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My local music shop have had this in for a few months and I finally had the time to pop in on Saturday and couldn't help myself. The previous owner bought it new and had it defretted (which is probably why it's been in its case for most of the time) - it has just been refretted. Other than a refinish, it's all original and is in great condition apart from a few dings. It's a high quality instrument with the original case, tools and manual! Not lightweight at ~4.5kg but it sounds great and like a more focussed P to my ears. It just needs setting up to my preferences and I need to make the difficult decision of flats or rounds...

An example of how ace Basschat is.... I asked for recommendations for a clean DI, someone offered to lend me a really nice pedal to see if I liked it. He's not selling it, he just... offered to send me a 200-odd quid pedal to play around with for a bit! You don't get that on twitter.

And so it continues! BF-3 flanger and Dod FX25-B envelope filter added. No room for the Joyo analogue delay right now. More changes to come, I'm going to move on the Marshall Guv'nor and Boss DS-1, much as it pains me to do so, and replace with one good quality bass distortion pedal.

I had a similar thing when I asked about the Nux mighty plug pro, within minutes someone messaged me offering to lend me their one, they wasn’t selling it and said I could try it for as long as I wanted and post it back when done, such a heartwarming offer from a fellow basschatter

./~ and then I go and spoil it all by saying thumb fin stupid like I love you ./~

Amen to this. I have tried but simply don't have the correct temperament to deal with the people who take bookings for pub gigs. One example - some years and many bands ago now, I phoned in between xmas and new year and was told they don't start doing the diary until after the new year. I phoned again on 2nd and was told they were fully booked. Telling them that they were a lying jobsworth wasn't necessarily the best way forward but made me feel better

I still have my 80's Mk1 fretless which isn't going anywhere.... However, I sold my 9.5 condition 'Geddy spec' black & gold Wal Mk1 fretted last year for £11K 😎 It wasn't leaving the storage facility as I was worried about it getting damaged or worse..... and I wanted the money for family travel & life experiences. I don't see used prices for similar getting any higher so I think I timed my sale well....

What a great place Basschat is. A goldmine of information, support, conversation and of course GAS. I’ve been on here a long time, like many of you have. Some of you may be new, if you are, you’re welcome. I’ve had a lot of help here, parts, advice, insights, opinions and all given with a real sense of a community, even if we don’t always agree with each other, which is often part of the fun, as long as it’s healthy disagreement and not nasty, which it rarely is here. There is no better resource on the internet for all things bass. Ask for help, you will get it, ask for advice, you will get it. No questions are stupid, all answers are welcomed. No opinions are ignored, all views are observed. Thanks to everyone who run the site, long may it continue.

This is one I’ll never tire of listening to, Family man’s Bassline is superb

If you want something cheap, worth also checking out the Zoom B1-4 multifx which has a decent selection of pre-programmed drum patterns and is getting used on a live set for a few numbers on Friday, as part of a 3 piece outing for my band where we don't have a drummer. I've also a Beat Buddy and an Akai MPC One, but it's the simplicity of live use of the Zoom that has won me over. I previously had an Alesis SR18 - a complete PITA to program! And a Roland TR707 in the long distant past before these became "vintage" collector's items.

Not always so great. I asked for an open-ended loan of an Alembic and no one bothered to reply!!

I get that is ole' time Ska but from the moment I started listening to it, it just took me back to a feeling of hearing ole' time calyspo, especially through my Grandmother's little blue transistor Radio that never turned away from this particular AM radio station she would play every morning. That feeling and memories I just got was nice...thanks granny for the early morning melodies

It’s the way the world was (and still could be!) if we started trusting people. There’s the odd bad egg, but you meet far more good ones.

I traced a JLO HyperDrive and used a 125B enclosure:

Single(ton) Life - Cameo

I'm playing about with how the control panel will look. I'm starting to favour a more organic look, as shown by the red plate below, rather than the Telecaster or a straight line look. This looks nicer to me, but would like to take views. This also allows me to cover the very bottom of the bottom left for any weight to balance it out if needed, also this allows for more space and more options. At the moment, I just put three knobs on and a socket. I really want to preserve the rounded feel of it all.

Just seen this advertised in chrome. I've actually been looking at adding a thumb rest to a bass but I can't see anything about shipping to the UK. Loving their terms and conditions.

