Leaderboard

I recently collected this piece, having won it in a proper auction. It could be a very late '63 but is more probably very early '64 as it doesn't have the raised logo. It's a feather weight, as it's hollow. One volume control is seized but I'm going to try and take it apart and repair it. It needs a tuner ferrule and a screw for one machine head I've plugged it in and it has that sound. I may name it Paul, after my late brother who was born in '64

"On a dark, lonely mountain, With the wind in my hair I could see the street lights Several miles over there Then a voice in the distance Said 'turn left by the trees You can drive off any time you like But you can never leave' Welcome to the Rhondda Cynon Valley Such a lonely place, such a lonely place Playing a gig in the Rhondda Cynon Valley No bars on the phone, and no way home"

Got this in a trade with a friend. Never owned a shortscale bass, or a Gibson for that matter, before. It's fun and easy to play, and sounds very old school, especially with the flatwounds. It's basically the opposite of my Warwicks so both the sound and the feel is very unfamiliar, but maybe I'll try it in the fuzzed-out doom band and see how it behaves.

Not a gig, but in tbe same vein? I just spent 45 minutes being interviewed on the ups and downs of being in local bands on Radio Cardiff by Ceri Stennett. Made it very easy for me, just a bunch of gentle anecdotes and he even played a couple of tracks with me on. I finally make the radio and one of the songs was a Carl Perkins number 🤣 His dad Stan was a local legend and was even a regular on Coronation Street!

It’s arrived! As luck would have it she went upstairs when the courier battered the door in. I quickly threw the PA speaker in the van and dived back in the house. She thinks he delivered the smaller parcel that arrived earlier. The flight case won’t arrive until tomorrow now. I really hope she doesn’t want to go out in the van 😂

I like the look of this. Perfect if your band does Mull of Kintyre.

My neighbour knocked on my door at 2:30am...Can you believe that, 2:30am!? Fortunately I was still up playing my bagpipes

This is like Terry and June*, but classier and with PA gear!

We released an acoustic covers album last Friday, recorded in a Saxon Church. The album launch is next weekend. The film of the album (also on another Basschat thread)

I'm days away from turning 60. 1. Done that. In darkest South Wales, where many of the valley villages have yet to experience electricity* 2. Similar, relying on directions from locals and ending up on top of a lonely mountain looking down on the lights of the road I'm meant to be on, several miles away and with no clue of how to reach it. 3. Introducing the wife of the guitarist I'd been playing with for more than 10 years to a friend, and at the crucial naming moment, finding out that I'd forgotten her name. 4. For variety, I also use 'pardon', 'what' and occasionally just nod and smile in the hope it will satisfy the individual. 5. Done this, with the added horror of having asked the FOH sound guy what he'd done to my amp when plugging in the DI cable to make it die on me before checking the volume controls. I did apologise. It was awful. I deny flashing anyone, but see #3 for a possible explanation. (*may not be true)

Just out of interest, and I expect the answer is "turnover", but why would you accept a booking from a band that ill-disciplined a second time? I will completely accept, and support, the wildest changes in direction and planning provided there are sound creative reasons for doing so, simply adding more and more rubbish to an already overloaded arrangement "to give it a try" is not a good reason to over-run a session by 5 hours... I had one band heading into the mix on an album that'd taken 3 weeks to track come in and demand that the entire drum recording were to be replaced because the drummer had a new drum kit. This was on 24 track analogue and there was no room to lay the new kit in parallel, I would be literally erasing the old drum tracks as the new ones were captured. They insisted that the new kit was better and the drummer was capable of tracking the whole album in a "reasonable" amount of time, but that it would have to come out of the mix time budget. This simply became a matter of 'Just do it" as far as the band were concerned. I did point out that if he wasn't, the whole album was at risk. I fully expected to have to rush the mix. I set it up, mic'ed the new kit (which was an absolute belter as it happened) and kept my fingers crossed that the poor drummer could keep going for what I thought would be at least 2 days... Pressing play and record on that first track was one of the hardest things I've ever done in a recording studio. He nailed 7 tracks in 4 hours, 2 in one take and 3 with drop-ins into break downs, he had a pizza and an hour break and cleared the last 5 before midnight. I had him drop an intro the next morning and started mixing. We finished the album 2 days early. Sometimes it works out. Good musicians are worth their weight in gold, good drummers doubly so.

