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First of two gigs for us this evening in the south west of England. The Hall for Cornwall in Truro is a fantastic Grade II listed building which incorporates the recently opened auditorium ‘The Cornwall Playhouse’, a superb venue with a seated capacity of 1,354. Both front of house and backstage are really top notch, and coupled with a decent cafe/bar it is a favourite of ours. Lots of helpful staff ( many of whom are volunteers ) ensure a good night for their customers. We all but sold out the gig, so had a great evening. It’s a good sounding room so we got soundchecked pretty quickly too. Always a pleasure to play in Truro, despite it being a massive trek for us. We are back into Devon tomorrow night playing in Torquay.

Overrated: Personal opinions. Underrated: Objectivity.

Thanks Lozz. It really is a superb place. When we arrived, we got signed in at the stage door and each had lanyards with a photo ID made before we went in. We only had to show the ID in the cafe to get unlimited free coffees and teas - just a small gesture but very much appreciated by us after such a long journey to get there. For the whole gig we were made to feel appreciated, which these days is getting more of a rarity. I’ve just found out we’ve been given a choice of two dates for returning there next year too, so happy days.

In the past I've not been averse to supporting builders/ traders on this forum. I've got 3 basses built or worked on basses from @Andyjr1515, bought two lightty up things from @bertbass amongst others. This time I've been lucky enough to acquire a beautiful (aesthetically and performing) blue 5er from our own @Lukasz Chyla which he had advertised on ebay. Being familiar with his work from here I was able to contact Lukasz and we negotiated a deal that we were both happy with. I maintain that I am the happier of the two and I think you will see why from the photos (or in person at the forthcoming SE Bash). Fit and finish is as good as anything you'll get from a high production manufacturer and it feels top quality in your hands. No hint of neck dive, super smooth neck, excellent set up and action. Some under-rate the Wilkinson pickups - I have no problem with them - I think that they represent great vfm and I challenge anybody else to pick them out as budget pickups in the mix. As I said, this will be attending the SE Bash along with the @Jabba_the_gut short scale - both will be available to try so attendees can get an idea of the quality of products being built in this community.

Why thank you kind sir!

The tuning is valid but you need the right string for what you tune to and how hard you play. Have a look at the size of the string you have, it's probably a .125 or .130 which, in my opinion, are not fit for purpose when it comes to playing metal down in A, most likely aggressively. The tension just isn't there. I have a 4 string tuned that way and I'm using a .147 for dropped A. The standard 5 string sets tend to go in jumps of .20 per string but, in my experience, the lower you go on a bass where the scale is the same for all 4 strings, the more you need to exaggerate the size of the lower strings.

This Saturday October 7th 5:00 ! Maple Road Old Falls Village Park Beer Depot N96W15791 County Line Road, Menomonee Falls WI Blue

Make the effort, they are superb musicians and great to watch. Dave

Overrated: Behringer BDI21, stock... mid scoop that colours everything. US Fenders, specifically a} insane pricing and b} the fact that when they trumpet about "NEW basses!" you just know it's going to be the same old same old but in a different colour. Underrated: Behringer BDI21, after the single-resistor mid mod... totally transforms the sound, gets rid of the scoop. Instant Geddy. the old Nemesis by Eden cabs, e.g. the NSP115. Absolutely fantastic things, I had a pair of the 115s for many years and they were superb. Very lightweight in terms of, errm, weight but certainly not tonally. Yet I hardly ever saw them mentioned anywhere. Shuker basses. But then again I would say that, wouldn't I. But if you prefer passive anyway, surely that alone will make it difficult to gel with a preamp, whether said preamp is brilliant or not? I would add Klotz to that. I've had two of them since 1986 and not a single problem with either of them. Brilliant things. I guess it depends where you're approaching them from. The neck on my Q4 is a delight to play. I'll second that, the Wilks pickup in my P bitsa is fabulous. Having said all that: 100% truth.

"after being in store for fifty-four years his widow has decided it is time for his guitar to be sold". Why was his widow being kept in storage?