This gives me hope, maybe when I grow up I'll get regular gigs too! 😅

I had money before I joined. Awful place.

Interesting to hear Le Freak played on something other than a Stingray by the great man himself. Definitely one of those players where it’s all in the fingers…(although, is it my ears or is his bass a bit flat?)

Just getting reintroduced to this site. I’m 60 and play a Martin Ruggeri 4/4, a German made 3/4 upright and a Fender P. Bass. Retired now so looking forward to more time to study and practice

Current shrunken board as my band is currently drummer-less. Managed to get a good deal on a pedal train nano with a cioks Adam bolted to the underside. For the most part its just an amp modeller on the zoom with a bit of grit coming from the digbeth, but have the option to be more adventurous should the need arise! Of course as soon as a drummer appears the fuzz and the octave are coming back 🤣

Having recently developed a bit of a thing for odd old basses, I’d be interested in seeing more pictures!

Currently I think I have six Isla Instruments S2400 Akai MPC Live Akai MPC 2000xl Behringer RD-9 Behringer RD-8 Behringer RD-6 (there maybe a couple of others in storage) In the past I've owned the following Roland TR-808 Jomox X-Base-09 Roland TR-606 Roland TR-707 Korg - DD1 Yamaha RX 15 Yamaha RX 5 Boss DR550 Mk1 Boss DR550 Mk2 Akai MPC 3000 Akai MPC 2000 Ensoniq ASR-Pro Novation Drum Station Roland R-5 Roland R-8 And probably a load more that I've forgotten about - the ones listed were the most memorable and ones I regret letting go. They all had very different sounds, whats called nowadays 'workflow' and vibe! Do you need more than one... probably not - I could live with just the Akai MPC 2000xl .. But I like variety, and I'm really into my rhythm boxes If you ask a guitar player 'do you need more than one bass' - they'll probably say 'all you need is a precision', ask a bass player - well we all know the answer to that! Lots of people are really happy using software drum machines, which is great; but I prefer the hands on approach that a dedicated instrument gives you If I was in the market for a single machine, it would depend a lot on the style of music I'm trying to create - what kind of music are you trying to make with it?

So I haven't been gigging in ages so haven't had a chance, or need, to properly crank it. However I would think it would be more than enough for pub gigs.

@Jackroadkill I'm tending to agree with you. Working on this design. This gives me space for any weights or a preamp, or four knobs and a few switches. It'll probably be three knobs, vol, vol, tone

1. Why you don't have any gigs? Weekend work commitments was the usual show stopper - trying to find dates on which everyone is available that tied in with gig availability. Drummer worked alternate weekends, I was on call 1 weekend in 4 which made for narrow windows of opportunity. 2.Do you rely on an agent ? No 3.Who finds coordinates and confirms gigs? Usually myself or on occasion another band member booked the gigs 4. Are you or any band members in this for the money? Not at all - an escape from reality and a bit of fun 5.How much do you want to gig? These days - not at all! Running a band is like trying to herd cats...you should try it and see just how hard it is! When you have to book the gigs, own/transport/run the PA/Lighting, play the gig then it really all gets too much! I'm glad to be at home at the weekends for a while, or join a band where I turn up with a bass, amp and go home with something in my pocket and not be unloading the van at 2:00am!

Loft?! Somebody got one of these into a loft?!

Playing has always been just a hobby for me. I had opportunities to go professional in my 20's but having a well paid job that i enjoyed and it just wasn't worth the risk for me to walk away from the job. I've never wanted playing to be any more than a hobby and if it ever does i will probably give it up too. As long as i'm enjoying it i'll try to keep going. I've been retired for 8 yrs now from age 56 so i do have a lot more time on my hands than you younger guys and that makes learning sets a lot easier for me. I do appreciate that for some guys on here its their main source of income and that would definitely change things. Don't get me wrong i do enjoy making decent money with the band. These days i'm not losing money at gigs. That's a big change for me from my younger days when hiring vans and PA's used to use up all of the gig money With lightweight gear and a decent sized car i can easily carry my bass gear and our larger PA cabs (not incl the subs tho - they need a van hire) Dave

