before the function starts altho they won't be playing till a good few hrs later after the meal and after the speeches etc. Then you have to retain a lot of songs and for me it was mostly songs i wouldn't normally listen to or enjoy. I have friends that make a living from wedding bands and they make great money circa £3k - £5k depending on event and occasion. They typically play once a week in summer and one band in particular is in the top 10 UK wedding bands. However some of the band play other solo gigs to earn additional cash. At £3k split 5 ways at £600 each minus van hire and tax etc you'd need guaranteed 1-2 weekly gigs to survive. You also have to consider accomodation if travelling a distance for the venue. I'm not saying it isn't possible but its a big step to walk away from a steady income to rely on a maybe. Serious consideration required. Personally playing is my hobby and that's all i want it to be. I dont want to be playing as a job, that would remove the enjoyment for me. Wish you every success if you decide to go down that route but please make sure you have given this some serious serious thought before jumping. Cheers Dave

One of the nicest people it's ever been my immense privilege to meet. We had a lovely chat and he very graciously agreed to let me 'interview' him via email... link below. He put up with all my dumb questions and was utterly gracious. Bass legend, wonderful raconteur and true gentleman.

Bassworld (2002-2007), then Basstalk (2007), then Basschat (2007-current). Bassworld was originally started by a chap named Gerard and I came to help him run it in 2004ish. It started to fall apart as Gerard disappeared for a long time (he had a good reason which I only found out about recently) so we needed to jump ship. Kiwi (a long term member of BW) said he'd help so we took the database and started Basstalk. Basstalk had to be shut down and we started from scratch with Basschat with an empty database. We wanted to make a clean break as Gerard wasn't happy with the fact we took the database and then the FBI shut it down because it was on a managed server in the US which was taken offline without any information. It also let us explore using different software, which had it's main major upgrade to the system we use now with the marketplace etc in about 2017 I think. I think that's roughly it, anyway. Tbh when we did Bassworld I don't think there was a dedicated UK based bass guitar form. I remember using some 'UK bassist' threads on Talkbass (who banned me for suggesting we start a UK forum, but later unbanned me). Guitar forums may have had bass guitar sub sections, but honestly as the costs were basically zero I don't think we really checked.

My Lovely Horse ～ Frs Ted & Dougal

Professor Nut Butter's House of Treats Primus Double Nut Oil or Nut Butter is a facial moisturiser contained in a tube which usually requires vigorous shaking.

Yes I have a 2006 Jazz with the S1 switch. It works very well when you need a bit of extra thump.

In case you hadn't noticed, it's the same five of us having cyclic arguments about the P bass being the one true bass or not...

That's brilliant fair play, now if everyone would like to chip in for my 50th in November to buy a Ric then that would be ace...ta

Lovely guy. Met him once many years ago at an Overwater Bass day in London; he spent time to ask me how I approached fretless bass playing - lines/unlined, technique etc. I was 22, this was Mo Foster! But he was genuinely interested in my take on playing fretless, listened attentively and didn’t quash my naive responses at all. Always enjoyed his old Bassist columns and will go back through some of his amazing stories - weirdly I was remembering his story about discovering roundwounds just a couple of days ago. (If you don’t know it, it involves Jack Bruce and a question from Mo about how he managed to bend his strings. “Strength!” was Jack’s answer, Mo later discovered he used these new-fangled rounds which were easier than the flats of the 60s) RIP Mo x

Yes it’s still active and any money that’s added I send straight over to Basstardz from Gofundme

A huge loss. Had to post this as my favourite take-the-edge-off-all-stress track ever. His fretless just shines here (along with all players herein). Bliss from a legend 🙇🏼‍♂️

Amps will have a sticker or plate on the back, somewhere, indicating the power draw from the venue. It's not the same as the rated 'watts' of the amp. No calculation required; simply add up all the wattage from all those stickers and plates. Tell the venue what that wattage is. Dividing by 220 will give the amperage needed; should be below 10A, ideally.

OK, okay, I'm o-fish-ally calling thyme on the Pescatarian Society's marine-life puns competition! I know we've all had a whale of a time but anyone posting further submissions will be skating on thin ice and risk getting salted and battered at the Bash on the 8th of Octopus. After careful consideration, the prize goes to Rich for so consistently and effectively rising to the bait.

Richard Briers said of acting: If you want to be an actor. . . . really, really want to be an actor. . . . don't, but if you have to act then give it a try. Most of the professional musicians I know, the ones paying mortgages from music, are also teaching. It also helps to have a partner who is in a good paying job!!

The good money was always about keeping it small and making it sound huge, not in volume but the soundscape...You gotta sound like the record as they have no interest in the band whatsoever, they just wanna hear a good sound that they know. Back in the day a 'four piece' with a top notch keys player with one hand on strings and the other on a Fender Rhodes/piano and everyone singing backing vox, which was an absolute must, could make it work...but you had to be good and the keys player usually got a bit extra. I did it for a while in the 80's but setting up hrs beforehand and hanging around for hrs will wear you down. Anyway good luck with the endeavour....Playing in a smart environment doing good music against a packed floor full of people dressed up and having a good time is a cool way to play music....Last and final time I did it was a recent dep at a big do at a Hilton Hotel...Low ceiling, heaving ball room, twas a very good nite indeed.