Back in Bargoed 🙂

Great song lyric.....

This getting older is not easy. BCDEG all end in eee and that’s all I hear all too frequently. My sense of mis direction was legend so that’s nothing new. I’ve learned not to panic when I don’t have signal. It’s usually operator error. I simply try to get the job done without any drama. Still love a good gig. Thankfully modern gear is light and manageable. And I no longer have to lug an Ampeg fridge around.

I'm 78, & I know what you mean - I run Barefaced and have just bought (Ebay) a Crown 2000watt class D - plus I use a couple of fairly light Mackies for mid/top, 2 cases of cds & my deckset, which is the heaviest bit - sorted if I ever need to work again ! 😎

18 hours in and nobody has yet mentioned Valerie?

Hi Dave, a little off topic. At 70 managing my behavior sober is a challenge in itself . A few examples: 1. Getting lost on the way to gigs. 2. Getting lost on the way home from gigs. 3. Not remembering the names of people that have been following the band for years. 4. My hearing is so bad my response to anything anyone asks me is " huh ? " 5. Panicking because your rig isn't working a few minutes before you start the show. And you realize you have the volume turned all the way down on your bass or you forgot to plug your bass in. As far as the flashing incident. I didn't see it so I pretended it didn't happen. Our band leader assured me it did indeed happen. Lol Daryl

Well maybe not making more modding a squier to become one new turner pickups and a underhill tone circuit ( based on what’s in a mk1 wal ) dong have a pic of the circuit yet as it’s on it was from the us

This beauty arrived from Status HQ a few days ago, ordered to my specs. I've owned quite a few Statuses (Statii?) over the years, but being the unabashed bass tart that I am, I moved them all on eventually for something or other that probably seemed more sparkly and alluring at the time. I thought I'd got the carbon graphite bug out of my system, then a couple of months ago I spotted an S2 headed 5-string bolt-on online at a very reasonable price that had been delivered to the original owner in 2021, then promptly put in storage for the next three years as the pandemic played out. It looked like it was completely factory-fresh, so I took a punt. It turned out to be absolutely pristine and lovely to play, and immediately re-kindled my love of all things Status. As many of us will be aware, Rob Green (the boss of Status Graphite) had been ill with cancer, and with Brexit, the pandemic and price hikes for raw materials on top of that, production was shut down in 2022. Thankfully, Rob recovered after major surgery. Deciding he wasn't quite finished with the business, he opted for what he referred to as 'semi-retirement', and started making basses again late last year, but decided not to produce any of the previous ranges, making only a new 'Series 23' bass with a wooden, graphite-reinforced neck and a Richlite phenolic fingerboard, as well as Chris Wolstenholme and Alex Venturella signature models, made the same way. Although in some people's estimation this might have appeared to be flying in the face of the very thing that set Status basses apart from the rest, I was intrigued at the prospect of the new model, and decided to take the plunge and order one, a 5-string headless with Paramatrix 4-band EQ and Tri-Max pickups in soapbar cases. The chameleon finishes on offer on the website weren't really my thing, but Rob said he could make one in Satin Black, and I was sold. So what's it like? As I mentioned earlier, I know my way around the various Status models pretty well, and having the S2 to hand means I have something to compare the S23 with. The build quality and finish of both, as you would expect, is flawless. The S23 neck feels very slightly chunkier than the S2, due in part to the different finishes, but the profile and dimensions are almost identical. Using a depth gauge, the S23 measures a couple of millimeters deeper than the S2 at the zero fret, presumably to support the headless string retainer. Depth measurements at the 12th and 19th frets are the same on both basses, as is the width at the zero fret on both. The S23 neck is very slightly wider at the 12th and 19th frets than the S2 by a couple of millimeters, but it isn't apparent when playing either bass. Tonally, the S23 doesn't disappoint. Acoustically it's resonant, bright and crisp, with a piano-like quality to the B string that I wasn't expecting. At my request, Rob fitted 45-130 stainless steel "Hotwire' double ball end strings, and even though I'm used to nickels, the steels play so nicely, I think I'll be ordering some more. I've played extra-long scale Laklands for years, and the B string on the S23 is just as clear and defined, completely integrated with the other strings, as opposed to an afterthought added to a 4-string, as some fivers can feel. The acoustic clarity and resonance are borne out in how the S23 sounds plugged in - clear, crisp and open, and the EQ and coil tap switches mean you can create an incredibly wide range of tones, as well as dialing in the famous Status mid poke. The S2 sounds great too, but to be honest, it seems slightly muted in tone in comparison to the S23. As you might be able to tell, I'm very impressed with my new acquisition. I can see my S2, Lakland and Dingwalls all taking a back seat to the new arrival. If you're in the market for a high quality custom bass, I would suggest you seriously consider one. The other small bonus (at the moment at least) is that as production has only restarted recently, the build time from placing the order to delivery was only 6 weeks. Get in there quick.