I currently have one hardware drum machine, as the Linn Adrenalinn has a programmable drum module, although I've never actually used it. My current DAW (Logic) has more than enough programmable drum kit and drum machine sounds and options for my needs, and because I've got 30+ years using to program drum parts I find it far more versatile than any stand-alone device. However in the early 2000s I went through a phase of buying as many of the 70s pre-set drum machines that came up at affordable prices on eBay. At one point I had the following: Bentley Rhythm Ace FR-6 Casio VL1 Electro Harmonix DRM16 Hammond Auto-Vari 64 Hillwood HR2 Rhythm Ace FR-2L Roland TR-33 Rhythm Arranger Roland TR-55 Rhythm Arranger Roland TR-77 Rhythm 77 Roland CR-78 CompuRhythm SoundMaster Rhythm 1 That includes nearly all the "classic" preset drum machines that could be heard on records from the late 70s and early 80s. I also soon discovered that many of these drum machines were re-badged (and occasionally re-cased) Roland devices so there were a couple of duplicates in terms of sounds and patterns in this list. The purpose of this exercise was to record the different patterns and turn them into REX files which would allow them to be imported into a REX player plug-in in a DAW and be played back at any tempo. It would also produce individual samples of each "step" and a corresponding MIDI file of the pattern that would allow the playback of the preset rhythm in conjunction with a hardware or software sampler, but would also allow the production of new patterns by editing the MIDI file within the DAW. I was then hoping to sell the results as sample CD, as these were popular at the time, and I figured having both preset and editable versions of the patterns along with individual samples of each "drum" sound from the various devices would be a winner. However, after having spent a considerable time sampling all the patterns from two devices and slicing them up to produce REX files, I discovered that someone else had already had this idea and was selling the REX files from all the drum machines I had, and some more that I didn't, for a total that was be a lot less than the cost of a typical sample CD. Some sets they were even giving away for free. The only device they hadn't sampled was the CR-78 which was supposed to be in progress. Therefore I started work on doing this myself and soon discovered why there were no REX files for it. In order to be able to replicate what could be done from the front panel controls of the drum machine, the number of patterns, variations and sounds I would have to sample meant that it was going to be a massive undertaking, and in the end I abandoned the idea. All the drum machines were sold - mostly for quite a bit more than I originally paid for them and used some of the money to buy the REX files instead.

Sorry Dave, I was being silly. I absolutely get that, and the priorities there are definitely true. I, like many people here I guess, am fortunate to have a regular day job and play music for enjoyment. I guess those priorities are more challenging if you play for a living and it's your only source of income.

For many years I found this song stupid - but now I think that it actually carries a message. We have to keep ourselves going. If not by playing bass then try another instrument, if not by playing, try consuming. Taking up a social dance (salsa/disco/tango/...) is also a great way to approach music - and may even give you something you find beneficial when you get back into playing the bass.

I was just making the point that age is never a reason to stop playing. Family, work or health are usually the main reasons. Dave

Is he on Basschat? Maybe we could tag him and give him a bit communal advice?

Almost 64 i have to say this is the busiest i've ever been in any band. Not gigging every week but its getting close to it. Dave

I hadn’t given up, but I had taken breaks from time to time, more just time between bands. Now, at 60 years of age, playing is my release from work, and it keeps my mind sharp and me active.

My old man joined his first band in his sixties, at which point I had been gigging for 15+ years, so I took great pleasure in volunteering my advice for youngsters starting garage bands. They called themselves The Gastrick Band and set membership qualifications at "owns an instrument and eligible for a bus pass". When he started gigging I turned up pissed and heckled a couple times just to even the score. 😅

& here’s me just about to start with the pan pipes & penny whistle.

He was. And I just found what appears to be a complete archive down the back of some shelves.

Definitely this joe, I’ve been studying his playing for years and he had a certain style and talent which is pretty hard if not impossible to replicate, a true legend , I’ve read many times that he also started Robbie Shakespeare on his bass journey , what a mentor to have

Just a quick update. I put the side tape on today. Normally a Danelectro would be painted and the the white side tape applied, and it usually ends up shrinking and pulling away in valleys and edges. As I did on my Longhorn, I've used a wide centre tape with two thinner outer lines to look like a binding, the whole body including tape will now be clear coated which will seal everything in a help prevent any lifting of the edges. I really like the wood effect centre tape and I've gone for a very creamy 'binding' tape. It gives it a kind of hollow body vibe, which it is anyway. Just clear coat and a quick rebuild now.