I really like the look of the sanded back top and the still finished sides - it looks like binding - you could go dark on the top with stain or paint to emphasise that contrast

Well, I'm getting a Klos neck. It was meant to have been delivered in April, but now looks more like November. Which is a pity. I had a chat with Ian about what I wanted as I wanted the nut to be 43mm and I got the feeling that this would create problems. He offered me to put the deposit towards a 24 fret Musicman bass they have in the works. If I hadn't bought the body and whatnot I might have said yes, but as I had already I declined. So here's the body. It's a Warmoth G4. Walnut body, Black Korina top. Babicz Bridge, Herrick multicoil pickups and Lusithand pre with Harley Benton knobs. As the neck has been so delayed, this has been put together and sitting in my studio for the past 4 months. I shall report back when I get the neck.

… so inspired by Mr. Chew’s Broughton board I decided to add to my 2 Aguilar pedals (an Octamizer and Filter Twin) the rest ha ha. I know it’s not patched and powered yet (will be using Evidence Audio SiS patch leads and either a Cioks DC7 or 8-Way daisy with a Xotic voltage doubler on the end). Had an issue with the last piece in the puzzle (Fuzzistor) as one from retailer 1 was slightly damaged, went to retailer 2 today to pick up another one and the paint on the unit was of a particularly low standard, odd, AND AND AND the Fuzzistor logo had a TM after it (whereas the first one has an R, same as the others). My OCDness (at least for this exercise/vision) would find this difference even more annoying than a small amount of damage. Oh dear 😳😊

So many things are overrated in the world, our own opinions being pretty high on the list (I’m aware of the irony here). However, in our world of bass, I think pick playing is rather underrated.

Overrated: Heft. Underrated: Thump. YMMV.

1. @cetera - Charvel 3B, ESP Surveyor '87, Fender FSR PJ Precision, Hamer Impact, Italia Imola, Spector NS2, Spector Euro, Spector EuroX (Spectorbird), Spector Pulse II, Spector Dimension 4HP, Gallien Krueger 400RB & Legacy800 heads, GenzBenz Neox 2x12 cab 2. @TheGreek - All short scale this year - a @Jabba_the_gut scale 5er, Mini Ray, Short scale P bass 3. @Harlequin74 - Zoot Performer, Status Shark, Spector QV4 , Markbass TTE501 and Matching CAB. Maybe the Lehle Basswitch… 4. @Frank Blank - @Jabba_the_gut short scale fretted and fretless, JMJ Mustang, QSC K12.2, Grace Design Alix 5. @TrevorR - Mk 1 Wal, Wal Pro IIE, Aria SB700, Frankenjazz, pedals and MarkBass LMII & Traveler 2x10 6. @bnt - travelling light, probably a couple of pedals such as T-Rex Diva Drive, Orange KongPressor 7. @bass_dinger - 1999 Washburn XB500, 1994 Washburn XB500, Washburn XB925 in zebrawood, Washburn XB925 in bits, Boulder Creek 5 string (likely to be for sale), SWR Workingmans 12. 