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Peavey T40 1979: the best passive four string bass around. After 45 years it is still hard to beat. A versatile tone monster! And it ain't that heavy... Aria Pro II SB1000 fretless from 1981: my wet dream back in the days. I didn't fancy the fretted ones, but the fretless!!! That is a whole other story... But this is a heavy s*cker. Like a front door...

A bit a strange one over this weekend, but after a gig at a venue I've played a number of times over the years (albeit with a different band to the one I'm in currently) I had a chap from the audience come up to say hi. He said something along the lines of "I've seen you play here before and I remember you usually gig a well-used black P Bass. I can't remember what band I've seen you with but I have always enjoyed your playing and remember the old P Bass!" It's true, my main gigging bass for years was my trusty black P but I unofficially retired it a couple of years ago as it holds a lot of sentimental value to me and I worry about taking it out gigging. Since then, it's been a carousel of various different basses but mostly my old Jazz. Still, it's nice to be associated with one particular instrument and even nicer that someone bothers to listen to my playing 😂

I've got a festival gig tonight. Full PA but zero backline and playing early. Going to try and go straight from my MXR M80..... He who dares, etc.

Did a free gig last night to support a friend of the band who's just opened a pub that does quite nice food. Hes a good chum to all of us, and the timing of his business opening coincided with his house buring down so we all agreed to play for free to help out a mate. We did one longish set rather than our usual two sets with a break in the middle as his entertainment licence was only until 2200hrs. Was good, really enjoyed it. We got paid in free drinks (full fat Coke in my case) and gourmet pub burgers (he's employed a proper chef) which was very nice. Atmosphere was good, a lot of folk from the village turned out so a fair few faces I knew. One chap was a music promoter, a friend of our rhythm guitarist, and he was telling us a few interesting stories about some big name bands. Nothing salacious, just how much they make for playing gigs, festivals, that sort of thing. He thought we were great, our typical middle aged USP of turning 70s and 80s pop pap into hard rock songs went down well with him, although we all agreed the chances of a record deal were zero! 😛 Only Ballache was the usual - couldn't pack the gear away until the pub was sufficiently empty, which meant waiting for closing. Didn't flop into bed until 2am and feel nacked this morning. Don't care how much anyone is paying, couldn't do it for a living.

I was just idly looking at Mustangs thinking about a backup for my Thunderstangbacker. One thing that puts me off is how the reissues have more body behind the bridge. Looks fine itself but it’ll annoy me that it’s different. But did you know the Fender Japan ‘Hybrid’ Mustang has the same dimensions as the original. Looks like they only come with P/J setup but that sounds great IME. Just in case anyone’s interested. Here’s a pic of one they do in natural.

Ahh, it's that side of the bed this morning. I've got out of that side before too. so many tags...

Not in Scotland - whisky.

It’s been a while since I posted, so this is a pretty big update to the board. Pedals listed in signal chain order for those that care… Input > Montreal Assembly PURPLL > Boss OC-5 Octave > Fuzzrocious Li’l Fella > Fuzzrocious M.O.T.H > Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler v2 > Fuzzrocious Croak > Red Panda Bitmap2 > Dr. Scientist Dusk (w/ Moog EP-3 Expression Pedal) > GFI System Synesthesia (w/ Triple Switch) > Hologram Electronics Microcosm > Source Audio Collider > Keeley Bassist Limiting Amplifier > TC Electronics Polytune Mini > Output Everything is cables with EBS gold flat patch cables, powered with a CIOKS DC7 + 8 Expander, and mounted to a PedalTrain Jr Max (a number of PT Pedal Boosters are mounted to the back row for accessibility). I also use another Moog EP-3 beside the board, which changes the pedal it’s controlling based on my mood: usually the Bitmap, Microcosm or PURPLL. I’m so in love with everything in this set up at the moment… that’s a great feeling

I just cancelled the order for mine. When I ordered in April, the website said “usually despatched in 24 hours” (and still does). After a week or so I was told end of May, then end of June - today I was told it would be September. I bailed out. I don’t see why anyone should have £360 of my money and expect me to wait nearly six months while they keep it in their bank. I might try again when the supply situation improves.

I recently discovered these guys, and I love it. Some absolute crackers there. I'd love to be in a band playing this sort of stuff.

I don't think that is necessarily true. Some people take a bass week after week to a gig, throw it in the back of the car in a bag, play it, drop it, throw it around then put it back in the bag, lob it back in the car, get home, throw it in the corner. Its an object, they don't care. Some people take a bass week after a week to a gig, keep it in a case, take it out when they need it, play it, wipe it down afterwards, put it back in the case, take it home and store it. It has value to them and they want to look after it. I have picked up guitars that were a couple of years old that look like they were used to dig a patio, and ones that are over 20 years ago that looked like they came out of the factory yesterday. Its more to do with how they were looked after. The oldest guitars are only 70 years old, there are playable good condition musical instruments that are 4/500 years old.

Oh there we go! very nice stuff!

But you can't play a cash investment! Yes I agree, if you have the funds to 'park' in a vintage instrument, chances are that you won't love or perhaps gain £ when you come to sell. That can't be said for most new instruments, rightly or wrongly. So the real cost is much less for a vintage bass. You can afford to buy/sell your way through several in search of one that works best for you before you write them off entirely, because the good ones hung around.

Just realised, that's not Jon's neck, that was the old Lakland one that developed a backbow like something Robin Hood would have been familiar with...this is Jon's neck...

when I bought my '73 with rosewood board back in 1990, I already had a '62. I had some gear to trade and traded it and 50 quid. Little did I know that '73 would still be with me 33 years later. It was a better sounding and playing bass than my '62, so that got sold (550 quid, would you believe it) I haven't played a better P bass since. I have a bitsa that sounds awesome but doesnt play like my old one

Colourfast ～ Pendulum

I doubt any of our punters would notice what I'm playing even if I left my bass at home and played a kazoo instead.