Hello All, I would like to let you know about the excellent service I received from Jack at Jack’s Instrument Services in Manchester. I recently bought a 2nd hand Alusonic Django bass from a well known shop based in the Midlands. Unfortunately upon receipt the strings were dead and required changing, the result of this being an A string that rattled and buzzed quite badly. To be honest I should have sent the bass back but decided it would probably cost me money along with the degree of risk of sending an expensive instrument back by carrier. Upon searching google for a suitable instrument repairer I found Jack’s in Cheetham Hill, messaged him and he replied promptly telling me it was very likely the nut on my bass was incorrectly cut and he was confident he could remedy the issue. I dropped my bass in earlier today and guess what, Jack was spot on with his diagnosis. He was able to craft and fit a new buffalo horn nut which blended in perfectly on my black bass and carry out a really professional set up which resulted in the bass playing perfectly, not a buzz or a rattle in evidence. All for what can be described as a reasonable price all things considered. Suffice to say if you’re in or near Manchester and you need a bass or guitar repairing or setting up, look no further. Jack will be able to help get your treasured instrument back to its absolute best. Highly recommended!!

You weren't trying to find the Railway Canteen in Treherbert by any chance...

What's that old phrase, beware of internet tutors bearing warmup exercises? How to tell if what you're practising is doing you any good, and how to turn a bad exercise into a good one:

Riker Virgin ～ Madge

I have been trying to work out how to handle the pickups. I've managed to design a test pickup holder that hangs the pickups from the pickguard as opposed to screwing the pickup to the body. I'm still not sure the best way to go. The issue with the pickups are the height and the restricted space to work in. I did have 19mm from the floor to the top of the body, which isn't a lot as a bass pickup is about 20mm high. There needs to be a gap to the string of around 5.5mm (according to my Fender Jazz). The red ellipse is showing where the new pickup case I designed is separating due to spring tension. You solve one problem and then another pops up. [Now solved] The slots on the top allow me to play with the position. The three screws adjust the height ands angle. I'm going to reduce the top of the pickup case as I think I can save 0.5mm, yep its that tight This is the bottom of the pickup. It has to be a reasonable depth as the springs work against it.

I prefer classic Soul to classic rock and so to my ears two of the three original tunes mentioned by the OP are far better than the covers. As for Knocking...to my ears G n 'R's version is a lumpen, clodhopping monstrosity.

Telegram Clam - T Rex

We're back, baby! It's taken a few months but we have a new singer and our first gig with Jac is on Friday, at the Balaclava Bar in Fraserburgh.

Happy to be back at the Cow & Telescope this Friday. One of Southend's premier music venues.

Did a line of ants, threw a tv out of the window then drove my roller into a swimming pool. (Actually, I just had a pint and a chat with bandmates as we packed up our stuff).

Our swing orchestra has a few dates coming up: I'm at Manchester, Liverpool, and Bristol - our other bassist is doing the first three dates.

