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We pulled it off. The dep guitarist did a fine job he was super nice guy. A few pics. Not the best but any pic is better than no pic. I enjoy looking at the band the pics everyone posts. These are just load in pics. Blue

Last night my blues rock trio Toredown played at the Black Bear Harley Davidson dealership in Newmarket. Fabulous place, the largest in Europe apparently, huge swanky showroom filled with bikes and merch. Lots of chrome. Very nicely done. Anyhoo, we set up under the huge front canopy over the entrance. The evening was one of their music nights, free to turn up with a BBQ laid on. Great place to play, load in/out couldn't have been easier. Weather ws amazing, warm with the setting sun in front of us. We played well, sounded good but the crowd - around 40 or 50 I suppose - didn't ever seem to get into it. Must be the first gig we have played where we didn't play an encore. I felt a little bit down as a result until the manager came out, told us how good we were and he'd like us to play at their anniversary event next summer, expecting around 1000 punters. Strange but good! A rare outing for my Epiphone Classic Pro Thunderbird which was growling away nicely - I avoid using it in pubs as I usually hit something with the headstock. Here are a couple of videos - FB I am afraid - a couple of Lonnie Mack songs Cincinnati jail. https://fb.watch/mv0pWb14I_/ Riding the Blinds https://fb.watch/mv0eja7X2t/

Impossible to resist at $389.99

I love playing my bass especially when I'm having a good night. However for me, there's nothing like playing and looking out at a sea of people dancing and having a great time. That's when I feel like I'm contributing to society. Blue

A little while back I paid @Osiris a visit in order to evaluate some pedals and eat fish finger sandwiches (not a euphonium), as an aside I was going to try out his JMJ Mustang and Sandberg Lionel. Now I have played a Lionel (again, not a euphonium) two or three times previous to this and I have found them dull and without any discernible character, this doesn't go for all Sandbergs, I've had two TT4s, superb basses, just not short scale, it seems I just don't dig the Lionel. I've had a few Fenders over the years, mainly at the beginning of my second bass playing phase as an over 50 man as opposed to phase one in my youth, I have always found Fenders perfectly good if a little dull, so, as @Osiris handed me the Mustang I expected just that, perfectly good if a little dull. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong, perhaps the most comfortable bass I've ever played, I mean I'd have to do a side-by-side with an Acinonyx but, although heavier than an Acinonyx, it did feel extremely comfortable. But, oh man, the playability was off the chart! One of my measures of how much I like a bass is how quickly I start writing new bass lines and that happened immediately. I was truly gobsmacked, i kept playing, it kept being excellent, it was one of those moments when you realise the options are a) knock @Osiris spark out and leggit with said instrument or b) start messaging people on BC who I knew had a JMJM or two (sorry @Lozz196) to see if I could talk them into selling me one. Luckily I hit gold and two days later I had a JMJ in the rack. Now the one I bought was strung with La Bella 760F-MUS stainless steel flats and ooofff that makes a big difference, they sound so good, deep and thumpy but still articulate in a way I find quite difficult to describe. Now to be honest, the Mustang sound, even through my preamp, isn't really the right sound for the music I make with my current duo, most of the bass lines I play are up around the 12th fret and require a @Jabba_the_gut semi-hollow bass wearing light, very bright rounds, but as a writing tool the Mustang is unsurpassed. Over half of the bass lines I play were actually initially written on a knackered old classical guitar, I have no idea why this is the case but there it is, it just seems to have tunes in it, but blimey, the Mustang is actually bursting with bass lines, every time I sit down something new falls out of it, it's mad, so many in fact that I keep forgetting them, I really must invest in a new interface that I have set up all the time, in fact I wonder if I can play through the Grace Design Alix and straight into a DAW... I digress. Anyway, the JMJ Mustang is a stonker. If you are considering going over to short scales but can't bear to put down your big ol' Fender Precision, even though it is giving you serious back or shoulder problems, try a JMJ Mustang. I have often wondered which bass could be a safe bridge, so to speak, into the interesting world of short scales, I think this has to be a top candidate.