8. @greentext- 2008 Spector NS4-H2, 2015 Sandberg VS4, 2000 Trace Elliot T-Bass, my pedalboard and my tin of picks 😈 9. @prowla - Probably a couple of Rickenbackers and some interesting oddities. Amp-wise a Markbass EVO and a 1x12 (last year I bought some others to try and never switched them on, as the EVO sounded spot-on). 10. @SuperSeagull - Status S2, Feline P Bass, Modded Fender Lyte, Flea Jazz, MB Combo 11. @Merton - various short and medium scale ACGs, Zoots and Conway basses, Barefaced cabs, modern Trace Elliot amps 12. @MacDaddy - Shuker (probably no3), Snapdragon Folding Bass, possibly a Rob Allen Mouse. 13. @neilp - matching pair of fretted and fretless 1980 Aria SB1000s, possibly my fretless Wal mk1, Ashdown ABM500/Ampeg 4x10, Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig 14. @NickD - Strunal Schonbach 5 String DB, and whatever else I can shoehorn in the car around it... hopefully a MD CMD121 H, Zoom B6, and maybe a Maruszczyk Jake and a Shuker Series 2. 15. @WalMan - converted Wal Pro, Zon Legacy Elite, Status S2, G&L L2500 fretless, McMillen 12Step & DSI MoPho, Two Notes Bass Revolt, Trondheim Audio SkarBassOne, BackBeat2 (and my BackBeat1 will probably be available for sale). 16. Darkglass Microtubes500 and one of the Barefaced cabs. All depends how late I leave and what will fit in the new car 🚙 😁 16. @Smanth - With my small, light, battery powered gear (mostly) ... IBBY-Ibanez GSRM25 5 str sub short scale, 'ELIMA - Kala California 5 str fretless ubass, QUINN- HB 5 Str Fretless, MOD Dwarf based pedalboard, Boss Dual Cube Bass LX. (Also some toys to sell) 17. @Jean-Luc Pickguard - NS Design CR5M, Squier Bass VI, Roland MicroCube Bass RX and some pedals. 18. @tauzero - the basses that @TheGreek made me buy (handmade 6-string headless, Pedulla 6 fretless), Roland GR-55, one or two Seis, anything else that occurs to me, Mrs Zero (probably) 19. @Stingray5 - EBMM Stingray 5, a trio of Tunes i.e. TWB-6, TWB-4z, SWV4-BB, Boss GT-6B, Eden EC180 combo. 20. @rumblefish - Reverend Rumblefish, GB basses, Mesa Walkabout amp, Vanderkley 112 MNT. 21. @Paul S - might be space for a shorty? If not never mind. I have nothing of interest 22. @bassace97 - Musicman stingray basses, Fender Mustang bass, Pedalboard and my Mesa TT800 + SL112 cabs 23. @BillyBass - Reverend Decision P, Gallien-Krueger Fusion S1200 and Barefaced Midget 24. @silverfoxnik - some basses and noise amplifying boxes. 25. @Simon C : G&L L2000 Tribute, Sire V7 Fretless, Ibanez EHB1000S Headless Shortscale. Various pedals (switch, tuner, Hypergravity compressor, Laney 85 Bass Octave, Bass Clone Chorus, Spectradrive, Ditto+ looper pedal and a Bluetooth page turner). Carlsboro Colt Keyboard Amp. 26. @Wolverinebass - Hamer Chaparral B12L, Tech 21 Dug Pinnick. Sideburns. Sarcasm. 27. @GoodShowSir - Cake, lots of. 28. @vz7 - ACG (tbc) (as mentioned by @BillyBass) 29. @6feet7 - Ibanez EHB1505MS, Rickenbacker 4004L5, Stagg 5 string electric upright, 5 string 'proper' double bass, Markbass CMD121P, Ibanez EWB205WNE-NT 5 string electro-acoustic (for sale).