I'd just like to mussel in at this point, and crab the opportunity to say how much I'm looking forward to the Bash. To anyone codtemplating coming along for the first time, you'll be most whelkome. It's always a wonderful day and a great tenchion-reliever after a working week. So mullet over and perhaps weel see you there!

I think that the post 2012 MIM Standards and the Players are very good basses. I`d say the Players are better due to the pickups, the ones in the pre-Players often sounded harsh to me whereas the ones in the Players much less so. I`m in agreement that the gap between the MIM and US is much less than it used to be, I had a Player as my backup/overseas bass and whenever I used it at no point did I think I was playing a lesser bass, just a slightly different one due to the thinner neck dimensions.

Simple and effective. Actually the HX can complicate things

Started working on Memphis Soul Stew by the great Tommy Cogbill (been getting a lot of radio play and is also on a TV and). Blimey, it's a lot faster than it sounds on the radio. Good job it's only a short track as I'm finding it a really physical work out!

The current crop of Mexican Player P basses is fantastic. The perceived gap in quality between Mexican and USA made Fenders has closed over the years, to the point where I'm really not sure what the USA models offer on top of the Mexican ones to justify the big price difference. The Players are fantastic value for money, both new and used. I'm curious what scales you are using for the stated weights. 3.19 Kg (7.03 lbs) especially seems unrealistic for even the Player bass, and 3.98 Kg (8.77 lbs) the same for a USA bass, at least from ones I've had. My 2021 Player is 3.9Kg (8lb 6oz) and another from the same year I had was 3.7Kg (8lb 2oz). All the USA P basses I've had (2003-2008), have weighed 4.1-4.2 Kg, but I think the 2012-2016 Am Stds & 2017 onwards Am Pros are generally lighter than that.

I'm afraid I don't understand the phrase "male grooming routine"

Like all these "tests" the scientific methodology is so flawed that the test itself is worthless. The proper scientific way would be first to see whether simply dismantling the guitar and putting it back together with the same parts produces any change in sound. Once you can prove that it can be done 50 times in a row without any difference, only then can you start examining the the effect of replacing ONE component at a time.

So, I had an epiphany of sorts at a gig on Saturday. I was using my MIM Fender Player P-bass ( polar white with maple neck) through my GK rig and realised it sounded as good and played just as well if not better than my USA Standard P-bass. I've been playing the USA standard for 25 years and apart from it being the only P-bass ive ever owned until the MIM appeared on my radar, the USA Standard is a phenomonal bass and no mistake. However the MIM has certain advantages. It's way lighter for starters. 3.19kg as opposed to 3.98kg for the USA. The modern MIM neck profile is considerably slimmer than the late 90s plank on the USA Standard. Both basses have their merits and de-merits and I love them both for what they can deliver. Rosewood chunkiness versus maple slimmness. However there is a certain smugness I feel when playing the MIM knowing its lighter, sounds as good and cost less than half of the retail cost of a USA P-bass. This thread is for owners of a USA P-Bass and a MIM P-bass. How do you rate both of them and do you have a preference for using your MIM or your USA/American Standard in certain scenarios and why? Feel free to share your pics of USA Standard versus MIM bass. 😁

I was about to say something similar. I think this applies across the creative sector - When I went to art school we were taught that we could do what we wanted career wise - as long as we were prepared to work bloody hard, work other jobs to make ends meet and never really expect much more than minimum wage, at least for the first 5-10 years. What you are thinking about isn't an easy option, and possibly you may end up doing whatever you do now to supplant it for a while... so what about your current career don't you like? Is it the completely wrong thing or just the current job that is grinding you down?

Just picked up a 2nd hand one on here so hopefully should be up and running at the weekend/early next week. Very excited to have a proper fiddle.

Wow thats 60-120k a year , you must be doing alright mate, I play bass for a living and get by and my mates with very high profile pop gigs don't get near the upper ranges of that , only really west end and film session guys or successful artists that make that kind of money in my experience

Yes - how much you can charge but also when the money starts coming in, people book wedding bands anything up to a year in advance, but you ideally need some good reviews and event pics to be able to get the bookings. So for a new band you're probably looking at 18 months of work to build up to a reasonably full diary. You'd also need to spend out up front on web presence, ideally a decent video, maybe website. It's doable though, my partner decided she was going to get into DJing, went out and bought some decks, disappeared into the bedroom for a fortnight to practice, came out and started booking gigs. She quit her day job not that long after and now does wedding and events gigs for her main income. She was already a working musician so the transition wasn't totally radical, to be fair; it's more about thinking it through properly and doing the right things.

Maybe the question is more, do you have an opportunity to get into an existing band? Or are you looking to start one? Very different scenarios, earnings-wise... And alongside that, are you already able to reliably perform the bass parts for maybe 500 popular tunes? Or would learning them also be part of the project? That would also have a major bearing on potential income.

These -