Years ago I was at a studio that we frequently use for 'jamming' and recording the occasional tune with a couple of friends. We were doing a cover of Donald Fagen's Morph the Cat, as I had just bought a Smith bass (which I later sold to Scott Devine). Anyway it really got me wanting to find a band more local to me where I could play original music in a similar studio environment. I really like being surrounded by good musicians in that type of environment - gigging is great too but mostly I'm done with playing pubs and really not interested in playing covers band material. Not to put that down - but I just don't like the weekend warrior covers commitment and derive very little satisfaction from playing covers of songs which I on the whole don't like! So I decided I'd put up a 'musicians wanted' ad, or 'Musician available' not hoping really to get anything as my list of desires was quite narrow already, and became even narrower when I drew the line at any punk music and a preference for grooves below 100bpm. And it was three years until someone messaged. I'd actually forgotten all about it; instead I'd had a couple of jams with some people from work, but we were always missing something - vocals, someone to write songs etc. Anyway this bloke sent me a link to his Bandcamp. I was out walking the dog so I thought OK I'll have a listen through my phone just to get a feel - not expecting much. Well I was really impressed with the music and went home to stick on the album - half way through forgetting I was potentially joining the band but just enjoying it. I met the guy for a beer and had an 'audition' on Monday which went well (I learned 'Feel Like Letting Go' 'The Reason Why' 'Trick Of The Light' and 'Love Is Like a Rock'). The band use a beautiful studio with some amazing gear inside... the bass amp provided was an Ampeg PF50T with (I think) a 1x12 cab with horn which sounded lovely, and loud enough although it was pointing at my legs so next time I might sit in front of it. I was using my Thunderstangbacker which fits really well; favouring the neck a bit and I didn't take any pedals because I thought keep it simple! I just had a TU2 and MXR M87. Here's the album if you're interested. I just wanted to share because I'm really happy to have found a band like this, it's a really nice challenge to learn the songs and fit into an existing band, whereas in the past I've always been the driving force and felt like an uphill battle. The playing on the album is pretty nice, quite melodic and fitting, but Mark wants me to bring some more dynamics and feel. I've got six more tracks to learn for my first proper practice with them after their last gig with current bassist. Anyway, thought I'd share because I'm really happy!! Cheers ped https://markrowen.bandcamp.com/album/radiance

So there’s been some BB action at Woolf HQ recently…. Regretfully sold my BB3000 in 2019. Got a 414 recently that reignited my BB passion. Then I caved and bought the BB1300 I’d been eyeing up at BassBros for months. And I’ve turned the 414 into a 3000 tribute 😎 I’m still after the proper knobs for the 414…

The Beedster Custom Shop Streetwood body £11,800 reduction on Fender price

I'm wearing a orange boiler suit as we speak ( it doesn't have "Dept. of Correction" stencilled on the back or anything, btw)

Well I've picked up a bargain Ibanez SRMS805 on ebay Thanks for all the replies.

That will open your eyes,whe. You take the filter higher and higher and realise how little the real low end really contributes to your sound. We all know what frequencies the E and B strings are but it is really the 2nd harmonics, around 60 and 80Hz that we hear.

A lot of music shops use the colour orange in their logos etc as neurological research has found that orange stimulates the same receptors in the brain as hearing music you enjoy and purchasing items, among other enjoyable things, releasing endorphins that give you that warm fuzzy feeling. Further research found that some people will believe anything they read online.

...anymore. 🤣

Definitely prefer Hendrix's version of All Along The Watchtower to the original.

Me too. 😄

Considering what's found on the streets in many Californian cities, I'll pass.

Having bought myself a Fender JMJ Mustang because @Osiris made me, I decided a nice tort scratchplate would be just the job on the black bass. I simply Googled 'custom scratchplate' and the top hit was a company in Manchester called TinyTone. I did a search on Basschat and couldn't find any TinyTone content so I had a good mooch around their site and decided to give them a shot. They have an excellent and thorough Custom Scratchplate Request Form, loads of different materials, completely custom options, the lot. So, I filled in the form and sent it on 7th Aug, I received a quote on the 9th Aug. I packed up my spare white pearl scratchplate and posted it to them, emailing them back on the same day with the go ahead. On the 11th Aug I sent additional instructions asking them not to drill the holes for the thumb rest and tug bar, they replied the same day saying no problem. I received the invoice on the 15th (they take payment before commencing the work), paid by bank transfer and bosh, the two new scratchplates and my original arrived today. I have to say the service and comms has been faultless and the products themselves are top notch quality and exactly as I specified. Small boutique companies like this doing a bang up job need support, so here's mine. Cheers TinyTone, top notch. Now I've just got to decide which I like better...

I have three short scale basses as well as a Uke bass so I don't "need " another - even though that hasn't stopped me spending in the past. I think that I would have to go some to find a short scale bass better than my @Jabba_the_gut 5er or my short scale Ray.

Time to update, having recently added an Epi Vintage Pro T-Bird to the ranks…

Speak for yourself! Humph. 😝

For the tech minded, and anyone interested, I'm restricting HT to about 500V to counter the problems mentioned above. It's still possible to achieve 100W with 2 x KT88 or 6550, I've already obtained 90W with a 450V supply on test. I plan on having a bias switch so EL34 can be used - will drop to say 80W but that should still be enough, and gives more options for user.

