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Greetings all I had the pleasure of playing to the good folk of Blakeney in Norfolk last night for their yearly "Party in the Pastures" event. We had to provide our own PA and to say it's a bit Heath Robinson is the understatement of 2023. I don't go into the PA, so I have to provide some decent oomph when playing outdoors. I wasn't sure what to take. We were playing in a circus big top tent with one side taken off so the punters could sit on hay bales and enjoy a few shandys.... I ended up going for my pair of basschat 12" cabs that I put together last year. I've not had many gigs this year where 2 needed to come out to play, but I felt they'd be my best chance of getting the sound and the level I needed. Let's just say that I wasn't disappointed! I even stretched to the expense of a 9v battery for my active Yamaha bass. Wowzers! That made a heck of a difference! Top end came to life! If only I could find a decent rechargeable battery to use. The ones I have tried recently generate noise in the preamp. I must investigate further. I stood the cabs "portrait" mode so they looked rock n roll 😁. I have mirrored baffles, so the top one was in effect upside down, but nobody would've known. This keep the HF elements close together. They were powered with my trusty, cheap TC BH800 head with a bit of compression via one of the toneprint controls. Simplicity itself (just like the owner) My tone was clearer than it'd been in ages thanks to the active bass actually being used in "active" mode and really full. I could feel notes as well as hear them. I was mildly concerned for the faital drivers at first, but I needn't have worried. EQ was pretty much flat. I added a little top end at first (as I usually do when using the bass in passive mode) but this was removed a couple of songs in. It was one of those gigs where the tone I was hearing and feeling was making me smile as much as the event itself. We had a great crowd in front of us dancing and singing the night away. It was a very pleasant end to a weekend (although i'm paying for it this morning zzzzzzzzzz) I even had a fellow bassmonger come up after the gig to ask what the cabs were as he couldn't see any badges on the front. I was more than happy to educate him. Another big thmbs up for the basschat designs. They really did a fine job. As usual, thanks to all who were involved in their development. Just wish i'd taken some photos! Jon

The Sunday jam , we’ve been doing it for over 25 years now. Riley sitting in on the kit , Corey singing this one .

First time playing in Ely Saturday night, I was unsure how it would go as having recently joined this band a couple of members aren't that confident. Couldn't have asked for a better reaction, the crowd were into it from the very beginning and gave us more and more confidence as the night went on. Yesterday's gig was a little different, different band (only play with these guys as they are friends and a bit of fun) starting at 1pm, first set went ok apart from having to transpose everything up a tone on the fly in the first number.. Second set not so much, couple of the older guys play keys with some automated one key trigger stuff (don't ask) and the guitarist has never grasped unity gain on his assortment of pedals, add to that drinking a fair bit because they don't play out much. I just sat back and locked in with the drummer..

Why?

Couple of shows at Greenman festival over the weekend, one a mini show for some TV/social media thing and a full show on the Sunday. The Ampeg sounded awesome behind me and stage sound was pretty perfect. Nice big crowd, good weather and a lot of fun 😊.

My, my, I must pry. Why do you decry the DoI?

Just an update on this. I don't necessarily want to gig with my 60s Fender case (maybe a thief magnet, and I don't 100% trust the handle!) and the aforementioned Fender Short Scale gig bag is very light and offers little protection for anything more than carrying around on one's back. I went to Gear4Music in York to try a case which on paper fits the mustang quite well - my bass is about 42" from strap button to headstock (I think the reissues may be a tiny bit longer due to more body behind the bridge) but I'm happy to report that the Gator Icon guitar case fits perfectly. There's a removable cushion at the bottom which would offer extra room if you needed it. I'll post a proper pic later but it's a great case, comfortable handles and straps, lots of pockets, rain cover, semi rigid, light weight... https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Gator-ICON-Series-Bag-For-Electric-Guitars-Black/5DL2

We have a gig starting at 6 on Sunday, so I reckon I'll be home by 9.30. It's not right, I tell you.