New (Serviced) Amp Day(ish) I bought this wonderful slice of valvey goodness a couple of weeks ago, but it needed some TLC - a good clean, some reflowing, new output valves and rebiasing. That's all finished and it sounds...well, amazing, to be honest. I used to use an SVT -Pro preamp but that's now too old and badly-behaved to use. I've been after something to replace it for a while. After ruling out any flavour of SVT (too loud, too heavy), the recent reissue V4B seemed an option, but this 1997 version turned up for sale, and just seemed a better bet - cheaper than the new reissues too It does the Ampeg break-up, ludicrous amounts of bottom end and smells divine when it's all warmed up. I'm a very happy man.

Been back and forth on the Mod Dwarf for a while now, looking to experiment with some modulation and time based fx and it has the flexibility to do some really unique stuff. Only day 2, it's got a pretty staggering amount of stuff available which can make it a little daunting but already found some awesome in there. The amount of flexibility is insane, even coming from the Boss GT1000core which was already pretty flexible.

Its the way they would have wanted to go

Don't think it is real, but miracles happen ! 😁

The after looks like it *flows* so much better. Perhaps the joke's on Gibson for pushing Dingwall to improve the shape.

Sun Arise - Rol... ah, this is awkward. 😬

As I've said before: the worst upper fret access in Christendom, but I don't care: I seldom go up there, it gives me a nose bleed... 😐 It's definitely solid, tho... 😀

Being able to make a living out of music is just like any other artistic/creative job. You have to accept (especially in the early days) that in order to make sufficient income you are going to have to take on the (much) less interesting work as well as the things you would really like to do. I've learnt from my creative business (graphic for print) that you get the work by say yes to pretty much everything, and doing exactly what you employer/client wants. You can't afford to turn anything down or have your own opinion until you have got to the point where you have so much interesting and exciting work that you can politely turn the less riveting stuff down and be able to recommend someone else for those jobs. Remember that you may always need to pick these back up again the in the future if the "good" work starts to dry up.

I guess a car is something that most people have to purchase at some time in their life, and whether you like cars or not, it's a purchase that you can't make without at least a little research. If I'm talking to someone about a non essential purchase of something idiosyncratic such as a carbon necked bass, the other person may have no direct comparison except for buying a car, unless they drive a Juke at which point you might as well be talking to a medical skeleton. Personally I've been quite amazed at the number of adults I've met who have zero hobbies or interests, so analogies come in handy as a useful common ground at least to some degree.

Because it is assumed that everyone understands cars and therefore will get the analogy. Except if you are like me and don't care about cars and therefore have no idea what they are on about.

That looks lovely, and I suspect that ergonomics are fab. The backdrop too is rather wonderful - it took me back a long way

As you say the CMD121 makes a wonderful amount of noise for its size, but once you add in that NY121 you`ll really be amazed.

I have several customers that are professional musicians/singers/conductors/composers. The only reasonably wealthy one is a singer that does appear on the telly a bit but her husband is/was a doctor so hers is not their only income. When I say 'wealthy' I mean nice big house in Muswell Hill, North London. The pit players I know from orchestras in London all seem to have comfortable, though not spectacular lives, that includes a relatively well known conductor, married to a soprano that has a few CDs out. One of my customers is a multi instrumentalist that does a lot of work in big hotels in London, mainly on the piano, jazz standards, taking requests from American tourists. He gets his work via an agent and he gets by ok. All of them were brought up with music, taking exams as kids etc. Music was their career path from school. I love playing the bass, especially as my band has started gigging but I am under no illusions about it being anything more than a hobby.

I used to get my sub bass sound by using a Boss OC3 with just the -1 oct & then into a Moog MF-101 low pass filter. Now I get it with a Roli Rise & Equator. If you’re determined to use bass guitar & FX, then a -1 octave into a low pass filter with the cutoff dialled back a good bit should get you very close. You can add dirt & chorus just after the octaver if you want a thicker sound.

There's an interesting YouTube video about how those are the work of the devil, and I think it was well argued.

There's this allusion that old basses (or moreover old Fender basses) are the monkey's b*ll*cks, but from personal experience I find them ponky tonally and in the case of the 70s ones, heavy too. It's no surprise a new instrument will play/sound better*. *Subjective.

Ah, had the Ric indeed, it was banging! Having said that I couldn’t justify all that money on gear, I’ve halved my gear value altogether which was much needed…! it did treat me great though, live and on studio…! Ander.

One cannot just "pop" into Bass Direct and come away empty handed surely?

I'm just associated with the horrible noise coming out of the bass speakers.

Got this one in last week, a nice fretless in see through blonde finish. Probably late 80s.

No idea what make of bass I've been (and will be) associated with 🙄🤣😂

Music was always my thing , played trumpet as a kid , did all the grades , youth big bands and orchestra then got into rock got a bass went to basstech then got into jazz git a double bass , did the post grad course at guildhall 2003, been making a living playing since , tbf the first 5 years were pretty hand to mouth but I was young and had low outgoings and it's built up and up , this week I've got background jazz function in a central London members club tonight, Thursday a jazz gig in Annecy France , friday 606 jazz club in Chelsea on bass guitar , Saturday festival gig with an original band on bass guitar, Sunday jazz festival gig nr Naples It's a fairly average summer week for me although I'd have a few weddings I realize I'm lucky to have had that formal education and encouragement from my parents and it's been hard and tbh I don't think I could switch to it now with a mortgage and 2 kids but it works for me