Yep agreed. I rewatched LA Confidential a few days ago and still hugely enjoyed despite knowing why KS has been up in court for and, for that matter, about Russell Crowe's history of violent outbursts. Seems to me a substantial percentage of great/famous composers, musicians, actors, artists, sportsmen, philosophers, scientists, leaders, entrepreneurs etc have been pretty unsavoury at best and if we were to personally cancel all of them there wouldn't be many left. In general, I find I'm able to separate the artist etc from the person unless the person in question was/is a child abuser or rapist.

Nice result and great sound, loving the pick played Tbird

Sounds like the times we've played beer festivals - far and away the main focus of the attendees is beer, we're background music to most. Some people stuck around and listened, but most were just going about their beery business. That's OK, we knew it would be that way.

So do I.

Washing The Detectives ～ Elvis Costello

Both five strings were out on festival duty recently. Used the BTB all set, but only because the strings on the 2405 were a bit tired (now changed!).

Sometimes you buy a bass because it looks so damned good!

Oh no it isn't. ...

Mixing cabs is a bit of auditory cookery really. You can put unusual ingredients into your cake and it might taste delicious and it might not be very nice. the only way to find out is to mix it up and taste it. In all probability your first attempt is less likely to be successful than following a recipe but there is also the possibility of a happy accident. in any case my taste is different from yours. I've never liked advice that is categorical and its the never part of mixing cabs that is the issue with that sort of advice. In this case you've cooked up a couple of ingredients you had in and the result is tasty. Why wouldn't you try it out?

Cici here! Well, sadly I can’t help being a girl, and I have long hair because I like it. It has nothing to do with my playing, and I’ve never rested on my looks to gain followers, nor am I interested in anyone who does. I take great pride in being the best musician I possibly can be, and it’s about the music for me. I also dedicate a lot of my time to trying my best to help other people pick up the instrument, sharing any info I have, and seeing where I can push the instrument in my solo bass jams. I’m not interested in being an ‘instagram girl’ so please don’t diminish me to that, and take the time to truly look at what I do (whether you like it or not is fine). Thank you.

Just got my Superbass back from revalve and bias, but have not had a chance to fire it up. Might have to give it a blast through on of my BF BigBaby’s It’s had a hard life and weighs a 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 ton. I got it secondhand in the mid/late 70’s when it still had most of the Marshall logo but that eventually went with being slung in and out the band van. It did have work to get it running again after sitting unused for a while and had the Bulgin replaced with an IEC but otherwise is largely original. Age wise I’m told by those that have worked on it and know Marshall’s that it’s early, probably mid 60’s, so potentially valuable even in the state it’s now. When I sent some details to Marshall years back they didn’t recognise the serial number but it looks to be the same as on the faded bit of paper inside the case. No idea who Frank was, but the stencil on the front is an iteration of my first band.

I bought one Wednesday and debuted it tonight in Camden with my new goth/post punk band, The InSect. Worked a treat!

Thanks Dave, We have a festival in Waterford on Saturday. It's a road trip for us and we rented a big van so we can travel together. It hasn't been easy, however it's been a fun summer Daryl

That's the word I was looking for, Character. Awarded? Who are you, Fred Nobel?* *Nobby Nobel's youngest, works down the fair on the dodgems. It's a classic look, oft misunderstood by the great unwashed hoi polloi such as yourself. My middle names, there.

All In A Mousse's Night - Genesis

Nothing comes up for what 3 words, but carénage.pingouin.euphonium is suggested, somewhere in Irkutsk apparently.

Echo the above. It must be a bore to many to hear me so frequently wax lyrical about mine. They got it so, so right with this model.

everyone who has a JMJ loves it. I had a 2 day rehearsal with mine last week and everybody loved the sound Best neck on a bass since my '73 P. It's the same profile but being shorter scale makes it better A great choice Frank

I've been trying to play 'Misty', chord-melody, on guitar for nearly over half a century. One day, maybe; one day...

I didn't even know there were different models coming out of Japan until now and now I am desperately coveting a California Blue Aerodyne Special Jazz Bass. Isn't the point of a custom shop that you get something made to your spec and pay accordingly? How is a master-screwer-together-of-parts selecting a body and neck from a pile of bodies and necks 10 grand's worth of different to what happens in the Mexico factory?

I am not a great fan of valve amps but I love the shape of a KT88. Yes I am sad.

You only have to be one page ahead of the person you're teaching

Morning all. Just wanted to post an apology for less activity. Turns out the gastroenteritis I thought I had was actually a form of colitis. Bit of a rough summer with a few trips to hospital, tests, etc etc. However I’m coming back to life again and will shoot some video and post some updates. I’ve had a while to live with the bass as it is and it’s been useful.