Definitley an Alpher. I reckon it's this one... https://www.instagram.com/p/B61OuqCAz0s/?img_index=1

That's part and parcel of the myth. To some extent it was true 50 years ago, when there was enough difference between the response of, say, fifteens and tens that there could be some benefit to using both. That's when the myth began. But for the last thirty years the only difference between drivers based purely on their size is the angle of midrange dispersion. The larger the driver the narrower the angle. That's why midrange drivers are smaller than woofers, and tweeters are smaller than midranges. It's about dispersion as much as it is about extension. Take the venerable 1x15/4x10 for instance. Time was that 1x15 would probably have had a driver that went lower than tens, especially as the tens were likely guitar drivers. Being guitar drivers they would have gone higher than a bass fifteen. There was some benefit to mixing them, although ideally there would have been a crossover employed. That ideal was seldom present. Flash forward to the mid 90s or later. 4x10s are now loaded with true bass drivers, so they may go just as low as a 1x15. They have more total driver displacement than a 1x15, so not only do they go just as low, they also go louder. The 1x15 has gone from being the anchor to being the weak link in the chain. OTOH the radiating surface of the 4x10 is wider than that of the 1x15, so its midrange dispersion isn't wider than the 1x15, it's narrower. So where's the benefit of using a 1x15/4x10 today? There is none, unless they're at least 30 years old.

Yep love those Sunday afternoon club gigs with the Glam covers band. Usually well attended and always a great audience participation. Home by 6-7pm what's not to like about that. Dave

Very interesting thread! A couple of tuppence worth... Out of all the musicians I know and have played with over the years, only three of them are now actual professional musicians. All three are female. I think that, more often than not, women are more sensible and organised than men and are better at focusing on the things required to get a thing done. Like a career in music. This is only an observation from my own tiny snapshot of life btw. I have a left handed friend who learned to play the guitar right handed and was very very good at playing that Joe Satriani style of guitar. Years later he taught himself how to play left handed as he felt his rhythm was better in his left hand. 25 years on he is equally adept at playing both lefty or righty, however, he sounds like two very different musicians depending on which way he's playing. Very interesting! He writes completely differently depending on which side of the brain is leading the way it seems. He's not a professional musician though, just a smart ar$e 😄

Why? What's it done to you?

This echos what I experienced with my old Sandy VM, a shame for such brilliantly built basses.

Sorry, just saw this. Yes I used the Sandberg for the other set. The first major difference is the weight. The Sandberg is just under 7 1/2lbs and the Fender is just over 8 1/2lbs. It's no boat anchor by any means but I did notice the difference. Playability-wise there wasn't much in it and they are both a joy to play. The Fender sounds better than the Sandberg to my ears with both pickups on and the tone wound back a bit. The Sandberg still sounds a bit sterile and really lacks the low mids I associate with P Basses. I'm going to change the Sandberg pickup very soon to see if it makes much difference. On balance I'd be happy to take either out to gig with as both really are exceptional instruments made to the highest quality.

Oh, f those people.

Our gig on Sat was an early start for a Sat at 7:30 and due to finish 10:15pm because of noise complaints from neighbours. Here's me expecting to be home easily for 12pm. We ended up finishing at 10:30pm at request of audience to carry on. Everything packed up and loaded by 11:15pm. Had to sit around for approx 30mins until 11:45 before we got paid and bar was completely empty. I was expecting to be home for midnight but almost 1am. Its only an hours drive for me too. The things we do for enjoyment. Its a great wee venue that we play regularly and i'm not sure how long she's going to be able to keep putting bands on. It annoys me when people move next door to a bar that has live music and then complain about noise. They now have an excuse that due to pandemic they got used to weekends being quiet. Dave

Any short scale-ists out there looking for a case, I just tried and bought this one for my Mustang

I can only comment on the ZS10 Pro X (that I recently purchased). They're good sounding, clear with proper bass extension that doesn't muddy up the midrange. They are however ever so slightly bright in the top end. Nothing aggressive, but you might not be used to that sort of bright treble. As ever, getting a good seal is crucial, and my Comply foam tips work wonders. Now if I could get the same tone as my ATH-M50x headphones give me in an IEM I would be very happy!

That's a massive difference for me. It's not just about the width but also how the curve of the back of the neck fills the hand. It's enough to make me not buy a bass.

Because as with Forest Gump's box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get. Some combinations work, some don't, and there's no way to know without trying. If you have a shop full of cabs to try that's OK, but otherwise it's not practical. With identical cabs you know what you'll get, and it will be even better from the additional sensitivity with two than with one. On that, virtually any two cabs together will sound better than either on its own, because of the increase in sensitivity and radiating area. Whether two different cabs will sound better than, or even as good as, a matched pair you can only know by trying all of the possible permutations.