I was absolutely done in after our acoustic duo gig at the weekend! I'm 66, and lugging a PA into a venue is getting more of a PITA for me, ( especially as don't have to do this in the theatre band I'm in! ) Although a seated gig, I found it very full on and a touch stressful, which isn't what I was thinking of in my pending retirement! Most of our gigs are quite laid back, so a rammed pub on Easter Sunday was probably an exception. I can't blame my own kit (Fender Rumble 100 combo) either! Think we'll be looking for a more lightweight / easier to manage PA soon. It's crap getting old!!

Possibly part of the OPs question is largely down to the case being that the first version you hear of something sticks more-so than the (unheard/unknown of) original. By way of example, when I was a mere teen, I remember my mum (very musical) singing along to Japan's version of Don't Rain On My Parade. I mean, at that age I knew nothing about musicals as such (we had The King & I original soundtrack, but that was about it), so why would I know any different? As time went on my record collection was peppered with loads of covers that I knew nothing better about until I started scrutinising the record label or reading the liner notes. Also going back to my late mum, she was at mine one time and I had an album playing by Shudder To Think (US post-hardcore/math rock band) and she said, 'This is 'So Into You' by Atlanta Rhythm Section. I was like, 'What? Whaaaat?' 😂

If you hadn't already worked it out yesterday's post was an April fool joke. I posted it on several platforms and what I found interesting was how enthusiastic some people were about the idea of using wood ash to make a guitar. As a result I'm actually going to make a sample of "ashcrete" just to see what happens.... Meanwhile back in the real world -

Ultravox were a huge influence on me and true pioneers when it came to combining electronic instruments into rock and pop - they took the avant-garde electronica of Eno and Kraftwerk (even working with Brian Eno at one point), and mixing it with more traditional "rock" instrumentation (and even a bit of classical viola) they sign-posted the way for music to move out of the 70s and into the 80s and beyond. Whether it was electric bass or synth bass (can you even imagine Vienna without *that* synth bassline?), it was always under-stated and never flashy but always exactly the right thing for the song.

Looking after it for a friend. PS. This does require that you have a friend, so make sure you're properly equipped in that department.

He should... take it easy

I think it's the version the audience would want that's the most important, regardless of whether or not my preference correlates with that.

There's not really any need to memorise them. It's easier to just learn what makes a scale major or minor. They're just a series of tones and semitones. Whatever note you start on is the root. Learning that - to me at least - seems a lot easier and worthwhile than memorising patterns.

Our acoustic duo played last night in Beverley at The Sun Inn. We weren't sure if it would be busy with it being Easter Sunday and all, but when we arrived at 4pm the place was getting quite full. It's a lousy get-in with parking difficult, and the pub is on a blind corner which makes unloading a bit scary but we got it all in just before the heavens opened. It's an old pub dating from the 16th century - stone flagged floor, beams everywhere etc (see pic) so the sound can be a bit challenging. Due to the number of people in we didn't get a good soundcheck but just cracked on anyway. Did 3 x 40 min sets of requests, usual broad range of stuff from Ray Charles to Taylor Swift! At one point they had someone on the door having to turn people away as the room was rammed with punters. Plenty of faces we hadn't seen for a while, so great to catch up. Gave away a few business cards so hopefully will pick up some other work too. Landlord Paul is a top bloke, and we've just agreed to play a monthly gig there now for the rest of 2024. 🙂 http://suninnbeverley.co.uk

Sausage In A Bottle — The Police

As I recall, the specific incident was after a gig in one of the working men's clubs in Bedlinog. But in the duo days we regularly used to get lost trying to find these tiny venues. 😀

Well. I think you can knock me off the list; last week - and after a considerable amount of pre-2024 research - I bought a Harley Benton GPA-100 power amp. £68.00. I just really needed something small to run my EUB through rather than keep having to set up all my Darkglass kit. Bloody lovely it is too.

Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love" is probably now considered the "go to" version with the majority of the population not knowing it was by Mrs Marc Bolan.

Fretboard sanded, frets cut and epoxy poured.