Some more of Lukasz's creation which are available IIRC he was also selling a red fretless - wouldn't be surprised if it sold but worth asking the man himself. @Lukasz Chyla

Overrated : Anything Gibson. Underrated : Wilkinson pickups , for the price there is no competition , £20 for the nicest sounding P pickup i ever heard is incredible

Overrated - Rickenbackers Underrated - Rickenbackers It's complicated...

Overrated: My playing abilities as per undue adulation from drunken punters post gig!

A little fly-rig I’ve put together for some work in Europe next month, I wanted something that would fit in my suitcase, that’d keep me out of trouble. I’m quite happy with the result..

If you're going to make a demo, make it something in the musical style you want to play with the group. If I was looking for a bass player for an indie band, for example, some lad noodling with a looper wouldn't be high on my list of people to call. You could do a playalong video of a song you like in that style and put it on youtube. Don't be put off by the look-at-me technical gymnasts unless that's what you're trying to be, show what you do and how you do it. It's about showing you can play that style of music, not that you can play 10,000 notes per second.

Russ, either a TC Electronic Flashback mini or a MXR Carbon Copy mini, they fit brilliantly at right angles on the top row 👍🏼

An update to my board, a Digitech Drop was delivered today! This will cover the 4-5 songs we do in Eb, plus the one with an octave. I haven't stuck it down or tidied the cables yet... there's one plug left on my (battery powered) daisy chain. I'm thinking that probably needs to be used, right? Any suggestions for a nano pedal on the top row? Maybe a delay just so I can play Pneuma by Tool? 😁

No regrets - anything I've bought that hasn't worked out has helped me understand what I do like a bit better.

it's just some of us will die with a Anima preamp they didn't know they wanted

Not an easy question to answer as there are so many different ways of interpreting "the value of an item". The only info we have to go on is: 1) it's a bass - depends on the make, model, features, condition and desirability of the bass. A Wal will currently hold it's value, my old first kay bass would not even make good firewood! 🤣 2) its discontinued - why was it discontinued? Was it a limited run, end of production, bankruptcy or did people just not want them? Theres another thread about Fender Dimension basses where they are rated as a good bass. However traditional Fender fans didn't buy them in lorry loads as they weren't the traditional Fender shape / spec etc. Some basses that were discontinued in the 80's or 90's now attract mythical status (which changes over time). 3) not many sold - is this due to availability, exclusivity, not a good design, limited run etc? Over the years I've owned a number of "non-standard" basses that were not easy to determine the value when I came to sell. Usually searching the internet for similar basses helped give me a range of values. What would I pay to own the bass? What would I be happy to let the bass sell for? There's also a forum on here that you can post photo's and further info and the community will help you assess it. It's linked here - "Wotzit werth?!!" The responses to valuation questions are pretty accurate as there is a lot of knowledge on the site. Also in so much as "keeping it real", if a price is proposed that is too high or too low then someone usually comments to bring some sense into the proceedings. I would post the bass details on "Wotzit werth?!!" first which will hopefully give you an idea of the range of value. Decide what price you would be happy to sell the bass for then advertise it at that price. If it doesn't sell then re-evaluate (it could just be a slow market and nothing to do with price). Good luck.

Thursday night wedding done. Mad thrash getting set up and the organisers had some flash mob dance tracks as surprise for the happy couple we had to play over the PA, but all was good. Dep guitarist put in some work since Tuesdays rehearsal and was ok. No horns so the trimmings were on tracks but crowd didn’t seem to mind, in fact they were really up for it especially considering it was a mid week do. And we had to stop by 10:30 so home before midnight, result! Human mirror ball singer included in photo for some variation.

Move over Darjeeling — Doris Day

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Nice! I never managed to get to Hall for Cornwall when I lived down that way but it looks great from the stage.

To be fair, the backing tapes sounded awesome. Vince's voice, not so much...

Anything Wilkinson. Their three-saddle, compensated Tele tailpiece is a fraction of the price of the Gotoh

Our nearest possible gigs are an hour away - local pubs will only have a very occasional covers band and then only the cheesiest of shoutalong song choice is popular... Our next gig is 1.25 hours away, next 2 hours, after that we've got one in Hereford (1 hour - nearest). Then we're looking at 2 that are 4 hours away - we'll lose money as we'll stay the night and not get paid enough to cover hotel; we'd need to camp! Still, we see it as a hobby and hobbies usually cost money...

I think the tragedy with living in areas or regions where there's no place to gig is some guys give up and stop playing Blue

Not everyone likes everything, with usually it being older people not liking newer forms of music, something that benefited Keef well in his early career with the Stones being the young tearaway rebels. I`m similar to him, I can`t stand hip hop or rap, pretty much anything falling under that umbrella aside from Walk This Way by Aerosmith/Run DMC which is just superb imo. But in my defence this isn`t a new thing, I`ve disliked it all the way through.

I dont have a problem........moding the bottom nyc big muff tomorrow and probs gonna through on my Grey stache which is arriving tomorrow! also have a Fig Fumb v2 from stone deaf incoming aswell so just trying to find a third muff sound, as i have a mid range drive with the Bongripper and low gain muff with the cosmic trigger want a big solo sound which is a big more controlled than the Black emperor which is just an all out massive fuzz sound! also have a new vibrato pedal coming tomorrow which will be going into take the place of the ps-3 so it can go back to being a weird reverse noise making machine again, and with the parallel BDPG the Vib will give me a nice chorus

My 1981 Ibanez RS840BK Fretless. The body was in a poor state so it has been refinished with relicing to match the neck and tuners which are all original. The truss rod cover was missing and the knobs were incorrect. A replica truss rod and correct knobs were obtained from the USA. The original pickups and bridge were also present. The electrics were completely bizarre and so had to be completely renewed. The result is a very nice vintage Ibanez which sounds marvellous.