I've always said you don't put enough effort into gigging 😉

Record digging win of the century was finding a SIGNED Wurzels album in CYPRUS. I tried getting a fiver off because it was scribbled on. He pointed out that (a) it was definitely signed and (b) "no one else is going to buy that shite" so I got a fiver off anyway. Win win all around I'd say

Jens Ritter

Too Soon ～ Crawlers

I get all my transformers, toroid and EI, custom made to my spec. Have used toroid mains in guitar amps for a few years now, I find they perform better for stray fields. In practise, output toroids can work great but need to be oversized to handle sub 50Hz frequencies properly, a big deal on a bass amp. I've learnt loads from the YI200 about transformer design. All ABM amps have a huge mains toroid, likewise Trace Elliott and many others. It's a case of finding the right part for the job

For a long time I have been looking for a Washburn XB925, as an upgrade to my existing Washburn pair of Washburn XB500s (the first a green '99 with twin humbuckers and a stuck truss rod ; the second a natural finish '94 that I bought while the truss rod on the green one was being fettled). The 500 series was made in Korea, with the XB925 custom made in the USA. The XB925 rarely comes up in Europe, although there are plenty in the USA. However, back in June, two appeared for sale on a Facebook group for Washburn basses, from a chap in Hungary. One was intact, with a zebrawood cap, and two Bartolini pickups. So, I bought it! The neck feels very thick and the sound is huge - the low B is deep and rich enough to make the Ashdown 12" bass cab fart. The neck feels asymmetric too - thinner on the treble side? It feels like the difference between a small hatchback, and an estate - more solid, more presence. I am pleased with it, very pleased.

Yeah it’s not cheap but I couldn’t find one cheaper that fits and has the semi hardcase build. ESP do one which looks similar but it only has one shoulder strap.

Liked this bass line on the radio this morning - hopefully enough to kick start my mojo which left a long time ago...

That should be the motto under the BC coat of arms, but maybe in Latin.

Still loving it... it growls.

Mary of the fourth form - Boomtown Rats

Limestone Cowboy - Glenn Campbell

Of course it does, you'll approach the task obsessively until its done, and then some...

Yes, 3.2mm makes quite a difference in feel !! Just think about what a 3.2mm difference would mean in terms of string action for instance. Or, to give an example that is closer to a 1:1 case, the difference in feel between the 42mm nut width of a regular P Bass and then the standard 45mm nut width of a regular 5 string bass. Quite a lot I'd say.

My brand new Leduc U-Basse 6 Fretless Custom ordered a bit more than 5 years ago was delivered to me by Christophe for my ... birthday. What a self gift ! I'll post way better photos later. The specs are: One piece Brazilian mahogany body. Red cedar patented floating sound board, Set in Canadian hard rock maple neck, 128 years old Brazilian rosewood thick fingerboard, Luminlay's as dot positions markers as well as on the 3 quilted maple knobs, Macassar ebony bridge as well as the 6 tuning knobs, Original Q-Tuner magnetic pickups, Fishman BP-100 twin piezo pickup at tuned locations under the sound board, Fishman PowerChip preamp buffer that allows "stereo" splitting or "mono" mixed output with a stereo or mono cable, Blend of the magnetic pickups, volume of these, volume of the twin piezo, Weight is 3.490 kilos.

Newtone will make whatever you need.

Almondbury cricket club last night, compact and bijou but we adjusted the set up to make it work. I had one of those ‘sausage fingers’ nights which isn’t normal for me but managed to disguise the gaffs and we got plenty of compliments at the end and a couple of enquiries from other local venues. As there had been a match on we were treat to some great Indian food before the first set - bonus. I leave you with an artistic shot of the famous twin towers of Huddersfield!

Already home from the gig and it was an hour’s drive away. 6:45 start and we were done and dusted at 10:00, proper civilised if you ask me. Great venue in Dundee (Number 57), they have their own PA with remote, tablet control mixer (no being told to turn down here, not our problem). Seemed like a good mix and the customers were in fine form and looking forward to hearing us. I think we gave them a good show, as they were very complimentary. I really enjoyed it, despite the limited space for the band, nice staff (this seems to be a feature of the Dundee gigs I’ve played) and a happy landlord. I’d happily play there again.